Baptist Health 200 Recap

Homestead-Miami Speedway

Dawson Sutton finished 23rd in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Baptist Health 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

After running 15th-quickest in practice, Sutton lined the No. 26 Rackley Roofing / W.A.R. Shocks Chevrolet Silverado up 18th for the initial start. The field didn’t complete a single lap before the first caution flew. Following the restart, Sutton struggled with a tight-handling truck before ending stage one in 24th.

Reporting that he was a “5-6 tight” and that the truck “doesn’t have any speed,” Sutton brought his truck to pit road for adjustments, along with four tires and fuel. During stage two, Sutton complained once again of a lack of speed and a tight truck, but he reported some improvement in the handling and ended stage two 24th.

Following more adjustments under the stage caution, Sutton restarted 20th but still struggled with speed. With plans to split the stage in half if stage three ran under green flag conditions for a while, crew chief Chad Kendrick brought his driver down pit road for service on lap 88.

Just a couple laps after Sutton made his stop, a single truck spin brought out the yellow and foiled the team’s plans to capitalize on track position later in the run. Having gone a lap down during his green flag stop, Sutton received the wave around and rejoined the back of the lead lap trucks.

Still struggling to find the speed he was looking for following the restart, though his straightaway speed was comparable to the leaders. After some discussion between spotter Bruce Danz Jr. and crew chief Chad Kendrick, the pair coached Sutton to change his line in turns 1 and 2, and he started building more speed.

Sutton managed to pick off a handful of drivers by utilizing the change in lines through the turns but only rebounded to a 23rd-place finish by the time the checkered flag flew.

Season Stats: 4 starts, best finish 17th (Atlanta)

Inside the Helmet with Dawson Sutton

“It was overall just a learning weekend. We struggled with the truck in practice. I got into qualifying and had a good lap going but got tight off of (turn) 4. I learned a lot, but we didn’t finish where we wanted to and deserved to. After last week when we finished pretty well, to have another one of these finishes doesn’t help. It just sucks at the end of the day. I think the whole team and I have to get better every week. They brought me a great truck last week in Vegas. I made mistakes and put us back in the race, but we need to have better finishes and better consistency as well. We’ll move on to Martinsville and hopefully continue to have a good year.”

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ABOUT RACKLEY W.A.R:
Rackley W.A.R. offers motorsports competition, technology, development, marketing, management, and a suite of other industry-related services for professional race car drivers, race teams and industry sponsors. Rackley W.A.R. competes nationally in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with driver Dawson Sutton as well as operating a championship driver development program that competes in premier, regional Super and Pro Late Model events. Rackley W.A.R. is headed and co-owned by Curtis Sutton (Rackley Roofing, Inc.) and Willie Allen (Willie Allen Racing and W.A.R. Shocks & Suspension).

ABOUT RACKLEY ROOFING:
For 2024 Rackley Roofing Co. Inc. is proud to celebrate 50 years in business! Established in 1974, Rackley Roofing has become one of the leading industrial and commercial roofing contractors in Tennessee. As a full-service roofing company, Rackley dedicates in-house crews who each focus on one specialty. The company only hires highly skilled, full-time roofing experts, enabling Rackley Roofing to offer unparalleled service that exceeds customer expectations.

Among numerous industry awards throughout the years that accolade Rackley’s commitment to safety, positive growth, diversity and excellence, the company was honored with the distinct recognition of Roofing Contractor of the Year in 2022, an industry benchmark.