Florida is known for many things like warm weather, long sandy beaches and some of the best racing NASCAR has to offer. This weekend, local Florida fans will get the chance to cheer for four drivers in the Subway Firecracker 250 who share their home state: Blake Koch (W. Palm Beach), Scott Lagasse Jr. (St. Augustine), Ross Chastain (Alva) and Aric Almirola (Tampa).
Aric Almirola hails from the west coast of Florida in the Tampa Bay area and has participated in six series events this season, posting three top 10s and an average finish of 11.7. Almirola won the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Daytona last July for Richard Petty Motorsports and since has been on everyone’s radar when the series comes to the 2.5-mile speedway. Almirola will look to capitalize in the No. 98 Ford this weekend on his seventh-place finish in the series’ season opener in February.
“I’m excited to race again with Biagi DenBeste Racing in the XFINITY Series,” added Almirola. “We raced at both Daytona and Talladega earlier this year and were very competitive. Hopefully, we can start the weekend off right and score a win on Saturday too.”
Driver of the No. 4 Chevrolet, Ross Chastain, calls Alva – a small city near the Fort Myers / Naples area with a population of just over 2000 – his hometown. A 2015 Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate, Chastain, is having a good start to his season. He is currently third in the rookie of the year standings and 15th in the XFINITY Series driver standings. In 14 races this season, he has posted one top-10 finish – his ninth-place finish in the season opener at Daytona. Chastain has made two series starts at Daytona in his career, posting an average finish of 19.0.
“It was an amazing day,” Chastain said after his finish in February. Hopefully his night this weekend is even more amazing!
Blake Koch from W. Palm Beach will be in the No. 8 Toyota this weekend at Daytona for TriStar Motorsports. Koch has made 14 starts this season posting two top 20s and an average finish of 25.4. Koch has made six series starts at Daytona, posting an average finish of 24.0.
“I’ve been plugged in with the right group of guys and that started from the beginning,” stated Koch. “Sometimes it seems like things are going the right way but when I look back I really do love the way everything has happened.”
Scott Lagasse Jr. from St. Augustine will be in the No. 15 Chevrolet this weekend at Daytona. Lagasse has just one other start this season – Daytona back in February. Lagasse started 22nd but finished 37th due to accident.
“I look forward to working with Robby Benton and crew chief Matt Lucas on the No. 29 Toyota Camry,” Lagasse Jr. stated in February. Hopefully his luck is better in the July race!
The Subway Firecracker 250 powered by Coca-Cola is scheduled to take the green flag at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 4. It will be the first Xfinity race to be shown on the NBC Sports Network. Check your local listings for exact time and channel.
About Me: Adam has been a race fan since the first time he went through the tunnel under the Daytona International Speedway almost 30 years ago. He has had the privilege of travelling to races all across the state of Florida (as well as one race in Ohio), watching nearly everything with a motor compete for fame and glory, as well as participating in various racing schools to get the feel of what racecar drivers go through every week. Adam has spent the last three years covering motorsports for Examiner.com., where he had the opportunity to see the racing world from behind the scenes as well as the grandstands. He invites everyone to follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus, and looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm for all things racing with the readers of SpeedwayDigest.com.Be sure to tune in for his weekly sports talk program, Thursday Night Thunder, where he discusses the latest in motorsports news with drivers, crew members, and fans. The show takes place every Thursday at 8:00 pm EST on the Speedway Digest Radio Network.
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