Box Score Info:
RACE: Subway Firecracker 250 Presented by Coca-Cola
TRACK: Daytona International Speedway
DRIVER: Elliott Sadler
CAR: No. 11 Sport Clips Toyota
START: 6th
FINISH: 21st
LAPS: 103/103
LAPS LED: One Time for 28 Laps
POINTS POSITION: 2nd (12 points out of 1st)
Post-Race Highlights:
- Elliott Sadler and the No. 11 Sport Clips teamed earned the sixth starting position for Friday night’s NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) Subway Firecracker 250 Presented by Coca-Cola at Daytona International Speedway after rain shorted the scheduled three session qualifier to one.
- Following a another rain delay late in the day, the race started under the lights with Sadler quickly connecting with teammates Kyle Busch and Darrell Wallace, Jr. The trio made their way to the front with Sadler taking over the lead on lap eight and leading the next 28 laps with Busch and Wallace making it a Joe Gibbs Racing train at the front of the field.
- As the race continued under green-flag conditions, the field was forced to make green-flag pit stops with the leaders hitting pit road on lap 36. Sadler pitted for four tires and fuel before returning to the high-banked 2.5-mile superspeedway.
- When the field cycled through green-flag pit stops, Sadler was scored in the second position when he reported to the team that he thought he had a loose wheel and was forced to pit on lap 43 as the vibration continued. After changing four tires and topping off with fuel, the team examined the tires and discovered the left rear was loose. Following the unscheduled stop, Sadler returned to the track in the 27th position and fell one lap down to the leaders taking over the ‘Lucky Dog’ position.
- Crossing the half-way mark of the race, the first caution waved for debris on lap 51 and with Sadler in the ‘Lucky Dog’ position, he was able to return to the lead lap. The team opted to bring Sadler down pit road for four tires and fuel. The race restarted on lap 57 with Sadler in the 27th position and the team urging him to save fuel when possible.
- Making his way through the field, Sadler moved back into the top 20 on lap 60 and returned to the top 10 on lap 73. Continuing to move to the front with the majority of the field stacked up two-wide, Sadler was in the 12th position when the second caution flag waved on lap 93 for an accident. Sadler stayed on track and restarted the race on lap 97 from the 12th position.
- With concern about how much fuel teams had and how far they could make it, the lap 97 restart proved to be a challenge as the second-place car stalled on the restart stacking up the field and causing several cars to make contact and spin out. Trying to miss the action, Sadler was hit from behind and spun out through the grass on the frontstretch. Sadler immediately went to pit road for fresh tires, fuel and to repair damage sustained in the spin. After returning to the track to keep from losing a lap, Sadler made a second stop to check the car. Sadler returned to the track and restarted 25th at the tail end of the longest line before crossing the finish line in the 21st position on lap 103.
- Kasey Kahne won the race followed by Regan Smith, Ryan Sieg, Ryan Reed and Kyle Larson.
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