The Super Start Batteries 188 was a NASCAR Xfinity Series race on the Daytona International Speedway infield road course in Daytona Beach, Florida. Originally created in 2020 as a temporary event in response to races canceled by the COVID-19 pandemic, the race returned in 2021 for the same reason.
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| NASCAR Xfinity Series | |
|---|---|
| Venue | Daytona International Speedway |
| Location | Daytona Beach, Florida |
| Corporate sponsor | O'Reilly Auto Parts |
| First race | 2020 |
| Last race | 2021 |
| Distance | 187.72 miles (302.11 km) |
| Laps | 52 Stages 1/2: 15 each Final stage: 22 |
| Previous names | UNOH 188 (2020) |
| Most wins (driver) | Austin Cindric Ty Gibbs |
| Most wins (team) | Team Penske Joe Gibbs Racing |
| Most wins (manufacturer) | Ford Toyota |
| Circuit information | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 3.61 mi (5.81 km) |
| Turns | 14 |
Ty Gibbs is the defending race winner. The race, along with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series' BrakeBest Select 159, supports the NASCAR Cup Series' O'Reilly Auto Parts 253.
History
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The Daytona road course, which uses elements of the 2.5 mi (4.0 km) speedway oval, is commonly used for the 24 Hours of Daytona sports car race and Daytona 200 motorcycle race. In March 2020, NASCAR announced the NASCAR Cup Series' Busch Clash exhibition race would use the road course instead of the oval beginning in 2021.[1]
In July 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the Zippo 200 at The Glen road course race at Watkins Glen International, which was planned for August, to be replaced by the temporary Daytona road course event due to New York's quarantine rules for out-of-state visitors.[2] While much of the road course layout remained the same as the sports car configuration, NASCAR added a chicane exiting the oval's turn four to allow cars to slow down entering the braking-heavy turn one.[3] Austin Cindric, driving for Team Penske, won the event's lightning-plagued inaugural running in 2020; it was Cindric's fifth win in six races.[4]
Although intended to be a temporary race, the UNOH 188 returned to the Xfinity Series schedule in 2021 after the originally-scheduled race weekend at Auto Club Speedway was canceled due to concerns related to COVID-19.[5][6] O'Reilly Auto Parts took over naming rights for the race weekend, naming the Xfinity event the Super Start Batteries 188.[7] Ty Gibbs won in his Xfinity Series debut, becoming the sixth driver in series history to do so and the series' youngest road course winner at 18 years, four months, and 16 days.[8]
Past winners
edit| Year | Day | Date | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Race Distance | Race Time | Average Speed (mph) |
Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laps | Miles (km) | ||||||||||
| 2020 | Saturday | August 15 | 22 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 52 | 187.72 (302.106) | 2:17:32 | 81.894 | [9] |
| 2021 | Saturday | February 20 | 54 | Ty Gibbs | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 56* | 202.16 (325.344) | 2:35:05 | 78.213 | [10] |
Notes
edit- 2021: Race extended due to a NASCAR Overtime finish.
Manufacturer wins
edit| # Wins | Make | Years Won |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Ford
|
2020 |
 Toyota
|
2021 |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Cain, Holly (March 4, 2020). "NASCAR's season-opening Busch Clash moving to Daytona road course in 2021". NASCAR. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
- ^ Kelly, Godwin (August 14, 2020). "NASCAR Xfinity drivers buckle up for unpredictable Daytona Road Course". The Daytona Beach News-Journal. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
- ^ Crandall, Kelly (July 30, 2020). "NASCAR adds chicane for Daytona road course". Racer. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
- ^ Kelly, Godwin (August 15, 2020). "Austin Cindric wins NASCAR Xfinity race at Daytona". Daytona Beach News-Journal. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
- ^ Estrada, Chris (December 8, 2020). "Schedule shuffle: Fontana races move to Daytona road course". NBC Sports. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
- ^ "Daytona International Speedway Adds NASCAR Road Course Weekend in February". Jayski.com. December 8, 2020. Archived from the original on 2021-01-15. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
The two realigned Auto Club NASCAR events – the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Cup Series – will take the green flag, respectively on Feb. 20-21.
- ^ "O'Reilly Auto Parts 253 At DAYTONA Set for NASCAR Cup Series Race". Daytona International Speedway. February 16, 2021. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
- ^ Cain, Holly (February 20, 2021). "Ty Gibbs wins on Daytona road course in Xfinity Series debut". Racer. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
- ^ "2020 UNOH 188". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
- ^ "2021 Super Start Batteries 188". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
External links
edit- Daytona Intl. Speedway Road Course race results at Racing-Reference