Xfinity Fastest Lap: Riggs, Clements, and McDowell Take Home Awards in Daytona

One of the newest wrinkles in the NASCAR National Series championship battles for the 2025 season was the creation of the Xfinity Fastest Lap Award, which will allow one driver from each NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event this year to gain an additional championship point at the end of each event.

The rollout weekend for the new Xfinity Fastest Lap Award was the opening race weekend of the 2025 campaign at Daytona International Speedway, and three drivers left Daytona Beach, FL with the distinct honor of being the first to ever collect the award.

Layne Riggs, the driver of the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford F-150 took home the award in Friday night's Fresh From Florida 250 at Daytona. Riggs turned a 47.212 second (190.630 mph) lap time, which helped him secure the award and the additional championship point that goes along with it.

Riggs, who was in the mix for his third NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win on Friday night, ultimately settled for a 10th-place finish after being involved in a seven-truck melee on the final lap of the race. The bonus point from the Xfinity Fastest Lap Award bumped Riggs' point total for Daytona from 24 points to 25. As a result, Riggs heads into Atlanta this weekend in a three-way tie for 12th position in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship standings with Jake Garcia and Andres Perez de Lara.

In Saturday's NASCAR Xfinity Series United Rentals 300 at Daytona, it was an underdog driver and team that took home the Xfinity Fastest Lap Award as Jeremy Clements turned the quickest lap of the race in his No. 51 Chevrolet.

Clements cranked out a 47.187 second (190.730 mph) lap time to secure the first-ever NASCAR Xfinity Series Xfinity Fastest Lap Award. After starting from the 25th position, Clements was credited with a solid ninth-place finish after skillfully avoiding a massive pileup on the final lap of Saturday night's race, which was won by Jesse Love.

The Xfinity Fastest Lap bonus point brought Clements' point total from the race weekend to 29, which slots him 11th in the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship standings heading into this weekend's event at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

In the weekend's Main Event -- the NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 -- it was Michael McDowell who emerged to take home the Xfinity Fastest Lap Award. The driver of the No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet turned a fast lap of 45.169 seconds (199.252 mph) to take home the award in the season-opening event.

McDowell, in his first race with Spire Motorsports, came home with an 11th-place finish, and the additional point from the Xfinity Fastest Lap Award allowed him to leave the evening credited with 27 championship points, which puts the Phoenix, AZ native 14th in the NASCAR Cup Series championship standings heading into another superspeedway-style event this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

While it is currently unknown how big the additional one championship point awarded each weekend for the Xfinity Fastest Lap Award will play into the overall regular season and Playoff battles, it very well could help make the difference in tight point battles around the cutline, or for the overall regular season championship lead.

Photo Credit: Taylor Kitchen | Racing America