Truck Series: Stewart Friesen keeps clean to win in triple overtime at Michigan

Bailey Defoor
Jun 7
6 min read

Written by Bailey Defoor

Credit: Chris Graythen / Getty Images

Stewart Friesen came out victorious after a hectic stage 3 and three overtimes in Michigan. This is his first race win since 2022.

As it unfolded

Luke Fenhaus scored the pole, and Carson Hocevar started with him on the front row.

Fenhaus got ahead first, but Connor Mosack jumped up to battle for first. While the two were battling it out, Hocevar drafted for the lead.

Rajah Caruth pits on lap 4 after going sideways and sliding.

Mosack takes the lead momentarily on lap 5 before Hocevar retook the lead.

Tyler Ankrum challenged Moscak for second on lap 6, but couldn’t complete the pass and fell to fourth. Corey Heim getting passed.

Heim passed Mosack at the backstretch of lap 8, and pushed to fight for the lead.

By lap 12, Ross Chastain broke into the top 10 from 26th.

Hocevar and Heim reached lapped traffic on lap 20, but the two remained under second ahead of Mosack in third.

On the final lap of the stage, Heim swept around the inside of Hocevar to take the stage win.

Stage 1 Results:

No. 11 - Corey Heim (TRICON Garage)
No. 7 - Carson Harcevar (Spire Motorsports)
No. 81 - Connor Mosack (McAnally Hilgemann Racing)
No. 98 - Ty Majeski (ThorSport Racing)
No. 45 - Kaden Honeycutt (Niece Motorsports)
No. 18 - Tyler Ankrum (McAnally Hilgemann Racing)
No. 66 - Luke Fenhaus (ThorSport Racing)
No. 44 - Ross Chastain (Niece Motorsports)
No. 34 - Layne Riggs (Front Row Motorsports)
No. 77 - Andrés Pérez de Lara (Spire Motorsports)

After a cycle of pit stops, the top five came out as they were.

Heim and Mosack led the way on lap 37. At the choose, Hocevar opted to line up behind Heim and pushed him on the restart, putting them back to 1-2. The inside line struggled to get going as Mosack fell back to fourth.

Hocevar went on the inside of Heim on lap 41 and retook the lead.

Caruth pitted again for fuel on lap 45 after taking the wave around at the stage break.

On lap 50, Heim did a favor for Hocevar, passing him for the lead. Hocevar had debris on the front of his truck and the turbulent air of having a truck in front pulled it off.

The tow stayed close together, but Hocevar was not able to pass for the lead by the end of the stage.

Stage 2 Results:

No. 11 - Corey Heim (TRICON Garage)
No. 7 - Carson Harcevar (Spire Motorsports)
No. 98 - Ty Majeski (ThorSport Racing)
No. 45 - Kaden Honeycutt (Niece Motorsports)
No. 81 - Connor Mosack (McAnally Hilgemann Racing)
No. 17 - Giovanni Ruggiero (TRICON Garage)
No. 44 - Ross Chastain (Niece Motorsports)
No. 15 - Tanner Gray (TRICON Garage)
No. 38 - Chandler Smith (Front Row Motorsports)
No. 66 - Luke Fenhaus (ThorSport Racing)

There is another cycle of pit stops under the stage caution. Heim and Hocevar get off pit lane in the same order, but Kaden Honeycutt came out third.

Heim and Hocevar lined up on the outside with Honeycutt and Gray on the inside.

Battle of the bigger pushes for this restart, but Heim and Hocevar had the advantage before Hocevar snagged the lead.

First incident caution of the race as Jack Wood spins from 21st between turns 3 and 4.

Hocevar and Honeycutt are alongside each other for the restart. Heim opted to push Hocevar this time, and Hocevar had gotten ahead of Honeycutt, with Honeycutt slotting into second.

At the restart, Caruth spun from 22nd into the wall off turn 2.

Some drivers gamble and choose to pit under the caution. Drivers who pitted were outside of the top 7.

Hocevar and Honeycutt lined up together again for the restart on lap 83. Tyler Ankrum made it three wide, and Chastain joined the battle, sending Heim to fourth.

Hocevar cleared for the lead as another caution came with 41 to go.

Morgan Baird and Nathan Byrd from 28th and 29th. Baird went sideways right in front of Byrd into turn 4.

While the wall was being repaired, all drivers who did not pit at the last caution dive into pit lane. Daniel Hemric and Chandler Smith came out first off pit road. Grant Enfinger and Giovanni Ruggiero cycle to the front.

The race was red-flagged on lap 88 for wall repair.

Drivers in the top 7 have older tyres and less fuel. Drivers 8-16, starting with Hemric, pitted for fuel, but they still have older tyres. Divers outside the top 17, being led by Heim, got four tyres and fuel.

Hocevar also pitted from 21st to top off with fuel and work on clearing the right front fender from the tyre.

Enfinger and Matt Crafton lined up for the restart on lap 91. Enfinger cleared for the lead as Ruggiero got passed Crafton for second.

Mosack went a little sideways, but was able to keep it out of the wall.

By lap 94, Hocevar was flying by the competition, sweeping around the inside of Heim in 13th.

On lap 95, Chastain surged to fifth, and one lap later, he passed Hemric for 4th.

Layne Riggs passed Hemric for fifth before both pass Chastain who fell to 6th on lap 98.

Heim joined the party on lap 101 after breaking into the top 5 with Hocevar right behind him.

On lap 110, Riggs got underneath Enfinger to battle for the lead but could not complete the pass. Chastain charged to the inside and passed for second while Heim jumped to third by the end of the backstretch.

Chastain went inside Enfinger in turn 2 on lap 111. Riggs made it 3-wide after a failed block on the backstretch.

On lap 115, Chastain and Hocevar fought side by side for the lead and made contact in turn 2. Chastain went sideways, but was able to save it, and Hocevar pulled away and took the lead. Hocevar thought he had damage to the back tyre.

Caution comes out on lap 116 after that contact and debris on the track.

Some drivers opt to pit under caution, including Hocevar, who comes out first off pit road and on row 7 for the restart.

At the front, Ruggiero and Chastain led the way to green with 5 to go. Everyone piled into each other before the restart zone, bringing out another caution.

Pushes gone wrong for Chastain and Ruggiero, who both were sent around.

Chastain, Ruggiero, Gray, Mosack, Heim, Hemric, Majeski, Wood, Smith and Jake Garcia were included in this crash.

This crash sent the race into overtime.

Credit: Meg Oliphant / Getty Images

Corey LaJoie and Dawson Sutton take the front row with Hemric and Frankie Muniz behind them. Hocevar, who received no damage during the crash, lined up on the inside of row 3.

LaJoie hung onto the lead as Sutton struggled to get going.

After going through turns 1 and 2, Hemric’s tyre gave out, sending him into the wall, bringing out another caution. The same thing happened to Lawless Alan.

Lajoie lines up on the outside and Garcia is on the inside for the restart.

They led the way into second overtime, and Hocevar jumped to the bottom as Enfinger got into the lead as another caution came out.

Matt Mills, Wood, and Toni Breidinger bring out the caution after going 4 wide.

Hocevar was given a restart violation for leaving the line before the start/finish line.

Garcia, Hocevar, Sutton and Muniz pit under caution.

Enfinger and Stewart Friesen lined up for the third attempt at overtime. Neither driver received a push from behind. Friesen gets the edge and gets in front of Enfinger.

Stewart Friesen wins in Michigan after a 72-race drought.

Provisional Results