ARCA: Carnage in practice leaves Dauzat unable to start historic Daytona race

SCREENCAP: @nascarcatholic

by William Soquet

LASTCAR.info Guest Contributor

Bryan Dauzat finished last for the second time in his ARCA Menards Series career in Friday’s General Tire 100 at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course when his #57 Brother-In-Law Motorsports Chevrolet failed to start the race. 

The finish came in Dauzat’s 18th attempt at an ARCA Menards Series race, and was his first the 2016 season finale, 72 races ago.

The president of a construction company, Dauzat has dabbled in a number of forms of racing in the past decade. He was a regular in the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour before that series became defunct and has also made sporadic starts in the main Whelen Modified Tour, CARS Super Late Model Tour, ARCA Menards Series, and NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series.

When the Talladega entry list was released without Dauzat’s trademark #57 car on the list, it marked the first time since 2015 that Dauzat did not enter either one of the restrictor plate races. However, the Louisiana driver did find his way on to the entry list for the Daytona road course event for his first career ARCA road course start. 

The overall entry list came close to the 25-car cap on the field, as 22 cars filled out the initial list. A number of road course ringers emerged for the series’ first road course start since 2017: Parker Chase, driving the Chad Bryant Racing #22; Ayrton Ori, driving the Visconti Motorsports 74 car; and Will Rodgers, driving the Steve McGowan Motorsports #17W car. Another road ringer not officially entered but still slated to compete was Colin Braun, scheduled to take over for Sam Mayer at the first caution of the race after Mayer suffered a hairline fracture in his wrist in a fiery Trans-Am crash at Road America on August 8.

Several other part-time drivers emerged for the race: semi-regulars Max McLaughlin, Russ Lane and Mike Basham; season debuts for Will Kimmel and Nick Igdalsky; and the series debut for Tim Monroe. Monroe, Ori, and Chase, the three series debuts, presented interesting contrasts: Monroe, a modified oval racer and Fast Track Racing crewman; Chase, an IMSA driver who had to give up a full-time 2020 slate to focus on education; and Ori, a sixteen-year-old aiming to be America’s next driver to appear on the Formula 1 circuit. A third entry for DGR-Crosley, the #54, was entered without a driver on the initial entry list and eventually withdrew.

Like most summer afternoons in Florida, Friday afternoon’s practice suffered a looming threat of rain. Also looming was the threat of the unknown, as many feared that ARCA competition throughout the weekend would be a more sloppy version of the inaugural Charlotte Roval race. Suffice to say, practice did in fact live up (or down?) to expectations. Practice started soon after 2:00 PM local time on Friday afternoon and within fifteen minutes, there was considerable action on track. Dauzat and Igdalsky had already found the tire barriers, and Russ Lane had an incident as well. Basham soon became the third car in the tire barriers. Midway through the session, Bret Holmes finally turned the first completed lap at a time of over nine minutes. Only thirteen cars took a time before practice was called for lightning, still leaving eight entries with little to no experience on track before the race.

As it was a no-qualifying weekend for the series, Dauzat was listed last on the starting grid due to the #57 having no previous attempts in 2020. Just ahead of him in Row 10 on the starting grid was Lane and Rodgers, both driving entries that have only made sporadic appearances this season. 

Unfortunately, Dauzat never took the starting grid, as the damage to the front clip was too much to overcome. Tim Monroe pulled off coming to the green, and Brad Smith retired after one lap complete. Con Nicolopoulos took three laps around the road course before becoming the last driver to exit the race, as no drivers failed to finish due to crash damage. Ayrton Ori rounded out the Bottom Five, two laps down after multiple issues on track, including a cut tire in the closing laps after a spin in the grass.

THE BOTTOM FIVE

21) #57-Bryan Dauzat / 0 laps / did not start

20) #11-Tim Monroe / 0 laps / electrical

19) #48-Brad Smith / 1 lap / transmission

18) #06-Con Nicolopoulos / 3 laps / overheating

17) #74-Ayrton Ori / 26 laps / running

2020 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES MANUFACTURERS CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Chevrolet (7)

2nd) Toyota (4)

3rd) Ford (1)

2020 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES OWNERS CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Fast Track Racing (5)

2nd) Wayne Peterson Racing (2)

3rd) Brother-In-Law Motorsports, DGR-Crosley, Kimmel Racing, Reeves Racing, Russ Lane Racing (1)

2020 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP

CUP: Brendan Gaughan edges Barrett for first last-place finish since 2012

PHOTO: Chris Graythen, Getty Images

Brendan Gaughan picked up the 3rd last-place finish of his NASCAR Cup Series career in Sunday’s Go Bowling 235 at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course when his #62 Beard Oil / South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet fell out with transmission issues after 46 of 65 laps.

The finish, which came in Gaughan’s 65th series start, was his first of the season and first since March 25, 2012 at Fontana, 306 races ago. In the Cup Series last-place rankings, it was the 18th for the #62, the 81st from transmission issues, and the 791st for Chevrolet. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it was the 28th for the #62, the 166th from transmission woes, and the 1,733rd for Chevrolet.

The affable veteran of all three of NASCAR’s premier series selected this 2020 campaign as his last. Since 1997, Gaughan has scored two XFINITY wins, eight in the Truck Series, and eight in the former K&N Pro Series West, where he won back-to-back titles in 2000 and 2001. He also shared a special tie with the infield road course at Daytona, where in 2011, he and The Racers Group’s Porsche GT3 Cup won the GT division in the 24 Hours of Daytona. The team finished 12th overall, paired with Steven Bertheau, Wolf Henzler, Andy Lally, and Spencer Pumpelly.

It was thus less surprising that the single-car team owned by Mark Beard (no relation) elected to enter the first NASCAR Cup Series event to be held on the Daytona Road Course. Since 2017, both Gaughan and Beard had run exclusively on the superspeedways of Daytona and Talladega – first with the #75, then with Gaughan’s more familiar #62. Despite their unusual schedule, the organization has become a threat to win, taking 11th in their first run in the 2017 Daytona 500, then 7th in the July return. They ran 8th last year at Talladega, and were going for the lead in the final ten laps when contact sent Gaughan into a spectacular flip into Turn 3. The team rebounded just this year with by matching their team-best 7th in the Daytona 500 before a 21st-place showing in Talladega. With the 400-mile Daytona race pushed to late August and the road course added, the decision was made to expand Gaughan’s retirement season to one more race. While listed with “Beard Motorsports” as the sponsor, the #62 still carried the same South Point and Beard Oil sponsorship from their previous superspeedway efforts.

NASCAR’s new calculus for setting the lineup proved irrelevant as the #62 still drew the 39th and final starting spot. Joining him at the back were four other drivers: Kaz Grala, who took over for Austin Dillon after a positive COVID-19 test, and was set to start 10th in the #3 American Ethanol Chevrolet; 29th-place Corey LaJoie in the #32 Trump / Pence 2020 Ford due to two inspection failures; 34th-place Stanton Barrett in the #77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet for a driver change with Reed Sorenson; and 37th-place Timmy Hill in the #66 RoofClaim.com Toyota for unapproved adjustments.

When the race started, however, the last spot fell to Quin Houff, who debuted a radical new look on his #00 Bos Klein / Creek Enterprises Chevrolet. Houff was 6.258 seconds back of the lead with Barrett’s #77 in front of him by open track. At the end of the first lap, Houff caught and passed Gaughan, who had to stop for missing a chicane. Gaughan made up time quickly, and by the end of Lap 2 was within eight-tenths of catching Houff. 

On Lap 4, as Gaughan began to express concern over his water temperature, he caught and passed Barrett. Barrett then reported more serious issues, saying he smelled fluid and had issues with his brakes. He decided to come down pit road that time by, and was in his stall on Lap 5. The crew looked under the hood, then pulled into the garage area on Lap 7. He entered near Joey Logano’s pit stall and the crew set to work in Garage Stall #37. As the team set to work, they also removed a window tear-off. On Lap 12, he was told to pump the brakes three times and hold the pedal while the crew bled the system. The car re-fired on Lap 16, when Barrett finally completed his fifth lap, now a full 11 laps down in last place. Barrett still wasn’t happy, however, and reported he had a problem with one of the front wheels. 

While unchallenged for the spot as many stayed on the lead lap, other contenders began to position themselves. By Lap 32, J.J. Yeley was suffering serious heat exhaustion in the #27 XBOX Ford. On Lap 33, the team decided to pull Yeley behind the wall for a driver change. They picked Bayley Currey, the only person available who still had his driver’s uniform and helmet ready. It’s still uncertain if this violated NASCAR’s mandate that drivers couldn’t run more than one race that weekend. James Davison, Yeley’s teammate in the #51 Jacob Construction Ford, was fighting to stay on the lead lap, then fought to stay in the Lucky Dog spot. Meanwhile, Gaughan had climbed to 32nd by Lap 26.

On Lap 36, the caution, then the red fell for lightning, which stopped the race for more than half an hour. The caution allowed Currey to get one of his two laps back, putting him in a better position for the final stage. When the delay ended, Quin Houff was the final driver to report to his car, and Kurt Busch the last to be ready to restart. However, both Davison and Barrett’s cars wouldn’t refire, and each needed a different truck to give them a push. While Davison needed help figuring out how to re-start the car, Barrett’s refused to turn over, and he believed the #77 had a bad battery. After flipping “every visible switch,” Davison’s car restarted while Barrett was pushed to the garage for the Lap 40 restart. Barrett’s own car re-fired again on Lap 43, and the driver returned to the track a full 15 laps down. While deciding to race to the finish, Barrett twice ran through the grass in the chicanes, plastering wet grass onto the front valence of his Chevrolet.

Around Lap 47, Gaughan reported an issue with his transmission and pulled behind the wall, not wanting to get in anyone else’s way. The driver expressed disappointment, saying he was “finally starting to put some laps together.” As Barrett continued to fight his way around the track, he slowly closed the gap on Gaughan, who by 10 laps to go was the first driver declared out of the race. With three laps to go, Barrett was on the same lap as Gaughan, and dropped the #62 to last place soon after. Barrett advanced no further, even after Kyle Busch’s #18 Snickers Toyota had two catastrophic brake failures that first put him behind the wall, then into the wall on the backstretch.

Rounding out the Bottom Five were Garrett Smithley, who Barrett said he was catching in the #53 True Brand Ford. Smithley’s day ended with battery issues in the final five laps. Taking 35th was John Hunter Nemechek, who suffered crash damage to his #38 Death Wish Coffee Ford following a late spin through the grass.

The day’s most impressive run belonged to Kaz Grala, whose Cup debut in Dillon’s #3 left him a strong 7th place. In so doing, he became the first driver other than Dale Earnhardt or Austin Dillon to start a Cup Series points race in the iconic number since 1984. Jimmy Hensley, Mike Skinner, and even Dillon’s father Mike Dillon had all served relief roles for Earnhardt in years past. Only Hensley was technically credited with a start – and a last-place finish – for putting the #3 on the pole at Martinsville in the fall of 1989.

Also turning heads was Michael McDowell, who finally earned a respectable road course finish to match his background in the discipline. McDowell’s #34 Chicago Pneumatic Ford ran as high as 5th before settling back to 10th at the finish. This was McDowell’s best run since Indianapolis, where he ran a season-best 7th.

For Gaughan, it will be a short turn-around before he runs his next-to-last NASCAR race on the Daytona oval in two weeks. He will close out his career at Talladega on October 4.

LASTCAR STATISTICS

*This marked the first last-place finish for the #62 in a Cup Series points race since November 15, 2015, when Timmy Hill’s run in the Prairie Auto Credit Chevrolet saw him finish nearly 100 laps down, but still under power, in the Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 at Phoenix.

THE BOTTOM FIVE

39) #62-Brendan Gaughan / 46 laps / transmission

38) #77-Stanton Barrett / 49 laps / running

37) #18-Kyle Busch / 53 laps / crash

36) #53-Garrett Smithley / 60 laps / battery

35) #38-John Hunter Nemechek / 62 laps / crash

2020 LASTCAR CUP SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) JTG-Daugherty Racing (6)

2nd) Motorsports Business Management (3)

3rd) Hendrick Motorsports, Penske Racing, Rick Ware Racing (2)

4th) Beard Motorsports, B.J. McLeod Motorsports, Chip Ganassi Racing, Front Row Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, Leavine Family Racing, StarCom Racing, Tommy Baldwin Racing (1)

2020 LASTCAR CUP SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Chevrolet (15)

2nd) Toyota (5)

3rd) Ford (3)

2020 LASTCAR CUP SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

TRUCKS: Roger Reuse’s first-lap clutch issues give #49 first Truck Series last-place finish

PHOTO: David PeQueen, @CarSDS2078

Roger Reuse picked up the 1st last-place finish of his NASCAR Camping World RV & Outdoors Truck Series career in Sunday’s Sunoco 159 at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course when his #49 BELIMO / WCIParts.com Chevrolet did not complete any of the 46 laps due to clutch issues.

The finish came in Reuse’s third series start. In the Truck Series’ last-place rankings, it was the 1st for the #49, the 17th from clutch issues, and the 390th for Chevrolet. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it was the 57th for the #49, the 67th for clutch issues, and the 1,732nd for Chevrolet.

For the last few years, Roger and his younger brother Bobby Reuse have run a handful of road course races in both the XFINITY and Truck Series. We caught up to the pair of them just last year, when they battled against each other at Mosport with Bobby 22nd and Roger 25th. 

The pair were set to do battle once again this year, even after the Mosport event was cancelled and moved to the Daytona infield road course. With the help of sponsorship from WCIParts.com, Bobby was to drive in place of Clay Greenfield in the #68 while Roger drove CMI Motorsports’ primary #49. That changed after apparent chassis certification issues for the #68 that led to Bobby’s entry being withdrawn. Bobby then landed his first XFINITY race on Saturday, taking Chad Finchum’s place in the #13 RoofClaim.com Toyota, taking 30th.

With his brother’s 37th-place truck withdrawn, Roger kept the 36th spot in the resulting 38-truck field.

Starting 38th and last in Sunday’s race was Reuse’s teammate Tim Viens in the #83 Trump / Pence 2020 Chevrolet. While no drivers were sent to the rear for pre-race penalties, Reuse had immediate issues. The #49 didn’t start, and the crew had to retrieve him and push him back to pit road. The issue was the clutch, which the driver said kept disengaging and was making “a bad noise.” The crew looked under the hood and ultimately pulled him behind the wall. When the race started, Reuse was shown 29.26 seconds back of the leader and 24.001 back of the now 37th-place Viens. But the #49 never completed a lap and remained last for the duration.

NASCAR’s officials in the garage didn’t officially declare Reuse or any other driver officially out until after the race’s conclusion. Jennifer Jo Cobb, making her 200th Truck Series start, pulled behind the wall on Lap 8 after her brake pedal went to the floor, the crew bleeding the brakes on her #10 Fastener Supply Company Chevrolet. She returned to the track on Lap 11 and, despite some penalties on pit road, ultimately climbed out of the Bottom Five to the 31st spot. Tim Viens, who passed Cobb after her brake issue, made it to 24th.

The 37th-place finisher ended up being Bobby Kennedy, who needed a driver change in his NASCAR debut. Kennedy pulled the #00 Toyota down pit road for team owner Josh Reaume to take his place, but an electrical issue then forced the truck behind the wall. Reaume returned to the race, only to stall short of the entrance of pit road and drop out with ignition failure on Lap 40.

Taking 36th was Mark Smith, making his first start since Eldora last year in the #42 St. Lucie Battery & Tire Chevrolet. Smith spun and stalled to draw the first caution on Lap 11, then ultimately retired on Lap 36 with brake issues. Drivetrain problems left Jordan Anderson 35th in the #3 Lucas Oil / Bommarito.com Chevrolet. And for Spencer Davis, who returned after missing Michigan due to a positive COVID-19 test, his #11 Toyota ended up 34th with brake issues on the 36th circuit after battling for a 10th-place finish in Stage 2.

LASTCAR STATISTICS

*This marked the first time a Truck Series driver finished last due to clutch issues since September 20, 2014, when Ted Minor scored his own first last-place run with first-lap issues on his #57 Norm Benning Racing Chevrolet in the UNOH 175 at New Hampshire.

THE BOTTOM FIVE

38) #49-Roger Reuse / 0 laps / clutch

37) #00-Bobby Kennedy / 15 laps / ignition

36) #42-Mark Smith / 31 laps / brakes

35) #3-Jordan Anderson / 31 laps / drivetrain

34) #11-Spencer Davis / 35 laps / brakes

2020 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Reaume Brothers Racing (3)

2nd) CMI Motorsports, DGR-Crosley, FDNY Racing, Halmar Friesen Racing, Niece Motorsports, Norm Benning Racing, Spencer Davis Motorsports, ThorSport Racing (1)

2020 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Chevrolet (6)

2nd) Ford, Toyota (3)

2020 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

XFINITY: Justin Haley catches air in first last-place finish, but results say suspension was to blame

PHOTO: @ForRaceFansOnly

Justin Haley picked up the 1st last-place finish of his NASCAR XFINITY Series career in Saturday’s UNOH 188 at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course when his #11 Leaf Filter Gutter Protection Chevrolet fell out with suspension issues after 11 of 55 laps.

The finish came in Haley’s 55th series start. In the XFINITY Series’ last-place rankings, it was the 11th for the #11, the 20th for suspension issues, and the 552nd for Chevrolet. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it was the 44th for suspension issues, the 58th for the #11, and the 1,731st for Chevrolet.

Haley and the Daytona International Speedway have been synonymous since 2018. That year, the newcomer was making just his second series start for GMS Racing. He took the checkered flag in first place after a daring last-lap pass, but the win was taken from him after another controversial judgment call under the “Yellow Line Rule.” Haley got his revenge just one year later at the same track, when he was this time making his third Cup start for Spire Motorsports. With rain approaching, but the race apparently about to restart, leaders Kurt Busch and Landon Cassill pitted with one to go. Lightning in the area forced a hold, and under the red flag, the rain fell with Haley’s #77 in first place. The race was called, and Haley had his first Cup Series victory. 

Haley’s first XFINITY win also came on a superspeedway just this year, when he led teammate Ross Chastain across the stripe at Talladega. After a 23rd-place finish at Pocono, he then nearly stole the victory at the Indianapolis Grand Prix circuit, charging from some distance back of the lead battle to ultimately take runner-up to Chase Briscoe. Four more top-ten finishes followed before an 11th in Road America, at which point he ranked 5th in the series standings, preparing for his return to the Playoffs.

Once again, it was time to race at Daytona. With NASCAR’s new algorithm to determine starting lineups without actual timed laps, Haley drew the 5th starting spot.

Taking the 38th and final starting spot was Harold Crooms, making his NASCAR debut in Motorsports Business Management’s #66 Unknown BBQ / Maxpay Pawn Toyota. Crooms would incur a redundant tail-end penalty for unapproved adjustments that would keep him in last place. Also docked for the same reason was 28th-place Jeffrey Earnhardt in the #15 KSDT CPA Chevrolet. A second MBM car, the #13 RoofClaim.com Toyota Camry, also dropped to the rear due to a late driver change with Chad Finchum replaced by Bobby Reuse, whose Truck Series effort with Clay Greenfield Racing was withdrawn due to apparent chassis certification issues. The #13 was slated to start 35th.

Heavy rains and lightning in the area added still another wrinkle to an already challenging weekend. At least three different teams – Andy Lally (#02), Brandon Gdovic (#26), and Noah Gragson (#9), needed extra time to get ready before the field rolled off. The entire field was running slick tires, and in the first couple corners, Gragson nearly collided with polesitter Austin Cindric, whose #22 MoneyLion Ford clipped the grass with his left-front corner. Further back, 31st-place Kody Vanderwal spun his #52 Advanced Dairy Services Chevrolet at the entrance to the infield. His car was seen stopped facing the wrong direction as the leaders entered Turn 2 (just after the entrance of the infield). Vanderwal got rolling again and slotted in behind Crooms in last place as the field headed down pit road for rain tires. By then, Bayley Currey, the Road America last-place finisher, had also incurred a tail-end penalty for unapproved adjustments on the #74 We Stand For The National Anthem Chevrolet.

When the field approached the green flag, Vanderwal resumed his original 31st-place starting spot, putting him ahead of 32nd-place Jade Buford in the #07 Big Machine Distillery Chevrolet. The last spot again fell to Crooms, who was 7.763 seconds back of the lead. Reuse had dropped back to 37th, just under a second in front. By the end of the first lap, Crooms had fallen to 31.617 seconds back of the lead, a full 5.720 seconds back of the new 37th-place driver, Matt Mills in the #5 Thompson Electric / J.F. Electric Chevrolet.

The final chicane before the entrance of the tri-oval proved particularly challenging in the first laps, in part because it was added to the track just days before the event. Several drivers missed the chicane in the early laps, including Ryan Sieg in the #39 CMR Roofing Chevrolet. Sieg’s resulting stop-and-go penalty dropped him to 37th on Lap 3, and he took over last on Lap 4. By then, Sieg was 22.497 seconds back of Crooms. Sieg managed to close in on the tail end of the field and on Lap 6 dropped Bayley Currey to last. Currey took the spot after he elected to switch back to dry-weather slick tires.

By Lap 7, Currey, Reuse, Crooms, and Sieg had all fallen one lap down to the leaders. Crooms took last back from Currey that time by. The lap after, Bobby Reuse took last for the first time after he served a pass-through penalty. Reuse was then on the verge of losing a second lap to the leaders before he re-passed Crooms on Lap 12. But, further up the field, the leaders were suddenly finding trouble.

On Lap 12, as the leaders entered Turn 7 (NASCAR Turn 1), Ross Chastain’s #10 Moose Fraternity Chevrolet fell off the pace. Chastain elected to not drive up the banking, but his car continued to slow down the backstretch. At nearly the same instant, teammate Justin Haley was entering the backstretch chicane at Turn 9. Racing ahead of Scott Heckert’s #78 Koolbox Ice Toyota, Haley’s #11 cut off the first left-hand corner, and his right-front dug into the grass, destroying the entire lower half of his front valence. As Haley spun into the grass, Heckert made it past, but Jeremy Clements, following Heckert into the turn, spun his #51 All South Electric Chevrolet into the tire barriers.

To cap off the frustrating lap for Kaulig Racing, A.J. Allmendinger was then tagged for being serviced outside his pit box after his team’s fuel canister didn’t disengage on the #16 Ellsworth Advisors Chevrolet.

Under caution, Haley limped back to the entrance of pit road, then waited in his car for a push. At the time, he was told he was not on the “Crash Clock,” and would thus be able to go to the garage area for repairs – even though he suffered serious damage in an on-track incident. Chastain was also brought to the garage for transmission repairs. At the time, Haley was ranked behind Chastain. On Lap 14, Haley’s crew said “Yeah, we’re done,” and the #11 took last from Crooms on Lap 15. The #11 crew then gave their remaining tires to one of the Richard Childress Racing teams. On Lap 24, NASCAR reported Haley was out with suspension issues and not due to crash damage.

Chastain ultimately returned to the track, 19 laps down, and climbed to the 36th spot. The first car he passed was the #8 Poppy Bank Chevrolet of Daniel Hemric, who slid head-on into the Armco barrier off Turn 2 on the ensuing restart. Crooms finished 35th when the brakes failed, four laps behind Brandon Brown with a fractured axle on the unsponsored #68 Brandonbilt Motorsports Chevrolet.

Andy Lally backed-up his 5th-place run at Road America with another 5th on Saturday, despite clipping the chicane grass in the same place that ended Haley’s race. His run in the #02 Knockaround Chevrolet was just one of many impressive performances.

Mike Harmon Racing wrote the next chapter of their impressive season with Bayley Currey climbing from a brief stay in last place to 14th in the #74 We Stand For The National Anthem Chevrolet and Kyle Weatherman taking 17th in the matching #47. Both were even on the front row for one of the final restarts on Lap 45, and each survived the ensuing tangle in Turn 2. For Currey, the 14th-place finish was a new career-best, improving on his 18th earlier this year at Charlotte and Atlanta. For Weatherman, it was his fourth top-twenty finish of the year and first since his career-best 8th at Kentucky.

Driving the #99 Insurance King / Rock’n Vodka Toyota, Josh Bilicki overcame a mid-race spin to back-up his strong performance at Road America, and this time held on through the final lap, tying his career-best 12th from Road America three years ago. 

Tommy Joe Martins also overcame a spin, and also a near-disaster when the field wrecked in front of his #44 AAN Adjusters Chevrolet in Turn 2 late in the race, to finish a well-earned 13th. This was Martins’ season-best finish in the series, and continued a streak of four consecutive finishes of 18th or better.

Jade Buford also finished 16th in his return to the #07 Big Machine Distillery Chevrolet, scoring three straight top-twenty finishes in his first three XFINITY Series starts, all of them on road courses. He ran 14th in his series debut at Indianapolis, then 19th last week in Road America. Stephen Leicht also continued his strong road course performances, following his 21st at Indianapolis and 22nd at Road America with another 21st on Saturday.

Finally, flanked by JD Motorsports teammates Jesse Little and B.J. McLeod, who finished 18th and 20th respectively, Scott Heckert enjoyed a strong run for much of Saturday’s race. The #78 Koolbox Ice Toyota was in and around the Top 15 for much of the race, and climbed to 6th before a spin in the final chicane. He also made at least one daring move in Turn 2, holding off eventual race winner Austin Cindric with a firm block. At the end, Heckert finished 19th, one spot ahead of his team owner.

LASTCAR STATISTICS

*This marked the first last-place finish for the #11 since March 4, 2017, when Blake Koch’s run in the #11 Leaf Filter Chevrolet ended with an early crash after 2 laps of the Rinnai 250 at Atlanta. 

*While this is Haley’s first XFINITY Series last-place finish, it is not his first across NASCAR’s top three series. While listed under “J.J. Haley” on October 31, 2015, the then-rookie finished last in the Kroger 200 at Martinsville after his #32 Great Clips Toyota crashed 119 laps into the event. 

THE BOTTOM FIVE

38) #11-Justin Haley / 11 laps / suspension

37) #8-Daniel Hemric / 14 laps / crash

36) #10-Ross Chastain / 34 laps / running

35) #66-Harold Crooms / 36 laps / brakes

34) #68-Brandon Brown / 40 laps / axle

2020 LASTCAR XFINITY SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Motorsports Business Management (4)

2nd) Joe Gibbs Racing (3)

3rd) JD Motorsports, Jimmy Means Racing, Mike Harmon Racing, Shepherd Racing Ventures (2)

4th) Jeremy Clements Racing, JR Motorsports, Kaulig Racing, SS-Green Light Racing (1)

2020 LASTCAR XFINITY SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Chevrolet (12)

2nd) Toyota (7)

2020 LASTCAR XFINITY SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

PREVIEW: Heavy hitters set to challenge NASCAR regulars during inaugural Daytona infield road course race

J.J. Yeley's new-look #27 for this Sunday's Cup Series race
IMAGE: @RickWareRacing

Saturday, August 15, 2020 

XFINITY Race 19 of 33

UNOH 188 at the Daytona Infield Road Course

2019 Last-Place Finisher: Inaugural Event

ENTRY LIST

The first NASCAR drivers to tackle the infield road course in Daytona without practice or qualifying will be the XFINITY Series, which sees 38 entrants for 40 spots, up one entry from last week in Road America.

DRIVER CHANGE: #5-B.J. McLeod Motorsports

After Vinnie Miller became the last-minute driver change for Matt Mills last week in Road America, Mills is again entered in the #5 Thompson Electric / J.F. Electric Chevrolet. The team looks to rebound from a spectacular engine failure that left Miller a disappointing 34th.

DRIVER CHANGE: #6-JD Motorsports

DRIVER SWAP: #07-SS-Green Light Racing

B.J. McLeod returns to his familiar ride in the #6 for Johnny Davis, taking the place of Jade Buford. Buford will also have a chance to continue his streak of solid road course finishes as he rejoins SS-Green Light Racing, the team which gave him his series debut at Indianapolis. Then as now, he will drive the #07, and this time takes the place of R.C. Enerson, who isn’t entered after his 20th-place debut at Road America. The Big Machine Distillery will again sponsor the Buford effort.

DRIVER SWAP: #13-Motorsports Business Management

DRIVER CHANGE: #66-Motorsports Business Management

Making his NASCAR national touring series debut this weekend is Harold Crooms, who for the first time will get to drive on his home track. The Lakeland, Florida native comes from the Super Late Model ranks, and this week takes the place of Chad Finchum in the #66 Toyota. Finchum will instead run MBM’s #13 in place of Jesse Iwuji, who isn’t entered after a 26th in his own series debut at Road America. Stephen Liecht remains in MBM’s #61 for a third-straight road course race and looks to continue his streak of Top 25s. UPDATE: Bobby Reuse will take the place of Chad Finchum in the #13 following the withdrawal of Reuse's entry in the Truck Series. This will be Reuse's first XFINITY start since 2015.

DRIVER CHANGE: #21-Richard Childress Racing

New Zealand’s Earl Bamber is perhaps the most accomplished road course racer in Saturday’s field. He’s a five-time starter of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, including two overall victories with Porsche, an Australian SuperCar standout with five starts in the Bathurst 12 Hour, and a five-time winner in the Weathertech SportsCar Championship, three of them coming just last year. Bamber makes his NASCAR national touring series debut on Saturday in a fleet Richard Childress Racing entry, taking the place of Kaz Grala, who ran 4th in Road America.

RETURNING: #26-Sam Hunt Racing

After skipping Road America, the SHR team is back with Brandon Gdovic, who ran well on the Indianapolis Grand Prix Circuit, taking a career-best 12th-place finish in his first XFINITY start in nearly four full years. Windstax Energy will sponsor their Toyota as Gdovic races on the same Daytona infield road course he’s tackled three times in the Weathertech SportsCar Championship, most recently a 15th-place run in GTD this year in a Lamborghini.

GIVE A CALL: #36-DGM Racing

Preston Pardus will make just his fifth XFINITY Series start this Saturday, coming off a new career-best 8th-place finish at Road America, where he led five laps before Austin Cindric made the winning pass. Pardus goes for his third-straight top-ten finish this week at his home track. His father Dan Pardus made his lone Cup Series start at the track on October 17, 1998, when he finished 36th in a field of 43.

TEAM UPDATE: #90-DGM Racing

Another boost of good news came Wednesday when Mario Gosselin's team successfully appealed their penalty relating to Alex Labbe's alleged testing violation in an event at the Daytona infield road course. 

CUP INVADERS: None

Sunday, August 16, 2020 (12:00 P.M. Eastern)

TRUCKS Race 12 of 23

Sunoco 159 at the Daytona Infield Road Course

2019 Last-Place Finisher: Inaugural Event

ENTRY LIST

There are 39 drivers entered for 40 spots in Sunday’s lone Truck Series road course race for 2020, which is down two entries from Michigan. UPDATE: Make that 38 drivers following the withdrawal of the #68 (see below).

DRIVER CHANGE: #8-NEMCO Motorsports

Welcome back to Mike Skeen, who we haven’t seen in the Truck Series since his infamous 2013 tangle with Max Papis at Mosport while battling for third off the final corner. This time around, he takes the place of John Hunter Nemechek in the NEMCO #8, which carries the team’s longtime sponsor D.A.B. Constructors on the hood. Nemechek made a strong bid for the win just last week before he collided with race leader Grant Enfinger on a late restart.

TEAM UPDATE: #11-Spencer Davis Motorsports

Spencer Davis is entered in the #11 Toyota this week after the team had to withdraw following Davis’ positive COVID-19 test. He was officially cleared to race on Wednesday.

MISSING: #14-Trey Hutchens Racing

Trey Hutchens is not entered following his 29th-place showing last week in Michigan.

MISSING: #17-DGR-Crosley

David Ragan not entered after he was on the wrong side of the cut line for Michigan’s 41-truck entry list. Ironically, he would have been able to start this week’s race had he been entered.

DRIVER CHANGE: #24-GMS Racing

Last year, Kris Wright ran on this same road course during the Rolex 24 at Daytona, where he and teammates Robert Masson, Kyle Masson, and Cameron Cassels finished 7th overall and 2nd in LMP2. After a handful of starts in the ARCA Racing Series and the ARCA Menards West Series this year, he will drive for GMS Racing, who fielded his #21 in last week’s ARCA race at Michigan. Wright finished 14th that day after a mid-race accident. This week, Wright takes the place of David Gravel in the #24, one week after Gravel finished 10th in his own Truck Series debut at the Michigan track.

DRIVER CHANGE: #30-On Point Motorsports

Scott Lagasse, Jr. is a frequent one-off entry for races at Daytona, and this time will tackle the infield road course for the first time. He takes the place of Cup Series rookie contender Brennan Poole, who finished just 35th last week in Michigan after a late-race accident. This will also be Lagasse’s first Truck Series start since 2018, when he finished 18th with the same team.

DRIVER CHANGE: #33-Reaume Brothers Racing

From 2006 through 2007, Bryan Collyer ran three endurance races at the Daytona infield road course, each time racing Corvettes for Michael Baughman Racing. His best finish came in the 2006 running of the Rolex 24, where he finished 28th overall when teamed with Ray Mason, Michael Baughman, John Connolly, and Frank Del Vecchio. This week, he tries something entirely different in the Truck Series, taking the place of Jesse Iwuji in the #33 Toyota. Crunch Construction is the listed sponsor of the Collyer effort.

DRIVER CHANGE: #40-Niece Motorsports

Last year, Carson Hocevar made his first two Truck Series starts, taking 25th for Jordan Anderson’s team at Eldora, then 23rd for Hill Motorsports in Phoenix. This week, he drives for a third different team, taking the controls of Al Niece’s #40 Chevrolet in place of Ryan Truex. Scott’s is again the listed sponsor, as it was for both starts in 2019.

RETURNING: #42-Niece Motorsports

Niece has also brought back his fourth entry this week, bringing back another Eldora qualifier from last year in Mark Smith. Smith finished 15th that night in the Niece #38, and this week has sponsorship from St. Lucie Battery & Tire.

DRIVER CHANGE: #44-Niece Motorsports

Natalie Decker will also take on the road course this weekend, taking the place of Jeb Burton, who finished 36th in Michigan after a crash.

DRIVER CHANGE: #49-CMI Motorsports

DRIVER CHANGE / WITHDREW: #68-Clay Greenfield Racing

DRIVER SWAP: #83-CMI Motorsports

The Reuse brothers are back in action for the first time since Mosport last summer, and will again be running under two different teams. Roger Reuse takes the place of Tim Viens in CMI Motorsports’ #49 Chevrolet while Bobby Reuse will replace Clay Greenfield in the #68 Chevrolet. While Greenfield is not entered, Viens will move over to CMI’s #83 in place of Ray Ciccarelli, who isn’t entered. UPDATE: The #68 team has withdrawn after apparent issues getting the chassis certified for Sunday's race. Bobby Reuse, who was set to start 37th in the 39-truck field, will instead run the XFINITY race driving the MBM #13 (see above).

DRIVER CHANGE: #51-Kyle Busch Motorsports

Sunday’s race will be run in place of the originally scheduled Mosport event, and Alex Tagliani’s lone Truck start of the season has been moved to Florida. Tagliani takes the place of Chandler Smith, who wrecked out early in Michigan and finished 38th. He carries sponsorship from Rona and Viagra on the #51 Toyota.

MISSING: #55-Boyd Long Motorsports

Not among this week’s entrants are Dawson Cram and the Boyd Long team, who both survived the chaos in Michigan for a strong 14th-place finish. UPDATE: On Thursday, Cram revealed he parted ways with the Long team, and is working toward a new ride.

DRIVER CHANGE: #00-Reaume Brothers Racing

Josh Reaume will not drive this week, and has tabbed Bobby Kennedy to drive the #00 Toyota. Another Floridian looking to make his NASCAR national touring series debut, Kennedy’s experience includes running Ford Mustangs in the Trans-Am Series.

CUP INVADERS: None

Sunday, August 16, 2020 (3:00 P.M. Eastern)

CUP Race 23 of 36

Go Bowling 235 at the Daytona Infield Road Course

2019 Last-Place Finisher: Inaugural Event

ENTRY LIST

There are 39 drivers entered for 40 spots in Sunday’s Cup Series race, the same number as last week. This marks the 11th short field in 23 races this season and the fourth in a row.

LATE UPDATE: #3-Richard Childress Racing

On Saturday, Austin Dillon tested positive for COVID-19, and RCR has selected Kaz Grala to take his place. Grala will not only make his Cup debut, but marks the first time since 1983 that neither Dillon nor Dale Earnhardt started a Cup points race in the #3. In 1989, Jimmy Hensley qualified the #3 on pole at Martinsville and was classified last after Earnhardt took over in the race.

MISSING: #7-Tommy Baldwin Racing

Joey Gase and Josh Bilicki are both not entered after they ran each of the Michigan double-headers in the TBR entry, yielding finishes of 38th and 33rd, respectively. Bilicki will instead focus on Saturday’s XFINITY race, where he looks to build on his strong showing at Road America.

SPONSOR UPDATE: #27-Rick Ware Racing

After running the last several races without primary sponsorship, J.J. Yeley weclomes new sponsorship from XBOX and the game NASCAR Heat 5 to his #27 Ford. Yeley has shown measured improvement this year, enjoying his longest streak of consecutive finishes inside the Top 30 since his rookie season.

RETURNING: #62-Beard Motorsports

Brendan Gaughan announced this summer that he would add Sunday’s race to his retirement season in 2020, marking the first start for the Beard Motorsports team in a non-superspeedway race (technically). This will mark Gaughan’s first Cup start on a road course since August 15, 2004, when he finished 34th at Watkins Glen for Doug Bawel. Gaughan is no stranger to road racing, however, as he took his first XFINITY Series victory at Road America in 2014.

NUMBER AND DRIVER CHANGE: #77-Spire Motorsports

Spire Motorsports will return to their familiar car #77 after Reed Sorenson ran Harris Lue’s #74 “Fake Steak” Chevrolet for the upcoming Kevin James show “The Crew.” This return to their more familiar number comes just days after it was revealed Spire has acquired Leavine Family Racing’s Charter and will expand to a two-car team in 2021. UPDATE: For the third-straight year, Stanton Barrett will make a one-off start in the Cup Series, this time taking the place of Reed Sorenson in the #77. 

TODAY IN LASTCAR HISTORY (August 13, 2005): Kelly Sutton picks up the third last-place finish of his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career when her #02 Team Copaxone Chevrolet tangles with Shigeaki Hattori’s #9 Toyota after 8 laps of the Toyota Tundra 200 at the Nashville Superspeedway. The finish signaled a difficult season for Sutton, who qualified for just 16 of the 25 races, failing to qualify nine times.