Homecoming Sweet For Conley
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Cale Conley celebrated a return to his ‘home’ track with his first NASCAR victory Saturday night at Columbus Motor Speedway.
The 20-year-old from Vienna, W.V. — a two-hour drive from the track — started second and led all 150 laps to win the Jegs 150.
Points leader Brett Moffitt edged Darrell Wallace Jr. in the closing laps to finish second. Sergio Pena and Daniel Suarez finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
| Pos | Driver |
|---|---|
| 1 | Cale Conley |
| 2 | Brett Moffitt |
| 3 | Darrell Wallace Jr. |
| 4 | Sergio Pena |
| 5 | Daniel Suarez |
It was the 14th career start in the series for Conley, who got his start racing on the 1/20th-mile quarter-midget track behind Turn 2 at Columbus. In his previous two starts this season, Conley finished third at Iowa Speedway and second at Gresham Motorsports Park in Jefferson, Ga.
With the win, Conley locked in a starting spot at the UNOH Battle At The Beach on the .400-mile oval on the backstrech of Daytona International Speedway. The showcase event is scheduled for Speedweeks next February.
Conley qualified second Saturday on the .333-mile oval behind Ben Kennedy, but immediately jumped to the lead and fended off challenges from Kennedy, Moffitt, and Corey LaJoie throughout the evening.
It was a big points night for Moffitt as top championship contenders LaJoie, Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott all suffered misfortune.
LaJoie and Larson were forced into the pits in the final 10 laps with flat tires while running second and sixth, respectively. LaJoie finished 17th and Larson 21st. Elliott suffered a flat tire in the opening laps, never got a chance to get back on the lead lap and finished 15th. After nine of 14 races, Moffitt leads Elliott by 22 points, Larson by 23 and LaJoie by 33.
The Jegs 150 will air on SPEED on Thursday, Aug. 2 at 3 p.m. ET.
The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East will next take the track on Friday, Aug. 3 in the second combination race of the season with the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa.
