By Caleb Whisler, Staff Writer
It was the race that got away for Todd Gilliland and Noah Gragson in the final lap of the Chevrolet Silverado 250 at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park.
At the start of the final lap of the race, Gilliland had a lead on Gragson. As the lap progressed, Gragson, who had the fastest truck throughout the entire race, was able to catch Gilliland. Going into the final turn of the race, Gilliland took the corner wide, allowing Gragson to get to his inside.
Wooooow. Teammates CRASH at the finish. 😳
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— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) August 26, 2018
As a result, Gragson tapped the bumper of Gilliland and ultimately sent them both for a spin allowing for Justin Haley to grab the victory. Instead of a one-two finish, Gilliland finished 11th, while Gragson finished ninth.
“He drove through me on the last corner like we have seen in the past here. That sucks. We had a really fast Tundra. I hate that he cost us both the one-two finish. It’s very frustrating, but we need to refocus and get a win next time,” Gilliland said post-race.
Gragson took the blame for the outcome.
“I was making that move all throughout the race. Ultimately, I wasn’t fully there. Todd was a nose ahead of me. He claims the position. I was expecting his spotter to say ‘inside’ getting into that last corner,” Gragson said post-race.
“I was to his back wheel. That’s part of it. I wasn’t trying to take him out. I was trying to race hard side-by-side to the finish line. There was not a lot of room when it came down to it. That one is on me.”
Gragson still finds himself third in the Playoff grid, just 24 points above the cut-off line.