The No. 18 Dickies Dodge began the Florida Dodge Dealers 250 in the 24th position—a spot that was held for half of the first lap and not seen again. By the second lap Chad Chaffin drove his Dodge to a 14th position, before the climb was interrupted by an early caution on the third lap.

“The truck felt good and worked with us,” Chaffin said of the Dickies Dodge. “It seemed it was responding to our needs before we ever asked it to.”

The eighth lap brought out another yellow flag with an accident on the backstretch that Chaffin maneuvered through. Risky drivers and narrow escapes were beginning to set a theme for the evening.

The 23rd lap found Chaffin right outside the top ten in 11th position, when a wreck brought about the third caution of the evening. Again, Chaffin’s smart driving and patient approach allowed the Dickies Dodge to emerge unharmed. The team took advantage of the yellow flag and came in for four new tires and fuel.

“The truck was really neutral. It provided exactly what we needed in different situations,” said Chaffin. “We found that the trucks in front of us were dictating how fast we could go. I was just looking for the moment to break out of the pack.”

Chaffin found the moment on the 36th lap during a three-wide race that surfaced a top ten break and left the Dickies Dodge in the ninth position. His dig to the top was cut short by a caution caused by an oil line break on the No. 62 truck that left Chaffin’s tires slick and unresponsive. The Dickies Dodge team changed the tires and made some minor spring adjustments.

When the green flag flew, Chaffin did as well. With some savvy decisions and smart moves Chaffin arrived in the fifth position by the 45th lap.

Chaffin’s steady climb continued, but not without drama. True to its reputation, the Truck Series provided tough racing with several instances of trucks three and four wide battling for position. During one of these battles Chaffin found himself on the outside of a loose No. 62 truck. This started a chain of events that would shape the entire race. The No. 62 drifted up and pushed Chaffin into the wall, spawning a smoky 12-truck collision that Chaffin avoided with only minor spoiler damage. The caution was out again.

Crew Chief Kip McCord brought Chaffin into the pits in two attempts to make crucial repairs to the right spoiler. After a return to green flag racing, Chaffin found his Dickies Dodge dangerously loose.

“We knew we could either try to hold on and end with a mediocre finish, or take a chance to bring the truck in, make some necessary repairs on the spoiler and finish well,” explained McCord. “We made the right decision in bringing Chad in.”

With three more cautions and constant three-wide racing, Chaffin continued fighting a gritty battle between risky drivers, track conditions and the damaged spoiler.

“I walked away from Daytona feeling good: good about the amazing chemistry and leadership of our team, good about the truck and good about the future of this season,” said Chaffin. “Of course we’d hoped for better than a 13th place finish, I wouldn’t be in this business if I didn’t wish for better. We’re looking for a championship this year…..that takes patience, consistency, a gelled team and a little luck.”