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Race report

Chase Elliott gets maiden win in series first visit to Canada

The first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series outside of the U.S.A. was one with a final lap battle on the road course in Bowmanville, Canada

Race winner Chase Elliott celebrates

Race winner Chase Elliott celebrates

Getty Images

The No. 94 Bill Elliott Racing/Turner Scott Motorsports Chevrolet of Chase Elliott and the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet of Ty Dillon waged a battle for the lead in the final laps of the Chevrolet Silverado 250 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park on Sunday afternoon.

Dillon had the lead and Elliott wanted it in the final lap. After contact between the two, Dillon spun off the race track and Elliott drove by for the lead and the race win. It was Elliott's first-career series win in the first-ever Truck Series event outside the United States.

"We only have so many shots to win these things," Elliott said. "I don't like to race that way. You've got to do what you've got to do."

Dillon was credited with the final finishing spot on the lead lap -- 17th.

"He just gave up on trying to race," Dillon said of Elliott after the race.

The No. 51 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota of Chad Hackenbracht finished second, and the No. 32 Turner Scott Motorsports Chevrolet of Miguel Paludo was third. But neither Hackenbracht nor Paludo were in the top-four when the field took the white flag to start the final lap.

Elliott and Dillon weren't the only two drivers to make contact on the final lap while racing for position. The No. 6 Sharp-Gallaher Racing Chevrolet of Mike Skeen and the No. 14 NTS Motorsports Chevrolet of Max Papis waged a battle for third that got just as physical as the battle for the lead. Soon after Skeen got by Papis for the position, the two made contact that cost both drivers several positions. After the race, Papis blamed Skeen for the incident.

"The 6 car, I knew was going to do something that was not good sportsmanship," Papis said after the race.

Papis wound up sixth and Skeen finished 13th.

The No. 31 Turner Scott Motorsports Chevrolet of James Buescher started on the pole, but Elliott quickly took the lead away on lap two. Varying pit strategies put other drivers up front for a time, but Elliott was up front for most of the early laps in the 64-lap event.

Dillon and Elliott both pitted on lap 33 during the second caution of the race. For Dillon, it would be his last stop, as his team went with a strategy to stretch the fuel mileage to go the remainder of the distance. Dillon's truck sputtered a few times in the final two laps of the race, but he was able to continue until getting off track from the incident with Elliott on the final lap.

"I knew it was going to be a tough race today, and I ran out of gas," Dillon said.

As a result of staying out the rest of the way, Dillon remained up front until the contact with Elliott on the final lap. Skeen was also on the same strategy as Dillon and restarted the race second to Dillon on a restart with just under 20 laps to go. But by the time there were only 12 laps remaining, Elliott had worked his way back toward the front to take second from Skeen.

As Dillon and Elliott raced in first and second, Skeen fell into the clutches of Papis.

Papis took third for a time, but Skeen was able to retake the position in the final laps. He was running third and Papis was fourth when the two made their contact on the final lap.

The No. 54 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota of Darrell Wallace Jr. and the No. 9 NTS Motorsports Chevrolet of Ron Hornaday rounded out the top-five.

See the video on what Max Papis had to say regarding Mike Skeen at Motorsport.com

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