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.
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