Xfinity: Aric Almirola Wins Chaotic Subway Firecracker 250 at Daytona

With crashes and drama galore, the NASCAR Xfinity Series put on quite the show in the Subway Firecracker 250 at Daytona, won by Aric Almirola.

Daytona International Speedway has always created high drama situations, but perhaps Friday night the NASCAR Xfinity Series pushed that to an even higher level. With big wrecks, close fender-to-fender racing, and a controversial finish, leading to Aric Almirola in victory lane.

Early in the Subway Firecracker 250, many race fans believed the race would be remembered for one of the earliest big wrecks in recent memory, with a large accident on Lap 15 collecting many front-runners and leading to a red flag for a period. Surprisingly, many of them would get back into the race, taking advantage of the draft to be back in contention in the second half.

More wrecks would be to come as well, with Erik Jones spinning on his own at one point, while in another incident Brennan Poole and David Starr would come together. This late accident with just a few laps to go would set up overtime in the Friday night show.

When the pressure is on of course, the racing get tight and the bumping and banging becomes crazier. On the final lap, a mid-pack crash would lead NASCAR to throw the caution flag before the leaders reach the checkered flag. This move would prove controversial among fans on social media, claiming that the sanctioning body was premature in throwing the yellow, considering the pack was a few hundred yards from the finish.

At the moment of caution, it was a dead heat between Aric Almirola and Justin Allgaier. Upon video review, NASCAR officials would award the win to Almirola, his second win in July at Daytona, following up on a 2014 win in the Coke Zero 400. Justin Allgaier would come home in second and Ryan Sieg would be the feel good story coming home in third.

At the end of the day, NASCAR fans will likely not be talking about the race winner, or the big wreck on Lap 15, but the judgment of NASCAR officials over throwing the caution flag at the end of a race. When and where is the right time to call the caution at a big track like Daytona? Is there a standard that officials can follow for all races, or is that just a pipe dream of fans and writers? It is likely that NASCAR will have to answer questions again about cautions, how they choose to throw them, and what circumstances surrounded the final yellow on Friday night.

Here are the full results for the Subway Firecracker 250 at Daytona:

1. Aric Almirola, Ford, Biagi Den-Beste Racing
2. Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, JR Motorsports
3. Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, RSS Racing
4. Joey Logano, Ford, Team Penske
5. Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
6. Ryan Reed, Ford, Roush-Fenway Racing
7. Jeff Green, Toyota, Rick Ware Racing
8. Spencer Gallagher, Chevrolet, GMS Racing
9. Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, JR Motorsports
10. Erik Jones, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
11. Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, JD Motorsports
12. Dakoda Armstrong, Toyota, JGL Racing
13. Garrett Smithley, Chevrolet, JD Motorsports
14. Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
15. Ryan Ellis, Chevrolet, Rick Ware Racing
16. Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, Clements Racing
17. JJ Yeley, Toyota, Tri-Star Motorsports
18. Elliott Sadler, Chevrolet, JR Motorsports
19. Joey Gase, Chevrolet, Means Racing
20. Darrell Wallace Jr., Ford, Roush-Fenway Racing
21. David Ragan, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
22. Blake Koch, Chevrolet, Kaulig Racing
23. Benny Gordon, Toyota, Tri-Star Motorsports
24. Bobby Gerhart, Chevrolet, Gerhart Racing
25. Scott Lagasse Jr., Chevrolet, Rick Ware Racing
26. Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing
27. David Starr, Chevrolet, RSS Racing
28. Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
29. Brandon Jones, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
30. Corey LaJoie, Toyota, JGL Racing
31. Mark Thompson, Toyota, MBM Racing
32. Daniel Suarez, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
33. Mario Gosselin, Chevrolet, King Autosport
34. Ryan Preece, Chevrolet, JD Motorsports
35. Morgan Shepherd, Chevrolet, Shepherd Racing Ventures
36. Joe Nemechek, Toyota, NEMCO Motorsports
37. Justin Marks, Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing
38. Alex Guenette, Chevrolet, Obiaka Racing
39. Ray Black Jr., Chevrolet SS Green Light Racing
40. B.J. McLeod, Ford, B.J. McLeod Motorsports

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The next race for the NASCAR Xfinity Series comes next week from Kentucky Speedway. Tune in for the Alsco 300 at Kentucky on Friday, July 8 at 8:30 pm eastern, live on NBCSN.