Justin Marks Splashes to First NASCAR Xfinity Series Win

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Published on August 15 2016 6:55 am
Last Updated on August 15 2016 6:55 am

By ESPN

Justin Marks splashed through the rain at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on Saturday for his first NASCAR Xfinity Series victory.

The 35-year-old Marks pulled away on a restart with two left to go in the 75-lap race on the 2.085-mile, 13-turn road course and finished 3.7 seconds ahead of pole-sitter Sam Hornish Jr.

Marks started 16th in the second of the series' three road-course races. He took the lead from Ty Dillon with 10 laps left and had a 17-second left with four left to go when T.J. Bell went off the track and brought out the eighth and final caution.

With the rain falling harder, Marks cautiously negotiated the slippery final laps. He led 43 laps in Chip Ganassi Racing's No. 42 Chevrolet.

Hornish was driving Richard Childress Racing's No. 2 Chevrolet. The three-time IndyCar season champion and 2006 Indianapolis 500 winner is from Defiance, Ohio.

Ryan Blaney was third, followed by Dillon, Justin Allgaier, Erik Jones, Andy Lally, Brendan Gaughan, series points leader Elliott Sadler and Brennan Poole. Darrell Wallace Jr. had the lead off a restart with 14 laps left, then went off the track several times and ended up finishing 15th.

To honor late dirt-track racer Bryan Clauson, the teams had "BC" decals on the cars. The 27-year-old Clauson died last week from injuries sustained in a crash in Kansas.