Rookie Austin Cindric gets first NASCAR Cup Series win in thrilling 2022 Daytona 500

Posted on February 20, 2022January 22, 2025 by Reid Spencer

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — On the 85th birthday of his car owner, Roger Penske, 23-year-old NASCAR Cup Series rookie Austin Cindric beat Bubba Wallace to the finish line by .036 seconds in overtime to win Sunday’s 64th running of the Daytona 500.

In a thrilling run to the finish in NASCAR’s new Next Gen race car at Daytona International Speedway, Cindric held off Wallace and Chase Briscoe (.091 seconds behind) to notch his first Cup victory in his eighth start in the series.

Cindric got the win in chamber-of-commerce weather with a sold-out crowd jamming the grandstands.

“Oh, my God — do you know what makes this even better? A packed house,” Cindric exulted after climbing from his car. “A packed house at the Daytona 500.

“Oh, my God, I’ve got so many people to thank. First and foremost, Roger Penske. Happy Birthday!

“Everyone has worked so hard on this Next Gen car and through the whole process. I am so excited. This makes up for losing a championship in the last race I was in (2021 Xfinity Series season finale at Phoenix Raceway).

“I’m surrounded by great people, that’s all there is to it. I know there’s going to be highs and lows, being a rookie. I’m just grateful for the opportunity and excited to climb the mountain ahead of us on the No. 2 team. We’re in the playoffs — that’s one box checked. My gosh, what an awesome group of fans; what an awesome race car. I’m just really thankful.”

A three-car wreck in Turn 4 on Lap 195 of a scheduled 200 wiped out the No. 47 Chevrolet of Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who was leading for a restart on that same lap but was turned by a push from Brad Keselowski. The incident forced the race to overtime, requiring one extra lap for Cindric to claim victory.

An earlier six-car accident on Lap 190 had eliminated reigning series champion Kyle Larson, Kevin Harvick, Todd Gilliland, Erik Jones and Noah Gragson, who was making his first start in NASCAR’s top division.

Cindric was the leader when the race restarted on Lap 200, and at the end of a wild two-lap scramble — after blocking a strong run from Team Penske teammate Ryan Blaney — he arrived at the finish line roughly three feet ahead of Wallace, who was runner-up in the Great American Race for the second time.

“I thought our Toyota teammates did good work until they got picked off 1, 2, 3 throughout the race, so we just had to survive,” said Wallace, who finished .260 seconds behind race winner Austin Dillon in the 2018 Daytona 500.

“Great Speedweeks, though. We’ll come home second. I’m going to be pissed off about this one for a while. I was happy on the first second place we got a couple years ago. This one sucks when you’re that close, but all-in-all, happy for our team, happy for our partners, and on to California.”

Blaney came home fourth, followed by Aric Almirola, who will leave full-time racing at the end of the season. Kyle Busch, Michael McDowell, David Ragan, Keselowski and Chase Elliott completed the top 10.

Less than three laps from the end of the first stage, a push from Keselowski turned the No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford of Harrison Burton sideways at the head of the outside lane. Burton’s Mustang nosed down the track into the No. 24 Chevrolet of William Byron, whose car slammed nose-first into the inside wall on the backstretch.

Kyle Busch spun sideways during the ensuing eight-car wreck. Denny Hamlin’s Toyota sustained terminal suspension damage, eliminating the field’s only multiple winner of the Daytona 500. The No. 1 Chevrolet of Ross Chastain was also knocked out of the race.

After the impact with Byron’s car and a jolt from the Toyota of Christopher Bell, Burton’s Ford turned upside down and landed on top of the Chevrolet of Alex Bowman, who had started the race on the outside of the front row. The impact righted Burton’s car, which a wrecker towed to the garage. Bowman lost four laps as his crew tried to return the No. 48 Camaro to raceable condition.

“I’m fine — I’ve hit a lot harder before, that’s for sure,” Burton said after a trip to the infield care center. “It’s just unfortunate. I hate it for the Wood Brothers group. They brought a really fast Ford Mustang down here and ended up on our lid, so that’s never good …

“I don’t know, I just got pushed and didn’t take it the right way — the car didn’t take it the right way or got pushed in the wrong spot. I’m not sure. I couldn’t really tell. I was looking out front to see what I had to do next to side draft the next guy that was on me, so just a bummer. I don’t really know what we could have done different, but we’ll move on and get better from it.”

From Hamlin’s standpoint, it was clear what happened.

“The 6 (Keselowski) was pushing the 21 (Burton) and you could see the 21 was kind of getting out of control there,” said Hamlin, who failed to finish a Daytona 500 for the first time in 17 starts and lost his chance for a fourth visit to Victory Lane. “So you know the mindset was that you’ve got to back off, but I think the 6 was just insistent on pushing him at all costs and eventually turned the 21 around.

“Tough, you know, considering it was just for the stage. We were kind of boxed in there where I noticed that something was going to happen, but I was boxed in, I was behind a teammate (Kyle Busch), and I wanted to try to help. Again, just too aggressive pushing right there when they weren’t lined up and in control.”

Truex won the first stage under caution and then claimed victory in the second stage, which ran under green-flag conditions from the restart on Lap 72 to the conclusion on Lap 130. Truex came from third to first on the final lap to grab the stage win.

Keselowski, however, was first off pit road under caution for the stage break and led the field to green for a restart on Lap 138. Keselowski held the top spot until Tyler Reddick’s Chevrolet broke loose in Turn 4 on Lap 151 and started a wreck that damaged the contending cars of Truex, Joey Logano and Kurt Busch.

The NASCAR Cup Series returns to the track next week at Auto Club Speedway for the Wise Power 400 on Feb. 27.

Note: Post-race inspection in the NASCAR Cup Series garage revealed no issues. The No. 2 Team Penske Ford of Austin Cindric was confirmed as the official race winner.

Posted on February 20, 2022February 24, 2022 by Staff Report

Which channels have NASCAR programming this week? We answer that and give the weekly NASCAR television listings here in the NASCAR TV schedule.

Note: All times are ET.

Monday, Feb. 21
3 a.m., Refuse to Lose: Jeff Gordon and the 1997 Daytona 500 (re-air), FS1
4 a.m., 100,000 Cameras; Clash at the Coliseum (re-air), FS1
4:30 a.m., NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 (re-air), FS1
Noon, NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 (re-air), FS2
6 p.m. NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
9 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 (re-air), FS2

Tuesday, Feb. 22
12:30 a.m., NASCAR Auto Racing Classics: Daytona 500, FS1
3:30 a.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner. 300. (re-air), FS1
5:30 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, NextEra Energy 250 (re-air), FS1
9:30 a.m., ARCA Menards Series Lucas Oil 200 (re-air), FS2
11:30 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, NextEra Energy 250 (re-air), FS2
1:30 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner. 300. (re-air), FS2
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

Wednesday, Feb. 23
1:30 p.m., NASCAR Race Classic: The 1997 Daytona 500, FS2
2 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub Best of Radioactive: Daytona, FS2
3 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 (re-air), FS2
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

Thursday, Feb. 24
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

Friday, Feb. 25
10 a.m., IMSA Auto Racing: Michelin Pilot Challenge (tape delay), USA/NBC Sports App
Noon, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour at New Smyrna Speedway (tape delay), USA/NBC Sports App
1 p.m., ARCA Menards Series East at New Smyrna Speedway (tape delay), USA/NBC Sports App
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

Saturday, Feb. 26
10 a.m., NASCAR Presents Beyond the Wheel, FS1
Noon, NASCAR Xfinity Series practice/qualifying, FS1
1:30 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub Weekend Edition, FS1
2 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series practice/qualifying, FS1 (Canada: TSN2)
4 p.m. NASCAR Raceday: Xfinity Series Fontana, FS1
5 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series Production Alliance 300, FS1 (Canada: TSN2)

On MRN
2 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series practice/qualifying
4:30 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series Production Alliance 300

Sunday, Feb. 27
12:30 a.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series Production Alliance 300 (re-air), FS1
2:30 a.m., NASCAR Cup Series qualifying (re-air), FS1
5:30 a.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series Production Alliance 300 (re-air), FS2
7:30 a.m., NASCAR Presents This Racing Life, FS1
8 a.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series Production Alliance 300 (re-air), FS1
2 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay: Fontana, FS1
3 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay: Fontana, FOX
3:30 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series Wise Power 400, FOX (Canada: TSN)

On MRN
2:30 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series Wise Power 400

Posted on February 20, 2022February 20, 2022 by Terrin Waack

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — With fewer than five laps remaining in Stage 1 of Sunday’s Daytona 500, an eight-car crash broke out at the front of the pack coming out of Turn 2 at Daytona International Speedway.

Rookie Harrison Burton was leading the outside lane with fellow Ford driver Brad Keselowski behind him. Keselowski put a little more oomph into his pushing in order to gain ground on leader Martin Truex Jr. Instead of pulling out front, Burton was turned to the left and into the inside line, specifically William Byron. The two collected multiple cars in the aftermath.

“I don’t know if it was too much,” Burton said. “I just think it might have been in the wrong spot. It’s hard. These bumpers don’t line up as good as the old ones did. Through the testing, I always found that the center was the best. So, when I was pushing Joey (Logano) or whatever, you’ll want to push in the center of the bumper.

“I mean, I haven’t watched a good video of it yet, so don’t take what I say to the bank. Obviously I’m not questioning Brad’s ability. But I think he just got a little wide on my right side and kind of shot me on the inside there.”

Damage ended the days of Burton, Byron, Denny Hamlin and Ross Chastain. All were evaluated and released from the infield care center after exiting their cars on their own.

Keselowski stayed on track and finished ninth. Kyle Busch, Erik Jones and Alex Bowman were also involved in the incident and continued to finish the stage. Truex, who is winless in 67 superspeedway starts (most among active drivers), ultimately won Stage 1 on Lap 65, which ended still under caution.

Busch finished sixth, Bowman 24th, while another crash with 10 laps remaining sealed Jones’ fate for a 29th-place result.

“At that point, I mean, obviously, it’s over-aggressive if it causes a wreck,” said Hamlin, a three-time Daytona 500 winner. “But I saw it coming. And that’s the tough part, like you could see the 21 (Burton) was kind of sideways and out of control and Brad just wouldn’t let him go. Like eventually, you got a let him go and get his reins back.”

Keselowski ended up finishing second in the stage, earning nine points.

RELATED: At-track photos

Jones was the only wreck driver who managed to stay in the top 10 come stage end. He was eighth, getting three points. Byron, Burton, Busch and Hamlin were 11th through 14th in order. Chastain and Bowman were 16th and 17th, respectively.

“All the guys on the inside seemed to be able to take the push pretty well,” Byron said. “My car definitely accepted the push really well, so I thought we were gonna have a really good day. Sucks that it ends before we get any points.”

Byron’s car sustained severe damage, as it was sent nose-first into the interior retaining wall.

Though Burton didn’t feel a hard hit, he found himself upside down at one point during his tumble through the field.

“The roofline itself is lower, but they’ve got us lower in the car as well, so I’d say my head is about in the same spot as it was in my Xfinity car,” Burton said. “I didn’t notice like any intrusion or anything. I thought it maintained its shape pretty well. … I think it was so far a good testament to the car being safe.”

This is Next Gen’s regular-season debut.

The four contenders removed from the competition filled in the bottom four spots on the leaderboard. Hamlin, Byron, Burton and Chastain claimed 37th through 40th. Burton recorded three laps led, holding the front spot twice.

“Stage points really matter, and as a rookie year, it’s big to get them,” Burton said. “I wanted to push for those but obviously I’d love to be out there racing still. I don’t know what I could have done different. It’s hard to be in a lead and say, ‘Oh, I don’t want to be up here.’ You feel like that’s the safest spot.”

Posted on February 20, 2022February 20, 2022 by Staff Report

The cars of Chase Briscoe and Daniel Hemric have failed pre-race inspection multiple times on Sunday at Daytona International Speedway, forcing both drivers to start from the rear of the 2022 Daytona 500 (2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, Sirius XM NASCAR Radio).

The No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford of Briscoe and No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet of the reigning Xfinity Series champion Hemric will drop to the rear before green flag for the 64th running of The Great American Race. Briscoe was slated to roll off ninth; Hemric 33rd.

Hemric’s No. 16 failed three times and will also be subject to a pass-through penalty at the first opportunity after taking the green. Both teams will also see a crew member ejected, engineer George Spencer for Briscoe and car chief JD Frey for Hemric.

Others car moving to the rear are the No. 22 of Joey Logano (backup car) and the No. 27 of Jacques Villeneuve (engine change).

MORE: Set Fantasy Live lineup

Posted on February 20, 2022February 20, 2022 by Zack Albert

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Hendrick Motorsports announced Sunday that the organization has signed Chase Elliott to a five-year contract extension.

The deal will keep the 26-year-old driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet with the team through the 2027 season. Hendrick officials indicated that the agreement was finalized and signed Saturday afternoon at Daytona International Speedway, on the eve of Sunday’s season-opening Daytona 500 (2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

“I feel so fortunate to be in this position,” Elliott said in a team release. “I have a great team with leadership from Alan (Gustafson, crew chief) and the support of the best car owner and racing organization in the world. For me, there’s a lot of pride in driving for Hendrick Motorsports and having the opportunity to win races and compete for championships. We are capable of accomplishing a lot more and it starts today.”

Team owner Rick Hendrick first signed Elliott to a developmental contract in February 2011 as a 15-year-old prospect. Elliott reached the NASCAR Cup Series full time in 2016, winning Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors. He won the Cup Series championship in 2020.

Elliott has 13 wins in NASCAR’s top division, and he has made the Cup Series Playoffs in each of his six seasons at the sport’s highest level. He also scored the NASCAR Xfinity Series title with JR Motorsports in 2014.

Elliott is the son of NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott. He has won the Cup Series’ Most Popular Driver Award in each of the last four seasons.

“Chase is a champion on and off the track,” Hendrick said. “His talent inside the race car is undeniable, and he’s just scratching the surface of what he can do. This is a young man who is mature beyond his years, comes from an incredible family, and is humble, hard-working and never takes anything for granted. As long as Chase is driving, we want him right here with Hendrick Motorsports. This is an exciting way to start the season, and we look forward to many, many more together.”

Hendrick had indicated during a Thursday media availability that new contracts were coming soon for Elliott and also William Byron, who drives the team’s No. 24 Chevrolet. “Probably any time pretty soon,” Hendrick said then. “I want those guys to be with us forever, and they’ve told me they want to be here, so I’d say you should hear something on that pretty soon.”

Byron signed a two-year contract extension in September 2020 that is set to end after this season. Hendrick Motorsports’ other two drivers are signed through the 2023 season — defending Cup Series champion Kyle Larson added one year to his deal in July 2021; Alex Bowman signed a two-year extension in June 2021.

Posted on February 20, 2022February 22, 2022 by FloRacing

On the eve of the Daytona 500, William Byron decided to have some fun.

Even though he was only supposed to do it twice, Byron decided to run a third Super Late Model race during New Smyrna’s World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing. He’d already won one of the races he’d entered, and on Saturday he won his second. Byron dominated the Orange Blossom 100 to close out the week for the Supers.

“This feels awesome,” said Byron. “(The Donnie Wilson Racing) guys do such a great job with the details and how much they know about Super Late Model racing. It was really fun to get to work with them on some of the things we struggled with on Monday and work on them and get a little bit better.”

Byron started Saturday’s race from the fourth position, and on the 24th lap, he wrestled the lead away from early pace-setter Ryan Preece. After that it was smooth sailing for Byron, who won the caution-free affair by 4.7 seconds over Preece, Sammy Smith, Daniel Dye and Jesse Love.

Byron said that these three races this week is just the beginning of his return to Super Late Model racing as he has a few more events planned for later in the year. However, even though this week caused his confidence to rise, he said he’s still looking forward to racing door-to-door with the best Super Late Model racing has to offer.

“It feels awesome (to beat them),” Byron said. “I still haven’t battled wheel-to-wheel with those guys yet this year. Our car was great tonight and would kind of cruise, but it’s going to be fun this year. I’m sure I’m going to face some tough challenges with some of these races I’m doing. I’m excited to travel around and see what we can do.”

Now, Byron turns his attention to Sunday’s Daytona 500 a few miles north where he rolls off from the 23rd position.

“I’m excited for it,” he said. “You never know what to expect, but I’ve got a good guy on the box and I’m excited for the race. I feel like our car is really fast, so I’ve just got to go do it.”

Posted on February 19, 2022February 20, 2022 by Terrin Waack

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Myatt Snider was involved in what he described as a violent last-lap crash Saturday night during the NASCAR Xfinity Series season opener at Daytona International Speedway.

Once the No. 31 Jordan Anderson Racing Chevrolet came to a stop in the grass near Turn 3, Snider immediately put the driver net down, signaling he was OK. The American Medical Response safety team arrived quickly after to transport him to the infield care center. Snider walked under his own power into the van.

The 27-year-old was then treated and released from the care center. He addressed the media afterward while sitting in a golf cart.

“A little sore,” Snider said. “I mean, I got pretty banged up there, so I just want to make sure I’m being as careful as possible.”

RELATED: Official results | Watch last-lap wreck

Snider indicated his left foot was the area of concern. He might have it looked at again Sunday as a precaution.

“I think I should be fine to race,” Snider said. “It’s just a matter of getting the opinions of the experts. But yeah, I think I’ll be fine.”

The field was about two-thirds of the way down the backstretch during the final lap when the wreck began. Snider was pushed by the No. 23 Our Motorsports Chevrolet of Anthony Alfredo. Snider got turned in the draft, and the No. 48 Big Machine Racing Chevy of Jade Buford ran into the passenger’s side of Snider’s car, which then went airborne as it hit the wall.

Snider explained in better detail.

“Everybody’s trying their best to push as hard as possible, and I’m trying to keep as much momentum as I can get,” Snider said. “So, I felt the push and I started feeling the car go right. I’m like crap, I might be along for a ride here. And sure enough, I was. I got turned around to the side, and then I was facing backwards and started seeing the race track. I’m like hmm, this is getting better as it goes.

“I think what happened is that the left rear started yawing towards the fence, and then the fence caught it. … And then I got dragged into the grass, from what I could tell. But yeah, as I’ve said already, I’m extremely blessed to be as OK as I am and glad that Jordan Anderson Racing built us such a safe race car. And man, I really wanted to get the top-five finish. We were so close. I felt like we were in contention all day.”

Snider ended up 22nd on the results sheet. Buford was 23rd. Alfredo turned out seventh. Austin Hill won the race, which was called once the caution flag came out.

Nine cars were involved in the incident total. Every driver exited on their own and were cleared by the care center. A NASCAR spokesman said the damaged catchfence will be repaired overnight in preparation for the Daytona 500 on Sunday (2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

The next Xfinity Series event on the schedule is a week away – Feb. 26 – at Auto Club Speedway (5 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

“I just saw sparks and crap flying everywhere, and it was quite the adventure,” Snider said. “I’m just so glad that I’m safe, I’m not any more torn up than I am. Just wish we could have gotten a better finish out of it.”

*** Update at 9:52 a.m. ET Sunday ***

Sunday morning NASCAR officials announced the fence that was damaged during Myatt Snider’s wreck was repaired by 1:30 a.m. ET. Two fence posts and 200 feet of fencing were replaced. To the right is a photo of the repaired fence.

Posted on February 19, 2022 by Zack Albert

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Say this for Noah Gragson’s third-place finish in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series season opener: He at least made it interesting.

Gragson was among the first to step out of the drafting line in Saturday’s Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. 300 at Daytona International Speedway, a move that ultimately fizzled in the spiraling chaos of the final laps. Gragson’s No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet was third behind race winner Austin Hill and runner-up AJ Allmendinger when a caution flag for Myatt Snider’s severe crash ended the race half a lap from the scheduled distance.

RELATED: Official results | At-track photos

After the engines had quieted, Gragson received a word of congratulations on pit road from team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr., who also commended the spice he added to the contest for the win.

Zack Albert | NASCAR Digital Media

“He said you’re the only fun one to watch out there,” Gragson recalled. “The only one making moves.”

Gragson led twice for 12 of the 120 laps in the season-opening event, ending an eventful day with a top-five result. He recovered from a Stage 1 penalty for an uncontrolled tire on pit road, then bounced back after being shuffled out of the lead after Stage 2.

He sat third behind Allmendinger and Hill – in that order – before making his final move, one that briefly pulled him even with the top spot.

“I thought we were really close there,” said Gragson, who won the Xfinity opener here in 2020, but crashed out in last year’s lid-lifter. “Not really happy with just how the bottom line got together there at the end. The side-draft I felt like we stalled out, but we put ourselves in position and ran up front all day. Just came up a little short. I think we’re third but you know, we’ll take it to start the year. It’s better than being wrecked like last year.”

Gragson is set to make his NASCAR Cup Series debut with Beard Motorsports in Sunday’s Daytona 500 (2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM). But Saturday represented the launch of his fourth full-time season in the Xfinity Series, one with a new-look No. 9 JRM group under the leadership of crew chief Luke Lambert, who replaces the departed Dave Elenz.

The debut of that driver-crew chief pairing was an adventure-filled one, but one that checked off several of the team’s early goals.

“Honestly, I think everything really went according to plan,” Lambert told NASCAR.com. “Really proud of everybody on the team. The whole group executed well, we did all the things that we planned to do and put ourselves in position. Just the way it shook out there in the end, those last 10 laps, really five laps when everything started to transpire, the lane that we put ourselves in was the right move at the time, and it was the right spot to be in, but too many guys bailed on us and kept us from getting in the lead spot there. So you can’t control all that. But what we did and what we could control, everyone did a nice job of executing.

“I was really proud of him, and Tyler (Monn), his spotter, they worked really well together. Noah just, he just drove a phenomenal race, honestly. I mean, strategy-wise, everything was according to plan, and he just did all the executing that we needed on the race track to get us back up in front when we had to make that happen.”

MORE: Daytona weekend schedule

That happened in short order after the No. 9 team’s early pit-road setback. Gragson rallied to finish fifth at the end of Stage 1, and he was also in position to claim the win in Stage 2. That run to the green-checkered flag was stymied on the last lap after contact with pole-starter and defending Xfinity Series champion Daniel Hemric, whose No. 11 Kaulig Racing Chevy nudged Gragson’s car into a near-spin through Turns 1 and 2. Gragson bobbled but righted the car to avoid a potential crash.

Gragson and Hemric sparred at points during last year’s Xfinity Series campaign, and the two will be curious teammates for Kaulig’s Cup Series efforts this season. As for Saturday’s contact at the front of the pack, Gragson said he was filing it away.

“I’ll remember that. We’ll remember that,” Gragson said. “It was a good save, but I’ll remember how it happened and we’ll be all right.”

WATCH: See Noah Gragson’s big save at the end of Stage 2

For Lambert, he carried two memorable takeaways from the near-wipeout – Gragson’s driving ability and how little the run-in rattled him.

“You know, frankly, he was unfazed,” Lambert said. “I talked to him after the race, and he goes, ‘What do you mean, was I sideways?’ and I said, ‘You were wrecked.’ So he’s a wheelman, and he has the ability to do things that maybe he doesn’t even comprehend that he’s doing, and that was an example of him just with phenomenal car control, and he was on to the next move and it didn’t faze him a bit.”

Posted on February 19, 2022February 19, 2022 by Reid Spencer

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Austin Hill nosed ahead of AJ Allmendinger moments before an incident on the backstretch at Daytona International Speedway ripped the engine and rear end out of Myatt Snider’s car.

The caution froze the field with Hill the winner of Saturday’s Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner. 300 in his first NASCAR Xfinity Series start with Richard Childress Racing.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos

In a large pack, the cars were streaking down the backstretch at the 2.5-mile superspeedway when an aggressive push from Anthony Alfredo’s No. 23 Chevrolet turned Snider’s No. 31 Camaro in front of Jade Buford’s No. 48 Chevrolet. The resulting contact lifted Snider off the track and into the catchfence.

With pieces of his car strewn across the infield, Snider climbed from his destroyed race car in yet another testament to the safety of the vehicles that race at speeds in excess of 180 mph. Snider visited the infield care center, where he was treated and released.

The victory was Hill’s first in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in his 16th start, after he moved from the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series to a full-time ride with RCR in the Xfinity ranks.

All told, nine cars were involved in the wreck that forced the race to end under the sixth caution of the evening.

Hill developed a strong run on the backstretch and made the winning pass after Allmendinger’s Chevrolet advanced too far in front of the lead pack.

“We timed it perfectly,” an elated Hill said after climbing from his car on the frontstretch. “Obviously, that caution came out, but we had a heck of a run, so who knows what would have happened there.

“I was able to drag back, the 98 (Riley Herbst) gave me a heck of a push, we were able to get by (Allmendinger), and this is so crazy.

“I won (a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season opener) in 2019 with a new team, now we’re with RCR, first race with them. We were able to get the job done… Man, I’m speechless. (Crew chief) Andy Street, (owner) Richard Childress, just all these guys back at RCR for believing in me. It’s been a fun offseason, and now we get to go race for a championship. Let’s go!”

Allmendinger was credited with his second straight runner-up finish in a Daytona Xfinity Series race.

“I’d have to go see the replay, study it,” Allmendinger said. “I’m sure I will. Kind of kept trying to block both lanes, and it looked like Austin moved up there and timed it perfect where he just got a massive shove, and I probably could have tried to really block, but I think I probably would have wrecked us if I would have done it.

“Seeing there, I’ve got to be better sometimes not getting too far out in the lead. I don’t know, I’ll just keep working on it, man.”

Noah Gragson was third, followed by Herbst and Justin Allgaier. Sheldon Creed, Alfredo, Ryan Sieg, Josh Bilicki and Brandon Brown completed the top 10.

Hill led four times for 23 of the 120 laps, second only to the 38 of reigning series champion Daniel Hemric, who was the victim of a 10-car crash on Lap 91. Hemric finished 28th, four laps down.

Another casualty of the final wreck was Ty Gibbs, who was making his first Xfinity start on the Daytona oval. Gibbs was 11th when the field was frozen by the caution.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series returns to action next weekend at Auto Club Speedway for the Production Alliance 300 on Feb. 26, 2022 (5 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Note: Post-race inspection in the NASCAR Xfinity Series garage is complete. There were no issues. The No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet of Austin Hill is the official race winner.

Posted on February 19, 2022 by Reid Spencer

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Pit stops in the Daytona 500 will be fundamentally different this year — just ask Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

It’s not just because the new NASCAR Cup Series Next Gen cars have gone to a single-center lug instead of five lug nuts to secure each tire.

And it’s not just because the fuel cell capacity has increased roughly eight percent to 20 gallons, increasing the time necessary to fuel the car.

As Stenhouse points out, there are other factors that radically alter the process of getting to pit road — namely the new five-speed sequential transmission and the larger brake package on the Cup cars.

“Coming to pit road is totally different,” Stenhouse told the NASCAR Wire Service on Saturday morning during an appearance with sponsor Bimbo Bakeries USA. “You’re wide open until you get to the end of the (Turn 4) grandstands at least — and pit road is not far away.

“And then the brake package we have on the car, and the drag and the downforce we have, you can get it stopped before you get to pit road. I know (Kyle) Larson said it caught him off guard the other night (in the Bluegreen Vacations Duels), and he was way too conservative getting to pit road.”

The new transmission also requires a different process with the shifter and clutch.

“Getting into your pit box is difficult,” Stenhouse said. “You’re downshifting on the way into pit road. So you get to second gear from fifth. When you come into your pit box, you would always just throw it in neutral.

“Now you have to push the clutch in and go through first, then go to neutral to get there. Then you can release the clutch and pull into your pit box. Or I’ve thought about leaving it in first gear and leaving the clutch in, because when you put these cars in gear, it really turns the rear tires a lot.

“You can’t do that when they’re trying to change tires, or, obviously, you’ll mess them up.”

In the second Duel, Stenhouse’s crew chief, Brian Pattie, told his driver to leave the pit stall on his command, rather than on the drop of the jack.

“The other night he told me going into it that I would go on him, because he felt like the tires would be done before the fuel. For how much fuel we needed to make it to the end, he felt like the tires should be done, so he said to make sure I went on him.

“That’s evolving.”