TC Daily Pit Stop: Allmendinger Turns Creed to Win Xfinity Race at COTA; Zane Smith Burns it Down (Literally) After Winning Truck Race; Byron on Cup Pole
TC Daily Pit Stop: Sunday, March 26th, 2023
AJ Allmendinger Recovers from Accident; Holds Off William Byron for Xfinity Win at COTA
PHOTO CREDIT: Sean Gardner / Getty Images
AJ Allmendinger scored the victory in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series Pit Boss 250 at Circuit of the Americas, but he had to recover from early trouble, had to punt Sheldon Creed out of the way with 14 laps to go, and had to fend off William Byron in order to snag the win.
After a controversial move that sent Creed spinning from the lead, in what could have been his first-career Xfinity Series win, Allmendinger was just perfect enough down the stretch to hold off Byron for the race win.
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Video: AJ Allmendinger Boots Sheldon Creed From Lead Late at COTA
PHOTO CREDIT: FS1 race broadcast
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Zane Smith, Front Row Motorsports Utilize ‘Fire’ Strategy to Win at COTA
PHOTO CREDIT: Nigel Kinrade, NKP, Courtesy of Ford Performance
Zane Smith scored the win for the second-consecutive season in the NASCAR Truck Series event at Circuit of the Americas, and while he was good on Saturday, he was the benefactor of bad luck suffered by NASCAR Cup Series contenders in the race.
Ross Chastain and Kyle Busch, who dominated the event, both found trouble in the late stages of the event. For Chastain, it was a faulty fuel pump that led to his hopes of a win coming to an end.
For Busch, it was a faulty pit strategy call that mired him deep in the pack on a late-race restart. While Busch nearly completed the rally, he was only able to muster a runner-up finish to Smith.
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DRIVER STANDINGS
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Video: Zane Smith’s No. 38 Truck Bursts into Flames After Victory Burnout
PHOTO CREDIT: FS1 race broadcast
What a wild victory celebration.. After performing his post-race burnout, Zane Smith’s No. 38 machine literally burned out as the rain flaps behind the rear tires ignited.
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William Byron Edges Out Tyler Reddick for Ninth Career Cup Pole at COTA
PHOTO CREDIT: Craig White, TobyChristie.com
William Byron’s incredible start to the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season continued on Saturday as he scored the pole for Sunday’s EchoPark Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas, and in doing so he became the first driver in NASCAR Cup Series history to score a pole at four different road courses.
Byron was able to beat out Tyler Reddick, who wowed many with his blistering lap in Round of the qualifying session, by 0.138 sec.