As the Astros and Rangers prepare to battle it out on the baseball diamond, the Xfinity Series will battle it out on the mile and a half track at Texas Motor Speedway for the Andy’s Frozen Custard 300.
A total of 38 teams brought cars to Texas this week for 38 starting spots in the race.
This is also race number two in the Dash-4-Cash with Sam Mayer, Justin Mayer, Sheldon Creed, and Chandler Smith competing for the $100,000 prize. Last week at Martinsville Aric Almirola won the money and would normally be in round two; but he is not a part of the race this week.
The drivers get a 20 minute practice session before making a qualifying run.
Chandler Smith reports smelling and seeing some smoke in his car but isn’t sure what the issue is.
Austin Hill is doing double duty in the Xfinity and Cup Series this weekend. Truck Series drivers Corey Hiem, Taylor Gray, and Daniel Dye are also doing double duty and running in the Xfinity Series.
Justin Allgaier topped the leaderboard at the end of practice.
The first driver on the track to make a qualifying run is Chad Finchum who posted a time of 30.466 seconds around the mile and a half track.
With a time of 29.093 seconds, Jesse Love earns the pole for his fourth pole of the season on a track he has never seen. “Feels awesome!” he said. Cole Custer will start alongside Love on the front row.
The starting lineup for the Andy’s Frozen Custard 300:
Jesse Love
Cole Custer
Taylor Gray
Chandler Smith
Riley Herbst
Justin Allgaier
Ryan Truex
AJ Allmendinger
Sammy Smith
Sam Mayer
Brandon Jones
Anthony Alfredo
Austin Hill
Ryan Sieg
Sheldon Creed
Parker Kligerman
Corey Heim
Jeremy Clements
Kyle Weatherman
Hailie Deegan
Jeb Burton
Josh Williams
Kyle Sieg
Daniel Dye
Brennan Poole
Blaine Perkins
Matt DiBenedetto
Josh Bilicki
Parker Retzlaff
Patrick Emerling
Leland Honeyman
Garrett Smithley
Shan van Gisbergen
Dawson Cram
Chad Finchum
Ryan Ellis
Joey Gase
David Starr
Stages one and two of the race are 45 laps each with stage three lasting 110 laps for a total of 200 laps around the mile and a half track. Drivers can run 60 to 65 laps on a single load of fuel.
Kyle Sieg, Parker Retzlaff, Matt DiBenedetto, and Jeremy Clements will all have to start the race from the back of the field after crews made unapproved adjustments to the cars.
Joey Logano and Ross Chastain join Adam Alexander in the FOX Sports broadcast booth fot today’s race.
Jesse Love brings the field down for the green flag start of the race with Cole Custer on the outside with Love jumping out in front for the lead.
Lap two, Taylor Gray got loose but saved the car and the track stays green.
Lap three, Chandler Smith passes Jesse Love for the lead; Cole Custer, Jusin Allgaier, and Riley Herbst round out the top five.
Lap four, Justin Allgaier passes Jesse Love for third.
Chandler Smith, Justin Allgaier, Sam Mayer, and Sheldon Creed have a little more incentive in today’s race; they are also running for the Dash-4-Cash $100,000 prize.
Lap seven, Chandler Smith has a half second lead on Cole Custer; Justin Allgaier, Jesse Love, and Riley Herbst round out the top five.
Lap 10, Chandler Smith has a lead of over half a second on Cole Custer.
Lap 12 Daniel Dye spins out to bring out the first caution flag of the race. Dye slides down the track but keeps the car off the wall.
Chandler Smith brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 17 with Justin Allgaier alongside. Smith gets out in front to hold on to the lead but Just Allgaier battles for the lead.
Lap 20, Chandler Smith leads the race with Justin Allgaier on his bumper; Cole Custer, Ryan Truex, and Riley Herbst round out the top five. Pole sitter Jesse Love has fallen to eighth place.
Riley Herbst reports that his cool shirt is not working.
Lap 23, all 38 of the drivers are on the lead lap.
Lap 24, Justin Allgaier is less than a quarter of a second behind Chandler Smith and is looking to battle for the lead.
Lap 25, Jesse Love has dropped out of the top 10 with handling issues.
Lap 28, Justin Allgaier passes Chandler Smith for the lead and begins to pull away.
Lap 30, Justin Allgaier has pulled out to a lead of over a second on Chandler Smith; Cole Custer, Ryan Truex, and Riley Herbst round out the top five.
Ryan Truex and Cole Custer battle for third.
Lap 33, Justin Allgaier is on the move and has pulled out to a lead of over a second and a half on Chandler Smith.
Lap 34, Justin Allgaier has increased his lead to two seconds over Chandler Smith; Cole Custer, Ryan Truex, and Riley Herbst round out the top five.
Lap 38, Justin Allgaier has begun to lap cars and there is now 36 drivers on the lead lap.
Lap 40, Justin Allgaier has a lead of over a second and a half on Chandler Smith; Cole Custer, Ryan Truex, and Riley Herbst round out the top five.
Lap 42, Justin Allgaier’s lead is now over two and a half seconds on Chandler Smith with 31 cars on the lead lap.
Justin Allgaier wins stage one.
The top 10 at the end of stage one:
Justin Allgaier
Chandler Smith
Riley Herbst
Brandon Jones
Cole Custer
Ryan Truex
Austin Hill
Ryan Sieg
AJ Allmendinger
Parker Kligerman
The drivers come down pit road for service with Justin Allgaier winning the race off of pit road. Corey Heim and AJ Allmendinger missed their pit boxes.
Corey Heim was caught speeding on pit road.
Justin Allgaier brings the field down for the green flag start of stage two with Riley Herbst alongside on lap 53. Allgaier gets out in front for the lead and begins to pull away.
Lap 54, the top five are Justin Allgaier, Cole Custer, Chandler Smith, Riley Herbst, and Austin Hill. There are 28 cars on the lead lap.
Lap 57, Justin Allgaier has a lead of over half a second on Cole Custer; Chandler Smith, Riley Herbst, and Ryan Truex round out the top five.
Lap 60, Justin Allgaier continues to increase his lead and is now a second and a half in front ofCole Custer. Chandler Smith begins to challenge Cole Custer for second.
Lap 69, Justin Allgaier’s lead is now over two seconds on Cole Custer; Chandler Smith, Riley Herbst, and Ryan Truex round out the top five.
Cole Custer and Chandler Smith continue their battle for second.
Justin Allgaier has acquired some debris on his grille.
The driver’s only broadcast will return for the May 25 race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. With the retirement of Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano is stepping into the Play by Play role.
Lap 73, Justin Allgaier has a 2.75 second lead on Chandler Smith; Cole Custer, Riley Herbst, and Ryan Truex round out the top five.
Lap 74, Parker Kligerman makes an unscheduled trip down pit road with a tire issue. He reports a bad vibration.
Lap 77, Justin Allgaier’s lead is down to under two and a half seconds on Chandler Smith.
Lap 80, Leland Honeyman spins out to bring out the caution flag and avoids hitting anything or anyone as Honeyman slides down the track. The field comes down pit road for service to short pit the end of the stage. Justin Allgaier leads the race off of pit road.
Taylor Gray misses his pit stall and has to back up to get in his box.
Corey Heim had a bad entry and gets service with his nose facing the wall.
Justin Allgaier brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 85 with Austin Hill alongside. Allgaier holds on to the lead. Some of the drivers took the wave around to get back on the lead lap.
Ryan Truex gets loose but saves the car and the track stays green.
Lap 90, Justin Allgaier wins stage two for the stage sweep.
The top 10 at the end of stage two:
Justin Allgaier
Cole Custer
Riley Herbst
Brandon Jones
Ryan Sieg
Austin Hill
Sammy Smith
Jesse Love
AJ Allmendinger
Sam Mayer
Justin Allgaier is concerned about a possible loose wheel.
Justin Allgaier has led 65 of the 94 laps run so far.
Lap 98, Justin Allgaier brings the field down for the green flag start of stage three on lap 98 with Cole Custer alongside. Allgaier jumps out in front for the lead and immediately pulls away; Cole Custer, Riley Herbst, Brandon Jones, and Sammy Smith round out the top five.
Lap 99 Chad Finchum has some damage to his car and is dragging the front bumper but the track stays green.
Chad Finchum gets loose again but saves the car this time and the trck stays green.
Lap 101, the top five are Justin Allgaier, Riley Herbst, Cole Custer, Sammy Smith, and Brandon Jones.
Jeb Burton brings out the caution flag when he gets loose and slides down the field. He avoids hitting anyone but tags the back bumper against the wall. He comes to a stop on the grass.
Justin Allgaier brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 107 with Riely Herbst on the outside. Allgaier jumps out in front for the lead. Riley Herbst and Cole Custer battle for second with Custer taking the spot.
There ae 35 cars on the lead lap.
AJ Allmendinger made a two for one move, dropping down to the inside and passes two cars at one sweep.
Lap 110, Justin Allgaier has a lead of over a second on Cole Custer; Brandon Jones, Riley Herbst, and AJ Allmendinger round out the top five.
Lap114, Justin Allgaier has pulled out to a two second lead on Cole Custer; Riley Herbst, Brandon Jones, and AJ Allmendinger round out the top five.
Lap 120, Justin Allgaier has a near two and a half second lead on teammate Brandon Jones; Riley Herbst, Cole Custer, and AJ Allmendinger round out the top five.
Lap 128, Riley Herbst passes Brandon Jones for second; Justin Allgaier is over a second out in front with the lead.
Lap 131, Riley Herbst has closed the gap on leader Justin Allgaier to under a second as they work through slower traffic.
Just 61 laps remain in the race; Justin Allgaier continues to lead the race; but his lead is down to just half a second on Riley Herbst.
Chad Finchum is off the track.
Twelfth place driver Sammy Smith begins the cycle of green flag pit stops.
Lap 143, leaders pit and give the lead over to Sam Mayer. Justin Allgaier wins the race off of pit road.
Lap 146, Sheldon Creed gives up the lead for his green flag pit stop but is charged with a safety violation when a crew member tries to reach for a tire. Creed will have to make a pass through penalty.
Austin Hill is the new leader.
Fifty to go! Austin Hill leads the race with Ryan Truex in second; Shane van Gisbergen, Chandler Smith, and Kyle Weatherman round out the top five. The top seven drivers have yet to make their pit stops.
Lap 155, Austin Hill has a lead of over five seconds on Ryan Truex. The top six drivers have yet to make a pit stop. Justin Allgaier is in seventh place and will retake the lead once all of the pit stops have completed.
Lap 160, the top four drivers still need to make a pit stop with Austin Hill in the lead.
Lap 164, Chandler Smith makes his pot stop; leaving only Shane van Gisbergen and Austin Hill needing to make a stop.
Lap 165, Shane van Gisbergen makes his pit stop.
Lap 170, Austin Hill finally comes down pit road for service after nearly 70 laps on a single load of fuel. Justin Allgaier retakes the lead with Riley Herbst in second, less than a second back.
The top five are Justin Allgaier, Riley Herbst, Sam Mayer, Brandon Jones, and Cole Custer.
Lap 173, Leland Honeyman gets into the was and brings out the caution flag inches from Justin Allgaier.
With just 17 cars on the lead lap, some of the drivers come down pit road for fresh tires including leader Justin Allgaier. Brandon Jones and Austin Hill lead the race off of pit road after taking only two tires. Justin Allgaier comes out in third – the first driver on four fresh tires.
After staying out on the track, Parker Kligerman brings the field down for the green flag restart with just 21 laps remaining in the race. Kligerman edges out for the lead but Austin Hill moves up on the inside as drivers spread out three and four wide. Brandon Jones takes the lead with Sam Mayer in second; Riley Herbst, Ryan Sieg, and AJ Allmendinger round out the top five.
Ryan Sieg passes Riley Herbst for third.
Sam Mayer passes teammate Brandon Jones for the lead.
Lap 181, Ryan Sieg takes the lead but Sam Mayer moves up to battle for the lead.
After falling to ieghth, Justin Allgaier is back in the top five.
The caution flag comes out on lap 184 when Kyle Weatherman spins out and collects Hailie Deegan in the process.
Ryan Sieg brings the field down for the green flag restart with eleven laps remaining in the race. Ryan Sieg edges out Sam Mayer for the lead with Riley Herbst in third. Herbst passes Sam Mayer for second but Mayer retakes the spot. Justin Allgaier is in fourth.
Parker Retzlaff gets into the wall but the track stays green.
Drivers are beating and banging for position. Riley Herbst has a smoking car.
Eight to go, Ryan Sieg has pulled out to a lead of over a second on Sam Mayer; Justin Allgaier, AJ Allmendinger, and Cole Custer round out the top five.
Riley Herbst makes it to pit road.
Six to go, Sam Mayer is slowly closing the gap on leader Ryan Sieg.
Five to go, Ryan Sieg’s lead is now under a second on Sam Mayer.
Three to go, Ryan Sieg has a lead of three quarters of a second on Sam Mayer; Justin Allgaier, AJ Allmendinger, and Cole Custer round out the top five.
Two to go, Sam Mayer has closed the hap to half a second.
Ryan Sieg takes the white flag with a quarter of a second lead on Sam Mayer.
Sam Mayer passes Ryan Sieg in a battle for the lead.
In a photo finish, Sam Mayer edges out Ryan Sieg by .002 seconds for his first win of the season! Mayer also wins the $100,000 prize.
It is the second closest victory in Xfinity Series history!
The next Dash-4-Cash drivers are Sam Mayer, Ryan Sieg, Justin Allgaier, and AJ Allmendinger.
The unofficial results of the Andy’s Frozen Custard 300:
Sam Mayer
Ryan Sieg
Justin Allgier
AJ Allmendinger
Cole Custer
Austin Hill
Ryan Truex
Sammy Smith
Jesse Love
Anthony Alfredo
Taylor Gray
Josh Williams
Brandon Jones
Kyle Sieg
Chandler Smith
Jeremy Clements
Corey Heim
Shane van Gisbergen
Sheldon Creed
Matt DiBenedetto
Brennan Poole
Parker Retzlaff
Hailie Deegan
Daniel Dye
Parker Kligerman
Ryan Ellis
Riley Herbst
David Starr
Josh Bilicki
Joey Gase
Leland Honeyman
Jeb Burton
Patrick Emerling
Garrett Smithley
Blaine Perkins
Kyle Weatherman
Dawson Cram
Chad Finchum