LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Strategy and smart driving allowed Dalton Sargeant and Justin Fontaine to contend and earn career-best NASCAR Camping World Truck Series finishes in Friday night’s Stratosphere 200 at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway.
Sargeant, driving the No. 25 Performance Plus Motor Oil Chevrolet earned a sixth-place finish after starting 18th. The Boca Raton, Fla. native took advantage of a late race caution to pit for left side tires and ultimately used an 11-lap shootout to climb from 10th to sixth to earn his second top-10 finish of the season.
“We had a good finish in the Performance Plus 25 for GMS Racing,” offered Sargeant. “Really, a good night for all the GMS Trucks and teams. We’ve had an issue all weekend with just raw speed, my guys worked really hard throughout the weekend to try and find it but just never could. We probably should’ve finished outside the top-10 with the issues but we clawed our way to the front there at the very end.
“Doug Randolph made some great calls on the pit box to get us track position all night but we just couldn’t ever maintain it for a long period of time. With such a short run at the end, we were able to hang on and finish 6th. My hats off to the guys on this race team, they’ll go back to the shop and tear everything apart and find the issue. We’ll come back and be a lot better for Martinsville.”
Fontaine in his sixth career Truck Series start and third for Niece Motorsports qualified 17th, but his team elected to keep the rookie driver on the race track during a round of green-flag pit stops.
Just before the Asheville, N.C. native was scheduled to come down pit road for routine service, Michel Disdier spun in Turns 3 and 4 bringing out the fifth caution on Lap 119.
The final yellow flag of the race allowed Fontaine to come to pit road and get service for tires and fuel. Restarting seventh, Fontaine hunted for his first top-five finish but settled for ninth, his second top-10 finish in three races.
“I’m really proud of my Niece Motorsports team,” said Fontaine. “We had a really good No. 45 ProMATIC Automation Chevrolet from the moment we unloaded on Thursday and were able to maintain that pace during the race.”
Fontaine also led his first laps in Truck Series competition, leading Laps 118-119. Fontaine, also for the second time this season led Niece Motorsports to their career-best finish in the series.
The former ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards competitor started off the year with a 10th place showing at Daytona International Speedway last month.
“My crew chief Darrell (Morrow) made a great call and it ultimately put in a good position to head into the break with some great momentum. I’m having a blast and life is good.”
With their finishes, Sargeant and Fontaine will enter the first break for the Truck Series eighth and 12th in points respectively with 20 races remaining in 2018.
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
