NASCAR updates: Justin Allgaier shakes off wreck, back to lead at Daytona Xfinity race
Allgaier #Allgaier
DAYTONA BEACH — It’s a little early for your traditional Happy Hour, but on a race weekend, anything goes.
The final practice session for the Daytona 500 opens the day at Daytona, where a pair of afternoon races highlight the day’s menu.
The final tune-up for a Cup Series race is traditionally called Happy Hour, and the Daytona 500’s final shakedown begins at 9:30 this morning. Fox Sports 1 picks up live coverage at 10 a.m. It’s followed at 10:30 by Xfinity Series qualifying.
The cars of the Midwest-based ARCA series upload their 2023 season with their annual 80-lap, 200-mile thriller, with green flag scheduled for 1:47 p.m. Fox Sports 1 again with the coverage.
The day’s marquee event is the Xfinity Series annual season opener, 120 laps, 300 miles, sponsored by the Florida Beef Council. Green flag is 5:20.
Friday’s NASCAR action at Daytona:Updates from Friday’s qualifying, practice races at Daytona International Speedway
NASCAR Duels:Logano, Almirola win but Smith, Daly also winners; Daytona 500 starting lineup
Austin Hill out front as hell breaks loose; after review, he wins another Daytona opener
A final-lap crash erupted among the leaders coming off Turn 2, and the question centered on who was leading as the yellow flag was triggered to essentially end the Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner 300.
After bringing the cars to a stop, NASCAR officials went to the replays and, after a few minutes, determined Austin Hill had a nose in front of Justin Allgaier, with John Hunter Nemechek credited with third place.
The final crash included Sam Mayer, who was battling for the win, sliding upside-down for nearly a quarter-mile down the backstretch, throwing sparks before sliding off the asphalt and into the grass, where his car immediately flipped onto its wheels. He did a pass-through in the infield medical center and was released.
Hill’s victory was his third in the Xfinity Series and his second straight at the 300-mile season opener at Daytona.
“We just had some luck on our side there at the very end,” Hill said. “Any time you win at Daytona it’s special, no matter what it is, when it is. To say I’ve done it back to back … it means a lot to me.”
John Hunter Nemechek, who was originally credited with the win, was eventually ruled the runner-up. Justin Allgaier finished third, with Parker Retzlaff and Myatt Snider fourth and fifth.
Crash brings out yellow flag with 31 laps to go 
Just when the field had gone single file.
CJ McLaughlin made heavy contact after getting together with Sammy Smith, bringing out the caution flag with 31 laps to go.
Pit stops had just cycled through with Josh Berry assuming the lead in front of Austin Hill and Justin Allgaier. The front eight broke away but a second group of eight had just caught up and fallen in line when the caution waved.
Parker Kligerman, who had run up front throughout most of the evening, spun out getting into the pits and the caution served as a break for him.
Justin Allgaier leads Xfinity Series race at end of Stage 2 at Daytona as Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s team on a roll
Justin Allgaier rebounded from an earlier dust-up to get back to the front and lead through 60 laps, and the end of Stage 2, in the 120-lap “Beef 300” at Daytona.
Allgaier, driving for Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s JR Motorsports, is followed by teammates Sam Mayer and Brandon Jones, with Austin Hill and Brett Moffitt filling out the top five.
Lap 40 crash takes out several in Xfinity Series race 
Stage 2 was in its early laps when a multi-car crash erupted just before Turn 1.
Justin Allgaier, Stefan Parsons and Sheldon Creed got the worst of it.
Sam Mayer emerged from the smoke with the lead, with Austin Hill, Parker Kligerman, Brandon Jones and Chandler Smith rounding out the top five.
Daniel Hemric, Blaine Perkins out after two-car crash 
Blaine Perkins was sent spinning to the inside where he collected Daneil Hemric, bringing out the caution late in Stage 1.
Perkins swung wide coming out of Turn 4 and was contacted in the rear by the No. 1 car of Sam Mayer. That sent Perkins nose first toward the inside wall where Hemric was running on the bottom line.
Justin Allgaier led Justin Haley, Austin Hill and Chandler Smith with pit stops beginning and seven laps left in the opening stage.
Austin Hill goes from front to back to front again in first 10 laps
A radio issue brought pole sitter Austin Hill to pit road during warm up laps, sending him to the rear of the field, but within the first 10 laps, Hill, the defending race winner, had rebounded all the way to fourth.
Bayley Curry suffered an early mechanical issue, bringing out the caution flag and mixing the field up due to conflicting pit strategies. John Hunter Nemechek in a Toyota and Justin Allgaier in a Chevrolet were side-b-side for the lead 16 laps in.
Xfinity Series race goes green; it’s a “Meat and Greet” 
Officially, it’s the Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner 300, sponsored by the Florida Beef Council and serving as the annual season opener for NASCAR’s second-level Xfinity Series.
It’s scheduled for 120 laps, 300 miles, and began clicking away at those 5:20.
Updates here as warranted over the coming couple hours (or so).
ARCA race ends with last-lap pass; Greg Van Alst takes the win 
Greg Van Alst, an Indiana fence builder and short-track racer, got the biggest win of his life in his 32nd career ARCA start, winning Saturday’s Brandt 200 with a last-lap pass of Jason White entering Turn 3.
Connor Mosak, Sean Corr, Lavar Scott and Mandy Chick completed the top five finishers.
Longtime Hollywood actor Frankie Muniz, beginning an ARCA career at age 38, finished 11th. He was as high as fifth in the final 20 laps but got scrubbed some in a crash near him and lost 20-plus positions before working his way back near the top 10.
Malcolm in the Mix! Frankie Muniz works his way into top 10
Frankie Muniz was hanging tough to ninth place following a return to green-flag action.
With 26 laps left in the debut of his rookie season, he’d worked his way up to fifth.
ARCA race closing in (slowly) on 80-lap mark
It’s taking a while, but ARCA’s Brandt 200 is gaining ground on that 200 part. Fifty of 80 laps are complete, with Greg Van Alst and Lavar Scott up front during another caution flag.
Back to green on Lap 51.
ARCA race back underway, back under caution approaching halfway
A two-car incident involving Tim Richmond has brought out a caution flag as the ARCA Menards Series race inches toward halfway.
With 45 laps remaining, Sean Corr has inherited the lead after pit stops, supplanting Jason Kitzmiller who fell to fifth. Frankie Muniz has avoided a couple of close calls and runs 17th.
ARCA Menards Series race under red flag after two early crashes; Frankie Muniz 18th 
Two one-car crashes brought out a pair of early caution flags in the ARCA Menards Series 200.
Connor Mosack is showing the way with 65 laps remaining with Jason Kitzmiller, Greg Van Alst, Jesse Love and Gus Dean rounding out the top five.
Former sticom star Frankie Muniz runs 18th as the cars were stopped on the backstretch.
Xfinity Series pole: Austin Hill, Parker Kligerman on today’s front row
There isn’t much time to savor the moment, but Austin Hill got the first pole of the 2023 Xfinity Series season.
Roughly four hours before the start of the Meat 300, Hill won the first starting spot with an average speed of 182.563 mph in the No. 21 Chevrolet, a click better than Parker Kligerman in the No. 48 Chevy.
For what it’s worth, the official name of the race is the Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner 300, sponsored by the Florida Beef Council.
Brad Keselowski tops final Daytona 500 practice 
Just 17 cars hit the track during final Cup Series practice on Saturday morning and of them, Brad Keselowski in the No. 6 Roush Fenway Keselowski Ford was fastest, turning in a lap of 47.071 seconds.
Keselowski led six Fords atop the chart with Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, Ryan Preece, Harrison Burton and Chase Briscoe following.
“Really good improvements, we were super strong here last year for the 500 and when we fired off for the Duels, we weren’t where we wanted to be, so we made some adjustments and kind of went back to where we were last year and got even better from there,” Keselowski said. “Feel really good about it. You come here and there’s no guarantees of any success but there are things you can do to help your position. Of course, executing the race and having good speed are always good things. I think we found a little more speed and feel really good about our ability to execute the race.”
None of the Toyota contingent took part in the session with six Chevrolets turning laps led by AJ Allmendinger, who was seventh fastest with a time of 47.167 seconds.
Long-ago News-Journal writer Bernard Kahn (finally) honored 
From his desk at the Daytona Beach News-Journal, from the late 1930s to the mid-’70s, Bernard “Benny” Kahn was among the earliest and finest chroniclers of auto racing and NASCAR.
Saturday at Daytona, he was named the newest honoree to receive the American Motorsports Media Award of Excellence.
Stu Grant, representing new presenting sponsor Goodyear, was on hand to help unveil two large boards with plaques representing past winners, dating back to 1969.
Kahn, who died in 1975 at age 57, is the third News-Journal writer to win the award, joining Godwin Kelly (1994) and Ken Willis (2010).
Early air show from Thunderbirds breaks the quiet, sounds the alarms! 
The United States Air Force Thunderbirds, in town to perform Sunday’s flyover before the Daytona 500, thrilled locals with a Saturday morning air show.
The F-16s had thousands of fans in the Daytona infield looking skyward, snapping pictures and videos, as the pilots swooped by low enough — and loud enough — to set off car alarms all over the property.
It’s agriculture day at Daytona for ARCA, Xfinity races 
Today’s pair of races has a definite farm-and-ranch feel.
The ARCA Series 200-miler is sponsored by agriculture equipment maker BRANDT. The Xfinity Series 300-mile race is sponsored by the Florida Beef Council and called the Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner 300.
When in doubt, you can always look to the dozens of flags blanketing the East Horseshoe of Daytona’s infield road course. They change daily to represent the day’s sponsoring entity.
Weather at Daytona: Friday’s warmth gives way to Saturday chill and gusts
Sunscreen and shorts were in play Friday, but today it’s windbreakers (at least) and chapstick.
Temps will be around 60 when Cup Series practice starts at 9:30, and will only climb a few degrees throughout the day. Doesn’t sound that bad, actually, but it’s a whole other ballgame when you toss in a strong northeast wind — the forecast says 16-18 mph, but expect higher at the wide-open Speedway property.
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Ticket pricing at Daytona for Xfinity-ARCA doubleheader
For the third day in a row, unreserved grandstand tickets are $49. Reserved seats start at $80
Kids 12 and under are free with paying adult.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: NASCAR at Daytona updates: ‘Upon further review,’ Austin Hill repeats as Xfinity winner