Anthony Alfredo scored big bucks with a ninth place finish, winning the Dash 4 Cash bonus at Dover. (Photo: Jennie Mae Lingle | The Podium Finish)
DOVER, Del. — Let the good times roll for Anthony Alfredo and his hardy No. 5 Dude Wipes Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 team.
Prior to Saturday’s BetRivers 200 at Dover Motor Speedway, Alfredo had a memorable weekend at Talladega Superspeedway. The 25-year-old Ridgefield, Connecticut, native placed third in last Saturday’s Ag-Pro 300 and sixth in last Sunday’s GEICO 500.
Beyond the young racer’s underrated talent, he has overachieved with his teams, from his part-time Cup efforts at Beard Motorsports to his full-time NASCAR XFINITY Series home at Our Motorsports. Likewise, the podium finish at Talladega netted Alfredo with a spot to vie for the $100,000 Dash 4 Cash bonus.
However, Alfredo had some heavy competition in the form of Ryan Sieg, Jesse Love and Riley Herbst. Sieg, who won last Saturday’s Dash 4 Cash at Talladega, saw his hopes for another $100,000 end as a result of engine issues on Lap 26.
Meanwhile, Alfredo, who qualified 21st for Saturday’s race, started toward the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments. Still, he had a competitive car in long, green flag runs, indicative with his 14th fastest time in a 10-lap consecutive run during Friday’s practice session.
After finishing 18th in Stage 1 and 16th in Stage 2, Alfredo began his march to the front. With the Dash 4 Cash battle down to Alfredo, Love and Herbst, the competition started to dwindle for the bonus in the waning laps.
On Lap 103, Love and Ryan Truex made contact near Turn 2, resulting in the former’s left rear tire going down. Forced to pit a lap later, Love finished 24th, two laps down.
Starting toward the rear, Anthony Alfredo charged his way to a ninth place finish at Dover. (Photo: Josh Jones | The Podium Finish)
From there, the battle for the final Dash 4 Cash of the 2024 NASCAR XFINITY Series season was down to Herbst and Alfredo. Inside the final 10 laps of the race, Herbst ran sixth while Alfredo was 11th, ready to pounce and attack if the opportunity was there.
With seven laps to go, Herbst spun off Turn 4, sliding down the frontstretch, hitting Kyle Sieg’s car. This resulted in a mini melee that eliminated Sammy Smith and damaged Brennan Poole’s machine.
It was not over yet as the race went to NASCAR Overtime with Austin Hill leading the way. Heading into Turn 2, Hill slipped to the inside of Carson Kvapil before spinning in a battle for the lead, prompting another caution.
Going into the second and ultimate NASCAR Overtime restart, Alfredo restarted from the 10th position. Coming to the white flag, Justin Allgaier spun and hit the Turn 4 wall, just in front of Alfredo.
Darting to the inside of Allgaier, Alfredo picked off another position, climbing to ninth before the caution was out. By this point, Truex, the leader, took the white flag before the caution for Allgaier, ending the race and taking his second consecutive Dover victory.
Although Truex claimed another Miles the Monster trophy, Alfredo had a tremendous payday. Placing ninth and ahead of Herbst, who finished 16th, Alfredo won the final Dash 4 Cash bonus.
Following his third consecutive top 10 finish and his first Dash 4 Cash bonus, Alfredo was stoked about this pivotal moment.
The $100,000 Dash 4 Cash bonus is absolutely a victory for Anthony Alfredo and his Our Motorsports team after Saturday’s race at Dover. (Photo: Jennie Mae Lingle | The Podium Finish)
“It’s a confidence booster and gives us momentum to carry from week to week,” Alfredo said after the race. “It’s very rewarding proving people wrong as the underdog and surprising both fans and industry personnel.”
For the young driver from Connecticut, who represents the sim-to-reality movement, it is more than a testament to perseverance. It is the reward of diligence, dedication and desire for success by doing things the right way.
Naturally, Alfredo was delighted to win the bonus, hoisting the check with pride and his trademark smile. However, he recognized how important this bonus was for his Our Motorsports team, an organization that can bolster its efforts with this shot in the arm.
“This is a huge win for our team not only because the accomplishment of beating such big organizations for the prize, but for being able to use it to enhance our program a bit more,” Alfredo shared. “We don’t have near the budget or resources as the larger teams, so this can go a long way.”
