Race Recap Truck Series
Auto Club Speedway
Wed, Aug 26, 2026Round 17
Photo Finish at Auto Club Speedway: Gordon2 Edges Dakota Reeder by +0.31s
Race at a Glance
Field Size
25
Laps
90
Avg Lap Time
46.611
Cautions
2
Caution Laps
6
Lead Changes
15
Clean Runners
7
Lead Lap Finishers
17
Margin
+0.31s
Winner Spotlight
CustomJesse Gordon
P1 Finish
Jesse Gordon brought the #10 truck to victory lane at Auto Club Speedway on Tuesday night, taking the checkered flag in Round 17 of the RFRL Truck Series season. Gordon, who started fifth, led 17 of the 90 laps and navigated a race that saw 15 lead changes and two caution periods totaling six laps. It was his sixth win of the season and ninth all-time in the series, further cementing his status as one of the most formidable competitors in the league.
The race was anything but straightforward at the front. #1 Dustin Kleba, who started fourth, paced the field for 25 laps — the most of any single driver — before fading to a last-place finish. #32 Keith Vaughn also put together a strong stretch of 12 laps up front before falling back to 18th at the finish. #79 Jordan Traas was another factor, leading 16 laps from his ninth starting spot before crossing fifth, while pole-sitter #25 Paul White led twice but ultimately slipped 15 positions to finish 16th. With 15 lead changes across 25 trucks, Auto Club Speedway delivered a genuinely chaotic evening that sorted itself out in Gordon's favor when it mattered most.
The hard charger award went to #5 Brandon Hinton, who launched from the back row — 25th starting position — all the way to seventh at the finish, a gain of 18 spots. Running clean with just three incidents across 90 laps from that deep of a starting hole made Hinton's charge one of the more impressive individual performances of the night. Not far behind in the conversation was #85 Dakota Reeder, who started 19th and came all the way to second, picking up 17 positions. Reeder's runner-up result is his first win of the season; his prior all-time win count in the series stands at two, making Tuesday's podium a meaningful points haul. #02 Kyre Mullaney rounded out the podium from second on the grid, leading four laps but absorbing nine incidents in the process.
With three races remaining in the season, the playoff standings are tightening. Traas holds the top spot with 127 points, but Gordon's win vaults him to second at 121 — just six points back. Reeder's strong run moved him to third at 114, while Paul White's rough night leaves him fourth at 101 points, now 26 back of Traas. Anthony Hardin sits fifth at 88 points, facing a steeper climb. Gordon is the clear momentum driver heading into the final three rounds, and the gap between the top three is narrow enough that any one of them could reasonably make a case for the top seed before this season closes.
Top Movers
Brandon M Hinton5
▲ +18Dakota Reeder85
▲ +17Victor Etheridge
Finishing Order
| Finish | Start | +/- | Car # | Driver | Inc | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | +4 | 10 | Jesse Gordon | 3x | 40 |
| 2 | 19 | +17 | 85 | Dakota Reeder | 4x | 35 |
| 3 | 2 | -1 | 02 | Kyre Mullaney | 9x | 34 |
| 4 | 14 | +10 | 62 | DG Swiss | 8x | 33 |
| 5 | 9 | +4 | 79 | Jordan Traas | 0x | 32 |
| 6 | 16 | +10 | 92 | David Burcicki | 1x | 31 |
| 7 | 25 | +18 | 5 | Brandon M Hinton | 3x | 30 |
| 8 | 3 | -5 | 77 | Anthony Hardin | 0x | 29 |
| 9 | 21 | +12 | 15 | Christopher Cox | 5x | 28 |
| 10 | 24 | +14 | ![]() | Victor Etheridge | 1x | 27 |
| 11 | 17 | +6 | 3 | Shaun Dionne | 0x | 26 |
| 12 | 23 | +11 | 60 | Brian Sousa | 0x | 25 |
| 13 | 8 | -5 | 68 | Tom Ringer | 0x | 24 |
| 14 | 7 | -7 | 97 | Anthony Burleyson | 12x | 23 |
| 15 | 18 | +3 | 95 | Jim Jackson | 4x | 22 |
| 16 | 1 | -15 | 25 | Paul White | 4x | 21 |
| 17 | 6 | -11 | 71 | Tommy Wynne | 0x | 20 |
| 18 | 10 | -8 | 32 | Keith Vaughn | 0x | 19 |
| 19 | 13 | -6 | 13 | Cody Deak | 9x | 18 |
| 20 | 15 | -5 | 78 | Cooper Brackins | 4x | 17 |
| 21 | 22 | +1 | 67 | Hayden Malcolm | 4x | 16 |
| 22 | 20 | -2 | 81 | Daniel Mcconnell | 6x | 15 |
| 23 | 12 | -11 | 69 | Todd Parent | 2x | 14 |
| 24 | 11 | -13 | 88 | Ryan Godfrey | 4x | 13 |
| 25 | 4 | -21 | 1 | Dustin Kleba | 4x | 12 |

