Moffitt Declared Iowa Winner After Landmark NASCAR Ruling

Ross Chastain (44) and Brett Moffitt (24) battle at Iowa Speedway
(Google Images)

NASCAR's Gander Outdoor Truck Series has long been a fan favorite for featuring tough trucks and tough racing. Oftentimes, the "Tailgate Brigade" puts on the best race of the weekend.

The June 16 M&M's 200 at Iowa Speedway was no exception, however in addition to the tough racing on the track, the event also featured some tough decisions and after the race.

The race was highlighted by fan favorite Ross Chastain's clean sweep of both stages, as well as the race win. The Florida native also led the final 141 laps of the event. Known as "The Melon Man", Chastain

After declaring for truck points two weeks ago ahead of the Texas race, this win put Chastain and Niece Motorsports within 14 points of making the top 20 in the standings and guaranteeing them a spot in the playoffs. It also locked up the Triple Truck Challenge prize of $50,000, a big deal for a team with a much smaller budget than perennial contenders like Kyle Busch Motorsports, ThorSport, and GMS Racing.

Chastain celebrates what he thought was his second
truck series win of 2019 (Google Images)

However, the victory celebration was short-lived, as NASCAR officials found the front of Chastain's truck to be lower than the minimum height requirements mandated by the rule book. Per a new rule instituted before this season, if a race-winning vehicle is found to be illegal following a thorough tear down and inspection after the event, that team will be disqualified and forfeit all of the benefits that came with the win, and the second place driver will be declared the victor.

Truck series managing director Brad Moran said the No. 44 was too low when it was measured with NASCAR's height sticks, which have color-coded markers to denote proper height.

"The height sticks have warning yellows in them and reds and it was right off of all of them, so unfortunately it was extremely low," Moran said.

So, much to the disappointment of the No. 44 team, and many fans across NASCAR Nation, Chastain was disqualified as the race winner and was forced to surrender the trophy, prize money, and invaluable points he'd earned over the course of the day.

This meant that runner-up Brett Moffitt, who was already changed into street clothes, had a few beers, and traveled halfway to the airport when his No. 24 GMS Racing team called, had to head back to Iowa Speedway to collect the winner's hardware.

A native of the Hawkeye State, Moffitt was visibly upset at day's end. His team had already accumulated five top-five finishes in the first ten races of the season, so there's no doubt not being able to cash in on a victory yet was beginning to get frustrating. But when he was informed Chastain had been disqualified, he told reporters "I went from drinking my sorrows away to being happy."

After Chastain was disqualified, Moffitt was declared the
winner of the M&M's 200 (Google Images)

The defending truck series champion, Moffitt is now also the first driver to win a NASCAR race without leading a lap.

"I think, for the integrity of the sport, it's the right thing to do," Moffitt said of NASCAR's new, stricter penalties. "Obviously I came out on the good end of it. If I was in Ross's shoes, I wouldn't be too thrilled about it."

Following the No. 44 truck's disqualification, one thing is still certain: Chastain, his team, and his newfound legion of fans will only view this incident as a speed bump on the road to a bigger goal. Niece Motorsports has already announced they will appeal NASCAR's ruling, as is a team's right.

“Both of our Chevrolets passed opening- and pre-race inspections,” team owner Al Niece said in a statement. “We believe that the No. 44 truck sustained minor damage during the event, which left the truck too low, following the race.”

After Chastain's breakthrough Xfinity Series win at Las Vegas last fall made a 2019 title run in that division almost a certainty, only to have that chance get taken away due to a sponsor's shady business practices, it will be hard to find a fan who won't be pulling for Ross Chastain to win the 2019 Gander Outdoor Truck Series title.

Chastain has shown an uncanny ability to rebound like few other drivers in this sport. Whichever way the team's appeal goes, and it's hard to believe NASCAR will overturn their decision, it will be very interesting to watch this Niece Motorsports group as the #MelonManChallenge continues this Saturday night at Gateway.