Jake Garcia Scores Upset Victory in 40th Annual All American 400

Nineteen-year-old Jake Garcia did not have the best car in the field during Sunday’s All American 400 at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, but when it mattered most, the Georgia native capitalized on an overtime restart to earn his first victory in the crown jewel event.

Garcia used a great restart on the bottom lane to move around Gio Ruggiero in Turn 2 to lead the final laps of the race and take the checkered flag. Running inside the top 10 for much of the afternoon, Garcia was never a factor for the lead until the final restarts of the 315-lap event.

“We were sitting there around eighth with a few laps to go and we weren’t the fastest car on the racetrack, but you know, like I said to Ricky earlier today, ’The car with the best tires at the end of the race wins,’” Garcia said standing in Victory Lane. “Ricky made an amazing strategy call there at the end to give us those tires and kind of carve my way through the field.

As Garcia celebrated the victory, Ruggiero and Casey Roderick expressed their frustrations with each other on the cool-down lap after finishing three-wide with Dawson Sutton, who dominated the race.

When the smoke cleared from the final-lap battle, Roderick was scored second, followed by Sutton, Ruggiero and Stephen Nasse. Roderick’s march to his near victory was not easy, as the team had to work on the handling of his Anthony Campi Racing car multiple times throughout the day.

“We struggled all day just getting the car where it needs to be on a longer run,” said Roderick. “It would go for a few laps and just lose the right front and we fought it all race along and then we threw a bunch of stagger at it there when we took the last four tires and I just got too free then so we decided to come in pit and take our last two tires, put them on the right side there and hope for the best and was able to come back up through there a little bit. Hard racing there at the end. Man, I was it was crazy but hard fought second there.”

“We've been really consistent all year long,” he said. “I think our worst finish has been sixth and got a lot of poles and a few wins, so great year for everyone involved with our program … Man, it’s been a heck of a year.”

Finishing third, Sutton left Nashville Fairground Speedway empty handed after having the most dominant car in the field all day. Leading the majority of the race, Sutton’s race came apart on the first overtime restart when he struggled getting to the gas when the green flag flew, allowing Ruggiero to take the lead. The No. 26 Chevrolet got really loose, made contact with cars behind him and lost a handful of positions.

“I think we had the race-winning car today. We just came up a little bit short there at the end,” said Sutton. “Just some stuff didn't go right for us. We were on older tires and everybody else were on stickers. Just keeping them off of us was hard enough and then it got really dicey there at the end with (Ruggiero). On the restart, I think the 22 (Ruggiero) jumped it a little bit and they didn't call it back, which you know kind of messed me up. Then me and Casey (Roderick), we got into each other a little bit, which really screwed me up too. But overall, to come third in the All American 400 is a big deal and hopefully in a few years, hopefully I can pick off one.”

While Ruggiero took the white flag followed by Garcia and Roderick, an incident behind him saw Jonathan Knee spinning off Turn 4 to bring out the caution once again to set up another overtime restart.

Ruggiero did not get a great jump on the final overtime restart, allowing Garcia to move under for the race lead. While Roderick made a final charge in Turn 4, it was not enough as Garcia took the win, while Roderick, Sutton and Ruggiero crossed the finish line three-wide.

Austin Nason, Dylan Fetcho, Jake Finch, Matthew Craig and Tyler Tanner rounded out the top 10.

Image courtesy Will Bellamy, Racing America