Russ Charneski sits back in his New Jersey home, reclining in style to watch a gargonic 400-mile Extravaganza! His crash in 2019 led to the new-wave tungsten chassis, as well as the Texas reconfiguration that made Fort Worth a hot ticket for all! Coming in, superstar's Matthew Dominique, Jimmie Stevens, Alan Nesfeder, Logan Sheets and Ryan Heuser all fight for the top-35!

Race Results

Points Standings

Race Recap

300,000 screaming fans roar over the Speedway as Zach Michael takes the field to the green! He, Tony Long and Steven Spears pulled away from the pack early, giving the #15 and #65  desperately good runs as they lurk outside the top-35. Long's job was reported in jeopardy after missing the Daytona 500 and Rockingham. This is a huge win if he can finish the day inside the top-15.

Team Danger Zone stands 1-2-3-4 for the first time in history! Ken Pettit broke up the party, with Markell Murphy taking the lead away from his flagship driver on lap 82. Both Pettit and Spears would take their turn at the spotlight before the lap-90 mark, with Long, Johnny Reed Foley and Dan Johnston running the leaders down.

Zakk Miller took his turn at the front on lap 89. He and Johnny Reed Foley would pull away to a near two-second advantage, with the #3 AC Delco Chevrolet taking the top-spot on lap 123. Foley came in as the points leader, leading 209 laps and adding to his total today.

A short-pit strategy brought the #30 Bepis Mustang back to the forefront. Dave Miller and Markell Murphy caught up to the front two, all meandering by lapped traffic in immaculate style! Foley would take the top-spot back just after Miller won the halfway bacon-bonus.

Tire strategy starts to pay dividends in the second-half. Both Zach Michael and Dakota Wilkins had been short-pitting all day, finding themselves 1-2 with their tire-over-fuel tactics. Former leader Johnny Reed Foley received a 15-second penalty for entering the pits through the infield, dropping him to 19th. Up front, Dakota took the lead on lap 219 as Michael dropped back, holding his own over John Battista and Ken Pettit despite the older rubber. The Wendy's machine finally took the lead on lap 263, holding the spot before the next green flag stop. Wilkins would regain the advantage before the only caution flag of the night.

Three drivers up in the points fell to the wayside today. Tony Pizzaro's Fenway Frank Fusion blew up on lap 52, finishing dead-last on the day. Pole-sitter Zach Michael led 86 circuits, earning ten bonus points before a valve flew into the grandstands. Timothy McDonnell also dropped late, with all three finishing 43rd, 44th and 45th.

A mortifying accident on lap 286 send the backstretch grandstands into hysteria! Contact with John Tharp in turn-2 sent points leader Johnny Reed Foley into an altercation with the wall. Ziggy Moonglow, Alex Crapser and Steven Spears tangled trying to avoid the spinning car. Dalton Lucas and Adam Crapser couldn't avoid the chaos, slamming the #04 into a fly of the ages! Alex catapulted into Moonglow's roof and power-lined over the racetrack. Running parallel to the rim of the catch-fence, he would eventually land roof-first onto the backstretch apron.

Alex Crapser was miraculously okay after the two-second fly. Teammates Adam and Dalton mangled hard, sliding down to the inside-wall for a stop. Jonathan Skrabacz, Rod Weston, Mark Heron, Donald Stewart, Bill Werkheiser, Rob Scarberry and Craig Lee were also involved in the accident. With Foley down, Ken Pettit would nab the points lead away. Skrabacz and Steven Spears would fail to make the top-35 due to the crash.

The old tires on Dakota Wilkins attempt to hold off the rest of the field for a 43-lap shootout to the finish! There was no chance. An unbelievable three-wide maneuver under Wilkins and Ken Pettit charged John Battista to the front! He would remain there with Bink Lucas and Zakk Miller in tow. Behind them, Logan Sheets would clinch the top-35 in points while riding in the 5th position! Ryan Heuser rides inside the top-10, though was too far behind and will have to qualify for Richmond. Up front, both Battista and Lucas meandered through all the lapped traffic and battled it out for he win! Lucas made his move in turn-3, forcing the Wendy's machine out of the groove in turn-4 and taking the lead outright.

Bink Lucas would win a race in his fourth-straight season, coming from seemingly nowhere to pull off the feat! The Lifesavers Racing team made the call to stretch out the fuel mileage, exiting each cycle with fresher tires than most of the field. On the final restart, he had pitted five laps later than Wilkins and four laps later than Battista. The fresh rubber earned Lucas his first victory of 2024. Congratulations to Bink, crew chief Doug Wilcox and the entire Lifesaver Racing organization for an excellent victory!

2024 Russ Charneski 500 Video