Almirola Pops Playoff Bubble with New Hampshire Victory

 Originally written for CLNS Media.

Aric Almirola won the darkness-shortened Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 on Sunday afternoon to lock himself into the Playoffs.

The race began in a mist, which turned into a hard rainfall just six laps into the race, causing the race to be red-flagged for almost two hours.  Without lights at the New Hampshire track, NASCAR decided to call the race official eight laps from the scheduled distance due to darkness.

Almirola was ahead of Christopher Bell when the race was called, and he picked up his first victory since 2018 in what has been a difficult year for the veteran driver.

Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

Almirola said it’s a testament to his team for continuing to fight through all the adversity that mired him outside the Top 20 in points.

“Everyone that works on this car…just keeps fighting,” Almirola said.  “There have been so many people who have continued to support us through the crappiest year ever.”

Almirola’s previous two career victories came at Daytona and Talladega, and he said he was glad to finally win on a non-superspeedway.

“I had this race won a couple years ago and I gave it away,” Almirola said.  “For so long we’ve been so close to winning at some of these racetracks…and I’ve let it slip away.”

“This feels so good to have something pay off for all the hard work.”

Bell was closing in on Almirola while the leader struggled with lapped traffic, but Bell ran out of time to get to the back of Almirola.

Bell said he hoped the race would go the scheduled distance and may have had something for Almirola with those extra eight laps.

“I didn’t know how many laps they cut it short but…saw that we were eight laps short, it stings,” Bell said.  “I feel like I probably had a little bit better pace than him and I was able to get to him.”

“Lapped cars were giving him a hard time.  It was going to be a heck of a race.”

Almirola’s victory locked him into the Playoffs, and that caused the cutline for the final spot to tighten up. Heading into the race, Richard Childress Racing teammates Austin Dillon and Tyler Reddick were in the Playoffs by over 100 points, but they are now separated by just five points, with Dillon on the outside looking in. 

Teams on the bubble will use the upcoming two-week Olympic break to get ready for the final four races before the Playoffs begin.

Unofficial results:

1. Aric Almirola

2. Christopher Bell

3. Brad Keselowski

4. Joey Logano

5. Ryan Blaney

6. Kevin Harvick

7. Kyle Larson

8. Ross Chastain

9. Alex Bowman

10. Denny Hamlin

11. Matt DiBenedetto

12. Martin Truex Jr.

13. Tyler Reddick

14. Cole Custer

15. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

16. Kurt Busch

17. Austin Dillon

18. Chase Elliott

19. Erik Jones

20. Daniel Suarez

21. William Byron

22. Ryan Preece

23. Corey LaJoie

24. Ryan Newman

25. Michael McDowell

26. Bubba Wallace

27. Chase Briscoe

28. Justin Haley

29. Chris Buescher

30. BJ McLeod

31. Cody Ware

32. Anthony Alfredo

33. Garrett Smithley

34. Josh Bilicki

35. Quin Houff

36. James Davison

37. Kyle Busch

James Gilbert/Getty Images

Elliott Wins at Road America, Continues Road Course Success

Chase Elliott won the Jockey Made in America 250 from Road America on Sunday afternoon to pick up his second win of the season.

Elliott once again showed his strong road course racing abilities as he started in the back of the pack and drove all the way to the front. 

After a late caution in Sunday’s morning qualifying session, Elliott was unable to get a complete lap in and had to start 32nd.

Throughout the difficult race, Elliott said tire conservation on a hot day was a key to getting to the front.

Logan Riely/Getty Images

“Really proud of our team for overcoming some adversity early and having to start in the back,” Elliott said.  “It was a hot day. I think conserving your tire was really a little bit of a thing today, which to be honest we don’t have a lot of anymore.”

Elliott was dominant on Sunday, and led a race-high 24 laps on his way to his seventh career road course victory.

Elliott said he found his rhythm halfway through the race at a track that hasn’t been on the Cup Series schedule in over 60 years.

“I just never felt like I got in a real good rhythm at all yesterday,” Elliott said.  “About halfway through the race I started finding some of that rhythm and was able to put it together.  Finally felt like I was able to piece most of it together.”

Christopher Bell finished second on Sunday, and he showed that his win at the Daytona Road Course early in the season was not a fluke.

Bell said he believed he could have gotten to Elliott if not for a penalty earlier in the race.

“I kind of buried ourselves there when I got a pit road penalty,” Bell said.  “I feel like we’re getting back on track. There’s not reason we can’t be running up front every week.”

Unofficial results:

1. Chase Elliott

2. Christopher Bell

3. Kyle Busch

4. Kurt Busch

5. Denny Hamlin

6. Chase Briscoe

7. Ross Chastain

8. Tyler Reddick

9. Martin Truex Jr.

10. Matt DiBenedetto

11. Austin Dillon

12. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

13. Brad Keselowski

14. Aric Almirola

15. Joey Logano

16. Kyle Larson

17. Cole Custer

18. Chris Buescher

19. Erik Jones

20. Ryan Blaney

21. Corey LaJoie

22. Alex Bowman

23. Josh Bilicki

24. Bubba Wallace

25. Justin Haley

26. Ty Dillon

27. Kevin Harvick

28. James Davison

29. AJ Allmendinger

30. Michael McDowell

31. Cody Ware

32. Ryan Newman

33. William Byron

34. Quin Houff

35. Kyle Tilley

36. Daniel Suarez

37. Anthony Alfredo

38. Austin Cindric

39. Ryan Eversley

40. Ryan Preece

Logan Riely/Getty Images

Christopher Bell Picks Up First Victory in Wild Daytona Road Course Race

 Originally written for CLNS Media.

Christopher Bell picked up his first career victory in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 253 from the Daytona International Speedway Road Course on Sunday afternoon.

Bell erased Joey Logano’s three-second lead in the closing laps and was able to make the winning pass in the chicane coming to the white flag.  Bell pulled away over the final lap, and he picked up his first victory in just his second start with Joe Gibbs Racing.

James Gilbert/Getty Images

Bell pitted for tires under one of the final cautions, and he said that’s what made the difference in the race against Logano.

“Whenever we pitted and I came out, I liked where I lined up,” Bell said.  “Honestly didn’t think I was going to get there.  [Logano] really struggled coming out of Turn 6 one time and it allowed me to close the gap.”

Bell’s first victory followed Michael McDowell’s first victory in last weekend’s Daytona 500.  It is just the third time in NASCAR history that two first-time winners opened up the season, and the first since 1950.

Bell said this victory was at the end of a very long road to NASCAR’s top series.

“I’ve prepared my whole life to race in the Cup Series,” Bell said.  “I’m very grateful that I got the opportunity to run in Cup.  This is definitely one of the highlights of my life so far.”

Logano said he had too many laps to run on old tires to make their strategy work.

“One more caution lap would have been enough to at least have a door-to-door finish across the line,” Logano said.  “[Bell’s] the one that got through with tires.  It’s hard when he’s catching you a second a lap.”

Unofficial results:

1. Christopher Bell

2. Joey Logano

3. Denny Hamlin

4. Kurt Busch

5. Brad Keselowski

6. Kevin Harvick

7. AJ Allmendinger

8. Michael McDowell

9. Ryan Preece

10. Alex Bowman

11. Chris Buescher

12. Martin Truex Jr.

13. Cole Custer

14. Erik Jones

15. Ryan Blaney

16. Daniel Suarez

17. Aric Almirola

18. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

19. Ty Dillon

20. Ryan Newman

21. Chase Elliott

22. Anthony Alfredo

23. James Davison

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

24. Justin Haley

25. Cody Ware

26. Bubba Wallace

27. Garrett Smithley

28. Scott Heckert

29. Timmy Hill

30. Kyle Larson

31. Corey LaJoie

32. Chase Briscoe

33. William Byron

34. Austin Dillon

35. Kyle Busch

36. Josh Bilicki

37. Matt DiBenedetto

38. Tyler Reddick

39. Ross Chastain

40. Quin Houff