By: Ashley McCubbin

Everything was going Kaulig Racing’s way and they still got to celebrate in victory lane, but it could’ve been even sweeter.

From the drop of the green flag to the checkered, Matt Kaulig’s threesome was the perfect display of teamwork, finding their way together no matter where they restarted and driving their way to the front. It led them to winning both stages and avoiding the wrecks that did ensue, and be in the perfect position coming to the final 20 laps.

While their plan was displayed to perfection, the field was able to find a dint in their armour with Austin Cindric and Chase Briscoe finding a way to break up the party. Drag ’em to the top, and then pick them off one-by-one with runs to the bottom seemed to the critical plan. It worked with Haley, but not with the whole train.

The picture perfect 1-2 finish could have happened, with A.J. Allmendinger leading Ross Chastain across the line. The celebration they had at Talladega may have shined through once again if that was the case. However, a want to be the one holding the checkered flag changed the course for the night.

Ross Chastain ultimately got a run on Allmendinger through the chaos on the final lap, and rather than making a calculated move – perhaps getting a run side-by-side or looking underneath off the corner, contact was made in the middle of turn three and four. The result was heavy contact in the wall for Allmendinger, damage for Chastain, with Haley sneaking through for the victory.

No doubt in racing you want to see drivers challenge for the win above anything else. The make whatever necessary moves it takes for the glory is something that you pride yourself on seeing as it can produce great action and drama. Chastain having the attitude of, “But coming to the checkered [flag], what am I supposed to do? Finish second? Not this guy,” in his interview is normally applauded.

Except in this instance for more reason than one.

Going higher speeds, the risk of injury and more is higher as witnessed with Ryan Newman in February, and other horrendous wrecks at the superspeedway. Is a move like this necessary?

Respect in being able to make your moves without causing harm or chaos for your fellow competitor, especially a teammate. You’re supposed to take extra care of them, as evident by working together through the night, and ensure that everybody gets across the line without incident.

Kaulig Racing has been the perfect display on the restrictor plate tracks for the past 18 months and seen a lot of success in watching their plans come together. It will be interesting to see how well they work together when they head to Talladega Superspeedway later this year. Given the “it is what it is” and at least a one of them went to victory lane in Allmendinger’s comments, the group will probably still be a big threat.

Of course, the whole complexion of the race could have been different if not for a messy first stage. Many of the favorites for the victory found themselves on the sidelines watching the action, including Daytona winner Noah Gragson and his JR Motorsports teammate Justin Allgaier. The first stage was plagued with several incidents, and basically handed Kaulig an easier strategy with less cars and big alliances to contend with.

What if the JR Motorsports foursome was still together? Michael Annett scored a top-five, but could he had visited victory lane once again with their help? It could have easily changed how the runs came together in the final 20 lap stretch.

With several heavy hitters out of the running, it made for a very quiet second stage, and spread out single-file final stage until the planned moves began to occur. Superspeedway racing has been a known highlight on the calendar for high-flying, crazy moves, and big packs – but that did not happen on Friday. Is the package losing it’s luster?

Door of opportunity was opened, though, by the change in events as Gray Gaulding took advantage in placing SS Green Light Racing’s underfunded team in the second spot at the checkered flag.