BROOKLYN, Mich. –– Daytona International Speedway isn’t until next Friday (Aug. 23), and that’s where underdogs usually shine.
However, with a speedway package similar to one at Daytona and a wild last-lap wreck that saw Kyle Sieg go flipping on the backstretch, some underdogs came away with top-10 finishes at the end of Satruday’s (Aug. 17) Cabo Wabo 250 at the two-mile Michigan International Speedway.
The highest of them all was Anthony Alfredo, who came home in fourth. With others ahead of him concerned about fuel on the final restart, Alfredo was good enough on fuel to charge into the top five on speed in the final two-lap shootout.
“It’s always a statement to run up front,” a jovial Alfredo said after the race. “We had a fast car all day. We really didn’t luck into it. We had a top-10, top-five-or-six car all day. Got the track position on that last restart and took it home.”
For Alfredo and Our Motorsports, it’s their second top five of the season behind a third-place run at Talladega Superspeedway.
“We just beat probably 10 cars that are spending a lot more than us,” Alfredo said. “And I don’t mean a few hundred grand, I mean millions of dollars. So it’s a big deal for us.
“The team, they just do a lot with a little. They give me better race cars than they probably should be able to, and I like to think I can finish a few spots better than I should be able to, compared to most guys.”
Two spots behind Alfredo was Noah Gragson, who isn’t an underdog himself, but the team he was driving for (Rette Jones Racing) could very well be considered one. After spending years strictly in grassroots racing, mainly late models and the ARCA Menards Series, the team decided to open a part-time Xfinity Series operation with Gragson as the driver.
In two previous starts, Gragson and RJR had not finished outside the top 10, and that continued on Saturday with a sixth-place finish. For Gragson, a full-time Cup Series driver, he’s proud to see the team doing well in its Xfinity infancy.
“A bunch of super late model guys […] it’s pretty cool to see the success that we’ve had,” Gragson told Frontstretch after the race. “We want to win races, no doubt, and that’s what we’re here to do. But we finished 10th at Charlotte [Motor Speedway], and then fifth at Nashville [Superspeedway], and then to come here and finish fifth or sixth. It definitely is exciting.
“I know Casey’s happy, I know Terry [Jones, co-owner], all them are happy. I just can’t express how grateful I am for that family to allow me to come out here and just have some fun.”
Originally credited with eighth, Matt DiBenedetto officially notched a seventh-place finish for himself and Viking Motorsports. DiBenedetto found himself around 15th exiting turn 2 on the final lap, and by the time the caution came out in turn 3, he had secured a top 10.
“Hopefully [we’ll] carry this momentum into the next one,” DiBenedetto told Frontstretch after the race. “Just proud of our Viking Motorsports team. Thankful to [RSS] Racing for helping our team get going. Ford and Roush Yates, and everybody else who is helped this team really get going.
“[It] started as a new, part-time effort and quickly turned into a full-time effort, and I’m just proud to be a part of this growing team.”
Completing the underdog top-10 quartet was Caesar Bacarella. Bacarella was jacked up from behind by Parker Kligerman, which turned him into Carson Kvapil and ignited the big crash that sent Sieg flipping.
Despite the contact, Bacarella held the wheel straight and escaped to finish ninth. The Parkland, Fla., native has qualified for two races this season, finishing top 10 in both after a seventh-place effort at Talladega.
“It feels great,” Bacarella told Frontstretch after the race. “Two top-10 finishes in a row. I don’t get to do this a lot, but I’m so proud of the team. I mean, these guys work so hard on the car. […] We work so hard to get this team better, little by little, and we’re showing our improvements.
“This ain’t a superspeedway, so to get a top 10 here is phenomenal for the team.”
Bacarella — along with Tommy Joe Martins — co-owns the team he drives for, Alpha Prime Racing, which makes the finish all the more special for him. He continued to sing the praises of his team for their effort to even get him as far up front as he was.
“You don’t see the behind-the-scenes and how hard these guys work,” Bacarella said. “A top-10 here is like winning.
“[…] Definitely going to have a beer. These guys deserve a big applause for what they did.”
Though I’m sure Bacarella and the No. 45 team won’t be the only ones sharing beers after a stellar performance.
About the author
Anthony Damcott joined Frontstretch in March 2022. Currently, he is an editor and co-authors Fire on Fridays (Fridays); he is also the primary Truck Series reporter/writer and secondary short track writer. He also serves as an at-track reporter and assists with social media when he can. A proud West Virginia Wesleyan College alum from Akron, Ohio, Anthony is now a grad student. He is a theatre actor and fight-choreographer-in-training in his free time.
You can keep up with Anthony by following @AnthonyDamcott on X.
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15 cars still sucks! Set up to loose and lawless alan loses it. Still no women drivers in top 3 nascar series. 30% of race fans are women.