Last-Lap Big One Creates Race-Ending Chaos In Xfinity

A last-lap crash takes out numerous cars in Saturday night's NASCAR Xfinity Series United Rentals 300 at Daytona Int'l Speedway. (Jared East/Nigel Kinrade Photography)

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Chaos, crashes, and carnage are the three ingredients to almost every superspeedway race, and Saturday’s United Rentals 300 was no exception.

A few smaller incidents early in the NASCAR Xfinity Series opener at Daytona Int’l Speedway eliminated a small sum of cars but left a majority of the 33 starters on track to settle the race.

However, a wreck with a lap and a half left set up NASCAR Overtime, with Jesse Love battling Haas Factory Team drivers Sheldon Creed and Sam Mayer for the top spot on the restart.

As the field came around turn four and into the dogleg to take the white flag, Justin Allgaier got turned in the middle of the pack, setting off the dreaded ‘Big One’ and ultimately ending the race prematurely, with Love capturing the win, his second in his young career.

The crash collected a total of 10 cars, though it could easily have been more. Among them were contenders like Allgaier, who started the race on the pole, as well as Jeb Burton and Ryan Sieg, who ran inside the top 10 all evening long.

It was a tough way for many to end the night, but none more so than Allgaier as he began his Xfinity Series title defense.

“The odd part about that crash was that the energy was so weird,” noted Allgaier, who finished 18th. “I never hit the fence. I barely hit anything that wasn’t moving in the same direction that I was going, so I’m not sore at all. This is always it’s own animal and you know that as a driver going in. Causing the last wreck was not how I wanted our night to end. The outside row we were in stacked up, and … I hitched the middle (lane) but the 32 (Jordan Anderson) was coming with a big run and I was just too late.”

Among the others involved was journeyman veteran Josh Williams, who also took a violent hit before his No. 11 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet came to rest.

“It definitely was brutal, but I’m OK,” Williams said. “Just typical Daytona; you’re just riding along, trying to get a good finish … and things happen. I ran the race the way I wanted to run the race and put our team in position to have a good result … but when you get right reared in chaos like that, there’s nothing you can do. It’s part of it.”

The involved drivers will look to rebound next weekend, though that order will be as tall as this weekend.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series heads north for another superspeedway race, this time at the Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Ga.

Coverage of the Bennett Transportation & Logistics 250 begins at 4:30 p.m. ET on The CW, the Performance Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.