Jared Fryar wins Race of Champions after Doug Barnes DQ

Fryar had led all but two laps before a bump-and-run gave Barnes the scored victory.

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UPDATE at 6:50 PM: Jared Fryar has been declared the winner following a post-race video review in which it was revealed that flagged winner Doug Barnes Jr. took a second tire on his final restart when the rules only permitted one tire change to be taken during the second or third stage break. Fryar passed inspection and earns the $10,000 prize instead.

"We had the best car day and when it's no tires versus two tires, of course, it's going to be no contest there. It didn't make sense for the car to be magically faster there at the end. It was disheartening at first but (track operator Bobby Lowery) made it right. So we move on, take our win and move on to next year ...

"We've had a hell of a year, won three races now, and to come here and dominate to win 10 grand, that's a heck of a performance. We led just about every lap and should have led every lap, it's what you want as a team and a driver."
-Jared Fryar

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Jared Fryar led the Race of Champions at Carteret County Speedway for over three hours but couldn’t stave off the bump-and-run from Doug Barnes Jr. coming to two laps to go.

With that, Air Doug captured a $10,000 check and the biggest win of the season, if not his career.

Fryar led the race from the pole and led every single lap through every single caution, every single delay and every single red flag. But as the sun set, his car lost grip and Barnes gained it and it took the slightest of nudges for Barnes to move Fryar out of the way.

"I probably wrecked everyone in existence until the end of the race," said Barnes of a particuarly rough and tumble race by everyone driving behind Fryar for the duration of the event. "That was such an up and down race. I don't know how long it was, but I felt like I was in the car forever."

Three hours and eight minutes, to be exact.

"We definitely gave Florence a run for its money," Barnes continued. I don't even know what to say. I felt like I was going to have to be content for second racing with (Stacy Puryear) around 10 to go. I didn't have short run speed and a 10-lap shootout was about the perfect number of laps."

Fryar had started to fall off, and gave up his left rear, and Barnes gave enough of a nudge in Turn 3 to complete the pass in Turn 4 and drove away to the win.

"I got to him, moved him out of the way, and drove as hard as I could that he couldn't get me back. I've probably finished second 15 times this year so this really means so much to me."

Fryar concedes that he had fallen off, but it didn’t make it any easier to accept.

"For sure, he was better than us at the end, but nothing good to say other than thanking my guys here," Fryar said.

And he did.

"Second sucks, but happy to be here."

Seeking a second consecutive win in the race, Stacy Puryear ran inside the top three and finished there too. It was a solid day for the veteran racer who was able to stay ahead of the madness behind him.

"We didn't have the drive in the corner that he did," Puryear said of Fryar. "I couldn't beat him in but I could beat him off. (Doug) just got a tire at the end and made both of us look silly. We just got to be better and have a better handling race car. I'm having a blast."

Meanwhile, the race itself was an absolute crash fest. Objectively, it was a messy, messy affair that saw multiple cautions and red flags. Laps 101-105 literally took over an hour to run. Only 7 of 17 starters finished the race.

"We've seen it in CARS Tour and some local races, that's just how this place is," Fryar said, perhaps lamenting his own loss at the end.

But as for Barnes, given the year he had, it was a choice he felt like he had to make.

"I felt like I was going to wake up from a dream that last lap," Barnes said. "That's happened so many times this year and I didn't wake up this time. We made it happen."

Race of Champions II
Carteret County Speedway
December 10 2022