S.M.A.S.H East Coast Truck Series: Braxton DeWeese Wins Talladega Thriller
- SMASH
- May 8
- 4 min read
By S.M.A.S.H — May 8, 2026
Talladega delivered exactly what everyone expected.
Fast packs. Tight margins. Big momentum swings. And a finish that came down to inches.
Friday night’s S.M.A.S.H East Coast Truck Series race at Talladega Superspeedway gave the premier truck division one of its most intense races of the season, with Braxton DeWeese taking the win after 50 laps of superspeedway pressure.
DeWeese started second, led 12 laps, and held on at the end by just 0.0842 seconds over Kyzer Riddell. The race featured 22 drivers, a 2049 strength of field, 50 laps completed, four cautions for 12 laps, and 11 lead changes.
That is Talladega.
One lap you are safe. The next lap, the whole race is changing around you.
Braxton DeWeese Gets It Done
Braxton DeWeese came into Talladega and left with the win.
Starting from the outside of the front row, DeWeese kept himself in the fight all night and made sure he was where he needed to be when the race reached the closing laps. At Talladega, that is the whole game.
You do not have to lead every lap.
You do not have to control every run.
You have to survive the chaos, stay connected to the right line, and be in position when the checkered flag is coming.
DeWeese did exactly that.
With the championship battle moving deeper into the season, this is the kind of win that matters. It is not just another trophy. It is a major points night at one of the most unpredictable tracks on the schedule.
Kyzer Riddell Nearly Steals It
Kyzer Riddell came home second, and he was right there.
Riddell finished just 0.0842 seconds behind DeWeese, making it one of the closest East Coast Truck Series finishes so far this season. He also led eight laps, proving he was not just riding around waiting for something to happen.
He was part of the fight.
At Talladega, second place can feel like being one push away, one lane away, or one move away from stealing the whole thing. Riddell was close enough to make DeWeese earn every inch of it.
That is the kind of run that keeps a driver in the conversation.
Joe Davide Grabs a Strong Podium
Joe Davide finished third after starting 13th, putting together one of the strongest drives of the night.
Davide led three laps and finished only 0.1800 seconds behind the winner. In a pack race, that is right in the middle of the fight.
A podium at Talladega is not easy. You have to avoid the wrong lanes, survive the cautions, stay out of trouble, and still be aggressive enough to move forward when it matters.
Davide did that.
That is a strong night for the #34.
Austin Gum and Jay Szala Round Out the Top Five
Austin Gum finished fourth, just 0.1842 seconds back of the win. That means the top four were separated by less than two-tenths of a second at the line.
That is not a race finish.
That is a drag race.
Jay Szala rounded out the top five, finishing only 0.2930 seconds behind DeWeese. With the top five all packed together at the end, Talladega showed exactly why the draft changes everything.
One push. One lane. One move.
That was the difference.
A Race Full of Movement
This was not a single-file parade.
The East Coast Truck Series saw 11 lead changes, and several drivers spent time at the front. DeWeese led 12 laps. Dillon Canova led 11. Jacob Szala led nine. Kyzer Riddell led eight. Johnny Bobby Brown led six. Joe Davide led three. Shane Marcum also led one lap.
That kind of movement shows how unstable Talladega can be.
Even if a driver has speed, staying in control of the race is difficult. The draft pulls drivers forward, moves lanes around, and creates constant pressure. One lap you are leading. A few laps later, you may be stuck in the wrong lane trying to recover.
That is what makes Talladega such a dangerous points race.
Jesse R Sampson Shows Raw Speed
While the finish belonged to DeWeese, Jesse R Sampson posted the fastest lap of the race with a 51.8370.
That speed matters, even on a night where the final result did not show the full potential.
Talladega can be cruel like that.
A driver can have speed, be part of the right draft, and still end up buried by timing, cautions, track position, or the wrong line at the wrong moment. Sampson’s night may not have ended where he wanted, but the pace was there.
Official Race Results
S.M.A.S.H East Coast Truck Series
Talladega Superspeedway50 Laps
Braxton DeWeese — #15
Kyzer Riddell — #20
Joe Davide — #34
Austin Gum — #6
Jay Szala — #85
Patrick O’Toole — #44
Daryl Griffin — #4
Lee Richardson IV — #5
Adrian De Leon — #12
Dillon Canova — #70
Jacob Szala — #1
Scott Drost — #2
Steve Vest — #60
Darren T Vale — #28
Johnny Bobby Brown — #88
Jeffrey Stanton — #61
Shane Marcum — #47
Matthew Toudouze — #67
Jesse R Sampson — #10
Patrick Hernandez — #91
Mike Springer — #27
Nick Biddy — #32
The Points Battle Gets Tighter
Talladega is the kind of race that can change the points picture fast.
Drivers near the front can build momentum. Drivers who get caught up in problems can lose ground in a hurry. That is why races like this matter so much once the season reaches this stage.
The East Coast Truck Series is not early-season racing anymore.
Every week is starting to carry more weight. Every finish matters. Every mistake gets harder to recover from. Talladega gave some drivers a strong points night and left others needing to rebound.
That is the reality of a championship fight.
You take what the race gives you, survive the bad nights, and make the most of the good ones.
DeWeese made the most of this one.
Final Word
The S.M.A.S.H East Coast Truck Series came to Talladega and delivered a true superspeedway finish.
Braxton DeWeese wins. Kyzer Riddell finishes second by less than a tenth. Joe Davide completes the podium.
The race brought 11 lead changes, 22 drivers, and a finish that reminded everyone how close this series can get when the draft is in play.
Talladega did not disappoint.
The pack was tight.
The points mattered.
And Braxton DeWeese left with the win.
