It’s been an eventful night for John Hunter Nemechek at Daytona International Speedway. After finishing seventh in his second-career Daytona 500 start, Nemechek got back behind the racecar for the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ United Rentals 300.
He hasn’t fared as well in this race, involved in multiple wrecks early on. He notably made contact with Jesse Love on the back straightaway, sending him into multiple cars, resulting in a massive pileup. Some heavy hitters were involved, including Austin Hill and Frankie Muniz, who was making his Xfinity Series debut.
Both Hill and Love had some damage but remained in the race. Love, the defending ARCA Menards Series champion, is making is Xfinity Series debut. He wasted no time making a statement, earning a Stage 1 victory. Muniz’s day is done, breaking a tie rod in the crash.
Muniz, making the transition from the ARCA Menards Series, talked about what he’s out to prove in the Xfinity Series this season.
“I’m excited to prove to people that I can race in this series,” Muniz said this past week, via The Associated Press. “I know it is not going to be easy. ARCA is a great series. There’s some really good cars, some really good competition. This is a whole different level. Everybody out there is good. I don’t want to call it self-doubt. It has nothing to do with that. I just have to prove it to myself as soon as we get on track. Hopefully we can do that.”
Hailie Deegan, Daniel Suarez, Sam Mayer involved in nasty wreck during United Rentals 300
The first caution of the United Rentals 300 came courtesy of a four-car collision including Hailie Deegan, Daniel Suarez, Sam Mayer and Kyle Weatherman. Mayer seemed to take the worst of it, colliding head-on with the wall on Lap 23. All four are out the race.
Deegan, who finished 24th, 17th and 35th in three races at Daytona in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, expressed her disappointment in her Xfinity Series debut at Daytona coming to a premature end.
“I’ve had a bad relationship with Daytona ever since my first Truck race here. It’s been hard for me,” Deegan said, via Toby Christie of Racing America. “I’ve never been able to conquer or at least figure out what the right way is. Do you hang back, should you go, where is the danger zone?”
More must-reads: