CUP: NY Racing Team gets Greg Biffle back on the road, dropping Ross Chastain to last in Daytona 500

PHOTO: @TeamTrackhouse

Ross Chastain picked up the 2nd last-place finish of his NASCAR Cup Series career in Sunday’s 64th Annual Daytona 500 at the Daytona International Speedway when his #1 Advent Health Chevrolet was involved in a multi-car accident after 62 of 201 laps.

The finish, which came in Chastain’s 116th series start, was his first since April 16, 2018 at Bristol, 137 races ago. In the Cup Series’ last-place standings, it was the 40th for the #1, the 625th from a crash, and the 818th for Chevrolet. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it was the 71st for the #1, the 1,281st from a crash, and the 1,821st for Chevrolet.

When upstart Trackhouse Racing lost their lease on Daniel Suarez’ Charter during their inaugural season last year, it began a “Silly Season” chain reaction that would see the end of one of NASCAR’s long-running two-car teams. This was Chip Ganassi Racing, the last vestiges of both Dale Earnhardt, Inc. and Team SABCO following a series of mergers dating back to 2000. Ironically, it was Chastain who had just that year been hired to drive CGR’s #42 in the Cup Series, a journey delayed after a previous XFINITY Series deal with the team fell apart after team sponsor DC Solar collapsed in disgrace. Chastain enjoyed a few strong runs – most notably in the Southern 500, where he nearly beat Bubba Wallace in ending the “McDonald’s Curse” that had seen the sponsor absent from Victory Lane since 1994. He finished 3rd that night, one spot short of his season-best 2nd at Nashville.

When Trackhouse acquired CGR late last year, they claimed both the team’s Charters and their shop. It wasn’t until later they also acquired one of their drivers in Chastain, tabbing him to run Trackhouse’s new second team to join Suarez’ #99. Trackhouse would keep the #1, which had run alongside the #42 in years past, as they wanted to hold the series’ highest and lowest car numbers. Advent Health, which had backed Chastain in recent ventures, including a Daytona 500 run with Spire Motorsports, would back his #1 for this year’s 500. A subtle watermelon pattern was added in front of the rear wheels, a reference to Chastain’s family melon farm as NASCAR’s “Melon Man.”

Chastain’s was one of 42 entrants set to contest 40 spots on the starting grid. He ran 30th in opening practice and 25th in the second. He then found speed in qualifying, jumping to 7th overall with a lap in the second round of 179.845mph (50.043 seconds). This put Chastain 4th on the grid for Duel Race 1, where he took the last points position in 10th. He ran 20th in the third practice, then was among the half of the field to sit out Happy Hour. He’d roll off 19th in “The Great American Race.”

Greg Biffle's #44 for the NY Racing Team
PHOTO: Dominic Aragon, TheRacingExperts.com

Starting 40th was Jacques Villeneuve, making his first Daytona 500 start in Team Hezeberg’s #27 Woodie’s Wash Shack Ford. Following a throttle cable issue in Thursday’s Duel that left him in last place, the team changed engines and re-wrapped the car for the Woodie’s sponsorship, incurring a redundant tail-end penalty. Also sent to the back was 20th-place Joey Logano, sent to a backup #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford after a last-lap wreck in his Duel. Chase Briscoe’s 9th-place #14 Mahindra Tractors Ford went to the back for twice failing pre-race inspection while Daniel Hemric also dropped to the rear after his 33rd-place #16 Heritage Pool Supply Group Chevrolet failed inspection three times. This would also force Hemric to make a pass-through penalty after the green flag.

When the race started, Hemric was last across the stripe, 3.977 seconds back of the lead to Villeneuve’s 3.847. But a minor stack-up ensued among the last half-dozen drivers who didn’t get going, forcing Villeneuve’s spotter to have him check up as cars pulled three-wide at the stripe. As Hemric prepared to serve his pass-through on Lap 1, Villeneuve had already lost touch with the rest of the pack, saying something was wrong with his #27. By Lap 4, Villeneuve was already 8.074 seconds back of 38th place with Hemric 32.709 seconds back of the lead. The race stayed green, and Hemric was first to be lapped on the 10th circuit, pulling high near the entrance of Turn 3 as the leaders rushed by. On Lap 15, as Hemric drafted his Kaulig Racing teammate Justin Haley in the #31 Leaf Filter Gutter Protection Chevrolet, Villeneuve was also lapped entering Turn 3, now citing a tight condition. Villeneuve, too, found drafting help from David Ragan in the #15 Select Blinds Ford.

Still under green on Lap 26, Greg Biffle – making his first Cup start since 2016 in the NY Racing Team’s first start since 2018 – began to drop back in the #44 Grambling State University Chevrolet. That time by, he was 38th, 18.831 seconds back of the lead and out of the draft, a full 12.419 seconds back of the next car. He was making a pit stop, but was then posted by NASCAR for his crew coming over the wall too soon. “Taking it to the garage, Jerry?” the driver asked. Instead, the team told him to pull up to the Rolex sign past the garage entrance to diagnose an electrical problem. This was done on Lap 28, when he took last from Hemric.

According to Biffle, his #44 had not been reading the right fuel pressure since the pace laps, and believed there was a restriction in the fuel line. On Lap 33, Biffle’s crew pushed the car to the garage, preparing to change the fuel pump. By the 43rd circuit, Biffle still had just nine pounds of fuel pressure, and the team checked the filters. Work continued past the race’s one-quarter mark, the team updating their driver on which other cars were having trouble. 

Chastain (center) wrecks on Lap 63.
PHOTO: Luis Torres, @TheLTFiles

Meanwhile, on Lap 63, Chastain was still on the lead lap when trouble broke out ahead of him. Harrison Burton, whose #21 Motorcraft / Dex Imaging Ford had already been repaired after his tangle with Logano in Thursday’s Duel, broke loose off the nose of Brad Keselowski’s #6 Kohler Generators Ford, steering him directly into the inside line led by William Byron’s #24 Axalta Chevrolet. An accordion effect ensued, causing the next three cars to rear-end each other. Last of these was Christopher Bell, whose #20 DeWalt Toyota cut to the right as Chastain tried to thread the needle. Instead, Chastain struck Bell’s car with his left-front, then was rear-ended by a spinning Alex Bowman in the #48 Ally Chevrolet. As Burton’s car flipped down the backstretch, Chastain skidded to a stop in the infield grass, done for the day along with Burton, Byron, and one lap later, Hamlin.

Under the ensuing caution, Biffle was told five cars were eliminated in the wreck, and still had more than half the race left to make up the 39-lap deficit he needed to pass them all. On Lap 71, the NY Racing Team crew retrieved a new fuel pump, and nine laps later were reinstalling the passenger-side window. On Lap 84, Biffle re-fired his engine, and was back up to speed o Lap 87. He still had to serve his pass-through penalty from earlier, and completed his 27th lap of the race on Lap 89. “Nice work, guys,” said Biffle. “I know it was a lot of scrambling there.” Biffle would ultimately finish the race under power in 36th place, having dropped Chastain to last on Lap 126. The rest of the Bottom Five was filled by drivers eliminated in the Lap 63 wreck.

Strong finishes by Rick Ware Racing and both new teams

Sunday’s race was won by Austin Cindric, who claimed his first Cup victory in just his eighth career start, and first in Penske Racing’s flagship #2 Discount Tire Ford. Among the members of Cindrics crew is mechanic Kyle Belmont, son of longtime Cup and ARCA owner-driver Andy Belmont. The race took place 30 years after Andy attempted to qualify for the 500 in 1992.

Also finishing strong was David Ragan, who made his 16th consecutive Daytona 500 start on Sunday, this time as driver of Rick Ware Racing’s #15 Select Blinds Ford. Ragan avoided no fewer than three multi-car pileups by narrow margins, and was in the three-wide battle to the stripe, only to be wrecked as he crossed the stripe in 8th place. This was Ragan’s best finish since the 2020 Daytona 500, when he ran 4th. Cody Ware, Ragan’s teammate, finished 17th in the #51 Nurtec ODT Ford – a new career-best, two positions better than his 19th at Talladega two years ago. Combined with Ware’s strong run in the Busch Light Clash earlier this month, it appears the Rick Ware Racing team has turned the corner through their Stewart-Haas Racing alliance.

Jacques Villeneuve, who started the race in 40th, went on to finish 22nd, two laps down to the leaders. This was just one spot short of his own career-best Cup finish, which was 21st in his Talladega debut on October 7, 2007. The Team Hezeberg effort finished highest of programs with no previous Cup starts, though Kaz Grala overcame a left-rear wheel that came off his car to still take 26th in The Money Team’s #50 Pit Viper Sunglasses Chevrolet.

LASTCAR STATISTICS

*Chastain’s finish was the first last-place run for the #1 in the Daytona 500. The number’s most recent last-place finish in a Cup race was September 11, 2021, when Kurt Busch #1 Monster Energy Chevrolet crashed after 40 laps at Richmond.

*This marked the first last-place finish for Trackhouse Racing.

THE BOTTOM FIVE

40) #1-Ross Chastain / 62 laps / crash

39) #21-Harrison Burton / 62 laps / crash

38) #24-William Byron / 62 laps / crash

37) #11-Denny Hamlin / 63 laps / crash

36) #44-Greg Biffle / 136 laps / running

2022 LASTCAR CUP SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Trackhouse Racing (1)

2022 LASTCAR CUP SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Chevrolet (1)

2022 LASTCAR CUP SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

XFINITY: Caesar Bacarella’s engine lets go in Daytona’s early laps

PHOTO: Luis Torres, @TheLTFiles

Caesar Bacarella picked up the 2nd last-place finish of his NASCAR XFINITY Series career in Saturday’s Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner 300 at the Daytona International Speedway when his #45 Lilly Finance Chevrolet lost the engine after 11 of 120 laps.

The finish, which came in Bacarella’s 22nd series start, was his first since March 16, 2019 at the Auto Club Speedway, 95 races ago. In the XFINITY Series’ last-place rankings, it was the 13th for the #45, the 270th from engine trouble, and the 586th for Chevrolet. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it was the 42nd for the #45, thee 1,111th from engine issues, and the 1,820th for Chevrolet.

A native of Parkland, Florida, the 46-year-old Bacarella has become a regular sight on the track’s two superspeedways, plus the oval in Homestead. Coming into Saturday, Daytona, Talladega, and Homestead had made up 16 of his 21 previous XFINITY Series starts. His best finish came in the 2021 opener, when he ran 12th for DGM Racing, though he ran even better in two years earlier. With 3 laps to go in the 2019 renewal, he was running 10th within eight-tenths of the lead when he broke loose and slapped the outside wall.

This year, Bacarella embarks on a new journey into team co-ownership. Late last season, it was announced he’d invest in Tommy Joe Martins’ single-car team, Martins Motorsports, which would now expand to two teams and hire multiple drivers. The new team would be called Alpha Prime Racing, named for the Alpha Prime fitness company, of which Bacarella is founder and CEO. Ironically, just after the season concluded, Bacarella would run afoul of NASCAR’s substance abuse policy when he unwittingly used a workout supplement with a banned substance. Bacarella complied with NASCAR’s testing, and was cleared in time to run the Daytona opener in the team’s new #45 alongside Martins in the flagship #44. Lilly Finance, a “medically focused cryptocurrency” according to the press release, signed with Bacarella for select XFINITY races starting with Daytona, plus his road course ride in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Series.

Bacarella and Martins were among the 47 entrants set to contest the 38 spots on the starting grid. Bacarella’s #45 ran 27th in practice and took the 22nd spot in qualifying with a lap of 180.054mph (49.985 seconds), just over two-tenths ahead of Martins, who ranked 32nd. 

Getting both Alpha Prime cars into the field was a significant accomplishment for the team as many of their contemporaries could not. Two of DGM Racing’s four cars missed out – the #90 Larue Industrial Snowblowers Chevrolet of Alex Labbe and the #91 Brunt Workwear Chevrolet of Mason Massey. David Starr was the fastest to miss in SS-Green Light Racing’s second car, the #08 Ticket Smarter / Special Report with Bret Baier Ford. Stefan Parsons was sent home in B.J. McLeod Motorsports’ third car, the #99 SOKAL Chevrolet, as were both Mike Harmon Racing entries of Gray Gaulding in the #47 Safe Hedge Chevrolet and Tim Viens in the unsponsored #74 Chevrolet. Rounding out the group were three single-car teams: Natalie Decker in the Reaume Brothers’ #33 Nerd Focus Toyota, Ronnie Bassett, Jr. in his family’s #77 Jerry Hunt Supercenter Chevrolet, and Harrison Rhodes in Jimmy Means Racing’s #52 Chevrolet. The only logo on Rhodes’ car was for Best Western’s Space Shuttle Inn on the TV panel.

Sam Hunt Racing barely got both of their cars in the field. Ryan Truex took the 38th and final spot via Owner Points, his #26 Circle B Diecast Toyota slower than five of the DNQs and 18 spots behind teammate Jeffrey Earnhardt in the #24 ForeverLawn Toyota. Truex incurred a redundant tail-end penalty for unapproved adjustments, the same penalty by 34th-place Sam Mayer in the #1 Accelerate Pro Talent Chevrolet and Shane Lee, 37th in the #35 Kitty Kat Coin Toyota. Also dropping to the rear voluntarily were Matt Mills in B.J. McLeod’s #5 J.F. Electric Chevrolet and J.J. Yeley in the #66 Remote Health Solutions Chevrolet for Motorsports Business Management.

When the green flag dropped, Ryan Truex trailed the outside line with Mills bringing up the rear of the inside line. The outside line advanced first, pulling Truex 3.945 seconds behind the leader in 36th ahead of Yeley, 3.963 seconds back in 37th and Mills now last, 4.323 behind. On Lap 3, Mills reeled in Shane Lee’s #35, pulling side-by-side 0.075 second apart at the stripe. The next time around, Mills climbed to 36th, putting Lee back to last behind new 37th-place Jesse Iwuji in the #34 Equity Prime Mortgage Chevrolet. During this same run, Anthony Alfredo lost the passenger-side window on his #23 Dude Wipes Chevrolet between Turns 3 and 4. NASCAR black-flagged Alfredo on Lap 4, and he served the penalty the next time by. This put Alfredo to last on Lap 6, already on the verge of 3 laps down.

As Alfredo got back up to speed, the Alpha Prime Racing teammates dropped to the rear with Bacarella in 37th and Martins in 36th. While Joey Gase in the #53 Kitty Kat Coin Ford had also dropped back to join Shane Lee, his teammate at Emerling-Gase Motorsports, Bacarella was losing ground to Martins on the track. By Lap 12, the #45 was 9.148 seconds back of Martins, and soon pulled down pit road with engine trouble. On Lap 14, as the caution came out for a wreck between Drew Dollar’s #18 Lynx Capital Toyota and Jeremy Clements in the #51 All South Electric / One Stop Convenience Chevrolet, Bacarella took over last place from Alfredo. “I hate dropping out early,” said someone on the #45 team’s channel. “Motor problems.” “It’s still under warranty,” someone joked.

Clements and Dollar’s wreck put them 37th and 36th in the finishing order. The next two spots were the result of 35th-place finisher C.J. McLaughlin, who lost control of his #38 Sci Aps Ford entering the tri-oval on Lap 92. The resulting pileup collected nine more cars, including Brett Moffitt’s #02 Hometown Lenders Chevrolet. Moffitt finished 34th after heavy splitter damage.

Myatt Snider’s terrifying last-lap flip into the catchfence entering Turn 3 ended the race under caution. As Snider climbed from his car with only a sore left foot, others who drove through the ensuing carnage managed to earn strong finishes. Anthony Alfredo, who lost three laps and held last place until Bacarella’s issues, got back on the lead lap and finished 7th. Two spots behind Alfredo came Josh Bilicki in a career-best 9th, significant damage behind the left-front wheel on his #36 Zeigler Auto Group / Elliott’s Custom Trailer Chevrolet. Ryan Truex, who started last, flirted with a Top Ten late before settling in 12th. And despite his car picking up a truck arm from Snider’s disintegrating Chevrolet, J.J. Yeley took home 13th in Carl Long’s #66 Remote Health Solutions Chevrolet.

LASTCAR STATISTICS

*This marked the first last-place finish for the #45 in the February XFINITY race at Daytona. The number had once before finished last in a XFINITY race there, which came on July 6, 2018 with Josh Bilicki’s engine issues after 33 laps behind the wheel of the #45 Prevagen Toyota.

THE BOTTOM FIVE

38) #45-Caesar Bacarella / 11 laps / engine

37) #51-Jeremy Clements / 13 laps / crash

36) #18-Drew Dollar / 14 laps / crash

35) #38-C.J. McLaughlin / 91 laps / crash

34) #02-Brett Moffitt / 91 laps / crash

2022 LASTCAR XFINITY SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Alpha Prime Racing (1)

2022 LASTCAR XFINITY SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Chevrolet (1)

2022 LASTCAR XFINITY SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

TRUCKS: Pit road wreck leads to long night for Dean Thompson

PHOTO: Luis Torres, @TheLTFiles

Dean Thompson picked up the 1st last-place finish of his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career in Friday’s NextEra Energy 250 at the Daytona International Speedway when his #40 Worldwide Express Chevrolet fell out with brake issues after 36 of 106 laps.

The finish occurred in Thompson’s second series start. In the Truck Series’ last-place rankings, it was the 7th for the #40, the 28th from brake issues, and the 417th for Chevrolet. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it was the 41st for the #40, the 164th from brake issues, and the 1,819th for Chevrolet.

Last fall’s championship finale saw Thompson make his Truck Series debut, where he ran 21st in Niece Motorsports’ #44 Thompson Pipe Group Chevrolet. At the time, both Thompson and Lawless Alan (the night’s last-place finisher) had each landed full-season rides with the team. Thompson, who hails from Anaheim, California, has logged many laps at the Irwindale Speedway in late models, and last year advanced to the ARCA Menards Series West. One of his two West poles came at the track, where he led 144 of the first 146 laps before Jesse Love snatched away the win. 

This year, Thompson drives Niece’s #40, driven last year by Ryan Truex. Thompson was among the 42 drivers entered to contest just 36 spots in qualifying – a list reduced to 41 after Jason Kitzmiller withdrew following a wreck in practice that destroyed his #97 A.L.L. Construction Chevrolet. Thompson’s #40 ranked 18th in opening practice, then qualified 17th with a lap of 177.057mph (50.831 seconds). Joining Kitzmiller among the DNQs were Clay Greenfield, Jordan Anderson, Jennifer Jo Cobb, Chase Purdy, and Matt Jaskol in G2G Racing’s #46 AutoParts4Less.com Toyota.

Rolling off 36th and last was the #47 LiftKits4Less.com Toyota of Johnny Sauter, who took the Past Champions Provisional as Jaskol’s teammate, giving G2G Racing their first start. Sauter would be joined in the back by four drivers with pre-race penalties. When the command to start engines was given, Austin Wayne Self’s #22 AM Technical Solutions / Airbox Chevrolet didn’t fire and needed a push. After some tinkering by the crew, the engine re-fired, though Self would thus be penalized for unapproved adjustments. Self would take the green on the outside line ahead of Tate Fogleman, also for unapproved adjustments on his 32nd-place #30 Rangeline Group Toyota. The final two trucks on the inside line were the #75 Food Country USA Chevrolet of 31st-place Parker Kligerman, who missed driver introductions, and 35th-place Timmy Hill for an engine change on his #56 Coble Enterprises Toyota. Also dropping back voluntarily was Spencer Boyd, whose #12 Rimtyme Chevrolet crossed the stripe in 34th place ahead of Hill and Kligerman.

Kligerman took the green flag 4.626 seconds behind the leader, but by the end of the first circuit had climbed to 34th over Boyd and Hill, who were just 0.091 of a second apart in a side-by-side battle for last place. Boyd shook off Hill by Lap 3, though Hill’s #56 remained within two-tenths of 35th place for the next two circuits. On Lap 6, Jason White had slipped back to last in his #33 Powder Venture Excavations Toyota, 6.304 seconds back of the lead, but still just over a tenth from Hill. White was joined by his Reaume Brothers Racing teammate Thad Moffitt on Lap 7, whose #43 STP Chevrolet took over last that time by.

Next to join the battle was Lawless Alan, who was docked for locking bumpers with his #45 Auto ParkIt Chevrolet. A frustrated Alan returned to the track the first driver one lap down, where he caught the draft of Johnny Sauter’s Chevrolet. As he did, Alan observed Sauter seemed down on power, which turned out to be early signs of the electrical issue that ended his race. Bryan Dauzat’s #28 FDNY / O.B. Builders Chevrolet made a pit stop on Lap 12, then served a pass-through penalty for his crew jumping over the wall too soon. This dropped Dauzat to last place behind Alan on Lap 19, moments before the end of Stage 1.

Thompson entered the last-place battle under the ensuing caution, when he was struck in the left-front of his Chevrolet by Corey Heim in the #51 JBL Toyota. The contact sent Heim into a spin with the right-front of his truck heavily damaged. Thompson stopped on pit road, then was in his stall by Lap 24. Already down a lap with four minutes left on his “Crash Clock,” Thompson returned to the track, but reported a tire rub that sent him back onto pit road. The crew took a saws-all to the damaged left-front fender, cutting away two inches behind the tire. Just as the field took the green on Lap 26, Thompson was exiting pit road, trying to reach minimum speed. He cleared the clock on Lap 27, around 15 seconds before Heim did the same. 

Thompson smelled something in the cockpit, but continued under green until Lap 38. “Coming down!” the driver shouted as the left-front tire went down on the backstretch. He pulled to the apron dragging sparks from his damaged truck, and NASCAR didn’t throw a caution for the incident. Back on pit road and apparently not on the “Crash Clock” for a second time, Thompson waited for his crew to complete additional work on the left-front wheel. The damaged wheel and destroyed tire had wreaked havoc with the hub, and the crew called for a pry bar to pull the caliper back. On Lap 45, the crew tried to piece the caliper back together. Meanwhile, Bret Holmes pulled behind the wall on Lap 48, moments after his left-front wheel locked up exiting his pit stall. Thompson didn’t join Holmes until Lap 51, which NASCAR reported as a mechanical issue, meaning they could still return. But by Lap 74, both Thompson and Holmes were listed out of the race, eight laps apart.

Sauter’s electrical issue knocked him out of the race after 60 laps, just before Jack Wood’s #24 Make An Impact Foundation crashed by himself off Turn 2. Corey Heim’s truck, which started Dean Thompson’s long evening, was eliminated in the final laps with most of the right-front fender cut away.

Parker Kligerman, who briefly held last place in the early laps, was in position for the win as he pushed Zane Smith to the lead in overtime. But when the race-ending caution came out, Kligerman was 5th and Smith had won.

LASTCAR STATISTICS

*This marked only the second time the #40 finished last in the Truck Series race at Daytona. The other occurrence was on February 15, 2008, when Chad Chaffin’s #40 Key Motorsports Chevrolet was involved in a crash after 18 laps. Ryan Truex scored the number’s most recent Truck Series finish last April in Richmond.

*This marked the first time the last-place finisher of the Truck race at Daytona fell out due to brake issues.

THE BOTTOM FIVE

36) #40-Dean Thompson / 36 laps / brakes

35) #32-Bret Holmes / 44 laps / clutch

34) #47-Johnny Sauter / 60 laps / electrical

33) #24-Jack Wood / 63 laps / crash

32) #51-Corey Heim / 91 laps / crash

2022 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Niece Motorsports (1)

2022 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Chevrolet (1)

2022 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

CUP: Noah Gragson brings home fast “open” car in one piece; last-lap heartbreak for J.J. Yeley

PHOTO: Luis Torres, @TheLTFiles

Noah Gragson finished last in Thursday’s Bluegreen Vacations Duel Race 1 at the Daytona International Speedway when his #62 Beard Oil Distributing / South Point Chevrolet finished under power, completing 57 of 60 laps.

In his brief career, Gragson has become one of the sport’s most excitable and outspoken personalities. Last year, he turned around a disappointing start to his season by making it his best ever, racking up three victories in the final ten races. The run was capped by a hard-fought victory at Martinsville, where he battled door-to-door with Austin Cindric, then celebrated with fans on the frontstretch. He made the Championship Four at Phoenix, where a late slide into the outside wall dropped him to 12th as Daniel Hemric took his first win – and the championship.

This year, Gragson and Hemric are teammates at Kaulig Racing’s Cup team, each sharing a partial schedule in the #16 with fellow 2021 championship contender A.J. Allmendinger. Hemric will drive the #16 this weekend, however, as Gragson’s Daytona 500 plans were one of the first to be announced. He would drive for Beard Motorsports, a single-car effort that has become a frequent sight at NASCAR’s superspeedways in Daytona and Talladega.

In the lead-up to last year’s Daytona 500, Gragson was signed by the Beard team to attempt the race, taking the place of a retired Brendan Gaughan. In the final laps, Gragson was in a tight battle for the last transfer spot with Garrett Smithley, then driving for Motorsports Business Management. Exiting the tri-oval, Brad Keselowski came up into Smithley, steering both cars into Gragson. The resulting crash took both Smithley and Gragson out of the show, a particularly sad moment for the driver of the #62. Mark Beard, Sr., the team’s founder, had died just days earlier at age 72.

This year’s 500 marks the first time Gragson has driven for the Beard team since that night. The team races on in Mark’s memory with Linda Beard as team owner. Gragson again showed speed, running 18th and 32nd in the week’s first two practice sessions, each time ranking second among the six “open” cars that would contest the final four spots in Sunday’s field. In qualifying, he drew the 22nd spot – and most importantly, last of the six “open” teams to take time. His lap clocked in at 33rd fastest – 177.553mph (50.689 seconds) – fastest of the “open” teams, three spots ahead of the next in that class, and most importantly locked-into Sunday’s Daytona 500. He’d roll off 17th in Thursday’s first Duel race.

Rolling off 21st and last in Race 1 was J.J. Yeley, who had extra incentive to qualify for Sunday’s Daytona 500. Running one of two new Fords entered by Motorsports Business Management, Yeley was promised $1 million in cryptocurrency from team sponsor Hex.com if he finished 3rd or better in the Daytona 500. He’d have his work cut out for him as both he and teammate Timmy Hill were the two slowest drivers in qualifying.

Competing for Yeley’s spot was fellow “open” driver Kaz Grala in The Money Team’s #50 Pit Viper Sunglasses Chevrolet. Grala, set to roll off 19th, had been sent to the rear for unapproved adjustments, namely an issue with the digital dashboard. Looking to secure boxing champion Floyd Mayweather’s first NASCAR start, Grala would have to do so from 21st. He would pass a car just before the start as Gragson had voluntarily dropped to the rear in what was likely a defensive maneuver. Unlike many of the sport’s big teams, Beard Motorsports had no backup car, and Gragson had no incentive to put his machine in danger. What ensued appeared to be a defensive strategy. 

When the race started, Gragson was 2.053 seconds back of the lead, and 0.788 back of Grala. By the time the field crossed the stripe to end Lap 1, Gragson had dropped back even further to 3.361 back of the lead, and 1.476 back of 20th place. While a few trailing cars formed a single-file pack, Gragson wasn’t able to catch them, and the team remained quiet on the radio. By Lap 15, Gragson was 36.058 seconds back of the lead and 21.480 seconds back of 20th place. Told to hold the high line when the leaders caught him, he did so on Lap 20, pulling right in Turns 1 and 2 as the leaders rushed by on the inside line. Unable to catch the line’s draft as it passed, Gragson continued to run by himself. “Karen, are you okay with this?” someone asked nervously over the radio on Lap 23.

On Lap 32, Yeley was lapped along with his lone drafting partner B.J. McLeod in the #78 NASCAR Ignition Ford as the pair entered the tri-oval. Two laps later, Kaz Grala was lapped in Turns 1 and 2, followed by a critical mistake on Lap 35. Grala was caught speeding in Section 7 on his green-flag stop, forcing a pass-through penalty that dropped him a second lap down. It was Grala who finally took last from Gragson the next time by. “Don’t worry,” his crew said. “We’re not out of it, man.” 

Gragson retook last around Lap 44, by which point he was two laps down along with Grala. With two laps to go, Gragson was lapped for a third time as a tight race for the lead developed. On the final lap, this same group of leaders caught Yeley and McLeod, putting both a second lap down – and on the same lap as Grala. This proved critical as Grala had latched onto another pack of cars which passed first McLeod, then Yeley off Turn 2. Thus, with just over a half-lap to go, Grala snatched away Yeley’s spot in the 500 field with an 18th-place finish. 

Gragson will start 39th in Sunday’s Daytona 500, four spots behind Grala.

The #16 Heritage Pool Supply Group Chevrolet of Daniel Hemric rounded out the Bottom Five as the lowest classified driver one lap down.

LASTCAR STATISTICS

*This marked just the second time the #62 finished last in either of the Duel races at Daytona. The other occurrence was on February 13, 1992, when Ben Hess’ #62 Gray Racing Ford was collected in a multi-car wreck entering the tri-oval. Hess drove for Henley Gray, who was winless in 374 Cup starts from 1964 through 1977, and claimed 13 last-place finishes of his own.

*Gragson is the seventh driver to finish a Duel race under power, and the first since February 14, 2019, when Rick Ware Racing teammates B.J. McLeod and Cody Ware both took the checkered flag within 3 laps of the leader.

THE BOTTOM FIVE

21) #62-Noah Gragson / 57 laps / running

20) #78-B.J. McLeod / 58 laps / running

19) #55-J.J. Yeley / 58 laps / running

18) #50-Kaz Grala / 58 laps / running

17) #16-Daniel Hemric / 59 laps / running

CUP: Throttle cable issue stops Jacques Villeneuve, who still makes first 500 start on Sunday

ALL PHOTOS: Luis Torres, @TheLTFiles

Jacques Villeneuve finished last in Thursday’s Bluegreen Vacations Duel Race 2 at the Daytona International Speedway when his #27 Hezeberg Engineering Systems Ford fell out with electrical issues after 34 of 60 laps.

The last time NASCAR made such a significant change to the chassis for the Cup Series was in 2007, when the “Car of Tomorrow” was phased in for 16 of the season’s 36 races. Among those 16 races was the fall race at Talladega, the car’s superspeedway debut in anticipation of the Daytona 500. It was in this race that Villeneuve made his Cup debut, though not without controversy. 

At the time, NASCAR’s “open-wheel invasion” had barely begun with Juan Pablo Montoya closing out his impressive rookie season with Chip Ganassi Racing. Villeneuve’s racing resume was already just as impressive, if not more so – a champion of both IndyCar and Formula One. But many still argued that Villeneuve simply wasn’t ready to run at Talladega, especially in a new car during the championship playoffs, and with just two NASCAR starts in the Truck Series. Unphased, Villeneuve qualified 6th on the grid in Bill Davis Racing’s #27 Toyota, sponsored by the UNICEF foundation. He dropped to the tail end of the field on race day, kept his nose clean, and brought the car home in one piece, taking a solid 21st. 

The following February, Villeneuve and Davis would attempt to qualify for the 50th Daytona 500. At the time, the open-wheel contingent included not only Montoya and fellow rookie contender A.J. Allmendinger, but Dario Franchitti and Patrick Carpentier. During Duel Race 2, Villeneuve was in a tight battle for 15th when he lost control in Turns 3 and 4, triggering a multi-car wreck that took both himself and Stanton Barrett out of the 500 field. In the 14 years since, Villeneuve would dabble in each of NASCAR’s divisions – most recently the Whelen Euro Series – but didn’t attempt another Cup race after 2013. He also hadn’t entered a Daytona 500 since that day in 2008.

This past offseason, one of the first new teams to spring up was Team Hezeberg Powered by the Reaume Brothers. A combined effort between Truck Series owner-driver Josh Reaume and the Hezeberg Systems firm out of the Netherlands, the team elected to run road courses and short tracks with both Loris Hezemans from the Whelen Euro Series and a returning Jacques Villeneuve. It wasn’t until much later that the team decided to add the Daytona 500 to their schedule, and tabbed Villeneuve to drive. Just as in 2008, the car number would be 27.

Villeneuve started off just 40th of the 42 entrants in opening practice and dropped to 41st in the second session, raising concerns the team would be able to make the show with such limited experience on ovals. In qualifying, Villeneuve drew the 16th spot – second to Greg Biffle’s #44 Grambling State University Chevrolet from the NY Racing Team among the “open” drivers. There, another surprise - he put up a lap faster than Biffle’s – 176.436mph (51.010 seconds), which stood as the fastest lap by an “open” team until Noah Gragson bested him by three spots. Gragson’s lap made no difference, however, as Villeneuve had locked himself into his first Daytona 500 field on speed. He’d roll off 18th in Duel Race 2 on Thursday.

The 21st and last spot in Race 2 belonged to Timmy Hill, who moments earlier had seen his Motorsports Business Management teammate J.J. Yeley come just over a half-lap short of racing into the Daytona 500 field. Hill faced an even stiffer challenge as his #66 Bumper.com Ford was slowest overall in Wednesday qualifying. Like his teammate, Hill ended up with the worst pit stall – the only one flanked by teams on either side. While Hill had raced one of MBM’s cars into the 500 just two years earlier – ironically by beating Yeley – this time around wouldn’t turn out so favorably.

Villeneuve with the hood up before the start.

But as the field rolled off pit road, Hill did pass another car – Villeneuve’s. After the command to start engines, the driver reported an issue under the hood, and the crew pushed him to a pit stall. Josh Reaume, the team’s co-owner, urged caution to his crew. “Please do not break my hood pins,” he said. “Let’s do this nice and slow.” As the crew discovered what turned out to be a faulty throttle cable, there were discussions about whether they needed to even start the race, since they were already locked in. “We need to take the start, okay?” was the answer. The crew dropped the hood, and instructed Villeneuve to take it easy with the throttle. “I need you to make one lap,” he was told. The team would later attempt relay messages by Channel 2 on the radio, then by phone. “Tommy, check your phone for me, bud,” someone said on the radio on Lap 4.

When the race started, Villeneuve was on the outside of the final row and - like Noah Gragson in Race 1 - dropping fast. He was 2.035 seconds back of the lead at the stripe, then 2.475 at the end of Lap 1, 1.391 seconds back of 20th-place David Ragan in Rick Ware Racing’s #15 Select Blinds Ford. Villeneuve asked about a minimum speed, and was only told “We’re fine.” By Lap 7, he was already being instructed to pull to the high lane when the leaders caught him, which happened on Lap 12. Timmy Hill lost his first lap three circuits later in Turns 3 and 4.

With their car well past completing just one lap, the crew continued to check with their driver. “How’s your water temperature right now?” they asked on Lap 19. “178” was the answer. On Lap 23, Villeneuve caught and Hill, putting the #66 back to last for the first time since the command. Each were shown two laps down on Lap 34, when Villeneuve was caught speeding on pit road in Sections 11 and 12, forcing a pass-through. Five laps later, the #27 was back on pit road, then pushed backwards behind the wall. The crew reported their driver was running 68% throttle to save the cable, and would finish diagnosing the issue in final practice.

Villeneuve will start 40th and last in Sunday’s Daytona 500.

Timmy Hill joined his teammate on the short list of DNQs, finishing 20th, four laps down. Despite running out of fuel in the final laps, Greg Biffle and the NY Racing Team took the final spot in the field with a 13th-place run. Ragan finished 17th, just ahead of Aric Almirola in the #10 Smithfield Ford and Austin Dillon in the #3 Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Off Road Chevrolet.

LASTCAR STATISTICS

*This marked only the second time the #27 finished last in either of the Duel races at Daytona. The other time was on February 14, 1985, when Tim Richmond’s #27 Old Milwaukee Pontiac lost an engine after 3 laps of Race 1.

THE BOTTOM FIVE

21) #27-Jacques Villeneuve / 34 laps / electrical

20) #66-Timmy Hill / 56 laps / running

19) #10-Aric Almirola / 58 laps / running

18) #3-Austin Dillon / 58 laps / running

17) #15-David Ragan / 58 laps / running