NOAPS Race Recap: The LiUNA!

The NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series rolled the dice for The LiUNA! at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Sam Mayer was quickest in qualifying, so he earned himself the pole. Kyle Larson joined him on the front row for the start. Sheldon Creed and Sammy Smith started from the second row. Justin Allgaier started the race in ninth. The stage lengths were 45 laps for the first and second stages, with the final stage being 110 laps.

Allgaier, All Gas

Mayer got a great launch at the start and pulled away from Larson. Creed, Brandon Jones, and Jesse Love were also able to get by Larson. On the second lap, Jeremy Clements got turned by Connor Zilisch in turn one. Zilisch carried too much speed into the turn and spun Clements around. That brought out the first caution of the day. Zilisch complained that he got loose and took the blame for the incident.

Mayer and Creed restarted the race on the front row. Mayer retook the lead out of turn two.

Larson continued to fall back while fighting a loose race car.

The second caution came out on lap 15. Cole Custer got loose in turn two. He collected Austin Green while trying to gather himself and get turned the right way.

The same duo brought the green back out in Vegas. Mayer pulled ahead out of turn two. Chase Briscoe used the outside line to get closer to the front after qualifying outside of the top 20.

Allgaier began passing his way forward. He was the fastest car on track. On lap 31, he passed Creed to take the runner-up spot. He set his sights on the leader and quickly caught Mayer. Allgaier took the lead on lap 35 and led the field to the green-white-checkered flag to win stage one in The LiUNA!

Sam Mayer had power issues under caution and had to be pushed to his pit box.

All Good for Allgaier

Taylor Gray and Love restarted the race from the front row. Love took the lead out of turn two. Allgaier and Gray fought for the runner-up position. Gray would end up holding onto the spot. He put his nose underneath Love across the front stretch and was almost able to take the lead, but the caution came out for Clements. He got loose off of turn four and went through the infield with a tire going down.

Gray and Love led the field back to green. Love got the better restart and took the lead into turn one. Gray did not get a good launch and fell back, while Allgaier took second with Briscoe behind him. Gray slipped to fourth. Allgaier got to the outside of the leader on the front stretch. He side-drafted Love and took the lead into the turn. Briscoe did the same thing to Love to take second.

Corey Day battled Creed for fifth, but lost the position after getting loose. Larson got around Day to take sixth. He then got around Creed to get back into the top five.

Allgaier led the rest to get the win in stage two of The LiUNA! Briscoe, Gray, Love, and Larson rounded out the top five.

Battle for the Lead

Allgaier and Love got the race back underway from the front row. Love was able to take the lead from the inside line.

Briscoe got into the outside wall in turn four. He began to fall back. He pulled to the inside line to get into the pits. Briscoe missed the pit entrance and had to go another lap before getting his car serviced.

Allgaier caught and passed Love for the lead with 96 laps to go in the race. He was not able to get away and had Love in his wake. Allgaier got loose and surrendered the lead back to Love.

The sixth caution came out when Dean Thompson and Patrick Staropoli got into each other. Thompson was turned around.

Creed and Gray got the race back underway from the front row. Gray quickly took the lead into turn one. Zilisch got around Creed for the second position, while Larson and Day filled out the top five.

Creed used the outside line to take second.

Zilisch smacked the wall from third and began to sink.

The seventh caution came out when Staropoli got into Josh Bilicki.

The Race out Front

Gray and Day brought the field back to the green flag. Creed took third from Larson and set his sights on the leaders. Larson fell to fifth after being passed by Allgaier.

Day used a great run on the back stretch to take the lead from Gray.

The top four cars pulled away from Larson in fifth. Day kept his lead over Gray, while Creed searched for the speed. Allgaier kept within striking distance of the podium.

Creed made a late effort to get by Gray, and Gray pulled down in front of him. Creed pushed Gray into turn three and sent him into the outside wall. Gray got severe damage to his right front. That brought out the eighth caution of the day. Gray showed his displeasure with Creed with a hand out of his window.

Anthony Alfredo joined Jones on the front row for the restart. Alfredo did not get a good restart, and Larson, who restarted in seventh, forced his way to the front on the outside line of turns one and two. He came out of turn two in second. He then passed for the lead in turns three and four. Day followed him by Jones to take second.

Sammy Smith caught the rear bumper of Day. Smith used the inside to pass Day on the front stretch to take second. Day was then passed by Creed to fall to fourth. Briscoe used the outside line to complete the pass on Day, who dropped to fifth. Day continued to fall after getting passed by Allgaier for fifth.

Larson’s Lead

Larson pulled away from Smith by over a second and a half.

Creed got around Smith for second. Creed, Smith, Briscoe, and Allgaier were separated by a second and could not get closer to the leader.

Briscoe and Allgaier caught Creed and pressured for the spot. Briscoe continued to use the outside line as they battled lapped traffic. He passed for the position and set his sights on the lead.

Briscoe was faster than the leader, but Larson kept responding with good lap times. Even dealing with lapped traffic, Larson kept his gap at more than two seconds.

Dean Thompson got into the outside wall but was able to take his car to pit road, so no caution was thrown.

Larson took the white flag, and then the checkered flag to win The LiUNA! Briscoe, Creed, Allgaier, and Smith rounded out the top five.

Marvin’s Minute:

As a Larson fan, what a treat that race was. He had to fight a car that did not have winning speed all day. He was able to find his way to the front when he needed to and got the win.

With that out of the way, I want to talk about what impressed me with a series regular. Corey Day may be a torpedo on the track, but he has obvious speed. He can find speed like Larson, and has race craft that is hard to learn. He will continue to hone it into a win. I believe Day could have a win by the end of the season. The open wheel dirt drivers can maneuver around the track to find the speed, and Day is no exception. The series continues its schedule next weekend in Darlington.