2010 Subway Jalapeño 250

2010 Subway Jalapeño 250

Race details[1]
Race 17 of 35 in the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Map of Speedway
Date	July 2, 2010 (2010-07-02)
Official name	Subway Jalapeño 250 Powered by Coca-Cola
Location	Daytona International Speedway Daytona Beach, Florida
Course	Permanent racing facility
Course length	2.5 miles (4.023 km)
Distance	102 laps, 255 mi (410 km)
Scheduled distance	100 laps, 250 mi (400 km)
Weather	Clear
Average speed	146.248 mph (235.363 km/h)
Attendance	55,000
Pole position
Driver	Brad Keselowski	Penske Racing
Time	49.172
Most laps led
Driver	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Richard Childress Racing
Laps	33
Winner
No. 3	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Richard Childress Racing
Television in the United States
Network	ESPN
Announcers	Allen Bestwick, Dale Jarrett, Andy Petree

The 2010 Subway Jalapeño 250 Powered by Coca-Cola was a NASCAR Nationwide Series stock car race held on July 2, 2010, at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, before 55,000 spectators. It was the 17th race of the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series season and the ninth running of the event. Richard Childress Racing driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the 102-lap race – extended from the scheduled 100-lap distance due to a green–white–checkered finish. Joey Logano, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, finished second, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. finished third for Roush Fenway Racing.

Earnhardt Jr.'s victory was an emotional one for him and his team, as he drove a throwback paint scheme to his father Dale Earnhardt's iconic Wrangler Jeans scheme. It marked the first time since Earnhardt's death in the 2001 Daytona 500 that the #3 had been raced in the national series of NASCAR, and according to Earnhardt Jr., it would be his last time driving a #3 car in a NASCAR race. This race was also the first for the "new car" for the Nationwide Series, which debuted full-time in 2011.

The Subway Jalapeño 250 was confirmed to be on the Nationwide Series' 2010 schedule in September 2009.^[2] It was the 17th of 35 scheduled races in the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series season, and the ninth annual edition of the event, dating back to 2002.^[3] The race was scheduled to be held on Friday, July 2, 2010, for 100 laps over a distance of 250 miles (402.336 kilometres) at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, which has hosted NASCAR races since it opened in 1959.^[4] The track is a 2.500 mi (4.023 km) tri-oval superspeedway with four turns, each of which are banked at 31°. The start-finish line is banked at 18°.^[5]

Entering the event, Brad Keselowski of Team Penske maintained his Drivers' Championship lead with 2,641 points. Carl Edwards was in second with 2,394 points, and Justin Allgaier placed third with 2,201 points. Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick rounded out the top five.^[6]

• (R) denotes rookie driver

Brad Keselowski won the pole with a time of 49.172 and a speed of 183.031. Penske Racing dominated the first two rows with Keselowski's teammates Parker Kligerman and Justin Allgaier starting in 2nd and 4th.^[7]

* – Made the field via owners points.

** – Jennifer Jo Cobb, Reed Sorenson, Kevin Lepage, and Trevor Bayne all had to start at the rear of the field. Sorenson and Lepage had adjustments during impound, Cobb had a transmission change, and Bayne missed the drivers meeting.

Pole sitter Brad Keselowski led the first lap of the race. On lap 3, Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the lead from Keselowski while the moment of silence was going on to honor Dale Earnhardt but Keselowski immeadeatly took it back off of turn 4. On lap 6, Earnhardt Jr. tried again but failed to do so. The first caution flew on lap 7 when Jennifer Jo Cobb and Johnny Chapman crashed in turn 4. The race would restart on lap 12. On the restart, Kevin Harvick took the lead from Keselowski. On lap 14, Carl Edwards took the lead with a push from Clint Bowyer. On lap 16, Clint Bowyer took the lead. On lap 27, Keselowski took the lead from Bowyer. On lap 32, Brad Keselowski went to pit giving the lead to Kyle Busch. While that was happening, the second caution flew when Michael Annett spun after he got loose coming out of turn 4. Kyle Busch won the race off of pit road and led the field to the restart on lap 36. On lap 41, Joey Logano took the lead but Clint Bowyer would take it on the next lap. On lap 48, Kyle Busch took the lead. On lap 50, Justin Allgaier took the lead.

With 41 laps to go, Paul Menard hit the wall in turn 2 but no caution was thrown. With 40 laps to go, Kyle Busch took the lead. With 31 to go, Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the lead. On the same lap, the third caution flew for debris. The race would restart with 26 laps to go. With 19 laps to go, Justin Allgaier's rear bumper flew up after what appears to be because Brad Keselowski bumped him too hard down the backstretch. Allgaier almost spun in turns 1 and 2 with 18 to go due to the rear bumper issue. Meanwhile, Dale Earnhardt Jr. continued to lead as he had a small pack of 3 other cars behind him in Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, and Joey Logano ready to pounce at some point. But with 5 laps to go, Paul Menard's left front tire exploded and laid debris on the racetrack which brought out the 4th and final caution of the race. The caution would set up a green-white-checkered finish. During the caution, some drivers pitted including Kyle Busch while others didn't including Dale Earnhardt Jr. On the restart, Earnhardt Jr. took the lead from Kevin Harvick on the restart with a big push by Joey Logano. During the final lap, Brendan Gaughan got into the wall but no caution was thrown. On the last lap, Earnhardt Jr. held off the pack including some attempted passes from Joey Logano that Jr. blocked and Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the #3 Wrangler Jeans throwback Chevrolet to victory lane at Daytona. The victory was a very emotional moment for everyone who was a part of the team and for the Earnhardt fans even having Earnhardt Jr's crew chief Tony Eury Jr. tearing up during his interview after the win. Everyone in the crowd was holding up three fingers in honor of Earnhardt Sr. after Earnhardt Jr. took the win and saluting the crowd. During his interview, Dale Earnhardt Jr. said that he plans to not run the #3 ever again in his career which would be the case as he never ran the #3 scheme ever again for the rest of his career after this win. Joey Logano, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Brad Keselowski, and Kevin Harvick rounded out the top 5 while Clint Bowyer, Kyle Busch, Ryan Newman, Brian Ickler, and Steve Arpin rounded out the top 10.^[8]