Tracy Hines finished 20th in the NASCAR Truck Series Florida Dodge Dealers 250 at Daytona International Speedway on Friday. Driving the Menards Chevrolet Silverado, Hines ran well within the top-20 in the early stages of the event while gaining experience in the draft preparing for a late-race charge to the front. Unfortunately, Hines was swept into “The Big One” on lap 52 of the 100-lap race, ruining his chances for a top-10 finish.

“We were simply biding our time and gaining experience in the first half of the race,” Hines said. “I was watching what some of the veterans were doing in the draft and really going to school getting ready for the last 20 laps.”

Just after a mid-race restart, Jack Sprague lost control of his truck and slid down the banking in turn four just in front of Hines. While contact was made with Sprague as he slid across his nose, Hines looked like he was going to escape major involvement in the accident until Sprague’s truck hit the apron and turned back to the right and clipped the left side of the Menards Chevy. The contact sent Hines into a quarter-mile slide from the exit of turn four to the entrance of pit road, flattening all four tires.

“There was nothing I could do to avoid it,” Hines said. “From where I was sitting, it almost looked like Sprague was already sliding out of control as he came across in front of me. It is just one of those things that happens on a superspeedway. You hope you don’t get caught up in it, but unfortunately we did.

“The truck wasn’t damaged hardly at all,” Hines continued. “But we sat at the entrance to pit road for five laps waiting for the safety crew to give us a push to get started. They said it was because of the flat tires. All I needed was four fresh tires and the crew to pull some sheet metal off the tires. Instead, they towed us to the garage, and by NASCAR rules, I had to go to the infield care center for a check-up. That’s what cost us all those laps, not any real damage to the truck.”

At the end, Hines was credited with 20th-place, 12 laps of winner Carl Edwards’ pace.

“It’s disappointing because in my USAC career, it always seems like we would dig ourselves a bit of a hole with bad luck out in Phoenix to start the season, and it looks like it has followed me over to the Truck Series too. But we’ve come back to win races and championships from a bad start of the season before, and I am confident we will rebound from this at Atlanta in a few weeks.”