Justin Haley and his Spire Motorsports team played strategy to perfection to win a rain-shortened Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway.
On Lap 120, Austin Dillon and Clint Bowyer triggered an 18-car crash heading into Turn 1, forcing a lengthy cleanup to clear the damaged cars from the racetrack. As teams came down pitroad for tires and fuel, Haley stayed out under the caution to gain track position. Before the track was cleared from wreckage, rain began to fall and ultimately ended the race after 127 of the scheduled 160 laps.
The Coke Zero Sugar 400 is Haley’s first career Monster Energy NASCAR Sprint Car victory. While the No. 77 team required a bit of luck from the weather, that won’t stop the three-time NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series winner from celebrating with his Spire Motorsports team.
“Yes, I did pray for rain,” said Haley in the media center after the race. “We probably would have been ate up pretty quick on the restart there – We were just trying to keep the fenders on it, that was the whole goal of the day.”
The victory for Haley does not qualify the 20 year old for the MENCS playoffs, as he does not run for Cup Series points. However, a win at the top level in NASCAR is difficult to achieve, no matter the circumstance.
Next week, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads to Kentucky Speedway Saturday night for the Quaker State 400. Last year, Martin Truex Jr. led 174 laps to win in dominating fashion after starting from the pole. The 4-time winner in 2019 will be one to keep an eye on when the cars hit the track for racing under the lights in Kentucky.
