Indy NXS Race Report
Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021
Race: Pennzoil 150
Track: Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course
Buford’s Finish: 20th
Jade Buford and the No. 48 Big Machine Vodka Spiked Coolers team earned a 20th-place finish in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course. It was an eventful day for Buford as he battled through multiple adversities, including an incident in the final stage that sent the No. 48 Chevy around. Buford battled back to score his 12th top-20 finish of the season.
Rolling off the grid from the 15th position for the 62-lap event, Buford raced up into the 12th position before the first caution of the day came out at the completion of the first lap. Back under green-flag racing conditions, Buford’s Big Machine Vodka Spiked Coolers Machine started to lose grip. He was running in 16th when the caution came out just five laps short of the end of the stage. The team took the opportunity to pit for four tires, fuel and multiple adjustments to improve the No. 48 Camaro’s handling. Buford took care of his car and his fresh tires in the final laps of Stage One to take the green-and-white checkered flag 19th.
During a chaotic start to Stage Two, Buford’s Big Machine Vodka Spiked Coolers Camaro suffered some damage to the nose, but the Big Machine Racing driver was able to continue without needing to come in for repairs. Buford ran his fastest laps of the day during the middle portion of the race and was running in the 11th position at the conclusion of Stage Two on lap 40.
Before taking the green flag for the final stage, crew chief Patrick Donahue called Buford to pit road for four tires, fuel and an adjustment. Once the race was back underway, Buford was battling inside the top 20 when he made contact with another car that sent his Chevrolet spinning. The Nashville, Tenn. native lost several positions, but he drove an impressive race in the final laps to rebound for a 20th-place result on the day.
Jade Buford, driver of the No. 48 Big Machine Vodka Spiked Coolers Chevrolet:
“These road courses have not been kind to us as of late. We had a fast Big Machine Vodka Spiked Coolers Camaro and the team did a great job on adjustments throughout the day, but we just had a lot of things that didn’t go our way. I know we’re already ready to head to Michigan next weekend and get things back on track for our Big Machine Racing team.”
Next Up:
The NASCAR Xfinity Series heads to Michigan Speedway for the New Holland 250 on Saturday, Aug. 21. Tune in at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.