Australian NASCAR Truck Series Round 3 - Long Beach Race Report

Round 3 of the championship brought the field to the tight and technical streets of Long Beach Street Circuit, a venue where precision and patience are just as important as outright speed. For ONENINE Racing, the race produced both a strong finish and a heartbreaking result as Chris Bleakley and Brayden Sagasser battled the unforgiving street circuit.

Bleakley Delivers Solid Top 10

Starting the race from P16, Bleakley focused on a clean and consistent run through the narrow Long Beach streets. The opening stage was largely about survival, with the ONENINE driver keeping his truck out of trouble and steadily building rhythm to cross the Stage 1 line in P14.

Stage 2 saw a similar approach as Bleakley maintained position in the midfield while others struggled with the tight barriers and limited passing opportunities. He again crossed the stage line in P14, setting himself up for a strong push in the closing run.

In the final stage, patience paid off. As incidents and strategy shuffled the field, Bleakley capitalized on opportunities to move forward, ultimately securing a P9 finish — a well-earned Top 10 on one of the most challenging circuits on the calendar.

Sagasser Shows Speed Before Late Misfortune

Sagasser rolled off the grid from a strong P11, looking well placed to challenge near the front. The opening stage proved difficult however, as traffic and the tight street layout saw him slip back to P23 by the end of Stage 1.

The turnaround came in Stage 2. Finding pace and confidence around the circuit, Sagasser charged forward through the field with an impressive recovery drive, climbing all the way to P5 at the end of the stage and putting himself firmly in contention for a strong result.

Unfortunately, the unforgiving nature of street racing struck late in the event. Contact and damage ended Sagasser’s race prematurely, resulting in a DNF and classification of P30, a disappointing outcome after showing race-winning pace earlier in the night.

Team Takeaway

Long Beach proved once again how demanding street racing can be. Bleakley’s composed drive delivered valuable points with a Top 10 finish, while Sagasser demonstrated impressive speed and race craft before misfortune cut his race short.

With strong pace shown throughout the event, ONENINE Racing will take the positives from Long Beach as the team continues its push through the season.