Gragson wins 1st Truck Series race with Martinsville victory

By AP
Published

MARTINSVILLE, Va. (AP) Noah Gragson won his first career Truck Series race by passing two-time champion Matt Crafton on the final restart Saturday at Martinsville Speedway.

Gragson, who is from Las Vegas, won for Kyle Busch Motorsports. Busch, who also is from Las Vegas, uses that team to groom young talent.

Gragson is the 10th first-time Truck Series winner at Martinsville, and his victory denied a driver from earning an automatic berth in the championship race of the playoffs.

The race at Martinsville was the first in the round of six for the series. Two drivers will be eliminated from the field, and Gragson is not championship-eligible.

Crafton finished second and Johnny Sauter was third. Each of the playoff drivers won a stage of Saturday's race.

Harrison Burton was fourth and followed by Todd Gilliland.

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