It’s getting cloudier and windier in Daytona. The ARCA kids raced under mostly sunny skies, but you could see the clouds moving in. As the anthem is tortured for the Xfinity series race, the wind is whipping and the skies are darkening with occasional blasts of sun. Austin Hill (21) is scheduled to lead the 38 cars to the green flag. The stages for today’s event are 30-30-60.
Austin Hill (21) will start from the back He dropped out of the parade laps due to radio issues which were resolved after a visit to pit road. Parker Kligerman (48) leads the field to the green flag.
The did a nice thing for a change with the split-screen. One side was the race and the other side was the front windscreen gimmick shot. It was great, because I could continue to watch the actual race and anyone interested in the very limited view of the gimmick shot could watch that. Unfortunately they switched to only the gimmick shot and from what MRN was reporting there was actually action on the track that would’ve been exciting to see.
Caution on lap 7 of 120 for Bayley Currey (4) blowing up.
Restarting on lap 11 of 120.
They’re a bit too enamored of the blimp shots. For a while they’re okay, because you can actually see the race, but then they get too far away and it’s like watching a Matchbox car race as a tall adult.
Caution on lap 20 of 120 for an incident involving Daniel Hemric (11) and Blaine Perkins (07). Of course tv was in a gimmick shot when it occurred, so we can only see what happened with a replay. Sam Mayer (1) got into the back of Perkins turning Blaine left and into Daniel Hemric. Hemric has suspension damage so his day is done.
Restarting on lap 25 of 120.
Looks like the wind has blown most of the clouds away from the track, so its sunnier than it was at the start of the event. The clouds are still visible, but appear more spread out and the sun is setting.
Wow, tv just had a beautiful shot to the sunset and the cars navigating turn one.
Austin Hill (21) wins stage one. He doesn’t super speedway race quite as well as he thinks he does. He came very close to wrecking the field. He blocked Justin Allgaier’s (7) run on the bottom pretty late. Allgaier was able to avoid turning Hill and the field behind him was able to avoid wrecking in the back up. If he keeps that up Austin Hill will watch the end of the race in the garage.
MRN’s Dillon Welch reports Justin Allgaier (7) said on the radio that he’s not going to cut Austin Hill (21) any more breaks. Welch said Allgaier is fed up with Hill’s driving.
Some pit, some stay out, shuffling the front of the field.
MRN is reporting a crash between two cars on pit road, a crew member hit and tires flying all over pit road. MRN goes to a commercial break and FS1 is in a commercial break when MRN reports the incident.
MRN’s Dillon Welch reports everyone is okay. Ryan Ellis (43) drove through his box and hit his own crew. Throwing everyone around. A tire was launched by Jesse Iwuji’s (34) car which was passing as the incident occurred.
Restarting on lap 36 of 120 with Sheldon Creed (2) up front. The first ten cars stayed out during the pit sequence.
Caution on lap 39 of 120 for an incident involving Sheldon Creed (2) getting turned into the outside wall after a shove from Parker Kligerman (48). Justin Allgaier (7) spun during the incident trying to avoid the crash. Ryan Ellis (43), Justin Haley (10), Austin Hill, Stefan Parsons (45) were collected in the incident. MRN is reporting Sheldon Creed (2) is done. They also reported Parker Kligerman (48) said he prides himself on NOT doing things like that.
Restarting on lap 45 of 120.
On lap 46 of 120 they went single-file. On lap 47 of 120 they spread out into the inside lane again. Someone must’ve reminded them a stage end approaches, so it’s not time to log laps.
For a moment we had a split-screen of the race and a gimmick shot then it changed to two gimmick shots so we can no longer actually see the race Back to the race. Back to a gimmick shot. Back to the race with two laps left in the stage and a hard battle for the lead at the front of the field.
Justin Allgaier (7) holds off teammate Sam Mayer (1) to win stage two. Sammy Smith (18) goes for a spin coming out of turn four headed for the green-and-white checkered flag.
Restarting on lap 66 of 120 with Justin Allgaier (7) winning the race off pit road to lead them to the green flag.
MRN is reporting Parker Kligerman (48) spins as the Chevrolets come in for green flag pit stops on lap 75 of 120.
The Toyotas and Fords come in for green flag pit stops on lap 76 of 120.
MRN reports on lap 82 of 120 Kaz Grala (26) goes up in a puff of smoke, but gets it below the yellow line headed to pit road.
On lap 87 of 120 MRN reports they’re logging laps single-file.
Caution on lap 88 of 120 for a crash involving Sammy Smith (18) and CJ McLaughlin (35).
The moving drone shots make me nauseous.
Restarting on lap 94 of 120 with Josh Berry (8) up front. JRM teammates Justin Allgaier (7), Sam Mayer (1), and Brandon Jones (9) are lined up behind Berry. Riley Herbst (98) and Cole Custer (00) are behind Austin Hill. (21)
The field has single-filed out on lap 97 of 120.
TV is showing some slabs of Beef. The race is the Beef It’s What’s For Dinner 300, but it really says something when you’d prefer to show meat rather than the on-track action. The television broadcast is more than a little out-of-synch with the purpose of the air time for the actual NASCAR fan/viewer it seems.
Parker Kligerman (48) side-swiped Jeffrey Earnhardt (44) into the wall. Jeffrey is headed to pit road trailing sparks.
On lap 110 of 120 the field remains single-file with Parker Kligerman (48) occasionally dropping down, but getting no takers.
This is the part of these races I’ve come to hate. The tension builds as I wait for something to happen – for someone to make a serious run to the win, and they wait too late and no one makes a move. This is the part of the NASCAR rules package that desperately needs an overhaul to make it possible or necessary for them to make the move earlier and race the final, at least five or ten laps, or super speedway races.
MRN is talking about them waiting too long to make the move at lap 114 of 120 so they have no time to do anything. They’ve seen too many of these disappointing super speedway finishes also I’d say.
Riley Herbst (98) and Kligerman (46) go down to the bottom lane. Herbst bails on him. Jade Buford goes down to help PK, but no one goes with them on lap 117 of 120.
Justin Allgaier drops down on lap 118 of 120.
Hill Blocks the inside lane.
Brandon Jones (9) spins himself out trying to block Josh Berry bringing out the caution.
Overtime.
Josh Berry (8) is on the apron as the field circles around in pace laps.
Austin Hill (21) may have the same issue.
MRN reports that Cole Custer, Jeb Burton and Justin Haley are on the apron due to the fuel issues.
MRN says Josh Berry is out of fuel. He is getting a push to pit road.
Justin Allgaier (7) is below the double yellow lines wiggling back and forth as they come to the restart.
Allgaier is on the apron as they go into turn four.
someone drops to the apron as the green flag waves.
Green flag they’re racing door-to-door for the lead. (Hill and Allgaier)
Sam Mayer (1) tries to pass Allgaier (7), Allgaier tries to block but decides against it and drops back down in front of the inside lane. Mayer gets hit and flips onto this roof and spins down the track for a long way eventually spinning, on the roof, into the infield and flipping back onto the wheels in the grass.
Austin Hill (21) turned Mayer (1) into the outside wall.
The caution flag is out at the start finish line and the checkered flag is flying.
There’s also a crash toward the back of the pack.
John Hunter ‘JHN’ Nemechek (20), Myatt Snider (19) and Austin Hill (21) seemingly had passed Justin Allgaier (7) as Sam Mayer (1) wrecked. JHN, Hill and Allgaier are all sitting parked side-by-side waiting for the call.
Austin Hill is announced as the winner.
What a disappointing result. He wrecked his way to the win.
Sam Mayer has been checked and released from the care center.
That was a decent race. They actually raced in the first two stages. They raced on the final couple of laps and in the overtime segment. They spent about 40 laps logging laps – 1/3 of the event. That’s too much. In the past it would simply build tension because the viewer knew there would be action at the end. For the past several years nothing has happened at the end because they wait too late to make the pass.
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