Daddio Delivers in a Daytona Dogfight

DAYTONA BEACH, FL — The NEP SuperTrucks presented by Winter Pit Products opened their seventh season under the lights at Daytona International Speedway with the Yuhouse Racing Designs 75, and the season debut had everything we’ve come to expect from this crew — speed, chaos, and a finish that made the scoring loop sweat.

Twenty-eight drivers took the green for 75 scheduled laps, which quickly turned into 78 after a green–white–checkered finish. From the outset, it was the kind of superspeedway race where everyone looked fast, and nobody looked safe. The opening run was clean enough to fool you into believing they’d all matured over the offseason. Then, just past halfway, Daytona reminded everyone that manners don’t matter at 190 miles per hour. One bad bump in the tri-oval kicked off a multi-truck wreck that tore through the field and left a handful of hopefuls loading onto virtual haulers early.

When the dust settled, Steve Daddio and Evan Beaulieu emerged from the pack to settle it themselves. Daddio’s #99 Chevrolet Silverado controlled the final restart, but Beaulieu’s #56 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro wasn’t done yet. Coming off turn four, the two drag-raced to the line with Daddio holding on by a truck length — a statement win to kick off the season and one that looked more like survival than dominance.

Behind them, Zane Ferrell brought home a strong third in the #14 Ford F-150, followed by Ryan Messer in the #1 Silverado and Jeffrey Bradway in the #13 Ford, both surviving the late-race madness for top-five finishes. Dale Glessner (6th), Ryan Salvatore (7th), Garrett Benson (8th), Bryan Shipp (9th), and Jason Ricker (10th) rounded out the top ten, each earning hard-fought results in what felt like a 190-mph fistfight from start to finish.

The race featured eleven different leaders and a total of seventy-eight laps completed after overtime. Brent Roy set the fastest lap of the night with a 47.164-second rocket in his #26 Toyota, though the draft wasn’t kind to him by the end — he finished 20th after being caught up late. Every truck on the lead lap looked like it had been through a demolition derby, which is exactly how you know it was a proper Daytona opener.

With Daddio’s win, the NEP SuperTrucks presented by Winter Pit Products are officially underway, and if Daytona was any preview, this season’s going to be wild. From here, the series heads to the bullrings and short ovals where patience wears thin and sheet metal doesn’t last.