In sharp contrast to the NASCAR Cup Series Chase presented by Mobil 1, where leader Kyle Larson has widened his advantage to 49 points, the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series version couldn’t be much closer.
Despite a third-place finish last Saturday at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Sheldon Creed saw his series lead shrink to two points over defending O’Reilly champion and race runner-up Jesse Love.
Creed will try to protect that slim margin when the series comes to Phoenix Raceway for Saturday’s Timberland PRO 200 (7:30 p.m. ET on CW, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Because he scored only one stage point at Charlotte, Creed lost at least 15 points to each of the three drivers immediately behind him in the Chase standings—Love, race winner Corey Day and Justin Allgaier.
With his second straight Chase victory, Day was the biggest gainer, lopping 34 points off his deficit to Creed. Day arrives at Phoenix third in the standings, seven points in arrears, but by his own admission, posting a third consecutive victory will be a challenge.
“Phoenix hasn’t been my strongest track in the past, and I’ve struggled there in my last two starts, so I’ve been working on reviewing footage to make sure I’m as prepared as possible,” said Day, who finished 14th in his debut at the track last year and ninth earlier this season.
“I know my team will bring a fast No. 17 Chevrolet, so the goal is to keep it clean, execute throughout the race and come away with a strong points day.”
Allgaier, who righted an unsteady ship with a strong fourth-place run at Charlotte, has loftier ambitions at Phoenix. The driver of the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet won at the one-mile flat track in the spring—one of his six victories in the O’Reilly Series regular season.
Overall, Allgaier has three victories and 22 top-10 finishes in 33 starts at the track.
“This entire No. 7 group is ready to get to Phoenix this weekend,” said Allgaier, who trails Creed by 15 points. “This has been a really strong track for us, and I know that we will have what it takes to continue to gain ground in the points.
“(Crew chief) Andrew (Overstreet) has had this place circled on our calendar since the Chase started. We just need to go out and execute like we did here in the spring. If we do that, I feel like we can have a great day on Saturday.”
— NASCAR Wire Service —