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Dale Earnhardt Jr. Daytona 2015

July 6, 2015
By Bill Speros

NASCAR Wire Service

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the rain-delayed Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola early Monday morning at Daytona International Speedway.

The race finished at 2:41 a.m. and concluded with a hard crash featuring Austin Dillon’s No. 3 car going airborne and smashing to a stop in the catch-fence near Turn 1. Dillon walked away from the wreck, the fourth major crash of the night.

Earnhardt led the most laps of the race and had the convincing support of the fans remaining. It was his fourth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory on the 2.5-mile Florida track.

The Sunday night start of the race was delayed 3 hours and 34 minutes due to rain that soaked Volusia County throughout Sunday afternoon and evening. The delay was a harbinger for the race itself, which included four major crashes and nine caution flags that covered 43 of the scheduled 160 laps before the first green-white checkered finish.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series moves to Kentucky Speedway this week where it will debut its new aerodynamic package in the NSCS Quaker State 400 presented by Advance Auto Parts on Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network).

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Austin Dillon Plank

July 4, 2015

By Jeff Olson
NASCAR Wire Service

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Austin Dillon led just nine laps Saturday night, including the one that mattered most.

Dillon, grandson of legendary team owner Richard Childress, outlasted Elliott Sadler and Chase Elliott during a green-white-checkered finish to claim the crash-filled Subway Firecracker 250, the NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Daytona International Speedway.

“This is Daytona, man,” Dillon said during the post-race celebration. “There are so many family memories here. … I’m just happy for my grandfather. He told me once when we were here in Victory Lane with Dale Earnhardt that you’ll have this opportunity one day. It means so much to be here.”

A multi-car crash on Lap 96 of the 100-lap race took out Brian Scott, who led 84 laps and was in front when the crash started. Scott moved to the outside line to block Elliott Sadler, but was spun out, collecting several cars. Dillon slipped through the crash, then stayed ahead of Elliott after the final restart.

Sadler recovered from the crash and surged past Elliott as the field reached the checkered flag to finish second. Afterward, he blamed Scott for the crash.

“Either Brian’s spotter or Brian tried to make the move too late to block us,” Sadler said. “We were already up to his right rear door. It wrecked us, man. This is Daytona. It’s a shame. We had a car good enough to win.”

Scott admitted the move was aggressive and poorly timed, but said he thought Sader could have given him room.

“I told myself I was going to be aggressive, and I was going for the win,” Scott said. “I was trying to time that run. I knew the outside lane was coming. Obviously I mistimed it a little bit, but I still felt like I gave them room to split me and go high. Instead of going high on me, he turned me into the wall.”

Dillon scored his third XFINITY Series win of 2015 and fifth of his career, putting a smile on his grandfather’s face.

“It’s cool any time you win here at Daytona,” Childress said.

A 12-car pile-up with 10 laps to go collected the top two in the XFINITY points standings – Chris Buescher and Ty Dillon – and set the stage for a restart with five laps remaining. Scott restarted ahead of Sadler and Austin Dillon.

Sadler fell behind in the outside line but regained momentum and appeared to be ready to pass Scott, who was leading the inside line. Scott moved up to get in front of Sadler, but didn’t have enough room and was turned into the wall.

The crash left only nine cars on the lead lap. Dillon restarted ahead of Dakoda Armstrong and Chase Elliott for the green-white-checkered finish, and Elliott quickly moved into second on the low line. He finished third, followed by Kasey Kahne, Benny Gordon and Armstrong.

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NASCAR XFINITY Series Race – Subway Firecracker 250
Daytona International Speedway
Daytona Beach, Florida
Saturday, July 04, 2015
1. (7) Austin Dillon(i), Chevrolet, 104, $87386.
2. (10) Elliott Sadler, Ford, 104, $74133.
3. (11) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 104, $52880.
4. (21) Kasey Kahne(i), Chevrolet, 104, $35703.
5. (20) Benny Gordon, Chevrolet, 104, $31248.
6. (17) Dakoda Armstrong, Ford, 104, $34335.
7. (3) David Ragan(i), Toyota, 104, $27584.
8. (5) Erik Jones(i), Toyota, 104, $32135.
9. (35) Harrison Rhodes #, Chevrolet, 104, $32005.
10. (34) Ross Chastain #, Chevrolet, 103, $31274.
11. (18) Timmy Hill(i), Toyota, 103, $23769.
12. (13) Chris Buescher, Ford, 103, $29214.
13. (8) Ryan Reed, Ford, 103, $28684.
14. (4) Joey Logano(i), Ford, 103, $22154.
15. (1) Daniel Suarez #, Toyota, 103, $32427.
16. (40) Peyton Sellers #, Chevrolet, 102, $27674.
17. (15) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 102, $27549.
18. (22) Blake Koch, Toyota, 102, $27423.
19. (23) John Wes Townley(i), Chevrolet, 101, $27296.
20. (28) JJ Yeley, Toyota, 101, $27670.
21. (30) Martin Roy, Chevrolet, 101, $27019.
22. (26) Bobby Gerhart, Chevrolet, 101, $20887.
23. (2) Brian Scott, Chevrolet, 101, $32137.
24. (39) Eric McClure, Toyota, 100, $26585.
25. (9) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, 100, $26608.
26. (6) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 100, $26333.
27. (32) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, Accident, 97, $26181.
28. (36) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 97, $26004.
29. (25) David Starr, Toyota, Accident, 96, $25879.
30. (38) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, Accident, 95, $26052.
31. (24) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 95, $25621.
32. (37) Cale Conley #, Toyota, 95, $25485.
33. (31) Mike Harmon, Dodge, 95, $25369.
34. (14) Darrell Wallace Jr. #, Ford, Accident, 90, $25258.
35. (19) Aric Almirola(i), Ford, Accident, 90, $19135.
36. (16) Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, Accident, 90, $23288.
37. (12) Scott Lagasse Jr., Chevrolet, Accident, 58, $22288.
38. (33) Derrike Cope, Chevrolet, Accident, 15, $21288.
39. (29) Morgan Shepherd, Chevrolet, Overheating, 10, $14288.
40. (27) Dexter Bean, Chevrolet, Vibration, 6, $13288.
Average Speed of Race Winner: 132.804 mph.
Time of Race: 01 Hrs, 57 Mins, 28 Secs. Margin of Victory: Caution.
Caution Flags: 7 for 24 laps.
Lead Changes: 9 among 5 drivers.
Lap Leaders: D. Suarez # 0; B. Scott 1-6; D. Suarez # 7-12; B. Scott 13-16; R. Chastain # 17; B. Scott 18-55; J. Logano(i) 56-59; A. Dillon(i) 60; B. Scott 61-96; A. Dillon(i) 97-104.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): B. Scott 4 times for 84 laps; A. Dillon(i) 2 times for 9 laps; D. Suarez # 1 time for 6 laps; J. Logano(i) 1 time for 4 laps; R. Chastain # 1 time for 1 lap.
Top 10 in Points: C. Buescher – 560; C. Elliott – 526; T. Dillon – 517; R. Smith – 493; E. Sadler – 489; D. Wallace Jr. # – 472; B. Scott – 453; R. Reed – 441; B. Gaughan – 438; D. Suarez # – 437.

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during qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway on July 4, 2015 in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. – Duh!

1 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Nationwide Stars and Stripes Chevrolet 2015 Owner Points – 6th
2 3 Austin Dillon Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet 2015 Owner Points – 23rd
3 15 Clint Bowyer 5-Hour Energy Toyota 2015 Owner Points – 16th
4 27 Paul Menard NIBCO/Menards Chevrolet 2015 Owner Points – 12th
5 6 Trevor Bayne AdvoCare Ford 2015 Owner Points – 28th
6 38 David Gilliland Florida Lottery Ford 2015 Owner Points – 30th
7 47 AJ Allmendinger Kroger/Better Than Bouillon Chevrolet 2015 Owner Points – 24th
8 55 David Ragan Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota 2015 Owner Points – 29th

HAVE A LISTEN, WON’T YOU?

THE FINAL LAP WEEKLY #365 – RYAN REED – DAYTONA COKE ZERO 400 PREVIEW

^^CLICK ^^
9 1 Jamie McMurray McDonald’s Chevrolet 2015 Owner Points – 8th
10 5 Kasey Kahne Great Clips/Shark Week Chevrolet 2015 Owner Points – 9th
11 9 Sam Hornish Jr. Twisted Tea Ford 2015 Owner Points – 25th
12 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s Patriotic Chevrolet 2015 Owner Points – 5th
13 18 Kyle Busch Interstate Batteries Toyota 2015 Owner Points – 21st
14 34 Brett Moffitt # CSX Play It Safe Ford 2015 Owner Points – 33rd
15 13 Casey Mears GEICO Chevrolet 2015 Owner Points – 22nd
16 42 Kyle Larson Coca-Cola Chevrolet 2015 Owner Points – 17th
17 31 Ryan Newman Grainger Chevrolet 2015 Owner Points – 14th
18 46 Michael Annett Pilot Flying J Chevrolet 2015 Owner Attempts
19 20 Matt Kenseth DeWalt Made in USA Toyota 2015 Owner Points – 10th
20 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row/Visser Precision Chevrolet 2015 Owner Points – 2nd
21 51 Justin Allgaier TradeMark Nitrogen Chevrolet 2015 Owner Points – 32nd
22 40 Landon Cassill(i) Snap Fitness Chevrolet 2015 Owner Points – 36th
23 24 Jeff Gordon Axalta Chevrolet 2015 Owner Points – 11th
24 19 Carl Edwards Subway Toyota 2015 Owner Points – 18th
25 16 Greg Biffle Cheez-It Ford 2015 Owner Points – 20th
26 33 Brian Scott(i) Shore Lodge Chevrolet 2015 Owner Points – 34th
27 10 Danica Patrick GoDaddy Chevrolet 2015 Owner Points – 19th
28 41 Kurt Busch Haas Automation Chevrolet 2015 Owner Points – 4th
29 35 Cole Whitt Speed Stick Ford 2015 Owner Points – 31st
30 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Fifth Third Bank Ford 2015 Owner Points – 27th
31 14 Tony Stewart Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet 2015 Owner Points – 26th
32 2 Brad Keselowski Alliance Truck Parts Ford 2015 Owner Points – 7th
33 22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford 2015 Owner Points – 3rd
34 4 Kevin Harvick Jimmy John’s/Budweiser Chevrolet 2015 Owner Points – 1st
35 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Ground Toyota 2015 Owner Points – 13th
36 43 Aric Almirola Smithfield Ford 2015 Owner Points – 15th
37 7 Alex Bowman Golden Corral Chevrolet 2015 Owner Points – 35th
38 32 Bobby Labonte C&J Energy Services Ford 2000 Past Champion
39 23 JJ Yeley(i) Dr Pepper Toyota 2015 Owner Attempts –
40 26 Jeb Burton # Maxim Toyota 2015 Owner Attemps –
41 83 Matt DiBenedetto # Dustless Blasting Toyota 2015 Owner attempts –
42 98 Josh Wise Heat Treating Inc./Royal Teak Ford 2015 Owner Attempts –
43 62 Brendan Gaughan(i) Vydox Plus Chevrolet 2015 Owner Attempts –

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during qualifying for the NASCAR XFINITY Series Subway Firecracker 250 at Daytona International Speedway on July 4, 2015 in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Daniel Suarez – Daytona XFinity Pole Sitter

1 18 Daniel Suarez # ARRIS Toyota 49.929 180.256
2 2 Brian Scott Shore Lodge Chevrolet 50.048 179.827
3 20 David Ragan(i) Interstate Batteries Toyota 50.140 179.497
4 22 Joey Logano(i) Discount Tire Ford 50.164 179.412
5 54 Erik Jones(i) Monster Energy Toyota 50.193 179.308
6 3 Ty Dillon Yuengling America’s Oldest Brewery Chevrolet 50.242 179.133
7 33 Austin Dillon(i) Rheem Chevrolet 50.243 179.129
8 16 Ryan Reed Lilly/American Diabetes Association Ford 50.351 178.745
9 62 Brendan Gaughan South Point Chevrolet 50.381 178.639
10 1 Elliott Sadler OneMain Financial Ford 50.398 178.579
11 9 Chase Elliott NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet 50.446 178.409
12 15 Scott Lagasse Jr. Florida DOT Chevrolet 50.454 178.380
13 60 Chris Buescher Bit-O-Honey Ford 50.286 178.976
14 6 Darrell Wallace Jr. # Cheez-It Ford 50.302 178.919
15 7 Regan Smith Fire Alarm Services Chevrolet 50.306 178.905
16 42 Brennan Poole DC Solar Chevrolet 50.395 178.589
17 43 Dakoda Armstrong WinField Ford 50.412 178.529
18 26 Timmy Hill(i) JGL Racing Toyota 50.497 178.228
19 98 Aric Almirola(i) Fresh from Florida Ford 50.541 178.073
20 66 Benny Gordon SomersetRegionalWaterResources Chevrolet 50.599 177.869
21 88 Kasey Kahne(i) Ragu Chevrolet 50.692 177.543
22 8 Blake Koch Celsius Healthy Energy Cola Toyota 50.692 177.543
23 25 John Wes Townley(i) Zaxby’s Chevrolet 50.699 177.518
24 01 Landon Cassill Flex Seal Chevrolet 50.712 177.473
25 44 David Starr Zachry Toyota 50.767 177.281
26 85 Bobby Gerhart Lucas Oil Chevrolet 50.799 177.169
27 92 Dexter Bean CrashClaimsR.us Chevrolet 50.878 176.894
28 28 JJ Yeley Texas 28 Spirits Stage Toyota 50.888 176.859
29 89 Morgan Shepherd Courtney Construction Chevrolet 51.007 176.446
30 90 Martin Roy Gamache Truck Center Chevrolet 51.038 176.339
31 74 Mike Harmon FatBobsGarage.com Dodge 51.056 176.277
32 39 Ryan Sieg Uncle Bob’s Self Storage Chevrolet 51.135 176.005
33 70 Derrike Cope EvergreenFabrication&IndustrialServices Chev 51.148 175.960
34 4 Ross Chastain # Flex Shot Chevrolet Owner Points
35 0 Harrison Rhodes # Flex Seal Colors Chevrolet Owner Points
36 51 Jeremy Clements RepairableVehicles.com/BRTExtrusions Chev Owner Points
37 14 Cale Conley # IAVA Toyota Owner Points
38 52 Joey Gase FaithofourFathers/SupportMilitary.org Chev Owner Points
39 24 Eric McClure Hefty Easy Grip Cups Toyota Owner Points
40 97 Peyton Sellers # Vroom Brands Chevrolet Owner Points