NASCAR
Cup Series Off-Weekend Puts Spotlight on Xfinity and Truck Series at Iowa for Father’s Day
Father’s Day provided a rare off weekend for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. But the Xfinity and Truck Series drivers both had races at Iowa Speedway. Fans were treated to 2 amazing races for Father’s Day weekend, as 2 drivers got their 2nd win of 2018 in The Hawkeye State.
Truck Race Shows off Iowa’s Many Racing Grooves
Race number 9 of the 2018 season for the Camping World Truck Series saw the tailgaters take to Iowa on Saturday. The 200 lap event provided plenty of action, as Iowa’s multiple grooves gave drivers options for racing lines. Second generation star Harrison Burton started the day on pole. Many hungry drivers also made moves to the front early on. Stage 1 saw Matt Crafton and John Hunter Nemechek lead in addition to Burton. Nemechek, who won the last short track race at Martinsville, would win the stage.
Pre-race Favorites Come Up Short
The day did not go as planned for Kyle Busch Motorsports, as some of their young drivers had issues. In his series debut, Christian Eckes spun early, but would recover to finish 8th in the 46. Todd Gilliland, who recently turned 18, was involved in 2 separate incidents where he hit the wall in turn 2. Gilliland’s day would end in a disappointing 2the 609th-place result.
Gilliland’s second incident was the only caution brought out in Stage 2, as the 60 lap run had tons of intense racing for the lead. At one point, the top 5 drivers were within a second of each other. They were all using every line on the wide racetrack to gain ground. The stage would go to Stewart Friesen, as the dirt racer took the lead on lap 77.
The final stage had a major wreck that took out many of the top running trucks. Lap 137 saw Matt Crafton blow a tire in turn 1 while inside the top 10. Before making wall contact, he collected Ben Rhodes, Friesen, Nemechek, and Dalton Sergeant. Only Friesen would recover to finish inside the top-10, with a 9th place run.
Besides the big wreck, the final laps were all about Brett Moffitt. The native Iowa driver of the Hattori Racing number 16 took the lead on lap 125, and never looked back. Hattori Racing is still unsure about their sponsorship for some remaining races this year. One can only hope that Moffitt’s performance will help them fully race for a championship.
Daring Last-Lap Move for the Win
Moffitt was being chased down late in the race by Noah Gragson, in Kyle Busch’s 18 truck. At times Gragson was the faster truck, but Moffitt was able to hold him off using the high line. That all nearly changed on the last lap however, as Gragson made a dive bomb move into turn 3. This aggressive slide job, or ‘video game move,’ saw Gragson briefly pass Moffitt. But Gragson also brushed the wall in turn 4 and was passed by Moffitt, who went on to win. This move was very reminiscent of Carl Edwards’ move on Jimmie Johnson at Kansas in 2008.
With this win, Brett Moffitt now has 2 victories in 2018, as he won Atlanta in February. Winning any Truck Series race is special. A driver winning at a home track is even better. But winning on Father’s Day weekend “means everything” to Brett Moffitt. “My dad’s done everything for me in my career and been my rock my whole life,” said Moffitt in victory lane.
The remainder of the top 10 finishers from the Iowa Truck race were Gragson, Burton, David Gilliland, Johnny Sauter, Jesse Little, Cody Coughlin, Eckes, Friesen, and Myatt Snider. The next Truck Series race will be at Gateway Motorsports Park on Saturday.
Xfinity Championship Favorites Highlight Sunday Race
Sunday was a day of highs and lows for many in the Xfinity Series title fight, as the Playoff picture took a big swing. Austin Cindric started on pole and would lead, but many title contenders would be strong threats for the win. One pre-race favorite, Christopher Bell, would start 39th due to failing qualifying inspection.
Justin Allgaier in particular had a statement to prove in the Iowa standalone race. Back in May, Allgaier won at Dover, but his car was found to be out of tolerance. As a result, he was stripped of Playoff eligibility from that win. Allgaier still won the race, but could not use that win to lock himself into the postseason. Since then, Allgaier’s team has been oddly inconsistent, and he has had 2 sub-30th place finishes due to crashes. With no Cup drivers in the field, Iowa was a must-perform race for Allgaier.
Dominant Drive Leads to Redemption for Allgaier
After starting 11th, Allgaier took the lead on lap 59, and was the class of the field from that point on. Driver 7 would win both stages and the race in dominating fashion, leading 182 laps. This win locks Allgaier into the Playoffs once again. Allgaier has made the championship finale in each of the last 2 years only to come up short.
Winning on Father’s Day was extra special for Allgaier too, as his wife and daughter were in attendance at Iowa. “Incredible. We’re in the middle of corn fields — how could you not enjoy this? … Doing it on Father’s Day, it was really cool having my daughter here,” said Allgaier.
The top 10 at Iowa had many Xfinity regulars who will likely be Playoff contenders in the fall. Christopher Bell, Daniel Hemric, Cole Custer, Brandon Jones, Riley Herbst, Ty Majeski, Tyler Reddick, Matt Tifft, and Kaz Grala were the top finishers from Iowa. Up next for the Xfinity Series is Chicago, in 2 weeks on NBCSN.
Up-and-Down Days for Other Xfinity Contenders
Points leader Elliott Sadler came into Iowa with a commanding 41 point lead. However, a flat tire late in Stage 1, and forced him to pit. This would force Sadler to give up several laps to the leaders, as he finished in 28th place. Prior to last week at Michigan, Sadler had no finish in 2018 worse than 9th. But his last 2 races have resulted in disappointing sub-25th place finishes. Sadler is still the Xfinity Series points leader, but now only by 4 points.
At one point, Daniel Hemric was racing hard against Allgaier for the lead. Hemric actually was able to edge ahead for 2 laps. After finishing runner up last week at Michigan, Hemric was able to stay consistent and finish Iowa in 3rd place. A Championship-4 driver in 2017, it seems to be only a matter of time until Hemric gets his first career Xfinity Series win.
After starting 39th, many would expect Christopher Bell to be more than happy to leave Iowa as the 2nd place finisher. However, the Oklahoma dirt racer was fighting hard in the closing laps against Justin, getting oh so close to the top spot. With 2 laps remaining, Bell nearly made contact with the wall, and lost all of his momentum. With his win from Richmond, Bell is in the Playoffs and sure is a title favorite.
Father’s Day Weekend Takeaways From Iowa
Iowa Speedway and NASCAR’s 2 lower series go perfectly for Father’s Day weekend. Both days put on incredible racing that was not over until the last lap for either series. Iowa Speedway is no doubt a favorite for drivers and fans alike. The track’s multiple grooves always put on a great show. Only time will tell if the Cup Series will ever join the Xfinity and Truck Series at Iowa Speedway. For the time being, Iowa is a perfect track for names to be made in each of these series. Both championships are quickly heading to dramatic Playoff fights which will be entertaining all the way to Homestead.
