Ryan Truex repeats at Dover, wins wild Xfinity Series race at the Monster Mile
Ryan Truex has once again won the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Dover. Another win at the Monster Mile, Truex’s home track. Does this mean we are going to see big brother Martin pull off the win tomorrow?
This race had everything. Great first two stages. Then the rain moved in and threatened to end this whole thing with less than 40 laps to go. However, NASCAR didn’t give up on the race and kept sending the drivers out.
This one came down to a couple of overtime restarts. Ryan Truex put himself in position to be there when it mattered, led just a single lap all day, and it was the most important one. Carson Kvapil was there with a shot to win in just his second career start.
Two career wins for Truex, both coming at Dover. This is also the 200th Xfinity Series win all-time for Joe Gibbs Racing.
Every time a new leader went to the front, it felt like the win was coming. Whether due to rain or otherwise. Of course, it was the least likely driver, one who was overlooked most of the day, who gets the win.
Early wreck and a huge fire in Stage 1
The first stage of the BetRivers 200 at Dover was interesting. The Monster Mile track was covered by clouds and the temperatures were cool. So, this track did not grip up during the Cup Series practice and qualifying sessions.
Early on, JJ Yeley and Hailie Deegan were in a wreck courtesy of Dawson Cram. Yeley was driving the Joey Gase No. 35 car, so more Cram and Gase drama. Yeley was wrecked out of the race while Deegan was able to continue but with big damage and little speed.
Then, Ryan Sieg had an issue when his car caught on fire. The flames engulfed the vehicle as Sieg got out as quickly as he could.
All of that drama led to an uneasy first stage. Things were just not flowing well. It is hard to get a rhythm in the race when it keeps getting stopped for caution. The whole time, Ryan Truex was biding his time and running his own race.
Justin Allgaier was able to win the first stage. He was strong in qualifying and established himself as one of the best cars on the track early on with the stage win.
Cole Custer hits back in Stage 2
As the race went on, things were able to flow better. Drivers were getting their rhythm, making passes, and really racing. In this stage, Cole Custer was the top dog. He was just making his way through the field better than most.
Then when Custer got a hold of that clean air, he was gone. No one was able to match him on the track. Justin Allgaier was not far behind, but it was clear the No. 00 was the better of the two cars this late in the race.
One driver who impressed was Carson Kvapil. He raced the ARCA race last night, gaining experience on the track in his first trip to Dover. Kvapil and Ryan Truex were side by side going into the final restart and Truex just beat him fair and square at the end.
Cole Custer won the second stage and was told going into the third stage that rain was on the way. So, he had to get back out to the front and make moves quickly as the race went back green for the final stage.
Ryan Truex overcomes chaos in final stage to win
When this race got to the end, we really didn’t know if the rain would ruin the day or not. NASCAR did red flag the race for rain, but determined that it was fine to race again. And, to their credit, it was.
Cole Custer was screwed over by the rainfall ending. He wasn’t going to pit, then had to pit. But he had plenty of time to make his way to the front again. Meanwhile, the race began to divulge into madness.
Justin Allgaier had a moment that cost him the lead. Then it was a very interesting matchup with Sheldon Creed and Austin Hill out front battling for the lead in the last couple of dozen laps. Caution flags kept resetting the field, though.
It started to look like Hill had put himself in position to win another race. Then he spun out while battling with Carson Kvapil on the first overtime restart. That caution moved Ryan Truex up into the front row and he went to work.
Kvapil is a great, talented short track racer. He has a bright future in NASCAR and I believe will be an Xfinity Series champion soon if he goes full-time in the series. However, he doesn’t have as much experience in these late race situations. He handled himself great, but other drivers just knew more.
Ryan Truex gets another win for his family at the Monster Mile. You can’t help but smile seeing him win again after all of the struggles that he has had over the years. But it would have been great seeing Kvapil claim a win in his second career start. Overall, it was a great race that I hope you didn’t miss.