ELKHART LAKE, Wis. — Wisconsin driver Paul Menard took advantage of a lengthy late-race caution and held off Ryan Blaney to win the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Road America on Saturday.
Menard, a Sprint Cup regular, made a mid-race pit stop and was informed by his crew that he needed to save two gallons of fuel in order to finish the race without stopping again on the 4.048-mile road course.
Menard led for nine laps in the 180-mile race on NASCAR’s second-tier series.
Brian Scott was third. Series points leaders Chris Buescher finished ninth.
Menard, from Eau Claire, took the lead immediately after a restart with four laps remaining, which followed a six-lap caution period. Blaney and Menard separated themselves from the pack with two laps to go.
Pole-sitter Ben Rhodes slid off the course with 10 laps to go and became deeply buried in a gravel pit. He finished 32nd.
Blake Koch held the lead as the late caution flag came out.
Koch led for five laps after leading for just three laps for his entire career. But during the caution, Koch’s car stalled with about five laps to go and wouldn’t restart on the course, ruining his attempt at a first career win and allowing Menard to move up.
Chase Ellliott grabbed the lead on the very first lap of the race and remained in front for much of the early part of the race. Elliott, who started second, quickly moved in front of pole-sitter Ben Rhodes, his JR Motorsports teammate, and pushed the pace in a dominating performance early in the race. He led for 22 of the first 25 laps.
Scott used an aggressive pass to grab the lead from Elliott with 18 laps remaining. Elliott immediately fell back to third and dropped deeper into the pack after briefly driving off the course. He fought back to finish fourth.
A moment of silence was held for Justin Wilson prior to the start of the race. Wilson died Monday, a day after he was stuck in the head by debris in the IndyCar race at Pocono Raceway. Many drivers at Road America placed decals on their cars in memory of Wilson.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
