Kentucky Speedway: July 8, 2017, 12:30 pm
The NASCAR Xfinity Series Alsco 300 took the green flag shortly after noon. And immediately went yellow as cars began wrecking at the start-finish line. Roush Fenway Racing’s Ryan Reed(16) spun with some assistance from the rear and crashed with the 33 of Austin Dillon. The damage ultimately sidelined both cars.
As Monster Energy Cup drivers Kyle Busch(18) and Erik Jones(20) battled for the lead the carnage started midpack. Reed, the Series opener winner at Daytona, attempted to repair his car but retired after 33 laps. Dillon took his car to the garage without completing the first circuit.
Three-wide and even some four-wide racing highlighted restarts on the new asphalt of Kentucky Speedway. In addition to Busch and Jones other Cup regulars ran near the front most of the day. Gaining information on handling characteristics for the second half of the doubleheader. Ryan Blaney(12), Joey Logano(22), and Ty Dillon(3) ran among the leaders for most of the afternoon.
At the Finish
Eight cautions for 44 laps slowed the field with the final yellow flag waving on lap 168. The race restarted on lap 173 and Kyle Busch jumped to the lead, never to be challenged. Ryan Reed’s wreck and early exit dropped him two positions in the point’s race. Falling from sixth to eighth, Reed is now 224 points behind point’s leader Elliott Sadler(1) who finished 12th.
Kentucky Speedway: July 8, 2017, 3:30 pm
Three Fords placed in the top 10. Ryan Blaney second, Kevin Harvick(41) fourth, and Joey Logano sixth. Busch’s burnout at the start-finish line created a minor issue for NASCAR and Kentucky Speedway. They had to pull pieces of Busch’s left rear tire, destroyed during the celebration, from the storm drain at the bottom of the track. Keeping it “NASCAR Green.”
