Wawa 250
| File:Subway Firecracker 250 logo.png | |
 | |
| NASCAR Xfinity Series | |
|---|---|
| Venue | Daytona International Speedway |
| Location | Daytona Beach, Florida, United States |
| Corporate sponsor | Subway Coca-Cola |
| First race | 2002 |
| Distance | 250 miles (400 km) |
| Laps | 100 |
| Previous names | Stacker 2/GNC Live Well 250 (2002) Winn-Dixie 250 (2003) Winn-Dixie 250 presented by PepsiCo (2004–2007) Winn-Dixie 250 Powered by Coca-Cola (2008) Subway Jalapeño 250 (2009–2012) |
| Most wins (driver) | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (3) |
| Most wins (team) | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Joe Gibbs Racing Joe Gibbs Racing (3) |
| Most wins (manufacturer) | Chevrolet (9) |
| Circuit information | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 2.5 mi (4.0 km) |
| Turns | 4 |
The Subway Firecracker 250 Powered by Coca-Cola is a NASCAR Xfinity Series race that takes place under the lights at Daytona International Speedway. It is held the night before the Sprint Cup Series Coke Zero 400 on Independence Day weekend in early July since 2002. Its scheduled distance is 250 miles (400 km)
This is the final restrictor plate race of held each season for the Xfinity Series. Until 2006, there had been a different winner in each race. Dale Earnhardt Jr. became the first repeat winner when he won the 2006 event.
The 2010 running of the event marked the first of four races using the Nationwide Series version of the Car of Tomorrow, other three being at Michigan, Richmond (September), Charlotte (October).
Past winners
| Year | Date | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Race distance | Race time | Average speed (mph) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laps | Miles (km) | |||||||
| 2002 | July 5 | Joe Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports | Pontiac | 100 | 250 (402.336) | 1:59:09 | 125.892 |
| 2003 | July 4 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 100 | 250 (402.336) | 1:37:35 | 153.715 |
| 2004 | July 2 | Mike Wallace | Biagi Brothers Racing | Ford | 100 | 250 (402.336) | 1:51:06 | 135.014 |
| 2005 | July 1 | Martin Truex Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 104* | 260 (418.429) | 1:51:19 | 140.141 |
| 2006 | June 30 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 103* | 257.5 (414.406) | 1:55:52 | 133.343 |
| 2007 | July 7* | Kyle Busch | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 102* | 255 (410.382) | 1:50:00 | 139.091 |
| 2008 | July 4 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 105* | 262.5 (422.452) | 1:41:07 | 155.761 |
| 2009 | July 3 | Clint Bowyer | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 102* | 255 (410.382) | 2:04:28 | 122.924 |
| 2010 | July 2 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 102* | 255 (410.382) | 1:44:37 | 146.248 |
| 2011 | July 1 | Joey Logano | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 100 | 250 (402.336) | 1:49:57 | 136.426 |
| 2012 | July 6 | Kurt Busch | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | 101* | 252.5 (406.359) | 1:54:44 | 132.045 |
| 2013 | July 5 | Matt Kenseth | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 101* | 252.5 (406.359) | 1:43:56 | 145.767 |
| 2014 | July 4 | Kasey Kahne | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 103* | 257.5 (414.406) | 1:38:24 | 157.012 |
| 2015 | July 4 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 104* | 260 (418.429) | 1:57:28 | 132.804 |
- 2005–2010 and 2012–2015: Race extended due to a green–white–checker finish.
- 2007: Race postponed from Friday night to Saturday morning due to rain.
Multiple winner (driver)
| # Wins | Driver | Years won |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 2003, 2006, 2010 |
Multiple winners (teams)
| # Wins | Team | Years won |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | 2003, 2005, 2006 |
| Joe Gibbs Racing | 2008, 2011, 2013 | |
| Richard Childress Racing | 2009, 2010, 2015 |
Manufacturer wins
| # Wins | Make | Years won |
|---|---|---|
| 9 |  Chevrolet
|
2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015 |
| 3 |  Toyota
|
2008, 2011, 2013 |
| 1 | Pontiac
|
2002 |
| Ford
|
2004 |
Television broadcasters
In 2002–2006, the race was held on Fox, In 2007–2014, the race was held on ABC. Starting in 2015, the race is being aired on NBC.
Notable moments
- 2003: Dale Earnhardt Jr. led all 100 laps en route to victory.
- 2004: First race in which the cars ran a roof spoiler. The last 10 laps involved several lead changes. Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the lead with 10 laps to go. With 3 laps remaining, Michael Waltrip and Jason Leffler passed Dale Jr., putting Waltrip in the lead. Leffler then went for the lead and the two cars raced nose-to-nose for over a lap before Waltrip cut in front of Leffler off Turn Two on the final lap; Leffler hit Waltrip and Waltrip's car spun into the inside wall. NASCAR kept the green flag out (there is often a caution flag when a crash occurs) as Dale challenged Leffler for the lead. Leffler swerved and Dale crashed into the wall in Turn Four, allowing Mike Wallace to pass everyone for the victory.
- 2010: Dale Earnhardt Jr. drove a Chevrolet fielded by Richard Childress and numbered 3 to an unchallenged win. It was Junior's final time to drive the #3.
- 2011: With the new two-car tandem draft in effect, Kevin Harvick Incorporated swept the top four positions in qualifying. The lead changed a then-race record 35 times, primarily between Cup drivers Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick, Jamie McMurray, Tony Stewart, Clint Bowyer as well as Nationwide series regulars Aric Almirola, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Trevor Bayne, and part-timer Danica Patrick. Eric McClure crashed hard after contact with teammate Mike Bliss, requiring a trip to the hospital. At the end of the race, a multi-car pileup ensued when Patrick, who'd slapped the Turn One wall on the final lap, made contact with Mike Wallace approaching the start-finish line, enabling Joey Logano and Kyle Busch to slip by and finish 1–2.[1] It was a crash reminiscent of the controversial Ernie Irvan crash at the 1991 Winston 500.
- 2012: Kurt Busch, fired from Penske Racing the year before for several off-track incidents, stormed to the win in the most competitive Daytona race for NASCAR's second-tier touring series in any of its varied incarnations at the time (Late Model Sportsman, Busch Grand National, Nationwide Series). The lead changed a series track-record record 42 times as on the final lap Busch roared past Joey Logano and Elliott Sadler with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. pushing him; Austin Dillon in Richard Childress' #3 raced into the fray pushed by Michael Annett in a Richard Petty #43; at the stripe Dillon got hit and spun through the trioval grass as Sadler tried for the win at the stripe; Dillon spun back into traffic and a huge crash ensued.[2]
- 2015: NBC returned to NASCAR with the running of the Subway Firecracker 250 on NBCSN. There were two wrecks that happened, one with 16 laps to go and the other with 5 laps to go, brought out a red flag to ensue cleanup similar to the big one at the GEICO 500 at Talladega earlier that spring.
- 2016: The race will return to its Friday night date.
References