When the Cup drivers are away, the Xfinity drivers will play…or at least that’s what many thought heading into Road America this weekend. Only one Cup series regular was entered this weekend for the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ Road America 180, in a race that would be dominated by one driver, and one strategy move.
Qualifying at the four-mile road course in Wisconsin was rained out, thus setting the field based on practice times. Ben Rhodes (#88 Alpha Energy Solutions Chevy), the young development driver for JR Motorsports, would start on pole, with teammate Chase Elliott (#9 NAPA Chevy) alongside.
The race would get off to a slow start, after Tommy Drissi (#26 Straight Outta Compton Toyota) would get stuck in the sand on Lap 1. After the restart, though, the opening half of the race would be controlled by Chase Elliott, who would lead by an astounding twelve seconds at one point in the race.
Strategy would come into play throughout the race, as drivers and crew chiefs would be counting backwards to see if they could stretch fuel and use pit strategy to win the race. Thanks to a late race caution, the leaders would get shuffled up, putting Blake Koch (#8 LeafFilter Toyota) to the lead. However, he would run out of fuel under caution with eight laps to go, handing the lead over to Paul Menard (#33 Menards Chevy).
On what would be the final restart, no one could touch Paul Menard. The only Cup driver in the field, racing in his home race, Paul Menard would win the Road America 180.
Coming home in second was Ryan Blaney (#22 Discount Tire Ford), the man with the second most Cup experience in the field, and Brian Scott (#2 Shore Lodge Chevy) in third. Meanwhile, Xfinity points leader Chris Buescher (#60 Fastenal Ford) came home in ninth, hanging on to a sixteen point lead in the standings over second place Ty Dillon.
The next race up for the NASCAR Xfinity Series will be on Labor Day Weekend at the historic Darlington Raceway. Tune in and see the race on Saturday night on your local NBC station.
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