‘Purdy’ Close to Sending KBM Out in Style

Chase Purdy put KBM in a position to win in the organization’s final NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race, but an untimely caution that came out while he was leading in the second overtime session set up another restart and he would end the night having to settle for a third-place finish. Purdy, who entered 2023 with zero top-five finishes in his career, recorded three this year along with a career-high 11 top-10 finishes while driving for KBM.

The Bama Buggies driver started Friday night’s Craftsman 150 from the fifth position. Early in the race, Purdy reported that he was tight in the center of the corner and loose off. At the conclusion of Stage One, the No. 4 Bama Buggies team made trackbar and air pressure adjustments to help improve the handling of the truck. Purdy went on to complete Stage Two in the seventh position.

Following the end of stage two, Purdy relayed to the team that the balance of the truck was improved. Crew chief Jimmy Villeneuve told Purdy that he felt like they were easily a top-four truck. The Bama Buggies team pitted on lap 79 to set themselves up for a strong run in the final stage. Purdy began the Final Stage on the front row. Following a caution with 49 laps to go, Purdy and his team felt that they needed to be more aggressive on the restarts. A series of overtime restarts allowed Purdy to be in contention for the victory late. On the final restart, Purdy did not have the momentum that the leader had and fell back to third. 

Talk about your race.

“I certainly wanted to end the final race for Kyle Busch Motorsports on a high note. It was all heart, giving it everything I knew as a race car driver. We fell short today. That’s tough to swallow because it was right there in front of us. I just wanted to get KBM one more win and close their season out strong. Really proud of everybody at KBM, they’re like a family to me. The things they’ve done for me and what they’ve turned me into, not only as a race car driver, but as a person, is incredible. I owe a lot to them and will forever be grateful for that.”

·        Christian Eckes won Friday night’s Craftsman 150. It was his fourth victory of 2023 and the fifth of his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career. Jake Garcia finished second, while Chase Purdy, Jesse Love, and Ben Rhodes rounded out the top five.

·        There were 12 cautions for 77 laps and nine lead changes among six drivers. Purdy led once for eight laps.

Purdy ends the season a career-best 11th in the Craftsman Truck driver point standings.