Firecracker 250: halfway report

After a sixty minute rain delay, the world center of racing came to life for the 2015 edition of the Subway Firecracker 250 presented by Coca-Cola. The race marks the first time the series has been to Daytona since the full implementation of Daytona Rising, which has reduced the available seating for this weekend’s racing to less than a third of it’s normal capacity.

This construction project hasn’t gone unnoticed by the drivers, ether, as Dale Earnhardt Jr. was immediately shocked by the scale of the project. In a news conference earlier today, he stated that he was in shock on Wednesday when he arrived at the track, and is also surprised by the extended timeline of the reimagining.

With fireworks going off in the distance, 36 drivers took the green flag, but it wasn’t long lived. The first caution came at lap 3, as Bobby Gerhardt went for a one car spin. Then, the caution flew again at lap 9 for Cole Conley, and again at lap 14 for Derrick Cope; both single car incidents.

After the third caution, the No. 01 Flex Seal Chevrolet of Landon Cassill made an error that this reporter has personally never seen. The JD Motorsports with Gary Keller machine appeared to miss pit road, and came to a stop on the front stretch. Then, as if he was driving on I-95 and missed his exit, he placed the car in reverse, and backed up until he was able to pull forward into the pits. Now, I’m not sure if that is a legal move, but it was definitely attention grabbing!

Cassill had last weekend off for a special event, and missed the race at Chicagoland. Perhaps it was the time off that led to his interesting pit strategy! Pit road issues aside, Cassill has a productive history at the track, competing in seven Sprint Cup, five Xfinity, and one truck series event at the facility.

After fifty laps, Brian Scott in the No. 2 Shore Lodge Chevrolet maintained a strong lead, with the No. 3 of Ty Dillon shortly behind. Scott’s second place start in the race marked his 12th top-10 start of 2015 and his third in 12 races at Daytona.

Stay tuned for more details throughout this Independence Day weekend from the world center of racing: Daytona International Speedway.

Adam Sinclair