By Anddy Veltman

Rockingham, NC. ASRS trucks returned to ‘The Rock’ with the Sam Maxwell Customs Truck Series last Tuesday. At just over a mile (1.017mi), the SMC 125 would consist of 125 laps on the abrasive D-shaped oval. The event would mark the 10th event of the 2018 race season.

Main event qualifying would see Ty Hester (36) top the charts for his 3rd perch’n Pole Award of the 2018 season and 2nd in a row with a lap time of 23.489s. Jordan Ashelin (27) picked-up the outside front row starting position by way of a 23.573s lap, while the defending Rockingham race winner of 2017, Jared Mogard (00), would roll off of the grid in 5th.

Hester would race out front early, clearing Ashelin on the start, but would lose control coming into the tri-oval on Lap 4 and slide through the grass. Hester would collect minimal damage, but lose multiple positions. A caution waving moments later for an unrelated incident would allow him to regain some track position by remaining on the track while the bulk of the field visited pit road.

Mogard was the next to lead, also electing to waive pitting for track position. Restarting on 7-lap old tires, he would take control and pull away from the field. Despite building a quick lead, Mogard would surrender the interval for another multi-car incident, this one resulting in Steve Ritter’s (16) truck sliding on its roof is a shower of sparks.

Once officials cleared the track, Mogard would continue where he had left off, leading through a succession of caution incidents. Evan Osborne (38) would steal a few laps out front by way of yellow pit cycling, but would succumb to the faster Mogard once the green flag returned to the speedway.

On Lap 66, Mogard would again lose the lead during pit cycles, this time to Jordan Ashelin. Ashelin would restart the field, opening a gap of a few truck lengths. From behind, Mogard would begin to chip into Ashelin’s lead, eventually reeling in the leader and passing to regain P1 through the next caution incident.

Brandon Krutz (93) would take a shot at the lead, staying out on old tires while the majority of the field would pit during yellow flag conditions. Krutz’s attempt would be hopeful, successfully fending off a challenge from Ashelin that would send Ashelin through the tri-oval grass, but Mogard would once again retake the lead position. With the next lap, Krutz would then tangle with Ty Hester, ending his bid for the win.

Mogard would continue to dominate, restarting from the lead on Lap 92 and holding on through the next 2 caution incidents. Devin Serra (20) would challenge on the final green run, but it would not be enough as Mogard would take the checkered flag and win the SMC Rockingham 125 and claim his 10th ASRS Sam Maxwell Customs Truck Series career victory.

En route to victory, Mogard would lead a race-high 98 laps. Serra would come home as the runner-up after starting in 26th position, while Jarred Haggerty (6) scored 3rd. Haggerty tallies 4 laps led to join Evan Osborne, Jordan Ashelin, Brandon Krutz, and Ty Hester in lead lap bonuses.

Heading into the off-week, Jared Mogard picks up the points lead, up from 3rd the previous week. Devin Serra holds steady in 2nd, with Brian Yaczik (55) falling to 3rd. Tom Giannini (44) and Jason Stewart (7) round out the Top-5 in a tie for 4th place. Evan Osborne is the week’s biggest gain, up 13 spots, while Evan Black (99) falls 4 to 20th.

The ASRS Sam Maxwell Customs Truck Series will return on June 12th. Racing under the lights, drivers will visit the 7/8-mi Newton, IA speedway for the Iowa 125. Race coverage will be provided by ‘PTRTV on LRSTV’ beginning at 9:00PM EST.

Race feed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmyinhsEO4E