Race Recap Elite Truck Series

EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta)

Wed, Feb 18, 2026Round 7

Crosby Charges Through Field at EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta): From P13 to Victory Lane

Race at a Glance

🏁Field Size

27

🔄Laps

110

Avg Lap Time

38.088

🟡Cautions

4

⚠️Caution Laps

12

🔀Lead Changes

17

🛡️Clean Runners

2

🏎️Lead Lap Finishers

10

Winner Spotlight

John W Crosby race image
Custom
73

John W Crosby

P1 Finish

Started: P13Finished: P1Incidents: 4
🔀 17 Lead Changes🏎️ 10 Lead Lap Finishers
John W Crosby car
P1
73

John W Crosby

Started P13 • Inc 4

Nate Lesko car
P2
20

Nate Lesko

Started P22 • Inc 1

Justin Carey car
P3
33

Justin Carey

Started P4 • Inc 5

John Crosby delivered a masterclass performance at EchoPark Speedway, charging from 13th on the grid to capture his first victory of the RFRL Truck Series season in dramatic fashion. The #73 driver navigated through 12 positions during the 110-lap battle, collecting maximum points despite accumulating four incidents along the way. Crosby's triumph came as pole-sitter Jesse Gordon endured a nightmare race, plummeting from first to 24th position—a catastrophic 23-position drop that handed Crosby the opportunity he needed to break through for his inaugural win.

The real story of the night belonged to hard charger Nate Lesko, who authored one of the most spectacular drives of the season by rocketing from 22nd starting position to second place—a remarkable 20-position gain that earned him 35 crucial championship points. Lesko's #20 truck carved through traffic with precision, managing just one incident while others around him struggled with the challenging Atlanta surface. Justin Carey completed the podium in third, advancing one position from his fourth-place starting spot despite five incidents that threatened to derail his strong run.

The 27-car field battled through four caution periods that consumed 12 laps of green flag racing, with contact being a constant threat as evidenced by the incident-heavy nature of the event. Anthony Hardin emerged as one of only two clean drivers, piloting his #77 truck from 12th to fourth without a single incident, while Brandon Hinton also kept his nose clean advancing 12 positions from 25th to 13th. The carnage claimed several contenders, with Ryan Philbrick suffering a devastating 17-position slide from second to 19th that severely damaged his championship hopes.

Crosby's victory dramatically reshuffled the championship standings with five races remaining in the season. Jordan Traas maintains his points lead at 365 despite finishing 22nd, adding just 15 points to his tally, while Crosby's 40-point windfall catapulted him from third to third in the standings—now just 42 points behind the leader. Philbrick remains second with 347 points but saw his deficit to Traas grow, while Tom Ringer and Todd Parent round out the top five with 300 and 299 points respectively. With such tight margins separating the championship contenders and five races left on the calendar, Crosby's breakthrough victory has injected fresh drama into what promises to be a thrilling title fight.

🔥Hard Charger: Nate Lesko (+20)
Cleanest Race: Anthony Hardin (0x)
Pole: Jesse Gordon
🔴Most Incidents: Brandon H Yates (15)

Top Movers

Nate Lesko20

+20

David Burcicki92

+13

John W Crosby73

+12

Finishing Order

FinishStart+/-Car #DriverIncPoints
113+1273John W Crosby4x40
222+2020Nate Lesko1x35
34+133Justin Carey5x34
412+877Anthony Hardin0x33
58+397Anthony Burleyson4x32
611+571Thomas Wynne1x31
79+269Todd Parent8x30
86-263Justin Clapper10x29
916+754Tiyler Walts12x28
107-31Jeffrey Goodpaster6x27
1124+1392David Burcicki1x26
1223+1168Tom Ringer2x25
1325+125Brandon M Hinton0x24
145-985Dakota Reeder4x23
1527+1213Cody Deak13x22
163-1345Brent Thompson5x21
1718+199Christian Clark3x20
1810-866Brandon H Yates15x19
192-1706Ryan Philbrick5x18
2020072Zachary Wynne7x17
2126+570Chad J Thompson6x16
2219-379Jordan Traas4x15
2314-909jonathan McIntosh8x14
241-2310Jesse Gordon8x13
2515-10#6Victor Etheridge6x12
2621-536Brody Duescher5x11
2717-1052Brandon Shuman4x10