Austin Dillon started on the pole. Earlier in the day, he had become the first driver in the history of the Nationwide Series to win four consecutive poles. He was able to lead the first lap of the race, but it was not completed under green as the first caution of the race waved. Alex Bowman got loose underneath Brian Scott in turn 3 and he went for a spin. He saved it and avoided huge damage, but he still had a small amount. Behind them, Travis Pastrana got loose coming into turn 3 and went for a spin up the track. Jeffrey Earnhardt thought he could clear Pastrana before he moved all the way up the track, but he couldn't and Earnhardt slammed into Pastrana's side. Brian Vickers also spun and received some front end damage while the rest of the spins were going on. All five drivers had damage with Brian Vickers and Jeffrey Earnhardt's being the worst. No drivers received the lucky dog. The race went green and it was a short time after this that the second caution of the race waved on lap 7. Dexter Stacey blew a tire in turn 3 and slammed the outside wall. He received heavy damage and did not continue. No drivers received the lucky dog. Now, the race could finally begin without incident.
The race went back green and it continued on until the first round of green flag pit stops of the race on lap 40. Brad Sweet ran out of gas, but he would later recover. Everything else went smoothly and Austin Dillon returned to the lead. These stops led to the third caution of the race on lap 64. Debris flew out from the back of Justin Allgaier's car and littered the backstretch. Subsequently, Allgaier received the lucky dog. Now, the strategy calls began to come out. Austin Dillon, Regan Smith, Brian Scott, and Chris Buescher decided to stay out. The race went back green and it was obvious that the move might have been a mistake for Dillon. He was freight trained and Joey Logano moved to the lead. All the other drivers seemed to have made a mistake too, but Regan Smith held on for third spot. On lap 70, a caution was narrowly avoided. Mike Bliss, who was running sixteenth, got loose coming out of turn 2 and went for a spin down the backstretch. He saved the car and continued on while the race stayed green. This is where Austin Dillon's day started getting bad. He had to come down pit road on lap 71 because he had a flat left rear tire that was caused by debris from the previous caution. His team replaced it and he fell a lap down. Now, he had to fight his way back to the lead lap and it would not be easy.
The race continued on until the fourth caution of the race on lap 80. Brian Scott littered debris on the frontstretch. This wasn't the only thing that happened. Sam Hornish Jr., who had been a contender the whole race, began pouring out smoke from the back of his car. He reported to pit road and his team sent him to the garage. The problem was a punctured oil pump caused by the debris from Justin Allgaier's car. Brad Sweet received the lucky dog. With this, Regan Smith was sure to gain a good many points to add to his large points lead. Even more strategy was used on this caution as Joey Logano, Chris Buescher, Elliott Sadler, and Parker Kligerman did not pit. The race went green and Chris Buescher immediately dove to pit road since he had stayed out the last two cautions. He gave up second as the leaders took off. Joey Logano got away with the lead and held it until the fifth and final caution of the race on lap 98. Debris was spotted on the frontstretch. Even more strategy was used as Parker Kligerman was the only driver to stay on the track as others took two and four tires. It was sure to be a good finish and Austin Dillon also received the lucky dog. This put him back on the lead lap and put him in a good spot to battle for the win.
The race went back green for the final time and Parker Kligerman jumped out to a quick lead. The battle was for second as Trevor Bayne, Regan Smith, Kyle Larson, Paul Menard, and Kyle Busch contended for the spot. Since Kligerman would have to pit if the race went green the rest of the way, this would be the battle for the win. Things finally settled out and Regan Smith held second spot as Kyle Larson followed in third. Kligerman finally made his stop and Smith inherited the lead. All he had to do was hold off Larson, which wasn't an easy task. Larson gained on him every lap, but Smith gained back on the frontstretch. The good racing almost ended due to a caution. On lap 121, Austin Dillon's bad day became even worse. On lap 121, he was running ninth when he began to slow on the backstretch. By the time he reached turn 3, the car was smoking and he had to make his way to the apron. He had lost an engine and his chance at victory was finished. The caution did not wave and the racing continued. After a valiant battle, Larson came up a bit short and Smith went on to his third career NASCAR Nationwide Series victory.
All things considered, it was an awesome day for Regan Smith. Not only did he win the race, but he also gained points on Sam Hornish Jr. and Austin Dillon after they had bad days. Plus, Smith further solidified that he is a contender for the championship. Also, Kyle Larson continued to perform. He grabbed his second runner up position of his Nationwide Series career and gained points on Alex Bowman in the rookie battle. If you are looking for a future favorite driver, Larson is one that definitely will not disappoint. Also, Kyle Busch finished an astonishing fourth and did not lead a lap. This could foretell the future of his season in the Nationwide Series or it could fuel the fire and make him strive for more wins. The NASCAR Nationwide Series heads to the first road course race of the season at Road America. Will Nelson Piquet Jr. repeat at Road America, will a road course ringer grab the victory, or will a Nationwide regular shine at a road course event? We will have to wait until next week to find out.
(More Stats Down Below!)
Cautions:
1st Caution: Lap 1- Alex Bowman got loose underneath Brian Scott in turn 3 and went for a spin. Travis Pastrana went for a spin coming into turn 3 and Jeffrey Earnhardt slammed into his door. Brian Vickers also spun in turn 3 while the other drivers were spinning.
2nd Caution: Lap 7- Dexter Stacey blew a tire in turn 3 and slammed the outside wall.
3rd Caution: Lap 64- Debris from Justin Allgaier's car was spotted on the backstretch.
4th Caution: Lap 80- Debris from Brian Scott's car was spotted on the frontstretch.
5th Caution: Lap 98- Debris was spotted on the frontstretch.
Lucky Dogs:
1st Caution: None
2nd Caution: None
3rd Caution: Justin Allgaier
4th Caution: Brad Sweet
5th Caution: Austin Dillon
Top 5 Finishers:
1st: Regan Smith
2nd: Kyle Larson
3rd: Paul Menard
4th: Kyle Busch
5th: Trevor Bayne
Notables Not in Top 5:
8th: Elliott Sadler
11th: Joey Logano
17th: Travis Pastrana
20th: Austin Dillon
32nd: Sam Hornish Jr.
33rd: Brian Vickers
Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/nationwide-series/leaderboard/leaderboard-live.html
http://racing-reference.info/race/2013_Alliance_Truck_Parts_250/B
-Image:
http://media.syracuse.com/motorsports/photo/12937127-standard.jpg
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