Joe "Novacane" Densham earns his first career pole as crew chief for the #77 Blazin' Pedals entry! Their victory in the 2023 Laurel Canyon 400 was deemed "upset of the century", solidifying their status among Extravaganza's elite once more with their 29.615 second lap. Wilkins will start next to 2022 Champion Dave Miller, earning his third straight front-row start to begin the 2024 season.

Race Results

Points Standings

Race Recap

Hometown hero and points leader Craig Lee starts towards the rear of the field, hoping to meander through traffic en route to his second victory of 2023. Dakota Wilkins led the initial four laps before a miracle move by Timothy McDonnell earned him his first lap led of the season. It was the yellow and yellow show with the #22 and #04 battling for supremacy through lap 20.

Zakk Miller took the point on lap 23. Miracle-man Michael Henson showed incredible horsepower early, flying from his 15th starting position to take the top-spot away just a few laps later. The Lucas Racing duo would eventually tag-team him, handing the #04 and #39 their seemingly rightful spot at the front.

John Battista would lead the 40th lap, his first of 2024. He, Crapser and Henson looked to be the class of the field before Ryan Heuser's miraculous three-wide triumph in turn-4 earned him the advantage. He would also lead his first laps of the season, towing the field in grand style before the first round green flag stops. 

Trae Larkin blew a motor just before the stop cycle, wedging Mark Heron into the outside wall off of turn-2. This was a devastating blow to both drivers, each inside the top-15 in points after two races, only to fall to the wayside early. Larkin finished dead-last, with Heron  limping around with bent steering only to fall again late.

Ryan Heuser and Tony Pizzaro swapped the top-spot several times after the restart, jointly leading the field through lap 100. A miracle run by Bink Lucas sent him from 29th on the restart to third, eventually passing both the #138 and #12. The #5 Lifesavers Mustang would lead through lap 119. 

Points leader Craig Lee made an unscheduled pit stop during the stint, leaving Zakk Miller, Johnny Reed Foley and Alex Crapser to battle it out for top-dog in the standings. Up front, Ben Geer blew a right rear tire and came in early, handing him the advantage after the first pit cycle. Dave Miller and Tony Pizzaro ran him down, swapping the lead multiple times before the #90 lost the handling, dropping to fourth position. Only pole-sitter Dakota Wilkins could keep up with the "Fenway Frank Ford" by the end of the run. Cristian Torres and Markell Murphy crashed while entering the pit road, knocking them out with Dan Johnston and Ben Geer's engine malfunctions to boot. Attrition finally settled in. The end of the race loomed near, with the #77 and #12 over eight seconds ahead of the rest of the field heading to 20 laps to go.

Mortifying disaster struck on lap 247. Tony Long blew an engine off of turn-2, sliding in his own oil before a Bill Werkheiser strike on the drivers-side door sent him into circumvolution. Three violent flips over Adam Crapser's roof and back on four wheels was just the beginning.

Jonathan Skrabacz, Rick Jackson and William Perry couldn't avoid the blocked backstretch surface. Jackson and Perry slid into the outside wall and stopped centered on the turn-3 racing grove. Both of them were fortunate not to get clobbered again. Jonathan Skrabacz was not so lucky.

The #48 tipped over after a right-front slash from Perry, sliding down the racetrack into a horrendous undercarriage collision. Ryan Heuser broke Jonathan's car in half, sending exhaust pieces into the cockpit while his helmet bashed the roof. Four violent pirouette's into the turn-3 apron and the wreck was finally over. Skrabacz, Long and Heuser were sent to the Baptist Health Hospital. No further word on their condition.

Green flag racing commenced in a 15-lap shootout to the finish. Tony Pizzaro's old tires couldn't keep up the pace, losing positions to Bink Lucas and Johnny Reed Foley during the initial two laps. By the 10-to-go mark, Foley was directly on Wilkins bumper, making several bids for the lead with lapped traffic on both of their heels. 

Wilkins was able to bridge a gap from Craig Lee's draft, forcing Foley to wait until the last lap to make a pass. The #3 AC Delco Chevolet had not won a race since this racetrack in the fall of 2022. But it was not to be. Wilkins pile-drove his #77 Chevrolet off of turn-2 and into the sunset of Extravaganza glory, earning his second career victory in immaculate style! A pole-to-victory lane celebration is extremely rare, especially for an upstart organazation from the Midwest! The Lucas Racing horsepower paid it's dividends today. Congrats to Dakota Wilkins, crew chief Joe "Novacane" Densham and the rest of the Blazin' Pedals Racing organization for a fantastic victory!

2024 Pennzoil 400 Video