TALLADEGA, Ala. – To the heart, Bret Holmes is a weekend warrior.
During the week, the Munford, Ala. native works for his family’s construction business, but Holmes also races in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series on a part-time basis and was within an eyelash of a rousing victory less than 20 minutes from his hometown in Saturday’s (Oct. 1) Chevrolet Silverado 250.
“I work full-time during the week to be able to do this,” Holmes said after a wild finish. “We take a lot from our family’s companies to be able to do this. We don’t get any manufacturer support, sim time or any of that [stuff].”
In a position to win during a frantic mad scramble to the checkered flag, Holmes inched across the start/finish line first. However, due to the caution being displayed as the field barreled toward the start/finish line, the field was frozen, determining that at the time that the caution was waved, it was Matt DiBenedetto, not Holmes, taking the close win.
A WILD NASCAR TRUCK SERIES FINISH AT TALLADEGA 👀 pic.twitter.com/f30MFY3m4q
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) October 1, 2022
“I didn’t get my hopes up, we lost an ARCA race that close and were even closer this time,” Holmes said. “We lost an ARCA race by five 1000ths of a second. We were fortunate enough to stay out of trouble all day, the lanes kept going forward and pushing really well.”
Added Holmes: “I was hopeful to begin with, but the longer it took, it kind of went downhill.”
The manner in which Saturday’s early-afternoon event appeared to be playing into the hands of Holmes, especially as the field restarted with two laps to go and the white flag was displayed. Holmes did anything that a driver seeking a win can do at a restrictor-plate track – get in position to win on the final lap.
“These races, things have to fall your way and you have to make the right choices,” he said. “Unfortunately, it’s impossible to make the right choice 100 percent of the time. I wasn’t looking left; I was trying to see if someone was there to push me. I don’t know what I could have done there.”
Especially since the start/finish line at Talladega is past the tri-oval.
“Throwing a caution there before the start/finish, that doesn’t make a lot of sense,” Holmes said. “It’s just tough to lose one that close. I don’t know whether to cry or be happy, we had a good run.”
Holmes admitted that Saturday afternoon was bittersweet as the track at Talladega and those that work there hold a special meaning to his family.
“Even the people at the track here have been good to me, they put on an event for me when I won the ARCA championship, they didn’t have to do that,” Holmes said. “You don’t know how many more opportunities that you’ll get to do it, for a part-time team and family team, you don’t get any support, you don’t know how long you’ll get to do it.”
Brad joined Frontstretch.com in 2020 and contributes to the site's 5 Points To Ponder column and other roles as needed. A graduate of the University of Georgia's Henry W. Grady School of Journalism and Mass Communication, he has covered sports in some capacity for more than 20 years with coverage including local high school sports, college athletics and minor league hockey. Brad has received multiple awards for his work from the Georgia Press Association.