NASCAR Truck Series at St. Louis 2015 Results: Winner, Standings and Reaction – Bleacher Report

Cole Custer took the checkered flag in Madison, Illinois on Saturday night in the rain-delayed Drivin’ for Linemen 200. He moved up five spots to 25th in the NASCAR Camping World Truck series standings with the victory. Custer led just 19 laps of the race, but among that number was the last and most important one.

Series points leader and defending champion Matt Crafton couldn’t finish because of an accident. He led for 49 laps before he tasted a bit of misfortune. That’s something he’s seemingly been immune to over the last two years.

Here’s a look at the crash that doomed Crafton to a 21st-place finish:

Wow! @JHNemechek & @Matt_Crafton get together and the No. 88 with heavy damage at @GatewayMSP!

@TylerReddick leads. pic.twitter.com/3NYABGz0cd

— FOX Sports 1 (@FOXSports1) June 14, 2015

Just a little earlier in the race, Erik Jones saw his night end prematurely when a separate wreck cost him the race. He had led a race-high 84 laps before the crash. It was just the latest stroke of bad luck for Jones, who hasn’t had many breaks this season.

Nascarcasm gave its usual comedic but poignant take on Jones’ late-race misfortunes:

Black cats now consider it bad luck when Erik Jones crosses their path. #ncwts #nascar

— nascarcasm (@nascarcasm) June 6, 2015

Here’s a look at the top 10 of the race. You can see the full table at NASCAR.com.

Custer bided his time while Crafton and Jones spent most of the race in control. When the opportunity for Custer to make a move presented itself, he was ready, willing and able. He took the decisive lead with just five laps to go and held off Spencer Gallagher for the win.

Before the race started, Custer took to Twitter and showed confidence in his truck. That proved to be an understatement:

Starting second tonight @GatewayMSP have a pretty good truck, race starts at 7:30 CT

— Cole Custer (@colecuster00) June 13, 2015

Saturday had to be a special day for Custer. This was just the 17-year-old’s first win of the season and maiden top-five finish as well. Though he’s still only 25th in the standings, but this win could provide some momentum heading into Friday’s American Ethanol 200 from Iowa Speedway.

Here’s a look at the updated standings as the series heads to Iowa for the next stop on the racing schedule:

The biggest jump in the standings was made by John Hunter Nemechek. His fourth-place finish allowed him to jump from 35th to 28th in the standings. He’s still not a major factor just yet, but he made up some significant ground at Gateway Motorsports Park on Saturday.

Many of the drivers are undoubtedly hoping for better conditions in Iowa. Rain delayed the start of Saturday’s race by almost two hours. It also could have played a role in the rash of accidents that ended four of the drivers’ attempts to win on Saturday.

Thankfully, only egos were bruised. Crafton and others will only have a few days to wait before chasing the next victory.