TALLADEGA, Ala. — Tate Fogleman smashed his way to his first career NASCAR national series victory with an overtime win in the Truck Series race at Talladega Superspeedway, the opening of NASCAR’s weekend playoff tripleheader.
Fogleman spun John Hunter Nemechek from the lead headed to the finish line on the second lap of a two-lap overtime shootout for his first victory in 46 career Truck Series starts. His Chevrolet wrecked its way across the finish line, and Fogleman went to the care center for the mandatory health check instead of victory lane.
“We’ve never finished a superspeedway race before so I really didn’t know what to do,” Fogleman said. “I’ve tried laying back in other races and it never worked. So, we figured we’d stay aggressive, try to stay toward the front.”
It was just the second career top 10 for Fogleman, who is in his second season driving for Young’s Motorsports.
The race was the first of all three NASCAR national series at Talladega this weekend and opened a Saturday doubleheader with the Xfinity Series. The Cup Series was scheduled for Sunday — the weather called for rain — and all three races carried huge playoff implications.
All four spots are still open with one race left in this round, at Martinsville Speedway on Oct. 30, where the field of eight will be trimmed to four. A win by any of the eight playoff drivers earns an automatic berth into the championship finale. (AP)