Jake Garcia prevails in overtime for All American 400 triumph

Jake Garcia saved the best for last in Sunday’s All American 400 at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway.

A series of late-race cautions forced the Super Late Model race, originally scheduled for 300 laps, into double overtime.  On the final restart, Garcia was able to take advantage and get to the inside of leader Gio Ruggiero, making the pass for the lead and the win.

From there, Garcia never looked back as the battle for second was intense right to the checkered flag.

“It was a good race for us,” Garcia told Short Track Scene after the race.  “Ricky made a really good call to take tires when we did.  Went in front of the guys who pitted later but had better tires than the guys in front of us so I thought that was a really good call there.  We did a good job on those restarts, keeping my car in one piece but, at the same time, getting through that traffic.  That first green-white-checkered, I found myself in fourth and at that point, I figured we could win but had to get around these guys.  I was on the front row and now I needed a good launch and that would be everything and managed to get one.”

Behind Garcia, Ruggiero had to battle with Casey Roderick and Dawson Sutton, who led for much of the race.  Roderick would go on to finish in the runner-up spot with Sutton claiming third and Ruggiero being relegated to fourth.  Super Late Model verteran Stephen Nasse finished fifth.

Roderick went on to win the ASA STARS National Tour championship.

“What a hard fought race we had,” Roderick told Short Track Scene after the race.  “A lot of adversity there throughout the whole race.  A lot of stuff happened there.  We just kept working on it and, seems like every change we made would affect it in the wrong areas.  We mainly needed help in the center of the corner rolling faster but couldn’t get that.  Our very last change helped us the most and gave us a little hope.”

Casey Roderick led the race’s first 37 laps after qualifying on the pole before surrendering the lead to Matt Craig.  Craig would go on to lead until around lap 56 when he spun due to axle problems.  Craig was able to rebound from the incident to finish in the ninth position.

The 100 lap JEGS CRA All Stars Pro Late Model race was won by local driver Chase Johnson, prevailing over fellow Tennessee-native Hunter Wright, Jeremy Miller, Kaden Honeycutt and Albert Francis.  North Carolina standout George Phillips finished sixth in the race while NASCAR and road racing ace Connor Mosack finished in seventh in the field which had 35 drivers start the race.

Now, many of the country’s biggest Super Late Model drivers will turn their attention to the Snowball Derby, which takes place at Pensacola, Florida’s Five Flags Speedway from December 4 through December 8.

All American 400 Results
Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway – Nashville, Tennessee

1. #35 – Jake Garcia
2. #26R – Casey Roderick
3. #26S – Dawson Sutton
4. #22 – Gio Ruggiero
5. #51N – Stephen Nasse
6. #14N – Austin Nasson
7. #89 = Dylan Fetcho
8. #51F – Jake Finch
9. #54 – Matthew Craig
10. #65 – Tyler Tanner
11. #1 – Kasey Kleyn
12. #30 – Kyle Steckly
13. #24 – Albert Francis
14. #28 – Cole Butcher
15. #91 – Dylan Bates
16. #5 – Jonathan Knee
17. #17 – Josh Stade
18. #33 – Blake Rowe
19. #23 – Billy VanMeter
20. #14C – Conner Okrezesik
21. #7 – Derek Thorn
22. #18 – Chase Burda
23. #29 – Hunter Wright
24. #53 – Boris Jurkovic
25. #69 – Michael Hinde
26. #55 – Haeden Plybon
27. #71 – Johnny Brazier
28. #8 – Mark Day
29. #5R – Brett Robinson