Earlier in the day, a thunderstorm with lightening moved through the Daytona area and drenched the high banks of Daytona International Speedway.  As a result, NASCAR cancelled both Xfiinty and Cup Series practice and qualifying.  The field for the Wawa 250 was set by the NASCAR rule book.  AJ Allmendinger will sit on the pole and bring the field to the green flag with Noah Gragson alongside.

Forty-three teams brought cars to the track with five teams going home.  Justin Williams, Ronnie Bassett, Timothy Viens, CJ McLaughlin, and Joe Nemechek all failed to make the race.

The starting lineup for the Wawa 250:
AJ Allmendinger
Noah Gragson
Sammy Smith
Sam Mayer
Josh Berry
Riley Herbst
Sheldon Creed
Ty Gibbs
Jeremy Clements
Landon Cassill
Ryan Sieg
Brandon Jones
Anthony Alfredo
Austin Hill
Justin Allgaier
Daniel Hemric
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Blaine Perkins
John Hunter Nemechek
Joe Graf Jr
Alex Labbe
Myatt Snider
Bayley Curre
Sage Karam
Brandon Brown
David Starr
Mason Massey
JJ Yeley
Jeb Burton
Caesar Bacarella
Joey Gase
Kyle Sieg
Matt Mills
Jesse Iwuji
Patrick Emerling
Ryan Vargas
Timmy Hill
Justin Haley

While this weekend marks the end of the regular season for the Cup Series drivers, the Xfinity Series still have four races – counting Daytona – before the end of the regular season and the playoff field is set.

Nasty weather remains in the area, but NASCAR believes they can get the race in.  As track drying continues, there are some lightening flashes in the background and rain drops on the camera lenses.

At 8:58pmEDT, track drying continues as NASCAR exerts every effort to get the race in on Friday night.

At 9:52pmEDT, NASCAR has called the drivers to their cars.  They are scheduled to strap in at 10:15 with engine start at 10:30.

Stages one and two of the race are 30 laps each with stage three lasting 40 laps for a total of 100 laps around the 2.5 mile track.  Drivers can run 45 to 50 laps on a single load of fuel.

After a three hour weather delay, the air is filled with the sound of roaring engines as the drivers exit the garage and head for pit road for pre-race ceremonies.

Justin Haley had to make an unscheduled trip down pit road for some radio issues.

AJ Allmendinger brings the field down for the green flag start of the race from the outside lane at 10:52pm.  Allmendinger gets out in front for the lead with Noah Gragson in second.

The double yellow line is the no go line for the drivers,  they cannot go below the line and advance their position.  Drivers are allowed to bump draft but cannot lock on in the Xfinity Series.

Lap two, AJ Allmendinger leads the race with Noah Gragson in second; Riley Herbst, Josh Berry, and Ty Gibbs round out the top five.

Lap four, AJ Allmendinger continues to lead the race but Noah Gragson and Sam Mayer are on his bumper.

Lap five, Noah Gragson passes AJ Allmendinger for the lead with Sam Mayer in second; Josh Berry, Riley Herbst, and Sheldon Creed round out the top five.  AJ Allmendinger falls to ninth place.

Lap seven, Noah Gragson leads the group on the outside lane with Sheldon Creed leading the inside lane. Creed and Gragson swap the lead back and forth.

Drivers are three wide through the field.

Lap nine, Noah Gragson leads the race with Josh Berry in second; Sam Mayer, Riley Herbst, and Sheldon Creed round out the top five.

Justin Haley continues to have radio issues; he can hear but there is a lot of static.

Lap 12, Noah Gragson leads the race with teammates Josh Berry and Sam Mayer in tow.  The fourth JR Motorsports driver Justin Allgaier is in 18th place.

The first caution flag of the race comes out on lap 16 when 18 year old Sammy Smith gets loose and hits the inside wall.  Smith reports that his car is very loose.  This was the young driver’s first trip to Daytona.

Some of the drivers come down pit road including the leaders Noah Gragson and Sam Mayer.  The drivers are within the pit window to make it to the end of stage two.

Josh Berry brings the field down for the green flag restart from the outside lane with Riley Herbst on the inside on lap 20.  Riley Herbst gets out in front with Ty Gibbs right behind him; Josh Berry, Sheldon Creed, and Landon Cassill round out the top five.

Lap 21, Ty Gibbs leads the race with Riley Herbst in second on the outside lane; Sheldon Creed, Brandon Jones, and Landon Cassill round out the top five.

The caution flag comes out on lap 22 for Kyle Sieg who has lost a tire and there are sparks coming from his car.  The tire carcass is resting on the track.

Out of the infield care center, Sammy Smith said that he was really free and just made a rookie mistake.

A few more drivers come down pit road for service.

Justin Allgaier is also reporting that he is very free; adding that several of the drivers are also free.

Ty Gibbs brings the field down for the green flag restart from the inside with Riley Herbst alongside with just six laps remaining in stage one.  Gibbs and Herbst are side by side with Herbst getting out in front. 

Lap 25, Ty Gibbs edges out for the lead with Riley Herbst in second; Brandon Jones, Landon Cassill, and AJ Allmendinger rounding out the top five.

Lap 27, Ty Gibbs leads the race with Brandon Jones in second; AJ Allmendinger, Daniel Hemric, and Justin Allgaier round out the top five.

With two laps remaining in stage one, the drivers are getting three wide.

Ty Gibbs wins stage one for his fourth stage win of the season.

The top 10 at the end of stage one:
Ty Gibbs
Austin Hill
Sheldon Creed
AJ Allmendinger
Josh Berry
Brandon Jones
Justin Allgaier
Sam Mayer
Justin Haley
Ryan Sieg

Drivers come down pit road for service.  Austin Hill and Caesar Bacarella make contact on pit road which spins Bacarella.  John Hunter Nemchek and Sage Karam also make contact on pit road.  Myatt Snider loses his fuel can.  Ricky Stenhouse Jr was caught speeding on pit road.

Josh Berry and Jeb Burton bring the field down for the green flag start of stage two on lap 35 with Josh Berry getting out in front on the inside lane.

Lap 36, Josh Berry is the leader with Brandon Brown in second; Anthony Alfredo, Jeb Burton, and Justin Allgaier round out the top five.

Lap 37, Brandon Brown takes the lead with Anthony Alfredo in second; Josh Berry, Jeb Burton, and Justin Allgaier round out the top five.

Lap 38 Anthony Alfredo takes the lead with Justin Allgaier in second; Noah Gragson, Brandon Brown, and Sheldon Creed round out the top five.  Back in the field the drivers are three wide.

Lap 39, Noah Gragson comes up on the inside and takes the lead briefly before Alfredo retakes the lead; Justin Allgaier, Sheldon Creed, and Ryan Sieg round out the top five.

Lap 41, Justin Allgaier takes the lead in a three wide battle; Ryan Sieg, Anthony Alfredo, Noah Gragson, and Sheldon Creed round out the top five.

Lap 42, the drivers have gotten more organized in double file with Justin Allgaier leading the way; Anthony Alfredo, Sheldon Creed, and Josh Berry round out the top five.

Lap 47, Justin Allgaier leads the race with Anthony Alfredo in second; Sheldon Creed, Noah Gragson, and Riley Herbst round out the top five.

Lap 50, Justin Allgaier leads the race on the inside lane with Anthony Alfredo moving up on the outside.

Lap 51, Anthony Alfredo on the outside lane ahs caught up to Justin Allgaier and is in a battle for the lead.

Lap 52, Anthony Alfredo takes the lead.

Justin Allgaier comes up on the inside to continue the battle for the lead.

Daniel Hemric had to make an unscheduled trip down pit road for a flat tire.

Lap 54, Sheldon Creed comes up from the middle lane and gets in front of Justin Allgaier on the inside lane; Anthony Alfredo is the lead on the outside lane.

Lap 55, Noah Gragson takes the lead .

With three laps remaining in stage two, all four of the JR Motorsports drivers are in the top 10.

Lap 57, Noah Gragson leads the race with Sheldon Creed in second; Justin Allgaier, Anthony Alfredo, and Sam Mayer round out the top five.

Sheldon Creed spins out on the final laps of stage two.  He keeps it off the wall and the track stays green.

Noah Gragson wins stage two for his eleventh stage win of the season.

The top 10 at the end of stage two:
Noah Gragson
Anthony Alfredo
Riley Herbst
Sam Mayer
Josh Berry
John Hunter Nemechek
Ty Gibbs
Justin Allgaier
Myatt Snider
Ryan Sieg

Drivers come down pit road for service.  Taking fuel only, Noah Gragson wins the race off of pit road.

Noah Gragson brings the field down for the green flag start of stage three on lap 64 and gets out in front for the lead with teammate Justin Allgaier in second; Ty Gibbs, Brandon Jones, and Riley Herbst round out the top five.

Ty Gibbs passes Justin Allgaier for second.

Lap 67, Noah Gragson leads the race with Ty Gibbs in second; Justin Allgaier, Riley Herbst, and Sam Mayer round out the top five.  Sammy Smith is the only driver out of the race with all of the cars on the track on the lead lap.

Lap 71, Riley Herbst has a flat tire and spins out, making a run through the grass.  He got the car moving again and drove out of the grass.  While the track is dry, there is a great deal of water in the grass spaying everywhere.

A few of the drivers come down pit road for service.

Noah Gragson brings the field down for the green flag restart with Ty Gibbs alongside with 25 laps remaining in the race.  With a push from teammate Justin Allgaier, Noah Gragson gets out in front but Ty Gibbs comes up on the outside to challenge for the lead.

Noah Gragson leads the race with Justin Allgaier in second; AJ Allmendinger, Justin Haley, and Jeb Burton round out the top five.

After his flat tire and run through the grass, Riley Herbst is the only driver one lap down.

Twenty to go, Noah Gragson leads the race with team mates Justin Allgaier and Sam Mayer right behind him; AJ Allmendinger and Justin Haley round out the top five.

The caution flag comes out on lap 83 for a wreck involving several cars; Joe Graf Jr’s car is destroyed on the grass.  Sheldon Creed, John Hunter Nemechek, and Brandon Brown were also involved.  Sheldon Creed came across the track and slammed into the outside wall.  Riley Herbst is the “lucky dog”.

Noah Gragson brings the field down for the green flag restart with just 13 laps remaining in the race.  Teammate Justin Allgaier is alongside Gragson.  Getting a push from AJ Allmendinger, Noah Gragson gets out in front for the lead.

The top five are Noah Gragson, Justin Allgaier, Sam Mayer, AJ Allmendinger, and Austin Hill.

With eleven laps to go, Austin Hill in a damaged car tries to come up and challenge Noah Gragsn for the lead.

Ten to go, Noah Gragson leads the race with AJ Allmendinger in second; Justin Allgaier, Sam Mayer, and Daniel Hemric round out the top five.

AJ Allmendinger gets loose and brings out the caution flag and collects up JR Motorsports drivers Sam Mayer, Josh Berry, and Justin Allgaier.  Myatt Snider and Daniel Hemric were  also involved.

Sheldon Creed noted that it was probably the biggest hit he has ever taken in that crash with John Hunter Nemechek.

Noah Gragson brings the field down for the green flag restart with just four laps remaining in the race.  Noah Gragson gets a little help from Brandon Brown to take the lead but Daniel Hemric gets a big push to take the lead.

Austin Hill jumps down to the bottom lane and passes Daniel Hemric for the lead with three laps to go.

Landon Cassill gets into the wall and slaps the wall.

With three laps to go, several cars get into multiple wrecks bringing out the caution flag and sends the race into overtime.  Jeb Burton, Daniel Hemric, Brandon Jones, Justin Allgaier, Sage Karam, Anthony Alfredo, Myatt Snider, Riley Herbst, Matt Mills, and David Starr were all involved in the on track incidents.

Austin Hill brings the field down for the green/white/checker overtime start from the outside lane with Noah Gragson on the inside.  Hill and Gragson go side by side.  The caution comes out with another big wreck when the drivers begin doing a lot of pushing.  Several drivers are stuck in the grass.  Josh William, Alex Labbe, Riley Herbst, Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Brandon Brown, Caesar Bacarella, Josh Williams, Ryan Sieg, Blaine Perkins, Bayley Currey, Justin Haley, Myatt Snider, Kyle Sieg, and Ty Gibbs were all involved in the overtime crash.

Austin Hill reports that his fuel pressure is “acting a little funky”; but the crew reports he should have enough fuel.

After winning the first race of the season, Austin Hill is looking for the Daytona sweep.

Austin Hill brings the field down for the second overtime start with Noah Gragson alongside.  With a push from AJ Allmendinger, Austin Hill gets out in front for the lead with Noah Gragsn in second. 

A big hit sends Noah Gragson into the wall, airborne, and spinning.  Matt Mills, Blaine Perkins, Landon Cassill, Myatt Snider, Ty Gibbs, and Jeb Burton were also involved in the wreck.

AJ Allmendinger says that his fuel pressure is bouncing all over the place; but the crew says he has enough fuel.  Allmendinger is having fuel issues and comes down pit road for a splash of fuel.

Austin Hill also reports that his gages are messing up; adding that his cool suit has also stopped working. 

Could the third time be the charm for the Wawa 250???  Austin Hill brings the field down for the third overtime restart of the race with Jeremy Clements alongside.  Jeremy Clements jumps out in front with Sage Karam giving a push.  Austin Hill falls back in the field after his car doesn’t get going.

AJ Allmendinger comes up from the inside.  Riley Herbst spins out.  Jeremy Clements takes the white flag and the caution flag comes out. 

Jeremy Clements wins the race!!!!    This is his second career win. It has been 164 races since Clements last won a race.

Clements is the eighth winner this season in the Xfinity Series.  The win puts Jeremy Clements in the playoffs for the first time in his career.

The unofficial results of the Wawa 250:
Jeremy Clements
Timmy Hill
AJ Allmendinger
Brandon Brown
Sage Karam
Ryan Vargas
Ty Gibbs
Alex Labbe
JJ Yeley
Kyle Sieg
Jesse Iwuji
Myatt Snider
Justin Allgaier
Austin Hill
Riley Herbst
Joey Gase
Blaine Perkins
Josh Berry
Daniel Hemric
Brandon Jones
Jeb Burton
Noah Gragson
Landon Cassill
Matt Mills
Justin Haley
Ryan Sieg
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Caesar Bacarella
Josh Williams
Bayley Currey
David Starr
Anthony Alfredo
Mason Massey
Sam Mayer
John Hunter Nemechek
Sheldon Creed
Joe Graf Jr
Sammy Smith