2019 Use Your Melon Drive Sober 200

Race details[1][2][3]
Race 29 of 33 in the 2019 NASCAR Xfinity Series season
Date	October 5, 2019 (2019-10-05)
Location	Dover International Speedway in Dover, Delaware
Course	Permanent racing facility 1 mi (1.6 km)
Distance	200 laps, 200 mi (320 km)
Pole position
Driver	Chase Briscoe	Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste Racing
Time	22.894
Most laps led
Driver	Chase Briscoe	Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste Racing
Laps	71
Winner
No. 00	Cole Custer	Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste Racing
Television in the United States
Network	NBCSN
Radio in the United States
Radio	MRN

The 2019 Use Your Melon Drive Sober 200 is a NASCAR Xfinity Series race held on October 5, 2019, at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Delaware. Contested over 200 laps on the 1-mile (1.6 km) concrete speedway, it was the 29th race of the 2019 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, third race of the Playoffs, and the last race of the Round of 12.

Background

Track

Dover International Speedway is an oval race track in Dover, Delaware, United States that has held at least two NASCAR races since it opened in 1969. In addition to NASCAR, the track also hosted USAC and the NTT IndyCar Series. The track features one layout, a 1 mile (1.6 km) concrete oval, with 24° banking in the turns and 9° banking on the straights. The speedway is owned and operated by Dover Motorsports.

Entry list

Practice

First practice

Chase Briscoe was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 23.623 seconds and a speed of 152.394 mph (245.254 km/h).^[4]

Final practice

Cole Custer was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 23.795 seconds and a speed of 151.292 mph (243.481 km/h).^[4]

Qualifying

Chase Briscoe scored the pole for the race with a time of 22.894 seconds and a speed of 157.246 mph (253.063 km/h).^[5]

Qualifying results

. – Playoffs driver

Race

Chase Briscoe started at the rear of the field due to electrical issues, so Austin Cindric started on pole. On the second lap, Tyler Reddick slid on the frontstretch and Justin Allgaier followed, causing Harrison Burton and Brandon Jones to wreck behind them. This wreck caused Jones to be eliminated from the playoffs. On lap 22, John Hunter Nemechek spun Mike Harmon and brought out the second caution. Allgaier took the lead and won Stage 1.

Allgaier continued his lead to win Stage 2. Briscoe took the lead afterwards and dominated. Cole Custer, Michael Annett, and Justin Haley stayed out late in the pit cycle, which proved to be beneficial when Dillon Bassett caused a caution when he spun entering pit road. Allgaier got the free pass, while Briscoe and Cindric took the wave-around, causing only six cars to be on the lead lap during the restart.

Custer sped past Allgaier on the restart, then remained in the lead after the last one caused by Stephen Leicht, Matt Mills, and Ray Black Jr. being involved in an accident with seven laps left. Custer held off Allgaier to take the race win. With Jones eliminated in the opening laps, Nemechek needed Annett to struggle in order to pass him in points while Haley and Ryan Sieg needed to win the race to advance. Since Nemechek didn't gain 10 points more than Annett, he was eliminated from the playoffs alongside Haley and Sieg.

Summary

Stage Results

Stage One Laps: 60

Stage Two Laps: 60

Final Stage Results

Stage Three Laps: 80

. – Driver advanced to the next round of the playoffs.

. – Driver was eliminated from the playoffs.