You’ll be forgiven for not remembering the exact details of Nov. 5, 2021.
That’s the night Ben Rhodes clinched his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship at Phoenix Raceway.
Rhodes remembers less than you.
“Time kind of moved a little funny that night for me,” Rhodes recalled to SPEED SPORT.
It was a night Rhodes wasn’t exactly prepared for.
“I’ve never won a championship before, so I had no clue how long I was going to be at the race track for,” said Rhodes, who finished third and expected post-race to play out like they would for a normal race win. Then he’d depart for a party at his hotel.
“From the drop of the checkered flag, you go from thinking that nothing is real, this can’t be happening,” Rhodes said. “Then it is happening. And then it’s like a six-hour adventure of media.”
In the middle of the adventure, which included a trip to the track’s “Barn” bar, was a roughly 20-minute excursion to Phoenix Raceway’s media center.
If you remember anything from that night, you likely remember those 20 minutes.
For Rhodes, it was 20 minutes of pure, unadulterated championship “zen,” sponsored by Bud Light and a “decent” amount of champagne.
“Libations are good. The championship’s awesome. This is going to be the weirdest press conference ever,” Rhodes declared after his arrival.
It was accurate.
Hours later, Rhodes left the track and finally arrived at his hotel.
“I did go to where the after party was, and I just saw the remnants of it,” Rhodes said.
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