Coke Zero Sugar 400
With two races left in the NASCAR Cup Series regular season, drivers first faced Daytona for the Coke Zero Sugar 400. In an unexpected turn of events from recent superspeedways, Stage 1 was filled with three-wide racing very early on. Josh Berry worked his way from fifth to first and took the stage win.
While the second stage wasn’t as chaotic in terms of three-wide racing, it still provided fans with intense racing. That is until chaos ensued on Lap 60.
Trouble on the backstretch for a TON of cars brings out the first caution for cause of the night. #CokeZeroSugar400 pic.twitter.com/6M2nUKK7bN
— Xfinity Racing (@XfinityRacing) August 25, 2024
Then, two more cautions made up the second segment which ended with Joey Logano taking the stage win.
The final 60 laps saw two very scary wrecks with Michael McDowell nearly flipping, then Berry going for a wild ride.
When all was said and done, fans were treated to an incredible superspeedway race, and a first-time winner, which made the Rich MARvelous Move of the Race.
Rich MARvelous Move of the Race
When it came down to NASCAR Overtime, Harrison Burton sat ready for the task at hand.
The young driver held his own in the final two laps. Kyle Busch forced him below the double-yellow line, which in turn, forced officials to take a look at the replay. It was deemed he 1) was forced and 2) did not ‘advance his position’, and he beat Busch to the stripe.
As the Cup series neared the 11th hour of the regular season, Burton found himself waving the checkered flag. This not only awarded Wood Brothers Racing their 100th win, but locked himself into the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.
Honorable Mention
Part of Burton’s good fortune came from an unlikely source. Running in the 30s for the majority of the race, Parker Retzlaff found himself sitting P4 in his second-ever Cup race following the red flag for clean-up.
Ultimately, Retzlaff, in a Beard Motorsports Chevrolet, pushed Burton, in a Ford, to the win – a nearly unheard of crossing of manufacturer lines. Following the race, he shared with media that it was all in an effort to give himself, and his team, a shot at the win.
Parker Retzlaff said he wanted to be in position to push Kyle Busch, a Chevy, at the end but didn't want to give up a row on the restart. And then giving Harrison Burton the big push was the best chance for himself to win. He finished seventh. pic.twitter.com/hKOjiWAsNP
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) August 25, 2024
On top of that, Retzlaff made quite the save coming to the checkered flag. However, he managed to save his car and bring it home for a P7 finish!
HARRISON BURTON IS A NASCAR CUP SERIES WINNER!!! pic.twitter.com/6nxp8b8rBf
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) August 25, 2024
Chime in with your pick for the Rich MARvelous Move of the Race.
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