Charlotte NXS Race Report

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Saturday, May 29, 2021

Race 12 of 33: Alsco 300

Location: Charlotte Motor Speedway (1.5-mile oval)

Format: 200 laps / 300 miles 

Buford’s Finish: 17th

Jade Buford and the No. 48 Big Machine Vodka Spiked Coolers team continued their streak of top-20 finishes, earning a 17th-place finish in Saturday’s Alsco 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Through 11 NXS starts this season, the Big Machine Racing driver has six top-20 finishes including a season-high 15th that he earned last weekend at COTA.

Buford qualified 25th for the 300-mile race on Saturday morning and was running in that same position when the competition caution waved on lap 20. Under the yellow flag, crew chief Patrick Donahue called the driver of the No. 48 Big Machine Vodka Spiked Coolers Camaro in for four scuffed tires and a chassis adjustment to help the handling on the exit of the corners. An issue on pit road dropped Buford deeper in the field, but he was undeterred by the loss of track position, driving back up to 26th before green-and-white checkered flag waved to end Stage One on lap 45. 

Under the stage-ending caution, Buford brought the No. 48 Big Machine Vodka Spiked Coolers Chevy to pit road for four tires and an air-pressure adjustment. The Nashville, Tenn. native took the green flag for Stage Two in 25th and lost a couple of positions initially due to the car struggling through the center of the turns. Ultimately, he fought through the tough handling condition to drive back up into the 25th position to finish the second stage on lap 90. 

A fast pit stop for four tires and fuel allowed Buford to gain multiple positions on pit road during the stage break. He lined up just outside the top 20 for the start of the final stage and was running in 24th when a caution came out on lap 119. After another four-tire stop, Buford was back to methodically working his way forward. As the laps wound down, he was in the 19th position when a multi-car incident occurred on lap 187. The No. 48 Big Machine Vodka Spiked Coolers Camaro suffered minor damage to the nose during the incident, but Buford was able to continue. Restarting in 13th with seven laps to go, Buford battled hard in the closing laps to bring home a 17th-place finish. The result was Buford’s best finish on an oval this season.

Jade Buford, driver of the No. 48 Big Machine Vodka Spiked Coolers Chevrolet:

“We had a pretty good day with our Big Machine Vodka Spiked Coolers Camaro. We knew we could have done a little better in qualifying, but during the race we were able to make some great adjustments and Patrick (Donahue, crew chief) did a great job on strategy. We got a little front-end damage at the end there, but thankfully we only had to deal with it for seven laps. Overall, I’m happy with how our day went. We keep making gains each week and that’s what it’s all about.”

Next Up: 

The NASCAR Xfinity Series heads to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for the B&L Transport 170 on Saturday, June 5. Tune in to FOX Sports 1 at 1 p.m. ET.

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