Darlington Xfinity Race

Time to go Xfinity racing in Darlington!

Logan has been begging us to go to an Xfinity race and now is the time!

 Some of Logan’s favorite drivers race in Xfinity and since we tend to just go to the cup races, he has never been able to watch his favorite drivers race. When I told him that we were going to the Xfinity race in Darlington, the excitement was endless. He was so excited and right away mentioned that he needs to get his hat signed by Sam Mayer.

The upside to going to the Xfinity race rather than a cup race, it isn’t as crowded or busy. We walked around the fan zone and the merch haulers without endless amounts of people. It was so nice. We could really take everything in and look at everything without everyone trying to see the same things as you. 

As the days were getting closer to the race, I was on the lookout on social media, trying to figure out when the Jr. Motorsports drivers were going to be doing an autograph session. When I finally found out that they were doing an autograph session, there was such relief. Logan was going to be incredibly excited because this was one big reason why he wanted to go to the Xfinity race, to get Sam Mayers autograph on his hat.

It’s time!! Logan was face to face with Sam Mayer. He was so nervous, yet so excited.

Logan was one happy boy! He finally got Sam’s autograph! I truly believe this will be a moment that will forever be engrained in his memory. 

McKenna also decided to get her Dale Jr. hat signed by all the Jr. Motorsports drivers. She may not have really known who the drivers were, but she was excited to get some autographs.

After all the excitement of getting autographs, it was time to head to our seats. I was pretty bummed that we weren’t going to be able to watch the cup race, but got a bit of that excitement back when I noticed that we would be able to watch the cup cars practice and qualify. 

As with most qualifying sessions, the timing between each car is very close and there was no exception to this qualifying sessions at Darlington. Bubba Wallace had many cars to go after he made his qualifying laps, but he put up a great time. Once getting back on pit road, he stood outside his car just watching the other cars qualifying, letting a sigh of relief when those cars didn’t make better times than him. Bubba ended up getting pole. It was pretty cool watching it all unfold and seeing all the excitement between the driver and all his crew members.

Once cup qualifying was complete, the Xfinity cars started making their way to pit road. 

During this time, it was also time for us to get out of the stands and cool down. It was one heck of a hot day. I wasn’t expecting it to be that hot, but it was a hotness that is hard to explain. So, during the set up for the Xfinity race, we went to sit in the shade and get some ice cream and shaved ice in our bodies. 

Before long, it was time to head back into the stands for the start of the race. I was bummed that I wasn’t going to be able to watch my driver, Chase Elliott race on Sunday, but I got lucky in the fact that, Chase was going to be racing the Xfinity race #17 Go get ‘em Chase, along with any of the Jr. Motorsports drivers.

It was a great race, but unfortunately, Chase nor the Jr. Motorsports drivers won the race. Pretty bummed, but happy that we were treated with a great race.

It was a great day at Darlington Raceway. It could have been a bit cooler out, but it was still a very fun day! I see many more Xfinity races in our future!