Late Race Spin Ends Impressive Gateway Performance
Ryan Fast In Bill Davis Truck at St. Louis
Prior to this weekend, Ryan Mathews’ only start at Gateway International Raceway came in an ARCA RE/Max Series event last season. He finished seventh on the 1.25-mile track and expected more of the same in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event.
Mathews and his No. 22 team showed their strength during each practice session Friday. Mathews topped the charts in the rookie practice session and finished the day with the ninth quickest truck overall.
Mathews made his attempt in the middle of the qualifying order. His lap of 34.065 seconds placed him eighth on the starting grid for Saturday night’s race.
Mathews and his Tundra immediately vaulted forward upon the start of Saturday night’s race. He was already among the top five within the first 10 laps of the race and remained there for the next 50 laps.
After the caution flag waved on lap 58, Mathews came to pit road for his first stop of the night. His truck ran well, but it was aerotight when he was behind other trucks. The crew hoped four tires and fuel would remedy the problem and sent Mathews back onto the track in fifth place for the lap 63 restart.
Mathews maintained his top-five position, despite the handling of his truck growing tight from the center off the turns. He pitted under caution on lap 105 for four tires, fuel and a trackbar adjustment.
After the restart on lap 110, Mathews felt a strange vibration in his Tundra. He pitted under caution on lap 120 for four more tires, as the right front tire had become loose. He restarted 18th on lap 123.
Darting his way through the field, Mathews proved his talent again as he broke into the top-10 with just 10 laps remaining. During his battle for eighth position on the final lap, Mathews’ truck spun and the young driver finished 18th.
Mathews will join the rest of the Craftsman Truck Series drivers at [Loudon] New Hampshire International Speedway in two weeks. The race will be televised live on SPEED Saturday, Sept. 15.
