NOAPS Race Recap: MillerTech Battery 250

Pocono can prove to be a very difficult track to manage with the vastly different turns. The MillerTech Battery 250 at the “Tricky Triangle” proved to be a race of attrition. You had to make it to the end to have a chance to win it. Brandon Jones and Taylor Gray started the race on the front row. William Byron and Justin Allgaier started behind them. Sammy Smith rounded out the top five. The first two stages were 25 laps, with the final stage being 50 laps.

Cautions Aplenty

Jones got the better launch, but Gray was able to take the lead out of turn one. As they left turn one, Corey Day got loose and chased his car up the track. He could not catch it and turned across the track when Jesse Love got into him, sending Day hard into the inside wall. The incident ended both of their races.

Gray and Jones got the race restarted on the front row. Carson Kvapil pushed Gray back out to the lead. Kvapil took second, with Gray out front, out of turn one.

The second caution came out when Ryan Sieg checked up to avoid William Sawalich. Sawalich was slow because he hit the outside wall out of turn three. Austin Hill got into the rear bumper of Sieg, which sent him into the outside wall. While that happened, a similar incident involving Cole Custer and Nathan Byrd occurred.

Gray and Kvapil brought the green flag back out. Jones pushed Gray out front and tried to dive underneath him in turn one, but Gray would retain the lead.

Sam Mayer used the long front straight to take second, while Kvapil fell to fifth.

More Cautions

Natalie Decker brought out the third caution when her engine expired on the front stretch. She slowed on the track and had to be pushed back to the garage.

Gray and Mayer brought the field to green with three laps to go in the stage. Neither lane got a great launch as the top two exited turn one side by side. Gray took the lead out of turn three with William Byron following them in third.

Gray got to the inside of Mayer on the front stretch. That forced Mayer to make a mistake in turn one, allowing Gray to take the lead.

Anthony Alfredo, Sawalich, and Connor Zilisch drove into turn one three wide. Sawalich got loose and into Zilisch, who backed his car into the outside wall. That brought out the fourth caution of the day and ended the stage. Taylor Gray took the stage one in the MillerTech Battery 250!

Stage 2

Allgaier and Kvapil got stage two started out front. Kvapil used the outside lane to pull ahead of Allgaier and take the lead. With Hill in third, the top three scampered away from the field by over a second.

Hill got loose and was passed by Parker Retzlaff.

Allgaier used a great run on the long pond straight to blast by Kvapil and take the lead.

The fifth caution came out when Leland Honeyman, Jr. and Brennan Poole got together with Honeyman getting turned into the outside wall. Patrick Staropoli also received damage.

Allgaier and Kvapil restarted from the front row with nine to go in the stage. Allgaier got a great restart and took the lead into turn one. Sheldon Creed got to the outside of Kvapil but could not take the spot.

More Midfield Mistakes

The sixth caution came out when Patrick Emerling drove into the outside of Poole in the tunnel turn. Emerling got turned but was able to keep it off the wall.

Brent Crews joined Retzlaff on the front row for the restart. Retzlaff was able to power his way by Crews to take the lead out of turn one.

Kyle Sieg hit the outside wall in turn three. He kept it pointed straight, and the race remained green. Nick Sanchez got a flat tire and slowed down on the track.

Crews caught the back of Retzlaff and used a great turn one exit to pass for the lead.

Allgaier managed to get around Retzlaff to take the runner-up spot. Crews took the green-white-checkered flag to win stage two in the MillerTech Battery 250! Allgaier, Retzlaff, Rajah Caruth, and Byron finished in the top five.

Clean Racing Finally

Byron and Allgaier got the race restarted. Allgaier was pushed to the lead by Mayer. Mayer tried to take the lead in turn one and on the back stretch but was unsuccessful. Allgaier pulled away out front.

Mayer took another shot at the lead but could not get around the leader. Anthony Alfredo pulled to the inside of Mayer, while Mayer dealt with debris on his front bumper. Alfredo was able to take second and began to hound the leader.

Alfredo got loose in turn one, and Mayer was easily able to get around him. Creed also used the opportunity to get around Alfredo.

Mayer pulled to the rear bumper of Allgaier and began to challenge for the lead. He got to the inside of Allgaier in turn three and drove by him in one to take the lead with 33 to go.

Kvapil and Gray were the first of the top drivers to pit for their final scheduled stop.

Allgaier struck back with a run on the front stretch to retake the lead. Mayer immediately took it back on the back stretch.

The Leaders Pit

Sheldon Creed pitted from third with 30 to go. Allgaier pitted on the next lap, which forced Mayer to pit with 28 to go.

After their stops, Mayer was ahead of Allgaier.

They caught Sheldon Creed and easily got around him.

Harrison Burton was the last car to pit and assumed the lead. Mayer caught him, but before he could pass him, Emerling got spun around on the front stretch. Crews slid up out of turn three and clipped the left rear bumper of Emerling.  That brought out the eighth caution of the day.

After Burton pitted, Mayer and Allgaier restarted the race out front. Allgaier overdrove turn one, which allowed Mayer to scamper to the front.

Sammy Smith and Taylor Gray both turned around, driving out of the tunnel turn. They wrecked separately in the same corner.  That brought out the ninth caution. Smith complained of a flat tire.

Eight to Go

Mayer and Allgaier, again, restarted the race. Mayer got the better launch, but Allgaier powered his way around Mayer in turn one to take the lead. They pulled away from Byron by almost a second. Mayer stayed attached to the rear bumper of Allgaier.

The tenth caution came out when Jeb Burton got out of the groove in turn three. Lavar Scott had nowhere to go and ran into the side of Burton. Dexter Bean was also involved. NASCAR red-flagged the race with five to go to allow for cleanup.

After the red flag, Mayer and Allgaier took their spots on the front row for the restart. The green flag came out with two to go in the race. Creed immediately dove to the inside to try for the lead in turn one. That slowed Mayer and gave Allgaier the lead out of the turn. Byron took second place with Crews in third.

Allgaier took the white flag.

Crews caught Byron in turn three and got around him to take third. Allgaier watched the battle in his rear view as he took the checkered flag to win the MillerTech Battery 250! Crews, Byron, Mayer, and Creed rounded out the top five.

Marvin’s Minute:

The only surprise in this race was that it was Allgaier’s first win at the “Tricky Triangle.” His experience and patience kept him battling for the lead and out of the cautions. With the win, he mathematically clinched a spot in the chase. He has been so dominant this season and will take that momentum to Naval Base Coronado next week.

What is very disappointing in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series is that impatience and lack of ability can cripple races. With only 100 laps on the docket, 39 of them were under caution. If the midfield cars raced with a little bit of respect and timelines, the racing would be so much better. There were so many cautions for running out of room when the track is so big and wide. Sure, the tunnel turn is tight, but get through there, and you can race all you want.