# 2017 Use Your Melon. Drive Sober 200

The 2017 Use Your Melon. Drive Sober 200 was the 28th stock car race of the 2017 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, the second race of the Round of 12, and the 32nd iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, September 30, 2017, in Dover, Delaware at Dover International Speedway, a 1 mile (1.6 km) permanent oval-shaped racetrack. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete. At race's end, Ryan Blaney, driving for Team Penske, would dominate for most of the race to win his sixth career NASCAR Xfinity Series victory and his second and final victory of the season. To fill out the podium, Justin Allgaier and William Byron, both driving for JR Motorsports, would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

Dover International Speedway is an oval race track in Dover, Delaware, United States that has held at least two NASCAR races since it opened in 1969. In addition to NASCAR, the track also hosted USAC and the NTT IndyCar Series. The track features one layout, a 1-mile (1.6 km) concrete oval, with 24° banking in the turns and 9° banking on the straights. The speedway is owned and operated by Dover Motorsports.
The track, nicknamed "The Monster Mile", was built in 1969 by Melvin Joseph of Melvin L. Joseph Construction Company, Inc., with an asphalt surface, but was replaced with concrete in 1995. Six years later in 2001, the track's capacity moved to 135,000 seats, making the track have the largest capacity of sports venue in the mid-Atlantic. In 2002, the name changed to Dover International Speedway from Dover Downs International Speedway after Dover Downs Gaming and Entertainment split, making Dover Motorsports. From 2007 to 2009, the speedway worked on an improvement project called "The Monster Makeover", which expanded facilities at the track and beautified the track. After the 2014 season, the track's capacity was reduced to 95,500 seats.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
* (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 0 | Garrett Smithley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | Heroes Haven |
| 00 | Cole Custer (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | Haas Automation |
| 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | OneMain Financial |
| 01 | Harrison Rhodes | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | Iron Source, Meding's Seafood |
| 2 | Austin Dillon (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Rheem |
| 3 | Ty Dillon (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Bass Pro Shops, Tracker Boats |
| 4 | Ross Chastain | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | Use Your Melon |
| 5 | Michael Annett | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Pilot Flying J |
| 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Textron Off Road |
| 07 | Ray Black Jr. | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | SS-Green Light Racing |
| 8 | B. J. McLeod | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | B. J. McLeod Motorsports |
| 9 | William Byron (R) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Axalta, Central Aluminum |
| 11 | Blake Koch | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | LeafFilter Gutter Protection |
| 13 | Timmy Hill | MBM Motorsports | Chevrolet | CrashClaimsR.Us, TLC Resorts |
| 14 | J. J. Yeley | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | Superior Essex |
| 15 | Reed Sorenson (i) | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | Iron Source, Stockley Tavern |
| 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | Lilly Diabetes |
| 18 | Daniel Suárez (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Interstate Batteries |
| 19 | Matt Tifft (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Comcast NBCUniversal Salute to Service |
| 20 | Erik Jones (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | GameStop, Pixel Pals |
| 21 | Daniel Hemric (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Blue Gate Bank |
| 22 | Ryan Blaney (i) | Team Penske | Ford | Fitzgerald Glider Kits |
| 23 | Spencer Gallagher (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | Allegiant Air |
| 24 | Corey LaJoie (i) | JGL Racing | Toyota | Youtheory |
| 33 | Brandon Jones | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Anderson's Maple Syrup, Safeway |
| 38 | Gray Gaulding (i) | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | RSS Racing |
| 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | Midstate Basement Authorities |
| 40 | Chad Finchum | MBM Motorsports | Chevrolet | Smithfield Homes |
| 42 | Tyler Reddick | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | Broken Bow Records, Dustin Lynch |
| 48 | Brennan Poole | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | DC Solar |
| 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | RepairableVehicles.com |
| 52 | Joey Gase | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | Katie J's Bar & Grill, Eternal Fan |
| 62 | Brendan Gaughan | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa |
| 74 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing | Dodge | Veterans Motorsports Inc., HM-15 |
| 78 | Josh Bilicki | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | Prevagen |
| 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Chevrolet | Racing with Jesus, Visone RV |
| 90 | Brandon Brown | Brandonbilt Motorsports | Chevrolet | W. G. Speeks, Mid-Atlantic Wrecker Service |
| 93 | Jeff Green | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | RSS Racing |
| 98 | Casey Mears | Biagi-DenBeste Racing | Ford | GEICO Military |
| 99 | David Starr | BJMM with SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | Alarm Tech Systems |
| Official entry list |||||

## Practice
### First practice

The first practice session was held on Friday, September 29, at 12:00 PM EST. The session would last for 55 minutes. Ryan Blaney, driving for Team Penske, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 23.335 and an average speed of 154.275 mph (248.282 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 22 | Ryan Blaney (i) | Team Penske | Ford | 23.335 | 154.275 |
| 2 | 20 | Erik Jones (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 23.357 | 154.129 |
| 3 | 9 | William Byron (R) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.384 | 153.951 |
| Full first practice results |||||||

### Second and final practice

The final practice session, sometimes known as Happy Hour, was held on Friday, September 29, at 2:30 PM EST. The session would last for 55 minutes. Ryan Blaney, driving for Team Penske, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 23.580 and an average speed of 152.672 mph (245.702 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 22 | Ryan Blaney (i) | Team Penske | Ford | 23.580 | 152.672 |
| 2 | 9 | William Byron (R) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.581 | 152.665 |
| 3 | 33 | Brandon Jones | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 23.588 | 152.620 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying was held on Saturday, September 30, at 11:35 AM EST. Since Dover International Speedway is under 2 miles (3.2 km) in length, the qualifying system was a multi-car system that included three rounds. The first round was 15 minutes, where every driver would be able to set a lap within the 15 minutes. Then, the second round would consist of the fastest 24 cars in Round 1, and drivers would have 10 minutes to set a lap. Round 3 consisted of the fastest 12 drivers from Round 2, and the drivers would have 5 minutes to set a time. Whoever was fastest in Round 3 would win the pole.
William Byron, driving for JR Motorsports, would win the pole after setting a time of 23.046 and an average speed of 156.209 mph (251.394 km/h) in the third round.
No drivers would fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time (R1) | Speed (R1) | Time (R2) | Speed (R2) | Time (R3) | Speed (R3) |
| 1 | 9 | William Byron (R) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.074 | 156.020 | 23.110 | 155.777 | 23.046 | 156.209 |
| 2 | 18 | Daniel Suárez (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 23.154 | 155.481 | 23.259 | 154.779 | 23.084 | 155.952 |
| 3 | 20 | Erik Jones (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 23.362 | 154.096 | 23.294 | 154.546 | 23.161 | 155.434 |
| 4 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.144 | 155.548 | 23.156 | 155.467 | 23.170 | 155.373 |
| 5 | 42 | Tyler Reddick | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 23.439 | 153.590 | 23.330 | 154.308 | 23.191 | 155.233 |
| 6 | 00 | Cole Custer (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 23.353 | 154.156 | 23.235 | 154.939 | 23.207 | 155.126 |
| 7 | 48 | Brennan Poole | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 23.334 | 154.281 | 23.207 | 155.126 | 23.239 | 154.912 |
| 8 | 22 | Ryan Blaney (i) | Team Penske | Ford | 23.289 | 154.579 | 23.346 | 154.202 | 23.246 | 154.865 |
| 9 | 21 | Daniel Hemric (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 23.592 | 152.594 | 23.337 | 154.261 | 23.310 | 154.440 |
| 10 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.394 | 153.886 | 23.301 | 154.500 | 23.379 | 153.984 |
| 11 | 3 | Ty Dillon (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 23.381 | 153.971 | 23.318 | 154.387 | 23.402 | 153.833 |
| 12 | 4 | Ross Chastain | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.466 | 153.413 | 23.347 | 154.195 | 23.495 | 153.224 |
| Eliminated in Round 2 |||||||||||
| 13 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 23.598 | 152.555 | 23.392 | 153.899 | - | - |
| 14 | 24 | Corey LaJoie (i) | JGL Racing | Toyota | 23.731 | 151.700 | 23.457 | 153.472 | - | - |
| 15 | 33 | Brandon Jones | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 23.495 | 153.224 | 23.482 | 153.309 | - | - |
| 16 | 5 | Michael Annett | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.578 | 152.685 | 23.533 | 152.977 | - | - |
| 17 | 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 23.463 | 153.433 | 23.572 | 152.724 | - | - |
| 18 | 98 | Casey Mears | Biagi-DenBeste Racing | Ford | 23.594 | 152.581 | 23.577 | 152.691 | - | - |
| 19 | 11 | Blake Koch | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 23.699 | 151.905 | 23.617 | 152.433 | - | - |
| 20 | 23 | Spencer Gallagher (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 23.739 | 151.649 | 23.681 | 152.021 | - | - |
| 21 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 23.686 | 151.989 | 23.762 | 151.502 | - | - |
| 22 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 23.735 | 151.675 | 23.850 | 150.943 | - | - |
| 23 | 19 | Matt Tifft (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 23.442 | 153.571 | - | - | - | - |
| 24 | 15 | Reed Sorenson (i) | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.617 | 152.433 | - | - | - | - |
| Eliminated in Round 1 |||||||||||
| 25 | 14 | J. J. Yeley | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 23.777 | 151.407 | - | - | - | - |
| 26 | 2 | Austin Dillon (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 23.791 | 151.318 | - | - | - | - |
| 27 | 07 | Ray Black Jr. | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 23.895 | 150.659 | - | - | - | - |
| 28 | 8 | B. J. McLeod | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.907 | 150.584 | - | - | - | - |
| 29 | 90 | Brandon Brown | Brandonbilt Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.967 | 150.207 | - | - | - | - |
| 30 | 0 | Garrett Smithley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 24.032 | 149.800 | - | - | - | - |
| 31 | 01 | Harrison Rhodes | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 24.107 | 149.334 | - | - | - | - |
| 32 | 99 | David Starr | BJMM with SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 24.222 | 148.625 | - | - | - | - |
| 33 | 93 | Jeff Green | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 24.266 | 148.356 | - | - | - | - |
| Qualified by owner's points |||||||||||
| 34 | 40 | Chad Finchum | MBM Motorsports | Chevrolet | 24.429 | 147.366 | - | - | - | - |
| 35 | 52 | Joey Gase | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | 24.505 | 146.909 | - | - | - | - |
| 36 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Chevrolet | 25.096 | 143.449 | - | - | - | - |
| 37 | 74 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing | Dodge | 26.012 | 138.398 | - | - | - | - |
| 38 | 13 | Timmy Hill | MBM Motorsports | Chevrolet | 26.214 | 137.331 | - | - | - | - |
| 39 | 78 | Josh Bilicki | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Last car to qualify on time |||||||||||
| 40 | 38 | Gray Gaulding (i) | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 24.850 | 144.869 | - | - | - | - |
| Official qualifying results |||||||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||||||

## Race results

Stage 1 Laps: 60
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
| 1 | 9 | William Byron (R) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 22 | Ryan Blaney (i) | Team Penske | Ford | 0 |
| 3 | 18 | Daniel Suárez (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 0 |
| 4 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 20 | Erik Jones (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 0 |
| 6 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 42 | Tyler Reddick | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 00 | Cole Custer (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 21 | Daniel Hemric (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 48 | Brennan Poole | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 1 |
Stage 2 Laps: 60
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
| 1 | 22 | Ryan Blaney (i) | Team Penske | Ford | 0 |
| 2 | 9 | William Byron (R) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 18 | Daniel Suárez (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 0 |
| 5 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 42 | Tyler Reddick | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 00 | Cole Custer (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 21 | Daniel Hemric (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 48 | Brennan Poole | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 20 | Erik Jones (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 0 |
Stage 3 Laps: 80
| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts |
| 1 | 8 | 22 | Ryan Blaney (i) | Team Penske | Ford | 200 | 136 | running | 0 |
| 2 | 4 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 50 |
| 3 | 1 | 9 | William Byron (R) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 62 | running | 53 |
| 4 | 9 | 21 | Daniel Hemric (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 38 |
| 5 | 7 | 48 | Brennan Poole | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 35 |
| 6 | 23 | 19 | Matt Tifft (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 200 | 0 | running | 31 |
| 7 | 2 | 18 | Daniel Suárez (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 200 | 2 | running | 0 |
| 8 | 6 | 00 | Cole Custer (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 36 |
| 9 | 10 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 39 |
| 10 | 13 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 27 |
| 11 | 16 | 5 | Michael Annett | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 26 |
| 12 | 12 | 4 | Ross Chastain | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 25 |
| 13 | 11 | 3 | Ty Dillon (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 0 |
| 14 | 21 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | running | 23 |
| 15 | 14 | 24 | Corey LaJoie (i) | JGL Racing | Toyota | 199 | 0 | running | 0 |
| 16 | 17 | 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 198 | 0 | running | 21 |
| 17 | 25 | 14 | J. J. Yeley | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 198 | 0 | running | 20 |
| 18 | 18 | 98 | Casey Mears | Biagi-DenBeste Racing | Ford | 198 | 0 | running | 19 |
| 19 | 19 | 11 | Blake Koch | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 198 | 0 | running | 18 |
| 20 | 3 | 20 | Erik Jones (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 198 | 0 | running | 0 |
| 21 | 27 | 07 | Ray Black Jr. | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 198 | 0 | running | 16 |
| 22 | 22 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 198 | 0 | running | 15 |
| 23 | 26 | 2 | Austin Dillon (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 198 | 0 | running | 0 |
| 24 | 20 | 23 | Spencer Gallagher (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 198 | 0 | running | 13 |
| 25 | 29 | 90 | Brandon Brown | Brandonbilt Motorsports | Chevrolet | 197 | 0 | running | 12 |
| 26 | 5 | 42 | Tyler Reddick | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 197 | 0 | running | 20 |
| 27 | 28 | 8 | B. J. McLeod | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 194 | 0 | running | 10 |
| 28 | 35 | 52 | Joey Gase | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | 194 | 0 | running | 9 |
| 29 | 30 | 0 | Garrett Smithley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 194 | 0 | running | 8 |
| 30 | 39 | 78 | Josh Bilicki | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 192 | 0 | running | 7 |
| 31 | 37 | 74 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing | Dodge | 87 | 0 | clutch | 6 |
| 32 | 36 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Chevrolet | 43 | 0 | suspension | 5 |
| 33 | 38 | 13 | Timmy Hill | MBM Motorsports | Chevrolet | 35 | 0 | overheating | 4 |
| 34 | 40 | 38 | Gray Gaulding (i) | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 31 | 0 | electrical | 0 |
| 35 | 24 | 15 | Reed Sorenson (i) | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 25 | 0 | crash | 0 |
| 36 | 34 | 40 | Chad Finchum | MBM Motorsports | Chevrolet | 25 | 0 | crash | 1 |
| 37 | 31 | 01 | Harrison Rhodes | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 17 | 0 | engine | 1 |
| 38 | 32 | 99 | David Starr | BJMM with SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 7 | 0 | crash | 1 |
| 39 | 15 | 33 | Brandon Jones | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 4 | 0 | crash | 1 |
| 40 | 33 | 93 | Jeff Green | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 4 | 0 | crash | 1 |
| Official race results ||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Justin Allgaier | 2,107 |
| 3 | 2 | William Byron | 2,104 (-3) |
| | 3 | Elliott Sadler | 2,094 (–13) |
| 2 | 4 | Cole Custer | 2,093 (–14) |
| 1 | 5 | Daniel Hemric | 2,090 (–17) |
| | 6 | Brennan Poole | 2,082 (-25) |
| | 7 | Matt Tifft | 2,067 (-40) |
| | 8 | Ryan Reed | 2,055 (-52) |
| | 9 | Brendan Gaughan | 2,053 (-54) |
| 1 | 10 | Blake Koch | 2,048 (-59) |
| 1 | 11 | Michael Annett | 2,043 (-64) |
| | 12 | Jeremy Clements | 2,035 (-72) |
| Official driver's standings ||||