CE Florida hosted a group of Carrier and Bryant dealers to the Fourth of July Monster Energy NASCAR Coke Zero Sugar race scheduled for Saturday, July 6, 2019 at the Daytona International Speedway. The infield suite offered a great view of pit row and the start/finish line of the track, and there was plenty of food and refreshments on hand to satisfy everyone’s hunger and thirst. Unfortunately, the rain that began falling two hours before the race was scheduled to start only intensified and, shortly after 8 p.m., the race was postponed until Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
Several dozen guests that rendezvoused at the Radisson Suite Hotel Oceanfront in Melbourne, FL for a chartered coach ride to the race experienced early disappointment when it was discovered that the air conditioning system on the coach was not working. A replacement vehicle arrived from Orlando an hour and a half later and delivered the race fans to the track around 6 in the evening. On the bright side, all they missed was several hours of watching the rain from the suite.
The dealers and guests that returned to the track on Sunday witnessed several “events” with “the Big One” occurring on lap 120 of the scheduled 160-lap race. The multi-car accident eliminated 18 vehicles including the polesitter, all four Joe Gibbs Racing drivers and the defending race winner. The weather affected the final outcome of the race, forcing a yellow flag caution followed by a lengthy red flag stoppage. A short-lived attempt to restart the race was cut short by more lighting and the race was declared official with 127 laps completed. 20-year old Justin Haley was declared the winner in only his third career start, the second-youngest Cup winner in Daytona International Speedway history.
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