JR Motorsports Race Report
Saturday, Aug. 15, 2015
Race 21 of 33: Nationwide Children’s Hospital 200 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
Track Specs: 2.258-mile oval / 75 laps
Weather: Sunny; 82 deg.
Race Winner: Regan Smith
Rhodes’ finish: 10th
To say the least, it was an eventful day for Ben Rhodes and the No. 88 Alpha Energy Solutions team. After starting eighth, the team encountered several obstacles during Saturday’s Nationwide Children’s Hospital 200, but ultimately rallied to earn a top-10 finish at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
Rhodes was paired with Alexandra James, a five-year-old Nationwide Children’s Hospital (NCH) patient with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, through NCH’s Patient Champion Program. She was honored as a special guest of the No. 88 team this weekend and her picture was featured on the deck lid of the No. 88 Alpha Energy Solutions Chevy, while her name was listed above the passenger door. Rhodes spent time with the young fan and her family before climbing in the Alpha Chevy for the 75-lap event.
At the first caution on lap seven, Rhodes was running 12th and reported that his Chevrolet was too tight through the center of the corners. Crew chief Dave Elenz called for Rhodes to stay out under the yellow while some of the leaders came to pit road, which moved the 18-year-old driver up to fifth for the restart.
Rhodes was pushed off course by a competitor on lap 14, dropping him to 17th. A conveniently-timed caution came out on the same lap, and he was able to bring the Alpha Energy Solutions Chevy to pit road for four fresh tires, fuel and wedge adjustments. Rhodes restarted 34th, but quickly moved back inside the top 20. On lap 21, the young driver spun to bring out the caution as he got stuck in the sand trap in turn two. Rhodes lost a lap during the incident, but another caution one lap later allowed him to earn the free pass and get back on the lead lap.
After pitting, he rejoined the field in 35th for the lap-30 restart, but moved into 17th by the following caution on lap 42. Rhodes reported that the No. 88 Chevrolet was too loose from adjustments made during the previous pit stop, so Elenz called him to pit road for four tires, fuel and another round of changes. After a quick stop by the Alpha crew, Rhodes exited pit road in 12th and was running 14th when the sixth caution flag of the event waved on lap 53. He came to pit road for tires, fuel and a track-bar adjustment and restarted 26th. After staying patient for the first three-quarters of the race, Rhodes started forcing his way to the front of the field and drove up to a 10th-place finish by the race’s conclusion.
Rhodes’ JRM teammate Regan Smith won his first race of the 2015 season, his fifth career NASCAR XFINITY Series victory. Alex Tagliani finished second, followed by Ty Dillon, Chris Buescher and JRM’s Chase Elliott.
Ben Rhodes, driver No. 88 Alpha Energy Solutions team
“Overall, it was a successful weekend here at Mid-Ohio. I think the Nationwide Children’s Hospital 200 went very well. I was thrilled to have Alexandra (Nationwide Patient Champion Alexandra James) on the box. She did an awesome job this weekend – she was part of the crew, as I told her. She had a great time hopping in the race car before the race, hanging around with everybody and with the gifts that we gave her. I had a great time working with her and everybody from Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
“Onto the race, it was up and down, with more “downs” than “ups” I believe. Our crew guys on the No. 88 Alpha Energy Solutions Chevy did a great job getting me spots on pit road and keeping us on a good strategy for fuel. That got me back in position, got me back in game play, and that was good because it was a really rough and aggressive race, and as the laps wore on, we got back up towards the front and I was able to be more aggressive to get there. I was initially trying to be more conservative, but I know better next time. I’m building my foundation as a driver. We met all of the goals today: a top 10 and finishing all the laps, and we’re moving on to Road America.”