Robert Stout and Cleetus McFarland‘s Stadium Super Trucks Race #1 at Bristol Motor Speedway did not go as hoped as the former missed the podium while the latter was involved in yet another wreck. Race #2 had a happier ending for both as they duelled for the lead throughout, and a late pass by Stout allowed him to finally score his first win of 2022.
McFarland started on the front row after suffering terminal damage in the first race from contact with Max Gordon, and he used the starting spot to his advantage to quickly take the lead. Stout began his day further back in eighth but only needed half a lap to move up to second: his starting lane on the outside groove, led by McFarland, had the better launch at the green flag to move into the top five; after Stout got by pole-sitter Dave Kiley and Matt Carriker, Zoey Edenholm and Derek Bieri overshot the sharp turn onto the backstretch pit road which Stout capitalised upon.
Two laps later, Stout caught McFarland before the latter spun out entering the back pit lane, leading to contact. Gordon ran behind the two, and the trio remained in those positions through both competition cautions. Despite losing a chunk of his nose on a landing following the final restart, Stout continued to stalk McFarland before his prey ran wide to give an opening down pit road. McFarland was able to shut the door as they entered the infield before Stout caught up again in the final chicane.
The battle continued through lap fifteen when Stout made his move on pit road that forced McFarland wide and Gordon to bypass the ramp while running three-abreast, though McFarland beat him into the infield once again. The pit road hairpin ultimately became McFarland’s undoing on the final lap when he overshot and lost two spots to Stout and Gordon.
“I used up all my brakes,” McFarland explained. “I got into that corner and I just couldn’t stop the dang thing. I was like, ‘Nooooo!'”
Despite losing the win in the final moments, McFarland was able to notch his first podium and finish a race without further issue. Gordon’s runner-up marked his fifth career podium.
The win is the second for Stout after Nashville in 2021. McFarland quipped Stout “did not run me over. He was just waiting for me to make a mistake. He was like, ‘I know that giraffe’s going to mess up eventually,’ and I did.”
Stout posted on Instagram, “1st place here at Bristol today! We were able to not just take the race win but after what I believe was a 4 way weekend points tie, able to claim the overall with this win! Epic event, the crowd was awesome!”
While McFarland and company were upbeat after the race, others were displeased with many of the newcomers, who were media personalities mainly invited to take part in McFarland’s Bristol 1000 later in the day, and their carefree but reckless driving styles that greatly interfered with the series regulars competing for the championship. This was especially evidenced in a video posted by Fielding Shredder in which Race #1 winner and points leader Gavin Harlien‘s father Chris confronted Diesel Brothers co-host Dave Sparks in the paddock about his son getting hit in the driver’s side door before he was restrained by Bill Hynes. Speaking with The Checkered Flag, Hynes—an SST full-timer—detailed the influencers’ on-track conduct and his acknowledgement of the sentiment against them.
“Let’s just say the new drivers were reminded that this was a points race for the regular drivers in the series and the championship was still being decided for three drivers, and to show some respect for them. Well, let’s just say a few of the drivers didn’t get the message and spun and crashed into some of the top three contenders,” Hynes explained. “Luckily, I was out front away from that carnage. However, in Race #2, I started at the back and I saw just how reckless some of the drivers were. Lots of chopping and blocking. They were five seconds off the pace. If they were smart, they would have tucked behind a faster truck and learned instead of making it a demolition derby.
“I was just trying to make sure there wasn’t a fight and trying to be the peacemaker in that situation. You can totally understand how tempers can flare when a championship with prize money is on the line and someone else takes the matter out of your own hands.”
Later in the day, McFarland, Robby Gordon (finished fourth), Bieri (seventh), Carriker (twelfth), and Sparks (thirteenth; retired with a mechanical failure) competed in the headlining Bristol 1000. Brad DeBerti won the Ford Crown Victoria race while Bieri topped the SST drivers in fifth ahead of Gordon (seventh), McFarland (twelfth), Carriker (fourteenth), and Sparks (twentieth; crashed out).
Race results
| Finish | Start | Number | Driver | Laps |
| 1 | 8 | 28 | Robert Stout | 17 |
| 2 | 9 | 77 | Max Gordon | 17 |
| 3 | 2 | 1776 | Cleetus McFarland | 17 |
| 4 | 11 | 7 | Robby Gordon | 17 |
| 5 | 12 | 55 | Gavin Harlien | 17 |
| 6 | 7 | 67 | Ben Maier | 17 |
| 7 | 6 | 52 | Derek Bieri | 17 |
| 8 | 10 | 57 | Bill Hynes | 17 |
| 9 | 4 | 21 | Zoey Edenholm | 17 |
| 10 | 13 | 007 | Fielding Shredder | 17 |
| 11 | 1 | 435 | Dave Kiley | 17 |
| 12 | 3 | .50 | Matt Carriker | 17 |
| 13 | 5 | 801 | Dave Sparks | 15 |
