Corey Day was fastest in qualifying so he brought the field to the green flag in the Focused Health 302! (Photo Credit: Chris Graythen | Getty Images)
The NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series went to Las Vegas for its fourth race in the Chase for the Focused Health 302. With Sheldon Creed leading the standings, Justin Allgaier looked to close the 11-point gap. Creed joined Corey Day on the front row for the start. Teammates Brandon Jones and Brent Crews started behind them. Allgaier got the race started from seventh. The first and second stages were 45 laps in length, with the final stage being 111 laps.
Day of Days
Jones got a bad launch and could not give Day a good push. That allowed Creed to hold the outside line. Creed was able to take the lead in turn one on the second lap.
Day did not allow Creed to pull away and stayed on his rear bumper.
Day found the outside lane open and took the lead in turn four on lap 10. He quickly pulled away by over a second.
Rajah Caruth caught the rear bumper of Creed to begin challenging for second. Caruth side-drafted down the back stretch and dove into turn three to take the spot and complete the pass.
Sam Mayer was next in line to catch and pass Creed, dropping him to fourth. Mayer caught Caruth and began to fight for second. With 10 to go in the stage, Mayer took the spot.
Creed fell out of the top ten with eight to go in the stage.
Day led the rest to win stage one in the Focused Health 302! Mayer, Caruth, Jones, and Jesse Love finished the stage in the top five.
Day and Creed battled early in stage one for the lead in the Focused Health 302! (Photo Credit: Sean Gardner | Getty Images)
Championship Implications
Jones and Caruth restarted from the front row. Jones got a better launch and pulled out front. Sam Mayer dove underneath him and took the lead into turn one.
Jones got stuck in the middle and fell to fourth as he complained of a vibration. He got loose in the corner and turned into the outside wall. Allgaier was in the very wrong spot and drove into the side of Jones. They both suffered severe damage, and it brought out the second caution of the day.
With 28 to go, Mayer and Caruth restarted the race. Day shoved Mayer to the top spot. Day got alongside Caruth but could not take the spot.
Parker Retzlaff made an unscheduled pit stop on lap 65 for an issue with his right front tire.
The top three pulled away from the field by over two seconds.
Caruth continued to try to make the pass but could not find the right line.
Day took second and tried to make a run at Mayer.
Mayer stayed out front to win stage two in the Focused Health 302! Day, Caruth, Carson Kvapil, and Jeremy Clements rounded out the top five.
Penalties were issued to several cars under the stage break. Caruth and Mayer were hit with uncontrolled tire penalties. Kyle Sieg got a penalty for improper fueling. Lee Pulliam got a penalty for improper driver assist.
Brandon Jones had a loose wheel and collected Justin Allgaier as his day came to an end! (Photo Credit: Alejandro Alvarez | Getty Images)
Green Flag Stops
William Sawalich and Carson Kvapil got stage three underway from the lead. Sawalich took the lead into turn one with a great push from Day. Day used a great run off of turn two to retake the lead.
Day could not pull away like earlier in the race. He stayed under half a second in front of Sawalich.
On lap 116, Allgaier drove back onto the track to complete a few laps. His car had no hood or front bumper.
With 80 to go, Day had pulled away from Kvapil by over a second. Day continued to build his lead.
Sammy Smith pitted with 60 to go. That opened the floodgates for everyone to begin the pit cycle.
Day pitted on lap 145 from the lead. Anthony Alfredo assumed the lead after staying out.
After the leaders’ pit stops, Kvapil remained about a second behind Day.
The lead Day had built bounced up and down by around a second and a half.
With 30 to go, the lead was up to two seconds. Day was able to run anywhere he wanted to on the track.
Lapped Traffic and The Battle Up Front
Kvapil began to slowly close the gap to the leader. Lapped cars became more of a problem the longer the race went on. With 21 to go, Kvapil cut four tenths of a second off the lead. Day had a gaggle of cars ahead of him.
Sammy Smith held Day up, which allowed Kvapil to get to within half a second of the leader.
Among the cars being lapped down, Sheldon Creed fought hard to stay on the lead lap.
Kvapil was able to get to the inside of Day. He got loose in turn three but saved it and took the lead out of turn four. Day used a big run to retake the lead on the back stretch. With 10 to go, the battle was on.
Creed continued to fight to stay ahead of the leaders.
Kvapil made another run at the lead but Day held more speed along the back stretch.
Day overdrove turn four, which allowed Kvapil to take the lead. Day immediately rode the high line and retook the lead as they took the white flag. He got into the fence in turn two but stayed in the throttle. He got into the wall again and used another huge run off of turn four to win the Focused Health 302!
Corey Day left it all on the track to win the Focused Health 302 at Vegas! (Photo Credit: Sean Gardner | Getty Images)
Marvin’s Minute:
Corey Day is such a talent. If you did not know he was the one driving, you could think it was Kyle Larson in the car. He has grown so much this and last season to hone his craft. Experience is a great teacher, and it has taught Day how to drive successfully in the O’Reilly Auto Parts series.
After Vegas, Creed now holds a 19-point lead over Carson Kvapil in the points standings. Allgaier has not had the Chase he needs to win the championship. He will look to get the ship righted in Charlotte next week!