What won the race: Pole-starting John Ruggiero Jr. of Lincolnton, N.C., was only challenged in navigating lapped traffic on his way to scoring a dominant victory in Monday's 53-lap Crystal Cup finale at Wythe Raceway. Ruggiero recorded his 12th overall victory, with the $10,000 payday serving as his biggest win of the season, his first five-figure triumph since last fall's $20,000 Big One in Cochran (Ga.) Motor Speedway's 602 Crate special.

Quotable: “First and foremost, I gotta thank my Dad. We have struggled this year and he (never) lost faith in me and I’ve never seen him work so hard before to get us back out front,” Ruggiero said. “I was getting nervous there. There was a lot of yellows, like you said, and I didn’t know what to think. I knew Layton (Sullivan) was good, he started 10th and when I saw he got to second, I was pretty nervous. But, all in all, I guess it was just meant to be and we’ll take it home.”

Key notes: Tenth-starting Layton Sullivan grabbed second from Hayden Cardwell on the lap-37 restart and trailed Ruggiero the rest of the way, crossing the line 0.563 of a second back. Sullivan never truly threatened Ruggiero, but moved within two car lengths as Ruggiero dealt with lapped traffic in the closing laps. ... The fourth-starting Cardwell, of Knoxville, Tenn., pursued Ruggiero from laps 7-36 before giving way to Sullivan and settling for third. ... Jeremy Steele, Wythe's defending Crystal Cup winner, finished fourth. ... The feature was slowed by seven cautions, most notably a 10-minute red flag on the opening circuit when Jake Jackson and Ricky Greene spun in front of the field, collecting several cars. All drivers were able to continue, though Jack Brown pulled off on the ensuing restart. ... Jackson faded to finish 13th, while Greene pulled off from 12th on lap 30 with a flat left-rear and opted not to change it. ... Mack McCarter challenged Cardwell for third in the closing laps before appearing to get pinched and making heavy contact with the turn-three wall, ending his race on lap 39. ... Zach Sise slowed from ninth and retired on lap 37. ... Doug Penny spun to cause the third stoppage on lap 20 following contact while getting lapped by Ruggiero. Ruggiero again muscled his way by Penny as he took the white flag. ... The race lasted 49 minutes, with 17 competitors completing 53 laps and 20 running at the finish. ... Jacob Brown and Rick Utsman were disqualified following their time trial efforts. Brown opted to load up and scratched for the rest of the night.

On the move: Jeremy Steele of York, S.C., started 19th and finished fourth.

Winner's sponsors: Ruggiero's Factory Longhorn Team Longhorn Chassis is powered by an Earl Ramey Racing Engine and carries sponsorship from University of Northwestern Ohio, Coltman Farms, Mesilla Valley Transportation, Dustpods, VP Racing Fuels, Bilstein Shocks, SRI Performance and Nightowl Design.

Points chase: After Wythe: 1. A.J. Hicks (1,155); 2. Zach Sise (1,131); 3. Hayden Cardwell (1,079); Bailie Lowe (1,060); 5. Trevor Sise (1,045).

Current weather: Clear, 68°F

Car count: 30

Fast qualifier: John Ruggiero Jr.

Time: 18.066 seconds

Polesitter: John Ruggiero Jr.

Dash winner: John Ruggiero Jr.

Heat race winners: Walker Arthur, Dillon Brown, Mack McCarter

Next series race: September 14, Lake Cumberland Speedway (Burnside, KY) $10,000