Briar's Top 5 From The Xfinity Series Race At Daytona

The NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers put on quite a show at Daytona last Saturday. But who was the best among the best? Here's my top five drivers at Daytona.

1. Ryan Reed- Reed did an amazing job at Daytona. Not only was he involved in multiple accidents, but ran in the top 10 in part of the race, mainly the last part where it counts. Reed finished fourth at the end of stage two to collect championship driver points. He was involved in an accident on lap 105 on the backstretch where multiple cars were damaged. Reed escaped with minor damage and was able to get back up front to the top five. The lead changed hands many times during the last seven laps at Daytona. Reed finally maintained the lead with two to go and fended off cup regular Kasey Kahne for his second career win at Daytona. Nice driving and comeback by Reed.

2. Kasey Kahne- Kahne had a strong car throughout the race. Ran up front and was one of the fewer cars who didn't have crash damage. Had the lead late in the going, but lost it to Reed with two to go. The next shot Kahne has to win in the NASCAR Xfinity Series is at Talladega.

3. Austin Dillon- What can you say about Austin Dillon at Daytona? Dillon loves Daytona and the results showed on Saturday night. He finished 10th in stage one and finished second in stage two. Led four times for 27 laps. Was right there at the finish for the win had a wreck occurred, but came up two spots short.

4. Joey Gase- The little car team that could. Or almost could at least. After all the carnage in the early part of the race, Gase took advantage of it and found himself with a shot to win. Gase ran in the top five in the last remaining laps, but got shuffled out to finish in the seventh position. Still not bad for a team who occasionally doesn't run up front every week. Gase is certainly a favorite when he comes back to Daytona in July and at Talladega later this year.

5. William Byron- Byron also had a challenging day at Daytona. He was involved in the second accident on the backstretch. Was involved again in an accident on lap 105 and again on lap 119. His car also experienced many problems late in the going. But in the end, he somehow came up with a top 10 finish.

Honorable Mention- Harrison Rhodes- Rhodes is a guy who you don't hear a lot about. But being at Daytona in February, July or Talladega in the spring, Rhodes is running in the top 15. However, if there is a lot of melee that takes place during the race, like there was on Saturday, then you can find a way to have a shot for the win. Even though, Rhodes escaped all the carnage that took place, he came home with a solid top 10.

Ryan Reed Holds Off Kasey Kahne For Second Career Win At Daytona

The 2017 NASCAR Xfinity Series season began at Daytona today. And it sure was a wild race from the beginning. NASCAR introduced their new stage segments as well, 30 laps made up stage one and two, as 60 laps made up stage three which culminated to 120 laps overall.

Brandon Jones and Ryan Reed set the front row in qualifying. Jones jumped out in front with help from Brennan Poole. Poole took the lead on the backstretch, but Reed assumed back to the lead on the same lap. A lead change happened a lap later as Brad Keselowski went to the top spot. On lap three, Jeff Green brought out the first caution of the race due to laying fluid down on the track. 

Keselowski and Kasey Kahne led the field back to green on lap 8. With help from Darrell Wallace. Jr, this helped Kahne take the lead away from Keselowski. The race was going smoothly for a little bit until Benny Gordon got sideways and hit the wall, but there would be no caution. The lead continued to change hands multiple times until a lap 17 caution, when Brandon Hightower spun in the tri-oval, his car ended up not having much damage. Austin Dillon brought a small line down to pit road. This included championship contenders Matt Tifft and William Byron. The top eight stayed out on the track. 

Elliott Sadler and Brandon Jones took the restart on lap 22. Sadler got the advantage out front as Dillon was pushing him from behind. A moment after that, a big crash happened on backstretch which took out several cars in the process. These included Austin Dillon, William Byron, Cole Custer, Spencer Gallagher, Jeremy Clements, Michael Annett and Tyler Reddick. The wreck was caused by Scott Lagasse Jr who pushed Reddick at the wrong time, which set off the chain reaction crash. 19 cars in total were involved in the melee. This also brought out the first red flag of the day.

The race went back to green on lap 27 with Sadler and Ty Dillon leading the way. Sadler once again regained the lead as his teammate Kahne helped him from behind. As stage one was nearing its end, another big crash happened on lap 29 that took place in turn three and four. Daniel Hemric slid up into Justin Allgaier, which then got into Brandon Jones. This wreck took out multiple cars, especically Jones who had a hard impact with the wall. All drivers were ok from the crash. 

NASCAR decided to end stage one under caution which thus allowed Elliott Sadler to win and collect 10 championship points. The leaders came down pit road to make adjustments to their cars. Brennan Poole won the race off pit road by taking two tires only. This was the end to stage one.

Brendan Gaughan and William Byron who did not pit took the restart on lap 34. Byron with a strong car took the lead one lap later. Gaughan and Byron traded the lead consecutive times until Benny Gordon blew a right front tire on lap 37. This caused the caution to come out for the fourth time of the day. 

Gaughan and Sadler restarted the race on lap 42. With help from Poole, Kahne took the lead away on the high line as Gaughan led the bottom. Sadler regained the lead on lap 47 down the backstretch. Byron had issues with his car as he couldn’t stay up to speed. The race stayed green for 11 laps until Brad Keselowski got in the back of Brennan Poole, which made Poole hit the wall and collect Blake Koch in the process. Elliott Sadler would go onto win stage two and collect another 10 championship points. Most of the leaders dove down to pit road to take some tires and fuel. Sadler won the race off pit road by taking two tires only.

After an exciting stage one and two, Sadler and Ryan Reed were on the front row for stage three on lap 67. Reed regained the lead on the restart with a strong car. But a caution fell on the same lap as there was a tire carcass that came off of Blake Koch’s car. Austin Dillon made a pass for the lead in the process.

The restart took place on lap 71 with Dillon and Sadler on the front row. Dillon held onto the top spot until Matt Tifft blew a left rear tire off turn two. This would bring out the eighth caution of the day with 42 laps to go. Most of the leaders hit pit road and took fuel only. Keselowski won the race off pit road for the lead.

Keselowski and Dillon led the field back to green with 37 laps to go. The racing action started to heat up as Dillon, Keselowski, Reed and Elliott Sadler swapped the lead multiple times. Kasey Kahne recycled back into the lead with 17 laps to go. On the same lap, Austin Dillon pushed Sadler too hard and set off another chain reaction crash. The crash ended Sadler’s strong run of the night. William Byron, Garrett Smithley and more were also involved. This would end up being the ninth caution of the night.

Kahne and Keselowski led the pack of cars to green with 11 laps to go. Kahne held the led for two laps until Reed took it with nine to go in turn four. With help from Ty Dillon, Kahne regained the lead with five to go. The action slowed down with three to go as Ray Black Jr and William Byron wrecked on the backstretch. This would set up an overtime finish.

Ryan Reed and Brad Keselowski took the green with two laps to go. Ty Dillon had trouble as he ran out of fuel after the restart. Kahne, Keselowski and Austin Dillon tried everything they could to pass Reed for the win but was unsuccessful. Reed was able to fend off the cup regulars for his second career NASCAR Xfinity Series win.

This was Reed’s second career NASCAR Xfinity Series win. 

There were nine leaders among 25 lead changes. 

There were 13 cautions for 42 laps. 

20 drivers finished the race out of the possible 40. 

The next scheduled NASCAR Xfinity Series race is next Saturday at Atlanta Motor Speedway. 

Briar's Top 5 Drivers From Last Nights Race At Daytona

1. Kaz Grala- Grala was up front all night, stayed out of trouble and most importantly, escaped the last lap crash for his first ever career win. Oh by the way, he also was on the pole for this race. Not bad for the young 18-year-old. This may be the first of many for Grala this season.

2. Austin Wayne Self- Self wasn't really a contender for the race until the last lap melee on the backstretch. Had there been one more lap or the caution didn't come out, Self might've stolen the win away from Grala. Still a nice showing for a team that occasionally doesn't run up front.

3. John Hunter Nemechek- Nemechek had a wild night at Daytona. Was involved in the first big crash early, then was bumped too aggressively by his dad Joe which almost spun him out on the backstretch. Nemechek also hit the backstretch wall to bring out a caution with four to go. Despite all of that, Nemechek was able to come home with a fourth place finish after the big wreck on the last lap. Not bad for a torn up race truck.

4. Regan Smith- Smith didn't contend for the win, but came home with a nice top 10 in a truck that runs a part time schedule.

5. Johnny Sauter- Sure Sauter didn't show the finish due to the last lap crash, but he was a strong contender throughout the night. Sauter won two of the stage races and picked up 10 championship points for the season. Sauter also contended for the win on the last lap, but was taken out in the multi-truck crash on the backstretch. A disappoint for Sauter, but he will be another strong championship challenger throughout the year. Don't count out Sauter just yet.

Honorable Mention- Christopher Bell- Bell had a crazy night at Daytona. The fist of problems came for Bell when his truck lifted off the ground in the early going. He was able to beat the five minute clock for the new damage vehicle policy. Then got sideways off turn four and saved it from crashing again. He managed to get in the pack after the restart with two to go, but was caught up in the big wreck on the last lap. Officially Bell came home in the eighth position.

Kaz Grala Wins Action Packed NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona

The 2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season kicked-off tonight at Daytona International Speedway tonight and it sure didn’t disappoint. NASCAR also debuted their new segment races as well.

18-year-old Kaz Grala and teammate Johnny Sauter set the front row in qualifying and led the field to green. Grala was able to get out in front as Christopher Bell was helping him from behind. It didn’t take long for the big one to happen as the crash took place on lap two near turn one. At least 13 drivers were taken out in the early crash. The replays showed that, the 29 of Chase Briscoe got into the back of the 18 (Noah Gragson) and set off the chain reaction crash. 

Grala and Bell led the field back to the restart on lap 10. Both continued to battle side by side down the backstretch until Grala pulled in front of his teammate Sauter. With help from Spencer Gallagher, Bell was able to get back into the lead on lap 14 in turn three. The lead continued to shuffle all the way until last lap of segment one. Christopher Bell tried to make a move on the outside to win stage one, but got loose after Gallagher pushed too aggressively and Bell spun out off turn four. Bell’s truck lifted off the ground and collected Brett Moffit as well.

This allowed Johnny Sauter to win stage one and pick up 10 championship points. Timothy Peters, Ben Rhodes, Kaz Grala, Chase Briscoe, Spencer Gallagher, Korbin Forrister, Scott Lagasse. Jr, Joe Nemechek and John Hunter Nemechek all rounded out the top 10 to collect championship points. Moffit was placed under the new five-minute damage vehicle policy after his crash. Which is new to the 2017 NASCAR season. This means any vehicle who doesn’t get their machine fixed in under five minutes and up to speed, will be disqualified from the race. Moffit’s crew was unable to fix the truck in under five minutes and was disqualified. 

Grala and Sauter restarted the race on lap 26, which set the green flag for stage two. Sauter easily got in front as the inside lane got a bad restart. Stage two was a calm race until toward the end, when John Hunter Nemechek was bumped by his dad Joe Nemechek. This almost spun John Hunter out on the backstretch. Johnny Sauter was able to hold off the field for stage win number two and collect another 10 points.

Timothy Peters and Christopher Bell led the to the green flag for stage three on lap 46. Bell took the lead down backstretch with help from Sauter. The lead changed hands once again multiple times during the race. Ben Rhodes took the lead for a while with help from Scott Lagasse.Jr on lap 51. Pit stops began with 33 to go, with Sauter, Grala, Gallagher and others pitting for fuel only. 

Bell took the lead in the process with Rhodes on the high side. Just three laps later, Bell got sideways off turn four and collected Korbin Forriester in the process. The leaders hit pit road with Briscoe winning the race off pit road by taking fuel only.

The lead cycled back to Sauter and Grala with 24 to go for the restart. Sauter went down to the bottom lane after the restart. The race calmed a bit with 17 to go as the pack went single file. Just as the race got calmed down, John Hunter Nemechek got loose and hit the wall on the backstretch, which brought out the fifth caution of the race. 

Sauter and Grala remained the leaders as the race went back to green with two to go. Sauter once again dropped down in front of his teammate to assume the lead. Matt Crafton, however, took the lead for a split second in the tri-oval. The pack formed again right before turn one as Sauter made a three wide move for the lead. Grant Enfinger who was behind Rhodes pushed him too aggressively which set off multicar accident down the backstretch. This included Crafton going upside down and landing on top of Sauter’s truck.

In all of that chaos, 18-year-old Kaz Grala took home his first ever career win in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. 

Grala led twice for 14 laps. 

There were six cautions for 29 laps. There was also 14 lead changes among nine drivers. 

An important note- All drivers who were involved in all wrecks tonight were evaluated and released from the in-field care center. 

The next scheduled NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race is next Saturday at Atlanta Motor Speedway. 

Get To Know NASCAR On FS1 Analyst Adam Alexander

Our Q&A continues this week, with NASCAR Fox Sports 1 analyst and play by play announcer for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Adam Alexander. Adam is also the host for NASCAR RaceHub.

1. When did you get an interest in racing?
Adam: I picked up an interest in racing as a kid in Indy following the Indy 500. However, my fondness for NASCAR came as I covered the sport while working in Evansville, IN and Owensboro, KY.

2. How did you become an racing announcer?
Adam: I started hosting a radio show in Owensboro, Kentucky in 1997 and that led to a track announcing opportunity at Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, IN.

3. If you weren't an racing announcer or host of RaceHub. What would your career choice be?
Adam: I would likely be doing play by play of other sports if not in NASCAR. Stick and ball sports are the foundation of my career.

4. Name one talent that you have which no one knows about?
Adam: Not sure if it's a hidden talent, but I won an AAU wrestling state championship when I was 7.

5. Favorite Race Track?
Adam: I love Talladega.

6. What was your first racing memory and how did you become a NASCAR fan?
Adam: My first racing memory was working the dirt track at Tri-State Speedway. That's when racing became real to me. I discovered NASCAR when I began covering the sport for local media. I enjoyed it from the start.

7. What's the most exciting race you've called to date?
Adam: Probably the truck race in 2015 at Charlotte (Kasey Kahne over Erik Jones) or the trucks in Canada (Ryan Blaney in a thriller).

8. Day Or Night Races?
Adam: I like calling races at night, but it's nice to get things rolling early. Tough call.

9. If you had a chance to design a racetrack somewhere. Where would it be and Why?
Adam: I would design a road course. I'm a road course fan. The Sonoma setting is nice. Maybe I should just claim that place as my own.

10. Finally, what's the number one thing you're most excited for the 2017 season?
Adam: I'm excited (Dale Earnhardt) Jr is back. I'm a fan of his personally and professionally. I hope he has a big year.

Briar's Top 5 From The ARCA Race At Daytona

1. Austin Theriault- Theriault drove a great race and was up front for the most part. The winning move came with 8 to go, as he took the lead in turn 4. Theriault didn't look back as he went onto win his second career victory. 

2. Terry Jones- Jones also had a strong car most of the day. Led some laps and contended for a win until the race was called with 5 to go. 

3. Shane Lee- Lee did a decent job by running in the top 10. He also challenged for the win late in the going, but had to settle for a third place finish. 

4. Tom Hessert- Hessert qualified on the pole for the event. Had a fast no.25 Toyota for the majority of the event and was up front. But Hessert ended up with a decent finish in the top 5. 

5. Dalton Sargeant- Sargeant has some big shoes to fill in the no.77 Cunningham Motorsports entry this year. Sargeant is driving in the defending champions car. He tried to help his teammate Lee late in the going for the win. But the action was cut short, due to damage to the safer barrier. Sargeant came home with a solid fourth place finish. 

Honorable Mention- Quinn Houff- Houff was doing an awesome job in his ARCA debut until he was taken out in a wreck late in the going. Houff shouldn't be ashamed of himself, as he led up front early on in the going until he made his pit stop, where he was blocked in his pit-stall by Travis Braden. 

Austin Theriault Wins Wild Lucas Oil 200 At Daytona

The ARCA Racing Series officially kicked off their 2017 season in Daytona today. Tom Hessert for Venturini Motorsports was on the pole for the race. Matt Tifft who was in a Joe Gibbs Racing entry qualified second.

Hessert and Tifft led the field to the green. Hessert easily got out in front at the start, as Tifft didn't a good start on the inside line. The race went smoothly for a little bit until lap 5, where the 34 of Willie Mullins gets into the 11 of Bryan Dauzat, and the 83 of Derrick Lancaster all collided in the tri-oval. Replays show that Mullins made contact with Kaz Grala, which set off the crash in the early going. Noah Gragson also had problems with his car, this ultimately took him out of contention.

After a few laps of clean up, Hessert and Kyle Weatherman led the field to the restart on lap 11. With help from Tifft, Hessert easily got the advantage to take the lead down the backstretch. The race went green for nine laps until a second caution came out on lap 20. This caution was for debris on the backstretch. The leaders came down pit road under caution, where most of them took fuel only. Tifft was able to win the race off pit road, as Quin Houff and Kyle Weatherman stayed out.

Houff and Weatherman led the field back to green on lap 25. Both of them drafted each other to pull in front of the field. As the Mason Mitchell Motorsports cars were dominant in the early going, Austin Theriault for Ken Schrader Racing got the outside line going on lap 32. The top 7 gets single file with Houff leading the pack. The third caution came out on lap 43 for Dauzat, as the right rear tire went down in turn two. Quin Houff and Kyle Weatherman pitted under caution for fuel only, Houff however, got blocked in pitstall by Travis Braden. This costed Houff several spots on pit road.

Terry Jones and Dalton Sargeant led the field to green on lap 49. A lap later, the big one occurs in the tri-oval. Several drivers were collected in the melee. Justine Fontaine happened to bump Mark Thompson into Gus Dean, which set off the chain reaction. Michael Lira, Caesar Barcarella, Ray Ciccarelli, A.J. Fike, Gus Dean, Mark Thompson, Eric Caudell, David LeBeau, and John Ferrier were all involved. All the drivers were ok from the crash. This set off a red flag for cleanup on the frontstretch.

With rain threatening, Jones and Shane Lee led the field to green with 24 to go. Jones was able to get ahead of the field down the backstretch. The action started to heat up with 20 to go, as Hessert was trying to push Lee to the front. The race started to whine down with 15 to go, but another crash on the backstretch set off the 5th caution. Houff, Thomas Praytor, Bo LeMastus, Leilani Munter, Andy Seuss, Ed Pompa, and Michael Self were all involved in the seven car crash. The replays showed that, Leilani got turned by LeMastus, which triggered the accident.

The race resumed with 9 to go, with Jones and Theriault out in front. Theriault with a strong car, had Sargeant pushing behind him. Theriault was able to take the lead with 8 to go in turn 4. But the term, "cautions breed cautions" came into effect, as another crash took place with 5 to go on the tri-oval. Bobby Gerheart, Codie Rohrbaugh, Justin Fontaine all collided with each other. Fontaine went upside down, after sliding for a few seconds. This caused the second red flag of the race. The replays showed that, Kaz Grala bumped into Clint King, which thus started the crash in the first place.

The race was called with 5 to go, due to damage to the safer barrier on the fronstretch. Austin Theriault was able to win the Lucas Oil 200 at Daytona International Speedway.

This was Theriault's second career win in his third start.

The next scheduled ARCA Racing Series race is on April 8th at Nashville Speedway.