DOVER, Del. (June 3, 2017) – Bubba Wallace, driver of the No. 6 Globe Life Ford Mustang, scored the victory in the second stage of Saturday afternoon’s NASCAR XFINITY Series event at Dover International Speedway, earning a valuable bonus point toward the playoffs. Wallace started 18th and drove to the front of the field, taking the lead just before the end of Stage 2. He ran inside the top 10 for much of the final stage and crossed the finish line for the final time in eighth. The result is Wallace’s seventh top-10 of 2017, ranking the Roush Fenway Racing driver second among all series regulars.
“We were close today,” said Wallace. “Our Ford Mustang was so fast all day long and it was great to be out front and winning a stage. That’s big for all of us. We just couldn’t get a caution when we needed it at the end. I want to thank everyone on this No. 6 team for their hard work this weekend. (Crew chief) Seth Barbour made great adjustments all race long. We just needed some help at the end to get the track position to go for the win.”
Wallace took the green for the 200-Lap event from the 18th position after advancing to the second round of knockout qualifying on Saturday morning. The Roush Fenway driver wasted little time moving forward when the race began, improving six positions to 12th by the completion of the first lap and up to 11th before the first caution came out on Lap 5. Wallace continued to push forward from there, moving into the top 10 for the first time on Lap 18 and up to the eighth position by the end of Stage 1 on Lap 60.
After pitting for four tires and a chassis adjustment between stages, Wallace started Stage 2 from the 11th position but immediately rejoined the top 10 and drove up to as high as the fourth position before the caution came out once again on Lap 91. Wallace raced into second on the ensuing restart and moved into the race lead with four laps remaining in the second stage. Wallace held off a charge from Ryan Blaney in the closing laps to take the victory in Stage 2, earning a valuable bonus point for the playoffs.
Wallace hit pit road once again before the final stage for four tires and another chassis adjustment, returning to the track in the 11th position due to the top-10 cars remaining on the racetrack. After getting loose on the initial restart shuffled Wallace back to 16th, the Roush Fenway Racing driver rebounded quickly and drove back into the top 10 on Lap 165. Wallace continued to press on from there, driving into the eighth position in the closing laps, ultimately earning his seventh top-10 finish of 2017.
With the result, Wallace sits fourth in the championship standings and ranks second in top-10 finishes, trailing only Elliott Sadler.
Next up for the NASCAR XFINITY Series is Pocono Raceway on Saturday, June 10..
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NEXT UP:
2.5-Mile Pocono Raceway
Long Pond, Pennsylvania
Saturday, June 10, 2017
1:00 p.m. ET on FOX and MRN
RACE SUMMARY
Bubba Wallace
Started: 18th
Finished: Eighth
Complete Race Results:
www.roushfenway.com
