Todd Gilliland is poised to achieve a milestone start in his third full-time season in the NASCAR Cup Series. By competing in this weekend’s Cup Playoff event at Watkins Glen International, the driver of the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford Mustang Dark Horse will make his 100th career start in NASCAR’s premier series.
A third-generation racer from Sherrills Ford, North Carolina, Gilliland made his inaugural presence in the Cup Series at the start of the 2022 season, where he assumed the role of the driver of the No. 38 Ford Mustang for Front Row Motorsports. By then, he had achieved two victories in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and was a two-time champion of the ARCA Menards Series West.
During the season-opening 64th running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway, Gilliland ended up 33rd after being involved in a late multi-car wreck. During his next 20 starts, he notched eight top-20 results with a best finish of 15th at Darlington Raceway in May. He achieved his first career top-five finish at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course by finishing fourth amid an overtime finish.
Gilliland capped off the regular-season stretch with four consecutive results outside the top 20 and did not make the 2022 Cup Series Playoffs. He managed to notch his second career top-10 result at Talladega Superspeedway with a seventh-place finish and then finished 13th during the penultimate Cup event on the schedule at Martinsville Speedway. Gilliland concluded his first full-time Cup season in 28th place in the final standings. In addition, he settled in third place in the Rookie-of-the-Year battle behind Austin Cindric and Harrison Burton.
This past season, Gilliland competed driving for Front Row Motorsports and Rick Ware Racing for the entire 36-race schedule, 31 of which occurred with FRM. The remaining five occurred with Rick Ware Racing as the reigning Craftsman Truck Series champion Zane Smith piloted Gilliland’s No. 38 entry for six events. Throughout the 36-race schedule, Gilliland achieved a season-best eighth-place finish at the Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt Course in April and earned four top-10 results. With an average-finishing result of 22.0, Gilliland, who did not make the Playoffs for a second consecutive season, ended up in 28th place in the final standings for a second consecutive season.
Returning as a full-time Cup Series competitor for Front Row Motorsports this season, Gilliland commenced his junior season by finishing 35th in the 66th running of the Daytona 500 after being involved in a late multi-car wreck. He would then lead a race-high 58 of 260 laps during the following event at Atlanta Motor Speedway before he was involved in another late multi-car wreck that pinned him four laps down and mired in 26th place in the final running order. After finishing no higher than 13th during his next seven starts, Gilliland notched his first top-10 result of the season by finishing eighth at Talladega Superspeedway in April.
The North Carolinian proceeded to record three top-10 results and seven top-15 results over his next 12 starts before he capped off the regular-season stretch with finishes no higher than 17th twice in four races. By then, he missed the Cup Playoffs for a third consecutive season. Nonetheless, Gilliland has recorded four top-10 results through 27 scheduled events this year, which ties his current record of top-10 results from his previous season. In addition, he has led 126 laps with an average finish of 19.9, both higher than his previous marks over the last two seasons.
Through 99 previous Cup starts, Gilliland, who is set to remain at Front Row Motorsports in 2025, has achieved one top-five result, 10 top-10 results, 137 laps led and an average-finishing result of 21.8 as he continues his pursuit of his first Cup Series career victory. He is currently ranked in 21st place in this year’s standings, which would mark a career-best result for the competitor.
Todd Gilliland is scheduled to make his 100th Cup Series career start at Watkins Glen International for the Go Bowling at The Glen on Sunday, September 15, with the event’s broadcast time set for 3 p.m. ET on USA Network.
Nearly four months after having his plans of competing in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day spoiled due to Mother Nature, Kyle Larson returns to Memorial Day weekend in May 2025 with “unfinished business” as he will make a second attempt at “The Double” between two motorsports’ regions in two iconic racing venues.
In a press conference at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Tuesday, September 10, Hendrick Motorsports and Arrow McLaren will join forces to support Larson’s double-duty effort for a second consecutive season in 2025. The conference featured Larson, Hendrick Motorsports’ owner Rick Hendrick, Hendrick Motorsports’ vice chairman Jeff Gordon, McLaren Racing’s CEO Zak Brown and Arrow McLaren’s sporting director Tony Kanaan.
The news comes as Larson, the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion from Elk Grove, California, who first announced his double-duty plans in January 2023 for the 2024 season, attempted to become the fifth competitor to pull off motorsports’ iconic double this past May. With on-track precipitation delaying the start of Larson’s first double-duty leg at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500, Larson opted to remain at Indianapolis, which resulted in him missing the start of the Coca-Cola 600. Once the Indy 500 commenced amid the delay, he proceeded to finish in 18th place despite getting penalized for speeding on pit road in the closing stages.
At the conclusion of the Indy 500, Larson hopped on a plane and was flown to Charlotte Motor Speedway, where the Coke 600 had commenced as Xfinity Series veteran Justin Allgaier was piloting Larson’s No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entry as a fill-in competitor. By the time Larson arrived at Charlotte, however, the event was placed in a red flag period on Lap 249 of 400 due to on-track precipitation. Following an extensive rain delay period, the event was made official. As a result, Allgaier, who was credited with starting the Coke 600 and methodically carved his way up the leaderboard from the rear of the field, was awarded a 13th-place result while Larson was unable to turn in a single lap for his second leg of “The Double.”
Despite being named the 2024 Indy 500 Rookie-of-the-Year recipient and being praised by many for his attempted double-duty efforts, Larson has since evoked a goal to plot a second attempt at “The Double” and compete in both events spanning a total of 1,100 miles in a single day.
“I really enjoyed the Month of May in Indy and racing with Arrow McLaren, but I was really disappointed with missing the Coca-Cola 600 with the No. 5 HendrickCars.com team,” Larson said in a released statement. “I appreciate the second opportunity because we have unfinished business. I really want to complete all 1,100 miles, and I think we have the opportunity to battle for the win in both events.”
Since the Indy-Charlotte double attempt, Larson did achieve a little redemption of his own at Indianapolis this past July when he won the Brickyard 400 for the first time in his career while sporting the exact blue, orange and white scheme to his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet entry that he was initially set to sport during the Coke 600. After celebrating in the frontstretch, Larson hinted at a potential return to the 2025 Indy 500 to the delight of the Indianapolis fans, which is now official and set for next season.
Like this season, Larson’s NTT IndyCar Series and Cup Series entries will carry sponsorship support from HendrickCars.com. The Californian will also sport the No. 17 on his Arrow McLaren Dallara-Chevrolet IndyCar entry at Indianapolis for a second consecutive season before he travels back to Charlotte and climbs aboard his No. 5 Chevrolet entry in the Cup circuit.
“Kyle had a great month of May and showed what a gifted race car driver he is,” Rick Hendrick, a 14-time Cup Series championship owner, said. “From a sponsorship perspective, we saw an incredible lift for HendrickCars.com and measured a three-to-one return on our investment. It was a monumental effort by all involved, but we didn’t have the opportunity to see it through [because of inclement weather]. Everyone learned a great deal that we’ll take into next year. Now that we’ve experienced it once, we know what to expect, which can only make us better and more prepared. Zak [Brown] and the team at Arrow McLaren are tremendous partners, and we’re looking forward to finishing the job together in 2025.”
Currently, Larson is one of 16 competitors vying for the 2024 Cup Series championship in the Playoffs. Having earned four victories throughout the 2024 regular-season stretch, he is ranked in 10th place in the Playoff standings and is 15 points above the top-12 cutline to advance from the Round of 16 to 12, with the first Playoff’s round set to conclude less than two weeks from now at Bristol Motor Speedway on September 21.
The 2025 season is set to mark the 12th time overall where a competitor will attempt to compete in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day, a motorsports’ challenge that started when the late John Andretti achieved the first feat in 1994. In addition, Larson is set to become the first competitor to attempt “The Double” for a second time since Robby Gordon made his fourth attempt in 2004 and had Jaques Lazier fill in for him for the remainder of the Indy 500 due to a rain delay period as he competed in the Coke 600 with Richard Childress Racing.
To date, Kurt Busch, the 2004 Cup Series champion, is the latest competitor to achieve “The Double” in 2014 despite having his hopes of completing the double’s 1,100 miles spoiled due to a late engine failure during the Coke 600. Tony Stewart, a three-time Cup Series champion, is the only competitor to complete all 1,100 miles of both races on the same day, finishing sixth at Indy before notching a third-place effort at Charlotte.
For the 2025 Indianapolis 500, Larson will be a teammate to Arrow McLaren’s NTT IndyCar Series driver lineup that consists of Pato O’Ward, Nolan Siegel and Christian Lundgaard, the latter of whom will be joining the organization next season. It will also mark the third consecutive season that Arrow McLaren will attempt to field four entries in the Indy 500 as the organization attempts to return the iconic McLaren name to Victory Lane at Indianapolis since Johnny Rutherford made the last accomplishment in 1976.
Photo by Chris Jones | IMS Photo.
“Kyle showed us all what he was capable of this past May, and given a second chance with better weather conditions, I think we’ll all be excited to see him fight for a win at the Indy 500 and then another one in Charlotte,” Zak Brown added. “He’s one of the most talented racing drivers out there, and it’s a privilege to do this again with Mr. Hendrick and Jeff Gordon, who are both world-class. We can’t wait for May.”
*Note: Compared to this season, Rick Hendrick mentioned that the 2025 Coca-Cola 600 race will be Larson’s priority in the event that Mother Nature hinders the Californian’s double-duty effort for a second time. In an event of this nature, Tony Kanaan, the 2013 Indianapolis 500 champion and the 2004 NTT IndyCar Series champion with 17 victories who coached Larson during his attempted double, will pilot Larson’s No. 17 Chevrolet entry.
With his Memorial Day weekend plans for next season set, Kyle Larson’s 2025 “The Double” campaign is scheduled to occur on May 25. The 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is slated to air at 11 a.m. ET on FOX before the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway will follow suit later in the day. While the Coke 600 will be aired on Amazon Prime Video, a start time remains to be determined.
The upcoming Go Bowling at The Glen is set to mark the third and final appearance of 23XI Racing’s No. 50 “all-star” entry for the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season. For the event, the entry will feature a familiar face returning to a Cup Series grid for the first time in a decade as Juan Pablo Montoya will assume the reigns of the entry at a road course venue where he achieved his latest NASCAR triumph 14 years ago.
Montoya, a native of Bogota, Columbia, makes his return to the Cup Series level since he last competed in the series at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2014 and as a full-time competitor in 2013. He made his series’ debut during the 2006 season-finale event at Homestead-Miami Speedway before campaigning on a full-time basis with Chip Ganassi Racing the following season.
Since the transition to full-time NASCAR competition, Montoya proceeded to notch two career victories in the sport’s premier series, with his first occurring during his rookie season at Sonoma Raceway in 2007 before he double down at Watkins Glen in 2010. By then, he became the first Columbian competitor to win in the Cup Series. He would also notch nine poles, 24 top-five results, 59 top-10 results, 1,124 laps led and an average-finishing result of 19.8 through a total of 255 Cup Series starts.
Montoya’s other achievements across NASCAR include notching the Rookie-of-the Year title in 2007, becoming the first foreign-born competitor to make the Playoffs in 2009 before settling in a career-best eighth place in the season’s final standings and scoring his first Xfinity Series career victory at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City in 2007.
Having spent a bulk of his NASCAR career piloting Dodge or Chevrolet while driving for team owner Chip Ganassi before making his latest two starts in a Ford for Team Penske, Montoya will pilot a Toyota for the first time this upcoming weekend at The Glen for 23XI Racing, an organization that is in its fourth season in competition and notched the 2024 Cup Series Regular Season Championship with Tyler Reddick. The chance to compete at The Glen also marks an opportune time for Montoya to relive his previous excitement and competitiveness he delivered on the track in NASCAR while being sponsored by Mobil 1, one of his earliest sponsors in his racing career as the motor oil brand celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2024.
“I’m looking forward to getting back in a Cup car and racing at Watkins Glen – a track I really enjoy and had the chance to experience earlier in my career,” Montoya, who was announced to drive at The Glen for 23XI Racing on August 2, said in a released statement. “It’s an honor to celebrate the Mobil 1 team’s remarkable legacy in racing and be recognized for my contributions to motorsports. The Mobil 1 brand was one of my first sponsors when I started racing, so to represent the brand again as they celebrate this milestone will be so special. I’m also excited to work with 23XI and experience what the team is building.”
In addition to his previous success in NASCAR, Montoya joins 23XI Racing with a rich resume in motorsports competition that includes winning the Indianapolis 500 twice (2000 & 2015), claiming the 1999 IndyCar championship and achieving the 1998 International Formula 3000 title. During both his Indy 500 and IndyCar championship achievements, he also claimed the Rookie-of-the-Year title. He would also notch the 2019 IMSA SportsCar Championship and three Rolex 24 at Daytona titles (2007, 2008 & 2013). To date, Montoya has accumulated five IndyCar race victories and seven Formula One Grand Prixs, including the 2003 Monaco Grand Prix.
“Juan Pablo Montoya is a world-class driver who has won in everything he’s driven, and he will be a great closer to the 50th-anniversary celebration we’ve had in NASCAR with the No. 50 Mobil 1 Toyota,” Steve Lauletta, President of 23XI Racing, added. “The events have highlighted racing legends as well as what’s next in motorsports, and 23XI has been honored to have been a part of adding to the Mobil 1 legacy and celebrating such a momentous occasion.”
This season marks the second consecutive season where 23XI Racing is fielding a third part-time entry for select Cup Series events and to compete alongside the team’s two full-time entries: the No. 23 Toyota entry piloted by Bubba Wallace and the No. 45 Toyota entry piloted by Tyler Reddick. The entry debuted as No. 67 during the 2023 Daytona Speedweeks, where Rally Car champion Travis Pastrana qualified for the 65th running of the Daytona 500 and proceeded to finish in 11th place despite getting collected in a final lap multi-car wreck. Seven months after the Daytona 500, Kamui Kobayashi, a two-time FIA World Endurance champion and the 2021 24 Hours of of Le Mans winner, made his NASCAR debut at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course, where he finished 33rd.
For this season, the entry was renumbered to 50 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Mobil 1, which sponsored the entry during its previous two starts of this season and is set to sponsor Montoya at The Glen. The No. 50 Toyota’s first start of the 2024 season occurred at Circuit of the Americas in March, where Kobayashi returned and finished 29th in his second Cup career start. At Nashville Superspeedway in June, Corey Heim, a current NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Playoff contender for TRICON Garage, piloted the entry to a 29th-place result despite getting collected in a late multi-car wreck.
23XI Racing’s current plans on fielding its third entry for another partial or full-time schedule in 2025 remains to be determined.
Juan Pablo Montoya’s return to the NASCAR Cup Series with 23XI Racing is scheduled to occur this upcoming Sunday, September 15, at Watkins Glen International for the Go Bowling at The Glen, with the event’s broadcast time to commence at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network.
The No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro entry from Hendrick Motorsports is scheduled to make its 10th and final appearance of the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series season this upcoming weekend at Watkins Glen International for the Mission 200 at The Glen with the reigning Daytona 500 champion William Byron at the helm of the wheel for the event.
This past February, Hendrick Motorsports revealed its 10-race Xfinity Series schedule for its No. 17 “all-star” entry, which marked an increase to the organization’s third part-time campaign in the series after campaigning in four events in 2022 before returning for six in 2023. The 10-race schedule to the 2024 season featured all four of Hendrick’s Cup Series stars (Alex Bowman, William Byron, Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson) and road-course ringer Boris Said each taking turns pilot the No. 17 car at least once. Throughout the schedule, Brandon McSwain, the lead engineer of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entry in the Cup Series piloted by Byron, worked as the No. 17 entry’s crew chief in four events Byron competed in while former Xfinity championship-winning crew chief Greg Ives returned to work with the rest of the organization’s “all-star” lineup in the remaining six events.
Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 17 Chevrolet Camaro entry commenced the 2024 season at Phoenix Raceway in early March, where Byron finished in 23rd place after he scraped the backstretch’s outside wall while trying to dodge a late multi-car wreck.
Then two weeks later, Kyle Larson, the 2021 Cup Series champion, capitalized on a last-lap tussle involving rookie Shane van Gisbergen and Austin Hill amid two overtime shootouts to steer the No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet entry to its first victory in the Xfinity Series at Circuit of the Americas. The victory occurred after Larson had pitted for fresh tires during a late-caution period prior to the overtime shootouts and was able to quickly weave his way to the front after restarting in 21st place. It also occurred after the Elk Grove, California, native started at the rear of the field due to his crew replacing a cracked brake rotor to the entry. With the victory, Larson recorded Hendrick Motorsports’ first Xfinity victory since Tony Stewart made the last accomplishment at Daytona International Speedway in 2009 and the organization’s first on a road course venue in the series.
Two months later, Byron would finish in 11th place in his second start of the 2024 season at Darlington Raceway before Chase Elliott drove the No. 17 entry to his first Xfinity victory of the season at Charlotte Motor Speedway during Memorial Day weekend. Elliott’s Charlotte victory occurred after the 2020 Cup Series champion methodically drove his way from his 30th-starting spot and utilized pit strategy to lead the final 18 laps and beating runner-up Brandon Jones by half a second to notch his sixth career victory in the series and his first since winning the 2016 opener at Daytona. The victory marked a special moment for both Elliott and crew chief Greg Ives, both of whom won the Xfinity title with JR Motorsports in 2014, as the duo notched Hendrick Motorsports’ fifth series’ victory at Charlotte and the first since Kyle Busch made the last accomplishment in 2005. To date, Elliott also notched the 25th Xfinity career victory for Hendrick Motorsports.
Two races later, Boris Said settled in 28th place at Sonoma Raceway after he started at the rear of the field in a backup car and was collected in a late multi-car wreck. Alex Bowman would then make his only Xfinity start of the season at New Hampshire Motor Speedway two races later, where he finished ninth, before Larson recorded a strong third-place run at the Chicago Street Course in early July after leading 12 laps. The Chicago event would mark Larson’s second and final Xfinity start of the 2024 season.
A week later, Byron steered the No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet entry to a third-place result at Pocono Raceway. Recently, Elliott finished fourth in his second and final Xfinity start of the 2024 season at Darlington Raceway.
Through nine starts this season, Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 17 Chevrolet entry notched two victories, five top-five results and six top-10 results. To go along with the pair of victories at Circuit of the Americas and Charlotte, the top-five and top-10 results recorded for the entry are more than the entry’s previous recordings over the previous two seasons with an expanded schedule. In total, Hendrick Motorsports has notched 11 top-five results, including the two victories, and 13 top-10 results in 19 on-track appearances.
For Byron, this upcoming weekend will mark his third Xfinity career start at Watkins Glen International, with his best series’ result being a 10th place run during his championship season in 2017. The Charlotte native will also strive for redemption at this course after he nearly won at The Glen in 2022, where he started on pole position, led a race-high 35 of 82 laps and was battling for the victory during a five-lap shootout until contact with Ty Gibbs sent both spinning through the Inner Loop turn. Byron would continue and settle in 25th place as Larson, who was piloting a HendrickCars.com-sponsored entry for JR Motorsports, would proceed to win the race.
Byron and the No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro team from Hendrick Motorsports are scheduled to compete in the upcoming Mission 200 at The Glen for a final pursuit of a checkered flag in 2024. The event is scheduled to occur this upcoming Saturday, September 14, and air at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network.
A month after being revealed as a full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series competitor for the 2025 season through his future team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s podcast, Connor Zilisch will campaign in his first of select starts in the series and behind the wheel of the No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro entry for JR Motorsports in the upcoming Xfinity Series’ Mission 200 at The Glen (Watkins Glen International) on Saturday, September 14.
The 18-year-old Zilisch from Charlotte, North Carolina, prepares to make his first on-track presence in the Xfinity circuit and to add to his impressive racing resume that started by competing in go-karts before he became the first American to win the CIK-FIA Karting Academy Trophy in 2020. He would then achieve the Mazda MX-5 Cup Scholarship and the Rookie-of-the-Year title over the next two seasons before he transcended his way up to Late Model competition during the 2022 season.
This past January, Zilisch inked a multi-year development contract with Trackhouse Racing that would feature the Charlotte native making select starts across the CARS Tour, ARCA, Trans Am, IMSA and NASCAR Craftsman Truck and Xfinity Series divisions. After winning this year’s 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring, both in the LMP2 class, Zilisch notched an impressive fourth-place run in his Truck Series debut with Spire Motorsports at Circuit of the Americas in March during a weekend where he notched his first series career pole and rallied from both overshooting the first turn on the opening lap and spinning on the track while trying to navigate his way back to the front.
In addition to his part-time Truck campaign with Spire and upcoming Xfinity starts with JR Motorsports, Zilisch is also competing on a full-time basis in the ARCA Menards Series East division for Pinnacle Racin Group, Currently, he leads the championship standings by 17 points through seven of eight-scheduled events and in a season where he has won four races and finished no lower than fourth. Through five ARCA Menards Series events, Zilisch has also notched four victories, where he has won at Dover Motor Speedway, Iowa Speedway, Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park and Michigan International Speedway.
Now, the future is set to grow even brighter for Zilisch when he was named a full-time Xfinity Series competitor for JR Motorsports for the 2025 season on August 7, where he will commence his pursuit for his first Xfinity title at Daytona International Speedway on February 15, 2025.
“With so much support from Chevrolet and chances to race in Trucks, ARCA and Trans Am with the support of Silver Hare Racing, I was able to sign with Trackhouse and they went to work to secure an incredible opportunity for me,” Zilisch said in a press release. “I am so grateful and can’t wait to show them that their trust in me is warranted. It is mind-blowing to think that I will be driving for JR Motorsports and Dale Earnhardt, Jr., who is one of my heroes. I’m ready to put in the work.”
The 2025 season will mark the first time since 2016 that JR Motorsports’ No. 88 Chevrolet entry will campaign on a full-time basis in the Xfinity Series and the first time the entry will be piloted by a single competitor throughout an entire Xfinity schedule since Cole Whitt competed in 2012. With JR Motorsports accumulating 85 Xfinity victories to date, the organization’s No. 88 entry last went to Victory Lane ironically at Watkins Glen with Kyle Larson in 2022 as Zilisch strives to add his name to an elite class of competitors who have piloted the No. 88 Chevrolet to Victory Lane, among which includes Earnhardt Jr.
Competing at The Glen in the Xfinity circuit generates an opportunity for Zilisch to achieve redemption a year after he fell short of winning the ARCA event at the venue, where he assumed the lead during a one-lap shootout before he was overtaken by Jesse Love entering the final corner.
“Connor is such an impressive driver at this young age,” Earnhardt Jr. added. “We’re excited for him to get behind the wheel full-time next season. He is on a path to sure success with support from Chevrolet, Silver Hare Racing, Trackhouse, and now JR Motorsports.”
JR Motorsports’ No. 88 Chevrolet entry has made 10 starts through the first 24 events of the 2024 Xfinity Series season. Thus far, Bubba Pollard, Carson Kvapil and Connor Mosack have taken turns piloting the entry in select events, with Kvapil recording the team’s current best on-track result of second place at Dover Motor Speedway this past April. In addition to Zilisch, Kvapil and Mosack are also scheduled to make additional select starts in the entry for the remainder of the season. Earnhardt Jr. is also scheduled to make his lone Xfinity start of the season next Friday, August 20, at Bristol Motor Speedway a year after he made two starts in the No. 88 entry.
Following Zilisch’s Xfinity debut at Watkins Glen, he will then compete in JR Motorsports’ No. 88 Chevrolet at Kansas Speedway in late September before he returns to race at Homestead-Miami Speedway in late October and the season-finale event at Phoenix Raceway during the second week of November. Zilisch, who made his second Truck career start at Richmond Raceway last August, is also set to make four additional Truck starts over the final six events on the schedule, beginning next week at Bristol Motor Speedway as he will also race at Talladega Superspeedway, Homestead and Martinsville Speedway between October and November.
Connor Zilisch’s NASCAR Xfinity Series debut with JR Motorsports is scheduled to occur this upcoming Saturday, September 14, at Watkins Glen International for the Mission 200 at The Glen as the event’s broadcast time will air at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network.
Joey Logano commenced the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs on a high note by fending off the field in overtime to win the Quaker State 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday, September 8.
The two-time Cup Series champion from Middletown, Connecticut, led twice for nine of 266 over-scheduled laps in an event where he qualified in seventh place and survived a war of attrition amongst his fellow Playoff contenders and non-Playoff contenders through a series of stacked racing through multiple lanes and keep up to pace with the draft from start to finish.
After being drafted into the lead by teammate and Playoff contender Ryan Blaney with three laps remaining, where he would then battle Playoff contender Daniel Suarez for the lead, a caution for Noah Gragson wrecking during the following lap sent the event into overtime. In overtime, Logano received another strong push from Blaney to muscle ahead of Suarez. With the clean air, Logano would maintain the top spot and fend off a host of Playoff contenders for two final laps amid a multi-car wreck erupting on the final lap to claim his second checkered flag of the 2024 Cup Series season under caution and race his way into the Playoff’s Round of 12.
With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Saturday, September 7, Michael McDowell notched his fifth pole position of his Cup Series career and of the 2042 season after posting a pole-winning lap at 179.267 mph in 30.926 seconds. Joining him on the front row was Playoff contender Ryan Blaney, who clocked in the second-fastest qualifying lap at 178.844 mph in 30.999 seconds.
Prior to the event, Playoff contenders and teammates Ty Gibbs, Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. started at the rear of the field due to a plug wire change to their respective Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota entries.
When the green flag waved and the 2024 Cup Series Playoff commenced, Michael McDowell gained an early advantage from the inside lane as he had teammate Todd Gilliland drafting him through the first two turns and the backstretch while Ryan Blaney was trying to maintain ground from the outside lane. As the field returned to the frontstretch stacked in two lanes, McDowell led the first lap in his pole-winning No. 34 B’laster Work It Like A Pro Ford Mustang Dark Horse.
For the following four laps and with the front-runners trying to remain within reasonable reach of the lead with the preferred drafting lane towards the outside lane and behind the leader McDowell, Blaney retained second ahead of rookie Josh Berry, Playoff contender Kyle Larson and Austin Dillon while Playoff contender Chase Briscoe, Todd Gilliland and a trio of Playoff contenders that included Joey Logano, Austin Cindric and William Byron were in the top 10.
Through the first 10 scheduled laps and with the front-runners running in a long single-file line, McDowell retained the lead ahead of Blaney, Larson, Berry and Briscoe as Austin Dillon, Logano, Cindric, Gilliland and Byron were scored in the top 10 ahead of Playoff contenders Harrison Burton and Alex Bowman, with Daniel Hemric, Ross Chastain and Playoff contender Chase Elliott rounding out the top 15 and all trailing the lead by less than two seconds. Meanwhile, the remaining Playoff contenders that included Brad Keselowski, Christopher Bell, Tyler Reddick, Martin Truex Jr., Ty Gibbs, Daniel Suarez and Denny Hamlin were trailing in 18th, 20th, 22nd, 24th, 26th, 27th and 36th, respectively.
Just past the Lap 20 mark, the field fanned out to two scattered, drafting lanes as McDowell continued to hold the top spot ahead of Blaney, Berry, Larson and Logano while Bowman, Cindric, Byron, Harrison Burton and Chastain were battling within the top 10 mark. By then, the top 16 competitors were separated by less than two seconds while the top 20 were separated by less than three seconds.
At the Lap 30 mark and with the top-nine competitors separated by less than a second, Blaney made a move beneath McDowell through the first two turns to assume the lead in his No. 12 Dent Wizard Ford Mustang Dark Horse as Larson followed suit in his No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. Larson would then challenge Blaney for the top spot from the outside lane during the following lap before Cindric shoved teammate Blaney back out in front through the backstretch. Behind, McDowell dropped to fourth while Logano, Bowman and Byron closed in for the spot. Amid the jostling of spots within, the top 31 competitors were separated by less than five seconds as Blaney led at the Lap 35 mark ahead of Playoff rivals Larson, Cindric, Byron, Bowman and Logano.
By Lap 40, the top 31 competitors were separated by less than five seconds as Blaney retained the lead ahead of Playoff contenders Larson, Cindric, Byron, Bowman and Logano while Chastain, McDowell, Elliott and Daniel Hemric followed suit in the top 10 ahead of Burton, Briscoe, Ty Gibbs, Berry, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Truex, Austin Dillon, Gilliland, Justin Haley and Bubba Wallace. Meanwhile, Hamlin was mired back in 34th place and trailing the lead by more than eight seconds while Suarez, Reddick, Bell and Keselowski were mired back in 21st, 23rd, 24th and 25th, respectively, all while trailing the lead under three seconds.
Ten laps later, Blaney continued to lead by a tenth of a second in front of Larson, Cindric, Bowman and Chastain as the top nine competitors were separated by less than a second. Behind, the top 20 competitors were separated by less than two seconds while the top 25 were separated by less than three.
Another five laps later, the event’s first caution flew when Larson, who was running in third place, briefly got loose, shot up the track and took a vicious head-on hit into the SAFER barrier in Turn 2. Then as the field scattered to avoid Larson’s wrecked car entering the backstretch, Larson shot into the rear of Briscoe, winner of last weekend’s Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway who was left with a crumbled front nose to his No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford Mustang Dark Horse while Larson was left with heavy damage to his right front and rear end of his No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.
Amid the hard accident, Larson, who came into the Playoff opener with the top seed in the Playoff standings and having a steady cushion above the top-12 cutline, was left puzzled over the hard incident that ended his strong run early.
“I’m OK,” Larson said after exiting the infield care center. “Thankfully, everything held up well inside the car. That was a huge hit. I’m not really sure what caused it. I was actually sort of tight and loaded in the corner. And then I was pretty far around the corner and it just stepped out. I don’t know. It all just happened really fast.”
The multi-car wreck that knocked both Larson and Briscoe out of the Playoff opener was enough for the first stage period scheduled to conclude on Lap 60 to officially conclude under caution as Blaney captured his fourth Cup stage victory of the 2024 season. Teammate Cindric settled in second ahead of Bowman, Logano and Stenhouse while Chastain, Elliott, Byron, Truex and Ty Gibbs were scored in the top 10. By then, the remaining Playoff contenders on the track that included Suarez, Reddick, Bell, Keselowski and Hamlin were mired back in 15th, 17th, 19th, 23rd and 32nd, respectively.
Under the stage break, nearly the entire lead lap field led by Blaney pitted for a first round of service while BJ McLeod and JJ Yeley remained on the track. Following the pit stops, Bowman exited pit road first as Cindric, Stenhouse, Blaney, Logano, Byron, Chastain, Ty Gibbs, Elliott and Truex followed suit in the top 10. McLeod and Yeley would then pit during the proceeding caution laps as Bowman cycled into the lead. By then, Truex and Shane van Gisbergen were both penalized for speeding on pit road. In addition, Bell, who was among six competitors who returned to pit road to top off on fuel, made another trip to pit road to have his car fully loaded with fuel after he had fire coming out of his pit stall and his No. 20 pit crew was unable to fill the car up with fuel during the first service.
The second stage period started on Lap 67 as Bowman and Cindric occupied the front row. At the start, Cindric had drafting help from teammate Blaney to muscle ahead from the inside lane and he would manage to move ahead of Bowman’s No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 to lead the following lap. The field then started to fan out to three stacked lanes amid the draft as Cindric and Bowman dueled for the lead in front of Blaney, Stenhouse and the rest of the field by Lap 70.
Through the Lap 80 mark and with the field scattered amid the draft, the top 19 competitors were separated by less than two seconds as Cindric maintained the lead ahead of teammate Blaney, Bowman, Byron and Chastain while Suarez occupied sixth ahead of Stenhouse, Elliott, Logano and Kyle Busch. Meanwhile, Playoff contenders Ty Gibbs, Truex, Reddick and Burton were mired within the top 16 on the track while Bell, Keselowski and Hamlin trailed in 21st, 26th and 34th, respectively.
Ten laps later, Cindric continued to lead the race ahead of two stacked lanes, with teammate Blaney following suit on the inside lane while Bowman led a long parade of competitors from the outside lane. By then, the top 14 competitors were separated by less than a second while the top 26 were separated by under two seconds.
By the Lap 100 mark, Cindric maintained a steady advantage over Bowman, teammate Blaney, Byron, Chastain and the rest of the field that was jostling for spots amid two and three stacked lanes within the draft. With the top-24 competitors separated by less than two seconds, Haley was scored in 10th place behind Stenhouse, Suarez, Truex and Elliott while Erik Jones, who was trying to mount a charge from a third drafting lane towards the outside wall, was racing within the top-15 mark.
Thirteen laps later and with Cindric maintaining the lead in front of two stacked lanes, the caution flew due to debris spotted in the frontstretch. During the caution period, nearly the entire lead lap field led by Cindric returned to pit road for service, primarily for fuel, while the rest including Ryan Preece, Hamlin, McLeod and Yeley remained on the track. Following the pit stops, Cindric exited pit road first as he was followed by Bowman, Blaney, Suarez, Byron, Elliott, Logano, Bubba Wallace, Keselowski and Haley. Amid the pit stops, Reddick made contact with rookie Carson Hocevar while trying to exit his pit stall. In addition, Wallace was penalized for speeding on pit road while Bell was also penalized for pitting outside his pit box. Shortly after, Preece, Hamlin, Yeley and McLeod pitted and handed the lead back to Cindric.
The start of the following restart period on Lap 119 featured Cindric and Bowman dueling for the lead in front of two stacked lanes through the first two turns and the backstretch before Cindric received another strong push from teammate Blaney to muscle his No. 2 Menards Ford Mustang Dark Horse ahead of the pack. With Cindric leading the field back to the frontstretch and having both lanes under his control, teammate Blaney, Bowman and Byron followed suit in the top four while Suarez muscled his way into the top five.
At the halfway mark on Lap 130, Cindric was leading ahead of Playoff rivals Bowman, Blaney, Byron, Suarez, Logano and Elliott, all of whom were among 12 competitors separated by less than a second while the top 23 competitors were separated by less than two seconds. With the field fanning out to three lanes amid the draft, the remaining Playoff contenders that included Keselowski, Burton, Truex, Ty Gibbs, Reddick, Bell and Hamlin were running 10th, 13th, 15th, 17th, 19th, 25th and 32nd, respectively, while Stenhouse and Gilliland were the top-two non-Playoff contenders on the track in eighth and ninth, respectively. Within the battles, non-Playoff contenders Kyle Busch, Erik Jones and Chastain were mired in the top 15.
Fifteen laps later, Cindric continued to lead ahead of the field that was stacked through two and three lanes, with teammate Blaney, Bowman, Byron and Suarez battling within the top five ahead of Erik Jones, Chastain, Elliott, Gilliland and Logano. By then, the top 23 competitors were separated by under two seconds. In addition, Suarez dodged a pass-through penalty from NASCAR despite having advanced his position under the backstretch’s double white line a few laps earlier but was ruled to have been forced down as a reactive move to avoid Logano.
When the second stage period concluded on Lap 160, Cindric fended off two stacked lanes to notch his third Cup stage victory of the 2024 season. Teammate Blaney, Bowman, Suarez and Byron were scored in the top five while Stenhouse, Chastain, Elliott, Ty Gibbs and Bell were scored in the top 10. Meanwhile, Logano, who made contact with Gilliland through the backstretch, dropped to 12th behind Reddick while Keselowski, Truex, Burton and Hamlin were mired back in 14th, 17th, 22nd and 29th, respectively. By then, Haley was penalized for blocking and forcing Reddick below the double white line.
During the stage break, a majority of the lead lap field led by Cindric pitted for service while select names including Ty Dillon, Haley, Josh Berry, Wallace, Preece, McLeod and Yeley remained on the track. Following the pit stops, Chastain exited pit road first ahead of McDowell, Stenhouse, Ty Gibbs, Byron, Blaney, Bell, Bowman, Corey LaJoie and Suarez. Amid the pit stops, van Gisbergen was penalized a second time for speeding on pit road. During the continuous caution laps, the select competitors who remained on the track led by Ty Dillon pitted as Chastain cycled into the lead.
With 94 laps remaining, the final stage commenced as Chastain and McDowell occupied the front row. At the start, Chastain and McDowell dueled for the lead in front of a stacked field running two lanes. Chastain proceeded to lead the following lap while Stenhouse battled McDowell for second in front of Ty Gibbs and Byron. McDowell, who led the following lap, and Stenhouse would make slight contact exiting the backstretch with nearly 90 laps remaining, but both kept their cars running straight as the field continued to run in two stacked lanes and while Chastain reassumed the lead.
The caution would then return with 86 laps remaining when John Hunter Nemechek, who was running in 23rd place, got aero loose as Burton slid in front of him entering the backstretch, which resulted in Nemechek spinning his No. 42 Olipop Toyota Camry XSE below the track and making head-on contact in the inside wall.
During the caution period, a majority of the field led by Chastain returned to pit road for service while the rest led by Ty Gibbs and Wallace remained on the track. Amid the pit stops, Suarez and Logano made contact on pit road as they both collected Reddick while LaJoie made door contact with Elliott, who had made contact with Cindric earlier, and Stenhouse while exiting pit road.
As the event restarted under green with 79 laps remaining, Wallace received a shove from Blaney on the inside lane to assume the lead by a hair over Ty Gibbs through the first two turns before Gibbs fought back on the outside lane with drafting help from Chastain. Both Gibbs and Wallace would continue to duel for the lead in front of two stacked lanes with 75 laps remaining.
With 65 laps remaining the majority of the field migrated toward the outside lane as select drivers tried to expand the pack to three-wide action. Ty Gibbs was leading ahead of Wallace, Chastain, Kyle Busch and McDowell while Bowman, Byron, Blaney, Bell and Elliott trailed in the top 10 ahead of Chris Buescher, Logano, Gilliland, Erik Jones, Truex, Keselowski, Cidnric, LaJoie, Reddick and Daniel Hemric. Playoff contenders Suarez, Reddick, Burton and Hamlin were mired outside the top 20 on the track.
Nine laps later, the caution flew when Chris Buescher, who was running in the top 10, slipped up the track entering the backstretch and clipped Blaney, which sent both sideways and touching the outside wall. Blaney was then hit by Truex while Truex was trying to dodge the chaos. By then, Wallace, who assumed the lead eight laps earlier, was leading ahead of Ty Gibbs, Kyle Busch, Byron and Chastain. During the caution period, select names led by Wallace and including Playoff contenders Gibbs, Bell, Blaney, Keselowski, Burton, Hamlin and Truex pitted while the rest led by Kyle Busch and Byron remained on the track. By then, Blaney managed to continue and remain on the lead lap while Truex dropped out of the lead lap category to have his No. 19 Auto-Owners Insurance Toyota Camry XSE repaired.
The start of the next restart period with 49 laps remaining featured Kyle Busch being drafted into the lead from Byron as he transitioned from the inside to the outside lane through the backstretch. With Busch leading the next lap ahead of Byron, Chastain was trying to close in from the inside lane as the field behind fanned out to four lanes. With the field stacked up between three and four tight lanes around every corner and straightaway, Busch maintained a steady lead ahead of Byron, Chastain, Elliott, Bowman and Suarez with less than 45 laps remaining.
With 35 laps remaining, the top 18 competitors were separated by less than a second and the top 28 were separated by less than two seconds. Kyle Busch retained the lead in front of Byron, Chastain, Elliott, Ty Gibbs, Bowman, Gilliland, and McDowell, as Logano and Suarez were mired within the top 10, ahead of Reddick, Logano, Cindric, Austin Dillon, Burton, Noah Gragson and Keselowski while Blaney and Bell were racing within the top-20 mark. Meanwhile, Hamlin was mired in 31st place and was not gaining any ground towards the lead pack.
Down to the final 25 laps of the event, the intensity at the front of the pack increased as Gibbs, who drafted Byron past Kyle Busch for the lead three laps earlier before he assumed it a lap later, returned atop the leaderboard. As the field continued to fan out aggressively to three drafted lanes, Suarez was in second behind Gibbs while Busch settled in third ahead of Logano, Byron, Chastain, Gilliland, Bowman, Elliott and Cindric.
Ten laps later and with fuel becoming a slight concern amongst the field, the top 14 competitors were separated by less than a second while the top 27 were separated by less than two seconds as Ty Gibbs continued to lead in front of Suarez, Kyle Busch, Logano and Byron. With the field fanning out to three lanes two laps later, Suarez muscled his No. 99 Quaker State Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 into the lead.
Then with 11 laps remaining, the caution flew due to a Walmart sign falling onto the frontstretch. By then, Suarez was scored the leader in front of Ty Gibbs, Busch, Logano, Byron and Chastain while Blaney, Bell, Elliott and Reddick were in the top 10. During the caution period, some including Keselowski pitted while the rest led by Suarez and including a host of Playoff contenders remained on the track.
With the race restarting under green with five laps remaining, Suarez briefly launched ahead from the outside lane exiting the frontstretch before Ty Gibbs rocketed back on the inside lane through the first two turns. Then as Gibbs attempted to move in front of Suarez through the backstretch, Suarez veered left and made his move beneath Gibbs in a battle for the lead while Logano bumped into the rear of Gibbs exiting the backstretch. A three-wide action for the lead then ensued entering the frontstretch as Busch made his move beneath both Suarez and Gibbs, who led the following lap.
Then as Gibbs and Suarez continued to battle against one another for the lead in front of a stacked field, Logano, who launched a third drafting lane towards the outside wall, received a draft from teammate Blaney’s damaged No. 12 Ford to muscle his No. 22 AutoTrader Ford Mustang Dark Horse into the lead through the backstretch with three laps remaining. Logano, however, would end up being deadlocked with Suarez through the frontstretch and with two laps remaining.
Then, with two laps remaining, and as a stack-up ensued at the front of the field, the caution flew and the event was sent into overtime due to Noah Gragson, who was running in 16th place, getting hit by Burton and sent for a spin before he hit the backstretch’s inside wall. At the moment of caution, Logano was ruled the leader ahead of Suarez, Blaney, Chastain, Elliott and Bell while Gibbs had dropped to ninth.
The start of the first overtime attempt featured Logano and Suarez dueling for the lead through the first two turns and the backstretch, with both having their respective teammates drafting them. Despite Chastain losing ground of teammate Suarez entering Turn 3, the latter managed to remain dead even with Logano approaching the frontstretch.
When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Logano was leading by a hair over Suarez and Blaney tucked in behind teammate Logano while the field behind began to fan out to three lanes. With a push from Blaney, Logano muscled ahead and cleared Suarez entering the first two turns as Suarez was left to battle Blaney for the runner-up spot through the backstretch.
Then through Turns 3 and 4, a multi-car wreck erupted that started when Chastain got bumped into the outside wall by Elliott entering Turn 3. With a stack-up ensuing, Stenhouse turned Wallace as multiple competitors including Playoff contenders Hamlin and Burton were collected. The wreck was enough for the event to conclude under caution as Logano, who was inches away from reaching the finish line prior to the caution, crossed the finish line to claim the victory.
With the victory, Logano, who won a Cup Series Playoff opener for the first time in his career, notched his 34th career win in the NASCAR Cup Series level, his second at Atlanta, his second of the 2024 season and his first since winning at Nashville Superspeedway in late June. The victory was also the eighth of the season for the Ford nameplate, the manufacturer’s third in a row in recent weeks and the fifth of the season for Team Penske. Notably, Logano joins William Byron as two Cup competitors to win on Atlanta’s reconfigured layout since it debuted at the start of the 2022 season.
Logano’s Playoff opener victory at Atlanta served as an automatic pass to the Round of 12 for the Connecticut champion and his No. 22 Team Penske Ford Mustang Dark Horse team, with the driver commencing his pursuit for a third Cup Series championship.
Photo by John Knittel for SpeedwayMedia.com.
“[It was an] Incredible execution from the team,” Logano said on USA Network. “When it’s Playoff time, it’s out time. That’s what I said. We got to always level up when it comes to Playoff time and [the team] gave me a great AutoTrader Mustang. [The car] was fast all day. We got stuck in the back a little bit. It was hard to get track position back. We had a good restart and got towards the front. [I] Had my teammate [Ryan] Blaney behind me. It really helped out in that last lap to be able to make sure [a] Penske car won and ultimately, move on to the next round. Good day for all the Penske cars. Pretty good day today. There’s a lot of memories right here on this start/finish line for me racing Legends cars as a kid, so this is a really cool feeling to be out here in a Cup car again.”
With Logano winning, Daniel Suarez, who won at Atlanta by 0.003 seconds earlier in February, commenced his second appearance in the Playoffs by notching a strong second-place result after he too led nine laps. Meanwhile, Ryan Blaney commenced his pursuit to defend his Cup title by finishing third in an event where he led 33 laps, won the first stage period and nursed his damaged car to a strong result.
“I would have to rewatch everything again,” Suarez, who is 22 points above the top-12 cutline in the Playoff standings, said. “I was pretty confident that the top [lane] was going to be better with [Logano] and he was going to be able to push me like [Chastain] did that last restart being on the outside. We got a great lounge, but we just got disconnected too early and that obviously hurt us and [Kyle Busch] and [Ty Gibbs], they were able to get connected for longer and beat us. It’s a little painful. I feel like we were in position and sometimes it’s very difficult to predict who is going to get the best push and for how long you’re going to get it, but it’s part of the game, right? We were in contention. The team did an amazing job. We’re happy with [the result], but not satisfied.”
“I can’t believe we got back up where we did,” Blaney, who is 45 points above the cutline, said. “[The] No. 12 boys did a really good job fixing [the car]. I’m surprised it didn’t have more damage than what it did because for my seat, I got drilled in the left rear or the door where [Buescher] hit me and then the right rear got off the fence. I didn’t know how damaged we were, but I was able to carve up through traffic and could get through the middle [lane] pretty good. Really good day. Move on to Watkins Glen.”
Playoff contenders Christopher Bell and Alex Bowman finished in the top five while Tyler Reddick, the 2024 Cup Series Regular Season Champion, made a late charge to finish sixth. Kyle Busch along with Playoff contenders Chase Elliott, William Byron and Austin Cindric completed the top 10 in the final running order.
Notably, Brad Keselowski fell back to 19th place while Martin Truex Jr., who retired late due to a suspension failure, ended up in 35th place. Following their involvement in the final lap accident, Denny Hamlin, whose strategy to run towards the rear of the field the entire event with no stage points and which did not pay off, limped across the finish line in 24th place while Playoff rookie Harrison Burton ended up in 31st place after he was unable to nurse his damaged No. 21 DEX Imaging Ford Mustang Dark Horse across the finish line to complete the final lap.
There were 24 lead changes for 14 different leaders. The race featured eight cautions for 44 laps. In addition, 30 of 38 starters finished on the lead lap.
Results.
1. Joey Logano, nine laps led
2. Daniel Suarez, nine laps led
3. Ryan Blaney, 33 laps led, Stage 1 winner
4. Christopher Bell
5. Alex Bowman, five laps led
6. Tyler Reddick
7. Kyle Busch, 24 laps led
8. Chase Elliott
9. William Byron, two laps led
10. Austin Cindric, 92 laps led, Stage 2 winner
11. Daniel Hemric
12. Justin Haley
13. Ross Chastain, 13 laps led
14. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
15. Corey LaJoie
16. Carson Hocevar, one lap led
17. Ty Gibbs, 37 laps led
18. Ryan Preece, two laps led
19. Brad Keselowski
20. Austin Dillon
21. Zane Smith
22. Michael McDowell, 30 laps led
23. JJ Yeley
24. Denny Hamlin
25. BJ McLeod, one lap led
26. Erik Jones
27. Todd Gilliland
28. Josh Berry
29. Bubba Wallace, eight laps led
30. Cody Ware
31. Harrison Burton – OUT, Accident
32. Shane van Gisbergen, two laps down
33. John Hunter Nemechek, four laps down
34. Noah Gragson – OUT, Accident
35. Martin Truex Jr. – OUT, Suspension
36. Chris Buescher – OUT, Accident
37. Kyle Larson – OUT, Accident
38. Chase Briscoe – OUT, Accident
*Bold indicates Playoff contenders
Playoff standings
1. Joey Logano – Advanced
2. Ryan Blaney +45
3. Christopher Bell +40
4. Tyler Reddick +33
5. William Byron +33
6. Alex Bowman +27
7. Austin Cindric +27
8. Chase Elliott +24
9. Daniel Suarez +22
10. Kyle Larson +15
11. Denny Hamlin +2
12. Ty Gibbs +1
13. Brad Keselowski -1
14. Harrison Burton -16
15. Martin Truex Jr. -19
16. Chase Briscoe -21
With the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs underway, the second event in the Round of 16 is set to occur at Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, New York, for the Go Bowling at The Glen. The event is scheduled to occur next Sunday, September 15, and air at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network.
With his No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Camaro entry sporting a special gold scheme to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his sponsor Bennett Transportation & Logistics, Austin Hill generated a late golden performance on the track to win the Focused Health 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday, September 7.
The 30-year-old Hill from Winston, Georgia, led the final 12 of 163-scheduled laps in an event where he started fourth place and spent the first stage period racing upfront getting shuffled within the top-10 mark throughout the second stage period. After spending most of the final stage period methodically carving his way back to the front amid the draft, Hill capitalized on the final restart period with 13 laps remaining to overtake Chandler Smith for the lead during the following lap. He then fended off a pair of final lap challenges from Chandler Smith and Corey Heim to notch his third NASCAR Xfinity Series victory of the 2024 season, his fourth at his home track and his first series victory since late February.
With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup on Saturday, rookie Jesse Love notched his fourth Xfinity career pole position after posting a pole-winning lap at 173.646 mph in 31.927 seconds. Joining him on the front row was Taylor Gray, who clocked in the second-fastest qualifying lap at 173.489 mph in 31.956 seconds.
Before the event, the following names that included AJ Allmendinger, Jeremy Clements, Ryan Ellis and Brennan Poole dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments made to their respective entries.
When the green flag waved and the race started, Jesse Love and Taylor Gray dueled for the lead in front of two stacked lanes through the first two turns and the backstretch until the outside lane led by Love gained the advantage as Love muscled ahead with drafting help from teammate Austin Hill. As the field returned to the frontstretch, Love led the first lap in his No. 2 Samsara Chevrolet Camaro.
Over the next four laps and with the field briefly fanning out to three lanes before the majority of the filed settled in a long single-file line towards the outside wall, Love retained an early advantage ahead of teammate Hill and Justin Allgaier while Chandler Smith and Taylor Gray pursued in the top five. Behind, Sheldon Creed, Ryan Sieg, Cole Custer, rookie Shane van Gisbergen and Parker Kligerman were in the top 10 while Brandon Jones, Jeb Burton, Ryan Truex, Riley Herbst, Josh Williams, Sam Mayer, Sammy Smith, Corey Heim, Anthony Alfredo and Blaine Perkins were in the top 20 ahead of Parker Retzlaff, Brennan Poole, Kyle Sieg, AJ Allmendinger and Garrett Smithley.
Through the first 10 scheduled laps, Love continued to lead ahead of teammate Hill, Allgaier, Chandler Smith and Taylor Gray as the top-six competitors, including Creed, were separated by less than a second Meanwhile, the top 13 competitors were separated by within two seconds while the top 19 were separated by within three seconds.
A lap later, the event’s first caution flew when Ryan Sieg, a Playoff bubble competitor, coasted to a halt in the backstretch due to a wiring issue as he fell out of the lead lap category while needing a wrecker to have his No. 39 Sci Aps Ford Mustang entry nursed back to his pit stall. Amid Sieg’s issues, Anthony Alfredo also encountered early issues due to scraping the outside wall and damaging the right side of his No. 5 Our Motorsports entry. During the caution period, some led by Sammy Smith and including AJ Allmendinger pitted while the rest led by Love remained on the track.
When the race restarted under green on Lap 16, Sheldon Creed and Love dueled for the lead through the first two turns until Love muscled ahead from the outside lane with drafting help from Chevrolet teammates Hill and Allgaier. With Creed falling back to fourth place, Love proceeded to lead the following lap as the majority of the field migrated towards the outside wall and behind Love. Meanwhile, Parker Kligerman, who was running within the top-10 mark, was trying to form a drafting lane on the inside lane ahead of van Gisbergen, Sam Mayer and Jeb Burton before he quickly moved back up the outside lane and with the pack. Amid the shuffles and battles within the lead pack, Love proceeded to lead the Lap 20 mark.
At the Lap 25 mark, Allgaier, who spent the previous few laps dueling with Love for the lead from the inside lap despite having no drafting help, was out in front as he muscled his No. 7 Hellmann’s Chevrolet Camaro ahead of Love with the top spot and towards the outside lane. With Allgaier leading and the field behind slowly fanning out to two drafting lanes, Love was second ahead of teammate Hill, Creed and Cole Custer while Brandon Jones, Riley Herbst, Chandler Smith, Sam Mayer and Taylor Gray were scored in the top 10. Shortly after, the top-nine competitors were separated by less than a second and the top 19 were separated by less than four seconds as Allgaier continued to lead by the Lap 30 mark.
Nearing the Lap 35 mark, the top 12 competitors were separated by less than two seconds as Allgaier remained out in front of Hill and Love while Herbst and Creed were scored in the top five ahead of Mayer, Brandon Jones, Custer, Chandler Smith, Taylor Gray, Ryan Truex and Corey Heim.
When the first stage period concluded on Lap 40, Allgaier edged a hard-charging Hill by 0.012 seconds to score his 14th Xfinity stage victory of the 2024 season. Hill settled in second ahead of Riley Herbst, Creed and Love while Mayer, Brandon Jones, Custer, Chandler Smith and Taylor Gray were scored in the top 10. By then, 34 of 37 starters were scored on the lead lap.
Under the stage break, nearly the entire field led by Allgaier pitted while others led by Allmendinger and Sammy Smith remained on the track. During the pit stops, Josh Williams was penalized for speeding on pit road.
The second stage period started on Lap 47 as Allmendinger and Allgaier occupied the front row. At the start, both dueled for the lead entering the first two turns and the backstretch as the field fanned out to three lanes. With Cole Custer fanning out to boost his way up to fourth place, Allmendinger retained the lead from the outside lane over Allgaier as the former had Sammy Smith drafting him.
Just past the Lap 50 mark, Allmendinger was leading ahead of Sammy Smith, Custer, Herbst and Mayer while Allgaier, Love, Hill, Creed and Gray were scored in the top 10 ahead of van Gisbergen, Brandon Jones, Kligerman, Chandler Smith and Ryan Truex.
Ten laps later, Allmendinger retained the lead ahead of Sammy Smith, Custer, Herbst and Mayer while Allgaier, Love, Creed, Gray and Jones followed suit in the top 10 ahead of van Gisbergen, Hill, Kligerman, Chandler Smith, Corey Heim, Truex, Jeb Burton, Parker Retzlaff, Brennan Poole and Lawless Alan. With a majority of the field running in a single-file line towards the outside wall, Allmendinger continued to lead by the Lap 79 mark as the top 14 competitors were separated by three seconds.
Then with three laps remaining in the second stage period, the caution flew after Mayer was turned across the frontstretch’s outside wall by Gray as Mayer, who hit the wall, proceeded with right-side damage to his No. 1 High Rock Vodka Chevrolet Camaro. As Mayer’s damaged car continued to zip through the frontstretch, his car then had flames bursting out from behind and Mayer proceeded to pull his car below the apron and park in the backstretch before exiting uninjured.
The caution for Mayer’s incident was enough for the second stage period scheduled to conclude on Lap 80 to officially conclude under caution as Allmendinger notched his first Xfinity stage victory of the 2024 season. Sammy Smith settled in second ahead of Custer, Herbst and Allgaier while Love, Taylor Gray, Chandler Smith, van Gisbergen and Creed were scored in the top 10.
During the stage break, nearly the entire lead lap field led by Allmendinger pitted for service while select names including Leland Honeyman, Jeremy Clements, David Starr and Garrett Smithley remained on the track. Following the pit stops and amid mixed strategies, teammates Gray and Creed exited first and second on two fresh tires. Amid the pit stops, Creed was penalized for an uncontrolled tire violation while teammate Ryan Truex was penalized for pitting outside of his pit box. In addition, Hill ran into the rear of van Gisbergen after entering pit road.
With 76 laps remaining, the final stage commenced as Gray and Allmendinger occupied the front row. At the start, Gray and Allmendinger dueled for the top spot, with the former managing to retain the top spot. Amid the battles and with the field stacked to two lanes, Gray retained the lead with 70 laps remaining before teammate Chandler Smith would overtake him a lap later.
With 66 laps remaining, the caution returned for van Gisbergen getting into the outside wall in Turn 4 while running inside the top 10 as he proceeded to nurse his No. 97 Quad Lock Chevrolet Camaro back to his pit stall with right-side damage. During the caution period, multiple names including Hill, Allgaier, Sammy Smith, Kligerman, Corey Heim, Jeb Burton and Creed pitted while the rest led by Chandler Smith remained on the track.
The start of the following restart period with 59 laps remaining featured Chandler Smith and Gray dueling for the top spot as Smith retained the lead for the following lap. Three laps later, Smith was overtaken by Custer through the backstretch and Smith was left battling Herbst for the runner-up spot.
The caution would then return with 55 laps remaining due to Jeb Burton losing a left front tire and spinning to the bottom of the track. During the caution period, select names including Blaine Perkins, van Gisbergen, Clements and Ryan Ellis pitted while the rest led by Custer remained on the track.
As the race restarted with 48 laps remaining, Custer dueled and held off Gray to lead the field. Amid the late battles within the pack, Custer proceeded to lead with 40 laps remaining. By then, Chandler Smith was up to second ahead of Herbst, Love and Allmendinger while Josh Williams, Truex, Allgaier, Heim and Hill were in the top 10. After Custer led the next nine laps, Allmendinger overtook him with 31 laps remaining.
Down to the final 25 laps of the event, Chandler Smith, who assumed the lead two laps earlier, was out in front of Allgaier, Custer, Hill and Gray as Love, Ryan Sieg, Williams, Herbst and Jones followed suit in the top 10, with the top-16 competitors separated by a second. By then, Creed made an unscheduled pit stop under green.
With less than 20 laps remaining, Chandler Smith continued to lead ahead of Custer, Allgaier, Taylor Gray and Hill. Behind, Jones, who had tried to slide in front of Chandler Smith for the lead a few laps earlier but was unable to do so, slipped out of the top five on the inside lane, and was in seventh as the top 10 competitors were separated by less than a second. By then, Smith was also able to muscle ahead of Allgaier, who was trying to use the inside lane to slide in front of Smith but was unable to do so.
Then with 19 laps remaining, the caution flew when Allgaier, who was dueling Custer for the runner-up spot, went up the track just past the backstretch and made contact with Custer and Gray. Custer was sent for a spin before he collided with teammate Herbst and Ryan Sieg as Allgaier and Gray were pinned against one another towards the outside wall as Love barely ran into the rear of Gray. The incident was enough for the event to be placed in a red flag period for 15 minutes.
Once the red flag lifted and the field proceeded under a cautious pace, multiple names that included Love, Allmendinger, Brennan Poole, Parker Retzlaff, Clements, Nick Leitz, Blaine Perkins, Ryan Ellis, Garrett Smithley and David Starr pitted while the rest led by Chandler Smith remained on the track. Among those who pitted included Love, who had a rear bumper cover from Herbst’s car stuck atop the No. 2 Chevrolet.
With the race restarting under green with 13 laps remaining, Chandler Smith and Hill dueled for the lead through the first two turns and the backstretch before Hill muscled ahead and tried to slide in front of Smith through Turns 3 and 4. Smith, however, pulled a crossover move on Hill through the frontstretch, but Hill would prevail from the outside lane through the first two turns as he would maintain the lead through the backstretch while Smtih was battling Josh Williams and Corey Heim for second place.
Down to the final 10 laps of the event, Hill was leading ahead of Chandler Smith and Williams while the rest of the field behind followed in close pursuit amid two stacked lanes. By then, the top 12 competitors were separated by less than a second while the top 19 were separated by under two seconds.
With five laps remaining, Hill maintained a steady advantage ahead of Chandler Smith, Heim, Kligerman and Lawless Alan as the top-15 competitors were separated by less than two seconds. Allmendinger would then transition to the inside lane and try to gain a drafting run while battling Sammy Smith for sixth place, but he would then make contact with Alan and nearly send him spinning
When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Hill, who nearly got sideways off the front nose of Chandler Smith as Smith made a move beneath Hill to duel with him exiting Turns 3 and 4, remained as the leader on the outside lane as Heim, who elected not to draft his Toyota teammate Smith from the inside lane, drafted Hill back out front ahead of Kligerman through the frontstretch.
Then through Turns 1 and 2, Heim attempted to make a move to Hill’s outside, but Hill blocked and fended off Heim as the latter scraped his No. 26 Sam Hunt Racing Toyota Supra towards the outside wall. This allowed Hill to retain the top spot as Kligerman zipped by for second place. With Allmendinger and Chandler Smith following Kligerman and passing Heim, all four were unable to regain their momentum and catch Hill as Hill cycled his No. 21 Bennett Transportation Chevrolet Camaro back to the frontstretch and claimed the checkered flag by three-tenths of a second.
With the victory, Hill notched his ninth Xfinity Series career win in his 105th series start, his seventh on a superspeedway venue and his fourth at Atlanta Motor Speedway, his home track. This season marks the first time Hill swept both Atlanta Xfinity events as he also notched the 96th Xfinity career victory for Richard Childress Racing and the 13th of the season for the Chevrolet nameplate.
Photo by John Knittel for SpeedwayMedia.com.
“Just resilience with this whole Bennett No. 21 team,” Hill said on USA Network. “Our Bennett Chevrolet wasn’t handling great all day. It had plenty of speed. Just the handle on it was tough all day. We had to dig deep for that [win]. [Chandler Smith] got into [Turn] 3 and had me jacked up. He’s doing what he has to do to try to win. [I’m] Very surprised that [Heim] pushed me there and didn’t go with a Toyota and then, I thought that I messed up into [Turns] 1 and 2. I hate it that [Heim] got in the fence. I wasn’t trying to run him in the fence. I was just trying to get him aero-tight or get him aero-loose because that was happening to me a lot today.”
“This is insane like to win with this gold car, Bennett’s 50th anniversary. This is their biggest race of the entire year,” Hill added. “To do this for our sponsor, it means a lot. We’re gonna celebrate this one because [the win] didn’t come easy.”
With Hill winning the race, Parker Kligerman edged AJ Allmendinger by 0.004 seconds to finish in second place for the first time this season while Chandler Smith and Corey Heim rounded out the top five following their last-lap charges for the victory. To add to Hill being surprised about Heim not drafting with Chandler Smith and challenging him for the win, Smith was also left surprised and disappointed with not having the drafting help to challenge for the victory as his home track.
“I expected my Toyota teammate to come with me and that didn’t happen,” Smith said. “It is what it is. I’m kind of speechless, honestly. There’s a lot of different things I could’ve done that I could’ve been more selfish and when I got clear, went to the bottom [lane] and cover that and just control the race, for sure, but I was trying to be a good teammate. It didn’t pay off for me today, as usual.”
Rookie Jesse Love charged back up the field to finish sixth while Sammy Smith, Josh Williams, Brandon Jones and Ryan Truex finished in the top 10.
There were 12 lead changes for nine different leaders. The race featured six cautions for 36 laps. In addition, 23 of 37 starters finished on the lead lap.
Following the 24th event of the 2024 Xfinity Series season, Justin Allgaier continues to lead the regular-season standings by 34 points over Cole Custer, 67 over Chandler Smith and 71 over Austin Hill.
Next on the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule is Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, New York, for the Mission 200 at The Glen. The event is scheduled to occur next Saturday, September 14, and air at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network.
The first 26 races of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season generated its fair share of ups and downs for Kyle Larson. But he enters the 2024 Cup Playoffs as a prime candidate to reclaim the coveted prize within the sport he once achieved three seasons ago and nearly reclaimed a year ago.
The 2021 Cup Series champion from Elk Grove, California, commenced his fourth consecutive season driving the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entry for Hendrick Motorsports by finishing 11th and 32nd, respectively, within the first two scheduled events. Then during the following weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Larson notched his first victory of the 2024 season after leading a race-high 181 of 267 laps while fending off a late challenge from Tyler Reddick.
Since the Vegas victory, Larson proceeded to record five top-five results over his next ninth starts. During his ninth start within the span, he edged Chris Buescher by 0.001 seconds at Kansas Speedway during an overtime shootout to etch the closest-recorded finish in the Cup Series history books.
Larson would then hit a snag for the remainder of May that started when he finished 34th at Darlington Raceway due to being involved in a late single-car incident. Over the next two weekends, he proceeded to pull double-duty roles. While preparing for the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500 with Arrow McLaren and also navigating through the upcoming Cup Series North Carolina events at North Wilkesboro Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Despite having time to travel and navigate between qualifying for the Indy 500 and competing in the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro, the Californian was left with a 50/50 option to compete in either the Indy 500 with Arrow McLaren or the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte due to Mother Nature stalling his travel plans for both. Ultimately, Larson would opt to start in the Indy 500, where he finished 18th. He then traveled back to Charlotte, to climb back aboard his No. 5 Chevrolet that was being piloted by veteran Justin Allgaier.
By then, however, Mother Nature interfered once again by placing the event in an extensive rain delay period before being made official. As a result, Allgaier, who started the Coke 600, was credited with a 13th-place result while Larson was unable to turn in a single lap of the event.
Larson rallied two weeks later by notching a late victory at Sonoma Raceway, his home track, in early June. By then, he was granted a waiver from NASCAR to be eligible to make the 2024 Playoffs despite missing the Coke 600. Then after finishing no higher than four during his next five events, Larson triumphed at Indianapolis by leading through two overtime attempts and achieving his first Brickyard 400 victory.
With four regular-season victories under his belt, Larson would come within striking distance of toppling Tyler Reddick for the regular-season title as he notched two additional top-10 results during the remaining four regular-season events. Despite leading a race-high 263 of 367 laps and finishing fourth during the regular-season finale at Darlington, Larson would fall short of winning his second regular-season title by a single point to Reddick.
Nonetheless, Larson will commence the 2024 Cup Series Playoffs in first place in the Playoff standings with 2,040 points. In a season where he has recorded an average-finishing result of 13.6, led 1,088 laps and recorded 13 top-10 results to go along with his current four victories, Larson strives to navigate his way through each venue and each round methodically while keeping his car both intact and competitive that would enable him to make his third Championship 4 round and join an elite class of competitors to win multiple championships in NASCAR’s premier series.
“Hopefully, I can make it through each [Playoff] round as well as the car,” Larson said after the regular-season finale at Darlington. “Just proud of my team. Proud of the pit crew today and proud of the race car. You work hard all year long to get stage wins, get race wins to position yourself well in the Playoffs, to not necessarily allow yourself a mistake, but I think I saw where we’re 35 points above the cutline right now, so that’s nice, especially when you go to a track as scary as Atlanta, but they could be wiped out in an instant. I could be below the cutline after Atlanta. That’s just kind of the craziness of this system, so just keep doing what we’ve been doing. Our car’s been really fast and our team’s been executing great, so just keep it up and hopefully, we can advance on through.”
Kyle Larson’s pursuit for his second NASCAR Cup Series championship in 2024 commences at Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Quaker State 400 and the start of the 2024 Playoffs. The event is scheduled to occur this upcoming Sunday, September 8, at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network.
After early season injuries plagued any comeback hopes of making the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs a year ago, both Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman of Hendrick Motorsports thrusted themselves back into the postseason battle for a championship in 2024 following a decent regular-season stretch highlighted with both achieving a single, respective victory and snapping a one-year winless drought.
For Elliott, the 2020 Cup Series champion from Dawsonville, Georgia, fired off on all eight cylinders by finishing no lower than the top-20 mark through the first eight-scheduled events. During the stretch, he logged in back-to-back top-five results, where he finished fifth at Richmond Raceway before settling in third place at Martinsville Speedway after leading 64 laps.
Then at Texas Motor Speedway in April, Elliott survived two overtime attempts to notch his first Cup victory of the 2024 season and snap a 42-race winless drought since winning at Talladega Superspeedway in late 2022. The victory also automatically guaranteed himself and his No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 team a spot back into the Playoffs.
Following the Texas victory, Elliott would endure a roller coaster adventure for the remaining 17 events of the 2024 regular-season stretch. With four top-five results and eight top-10 results recorded during the stretch, the Georgian remained in contention for the regular-season title. Ultimately, he would cap off the regular season in third place in the standings.
Overall, Elliott’s 2024 regular-season points and Texas victory were enough for him to be slated in seventh place with 2,014 points come the start of this year’s Playoff battle, which will mark his eighth appearance in the postseason battle for a title.
Despite expressing his excitement over his return to the Playoffs, however, Elliott, a three-time Championship 4 qualifier, emphasized the goal for both himself and his team to set aside any potential on-track mistakes while remaining focused towards being competitive and in contention to win the title like in 2020.
“[I am] Excited to have [Darlington Raceway] over with and looking forward to getting the Playoff started,” Elliott said following this past weekend’s regular-season finale at Darlington. “These next 10 [races], they’re intense, so we’re gonna have to, myself and our entire NAPA team, we’re gonna hit the reset button in a big way. Go to Atlanta and try to get things rolling in the right direction and see where we end up.”
Like Elliott, Alex Bowman was also left with mixed feelings over his regular-season stretch despite rallying from being plagued by injuires and a concussion that ended his title hopes early and forced him to sit out for select events during the previous two seasons.
The 31-year-old Bowman from Tucson, Arizona, commenced his fourth season driving the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Hendrick Motorsports by finishing in second place in the 66th running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway after being edged by teammate William Byron at the moment of caution on the final lap.
Bowman would proceed to finish in the top eight three times over his next eight starts before he notched five consecutive top-nine finishes at the conclusion of May. The following five events on the schedule throughout June saw Bowman finishing no higher than eighth, but finishing outside the top 25 twice.
Then during the series’ rain-shortened, second annual event at the Chicago Street Course, Bowman executed a late pit strategy to return to Victory Lane in the Cup Series for the first time in 80 starts as he leapt into the Playoff picture. Bowman’s victory at Chicago marked a pivotal moment for Hendrick Motorsports, with the Arizona native enabling all four Hendrick competitors into the Playoffs as he also delivered the first victory for sophomore crew chief Blake Harris.
Following the Chicago victory, Bowman would steer his way to finish third at Pocono Raceway before capping off the regular-season stretch by finishing no higher than 16th on the track.
As the 2024 Cup Series Playoffs approaches, Bowman will commence his first title pursuit in 12th place in the Playoff standings with 2,005 points. Having made the Playoffs a total of five times, including this season, Bowman has yet to make an appearance in the Championship 4 round as a finalist, with his closest opportunity occurring in 2020 after he was eliminated from the Playoffs following the Round of 8’s finale.
As Bowman shared teammate Elliott’s excitement over his Cup Series Playoff return and the opportunity to race for a title, he also shared identical sentiments towards addressing the regular-season struggles and improving the on-track performance for more consistency that would enable him to transfer through each round of the Playoffs.
Photo by Tim Jarrold for SpeedwayMedia.com.
“We got to get our stuff together,” Bowman added. “It’s been a rough month. Excited for the Ally No. 48 team to be back in the Playoffs, but at the same time, we have a long way to go after how we performed for the last month. We got to be on our A game for all [the Playoff races], so just got to go execute.”
The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs and battle for a championship for teammates Alex Bowman and Chase Elliott are set to commence at Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Quaker State 400. The event is scheduled to occur this upcoming Sunday, September 8, at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network.
After a one-year absence, Daniel Suarez returns to the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs in 2024 with early excitement and anticipation as he strives to keep pace with the competition and allow both himself and his No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 team the opportunity to contend for a Cup Series championship.
Suarez, a native of Monterrey, Mexico, commenced the 2024 season by finishing 34th in the 66th running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway despite contending for the victory in the closing laps. He then rebounded during the following weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway by edging Ryan Blaney and Kyle Busch in a three-wide photo finish, including 0.003 seconds over runner-up Blaney, to emerge victorious overall for the second time in his career and to notch his first oval/superspeedway victory in the Cup circuit. The victory was also his first with new crew chief Matt Swiderski and the driver’s first since winning at Sonoma Raceway in 2022.
Since the Atlanta victory, which was an automatic, guaranteed ticket into the Playoffs, Suarez would proceed to finish in the top 10 five additional times, but would end up with 15 finishes of 18th or worse throughout this year’s 26-race regular-season stretch.
Amid the on-track struggles, Suarez, who will line up in 11th place in the Playoff standings with 2,006 points, remains pleased with a recent surge in on-track progress made by his No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet team, during which the Mexican finishing in the top 10 three times throughout the final five regular-season events. He also generated a strong run at Richmond Raceway last August, where he led 93 laps before finishing 10th.
In addition to expressing his excitement about returning to Atlanta, the track where he recorded his recent Cup Series victory, to commence the 2024 Cup Series Playoffs, Suarez, who is set to remain at Trackhouse Racing in 2025, strives to extend his recent momentum that would enable him to surpass each Playoff round and have a chance to make the Championship 4 round at Phoenix Raceway in November.
During Suarez’s first Playoff campaign in 2022, he transferred from the Round of 16 to 12 and was in contention of advancing into the Round of 8 before a power steering issue during the round’s finale at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course drained his championship hopes as he settled in a career-best 10th place in the final standings.
“Starting the Playoffs in Atlanta is always pretty sweet, but in reality, the No. 99 team has got some good things going our way the last couple of months,” Suarez said after this past Sunday’s regular-season finale at Darlington Raceway. “We have built some good energy, some good momentum. We have had a good streak of top 10s, good speed in some race tracks. We just continue to get better. I’m very excited to see what we can do over the first [Playoff] round. The first couple rounds are a little crazy, so I think if we execute, we clean (up) a couple things, we’re going to have a pretty good shot at [the title].”
Daniel Suarez’s pursuit for his first NASCAR Cup Series championship in 2024 commences at Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Quaker State 400 and the start of the 2024 Playoffs. The event is scheduled to occur this upcoming Sunday, September 8, at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network.
