We will see a change for the points lead when this event is said and done. 42 drivers come into Daytona with the hopes of building momentum for the final 9-race stretch and bring the Championship trophy a step closer to the homeland. 160 laps of high-intensity action at 200+ MPH doesn't play well with some of the contenders. It thrives for Johnny Reed Foley and Rick Jackson, looking to continue each of their top-10 streaks with a victory tonight.

Race Results

Points Standings

Race Recap

Ryan Heuser starts on the pole for the first time this season. This statistic is surprising considering his 7th place average starting position in 2022. He would lead the first 7 laps before Johnny Reed Foley draft-trained his way around with the help of William Perry. Foley, Randy Dobbins and Zach Michael would each swap the top-spot during the first 25 circuits.

The frontstretch grandstands were witness to severe devastation on lap 26. Slumping points leader Tony Pizzaro made contact with Markell Murphy during a four-wide scramble for the 6th position. Pizzaro flew through the infield and almost pulverized the pace car, slamming hard into the inside wall with the left front of his Fusion. The accident would inevitably back him up to second in the standings, finishing last and going a fourth-straight event without a lap led.

Despite the severity of the crash the race remained green. Ken Pettit and Logan Sheets alternated the lead, though Foley would be the primary mainstay through lap 44. Ryan Heuser would nab the vanguard and lead all but one lap before green flag pit stops commensed on lap 50.

After the stops only five cars remained in the lead pack for the second run. Craig Lee dominated the entirety of it, gaining ten full seconds on the second pack in 40 laps of action. The field was separated into three packs through the halfway mark, with Scott Drake, Matt Raboin, Dalton Lucas, Matthew Dominique, Adam Crapser and Geno Sphere all losing the field and falling one lap down. John Tharp fell from 8th to 11th in points by the race's end after a blown right rear tire.

A debris caution on lap 94 brought the field to a hault for the first time all night. Lee would lead the halfway bonus money and commanded the field to the re-green. David Butterworth, John Battista and Michael Henson all took their turns at the front as Lee dissipated in horsepower. Donald Stewart and Tim McDonnell grabbed their bonus bucks as well before Lee and Michael Henson tag-teamed back to the lead.

A pinnacle three-wide move by Ryan Heuser on lap 114 set the standard for three-wide lead changes during the later laps. John Battista would make the same move one lap later, looking strong in hopes of finally capturing his first victory of the season. Donald Stewart sat atop the heap for five laps as well.

The best action of the night occurred with less than 40 laps to go as Tim McDonnell and Zach Michael engineered intensity at the front. Craig Lee re-took the lead on lap 125, with him and Michael Henson dominating the show as we headed for the final green flag stops. Henson has had a god-send season so far after clawing his way back into the top-35 in points after Martinsville. He could very well win his first event since Bristol of 2017.

Fate would strike with 24 laps to go with a crash taking out Michael Henson and over a dozen other racecars. Zach Michael and Dakota Wilkins tagged on the exit of turn 4 and flew up the racetrack, knocking Steven Spears head-on into the outside wall with the rest of the pack. John Battista and John Tharp slid across the top of the racetrack, diving down into Henson while Donald Stewart and Dalton Lucas failed to avoid Spears from behind. The entire track was blocked from there. Alan Nesfeder, Scott Jackson, Randy Dobbins and Jimmie Stevens all wrecked attempting to avoid the excessive carnage, while Bink Lucas demolished and flipped Champion Ken Pettit, stopping right-side-up against the commitment cone. In total, 17 cars were involved in the accident with 11 unable to continue.

The restart saw Markell Murphy and Johnny Reed Foley up at the front attempting to stretch the fuel. They would agonizingly fail to reach the miracle, stopping for gas and letting Cristian Torres lead the pack with 15 laps to go. Zakk Miller had miraculously repaired his damage after being involved in the accident, leading through the 10-to-go mark before Craig Lee re-found his speed and added to his lap led total. Rick Jackson and teammate Ryan Heuser would swap the front position one lap later. This time, Heuser had the speed to maintain a 2 car-length distance on the field coming to the penultimate lap. 

Nobody came close to reaching the bumper of the #138 during the final 9-lap stretch. He would cross the finish line first yet again, earning his third-straight top-2 finish and dominating the series once more. He would pinnacle to 26th in the standings, only 105 points behind 20th with 8 races left after his demonic injury at Homestead. Congrats to Ryan, crew chief Mustard Mahoney and the entire Quick-Silver Motorsports team for an excellent victory!

2022 Coke Zero 400 Video