Ben Rhodes had a rather challenging time in Saturday night’s WEATHER GUARD Truck Race on Dirt at Bristol. (Photo: Trish McCormack | The Podium Finish)
BRISTOL, Tenn. – After a rain filled Friday and Saturday, Ben Rhodes finished 19th in the WEATHER GUARD Truck Race on Dirt. The No. 99 Campers Inn RV Ford started third in the first heat Saturday late afternoon, working his way up to first in said heat. With a solid finish, seventh would be his starting position for the actual race.
With dirt being challenging, having a full field of Craftsman Truck Series drivers brawling can cause a slew of things, with cautions being almost guaranteed. For the ThorSport driver, the 2023 season has been promising, with three top 10s, a top five, top fifteen, and after Saturday’s race, a top 20. Being a Champion of the series, the most recent finish was a low blow.
The mass majority of the race for the No. 99 was a battle after an incident on Lap 9 ripped Rhodes out of the top ten. Never giving up, he fought hard throughout the race, but was unable to make it back towards the front, as he was involved in another caution at Lap 132.
Rhodes gave it his all in a difficult WEATHER GUARD Truck Race on Dirt at Bristol. (Photo: Trish McCormack | The Podium Finish)
With the carnage never seeming to end, a top-20 finish was a rough way to end the weekend.
Rhodes’ ability to push forward and continue to fight clearly shows not only his resilience, but his overall ability to race regardless of the circumstances.
Over half of the races this season have shown him either finishing better, or in the same position he started in. The key to a team’s success in part is being able to adapt and overcome obstacles. The ThorSport driver finishing in a better position from where he began is also a factor.
Rough patches are inevitable in any sport, including NASCAR. Just because a team may appear to be struggling, or not performing as well as predicted, does not mean they are unable to recover.
With the 2023 season being still rather fresh, Rhodes and his No. 99 team have plenty of races to still race and prove themselves at. Never count the Championship winner out of the picture.
