Michael Waltrip Racing development driver Ryan Truex began defense of his K&N Pro Series East title with a 15th-place finish in Saturday’s race at Greenville (S.C.) Pickens Speedway.
Truex’s finishing position in the event, however, was not indicative of how well he and his No. 00 MWR Toyota performed throughout the event. Truex qualified on the outside pole and took the lead from pole sitter Cole Whitt on lap 3. He would go on to lead a race-high 127 laps and routinely drive away from the field on each restart.
In a race that saw 13 caution periods, Truex would manage to avoid trouble until a restart on lap 137. The Mayetta, N.J. native missed a shift on the restart, stacking up the field behind him. A multi-car accident ensued and involved several of the top cars.
The red flag waved and the race was stopped while safety crews cleaned up the debris. Truex lost a number of positions in the accident and lined up sixth for the final restart. He quickly advanced to the fourth position before contact with another competitor sent him into the backstretch wall. The No. 00 Toyota was badly damaged, but Truex managed to limp it home to finish 15th.
Darrell Wallace Jr. won the event, but Truex was able to see the big picture when discussing the evening.
“We finished 14th in this event last year and we were still able to win the championship, so we’ll be fine,” said Truex. “It’s not how we wanted things to end tonight but the main thing for us is that we had a great car. I’m really proud of my guys. My car was fast and handled great.
“We’ll just put this behind us and get ready for South Boston.”
The next event on the K&N Pro Series East calendar is Saturday’s South Boston 150 at South Boston Speedway.
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