Florida Speedweeks: Who Won What?
Written by I Dig Sports
Florida Speedweeks at Daytona Intl Speedway and the corresponding short tracks throughout the Sunshine state are now in the rearview mirror.
When the dust settled many of the usual suspects took home the top honors on the race track, but there were a few surprises along the way.
Heres a brief look back at who won what during Speedweeks:
Daytona Intl Speedway
When the rain stopped falling and the parks stopped flying William Byron stood in victory lane for the second consecutive year, having surged on a late-race restart to win the 67th running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona Intl Speedway.
Byron dodged several multi-car accidents and held off Tyler Reddick to give Hendrick Motorsports its second Daytona 500 triumph in as many years.
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Jesse Love took the checkered flag first in the annual Xfinity Series race at the 2.5-mile track, giving Richard Childress Racing its fourth consecutive win in the 300-mile event for NASCARs junior circuit.
Corey Heim inherited the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory when apparent winner Parker Kligerman was disqualified. Late model stock car standout Brendan Queen topped the crash-marred ARCA Menards Series race.
The month opened with the No. 7 Penske Porsche Motorsports entry of Felipe Nasr, Nick Tandy and Laurens Vanthoor winning the Rolex 24 At Daytona for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
DIRTcar Nationals
The 54th running of the DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park was the longest in history with ASCS sprint cars joining the action this year. Justin Peck won all three races for the 360 winged sprint cars on the opening weekend of the nearly three-week event at the half-mile track.
Four nights of World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series racing saw NASCAR veterans Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell take center stage. Larson won two features and Bell claimed one, while Carson Macedo also earned a victory. Larson captured the Big Gator championship that goes to top point earner in the four-race series.
Kyle Cummins and Logan Seavey each won a USAC Sprint car feature, with Cummins taking home the Big Gator.
In late model competition, Jonathan Davenport, Devin Moran and Garrett Alberson claimed World of Outlaws Late Model Series triumphs, while Brandon Overton, Davenport and Ricky Thornton Jr. topped DIRTcar late model main events. Thornton took home the Big Gator trophy.
The DIRTcar modifieds anchored the first two weeks of racing with Curt Spalding and Cole Falloway winning the lions share of the features and Spalding earning the Big Gator.
Four Super DIRTcar Series big-block modified main events saw Erick Rudolph, Peter Britten, Alex Yankowski and Matt Sheppard win features, with Rudolph getting the Big Gator.
Ocala Speedway
Five nights of Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series competition anchored three weekends of competition at the three-eighths-mile dirt track.
Devin Moran and Jonathan Davenport each won a pair of features, while Ricky Thornton won a single main event. Moran topped the $25,000-to-win finale.
The USAC National Sprint Car Championship ran four nights at Ocala with Justin Grant, Brady Bacon, Kyle Cummins and Daison Pursley claiming victories.
Devin Dixon, Jason Garver and Kyle Strickler topped UMP modified features at Ocala.
All-Tech Raceway
The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series ran three nights at All-Tech Raceway with Ricky Thornton Jr. topping the first two nights of action and Devin Moran claiming the $15,000 top prize in the finale.
NASCAR Truck Series regular Stewart Friesen won three times in four nights of competition for the Short Track Super Series modifieds, while Matt Sheppard picked up a single victory.
United Sprint Car Series
Working in conjunction with the Top Gun Sprints, the United Sprint Car Series sanctioned the King of the 360s sprint car race at Hendry County Motorsports Park. Pennsylvania traveler Mark Smith took the $10,000 top prize. Tyler Clem won the preliminary main event.
Later in the month, Davie Franek and Dale Howard won USCS features at Southern Raceway.
World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing
The 59th running of the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing ran over nine nights at New Smyrna Speedway.
Patrick Emerling started the week by winning the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour opener and went on to win four features and claim the World Series title in the Tour-type modified division. Matt Hirschman won the Richie Evans Memorial for the Tour modifieds.
Seventeen-year-old Gavan Boschele won the ASA STARS National Tour season opener at New Smyrna and added a second super late model feature win to secure the World Series title.
Hunter Wright claimed the pro late model championship for the second consecutive year.