NOAPS Race Recap: Focused Health 250

The Focused Health 250 at EchoPark Speedway was a race of attrition. Carson Kvapil and Sam Mayer started the race on the front row, while Jesse Love and William Sawalich started behind them. Drafting ace Austin Hill started in 11th, and Justin Allgaier started the race in 16th. Stages one and two were 45 laps, with the final stage being 73 laps.

The Beginning

Kvapil and Mayer got similar starts, and the field completed the first lap under an umbrella. Mayer would ultimately take the lead and was able to slide up and block Kvapil.

The first caution came out on lap three when Joey Gase slowed, and his car began to smoke.

Jeb Burton had to go to the garage due to mechanical issues, and Austin Hill had to pit for his team to go under the hood. He complained of a sticky throttle.

After a lengthy cleanup for fluids on the track, Mayer and Love got the race restarted on lap 14. Kvapil shoved Mayer out front to give him the lead back. Kvapil and Love followed him side-by-side.

Hill began to pass his way back to the front.

Love got loose, which allowed Kvapil to take second.

Leland Honeyman brought out the next caution when he spun around in turn four.

Mayer and Sammy Smith brought the green back out. Smith pulled out front, but not for long. Kvapil shoved Mayer back out in front to retake the lead.

Kvapil used a great run on the inside to get around Mayer to take the lead.

Then, Mayer got loose and hit the wall. He was able to get to the pits, and no caution was thrown.

Jeremy Clements got to the inside of Kvapil, but faded back after falling out of line.

Kvapil went on to win stage one in the Focused Health 250! Smith, Love, Rajah Caruth, and Sheldon Creed finished in the top five.

As they came to the stage end, Brandon Jones got loose and turned around in front of Austin Hill, who bumped him.

Calm Before the Storm

Harrison Burton and Brent Crews brought the green flag back out on the front row. Ryan Sieg restarted in third but was shoved out and fell to the back. Burton took the lead with Smith and Caruth side by side behind him.

Smith got to the inside of Burton, where he easily took the lead.

Burton fell back and got loose, which broke up the draft on the outside. Caruth used the opportunity to take third.

Creed got loose and into the wall but kept it going, only falling to seventh.

Allgaier used the shuffle to get to third.

Patrick Staropoli got loose and turned around. He was able to keep it going, and no caution was thrown.

Smith, Allgaier, and Caruth kept their spots in the top three. They stayed that way till the race for the stage ended.

Caruth fell back a second behind the top two.

Smith slid up the hill in turn four. Allgaier took the inside line, and they crossed the finish line side by side. Allgaier had the edge to win stage two in the Focused Health 250! The gap that separated them was .003 seconds.

Chaos

Caruth and Allgaier restarted on the front row with Smith and Kvapil behind them. Allgaier got a better jump, but Caruth got pushed out front. Allgaier fell back after Love made it three wide. Creed got to the inside of the leader with Crews pushing him.

The fifth caution came out when Burton began to smoke. He stopped his car on the track.

Caruth and Creed restarted on the front row. Caruth took the lead, but Creed got a run on the back stretch to pull back alongside Caruth.

Brandon Jones got into the outside wall, which set off caution number six. Corey Day got into Taylor Gray, who turned into the outside wall.

Red Flag(s)

NASCAR displayed the red flag to allow for a cleanup.

Caruth and Creed restarted on the front row. A huge stackup on the restart left Mayer with damage to his front bumper.

Clements got turned around in turn two, which brought out the seventh caution. That allowed Mayer to get to the garage.

NASCAR brought the red flag back out for more cleanup.

With 36 to go, Creed and Crews restarted the race. Creed, with a great push from Caruth, took the lead on the outside line.

Caruth took the outside line around Creed to retake the lead. Smith went to the inside line, which left Creed to fall to ninth.

Caution number eight came out when Glen Reen got loose and spun by himself.

Allgaier and Caruth restarted out front. Kvapil pushed Caruth, while Hill pushed Allgaier.

Jake Finch got loose and slammed the outside wall to bring out the ninth caution.

More Red Flags

With 19 to go, Hill and Caruth restarted the race, and Kvapil pushed Hill out front. Caruth got to the inside of Kvapil to challenge for the spot, but did not have enough. Kvapil was able to get back around Caruth and then to the inside of Hill to take the lead.

As soon as Kvapil got out front, the tenth caution came out for Finch. He got a flat left rear tire and turned around on the front apron.

Hill and Allgaier got the race restarted with 13 to go. Allgaier was able to take the lead and block Hill, who fell back in the middle.

The 11th caution came out when Jordan Anderson made it four wide on the front stretch, but slid up the track and into Creed. This collected Crews, Love, Jones, Honeyman, Sawalich, Parker Retzlaff, Brennan Poole, Dean Thompson, and Nick Leitz.

NASCAR used the red flag to clean up the track.

With seven to go, Kvapil and Allgaier brought the field back to the green flag. Caruth and Smith pushed them out front. Smith shoved Kvapil and then took the inside line to challenge for the lead. Caruth fell back to fifth.

Allgaier got loose off the nose of Hill and fell to eleventh.

Kvapil kept the lead with Smith hounding him.

Hill took them three wide for the lead. Nick Sanchez shoved Hill into turn three. Hill slid up into Smith who squeezed Caruth into the wall. That brought out the 12th caution.

NASCAR, again, brought out the red flag for cleanup.

Overtime(s)

Sanchez and Kvapil got overtime started on the front row. As the green flag came out, Clements got turned around. He had some help from Allgaier, who was pushing him. That brought out the 13th caution. Lavar Scott was also involved.

Sanchez and Kvapil started the second overtime out front. Immediately, Ryan Sieg ran out of fuel and fell out of line. Allgaier pushed Poole to the lead. He blocked Sanchez, and they both went into the wall. Allgaier took the lead with Retzlaff in tow. Allgaier stayed out front and got the win in the Focused Health 250! Kvapil, Retzlaff, Sawalich, and Anthony Alfredo rounded out the top five.

Marvin’s Minute:

Allgaier continues to be there at the end. He did not have the best car at the start, nor the finish, but was where he needed to be to win. I say this every week: he is the championship favorite. He has had an incredible season and drives for the best team in the series.

The racing was rough. So many cautions and red flags make a terrible product. I am happy I watched it on my couch and not at the track.

The series goes to Indianapolis after a week off!