Daytona Beach, Florida, February 17, 2024, The Europe Today: Inclement weather has forced the postponement of the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Daytona International Speedway, originally scheduled for Saturday. The season-opening event will now take place on Monday morning at 11 a.m., and race enthusiasts can catch the action live on FS1, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Saturday saw a brief break in the rain, allowing the Xfinity Series cars to complete their qualifying rounds. In an impressive display, Richard Childress Racing teammates Jesse Love, a Sunoco rookie, and Austin Hill secured the top two positions in time trials. Love’s outstanding performance earned him his first career pole position in his debut attempt.
Austin Hill, a four-time winner with RCR in the previous year, narrowly missed the pole, with Jesse Love posting a time of 49.702 seconds (181.079 mph) compared to Hill’s 49.705 seconds (181.068 mph). Hill, the two-time defending winner of the Xfinity season opener at Daytona, aims to continue his success in Monday’s rescheduled race.
Veteran driver AJ Allmendinger, making a full-time return to the series, will start in the third position, accompanied by Parker Kligerman in the fourth spot. Adding an international flair to the competition, New Zealander Shane van Gisbergen, last year’s winner at the Chicago Street Race in his first NASCAR Cup Series start, secured an impressive fifth-place qualifying effort in Kaulig Racing’s No. 97 Chevrolet.
Following the qualifying session, rain intensified later in the afternoon, prompting officials to make the decision to postpone the event to Monday. Racing enthusiasts can anticipate an exciting showdown as drivers look to navigate the iconic Daytona International Speedway in a bid for victory in this highly anticipated season opener.
