After taking a week off, the Craftsman Truck Series returns to kick off a triple header weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Fr8 208, but Mother Nature has intervened and the rains have cancelled the Friday afternoon qualifying session.  As a result, the field will be set via the NASCAR metric that includes fastest lap, finishing position from last race, and points.  The 2022 Truck Series champion Zane Smith will sit on the pole and bringthe field to the green flag.

Thirty-six teams brought trucks to Atlanta so all of the entries will start the race.

The starting lineup for the Fr8 208:
Zane Smith
Ty Majeski
Ben Rhodes
Christian Eckes
Carson Hocevar
Corey Heim
Grant Enfinger
Matt Crafton
Chase Purdy
Matt DiBenedetto
Tanner Gray
Jake Garcia
Tyler Ankrum
Stewart Friesen
Colby Howard
Dean Thompson
Jack Wood
Timmy Hill
Daniel Dye
Nicholas Sanchez
Lawless Alan
Rajah Caruth
Layne Riggs
John Hunter Nemechek
Kris Wright
Mason Massey
Spencer Boyd
Josh Reaume
Kaden Honeycutt
Bayley Currey
Mason Maggio
Hailie Deegan
Bret Holmes
Akinori Ogata
Ryan Vargas
Keith McGee

Stages one and two of the race are 30 laps each with stage three lasting 75 laps for a total of 135 laps around the mil e and a half track.  Drivers can run 55 to 60 laps on  single load of fuel.

Zane Smith brings the field down for the green flag start of the race from the inside lane and goes side by side with Ty Majeski before Majeski gets out in front.  Christian Eckes comes up to battle with Majeski for the lead.

Lap two, Mason Maggio scrapes the wall but the track stays green.

Lap three, Christian Eckes leads the race with Zane Smith in second; Grant Enfinger, Matt Crafton, and Matt DiBenedetto round out the top five.

Lap five, the drivers single file through the field.

Lap seven, Christian Eckes holds on to a narrow lead on Zane Smith.

Lap 11 Lawless Alan gets loose but saves the truck.

Lap 14, Christian Eckes continues to lead the race with Zane Smith in second; Grant Enfinger, Matt Crafton, and Matt DiBenedetto continue to round out the top five.

Lap 15 Keith McGee is off the track with 29 trucks on the lead lap.

In Daytona and Talladega the double yellow line is the no-go line.  At Atlanta, the no-go line is a double white line with red in the middle.  Drivers cannot go below the line and advance their position or they will receive a penalty.

The first caution flag of the race comes out on lap 24 when Layne Riggs and Daniel Dye make contact and get into the wall.

Several drivers come down pit road for service short pitting the end of stage one.

Grant Enfinger is reporting some visibility issues; saying that it is very dusty out there.

Christian Eckes brings the field down for the green flag shootout to the end of stage one from the outside lane with Zane Smith on the inside.  Getting a little help from behind, Christian Eckes gets out in front for the lead but Zane Smith comes up to go sided by side.  Christian Eckes edges out to win stage one.

The top 10 at the end of stage one:
Christian Eckes
Zane Smith
Grant Enfinger
Matt Crafton
Matt DiBenedetto
Ty Majeski
Stewart Friesen
Ben Rhodes
Chase Purdy
Jake Garcia

Drivers come down pit road for service with Zane Smith winning the race off of pit road.

After staying out on the track, Matt Crafton brings the field down for the green flag start of stage two with Carson Hocevar on the inside.  With a push from Ty Majeski, Matt Crafton gets out in front for the lead.  Carson Hocevar tried to move up for the lead and is now falling through the field.

Lap 39 the caution flag comes out for debris on the track.  A piece of ballast has fallen off of one of the trucks.  Zane Smith hit the ballast and has some damage to the splitter on his truck.

Hailie Deegan went below the no-go line but will not have to serve a penalty since she gave back the spot.  Deegan’s truck honours Woman’s History Month with 1,300 signatures of women in NASCAR all on the truck.

Jake Garcia has some shock issues with his truck and is having to make multiple stops on pit road.

Matt Crafton brings the field down for the green flag restart from the outside lane with Kaden Honeycutt on the inside on lap 45.  Matt Crafton and Kaden Honeycutt battle for the lead; getting pushes from the truck behind them.

Lap 46, Matt Crafton leads the race with Ty Majeski in second; Ben Rhodes, Kaden Honeycutt, and John Hunter Nemechek round out the top five.

Lap 47, Kaden Honeycutt drops down to the apron and slows down.  The truck shut down but he got it powered back up.

Lap 49, Mat Crafton has the lead with Ty Majeski in second; Ben Rhodes, John Hunter Nemechek, and Corey Heim round out the top five.

Lap 53, Colby Howard makes contact with Christian Eckes but they both hold on to the truck and the track stays green.

Lap 54, Matt Crafton holds on to the lead of the race with Ty Majeski in second; Ben Rhodes, John Hunter Nemechek, and Corey Heim rounds out the top five.

Crews are reporting that tire wear is not an issue in today’s race on a cool March afternoon in Atlanta.

John Hunter Nemechek drops down to the inside on the final lap of stage two and gets a push from Corey Heim to challenge for the lead but Matt Crafton holds him off and wins stage two.

The top 10 at the end of stage two:
Matt Crafton
Ty Majeski
John Hunter Nemechek
Ben Rhodes
Corey Heim
Zane Smith
Tyler Ankrum
Grant Enfinger
Stewart Friesen
Nick Sanchez

Mason Maggio is smoking as stage two comes to an end.

Drivers come down pit road for service with John Hunter Nemechek winning the race off of pit road after taking only two tires.  Brett Holmes and Nick Sanchez make contact on pit road getting in and out of their pits; causing some damage to both trucks.

John Hunter Nemechek brings the field down for the green flag start of stage three with Matt DiBenedetto alongside on lap 69.  After some side by side racing, John Hunter Nemechek gets out in front for the lead.

The top five are John Hunter Nemechek, Corey Heim, Stewart Friesen, Tyler Ankrum and Chase Purdy round out the top five.

After having some issues on put road, Nick Sanchez is in the top 20 in 17th.

Lap 73, John Hunter Nemechek has just a tenth of a second lead on Corey Heim; Stewart Friesen, Tyler Akrum, and Chase Purdy round out the top five.

Lap 76 drivers are single file with John Hunter Nemechek leading the way.

The caution flag comes out on lap 78 when Akinori Ogata gets into the inside wall after getting loose.  He turned the truck to keep form hitting another driver.

With 56 laps remaining in the race, the drivers are in their window to fill the fuel tank and make it to the end of the race.

Drivers come down pit road for fuel with John Hunter Nemechek winning the race off of pit road.  Corey Heim and Colby Howard again make contact on pit road; this time blocking Stewart Friesen in his pit stall.

John Hunter Nemechek brings the field down for the green flag restart with 53 laps remaining in the race.  Crash on the restart with Corey Heim and Nick Sanchez; causing significant damage to Corey Heim’s truck.

Corey Heim is out of his truck…and out of the race.

Nick Sanchez reports that his truck just shut down but the truck is moving again.

John Hunter Nemechek brings the field down for the green flag restart from the outside lane with 42 laps remaining in the race.  With so many of the leader choosing to start from the outside, drivers back in the field are getting a chance to move up closer to the front.  Nemechek gets a push form Chase Purdy and holds on to the lead. 

With 41 to go, John Hunter Nemechek leads the race with Chase Purdy in second; Tyler Ankrum, jack Wood, and Matt DiBenedetto rounding out the top five.

Dean Thompson brings out the caution flag when he gets into the wall and has a flat tire.

John Hunter Nemechek brings the field down one more time for the green flag restart from the outside lane with 33 laps remaining in the race.  Getting a push form Chase Purdy, John Hunter Nemechek gets out in front for the lead.

Lap 102, John Hunter Nemechek leads the race with Chase Purdy in second; Jack Wood, Tyler Ankrum,  and Matt Crafton round out the top five.

Lap 104, Matt Crafton pushes Jack Wood to the lead, but John Hunter Nemechek comes up on the outside to retake the lead.

Thirty to go, John Hunter Nemechek leads the race with Chase Purdy in second.  Drivers are getting three and four wide across the track.

Leaders have gotten single file with John Hunter Nemechek in the lead; Chase  Purdy, Tyler Ankrum, Matt DiBenedetto, and Ben Rhodes round out the top five.

Lap 109, John Hunter Nemechek leads the race on the outside lane but the inside lane is getting organized and is trying to move up for the lead with Jack Wood leading the inside lane.

Lap 111, Jack Wood has caught leader John Hunter Nemechek and gets out in front for the lead.

Lap 112, Jack Wood leads the race with John Hunter Nemechek in second.

Lap 114 the caution flag comes out when John Hunter Nemechek gets into the back of leader Jack Wood and spins him out.  Grant Enfinger is also involved and has a flat tire. 

John Hunter Nemechek brings the field down for the green flag restart with just 15 laps remaining in the race.  Nemechek is on the outside with Nick Sanchez on the inside.  Nick Sanchez gets out in front for the lead.  Ben Rhodes gets a push from Christian Eckes and takes the lead.

Nick Sanchez and Ben Rhodes battle for the lead, swapping it back and forth.

The caution flag comes out with 13 laps to go when Carson Hocevar and Grant Enfinger get into the wall after a four wide battle.  Lawless Alan and Matt Crafton were also involved.

Matt Crafton comes down pit road for fresh tires and repairs.

With just seven laps to go, Nick Sanchez brings the field down for the green flag restart from the outside lane with Ben Rhodes alongside.  Sanchez and Rhodes go side by side as drivers get three wide across the track.  Nick Sanchez gets out in front for the lead.

Five to go, Nick Sanchez leads the race; Ben Rhodes gets sideways but saves the truck.

The caution flag comes out for the record setting tenth time when Carson Hocevar gets into the wall again in a truck with no spoiler.

The race goes into overtime!

Nick Sanchez brings the field down for the green/white/checkered shootout for the end of the race from the outside lane with Christian Eckes on the inside.  Getting pushes from behind, Eckes and Sanchez are side by side but a big push form Ben Rhodes puts Christian Eckes out in front to take the white flag.

Nick Sanchez takes the lead but Christian Eckes and Ben Rhodes make it a three wide battle as trucks crash behind them including Nick Sanchez and Ben Rhodes.

Christian Eckes wins the race!

Eckes did a burn out that obscured the view of the truck.

There was a bit of a delay in naming the winner due to the wrecks and when NASCAR threw the yellow flag.

The unofficial results of the Fr8 208:
Christian Eckes
Nick Sanchez
John Hunter Nemechek
Bayley Currey
Matt DiBenedetto
Ben Rhodes
Timmy Hill
Chase Purdy
Matt Crafton
Jack Wood
Ty Majeski
Hailie Deegan
Bret Homes
Ryan Vargas
Kris Wright
Daniel Dye
Akinori Ogata
Jake Garcia
Grant Enfinger
Spencer Boyd
Zane Smith
Stewart Friesen
Josh Reaume
Tanner Gray
Rajah Caruth
Tyler Ankrum
Colby Howard
Layne Riggs
Mason Massey
Dean Thompson
Carson Hocevar
Lawless Alan
Kaden Honeycutt
Corey Heim
Mason Maggio
Keith McGee