Buddy Kofoid Brings Home 11th-Place Finish at Knoxville

Sunday, Jun 19 448

NK Photography Photo

Toyota Racing Development dirt standout Buddy Kofoid made his second career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start Saturday night at Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway in the Clean Harbors 150. After finishing second in his qualifying race, Kofoid lined up in fifth for the 150-lap main event.

The California native dealt with handling issues for a majority of the race but found himself in the top-10 as the laps wound down in the Final Stage. On the final restart of the night, Kofoid was lined up in eighth but a three-way battle for the position bumped him back to 11^th as the checkered flag came out to end the race.

Stage One Recap

· Kofoid lined up for his second career Truck Series start in fifth after finishing second in his heat race.

· When the first caution of the night came out on lap 5, Kofoid communicated that his No. 51 Tundra was “already somewhat on the free side but once I get going, I’ll be fine”.

· A three-truck incident in Turn 3 brought out the second caution of the race on lap 32, setting up a one-lap dash to the end of the stage with Kofoid scored in 10^th.

· On the ensuing restart, Kofoid missed a gear while getting up to speed and fell back three spots before taking the green-and-white checkered flag scored in 13^th.

Stage Two Recap:

· Crew chief Mardy Lindley ordered up a four-tire and fuel stop at the stage break during which the No. 51 team executed under controlled conditions.

· Kofoid continued to deal with handling issues throughout the middle stanza stating that his Mobil 1 Tundra “doesn’t want to turn at all” on lap 56 while running in 15^th.

· The 20-year-old driver was scored in 15^th when the green-and-white checkered flag came out to end Stage Two.

Final Stage Recap:

· The No. 51 took a gamble at the stage break as Lindley elected to have his team stay out on track and forgo a final pit stop to gain track position, setting up Kofoid to restart the Final Stage in third.

· The handling issues continued for the No. 51 Tundra throughout the Final Stage as Kofoid fell back to 10^th when the seventh caution came out with 35 laps to go.

· As the laps were winding down, Kofoid worked his way back into the mix and was scored in eighth as the final caution of the night came out on lap 143.

· On the final restart, Kofoid found himself in a three-way battle before taking the checkered flag in 11^th.

Buddy Kofoid, driver of the No. 51 Mobil 1 Tundra TRD Pro for KBM:

Take us through your second career Truck Series race.

“We started out really good and went fifth to second in the heat race and had a lot of good speed. Up to that point, that’s the best that I felt this weekend. In the race, we just fought being too tight and actually developed a cushion all the way around. I was able to get some good laps and get by some guys but then if I restarted on the bottom I’d lose a couple, it seemed like the top was the place to be. I just fought being really tight but was able to salvage an okay run. Again, I can’t thank Kyle Busch Motorsports, Toyota Racing, and Mobil 1 enough for supporting me and letting me do this and have some fun.”

Clean Harbors 150 Recap

Todd Gilliland earned his third career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win. John Hunter Nemechek, Zane Smith, Ty Majeski, and Stewart Friesen rounded out the top-five finishers.
There were nine cautions for 45 laps and six lead changes among four drivers.

How Buddy Kofoid's KBM Teammates Fared:

· John Hunter Nemechek, driver of the No. 4 Toyota, finished second.

· Chandler Smith, driver of the No. 18 Toyota, finished 13^th.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Owner's Standings

The No. 51 team maintains their spot in seventh in the Owner’s Championship standings. They currently sit 65 tallies behind the No. 4 Kyle Busch Motorsports team in first.

Next Race

Corey Heim will be back behind the wheel of the No. 51 Tundra TRD Pro next weekend at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway for the second race of the Triple Truck Challenge. Live coverage of the Rackley Roofing 200 will be on FS1, Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM at 8p.m. ET.

KBM PR

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Buddy Kofoid Brings Home 11th-Place Finish at Knoxville

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