The stage is set for the first bonus race of the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series season. Four drivers have set themselves up to win the Dash 4 Cash, the $100,000 prize that goes to the eligible driver with the best finishing position.
Sammy Smith, Justin Allgaier, Daniel Hemric, and Sam Mayer are the four drivers that will be eligible to compete for the $100,000 prize at Richmond Raceway on April 1. They don’t have to win the race; they just have to finish ahead of the three other drivers in contention for the Dash 4 Cash prize in order to celebrate with the oversized check.
Our #Dash4Cash field is set!
None of these drivers crossed the finish line first at Circuit of the Americas. Instead, AJ Allmendinger won the Pit Boss 250 while William Byron finished second and Ty Gibbs crossed the finish line third overall. These three drivers all compete full-time in the Cup Series, so they are not eligible to win the Dash 4 Cash.
Smith secured his spot by finishing fourth overall while Allgaier was fifth. Hemric and Mayer finished sixth and seventh, respectively, while rounding out the Dash 4 Cash lineup.
Allgaier Pursues History in 2023
GettyJustin Allgaier celebrates a win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
The Dash 4 Cash bonus program began with the 2009 season as Comcast began giving back to some of the top drivers in the Xfinity Series — then the Nationwide Series. Brad Keselowski won the first two Dash 4 Cash races, which took place at Iowa Speedway and Memphis Motorsports Park.
There are several drivers that have taken part in the Dash 4 Cash and secured the oversized check. Allgaier, in particular, is one of two drivers to make more than 10 appearances in the Dash 4 Cash. The race at Richmond Raceway will mark his 16th time contending for the bonus money. He is only behind Elliott Sadler, who contended for the Dash 4 Cash 18 times.
Allgaier’s first Dash 4 Cash win was at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2016. He added wins at Phoenix Raceway and Richmond Raceway in 2017. Allgaier secured the bonus money once again at Dover Motor Speedway in 2018. Now, he will try to win more Dash 4 Cash races.
Allgaier can overtake Sadler for the most appearances in the bonus program during the 2023 season. However, he has to keep turning in strong performances each week to qualify for the upcoming Dash 4 Cash races at Martinsville Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway, and Dover Motor Speedway.
2 Other Drivers Have Previous Dash 4 Cash Appearances
Allgaier has the most appearances in the Dash 4 Cash program, but two other drivers have also previously contended for the bonus money. For example, Sam Mayer was eligible for two Dash 4 Cash races in 2022, and he captured the check once.
Daniel Hemric has six previous appearances in the Dash 4 Cash program and one win. He captured the oversized check at Bristol Motor Speedway during the 2017 season while splitting up Allgaier’s streak of Dash 4 Cash wins.
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The race at Richmond will mark the first time that Sammy Smith contends for the $100,000 prize. He will take on the Virginia short track while making his 16th career Xfinity Series start, albeit his first at Richmond Raceway.
“Yeah, that’s cool! I feel good about Richmond next week, but today we fought a little bit of car balance,” Smith said after the COTA race, per Toyota Racing. “I’ve got to clean some things up and work a little bit on the car.
“Thanks to Pilot Flying J, Toyota, TMC, Allstate Peterbuilt Group, Golden Harvest, Renda Group, JGR — everybody that brings fast racecars. We had a good showing today, just have to continue to work on our road course stuff!”
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The First Dash 4 Cash Lineup of 2023 Is Official