NASCAR
Brad Keselowski Gets Second Xfinity Series Win of 2018 in Alsco 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway
Memorial Day Weekend’s first race saw the NASCAR Xfinity Series take to the high banked Charlotte Motor Speedway. After 13 cautions and a 1 hour rain delay, it was Team Penske and Brad Keselowski winning the Alsco 300.
Cup Drivers Return to the Xfinity Series
Charlotte’s Alsco 300 was the first Xfinity Series race since Texas in April where Cup Series drivers were allowed to compete. This opportunity saw several stars of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series come down to the Xfinity Series. Among them were Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, Chase Elliott, Jamie McMurray, and Ty Dillon.
A Tale of 2 Halves for Busch
The all-time Xfinity Series wins leader, Kyle Busch came into the Alsco 300 still looking for his first victory of 2018. After starting the day in 3rd, Busch showed aggression early on. Busch barely led lap 1 by a bumper over polesitter Keselowski. Lap 27 saw Busch make slight contact with the 22 to take back the lead. Kyle would go on to win both stages, leading a race-high 93 laps.
When the caution came out on lap 157, Kyle Busch made his way to pit road. This caution saw a split pit strategy among the leaders. Busch was putting on his last set of new tires. However, this would force him to restart back in 9th place.
On the restart with 39 laps remaining, Busch tried to make a 3 wide move below Dylan Lupton. While going below the 28 car, Busch clipped the infield grass with his left side tires. This mistake caused Busch to spin, also collecting Ty Majeski. This spin would end Busch’s chances of the win, but he would recover to finish 8th.
Rain Delay Sees New Faces Contending for the Win
Not long after Busch’s wreck, rain would strike at Charlotte. The Alsco 300 was under a red flag due to a popup shower for 61 minutes, as track drying was quick. The red flag came out under caution with 28 laps remaining in the Alsco 300, and racing would resume with 24 laps left. Brad Keselowski was the leader at this time. Only having a rain delay for 1 hour was a pleasant sight, as the forecast for the entire weekend at Charlotte looked like a washout.
After racing resumed, calamity struck for somAe of the Alsco 300’s front runners. While going 3-wide into turn 1 with 28 laps left, Daniel Hemric clipped Justin Allgaier in the right rear. This sent Allgaier shooting up the track, right into the path of Jamie McMurray. Allgaier and McMurray would both end the day in the garage, while Hemric went on to finish 7th.
Since Kyle Busch was eliminated from victory contention, several Xfinity-only drivers were battling against Keselowski for the win. Among them were Ryan Truex, Cole Custer, Christopher Bell, and Elliott Sadler.
In his first start with the newly-formed Fury Race Cars team, rookie Kaz Grala was able to finish the Alsco 300 in 10th place. Grala previously raced for JGL Racing, but was released from the team in the past week. Grala teamed up with NASCAR veteran Tony Eury Jr. to put together this temporary deal, and the strong run was a great day for this upstart team.
The top 10 finishers from the Alsco 300 were Keselowski, Cole Custer, Christopher Bell, Ty Dillon, Elliott Sadler, Ryan Truex, Daniel Hemric, Kyle Busch, Matt Tifft, and Kaz Grala.
Overtime Finish
Coming to 2 laps to go, Christopher Bell was chasing down Brad Keselowski for the lead and the win. A debris caution would come out, setting up an Overtime finish for the Alsco 300. On the final restart, Bell spun his tires, losing 2nd place to Cole Custer.
On the final lap, a wreck on the backstretch with Tyler Reddick and Ty Majeski would bring out a race-ending caution. This would hand the win to Keselowski, his 4th at Charlotte and 2nd of 2018.
Brad Keselowski, who won earlier this year at Phoenix, breaks a 13-race streak of different winners in the Xfinity Series. With the absence of Cup drivers over the past month, this streak was a great sign for parity in Xfinity competition.
How to Watch the Next Race
The Alsco 300 from Charlotte Motor Speedway marked the 11th race of the 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series. One-third of the season is now in the books. Xfinity Series drivers will be back in action next weekend at Pocono Raceway, for the 3rd-annual Pocono Green 250. To make this race more unpredictable, Xfinity teams will race the aero package previously seen in the All-Star Race. Coverage will begin on Saturday, June 2, at 1 PM EST on FS1, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
