WINCHESTER, Ind. — Stephen Nasse used a fortunate break with 82 laps remaining to win the 51st running of the Winchester 400.
The 13th caution flag waved on lap 318 when leader Jake Garcia jumped the start. Nasse was running second at the time and was dropping back through the field when the caution flag waved. He pitted for a right side tire.
Following the restart, Nasse was running sixth and immediately started to move back toward the point. He passed pole sitter Casey Roderick for second on lap 331 and closed on Garcia’s rear bumper. The Florida veteran driver looked several times to the inside of Garcia exiting the fourth corner and finally regained the lead on lap 366.
From there, Nasse was able to drive away from the field to repeat his 2019 victory and second place finish in 2021.
Sammy Smith passed Garcia on lap 378 but was never able to challenge to make it back-to-back wins. At the checkers, Nasse won his second Winchester 400 by 4.6-seconds followed by Smith, William Sawalich, Garcia and Roderick the only drivers on the lead lap.
“On that last restart we had a tire going down,” Nasse said. “This was a tough race. We pitted more than I wanted today, but the crew kept me upfront all day.”
Nasse said the team struggled with the car all weekend.
Smith, who came back from several laps down, said the team had an issue early in the race. He said, “We pitted a lot and the crew did a good job giving me a chance to win.”
It was a race of attrition when several drivers who were expected to contend fell out of the race by the halfway point.
Chandler Smith led from lap 11 through 95 and surrounded the lead to Garcia on lap 96. While the two were battling for the lead on lap 115, they made contact with Smith’s day ending against the front straight wall. Smith had lapped up to the 15th place running car when the competition yellow waved on lap 76.
After the incident, Smith expressed is displeasure with the Garcia crew.
Before that Jesse Love was caught up in a four-car incident coming off the fourth corner that also collected the cars of Albert Francis, Tommy St. John and Billy VanMeter. Carson Hocevar struggled all day and finally called it a day on lap 251, while Corey Heim, who lost several laps just before the halfway mark, made contact with the turn four wall on lap 275.
Cole Butcher, who ran in the top five for most of the day brought out the caution flag on lap 311 when he lost a right rear tire on the front straight finishing ninth after leading the race three times for 82 laps. Nasse paced the field four times for a race high of 133 laps. There were only eight of the 27 starters still running at the finish.
Eddie VanMeter claimed the CRA Super Series championship with his eighth place finish.
The race was slowed 13 times for 86 laps by caution flags and there were 11 lead changes among 7 drivers.
Feature Results (400 Laps)
1) Stephen Nasse; 2) Sammy Smith; 3) William Sawalich; 4) Jake Garcia; 5) Casey Roderick; 6) Kyle Crump; 7) Logan Beardan; 8) Eddie VanMeter; 9) Cole Butcher; 10) Tommy St. John; 11) Corey Heim; 12) Michael Hinde; 13) Carson Hocevar; 14) Jaden Cretacci; 15) Jake Finch; 16) Billy VanMeter; 17) Chandler Smith; 18) Brian Brewer; 19) Chase Burda; 20) Neil McClelland; 21) Jesse Love; 22) Albert Francis; 23) Jon Beach; 24) Brandon Varney; 25) Evan Varney; 26) Chris Munson