By Seth Eggert, Staff Writer
Overcoming adversity was the name of the game for NASCAR driver Anthony Alfredo in the Echo Park 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Alfredo’s No. 21 Death Wish Coffee Chevrolet Camaro SS ran strong but suffered from a sticking throttle throughout the first 50 laps of the race. A safety issue, he kept his car out of trouble until the end of the first stage. The Richard Childress Racing driver lost a lap as the Andy Street-led team made repairs at the end of the stage.
‘Fast Pasta’ then earned the free pass on the ensuing caution. Back on the lead lap, Alfredo was set for a long battle through the field. Street used the opportunity to bring the No. 21 down pit road and change tires. With an eight-lap run to the end of stage two, Alfredo easily stormed through much of the traffic.
The 21-year-old broke into the top-10 during the final green flag run of the race. However, it was too late to make a difference. With the field spread out, Alfredo took the checkered flag in a distant 10th-place.
“We fought hard today in our No. 21 Death Wish Coffee Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing,” explained Alfredo. “We had to overcome some adversity early in the race, but we never gave up as a team and were able to battle back.
“Thank you to my crew chief, Andy Street, and spotter, Derek Kneeland, for all their hard work. Our pit crew had lightning fast pit stops all day, which helped us capitalize on track position. I will absolutely take a top-10 finish for my first Xfinity Series start at Atlanta Motor Speedway.”
The 10th-place finish was the second top-10 of Alfredo’s career and came in just his third career NASCAR Xfinity Series start. Despite the rebound, the Ridgefield, CT native failed to qualify for a position in the Xfinity Dash 4 Cash program at Homestead-Miami Speedway next weekend.
With none of the Richard Childress drivers competing full-time in the Xfinity Series in 2020, the team is competing solely for the Owner’s Championship. The RCR No. 21 sits 14th in the owner’s standings, just two points behind the playoff cutoff, held by the Brandonbilt Motorsports No. 68. The No. 21 is 143-points behind owner’s points leader Stewart-Haas Racing’s No. 98.
Alfredo is scheduled to compete at Homestead-Miami Speedway, which will host the first-ever doubleheader race weekend in Xfinity Series history.