Death, taxes and big wrecks at Daytona International Speedway.
It’s just to be expected when NASCAR comes to this track. But that’s not what ended the NASCAR Xfinity Series race Friday (Aug. 23).
Ryan Truex got the lead in overtime and raced in front of AJ Allmendinger and Parker Kligerman. Shortly after the field took the white flag, Kligerman moved to the bottom lane, and Allmendinger tried to go down in front of him. Contact was made, sending the No. 16 down the track. The caution came out after he came back up into traffic, and Truex took the victory.
Chandler Smith was scored in second with Kligerman just behind in third. Riley Herbst and Ryan Sieg rounded out the top five.
The Winners
Truex earned his second win of the season in only his eighth start. It wasn’t just a fluke, though, as he was near the front for much of the race. He led nearly a third of the event and often positioned himself either in front of or by the duo of Allmendinger and Kligerman. That appeared to be a good strategy, as the Nos. 16 and 48 worked well together and were fast throughout the whole race.
The younger brother of Martin Truex Jr. now has three Xfinity Series victories in his career — two at Dover Motor Speedway and one at the World Center of Racing. It’s also win number six for the No. 20 car that’s featured five different drivers at the wheel. I’m not sure exactly what to compare this kind of success to regarding All-Star teams, aside from maybe Kyle Busch Motorsports’ truck that had multiple drivers (when it was still around).
While it wasn’t a win for Kligerman and Big Machine Racing, the team still had a good and much-needed points day, finishing fifth and sixth in stages one and two, respectively. See, earlier this week he was penalized big time for an infraction pertaining to the rear spoiler. Kligerman and the team lost 20 driver and owner points as well as five playoff points.
That’s huge for a driver who’s still trying to hang on to one of the last playoff spots, which makes Daytona that much more meaningful and important in his quest for the playoffs.
Herbst had an issue on pit road when his Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Cole Custer left his stall just after Herbst. Custer made contact with the No. 98, which set the No. 00 back.
But Herbst continued on and in the end he earned another top five, his fifth of the year and second in the last three races. He’s already locked into the playoffs with a win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but could still use another to show others he’s worth gambling on.
Underdogs are often highlighted at superspeedways due to the chaotic nature of pack racing, and this race was no different. Jordan Anderson led the underdogs with a sixth-place finish, while Leland Honeyman and Kyle Weatherman also earned top 10s.
Finally, a shout out to Blaine Perkins with a 14th, his best result since Phoenix Raceway.
The Losers
I definitely have to start with the elephant in the room: Allmendinger. I’m not sure if the No. 16 was trying to block Kligerman or if he just was trying to go with him, but in that instance, I would’ve just stayed in line behind Truex. If the momentum remained on the top lane, Allmendinger could’ve pushed Truex far out, then swoop below him as they neared the finish line.
Instead, the Dinger is left with a 24th after leading a race-high 35 laps.
Now, I understand the frustration of Kaulig Racing, especially since they came so close to winning. But perhaps when the team reviews the tape and look at what the Dinger does, maybe it will change its viewpoint and leave Daytona in the rearview.
Austin Hill and Custer had really rough days, with Hill incurring a lot of damage in a lap 1 wreck and Custer making contact with his teammate Herbst. Hill eventually went to the garage after meeting minimum speed and finished 31st.
Custer was involved in a large crash around lap 78; his damage was too severe to continue. On the plus side, he is still locked into the playoffs with a win at Pocono Raceway.
Sometimes Daytona feels like whoever didn’t incur enough damage in an earlier incident will get in a crash later. That’s exactly what happened to Anthony Alfredo in the No. 5 Our Motorsports car. Alfredo was fast early on, getting near the front of the pack. Some possible slight contact from Jesse Love sent him pancaking the wall at the end of stage two.
That damage wasn’t as bad, and the No. 5 worked its way back up. It was in the top 10 with less than 10 laps to go before it appeared to get a flat tire and slow down. Those behind him checked up too fast, and the car on the bottom turned Alfredo into the pack.
This was probably Alfredo’s best chance to win a race, so it appears his playoff hopes are dashed.
The Playoff Pit
There’s a new driver atop the regular season standings: Justin Allgaier.
But as far as the playoffs go, with no new winner taking the checkered flag, there are still four spots up for grabs. Allmendinger has a good margin above the cut line, as he’s 113 points to the good. Sheldon Creed also has quite a bit of points (93 to be exact) over the cut line.
Kligerman is plus-44 in 11th, and Sieg holds the final playoff spot, 15 points above the cut.
A pair of JR Motorsports drivers are the first two drivers below: Sammy Smith, who’s 15 points out, and Brandon Jones. Both were caught up in wrecks. With only four races left until the playoffs, time’s running out for ones who want to make it in.
Paint Scheme of the Race
Not too often do we see movie paint schemes anymore. That is, until today. Joe Graf Jr. drove the No. 19 Reagan the Movie car, with a design featuring Ronald Reagan on the hood and on the side behind the number.
The only knock I have with this scheme is that the roof is just a black background and a white number. The sponsor or team could have kept the light red and blue colors, or even a darker red and blue to help the number stand out. Still, it was a nice change of pace from the usual designs.
Graf qualified fourth and was at the front most of the race. However, he couldn’t get with all of his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota teammates at the end and ended up finishing in 12th.
Fuel for Thought
Should NASCAR start having practice at tracks like Daytona and Talladega Superspeedway?
Teams went out and just qualified for their only time on the track before the race. A lap or two is not nearly enough time to get a good feel for the car and see what it’s like drafting with others.
We saw this on the first lap when a favorite was caught up in a melee. Who else was in that? Gus Dean, in his first ever Xfinity race. He didn’t even make a full lap at full speed, but I wouldn’t fault him. Rather, I’d fault the system. This large accident could’ve possibly been avoided if there was some practice time.
I know, weather played a factor in Friday’s qualifying session. Regardless, my point still stands.
Some may argue that a practice session could have crashes in it as well. With such a short turnaround before the race, it could be detrimental to teams, especially the smaller ones. Well, why not put practice on a separate day than the race, so crews can work on repairing the cars or setting up the backups? I understand teams on a smaller budget may not have the resources to do so, but I feel that it’s an option that is needed.
Better than leaving the track after one lap.
Where to Next?
Darlington Raceway is up next for Xfinity drivers with just four races left in the regular season. Allgaier won there in the spring, his first of the season.
Coverage for the Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help a Hero 200 starts on Aug. 31 at 3:30 p.m. ET and airs on USA Network.
About the author
Joy joined Frontstretch in 2019 as a NASCAR DraftKings writer, expanding to news and iRacing coverage in 2020. She's currently an assistant editor and involved with photos, social media and news editing. A California native, Joy was raised watching motorsports and started watching NASCAR extensively in 2001. She earned her B.A. degree in Liberal Studies at California State University Bakersfield in 2010.
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