Reigning NASCAR Truck Series champion Ben Rhodes had the worst possible start to the 2024 season as he had to retire from the race with well over 20 laps to go. The driver of the #99 truck was the victim of hard racing in the draft when Tyler Ankrum slammed into him, which damaged his right rear tire. As per the commentators, Rhodes shouted, “Tire, tire,” after the contact, suggesting a puncture, but it turns out that the damage was a lot more serious than that.

Initially, it seemed like the #99 truck would be able to continue. Some minor repair work may have been necessary, but on the surface, it did not seem terminal. All that changed when the 26-year-old drove it into the pits and was informed that the damage was too much to fix on the pit road. A dejected Ben Rhodes climbed out of the truck and sat down on the pit wall, his dejection evident in his body language.

Hard racing costs Ben Rhodes, the first race of the 2024 truck season

It came as a surprise to a lot of fans and even the commentators that Ben Rhodes and Tyler Ankrum did not wreck when the latter slammed into the former. At first glance, it may have looked intentional, but the driver of the #18 was pushed too hard from the back, and he just lost control of his vehicle. Regardless of that, the result would have been the same for the reigning Cup Series champion. Rhodes only suffered one DNF last season on his way to the championship victory, and that’s how he began his title defense this season.

A few moments after the contact with Ankrum, Rhodes’ truck seemed to get loose and lose several places before spinning around and making contact with the #15 truck of Tanner Gray and the #1 truck of Toni Breidinger. When he came onto pit road to assess the damage, it was considered terminal as the 2-time Truck Series champion climbed out. It must have been especially disappointing for Rhodes since he had started at the back of the pack and had to fight to the front.

The ThorSport Racing star was a disappointed man, but he stressed the importance of the points he accumulated throughout the event. It is only the first race of the season, and these points go a long way towards the end of the season, especially during the playoffs. It was nice to see the 2-time Truck Series champion focus on the positives as he will now look to make amends in the second NASCAR Truck Series race of the season at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

The race was nothing short of a wreckfest overall, with quite a disappointing ending. It began with a massive wreck right at the start after just a few laps of racing, and it ended with a significant wreck on the final lap as well. Nick Sanchez took the checkered flag on the night under caution, but he will not mind that one bit.

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Nick Sanchez wins the season-opening Truck Series wreck fest at Daytona

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The 22-year-old had a torrid time last season as he went the campaign winless. To start off the new season with a victory was something the Rev Racing man could only have been dreaming of. It is Sanchez’s first career victory at the Daytona International Speedway, and one can be certain that he will savor it all night long. Speaking to the media after his victory, the driver of the #2 reminisced on the chaotic nature of the race and thanked his team for sticking with him despite the difficulties of last season.

“Pretty surreal, especially with how the race started. Just a big thanks to my team for sticking with me all last year. We were winless. It hurt. We should have won, but we redeemed ourselves in the first race possible,” he said, as per motorsport.com. Corey Heim took P2, and Rajah Caruth finished P3 to cap off what was a chaotic opening night in the NASCAR Truck Series.

There will be a lot of drivers disappointed with how things turned out in the end. Good, hard racing has been the hallmark of races at the Daytona International Speedway, but no one is happy when hard racing leads to a massive wreck, especially on the final lap of one. It will be interesting to see how a lot of these drivers, including Ben Rhodes, make a comeback next week at the Atlanta Motor Speedway.

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