Photo Credit: Stephanie McLaughlin/OnPitRoad.com
The NASCAR XFINITY Series kicks off the month of June from the Dover International Speedway with the OneMain Financial 200. It will be the 35th edition of the OneMain Financial 200 and every race has had it’s exciting moments. Last season had the first running of Dash4Cash heat racing that saw Erik Jones secure his second victory of the season. Jones returns this weekend seeking his second Miles the Monster trophy. Darrell Waltrip, Todd Bodine, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards, Joey Logano, and Kyle Busch are all tied with two victories a piece but none are entered in Saturday’s race.
It’s the final Dash4Cash race of the season which means no Cup drivers with more than five years experience in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series can race. Last weekend’s winner Ryan Blaney will pilot the No. 22 Fitzgerald Glider Kits Ford Mustang and he’s looking for win number two this season. Along with Blaney, defending race winner Jones will pilot the No. 20 Reser’s American Classic Toyota Camry. Justin Allgaier is the only driver to have a victory in a Dash4Cash race at Phoenix while Daniel Hemric was the best finishing XFINITY regular at Bristol. If the Richard Childress Racing driver can secure the bonus today, he can punch his ticket to the playoffs.
Speaking of JR Motorsports, their drivers are on point this season with Allgaier capturing the victory at Phoenix and the Dash4Cash win at Richmond. Despite not finding victory lane yet this season, William Byron and Elliott Sadler both have great seasons going. Sadler has a best finish of second coming at Talladega, while Byron has had a stout beginning of his rookie season but has had a rough few weeks. His best finish came at Phoenix where he finished fourth. Sadler, Allgaier, and Byron all three sit first through third in the points with their teammate Michael Annett finds himself ninth in points. If the regular season were to end today all of JR Motorsports would make the playoffs.
Hemric and Cole Custer both are having successful transitions into the NASCAR XFINITY Series from the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series as they’re both currently in the top-12 in points. Both drivers have starts at Dover in the Truck Series. Hemric moved on to the final round of qualifying while Custer will start 14th in today’s race. Custer was the highest finishing XFINITY regular last weekend and if he can do that again today he will be $100,000 richer.
Roush Fenway Racing is looking to break a tie of most victories by a team at Dover with five victories where they are tied with Joe Gibbs Racing and there is one driver you can’t overlook. Darrell Wallace Jr. finished second in this race last season and has been on a roll this season netting six sixth-place finishes this season. He sits fifth in points, 83 points out of the lead. His teammate Ryan Reed, a winner at Daytona to open the season, is sixth in points.
With Kyle Larson starting on the pole and Brennan Poole starting in fifth, both drivers are looking to deliver Chip Ganassi his first Miles the Monster trophy in the NASCAR XFINITY Series. Larson has been fast this weekend, and that speed has transitioned to Poole. Poole, of course, will be racing in the first two stages of the race for a spot in the Dash4Cash and he could be chasing an $100,000 dollar bonus on top of his first career victory. In three starts at Dover, Poole has a best finish of 10th last May but today he was able to secure his best start at the Monster Mile. In fifth, he will be the best starting XFINITY regular.
