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John Hunter Nemechek wins trucks race at Martinsville

MARTINSVILLE, Va. (AP) - John Hunter Nemechek staved off a bump from Kyle Benjamin in the final turn at Martinsville Speedway on Monday to win a Truck Series race that was postponed two days because of snow.

It was Nemechek's first career victory at Martinsville, where he had finished second twice and third once.

"I've finished second here multiple times, so tick-tock we finally got a clock," Nemechek said of Martinsville's signature grandfather clock trophy. "It's going to be awesome to take that thing home."

Nemechek took the lead on a restart with 31 laps remaining and held off Benjamin by 0.106 seconds on NASCAR's first visit to a short track this season.

Benjamin had a lead of more than one second over Todd Gilliland when a debris caution slowed the race on Lap 214 and gave Nemechek his chance to win on the following restart.

Pole winner Ben Rhodes led the first 23 laps Saturday before rain and snow halted the race. The race began Saturday but was stopped for a wintry mix that turned to heavy snow. All track activity was canceled Sunday. The conclusion of the Truck Series race was a lead-in to Monday's rescheduled Cup race in a NASCAR doubleheader.

Benjamin finished second despite leading 74 laps. Brett Moffitt was third and was followed by Grant Enfinger and Noh Gragson.

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More AP Auto Racing: https://racing.ap.org/

John Hunter Nemechek (8) takes the checkered flag to win the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Alpha Energy Solutions 250 at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Va., Monday, March 26, 2018. (AP Photo/Matt Bell) The Associated Press
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver John Hunter Nemechek celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the Alpha Energy Solutions 250 at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Va., Monday, March 26, 2018. (AP Photo/Matt Bell) The Associated Press
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