Bo LeMastus earned a top-15 finish in the Overton’s 225 at Chicagoland Speedway on Friday night in his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at the one-and-a-half-mile track in Joliet, Ill.
The No. 54 Crosley Brands team was scored 22nd and 18th on speed in the two practice sessions held on Thursday afternoon. LeMastus ran 62 laps during practice to familiarize himself with the track and work on running different lines on the abrasive Chicagoland Speedway track surface. On Friday afternoon, the No. 54 team secured an 18th-place starting position after running a 32.198-second lap during qualifying.
When the green flag flew, LeMastus was able to maintain his starting position and ran around 18th for the first 50 laps of competition. After several laps of racing the No. 22 truck, LeMastus went for a spin off turn four while trying to complete the pass for position. The Crosley Brands Toyota Tundra was undamaged in the incident but forced to restart two laps down after having issues re-firing and pitting for four tires. LeMastus was scored 26th at the conclusion of Stage 1 and given the wave around, putting the team one lap down. During Stage 2, LeMastus stayed in the free pass position and was able to put himself back on the lead lap when the caution flew on lap 60. The Louisville, Ky. native advanced a few more positions by the conclusion of Stage 2, earning a 21st-place finish. The No. 54 pitted for fuel, tires and an adjustment and sent LeMastus back out for a fresh start during Stage 3. By lap 95, LeMastus had worked himself up to 18th. He continued to battle for the remaining 55 laps and earned a 15th-place finish in the Overton’s 225.
“I had a lot of fun out there. We had a really good Crosley Brands Toyota,” LeMastus said after the race. “I’m disappointed that we didn’t get around the 22 and 45 trucks. The team deserved a 12thor 13th-place finish. I got stuck behind those two guys, and with my inexperience I just did not use the better car – I had the better car – I just didn’t set them up and we wasted a lot of laps there. That’s the only thing I regret. The glass is half-full.”
The NCWTS will be back in action on Thursday, July 12, at Kentucky Speedway. DGR-Crosley will have two entries in the Buckle Up in Your Truck 225 for LeMastus and Chris Eggleston.
DGR Crosley PR
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