USA Today via Reuters
Nov 5, 2021; Avondale, AZ, USA; Camping World Truck Series driver Ben Rhodes celebrates after clinching the 2021 Truck Series championship following the Lucus Oil 150 Championship race at Phoenix Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
USA Today via Reuters
Nov 5, 2021; Avondale, AZ, USA; Camping World Truck Series driver Ben Rhodes celebrates after clinching the 2021 Truck Series championship following the Lucus Oil 150 Championship race at Phoenix Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Earlier today, NASCAR crowned its first champion of the weekend. That honor went to Truck series’ Ben Rhodes, who clinched his maiden title. Obviously, the team were ecstatic and were wildly celebrating. At one point, one of the crew members performed Daniel Ricciardo’s famous shoey celebration. Admittedly, he was not a very big fan of the taste. However, some would insist that this is a rite of passage.
NASCAR posted a video of the same from it’s Instagram account, and safe to say, the admins were just as thrilled about this celebration as the fans were. The caption read, “HE DID A SHOEY 👟🍾🤣🤣.”
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To be perfectly honest, Rhodes deserved the win, because he fought valiantly for the title. As the laps ticked by, everything came to a head in the final few laps. Zane Smith had the advantage for a while, but somehow, Rhodes found some extra pace in the last eight laps. With that, he was able to surge past Smith, nudging his back bumper for good measure.
Speaking after the race, he said, “I thought it was gone. When the 21 (Smith) drove past me, I thought it was all over. He just kept driving away further and further and further. The end of the race, when everybody started wearing their stuff out, I didn’t think I had anything left. I was sideways every corner. But we had just enough, just enough.”
How was Ben Rhodes’ performance this season?
Right from the start, the ThorSport driver established his intentions, with back-to-back wins at Daytona. However, he went winless for the remainder of the regular season. Despite that, he racked up consistent performances with a handful of Top 5 and Top 10 finishes to keep himself in the running.
USA Today via Reuters
Nov 5, 2021; Avondale, AZ, USA; Camping World Truck Series driver Ben Rhodes celebrates after clinching the 2021 Truck Series championship following the Lucus Oil 150 Championship race at Phoenix Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
It is also the first time he has recorded more than one win in the season. Prior to his Truck Series career, he burst onto the scene in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East in 2014. That year, he amassed five wins, 11 top fives, 13 top 10s and six poles in 16 races, all at the age of 17.
After a part-time gig in the Xfinity Series in 2015, he moved to the Truck Series on a full-time basis. Since then, he has capped off a hugely successful year in the Truck arena.
READ MORE: ThorSport Racing Links Up With Toyota Starting From the 2021 NASCAR Truck Series Season
