Race Recap Elite Truck Series

Charlotte Motor Speedway

Wed, Apr 22, 2026Round 16

Wild Ride at Charlotte Motor Speedway: Gordon2 Survives 5-Caution Thriller

Race at a Glance

🏁Field Size

30

🔄Laps

112

Avg Lap Time

40.073

🟡Cautions

5

⚠️Caution Laps

15

🔀Lead Changes

12

🛡️Clean Runners

0

🏎️Lead Lap Finishers

15

Winner Spotlight

Jesse Gordon2 race image
Custom
10

Jesse Gordon

P1 Finish

Started: P4Finished: P1Incidents: 4
🔀 12 Lead Changes🏎️ 15 Lead Lap Finishers⚠️ 5 Cautions
Jesse Gordon car
P1
10

Jesse Gordon

Started P4 • Inc 4

Jordan Traas car
P2
79

Jordan Traas

Started P1 • Inc 5

Brandon Shuman car
P3
52

Brandon Shuman

Started P6 • Inc 8

Jesse Gordon claimed his third victory of the season at Charlotte Motor Speedway, advancing from his fourth starting position to capture the checkered flag in the RFRL Truck Series season finale. Gordon led 30 laps during the 112-lap contest that featured 12 lead changes and five cautions consuming 15 laps. Pole-sitter Jordan Traas held the point for 8 laps before John Crosby took command for a race-high 44 laps, with Dakota Reeder also contributing 19 laps out front before Gordon seized control for the victory.

The race's most compelling storyline unfolded behind the leaders as Brian Sousa delivered a masterful hard charger performance, rocketing from 27th on the grid to ninth place at the finish for an incredible 18-position gain. Sousa's charge through the field included a brief stint at the front, leading one lap during his remarkable drive forward. Cody Deak matched Sousa's 18-position improvement, climbing from 28th to 10th, while Gary Wright added another impressive recovery drive with a 17-spot advance from 29th to 12th.

Brandon Shuman completed the podium in third place after starting sixth, marking his best finish in what proved to be a bruising affair where no driver escaped incident-free. The race saw significant attrition among several contenders, with Justin Carey tumbling from fifth to 19th and Brent Thompson suffering the day's worst fate, plummeting 19 positions from 11th to 30th. John Crosby's fourth-place finish represented a solid recovery after leading the most laps but ultimately falling short of victory.

Despite finishing second after starting from pole position, Jordan Traas secured the RFRL Truck Series championship with his 35-point haul at Charlotte. Traas entered the season finale with a 40-point advantage over Ryan Philbrick and maintained his lead despite Philbrick's 21st-place finish limiting him to just 16 points. The championship marks Traas's first title after accumulating four wins during the campaign, with John Crosby's fourth-place finish moving him to third in the final standings, just eight points behind runner-up Philbrick in the final championship tally.

🔥Hard Charger: Brian Sousa (+18)
Cleanest Race: Gary Wright (3x)
Pole: Jordan Traas
🔴Most Incidents: Brandon H Yates (15)

Top Movers

Brian Sousa60

+18

Cody Deak13

+18

Gary Wright90

+17

Finishing Order

FinishStart+/-Car #DriverIncPoints
14+310Jesse Gordon4x40
21-179Jordan Traas5x35
36+352Brandon Shuman8x34
42-273John W Crosby5x33
59+484Diego A Acuna10x32
610+477Anthony Hardin8x31
77031Christian Delgado7x30
83-585Dakota Reeder12x29
927+1860Brian Sousa5x28
1028+1813Cody Deak10x27
118-392David Burcicki6x26
1229+1790Gary Wright3x25
1314+197Anthony Burleyson9x24
1421+769Todd Parent12x23
1526+1168Tom Ringer12x22
1620+43Shaun Dionne7x21
1723+666Brandon H Yates15x20
1830+1272Zachary Wynne10x19
195-1421Justin Carey6x18
2024+450Blaise Young15x17
2122+106Ryan Philbrick12x16
2217-571Tommy Wynne9x15
2325+254Tiyler Walts6x14
2413-1176Cameron Gulley12x13
2512-131Jeffrey Goodpaster5x12
2619-723David Hickey4x11
2715-1293Colton Miller5x10
2816-1209jonathan McIntosh4x9
2918-1128Colton Jackson6x8
3011-1945Brent Thompson5x7