Testing SpeedwayMedia.com

Author: Andrew Kim

Denny Hamlin’s team penalized following lost ballast at Charlotte

A major penalty was assessed to Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 11 FedEx Toyota Camry driven by Denny Hamlin at the conclusion of the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

According to the NASCAR Rule Book, Hamlin’s No. 11 team was found to have violated Safety Section 12.5.2.7.4.d Minimum Safety Penalty Options that referred to the loss/separation of added ballast from a racing vehicle during a race, qualifying or practice session.

As a result, Hamlin’s crew chief Chris Gabehart, car chief Brandon Griffeth and engineer Scott Simmons have been suspended for the next four NASCAR Cup Series races through June 10. With Joe Gibbs Racing opting to not appeal the penalty, race engineer Sam McAulay will serve as Hamlin’s interim crew chief, beginning on May 27 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. In addition, veteran Eric Phillips will serve as Hamlin’s car chief while Scott Eldridge will join the team as a mechanic. The penalty came with no points loss for Hamlin and he is still in eighth in the Cup Series regular-season standings, 81 points behind leader Kevin Harvick, with two wins in 2020.

During the pace laps for the 600-mile event, a chunk of ballast (tungsten weight) slipped off the side rails of Hamlin’s car following a puff of smoke and came to rest near the exit of pit road on the racing surface. Hamlin was slated to start the main event in 13th, but he surrendered his starting spot to nurse his car to pit road and have his crew replace the component. He was unable to start the race with the rest of the field on the lead lap. By the time Hamlin returned on track, he was eight laps behind the leaders and fell back as far as nine laps behind. He would, ultimately, finish 29th, seven laps down.

Hamlin, along with his fellow competitors, will return on track for the next scheduled Cup Series event at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the Alsco Uniforms 500, on Wednesday, May 27, at 8 p.m. ET on FS1.

May 25, 2020
Keselowski captures the Coca-Cola 600 in overtime

Seizing a late opportunity when it counted most, Brad Keselowski fought his way from the rear of the field and held off Jimmie Johnson in overtime to win the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The victory was Keselowski’s 31st of his NASCAR Cup Series career, his second at Charlotte and his third crown jewel win after claiming the Southern 500 and the Brickyard 400 in 2018. With his victory, Keselowski became the fifth competitor to win a race in the 2020 Cup season and the 36th to win NASCAR’s longest event of the season. He also captured his first Cup victory with crew chief Jeremy Bullins.

Qualifying was held earlier in the day with Kurt Busch starting on pole position and Johnson starting alongside on the front row. Matt DiBenedetto started at the rear of the field in a backup car after damaging his primary car entering Turn 4 while qualifying. Keselowski, Aric Almirola, Timmy Hill and J.J. Yeley also dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments.

When the engines fired, early drama unfolded for recent Cup winner Denny Hamlin when a chunk of ballast/tungsten weight came out of the side rails of his No. 11 FedEx Toyota and fell on the race track while the field was exiting pit road and starting the pace laps. Following the opening pace laps, Hamlin surrendered his 13th-starting spot and made his way to his pit stall as his crew went to work to replace the component while the on-track safety workers removed the ballast from the racing surface.

When the green flag waved, Busch launched ahead and maintained a steady advantage over Johnson as the field ran single file. By the eighth lap, Hamlin’s crew repaired the missing component and he rejoined the field, but was eight laps behind the leaders.

A competition caution flew on Lap 20 with Busch having led all of the opening laps. The field made their way to pit road for four tires, fuel and adjustments. Once the stops concluded, Busch maintained the lead. Behind him, Martin Truex Jr. jumped from sixth to second while Johnson dropped from second to fourth. Chris Buescher and Daniel Suarez were sent to the rear of the field due to a pit road penalty as their respective crew members were over the pit wall too early prior to the stops. Erik Jones was also sent to the rear due to an uncontrolled tire violation.

On a Lap 28 restart, Busch launched ahead followed by Truex and Chase Elliott while Johnson and rookie Tyler Reddick raced side by side, battling for fourth. The following lap, Johnson slipped up the racing groove in Turn 2 and dropped all the way back to 13th. Johnson’s misfortune moved Reddick to fourth and Joey Logano to fifth.

The second caution came out on Lap 49 due to rain. The field made their way to pit road, where the crew covered the cars and the competitors were allowed to exit their respective rides as the race was red-flagged in a rain delay.

Following a rain delay of 68 minutes, the drivers returned to their cars, restarted their engines and returned on track under caution as the sky darkened and the speedway lights came on. The field pitted on Lap 55 and Alex Bowman, who was 13th, exited pit road first following a gusty two-tire pit call made by crew chief Greg Ives. Truex, the first to take four tires, exited second followed by Elliott, Kurt Busch and Reddick. During the pit stop, Logano’s rear-tire changer slipped while making his way to change the right-rear tire, but the driver of the No. 22 Ford was able to exit out in sixth.

When the race restarted on Lap 58, teammates Bowman and Elliott pulled away from the field as the field scattered with a multitude of competitors duking side-by-side toward one another for position. On Lap 61, Elliott narrowed the gap to be within a tenth of a second behind Bowman, but his Hendrick Motorsports teammate retained the lead on two fresh tires.

Meanwhile, by Lap 68, Kyle Busch, who started 11th, moved up to sixth while his older brother, Kurt, fell back to seventh. Johnson, who restarted 11th, worked his way back into the top 10.

On Lap 76, Elliott was able to draw himself back to the rear bumper of Bowman, who was fighting loose conditions. In Turn 2, Elliott caught a whiff of a lead on the outside lane of Bowman and raced side-by-side with his teammate through the straightaway until he got loose in Turn 3. The slip by Elliott allowed Bowman to retain the lead and pull away by more than a second. Elliott was drawn back to a battle for second with Truex.

Lap 86 featured a save of the day as Blaney bumped into the rear bumper of Christopher Bell, causing Bell to slip sideways in Turn 3. Miraculously, Bell prevented his car from spinning and was able to straighten his car below the apron and rejoin the racing surface without a scratch while dropping from 13th to 19th.

With three laps remaining in the first stage, Truex gained a huge run on leader Bowman in Turn 4. He was establishing a possible pass for the lead when the caution came out as Clint Bowyer made hard contact into the Turn 1 wall due to a possible cut tire and parked his car against the wall in a shower of sparks. Bowyer emerged uninjured, but his night came to a disappointing end.

The stage concluded under caution with Bowman winning his second stage of the season. Truex finished second followed by Elliott, Reddick, Logano. Kyle Busch, Austin Dillon, Johnson, William Byron and Kurt Busch were in the top 10 at the time of caution. By then, Blaney, who started 26th, was 12th. Erik Jones, who was penalized for an uncontrolled tire violation under pit stops on Lap 55, was 13th. Keselowski, who started at the rear due to unapproved adjustments, was 15th.

Under the stage break, the leaders pitted and Bowman, again, maintained the lead. Behind him, Kyle Busch gained four spots to second followed by Truex, Elliott and Logano over Reddick.

When the second stage started on Lap 106, Bowman received a push from Truex to pull ahead of Busch. In Turn 4, Truex cleared Busch for second, where he would settle as Bowman started to pull away from the field.

As the race progressed, a multitude of competitors started racing two-wide, three-wide for position. In the midst of the battle, Ryan Newman moved to eighth behind Byron while Chris Buescher moved to 12th ahead of Kevin Harvick. Jones, who restarted 12th, continued to march his way forward to eighth while Reddick fell back to ninth. Matt Kenseth, who started fourth but was shuffled to midpack following the Lap 55 pit stop, had only made his way back to 18th. Bubba Wallace, who was running within the top 20, made an unscheduled pit stop, but took his No. 43 Chevrolet to the garage due to brake issues.

Green flag pit stops commenced on Lap 110 as the leaders entered pit road for four tires, fuel and adjustments. During the pit sequence, Kenseth was tabbed with a speeding penalty, which cost him two laps. After most of the leaders pitted, by Lap 163, Johnson was one of seven drivers who did not stop. Johnson led three laps before he pitted for two tires. Two laps later, Ryan Preece surrendered the lead to his teammate Ricky Stenhouse Jr. to pit. A lap later, Bowman reassumed command of the field and was up by two seconds over Truex and more than six seconds over Kyle Busch.

By Lap 185, Aric Almirola, who pitted on Lap 54 to have his front splitter repaired that sustained minimal damage from hitting the tungsten from Hamlin’s car, worked his way up to 16th. Hamlin, meanwhile, was back in 35th, trapped nine laps behind the leaders.

For the final laps, no one would have anything for Bowman as the Tucson, AZ, native cruised to the second stage win by more than three seconds over Truex and nearly nine seconds over Kyle Busch. Byron made a late surge to finish fourth ahead of teammate Elliott. Jones, Logano, Austin Dillon, Blaney and Johnson finished in the top 10.

Under caution during the halfway mark, the pace car led the field to pit road and the race halted for a 30-second silence of remembrance to pay tribute for the fallen service men and women on Memorial Day weekend.

When the cars returned to the track and the field made their way to pit road on the following lap for service, Bowman led the field off pit road first followed by Kyle Busch, Truex, Byron and Jones while Austin Dillon gained two spots to sixth. Disaster quickly ensued for Busch, whose No. 18 Toyota was caught exiting pit road beyond the pit road speed limit and was sent to the rear of the field.

A restart on Lap 209 featured the entire field locked in a heated side-by-side battle before Bowman cleared everyone in Turn 4. Six laps later, a three-way battle for the lead started brewing as Truex drew himself within a car length of Bowman’s No. 88 Chevrolet with Byron’s No. 24 Chevrolet lurking. In addition, Jones joined the party and remained within striking distance of Byron.

On Lap 224, Truex used the lapped car of Joey Gase running on the outside lane to go three wide on the inside lane and, finally, pass Bowman for the lead. By Lap 235, Truex held a one and a half second lead over Bowman. During this time, Jones moved to third past Byron, Blaney moved past Austin Dillon for fifth and Kyle Busch worked his way to 16th following his penalty.

Meanwhile, Newman, who was running inside the top 20, made a pit stop with concerns of battery issues on Lap 237. Seventeen laps later, a second round of green flag stops started when Kurt Busch pitted. Four laps later, after most of the leaders pitted, Keselowski assumed the lead, but was one of three drivers that had yet to pit. Keselowski led seven laps before making the left-hand turn to pit road, allowing Truex to regain the lead and pull away by two seconds over teammate Jones.

On Lap 275, as Jones and Bowman were battling for second, the caution flag was displayed when Kenseth slipped in Turn 1 and slapped the outside wall. As Kenseth made his way to pit road to have the damage repaired, most of the leaders pitted as Logano, Harvick and Elliott opted to remain on track on old tires. Truex exited pit road first and one of seven drivers who pitted for two tires while Jones, who exited eighth, was the first competitor who had four tires changed on his machine.

With 19 laps remaining in the third stage, Logano made his way to the lead followed by Truex and Bowman as the field scattered while scrambling for positions. Logano, despite racing with only two fresh tires, was able to maintain his advantage in clean air while Harvick and Elliott slowly drifted out of the top 10 on old tires. As the laps dwindled, Bowman worked his way back to second and drew himself as close as two-tenths behind Logano, but he lost his momentum in Turn 3. With no late challenges being mounted towards him, Logano was able to win the second stage and claim his first stage victory of the season. Bowman was second followed by Blaney, Johnson, Truex. Kyle Busch, Jones, Keselowski, Austin Dillon and Byron finished in the top 10.

Under the next round of pit stops, DiBenedetto exited first, having pitted for two tires, followed by Logano, the first on four tires. Bowman, Truex, Kyle Busch and Johnson followed in pursuit.

The start of the final stage with 94 laps remaining provided another intense round of racing up-front as Truex shoved DiBenedetto into the lead through Turns 2 and 3. Logano, however, slipped in Turn 3 and nearly wiped out his teammate Blaney as he was shuffled all the way back to eighth. Six laps remaining, Truex reassumed the lead over DiBenedetto in Turn 3 as DiBenedetto was overtaken by Johnson for second a lap later. In the midst of the battle, Kurt Busch made an unscheduled pit stop due to a loose right-rear wheel, costing him a lap. With 75 laps remaining, Bowman moved to third while DiBenedetto dropped to fifth. Byron, Jones, Elliott and Blaney were in sixth, eighth, ninth and 10th while Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick were in 11th and 13th.

A caution came out with 52 laps remaining when Joey Gase spun in the Turn 4 infield. A lap later, leaders pitted and Johnson exited as the leader followed by Keselowski, Truex, Elliott and Byron. Logano, who exited 11th, was too fast exiting and sent to the rear.

While Johnson led the field to a restart with 47 laps remaining, Keselowski made his move on the inside lane to assume command in Turn 2 followed by Elliott as Johnson dropped to third. Truex, meanwhile, settled in fourth in front of teammates Byron and Bowman. With 38 laps remaining, Elliott seized an opportunity to pull alongside Keselowski in Turn 2 and he was able to snatch the lead the following turn.

With the laps dwindling and with a steady lead over Keselowski and Johnson, it had appeared that Elliott was en route to not only his first Coke 600 win, but also redemption following his late accident at Darlington last Wednesday.

Then, like a bomb, the caution flew with two laps remaining when teammate Byron blew a left-rear tire and spun below the apron in Turn 1. The late caution sent the race into overtime.

When pit road opened, Elliott led Truex, Kyle Busch and a bevy of competitors to pit. Eight competitors, however, remained on track as Keselowski reassumed the lead followed by Johnson, Bowman, Blaney, Austin Dillon, Reddick, DiBenedetto and Jones.

In overtime, Keselowski was able to clear the field in Turn 2 followed by Johnson and Blaney as the field scattered and the competitors scrambled for positions with little time remaining. On the final lap, Johnson gave it one attempt to draw himself to the rear bumper of Keselowski in Turn 2, but Keselowski managed to pull away through the final two corners and capture his first checkered flag of the 2020 season.

“[The win] means a lot to me,” Keselowski said. “Memorial Day’s a lot more about more than racing, but we’re glad to be able to do cool things like racing because of the freedom provided by those that are willing to make those sacrifices. I feel like I’ve thrown this race away a handful of times and I thought we were gonna lose it today. I know we’ve lost it the way Chase [Elliott] lost it and that really stinks. Today, we finally won it that way and I’m so happy for my team. We might not have been the fastest car today, but wow, did we just grind this one out. It’s a major [event]. It’s the Coke 600. That leaves one major left for me, the Daytona 500. We’re checking them off. I’m tickled to death. It’s a little overwhelming, to be honest.”

Elliott, who restarted 11th, fought his way back to third in two laps behind Johnson.

“It’s just part of it,” Elliott said. “Just trying to make the best decision you can and those guys are gonna do the opposite of whatever you do. You make decisions and live with’em. That was the decision we were put in. Part of it.”

During post-race inspection, however, disaster struck for Johnson when his No. 48 Chevrolet failed the rear alignment numbers in the Optical Scanning Station portion according to the NASCAR Rule Book. As a result, Johnson’s runner-up finish and 39 points earned, including 11 stage points, were stripped, leaving him with no points and a last-place finish of the 40-car field while marked disqualified. With Johnson’s disqualification, Elliott was promoted into the runner-up position followed by Blaney, Kyle Busch and Harvick. Truex, Kurt Busch, Reddick, Bell and Buescher finished in the top 10.

The race featured lead 20 changes with 11 different leaders. There were eight cautions for 52 laps. At 405 laps, 607.6 miles, this marked the longest Cup race ever in mileage.

Harvick continues to lead in the regular-season series standings by 23 points over Logano and 25 over Bowman.

Results:

1. Brad Keselowski, 21 laps led

2. Chase Elliott, 38 laps led

3. Ryan Blaney

4. Kyle Busch

5. Kevin Harvick

6. Martin Truex Jr., 87 laps led

7. Kurt Busch, 54 laps led

8. Tyler Reddick

9. Christopher Bell

10. Chris Buescher

11. Erik Jones

12. Cole Custer

13. Joey Logano, 26 laps led, Stage 3 winner

14. Austin Dillon

15. Aric Almirola

16. John Hunter Nemechek, one lap led

17. Matt DiBenedetto, six laps led

18. Michael McDowell

19. Alex Bowman, 164 laps led, Stage 1 & 2 winner

20. William Byron – one lap down

21. Ross Chastain – two laps down

22. Ryan Preece – one lap led, two laps down

23. Corey LaJoie – two laps down

24. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – one lap led, three laps down

25. Ty Dillon – four laps down

26. Matt Kenseth – four laps down

27. Ryan Newman – five laps down

28. Daniel Suarez – six laps down

29. Denny Hamlin – seven laps down

30. Brennan Poole – seven laps down

31. Gray Gaulding – eight laps down

32. B.J. McLeod – 12 laps down

33. Garrett Smithley – 14 laps down

34. Timmy Hill – 15 laps down

35. Quin Houff – 15 laps down

36. Joey Gase – 20 laps down

37. J.J. Yeley – OUT

38. Bubba Wallace – OUT

39. Clint Bowyer – OUT

40. Jimmie Johnson – six laps led, DQ’d

May 25, 2020
Kurt Busch wins the pole for the Coca-Cola 600

In the first qualifying session since NASCAR’s return to on-track racing amid the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, Kurt Busch claimed the pole position for Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Busch, driver of the No. 1 GEARWRENCH Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE for Chip Ganassi Racing, secured the pole with a time of 29.79 seconds at 181.269 mph, which was 0.009 seconds faster than Jimmie Johnson (29.799 seconds/181.214 mph).

The pole award was Busch’s 28th of his Cup Series career, second at Charlotte and first of the season. It also marked Busch’s first pole while driving for car owner Chip Ganassi and the first time the 2004 series champion won the pole since Talladega Superspeedway in October 2018.

“I’m just so proud of [crew chief] Matt McCall and all our guys and the way we have to communicate right now, and get through everything as far as those last-minute details and those fine adjustments,” Busch said on FOX Sports. “But, wow, what a Chevrolet brigade up front. This is pretty sweet! GEARWRENCH is on our car only a few times a year and I really want to push them up front. This is an awesome pole. I was more geared up, in my mind, towards downforce and being ready for 600 miles, so this means Matt McCall has something up his sleeve and we should be good tonight. This is a great run and happy birthday, Chip [Ganassi]!”

Johnson, an eight-time winner at Charlotte and four-time Coke 600 champion, will start on the front row in his 19th and final start in the 600-mile event.

Matt DiBenedetto will start the main event at the rear of the field in a backup car after he slapped the outside wall entering Turn 4 while attempting to complete his qualifying lap. Aric Almirola was also involved in an incident, where he spun entering Turn 4 and made the slightest of contact to the outside wall before spinning toward the infield. While the damage was repairable and prevented Almirola from dropping at the rear of the field in a backup car, he will start at the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments. Brad Keselowski, J.J. Yeley and Timmy Hill will also drop to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments.

The race will commence on May 24 at 6:28 p.m. ET on FOX.

Starting lineup:

1. Kurt Busch

2. Jimmie Johnson

3. Chase Elliott

4. Matt Kenseth

5. Tyler Reddick

6. Austin Dillon

7. Joey Logano

8. Martin Truex Jr.

9. Brad Keselowski – will start at the rear of the field

10. William Byron

11. Kyle Busch

12. Alex Bowman

13. Denny Hamlin

14. Erik Jones

15. Christopher Bell

16. Ty Dillon

17. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

18. Ryan Newman

19. Chris Buescher

20. Clint Bowyer

21. Ross Chastain

22. Kevin Harvick

23. Bubba Wallace

24. Corey LaJoie

25. John Hunter Nemechek

26. Ryan Blaney

27. Michael McDowell

28. Cole Custer

29. Ryan Preece

30. Quin Houff

31. Gray Gaulding

32. Timmy Hill – will start at the rear of the field

33. Matt DiBenedetto – will start at the rear of the field

34. J.J. Yeley – will start at the rear of the field

35. Brennan Poole

36. B.J. McLeod

37. Daniel Suarez

38. Garrett Smithley

39. Joey Gase

40. Aric Almirola – will start at the rear of the field

May 24, 2020
Kaulig Racing salvages top-10 results at Darlington

The NASCAR Xfinity Series return to on-track racing at Darlington Raceway for the Toyota 200 was a challenging day for Kaulig Racing’s Ross Chastain and Justin Haley, both of whom dealt with handling issues from the drop of the green flag. In the end, both were able to survive a late-race restart and walk away with top-10 results while earning valuable points towards the postseason.

The race was postponed to Thursday at noon ET from its scheduled date on Tuesday, May 19, due to persistent rain, but faced another delay of more than four hours on the postponed race date. Nonetheless, the jet dryers were able to dry the track to have the race prepared at 4:20 p.m. ET.

When the race commenced, Haley started third based on a random draw while Chastain started ninth. Throughout the first stage, spanning 45 laps, Chastain displayed early speed and was able to drive his No. 10 Nutrien Ag Solutions Chevrolet as high as second despite battling tightness. Haley, meanwhile, fell back to ninth while reporting to his crew chief Alexander Yontz that his car was tight and needed more stability.

Following a late caution that established a six-lap dash to the conclusion of the first stage, Chastain restarted on the front row alongside pole-sitter Noah Gragson and made a brief challenge for the lead, but Gragson was able to maintain the lead through Turn 4. At the stage’s conclusion, Chastain would finish second behind Gragson while Haley managed to finish 10th, which was enough to earn one stage point.

The second stage was where both Kaulig Racing competitors started to battle on-track handling issues to their respective Camaros. Restarting under green, Chastain restarted third while Haley restarted 11th. As the race progressed into a long run, Chastain started to struggle for grip through the turns and while on the throttle. With 11 laps remaining in the stage, he slipped in Turn 2 when Chase Briscoe got Chastain aero loose and slipping sideways. The light contact caused him to fall back as low as eighth while Briscoe, Gragson, Daniel Hemric, Michael Annett and Austin Cindric were able to pass Chastain. Haley, meanwhile, had fallen back to 15th at the start, but managed to work back to 12th through the long run.

When the second stage concluded, which was won by Kyle Busch, Chastain salvaged a seventh-place result after outlasting a back-and-forth, lap-by-lap exchange with Cindric for position while Haley finished 12th after continuing to battle with loose conditions to his No. 11 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet.

Under pit stops, both pitted for four fresh tires and fuel with Chastain receiving wedge adjustments and Haley receiving adjustments to the right rear of his car along with air pressure changes.

When the race resumed in the final stage, Chastain restarted sixth and Haley restarted 11th. They remained in the top-11 for the majority of the final run. Both teammates appeared to have top-10 runs established when Annett spun in Turn 4 and drew the race’s fifth caution with 15 laps remaining.

During the caution, Chastain and Haley joined the leaders in making a final round of pit stops. Chastain received air pressure and track bar adjustments to restart ninth while Haley received air pressure and wedge adjustments and restarted 11th despite opting to not take fuel.

In a nine-lap dash to the finish, Chastain and Haley were each able to gain one position for themselves, but were unable to mount a further charge to the front. When the checkered flag flew, Chastain finished eighth and Haley settled in 10th. They watched from a distance as Chase Briscoe withstood a last-lap battle against Kyle Busch to win.

Chastain and Haley each claimed their fourth top-10 result of this season. With the result, Chastain is fifth in the Xfinity Series regular-season standings and trails race winner and new points leader Briscoe by 35 points while Haley is eighth and trails by 55.

Chastain and Haley, along with their fellow competitors, will return for the next Xfinity Series event at Charlotte Motor Speedway scheduled on May 25 at 7:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1.

May 21, 2020
Hamlin claims rain-shortened victory at Darlington

Playing a late-race strategy to his favor, Denny Hamlin emerged victorious in the rain-shortened Toyota 500 at Darlington Raceway. The win was Hamlin’s second of this season, third at Darlington and the 39th of his NASCAR Cup Series career, (which moved him into a tie with Matt Kenseth and Tim Flock on the all-time Cup wins list). In addition, Hamlin became the second multi-winner of this year’s Cup season and to win the first NASCAR Cup race on Wednesday night since 1984.

The starting lineup was based on the results from Sunday’s first Darlington race, May 17, with the top-20 finishers from Sunday being inverted for Wednesday night’s event. Ryan Preece, who finished 20th on Sunday, started on pole position while Ty Dillon, who finished 19th, joined Preece on the front row.

B.J. McLeod and Corey LaJoie were sent to the rear of the field due to multiple technical inspection failures. In addition, McLeod was assessed a drive-through penalty on pit road at the start of the race. Gray Gaulding and J.J. Yeley were also sent to the rear of the field for driver changes. Erik Jones was sent to the rear due to unapproved adjustments after his car was impounded.

When the green flag dropped, Ty Dillon, who started on the inside lane, took the lead early from Preece. It did not take long for the first caution flag of the race to fly on the third lap when rookie John Hunter Nemechek spun after contact with Kenseth entering Turn 4. He made contact with the outside wall and slid below the apron without being hit by the oncoming field. He limped to his pit stall with left-rear damage and a flat left-rear tire.

Restarting on the outside lane on the eighth lap, Dillon maintained the lead through Turn 1 while Preece was quickly overtaken by Team Penske’s Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney along with Clint Bowyer and Matt DiBenedetto for position. Two laps later, Logano made a move on the outside lane to take the lead from Dillon on Lap 10. The caution returned a lap later when Nemechek was involved in another single-car incident, this time in the backstretch.

When the field restarted on Lap 13, Dillon received a strong launch to reassume the lead over Logano in Turn 1, but was overtaken by Logano in Turn 3. Logano was able to retain the lead through the competition caution on Lap 25.

Under caution, the majority of the field pitted for four tires and Bowyer was able to beat the field off of pit road. When the race restarted on Lap 31, Bubba Wallace, who was one of five drivers who pitted on Lap 13, remained on track as the leader. It did not take long, however, for Bowyer on fresh tires to overtake Wallace for the lead. From there, he was able to maintain a reasonable gap over the field. By Lap 40, he was holding a 1.37 second lead over Blaney. Meanwhile, Alex Bowman, who started 19th, had worked his way to fourth behind Logano, while Kevin Harvick, who started 20th, had only raced his way up to 17th.

While Bowyer continued to lead, Martin Truex Jr., who restarted eighth, wasted no time marching his way to the front. By Lap 56, he was in second after overtaking Bowman for position. He was not, however, able to make up the deficit to Bowyer as Bowyer claimed the first stage by over three seconds over Truex. Blaney, Bowman and Logano finished in the top five under the first stage. Aric Almirola, who dodged a pit road penalty for an uncontrolled tire violation under the competition caution due to the tire getting hit out of the hands of one of his tire carriers, was sixth. Chase Elliott, Hamlin, Matt Kenseth and Preece rounded out the top 10.

Under the stage break, Bowyer maintained the lead following a stellar service by his pit crew while Blaney moved into the runner-up spot over Truex. Bowman exited fourth while Matt Kenseth gained four spots up to fifth following his pit stop. Cole Custer was assessed a pit road penalty for an uncontrolled tire violation.

On a Lap 69 restart, the start of the second stage, Blaney mounted a challenge for the lead on the inside lane, but Bowyer was able to maintain the advantage through Turn 4. One lap later, Preece, who was running inside the top 10, had smoke billowing out of his car, but he was able to nurse his car back to pit road without drawing a caution. He would retire due to a mechanical issue.

On Lap 72, Chris Buescher spun following contact with Michael McDowell in Turns 1 and 2, but was able to prevent his car from sustaining further damage and without being hit by anyone else. Under caution, the top-13 cars led by Bowyer remained on track while Blaney led the rest of the field in pitting.

The following restart, on Lap 77, Bowyer maintained the lead but was pursued by Martin Truex Jr. Following another caution on Lap 82 when Ricky Stenhouse Jr. wrecked in Turn 2, Bowyer led a bevy of competitors to pit road, giving the lead to Truex, who was one of 10 competitors who stayed out on track.

As the field restarted on Lap 87, Harvick mounted a challenge on the inside through Turn 3, but Truex maintained the lead. Five laps later, Blaney, who ran up front, made an unscheduled pit stop for repairs after making earlier contact with the wall and sustaining right-side damage to his No. 12 Ford.

On the 100th lap, Harvick took the lead from Truex and a lap later, Bowyer, who restarted 10th on fresh tires, raced his way back to second. Eight laps later, Cole Custer drew the race’s seventh caution after making contact with the Turn 2 wall and cutting his right-rear tire.

The leaders pitted under caution and Bowyer reassumed the lead followed by Truex while Harvick fell back to third. Daniel Suarez remained on track to lead a lap before he pitted, giving the lead back to Bowyer on Lap 111 and prior to the restart on Lap 113.

When the field restarted with 13 laps remaining in the second stage, Bowyer retained the lead while Elliott made his way to second over Truex. William Byron and Erik Jones followed pursuit inside the top five ahead of Harvick. Though he encountered lapped traffic in the closing laps, Bowyer was able to navigate his way through to win the second stage over Elliott and Truex as he collected additional bonus points towards the postseason. Jones, who rallied from starting at the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments, finished fourth followed by Harvick. William Byron, Hamlin, Bowman, Logano and DiBenedetto finished in the top 10.

Under the stage break, Harvick edged Bowyer to reassume the lead on pit road. When the field restarted on Lap 133, teammates Ryan Newman and Chris Buescher, both of whom remained on track, led the field back to green. Newman received a push from Bowyer to take the lead while Harvick made a three-wide move over Jones and Buescher in an attempt for the lead. One lap later, Jones made a bold three-wide move over Bowyer and Newman to take the lead entering Turn 1. Elliott made his way to second while Bowyer fell back to fifth and was locked in a heated battle with Newman.

Meanwhile, Kyle Busch, who struggled with pace in the early stages of the race and endured radio issues, made his first appearance in the top five. By lap 145, Newman fell back to 13th and Buescher to 27th.

On Lap 150, Jones made contact with the wall but continued to lead. Eleven laps later, Elliott used the high lane to take the lead over Jones, whose car became tight following the contact with the wall. Hamlin made his way to third ahead of Harvick, Bowyer, Kyle Busch and Truex Jr. By Lap 168, Hamlin moved to second behind Elliott.

As the race dwindled in the final laps, green flag pit stops commenced with 54 laps remaining as the leaders, starting with Kyle Busch, made their way to pit road for four tires and fuel.

Four laps later, while most of the leaders completed their service, Kenseth spun in Turn 2 below the apron after sustaining a flat right-rear tire and while attempting to nurse his car back to pit road. When the caution flag flew, Brad Keselowski and Brennan Poole were the only lead-lap cars who did not pit as only five cars were scored on the lead lap. Under caution, Keselowski, Poole and Hamlin pitted. Elliott reassumed the lead, Kyle Busch received the free pass after being scored the first car one lap down and 23 cars took the wave around, giving 24 back on the lead lap prior to a restart with 42 laps remaining.

During the restart, Elliott maintained the lead on the outside lane, though he was heavily pressured by Keselowski and Hamlin. With 37 laps remaining, Keselowski drew himself alongside Elliott in an attempt for the lead in Turn 4, but Elliott retained his advantage in Turn 1.

Shortly after, the 10th caution flag flew when Bowyer spun in Turn 4 as a result of a cut right-rear tire from scraping the wall in Turn 2 four laps earlier. Under caution, the leaders pitted except for Hamlin, Poole and DiBenedetto. Following a stellar pit stop, Harvick was able to exit pit road first followed by Kyle Busch. Elliott and Keselowski fell back to fourth and sixth. Poole would later pit, but Hamlin and DiBenedetto retained the front-row starting spots with 34 to go.

On the ensuing restart with 29 to go, Hamlin was able to launch ahead of the field followed by teammate Kyle Busch and Chase Elliott. Once the field made their way back to Turn 4 the following lap, Elliott was able to surge into the runner-up spot behind Hamlin when Kyle Busch turned right and hooked Elliott, sending Elliott’s No. 9 Chevrolet head-on into the inside wall on the frontstretch. After climbing out of his car, Elliott gestured his displeasure to Busch.

Shortly after, rain started falling on the track under caution as Hamlin remained on track as the leader. With 20 laps remaining, the field made their way to pit road and the race was red-flagged for rain delay.

When the rain continued to fall, NASCAR declared the race official and Hamlin was awarded the win.

“I’ve got my happy face on, made sure I brought [my face mask] with me today,” Hamlin said in a FOX Sports 1 interview. “I just can’t thank FedEx, Toyota, Coca-Cola, Jordan brand, the whole JGR engine, fab shop. The pit crew did a great job today, everybody really. I was pretty happy with how it all turned out. [Darlington]’s a driver’s race track. You can move around and you can do different things to make your car handle and we got it right today.”

Kyle Busch settled in second and was met by Alan Gustafson, Elliott’s crew chief, on pit road after the race to discuss the incident, where Busch apologized for his involvement. Harvick finished third followed by Keselowski and Jones. Logano, Almirola, Jimmie Johnson, DiBenedetto and Truex rounded out the top 10.

The race featured 17 lead changes with 13 different leaders. There were 11 cautions for 54 laps.

Harvick leads the regular-season series standings by 34 points over Joey Logano and 39 over Alex Bowman.

Results:

1. Denny Hamlin, 12 laps led

2. Kyle Busch

3. Kevin Harvick, 10 laps led

4. Brad Keselowski, seven laps led

5. Erik Jones, 27 laps led

6. Joey Logano, 19 laps led

7. Aric Almirola

8. Jimmie Johnson

9. Matt DiBenedetto

10. Martin Truex Jr., 16 laps led

11. Christopher Bell

12. William Byron

13. Tyler Reddick

14. Ryan Newman, five laps led

15. Kurt Busch

16. Bubba Wallace, three laps led

17. Michael McDowell

18. Alex Bowman

19. Ty Dillon, eight laps led

20. Austin Dillon

21. Ryan Blaney

22. Clint Bowyer, 71 laps led, Stage 1 & 2 winner

23. Chris Buescher

24. Corey LaJoie, one lap down

25. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., one lap down

26. Quin Houff, one lap down

27. Daniel Suarez, one lap down, one lap led

28. J.J. Yeley, one lap down

29. Joey Gase, one lap down

30. Matt Kenseth, two laps down

31. Cole Custer, two laps down

32. Gray Gaulding, two laps down

33. Timmy Hill, four laps down

34. Garrett Smithley, four laps down

35. John Hunter Nemechek, six laps down

36. B.J. McLeod, six laps down

37. Brennan Poole, OUT, one lap led

38. Chase Elliott, OUT, 28 laps led

39. Ryan Preece, OUT

May 21, 2020
Rookies Reddick, Nemechek notch career-best results at Darlington

When the green flag waved and 40 of NASCAR’s elite made their first Cup Series start since the first week of March, seven made their first premier series start at Darlington Raceway, (six were rookies). When the checkered flag waved, two were able to not only survive the tricky, distinct-shaped corners of the 1.366-mile surface. They earned strong top-10 results in their season-long quest for the Rookie-of-the-Year title: Tyler Reddick and John Hunter Nemechek.

For Reddick, the speed was displayed on track for the California native and his No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet team through the first four races of his rookie Cup campaign. It was only a matter of sealing a satisfactory performance with a satisfactory result. Starting 29th on a random draw for Sunday’s race at Darlington, the former Xfinity Series champion wasted no time working his way methodically toward the front against NASCAR’s elite. He finished eighth in the first stage to earn additional bonus points toward the playoffs and ran inside the top 10 for the majority of the race.

Then, a near disaster moment occurred on Lap 153, when a piece of ad debris from a banner wall in Turn 3 caught the right-front end of Reddick’s Chevrolet after being previously struck by eventual winner Kevin Harvick. It also remained stuck on Denny Hamlin and Clint Bowyer’s cars for a handful of laps. The debris remained on Reddick’s car for another lap before the event’s sixth caution flag was displayed. Under the pit stop, Reddick’s crew was able to remove the debris, but he restarted at the rear of the field due to a pit road penalty for an uncontrolled tire violation.

Despite the miscue, the driver of RCR’s No. 8 Chevrolet was able to utilize the horsepower to work his way back inside the top 10, where he remained for the rest of the race despite enduring two restarts in the final stage. When the checkered flag flew, Reddick notched a career-best seventh-place in his seventh Cup start.

The performance was the best for a rookie candidate at Darlington since Erik Jones finished fifth in 2017 and Kyle Larson finished eighth in 2014. It also marked Reddick’s second top-10 career result, his first since finishing ninth at Kansas in May 2019, and it gave him a resourceful insight in improving for the next Darlington event while maintaining his consistency for the remainder of his rookie season.

While Reddick was beaming about his performance, so, too, was John Hunter Nemechek on a day where he turned his uneventful day of lemons into lemonade. Nemechek started his day in 34th and the majority of his race was mired with handling issues. After posting finishes in the high-20s from the first two stages, Nemechek’s race started to improve in the final stage, where he utilized consistency to work his way inside the top 15. Over the course of the final two restarts, Nemechek moved into the top 10 and was able to outrun Matt Kenseth to finish ninth for his first top-10 result in his eighth Cup start.

The last time a Front Row Motorsports operation finished in the top 10 was when Michael McDowell finished fifth at Talladega in October 2019. This, however, marked the team’s first top-10 result on a non-superspeedway result since Chris Buescher finished fifth at Bristol in August 2016 and their 20th career top-10 result. The result gave the third-generation driver from Mooresville, N.C., something to smile about and scan ahead for improvement toward the upcoming races in his rookie season.

The remaining rookies that include Cole Custer, Christopher Bell, Brennan Poole and Quin Houff finished 22nd, 24th, 27th and 36th, respectively. Josh Bilicki, who made his first Cup start at Darlington, finished 34th.

The NASCAR Cup Series rookie class along with the veterans will return for a second race at Darlington Raceway on May 20 followed by Charlotte Motor Speedway for the Coca-Cola 600 on May 24.

May 18, 2020
Kenseth, Newman accomplish respectable finishes at Darlington

While Kevin Harvick notched a milestone victory of his NASCAR Cup Series career in Sunday’s Real Heroes 400 at Darlington Raceway, veterans Ryan Newman and Matt Kenseth achieved a task of their own that felt like a win. By finishing in the top 15 and completing all 400 miles, (293 laps), both Cup veterans took their first of three steps needed to be post-season eligible. They also took the first step in rejuvenating their successful careers after missing the opening races to a bizarre season.

When NASCAR returned to Darlington on Sunday, it had been 71 days since the last checkered flag flew at Phoenix Raceway. The last time Matt Kenseth raced in a Cup car was 547 days ago at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November 2018. In that race, he completed his part-time stint with Roush Fenway Racing with a top-10 result. Since then, he had no racing plans on his agenda. An unexpected opportunity, however, presented itself in April to drive Chip Ganassi Racing’s No. 42 Chevrolet Camaro for the remainder of the 2020 season when Kyle Larson was suspended for using a racial slur during an iRacing event.

In Kenseth’s first race since 2018, he started 12th based on a random draw and spent the bulk of the day inside the top 15 to top 20, watching from a distance as his teammate Kurt Busch, fellow competitors and a pair of youngsters duked it out for the win. When the checkered flag flew, Kenseth made a late charge to maintain the 10th position on track for his 330th top-10 career result, his 12th at Darlington and to place CGR’s No. 42 Chevrolet team in the top 10 in six of the last seven Darlington events.

While Kenseth’s return was not explosive nor dominant compared to winner Kevin Harvick, it was a result that left the former Cup Series champion satisfied with his result in assessing the competitiveness and grip levels of the current Cup cars with his new team while planning for the next scheduled event at Darlington on Wednesday, May 20. It also left him satisfied in returning behind the wheel of a stock car and giving him a sense of rejuvenating his past magic and contending for his second Cup title despite missing the first five races of the 2020 season.

Like Kenseth, Newman finished in the top 10 in his previous Cup start that goes back to the Daytona 500. His result, however, was long overshadowed by his horrific last-lap accident that sent him to the hospital and forced him to miss the next four races while recovering from his injuries. When Sunday’s race at Darlington arrived and Newman was cleared to return, it had been 91 days since he last climbed into his No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford Mustang.

Starting 21st, Newman’s return was quiet as he spent the majority of the event racing inside the top 20. He earned a top-10 result, ninth, in the first stage and collected valuable bonus points needed in his quest to make this year’s playoffs. Under the stage break, however, Newman was caught speeding on pit road that sent him to the rear of the field. While Newman was able to rally from his early miscue, another curveball was tossed at him. With 41 laps remaining, Newman spun below the apron in Turn 1 caused by a flat right-rear tire initiated two corners earlier to draw a late caution. With the veteran able to continue with no significant damage, Newman was able to remain inside the top 20 in the closing laps. He made a late pass on Clint Bowyer to move into 15th place, which he was able to maintain after taking the checkered flag.

The result left the former Daytona 500 champion satisfied in completing his first race since surviving one of NASCAR’s most horrific wrecks in history and in the sanctioning body’s efforts in resuming the season amid the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. It also gave him a confidence booster in igniting a comeback story of his career and positioning himself to be eligible for his first Cup crown.

Kenseth and Newman will join their fellow NASCAR Cup Series competitors in returning for a second race at Darlington Raceway on May 20 followed by Charlotte Motor Speedway for the Coca-Cola 600 on May 24.

May 18, 2020
A new wave of firsts in NASCAR’s revised schedule

With NASCAR set to embark on its first wave of the revised 2020 racing schedule this weekend, a second wave has been revealed that will follow suit at the conclusion of May. Compared to the original wave, the new one is bigger and features additional twists from the sanctioning body’s original approach to this year’s schedule.

In a continuous effort to make up the two-month hiatus of racing amid the Coronavirus pandemic, NASCAR revealed the next five Cup races that will occur following the May 27 race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Also revealed were the upcoming five Xfinity Series races, two Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series races and one ARCA Menards Series race. Tracks that includes Bristol Motor Speedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway, Martinsville Speedway, Homestead-Miami Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway have racing dates established after originally being postponed. From the upcoming tracks that are featured in the revised schedule, beginning on May 30, Martinsville and Homestead will provide a first of its own in NASCAR history.

When the original 2020 schedule was revealed in March 2019, Martinsville Speedway, one of NASCAR’s ancient tracks raced on since 1949, was set in making its highly anticipated debut as a night race for the Cup Series. While the first night race at the half-mile Paper Clip track will proceed as planned, it will occur on a Wednesday night, June 10, from its original date, May 9, during Mother’s Day weekend. The last time Martinsville raced on a weekday was in 2018, when rain and snow pushed all on-track activities scheduled for Saturday and Sunday to Monday. This, however, will be Martinsville’s first time hosting a midweek race for NASCAR’s premier series. Martinsville becomes the third Cup event to race on Wednesday night this season, joining Darlington Raceway and Charlotte Motor Speedway. This will also be the only NASCAR activity at Martinsville scheduled in June as the Whelen Modified Tour’s return to the track, scheduled on May 8, has been cancelled.

For Homestead-Miami Speedway, as originally announced, this season will mark the first time since 2001 where NASCAR’s weekend finale will not occur at the 1.5-mile track. Prior to the pandemic, however, Homestead was set to host a triple-header on March 20-22. In NASCAR’s revised schedule, Homestead will host a quadruple-header for NASCAR’s three major touring series, a first in the sport, with two races a piece. In this occasion, the NASCAR Xfinity Series will have back-to-back races at the track on the same weekend, a first in the series’ history. The Xfinity Series will run its first race at Homestead on Saturday, June 13, at the conclusion of the Truck Series race the same day before returning on Sunday, June 14, prior to the Cup Series. Saturday’s Xfinity race at Homestead will also serve as a makeup race for Iowa Speedway, originally scheduled for June 13, as NASCAR canceled its events at Iowa this season.

The three additional venues announced in NASCAR’s second scheduling phase, (Bristol Motor Speedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway), will provide a first in the sport. Bristol, which is scheduled to host a doubleheader between the Xfinity and Cup Series on May 30-31, will feature a NASCAR event in May for the first time since 1983. Atlanta, which will hold a triple-header between NASCAR’s major touring series for a sixth consecutive season on June 6-7, will host NASCAR in June for the first time since 1965. Talladega, which will feature the ARCA Menards Series return to racing along with the Xfinity and Cup Series on June 20-21, will feature racing in June for the first time in the track’s history.

Overall, the second phase of the 2020 NASCAR schedule features 13 races spanning 22 days.

The announcement of the sanctioning body’s second phase of a revised schedule comes as NASCAR prepares to return to on-track racing on May 17 in its first of an 11-day span across the Carolinas, from Darlington Raceway to Charlotte Motor Speedway. All scheduled races through mid-June will air on FOX or FOX Sports 1 and occur without fans in attendance as a safety precaution amid the Coronavirus pandemic as NASCAR continues to work with public health officials in monitoring and providing a safe, healthy environment for the drivers and teams for the upcoming races.

Further announcements for the remainder of this year’s NASCAR schedule will be announced at a later date.

May 15, 2020
Darlington Cup races to feature new and familiar names

It is almost time. The time for NASCAR’s long-awaited resumption of on-track racing is days away as the drivers and teams are set to embark on an 11-day racing span across the Carolinas, beginning at Darlington Raceway on May 17. Already, the spotlight focuses on Sunday’s 400-mile race serving as the initiating phase for NASCAR to complete this season amid the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. While veterans Ryan Newman and Matt Kenseth highlight the names of Cup Series drivers set to return to racing on an extended, weekly basis, there are other notables that will compete on Darlington’s racing surface.

The first is Tommy Baldwin Racing, owned by Tommy Baldwin Jr., winner of the 2002 Daytona 500 as crew chief. TBR will field the No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro sponsored by Gravely Mowers and CNC Swiss Machining with Josh Bilicki set to pilot the car in Sunday’s 400-mile event. This weekend’s event at Darlington will be TBR’s first Cup race since November 2017 at Phoenix Raceway and the first at Darlington since September 2016. The team attempted to qualify for the 2019 Daytona 500 with Ryan Truex but they failed to do so and did not attempt additional races throughout last season.

For Bilicki, who has competed in 13 previous Cup races and has finished as high as 29th, Sunday’s event will be his first with TBR. This season he has competed in two of four Xfinity races and one Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series event, all in February, prior to racing’s hiatus. Thus far, his lone NASCAR start at Darlington came in September 2018 in the Xfinity Series where he drove for JP Motorsports and finished 28th.

Next is B.J. McLeod Motorsports, owned by B.J. and Jessica McLeod, which will make its NASCAR Cup Series debut on Sunday. BJMM will be fielding the No. 78 Chevrolet Camaro with B.J. McLeod as the driver. McLeod has been racing in NASCAR since 2010 and has operated BJMM in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for the last five seasons. The team currently fields three full-time operations.

While the team is new to the Cup Series, the driver/owner is not. McLeod has made 42 starts in NASCAR’s premier series, including the last two Daytona 500s. His best result is 25th, coming at Indianapolis Motor Speedway last September. McLeod is also currently in his third season driving for JD Motorsports with Gary Keller in the Xfinity Series, with a best result of 13th at Daytona in February. He has competed at Darlington in the last five Xfinity seasons and two Cup seasons.

Finally, Gray Gaulding will return to NASCAR following a six-month absence. Gaulding will be piloting the No. 27 Ford Mustang for Rick Ware Racing sponsored by Panini America at Darlington, but not until Wednesday, May 19, as J.J. Yeley will drive the No. 27 car on Sunday. Following Wednesday, Gaulding will make a second Cup appearance in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 24.

Gaulding has not competed in NASCAR since last season, where he drove for SS-Green Light Racing in the Xfinity Series. He had a productive season with four top-10s, including a career-best runner-up finish at Talladega Superspeedway in April and a final standings result of 13th. He has made 50 Cup starts with a best result of ninth at Talladega in October 2017, but none since 2019, where he drove for Rick Ware Racing and finished 36th at Bristol Motor Speedway in April. His lone Cup start at Darlington came in 2017, where he finished 36th driving for BK Racing, and his lone Xfinity start at Darlington came last September, where he finished 15th.

All drivers and teams scheduled to compete on Sunday will round out the 40-car field as NASCAR prepares to drop the green flag and resume a bizarre season in the making. How the new driver-team pairings, the weekly balance of competitiveness and safety between the competitors and crew members and the state of NASCAR for the remainder of 2020 fares will be assessed next week.

May 13, 2020
Xfinity regulars look to extend momentum in 2020

Potential milestones are in the making for this year’s NASCAR Xfinity Series season in its resumption at Darlington Raceway in mid-May.

Through the first four races of the 2020 Xfinity season, each event has been won by non-NASCAR Cup Series regulars. The last time the exact achievement was made was in 2012, when NASCAR Truck Series contender James Buescher opened a new year by claiming an upset victory at Daytona followed by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. winning at Las Vegas and Elliott Sadler notching two wins at Phoenix and Bristol. The early streak ended the following week when Cup regular Joey Logano won at Auto Club.

With the series heading to Darlington, Xfinity regulars have a chance to extend the winning streak to five races, a feat last made in 1995. In that year, Chad Little won the first two races of the season at Daytona and Rockingham followed by Kenny Wallace winning at Richmond, Johnny Benson Jr. at Atlanta and David Green at Nashville.

The recent success of the Xfinity Series regulars stretches to not only the first four completed races this season, but also includes the previous two seasons. In 2018, 20 of the 33 scheduled races have been won by non-Cup competitors, which includes part-timers Ryan Preece, Chase Briscoe and John Hunter Nemechek. Last season, 28 of 33 races were won by Xfinity competitors, including AJ Allmendinger winning at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval. Of the 28 events, 21 were won between championship contenders Tyler Reddick, Cole Custer and Christopher Bell. With all three having graduated to the Cup Series this season, it opens opportunities for their fellow competitors and new faces to shine and make a bid for this year’s championship.

It also opens one of two scheduled opportunities for a 2020 Xfinity regular to win at Darlington for the first time. Only three series regulars have won at the venue in the previous 10 seasons: Chase Elliott in 2014, Elliott Sadler in 2016 and Cole Custer in 2019.

Currently, Joe Gibbs Racing has the most victories at Darlington with 10, two from Kyle Busch and five from Denny Hamlin. JGR’s current lineup, featuring Brandon Jones and rookies Harrison Burton and Riley Herbst, aims to extend the team’s recent dominance at the historic circuit. Jones is the most recent winner of this season, having won at Phoenix, and has made four previous starts at Darlington, earning two top-10 results. Burton is the points leader and is coming off his first career win at Auto Club. He, however, will make his first start at a track where his father, Jeff, and uncle, Ward, have won a combined eight times between the Cup and Xfinity Series. Like Burton, Herbst will make his debut at Darlington. He has earned three top-10 results, including a career-best runner-up finish at Auto Club this season. Should either Burton or Herbst win, it would mark the first time an Xfinity event at Darlington was won by a newcomer since Chase Elliott did in 2014 with a last-lap pass.

Speaking of first-time winners, Darlington is no stranger in making winning aspirations come true. It has not, however, been done since 1984 when Ron Bouchard won. Other competitors to do so includes Geoffrey Bodine in 1982 and Neil Bonnett in 1983. Including Herbst, among other competitors looking for their first Xfinity career win this season, are Ryan Sieg, Justin Haley, Brandon Brown, Alex Labbe, Josh Williams, Ray Black Jr., Jesse Little, Joe Graf Jr., Daniel Hemric, Anthony Alfredo and Myatt Snider.

In addition to Harrison Burton and Brandon Jones, Chase Briscoe and Noah Gragson have won a race this season and look to extend their strong start throughout the Carolinas, starting with Darlington, in an effort to contend for their first NASCAR title. Those who have won within the last three seasons but are winless in 2020 includes Austin Cindric, Ross Chastain, Justin Allgaier, Michael Annett and Jeremy Clements.

In a series where names are made, this year’s Xfinity field, featuring a mix of new and familiar notables aiming to outcompete one another and emerge as future NASCAR stars, will set their sights and proceed with the competition in the sport’s return at Darlington on May 19 followed by Charlotte on May 26. The remainder of the schedule is to be determined.

May 7, 2020