Alex Crapser, Ken Pettit and Zakk Miller come into Darlington in a dead-heat for the Extravaganza Series title! Each driver has scored a victory, 100+ laps led and combined for 29 of 30 finishes inside the top-30. All three failed to start inside the top-15, with points contenders Johnny Reed Foley, John Battista and Dakota Wilkins hot-lapping their way towards the front of the grid!

Race Results

Points Standings

Race Recap

The moon is full enough to heat the racetrack, forcing drivers slide for the entire 400-mile distance. Jeremy Hebel earns his first career pole, lacerating the asphalt with a 28.021 mile-per-hour lap with Michael Henson on the outside! Neither would lead the first lap, with Matt Raboin narrowly edging out Hebel to earn the first bonus points of the race.

Johnny Reed Foley and Craig Lee both made attempts at the top-spot, with the #101 power-housing his way to the point on lap 17. Rookie of the Year leader Molemar Diggs spins out, slapping the outside wall and into Ken Joynt. The #41 Pittsburgh Steelers Chevrolet spun around once and continued forward, bringing out the first caution flag.

Last week's winner Dakota Wilkins found himself atop the heap after pit stops, leading his third-straight event with Ryan Heuser, Michael Henson, Dave Miller and Chauncey Redmond Jr. ready to pounce. A three-wide maneuver for Miller was deemed unsuccessful, giving Heuser the advantage on the high-side to keep the second spot. The #138 took the lead on lap 32, handing it to teammate Miller five laps later.

Quick-Silver Motorsports and Lucas Racing occupied the top-four positions, with Adam and Alex Crapser creeping towards the front. Points leader Alex took the lead on lap 54, dominating the remainder of the run before a check-up on pit road. This handed Adam, Dave Miller and Alan Nesfeder the advantage.

The #90 Marlboro Chevrolet blows a right-rear tire! The leader now stood in the 44th place, ahead of only Tony Pizzaro and John Battista's engine failure. Everyone else remained on the lead lap by the halfway point, handing Alan Nesfeder the Halfway Bacon Bonus with Adam Crapser, Logan Sheets, Rick Jackson and Zakk Miller directly in tow.

 

Points leaders Crapser, Miller and Pettit all crab-walked their way to the front despite their mediocre starting spots. Miller and Pettit all battled deep inside the top-10, with Crapser dropping to 14th after a myriad of bad pit stops. Up front, Alan Nesfeder and Adam Crapser pulled to a near four-second advantage over the field with 85 laps remaining.

Ryan Heuser breaks a camshaft with 60 laps to go, dropping from 19th to 28th in the standings after a 44th place finish. Darlington hoped to be the tide-turner for he and John Battista, both going winless for the first ten races in 2024. Both finished outside the top-43; the first time the top-2 winners in the previous season would finish that low in Extravaganza Series history. Geno Sphere also lost an engine, dropping his average finish to 32nd while remaining 40th in points.

Alan Nesfeder's crew missed the signal to come in during the Heuser caution! The race dominator is forced to pit the ensuing lap, leading 106 circuits to finish 28th and end his three-race top-10 streak. The benefactor was Rick Jackson, leading his first laps on the night after an immaculate pit stop by the Crown Royal crew!

The lapped car of Cristian Torres scraped the outside wall exiting turn-2, forcing Jackson to lift and hand Miller the advantage on the inside! Adam Crapser took the top-spot with 48 laps-to-go. He, Miller, Jackson, Johnny Reed Foley, Logan Sheets and Ken Pettit rode in a six-car conga-line for the victory! Miller made several attempts to pass Crapser, with the last one costing him two spots. Foley and Pettit made it by the #30, continuing to race for second before Pettit took the position. The #8 Bob Marley machine closed towards the Packer man, looking to steal his first career victory away after five-years of emphatic frustration. Crapser could not hold him off, handing Pettit the lead with 20 laps remaining and never looked back.

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