The NASCAR Xfinity Series competed at Road America Saturday afternoon for what may be the only stand-alone Xfinity event of the year while the Cup Series raced at Michigan.
The Henry 180 took nearly three hours to complete, thanks to a 90-minute delay due to lightning in the area and a slew of late cautions. Once the lightning was gone, NASCAR brought out the rain tires and created an interesting twist to the event as the the Xfinity drivers raced for a short while in the rain. Sunny skies eventually returned by the completion of the 45-lap event and we saw the usual suspect, Austin Cindric, take home his fourth Xfinity Series win of the 2020 season.
With Cindric enjoying a respectable season, drivers like Justin Allgaier continue to search for wins. On a late-race restart with two to go (not overtime), Allgaier slammed the Turn 3 wall and tore the whole right side off of his No. 7 JR Motorsports machine, so much so, that the blue foam was coming out of the car. It was unfortunate for the Illinois native who remains winless in 2020.
Here are this week’s Power Rankings following the Henry 180.
- Austin Cindric – It was a picture-perfect day for the Team Penske driver who led a race-high of 19 laps. Cindric started second via random draw and finished second in Stage 1. He was unable to record any stage points for the second stage, but at the end of the day, all that mattered was the checkered flag which was in Cindric’s hand when all was said and done. At this point, Cindric is the Championship 4 favorite.
Previous Week Ranking – First - Ross Chastain – Chastain had a solid day in Wisconsin, placing fourth in Stage 1 and second in Stage 2, before coming home in the seventh position. The Floridian never really contended for the win, but had the opportunity presented itself, he more than likely could have capitalized on the moment. Instead, Chastain had to settle for his 16th top 10 of the year. He also picked up some stage points which will definitely come in handy as the season progresses. It is interesting to note that Chastain tied his best Road America finish of seventh.
Previous Week Ranking – Fourth - Ryan Sieg – It was a quiet ninth-place finish for Sieg and his family-owned No. 39 RSS Racing team. He finished outside the top 10 in Stages 1 and 2, but the end result marked his seventh top 10 of the season. Sometimes it’s best to have a quiet day than a noisy day.
Previous Week Ranking – Third - Chase Briscoe – Briscoe scored a third-place finish on Saturday afternoon after a difficult Kansas outing. In addition, the Stewart-Haas driver recorded a stage finish of third in Stage 1, but 14th for Stage 2 after playing pit strategy. Overall, it was a nice rebound for the No. 98 team who trails by 11 in the points standings to Austin Cindric, especially after a close moment where he almost went off track in one of the turns.
Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked - Noah Gragson – A much needed sixth place in Noah Gragson’s No. 9 camp, one race succeeding the Kansas event where the Las Vegas native finished 15th. The Road America finish was also needed after Gragson crashed at Texas a few weeks ago. The season sure has been interesting for Gragson but if the team can get back on track and start gaining momentum again, there’s no question that he will be another favorite for the title.
Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
Fell Out
- Justin Allgaier – It was not the day Allgaier needed when he crashed late in the going on a restart. The 2020 season has been a forgettable year for the Xfinity Series veteran, who currently has four top fives and nine top 10 finishes, the least of his career since his first year in 2009, where Allgaier earned three top fives and 12 top 10’s that season.
Previous Week Ranking – Fifth
