Jake Garcia, who began his racing career at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway at age 13, led for two laps in the Curb Records/Big Machine Vodka Spiked Coolers All American 400 Sunday. Those last two came in double overtime.
The Monroe, Georgia native took the lead in the second overtime and held off 2020 All American 400 winner Casey Roderick, who was on the pole, and Lebanon’s Dawson Sutton, who led the most laps in the race (163), to win the guitar trophy and a $20,000 purse.
The race was scheduled for 300 laps, but was under caution at that point with Gio Ruggiero in the lead, Garcia in second, Roderick in third, Sutton in fourth and Jake Finch in fifth.
After another caution Garcia passed Ruggiero on the restart and held on for two laps to the checkered flag in the 40th running of the race, which is part of the American Speed Association Stars National Tour.
“It wasn’t until about four (laps) to go on that first green-white-checkered when I saw I was lining up fourth and I knew I had better tires than the guys in front of me so I knew at that point I’d have a good shot at it because my tires were that much better,” Garcia said. “I felt like my car was handling pretty good at that point too. It was definitely a nail-biter there at the end.”
Garcia, 19, said it was the first time he had won a race in which he only led two laps. He was grateful the other drivers didn’t pull one of the stunts similar to what NASCAR drivers have in tight races this season such as Austin Dillon spinning out Joey Logano, which also sent Denny Hamlin into the wall, at Richmond, Virginia.
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“The biggest thing was getting a good launch in the restart zone,” Garcia said. “I managed to do that and I appreciate those guys behind me racing me clean. They could have just wrecked me there. It’s good to see some sportsmanship especially with what’s been going on in NASCAR the last couple of weeks. These guys here are really good race car drivers and I think we all race each other with a lot of respect most of the time.”
Garcia’s first race at the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway was in 2018 in a pro late-model 100-lap feature. He had turned 13 three weeks earlier making him the youngest driver to ever compete at the historic venue.
Garcia has continued to race at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway and that experience, he said, was beneficial in Sunday’s race.
“I’ve got a lot of laps at this track; I mean I’ve ran probably four or five races a year here for a long time,” Garcia said. “I feel like I know all the bumps and everything like that. This track is a lot different from the others we go to. I felt like knowing what your car needs to be good in the race versus practice is a little bit different here than it is at other places.”
Sutton, 18, who made his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut this year, took the lead on lap 121. He stayed in front until Lap 287 when Ruggiero overtook him on a restart.
Sutton retook the lead on the next lap and remained there until the first overtime. Ruggiero moved back in front on the first restart in overtime.
Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on X @MikeOrganWriter.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: All-American 400: Jake Garcia wins in double OT at Fairgrounds Speedway
