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Xfinity: Justin Marks Soaks Up Victory At Mid-Ohio

By Alex Herbst

Jul 8, 2016; Sparta, KY, USA; NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Justin Marks (42) during the ALSCO 300 at Kentucky Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 8, 2016; Sparta, KY, USA; NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Justin Marks (42) during the ALSCO 300 at Kentucky Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports /
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On a wet and slippery day at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Justin Marks conquered Mother Nature to take his first Xfinity Series win.

The weather outside might be frightful, but the spoils of victory lane can be so delightful in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Mother Nature had plans to try and spoil the show for the NASCAR Xfinity Series in the Mid-Ohio Challenge at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, but Justin Marks conquered the day and got his first career win.

With rain in the forecast on Saturday, many teams felt it was a matter of when not if they would have to throw on the rain tires and the windshield wipers. Sam Hornish Jr. started the race on the pole, but it would be just two laps before NASCAR threw the yellow flag and the track got wet down by rain. And from there, it became a race of survival and outwitting Mother Nature.

In a race where conditions went from wet to dry to wet, many of the normal contenders for the win in the Xfinity Series went by the wayside. Drivers like Daniel Suarez, Brendan Gaughan, and Ryan Blaney struggled in the slippery conditions to stay on track and off the grass and sand. Even veteran road racers like Hornish Jr. and Owen Kelly could not keep their cars under control.

With the unique circumstances that reminded many of the 2008 race at Montreal that was the first rain race for a national touring series, new faces would emerge at the front of the pack. Justin Marks proved to be the most capable of handling the wet conditions early, but would see fellow road ace Andy Lally and young gun Alon Day from Israel (in his first career start) charge forward.

As the race closed in on the finish, the rain picked up and the conditions became more treacherous, with more and more drivers sliding off track, even while leading. All through the challenges, Justin Marks remained in control and kept his car on course, leading him to his first career victory in the Xfinity Series.

The win proved to be very important not only for Marks, but for his Chip Ganassi Racing team. The win would be dedicated to Bryan Clauson, who tragically lost his life following a sprint car crash. The racing phenom had been a development driver for the team, and raced for CGR in the former-Nationwide Series occasionally through 2008.

Here are the full results from the Mid-Ohio Challenge for the NASCAR Xfinity Series:

  1. Justin Marks, Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing
  2. Sam Hornish Jr., Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
  3. Ryan Blaney, Ford, Team Penske
  4. Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
  5. Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, JR Motorsports
  6. Erik Jones, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
  7. Andy Lally, Chevrolet, King Autosport
  8. Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
  9. Elliott Sadler, Chevrolet, JR Motorsports
  10. Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing
  11. Ryan Reed, Ford, Roush-Fenway Racing
  12. Blake Koch, Chevrolet, Kaulig Racing
  13. Alon Day, Dodge, MBM Racing
  14. Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, JD Motorsports
  15. Darrell Wallace Jr., Ford, Roush-Fenway Racing
  16. Owen Kelly, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
  17. Ryan Preece, Chevrolet, JD Motorsports
  18. Ryan Ellis, Chevrolet, Rick Ware Racing
  19. Brandon Jones, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
  20. Stanton Barrett, Ford, Rick Ware Racing
  21. Dakoda Armstrong, Toyota, JGL Racing
  22. Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, RSS Racing
  23. Daniel Suarez, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
  24. Garrett Smithley, Chevrolet, JD Motorsports
  25. David Starr, Chevrolet, RSS Racing
  26. Mike Bliss, Toyota, Tri-Star Motorsports
  27. B.J. McLeod, Ford, B.J. McLeod Motorsports
  28. Joey Gase, Chevrolet, Means Racing
  29. Timmy Hill, Chevrolet, Derrike Cope Racing
  30. Ray Black Jr., Chevrolet, SS Green Light Racing
  31. Jordan Anderson, Chevrolet, Obiaka Racing
  32. TJ Bell, Chevrolet, Obiaka Racing
  33. Roger Reuse, Dodge, Harmon Racing
  34. Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, Jeremy Clements Racing
  35. JJ Yeley, Toyota, Tri-Star Motorsports
  36. Kenny Habul, Chevrolet, JR Motorsports
  37. Tim Cowen, Ford, MBM Racing
  38. Nelson Piquet Jr., Ford, Biagi-Den Beste Racing
  39. Mario Gosselin, Chevrolet, King Autosport
  40. Jeff Green, Toyota, Tri-Star Motorsports

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Next up for the NASCAR Xfinity Series will be racing from NASCAR’s version of the Coliseum. Live action from Bristol Motor Speedway can be seen this coming Friday night with 250 laps of racing on USA Network.

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