Justin Haley No. 24 Fraternal Order of Eagles Chevrolet Kentucky Recap

Making his first start at Kentucky Speedway, Justin Haley began the Buckle Up In Your Truck 225 from the 10th position after inclement weather led to the cancellation of qualifying. The 18-year-old driver maintained his position within the top-10 until the first caution of the race on lap 22 when he reported to crew chief Kevin Bellicourt that he was free on entry in turns three and four. He came to pit road for two tires and fuel and restarted in the ninth position, ultimately advancing to sixth-place by the end of stage one.

Under the caution at the conclusion of the first stage, Haley stayed on track to take over the lead, but dropped back to the second position as the race resumed. He continued to run within the top-three positions until the end of the second stage when he reported he was tight on exit. He visited the No. 24 Fraternal Order of Eagles team for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment, but restarted in the 13th position as several trucks took just two tires.

The Winimac, Ind., native worked his way back in to the top-five by lap 89. From the sixth position, he came to pit road for the final time on lap 108 for two tires and a slight air pressure adjustment, as the No. 24 Chevrolet was tight in the center. Haley restarted in the sixth position and jumped to fourth as the green flag was shown. He worked his way in the third position with 19 laps to go and held on for his career-best NASCAR Camping World Truck Series finish and first top-five finish of the season.

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“We had a really good night in the No. 24 Fraternal Order of Eagles Chevy. We knew track position was going to be key and Kevin (Bellicourt, crew chief) worked out a great strategy for us. I was able to be really aggressive on restarts and that allowed us to focus on just going for a win. I feel really good about the progress we’ve made and can’t think these guys and everyone at GMS for the work they’ve put in to get us here.”

GMS Racing PR