Dylan Lupton made his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start of 2021 Sunday afternoon at Darlington Raceway in the No. 51 Safelite Toyota Tundra.
After battling in the top-10 for the first part of the opening stage, Lupton was fighting with the No. 51 Tundra as it became loose in the turns as the stage went on.
During the second stage, Lupton communicated that something broke on his Tundra before making hard contact with the outside wall on lap 88, forcing him to bring the No. 51 Tundra down pit road for an unscheduled pit stop. This would set the No. 51 team back four laps for the remainder of the race and relegate the 27-year-old driver to a disappointing 31st place finish.
Stage One Recap
Dylan Lupton began the race in the 11th position on the inside lane.
During the first competition caution, Lupton communicated with the No. 51 team that the Tundra was “free through turns 1 & 2” and “a little free through the first third of turn 3.”
Despite battling the loose truck, Lupton was able to run in the top-10 for the first part of the opening stage.
As the green/white checkered flew at the conclusion of stage one, Lupton was scored 20th and communicated to crew chief Mardy Lindley that the truck was still extremely loose and had no grip.
Stage Two Recap:
The California native would restart the second stanza in the 28th position on the inside lane that would get jammed up coming to the start/finish line.
On lap 88, Lupton stated that something broke in the right front of his Tundra which caused him to get into the outside wall and forced the No. 51 team to come down pit road for an unscheduled pit stop.
The unscheduled pit stop would result in Lupton and the No. 51 team to be scored four laps down in the 32nd position at the end of Stage Two.
Final Stage Recap:
Lupton would be unable to recover from getting in the wall earlier in the race as he continued to fight to regain laps.
Lupton would gain one position in the final stage and finish the In It to Win It 200 from Darlington Raceway in the 31st position.
In It To Win It 200 Recap
Sheldon Creed grabbed his second straight win in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series playoffs, leading 104 out of 147 laps. John Hunter Nemechek finished 0.531 seconds behind Creed in the runner-up position. Stewart Friesen, Todd Gilliland, and Parker Kligerman rounded out the top-five finishers.
There were eight cautions for 35 laps. There were four lead changes among three drivers.
How Dylan Lupton’s KBM Teammates Fared:
John Hunter Nemechek, driver of the No. 4 Toyota, finished second.
Chandler Smith, driver of the No. 18 Toyota, finished seventh.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship owner’s standings
Two races into the NASCAR playoffs, the No. 51 team now sits in 10th-place in the owner’s championship standings with 2023. The No. 51 is currently 35 points behind the cut line for advancing to the Round of 8 heading into the final race of the Round of 10.
Next Race
Drew Dollar will be behind the wheel of the No. 51 Sunbelt Rentals Tundra when the No. 51 team looks to keep their playoff hopes alive as the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series wraps up the Round of 10 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway on Sept. 16. Live coverage will be on FS1, Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM at 9 p.m. ET.
