Portland NXS Race Report

NASCAR Xfinity Series Race Report

Saturday, June 4, 2022

Race 14 of 33 in the NASCAR Xfinity Series

Location: Portland International Raceway (1.97-mile road course)

Format: 75 Laps / 147.75 Miles

Buford’s Finish: 14th

It was an action-packed weekend for the inaugural NASCAR Xfinity Series, Pacific Office Automation 147, at the Portland International Raceway. Perhaps the most challenging factor, was the weather. There was a consistent rain that complicated things for drivers during practice, qualifying and the race.

Jade Buford and the Big Machine Racing team delivered a great qualifying run. With a lap time of 76.50 seconds, Jade was able to secure a 5th place starting position for Saturday’s race. Jade was one of nineteen drivers to qualify in “Group A”. The final round of qualifying was cancelled by NASCAR due to the rain.

The start of the race called for wet tires with a steady rain that would continue most of the day. It was in the stage 2 break, that most teams would opt for their Goodyear slicks, as rain moved out of the area and track conditions began to improve. Crew chief, Patrick Donahue, made the choice to stay on wet tires – a choice that would benefit them as rain returned in stage 3.

Teams that switched to slicks, were forced to return to pit road to put rain tires back on, this allowed Jade to move his way up. With just 10 laps remaining in the race, Buford was leading the race in the Spiked Coolers Chevrolet Camaro. Jade managed to lead 4 laps before contact with another car caused damage to the right rear and the tire – this would require Jade to bring the No. 48 Camaro in for repairs.

Rejoining the field in the 19th position, Jade had 5 laps to make his way back up to the front of the field. With a great effort, Jade Buford and the Big Machine Racing team ended the day with a 14th place finish.