The throwback weekend at Darlington is sometimes a hit or miss when it comes to the different paint schemes. The Sports Clips Haircuts VFW Help a Hero 200 was a collection of some great throwbacks. 200 miles around Darlington is always a daunting task. With Brandon Jones and Christopher Bell starting on the front row, the field was up to the challenge. The first two stages were 45 laps with the final being 57 circuits.
Darlington Stripes Early
Bell got the jump on the initial start and Jones settled into second position. They quickly built a gap of about a second over Sam Mayer in third. With the track being very narrow, the field singled out, but Jones would not let Bell get away. Mayer and Allgaier caught up to the top two. Jones made a leap at the lead but got loose picking up the accelerator. Allgaier used the bobble by Jones to make the move for the second spot.
The first caution came out after Kris Wright smacked the wall hard. Several cars used this opportunity to pit for tires and fuel. Josh Williams’s bumper cover was loose after getting into the wall. Harrison Burton also pitted after getting the famed “Darlington Stripe”.
Fresh Tires
Bell and Allgaier restarted the race on the front row. Allgaier got a terrific jump and snatched the lead. Burton, on the new tires, began carving through the field. He restarted in 27th and very quickly got into the top ten. Harrison was running a second quicker than the leaders on those fresher tires. He caught Bell and Jones battling for second and blew their doors off as he made the passes.
After pitting, Kyle Sieg and Brennan Poole used those newer tires to get into the top five. He followed Burton, diving through the field. Burton caught up to Allgaier in the lead. However, Allgaier did not race him too hard, knowing that Burton was on much fresher tires. Burton completed the pass to snag the lead. He took it to the house from there, getting the stage win! Sam Mayer got into the wall before Burton took the green checkered flag. Brandon Jones won the race off of pit road.
Wire to Wire
Jones and Allgaier took the field back to green. Allgaier got the better launch and retook the lead out of Turn 2. Burton got to the outside of Jones and used a great run to take second. Burton took a shot at the lead but could not take it. Christian Eckes used a run to get around Burton for the second spot. Chastain also got around Burton. Chastain got around Eckes and set his sights on his teammate in the lead.
Chase Elliott and Jeb Burton made contact. Elliott came off of Turn 4 and may have been squeezed slightly by Burton. They both keep their cars pointed straight. Jeb Burton had to pit due to the incident, reporting a flat right front.
Chastain set his sights on Allgaier in the lead. However, he could not keep up, and Allgaier built his lead up to over two seconds. Jones and Eckes battled behind them. Jones could keep up, but that was where he stalled. He could not make the pass. They both caught up to Chastain. Eckes was able to get around him. Jones battled to pass Chastain but could not. Allgaier led every lap and got the Stage 2 win in the Sports Clips Haircuts VFW Help a Hero 200. Eckes finished the stage in second with Chastain in third.
Allgaier and Eckes held their positions coming out of the pits. Jones leapfrogged Chastain for third and fourth.
Gotta Take It
Allgaier got the better jump on the restart. Chastain was able to pass Eckes for second. Chastain used a run on the front stretch to gain on Allgaier. He was able to drive by to take the lead. Bell got back into the top three and made a run at second but could not make it stick. Taylor Gray brought out the fourth caution when he got turned around on the front stretch. Harrison Burton won the race off of pit road. Allgaiers’ crew had a bad pit stop, and he lost several spots.
Burton and Jones took the field back to green. With Burton on used right-side tires, Jones took the lead on the restart. Garrett Smithley brought out the next caution as he spun around on the apron but kept it off of the wall.
Jones and Bell brought the green back out. Jones got the better restart and took back the lead. Chastain squeezed Bell into the wall for second place. Bell got a tire rub on his right front tire. Chastain got a huge run on Jones and was easily able to pass for the lead. The sixth caution came out when Leland Honeyman got loose and collected Anthony Alfredo. Jones won the race off of pit road but several cars stayed out.
Differing Strategies
Brennan Poole and Jeb Burton restarted the race on the front row. Burton took the lead out of Turn 2. Jones set his sights on the lead from second. Jones was easily able to take it on the front stretch. Elliott followed Jones around Poole for second. Allgaier made a run at Elliott from third. Jones pulled away by over a second over Elliott.
Brandon Jones ran away with it to get the win in the Sports Clips Haircuts VFW Help a Hero 200! Jones started on the front row and finished there. Elliott, Allgaier, Chastain, and Kvapil rounded out the top five.
Marvin’s Moment:
A great race for Jones. Jones earned it after battling the track as well as an aggressive Chastain, Allgaier, and Elliott. He has had a very interesting last few seasons, bouncing from JGR to JRM and back to JGR. He fought hard for his second career win at Darlington. Tune in next week for the Xfinity race at Bristol Motor Speedway!
