Author: Michelle Lippold

Chase Briscoe takes the victory at Bristol Motor Speedway

Bristol has been called many things but the most fitting is the Last Great Colosseum. With its high banks, it favors no driver. But one driver tonight, Chase Briscoe in his No. 98 Ford Performance Racing School Ford Mustang, had what it took to win, earning him his seventh win of 2020.

“I am so thankful that we are back with the race fans. You guys are the best. It’s not the same without you guys. We can’t wait to get you back all the time, but man, what a race.” When asked about the bump and run Briscoe added, “I was so mad after last week. I told all the guys there ain’t no way we are getting beat today. I was so mad after how we ran last week and I get on the internet all the time and see guys count us out after one bad race and I know what this team is capable of and I’m just so happy to get the Ford Performance Racing School back in Victory Lane.”

Also having a good run was Ross Chastain who brought his No. 10 RSS Chevy home in second place.

Coming home in third place was Austin Cindric in his No. 22 Penske Racing Ford.

Harrison Burton and Justin Allgaier would round out the top five. Anthony Alfredo, Noah Gragson, Brandon Jones, Jeb Burton, and Riley Herbst finished sixth through 10th, respectively.

Seven drivers started the race tonight already having clinched a playoff spot. Briscoe led the way with six wins and Cindric tallied up five. Allgaier and Jones each had three, while Gragson, Justin Haley, and Burton had two each.

Chastain, Michael Annett, Herbst, Ryan Sieg, and Brandon Brown made it into the playoffs by points.

Stage one had a competition caution and another minor caution that brought out the red flag briefly for cleanup. Justin Allgaier had the car to beat and would win stage one.

Stage two was very similar to stage one, only having one caution which again brought out the red flag for cleanup. Allgaier would go on to win this stage as well.

In the final stage, Allgaier lost the handling of the car leaving the door open for other drivers to pass. This stage was mainly between Cindric and Chastain for the lead. Cindric lost his power steering as he was leading and couldn’t protect the bottom of the track leaving the door open for Briscoe who would then go on to take the win.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series heads next to Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sept. 26 to begin their Playoffs.

Xfinity Series Playoff Driver Points Prior to Las Vegas

Rank	Driver	Points
1	Chase Briscoe	2050
2	Austin Cindric	2050
3	Justin Allgaier	2033
4	Noah Gragson	2025
5	Brandon Jones	2020
6	Justin Haley	2018
7	Harrison Burton	2014
8	Ross Chastain	2010
9	Ryan Sieg	2002
10	Michael Annett	2002
11	Riley Herbst	2001
12	Brandon Brown	2000

September 18, 2020

Brandon Jones steals a win at Darlington Raceway

It was the perfect day for the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Darlington Raceway, also known as the “Track Too Tough To Tame”. Many drivers earned their Darlington stripe today and several drivers more than once. There was one driver who happened to be at the right place at the right time and that was Brandon Jones in his No. 19 Toyota Joe Gibbs Racing, who came away with the win, his third of the season.

“Look at the right side of this thing!” he exclaimed, “I think everybody’s looks like this. That’s what’s so much fun about this track.’ He added, “This is a tough place to get around.”

Coming in second place today was the No. 10 Chevy of Ross Chastain.

“Denny (Hamlin) was faster, I knew that and everyone watching NBC knew that,” Chastain commented, “I just kept ripping the top as best I could, I probably hit it 25 times.” He added, “I was really struggling on entry. I’m just proud of this group and proud of their effort.”

Ryan Sieg brought his No. 39 RSS Racing Chevy into third place today.

Riley Herbst and Hamlin would round out the top five. Harrison Burton, Noah Gragson, Michael Annett, Austin Hill, and Myatt Snider finished sixth through 10, respectively.

Stage 1 only had 2 cautions. The first was for the cars of Sieg, Hemric and Brandon Brown who got tangled up together. The second was a scheduled competition caution. By Lap 34 Hamlin took the lead after starting at the rear of the field. He would win the stage.

Stage 2 had one caution for Noah Gragson. Allgaier had tire trouble and went behind the wall and later returned to the track. Hamlin retook the lead from Briscoe on Lap 84 and went on to win the stage.

Stage 3 is where all the action was. Jeremy Clements stalled on the track and brought out the caution. David Starr smacked into the wall after his tire went down. Next, Brett Moffitt’s car laid fluid on the track, sending several cars spinning and bringing out the red flag for cleanup. When the race resumed, a battle between Chastain and Hamlin was on. It was exciting to watch as Hamlin tried to take the lead away. Both cars bounced off the wall several times. Coming down to the white flag both Hamlin and Chastain got into the wall, and Jones, who was in third, jumped into the lead and the race win. It was such an exciting race to watch, I can’t wait for the rest of this weekend’s racing.

Austin Cindric leads the Xfinity Series points standings with 1005 points, in second is Chase Briscoe with 951 points, third in the points is Chastain with 911 points, fourth is Gragson with 878 points, and rounding out the top five is Harrison Burton with 789 points.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series heads next to Richmond Raceway on Friday, Sept. 11.

NASCAR Xfinity Series Race Number 23

Darlington Raceway – Darlington, SC – 1.366 – Mile Paved

Total Race Length – 147 Laps – 200.802 Miles

Fin	Str	No	Driver	Team	Laps	S1Pos	S2Pos	S3Pos	Pts	Status
1	8	19	Brandon Jones	Toyota	147	6	2	0	54	Running
2	5	10	Ross Chastain	Nutrien Ag Solutions Chevrolet	147	2	4	0	51	Running
3	11	39	Ryan Sieg	CMRRoofing.com Chevrolet	147	9	6	0	41	Running
4	6	18	Riley Herbst #	Monster Energy Toyota	147	0	10	0	34	Running
5	37	54	Denny Hamlin(i)	SportClips Toyota	147	1	1	0	0	Running
6	3	20	Harrison Burton #	DEX Imaging Toyota	147	0	5	0	37	Running
7	14	9	Noah Gragson	Unilever United for America Chevrolet	147	5	0	0	36	Running
8	7	1	Michael Annett	OREO/Pilot Flying J Chevrolet	147	8	8	0	35	Running
9	26	61	Austin Hill(i)	Toyora Tsusho Toyota	147	0	0	0	0	Running
10	20	93	Myatt Snider #	The Original Louisiana Hot Sauce Chevrolet	147	0	0	0	27	Running
11	2	98	Chase Briscoe	Highpoint.com Ford	147	4	3	0	41	Running
12	4	22	Austin Cindric	MoneyLion Ford	147	3	7	0	37	Running
13	1	11	Justin Haley	LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet	147	0	0	0	24	Running
14	27	78	BJ McLeod	Koolbox Ice Toyota	147	0	0	0	23	Running
15	9	92	Josh Williams	DGM Racing Chevrolet	147	0	0	0	22	Running
16	24	36	Alex Labbe	DGM Racing Chevrolet	147	0	0	0	21	Running
17	17	68	Brandon Brown	Costal Carolina University Chevrolet	147	0	0	0	20	Running
18	10	4	Jesse Little #	Shriners Hospitals Chevrolet	147	0	0	0	19	Running
19	18	15	Colby Howard	Project Hope Foundation Chevrolet	147	0	0	0	18	Running
20	23	13	Chad Finchum	CRASHCLAIMSR.US Toyota	146	0	0	0	17	Running
21	25	0	Jeffrey Earnhardt	KSDT CPA Chevrolet	146	0	0	0	16	Running
22	33	99	Matt Mills	JF Electric Toyota	146	0	0	0	15	Running
23	28	8	Joe Graf Jr #	Bucked Up Energy Chevrolet	146	0	0	0	14	Running
24	30	74	Bayley Currey(i)	Mutt and Jeff Porkskins Inc. Chevrolet	146	0	0	0	0	Running
25	29	6	Ryan Vargas	Cranio Care Bears Chevrolet	146	0	0	0	12	Running
26	19	44	Tommy Joe Martins	Gilreath Farms Red Angus Chevrolet	145	7	0	0	15	Running
27	12	21	Anthony Alfredo	Blue Otter Polarized Chevrolet	145	0	0	0	10	Running
28	32	5	Vinnie Miller	Koolbox Ice Toyota	145	0	0	0	9	Running
29	34	52	Kody Vanderwal #	The Rolling Home Show with Bill Malone Chev	145	0	0	0	8	Running
30	35	90	Dexter Bean	Sleep Well Chevrolet	145	0	0	0	7	Running
31	16	7	Justin Allgaier	BRANDT Chevrolet	135	10	0	0	7	Running
32	13	51	Jeremy Clements	Repairables.com Chevrolet	129	0	9	0	7	Running
33	21	2	Brett Moffitt(i)	Knockaround Chevrolet	118	0	0	0	0	Oil Leak
34	22	7	David Starr	Richardson Service 1991 Inc. Chevrolet	108	0	0	0	3	Accident
35	36	66	Stephen Leicht	JANIKING Toyota	11	0	0	0	2	Suspension
36	31	47	Kyle Weatherman	Back The Blue Chevrolet	5	0	0	0	1	Accident
37	15	8	Daniel Hemric	Poppy Bank Chevrolet	2	0	0	0	1	Accident

September 5, 2020

Justin Allgaier Dominates at Dover

The NASCAR Xfinity Series held the first race of a doubleheader at Dover International Speedway today for the Drydene 200. Dover is also known as The Monster Mile.

It looked like it was going to be another win for Austin Cindric, however, there was one driver who would be the spoiler and that was the driver of the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet, Justin Allgaier. Allgaier led the most laps and captured his first win of the 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series season.

“First of all I can say is God is great, man. These last 18 to 24 months have been crazy.” stated Allgaier, “I’m just proud of these guys and the no give up attitude they’ve got. This team is incredible and to have FFA on board today to get them to Victory Lane on their first primary is super cool.” He added, “What a day, what a racecar.”

Leading 49 laps, and wheeling his No. 22 Penske Ford into second place was Austin Cindric.

“Track position was extremely important. The track didn’t quite move around. n you’d get a restart about 10 – 15 laps in, you could be good being the first guy up or making hay in traffic.” He commented, “It was a good points day and hopefully something to build on for tomorrow.”

Ross Chastain drove his No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevy into third place.

“It’s incredible, it’s by far the best I’ve been able to run here and I thank Kaulig as well.” he said, “To drive up from 13th, which will our starting spot tomorrow as well I think, and run top three all day was awesome.” He added, “ We’ll come back tomorrow and fight again.

Noah Gragson led 27 laps and finished fourth and rookie Harrison Burton rounded out the top-5.

Stage 1 only had one caution and that was a competition caution. Cindric led every lap winning the stage handily.

Stage 2 only had one caution when Chase Briscoe went around. The top three were fighting for the position including Noah Gragson but it was Allgaier who had control of the stage and won it easily.

Stage 3 had a couple of small cautions which made the choose line interesting to see who would try to outrun Allgaier, but it was futile every time, as he took the Checkered Flag for his first win in 20 races.

Gragson and Harrison Burton would round out the top five. Riley Herbst, Jeb Burton, Justin Haley, Michael Annett, and Chase Briscoe finished sixth through 10, respectively.

Cindric leads the Xfinity Series standings with 884 points, Briscoe is second with 812 points, Gragson is in third with 789 points, Chastain is in fourth with 758 points, and rounding out the top five is Allgaier with 691 points.

The Xfinity Series will run the second of a doubleheader weekend at Dover tomorrow August 23.

NASCAR Xfinity Series Race Number 20
Dover International Speedway – Dover, DE – 1. – Mile Concrete
Total Race Length – 200 Laps – 200. Miles

Fin	Str	No	Driver	Team	Laps	S1Pos	S2Pos	S3Pos	Pts	Status
1	5	7	Justin Allgaier	FFA Chevrolet	200	3	1	0	58	Running
2	1	22	Austin Cindric	PPG Ford	200	1	2	0	54	Running
3	13	10	Ross Chastain	Moose Fraternity Chevrolet	200	4	3	0	49	Running
4	2	9	Noah Gragson	Bass Pro Shops/TrueTimber Camo Chevrolet	200	2	4	0	49	Running
5	4	20	Harrison Burton #	Fields/DEX Imaging Toyota	200	5	6	0	43	Running
6	6	18	Riley Herbst #	Monster Energy Toyota	200	6	5	0	42	Running
7	27	8	Jeb Burton	State Water Heaters Chevrolet	200	0	9	0	32	Running
8	22	11	Justin Haley	LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet	200	0	7	0	33	Running
9	8	1	Michael Annett	Pilot/Flying J Chevrolet	200	9	10	0	31	Running
10	10	98	Chase Briscoe	Highpoint.com Ford	200	8	0	0	30	Running
11	26	21	Anthony Alfredo	ADS/Footing First Chevrolet	200	0	0	0	26	Running
12	9	39	Ryan Sieg	CMRRoofing.com Chevrolet	200	10	0	0	26	Running
13	7	51	Jeremy Clements	RepairableVehicles.com Chevrolet	200	0	0	0	24	Running
14	21	68	Brandon Brown	Jabs Construction Chevrolet	200	0	0	0	23	Running
15	28	2	Brett Moffitt(i)	Robert B Our Inc Chevrolet	200	0	0	0	0	Running
16	3	19	Brandon Jones	Menards/Pelonis Toyota	200	7	8	0	28	Running
17	11	93	Myatt Snider #	The Original Louisiana Hot Sauce Chevrolet	200	0	0	0	20	Running
18	23	8	Joe Graf Jr #	Bucked Up Energy Chevrolet	199	0	0	0	19	Running
19	19	90	Alex Labbe	Prolon/VRVictoriaVille.com Chevrolet	199	0	0	0	18	Running
20	30	0	Jeffrey Earnhardt	Drydene Chevrolet	198	0	0	0	17	Running
21	14	44	Tommy Joe Martins	Gilreath Farms Red Angus Chevrolet	198	0	0	0	16	Running
22	15	61	Stephen Leicht	JANIKING Toyota	198	0	0	0	15	Running
23	12	4	Jesse Little #	Drydene Chevrolet	198	0	0	0	14	Running
24	18	92	Josh Williams	Musselman’s Big Cup Applesauce Chevrolet	198	0	0	0	13	Running
25	20	47	Kyle Weatherman	Chevrolet	198	0	0	0	12	Running
26	32	99	Stefan Parsons	Rich Mar Florist Toyota	198	0	0	0	11	Running
27	29	7	David Starr	Jacob Construction Chevrolet	197	0	0	0	10	Running
28	35	78	Vinnie Miller	Glassskinz Chevrolet	196	0	0	0	9	Running
29	34	13	Chad Finchum	GARRISON HOMES Toyota	196	0	0	0	8	Running
30	33	15	Colby Howard	Project Hope Foundation Chevrolet	195	0	0	0	7	Running
31	24	52	Kody Vanderwal #	ADVANCED DAIRY SERVICES Chevrolet	194	0	0	0	6	Running
32	31	36	Korbin Forrister(i)	Nursing Home Heroes Chevrolet	191	0	0	0	0	Running
33	25	5	Matt Mills	JF Electric Chevrolet	161	0	0	0	4	Running
34	17	6	BJ McLeod	Drydene Chevrolet	146	0	0	0	3	Suspension
35	16	74	Bayley Currey(i)	Mutt and Jeff Porkskins Inc Chevrolet	92	0	0	0	0	Fuel Pressure
36	36	66	Timmy Hill(i)	JANIKING Toyota	55	0	0	0	0	Vibration

August 22, 2020

Brandon Jones makes last-lap pass for the win at Kansas

The NASCAR Xfinity Series was at Kansas Speedway today for the Kansas Lottery 250. Today’s race proved that it’s not over until the Checkered flag waives. The two dominant cars all day were those of Austin Cindric and Harrison Burton, however, neither of them were victorious. On what would be the last caution, Brandon Jones drove by them all in his No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and took the win. This is his third career win and his second consecutive win at Kansas Speedway.

“That’s what I love about these guys, they keep their head in the game and don’t get too excited,” Jones said. “We continued to make changes, my feedback I think was pretty good all day.” He added, “It’s good to get back to victory lane I’m looking forward to celebrating with these guys. This shows how we’ve been running good a lot.”

Cindric who dominated the race leading 132 laps of 147 finished in the second spot.

“I think to give credit when it’s due and H. Burton was the fastest guy today. He ran me down twice under the green flag, I hate for him to lose.” He continued, “It’s like that, but that’s racing and there’s going to be late cautions. Brandon did everything right. I got too caught up in clearing the 39.” He sighed and said, “I really wanted to get four in a row, overall it was a really solid day.”

Burton who came in third place after battling with Cindric all day long, said, “It’s frustrating, I feel like our team did everything right. I learned a lot from Denny Hamlin on what you try to do mentally and tried to use some of that on Cindric. I messed up on the last restart we were in a bad situation behind the 39.” He added, “I need to do better to take advantage of the situation and still get a win. I’m really proud of our speed, just wasn’t enough.”

Stage 1 only had one caution and that was the competition caution at Lap 20. There was some great racing between Cindric and Burton but it was Cindric who would win the stage.

Stage 2 went flag to flag without any cautions. Once again it was Cindric and Burton in a battle for first. Once again Cindric won the stage.

Stage 3 seemed like a repeat of stages 1 & 2 but down to the wire, the caution flag flew putting the race into overtime. When the race restarted another minor caution occurred and got everyone lined up but Sieg who stayed out on old tires. They were four and five wide trying to get to the front and seemingly out of nowhere came Jones to take the win.

Ryan Sieg and Ross Chastain would round out the top five. Justin Haley, Daniel Hemric, Michael Annett, Riley Herbst and Justin Allgaier finished sixth through 10, respectively.

Cindric leads the Xfinity Series Standings with 722 points. Chase Briscoe is in second with 718 points, Noah Gragson is in third with 666 points, Chastain is in fourth with 662, and Justin Haley rounds out the top five with 592 points.

The Xfinity Series heads next to Road America on August 8.

July 25, 2020
Kyle Busch DQ’d, Cindric declared Xfinity Series race winner
It was a hot day in Texas for the Bariatric Solutions 300 at Texas Motor Speedway for the NASCAR Xfinity Series race today. What a day it has been as race winner Kyle Busch was disqualified and Austin Cindric in his No. 22 Team Penske Ford has been declared the race winner. This is Cindric’s third win in a row. Chase Briscoe finished in second and Justin Allgaier brought home third.

“I’ll take it,” Cindric said. “It’s great to be able to capitalize on fast race cars. I said that last week and I’ll say that again. I didn’t think this weekend we were quite as good as what we had in Kentucky but overall being able to run up front all day and get great stage points was great and we’ve just got to keep building on that.”

Stage 1 started out with some very aggressive driving causing two cautions. One was for Riley Herbst hitting the wall and the other for Myatt Snider who also hit the wall. Cindric had the lead early on along with some great battles, but on Lap 35 Allgaier would get the lead and not look back easily winning the stage.

Stage 2 began with Busch in the lead but he was penalized for speeding and sent to the rear of the field. There were two cautions, one for debris and one when Kody Vanderwal tapped the wall. Allgaier again couldn’t be caught and would take the win for this stage. He definitely had one of the cars to beat today.

The final stage had three cautions. One occurred when Anthony Alfredo tagged the wall and the second when Noah Gragson also tapped the wall. Joe Graf Jr. would bring out the third caution. The biggest oops of the day goes to Allgaier for going over the blend line too soon and receiving a penalty putting him behind in the field. The only one who had a shot at catching Busch was Cindric.

Harrison Burton and Michael Annett would round out the top five. Jeb Burton, Brandon Jones, Justin Haley, Ross Chastain, and Brandon Brown finished sixth through 10, respectively.

Briscoe leads the Xfinity Series Standings with 688 points, Cindric is in second with 661 points, Gragson is in third with 641 points, Ross Chastain is in fourth with 612 points, and Justin Haley rounds out the top five with 549 points.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series heads next to Kansas Speedway on July 25.

Official Results:
1. Austin Cindric
2. Chase Briscoe
3. Justin Allgaier
4. Harrison Burton #
5. Michael Annett
6. Jeb Burton
7. Brandon Jones
8. Justin Haley
9. Ross Chastain
10. Brandon Brown
11. Jeremy Clements
12. Jeffrey Earnhardt
13. David Starr
14. Jesse Little #
15. Tommy Joe Martins
16. Brett Moffitt (i)
17. Timmy Hill (i)
18. Stefan Parsons
19. Bayley Currey (i)
20. BJ McLeod
21. Joe Graf Jr #
22. Josh Williams
23. Colby Howard
24. Chad Finchum
25. Vinnie Mille
26. Matt Mills
27. Anthony Alfredo
28. Kyle Weatherman
29. Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet
30. Noah Gragson
31. Alex Labbe
32. Kody Vanderwal #
33. Dexter Bean
34. Myatt Snider #
35. Stephen Leicht
36. Riley Herbst #
37. Kyle Busch (i)
July 18, 2020
Cindric sweeps at Kentucky Speedway

The Xfinity Series held their second race of Kentucky Speedway’s doubleheader tonight for the Alsco 300 and Austin Cindric swept the races. Last night saw him win his first-ever race on at an oval track and tonight he won the second in his No. 22 Penske Racing Ford. It was also the first time he led so many laps in a race.

“I hope I laid enough rubber down to make up for Watkins Glen last year, that was pathetic.” Cindric said, “I’m just so excited this is a credit to my team. What we did tonight was really impressive because we ran one setup last night and won the race.” He added, “We came with another setup for tonight and won the race again.” He explained, “ I trust my man, it’s difficult but he made the right call and that’s why he is on the pit box and I’m in the car.”

The runner-up spot went to Chase Briscoe in his No. 98 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford. Following Briscoe in third spot was Justin Haley in his No. 11 Kaulig Racing Chevy.

Stage 1 started with Myatt Snider on the pole position. There were only two cautions in this stage, one for Ryan Sieg who went around and tapped the wall and the other was a scheduled competition caution. Harrison Burton and Noah Gragson were the front runners in the stage with Gragson taking the stage win.

Stage 2 started with Gragson and Harrison Burton battling for the top spot. Around Lap 63 Cindric took over the lead and didn’t look back. There weren’t any cautions in this stage and Cindric took the easy stage win.

The final stage had Cindric still at the front while Riley Herbst and Gragson tried to catch him. Fan-favorite Justin Allgaier who lost a lap early in the race due to a tire going down finally got his lap back. The epic save of the night went to Jesse Little whose car was sideways but he managed somehow not to spin. With laps winding down Brandon Jones hit the wall hard setting up for a short shootout. Cindric won the race easily, but the fireworks happened while he was celebrating. Burton and Gragson had made slight contact towards the end of the race and were having a discussion about it and then fists started flying between the two until they could be separated.

Ross Chastain and Allgaier would round out the top five finishers. Anthony Alfredo, Gragson, Michael Annett, Daniel Hemric and Riley Herbst finished sixth through 10, respectively.

Briscoe leads the Xfinity Series Standings with 643 points, Gragson is second with 624 points, Cindric is in third with 610 points, Chastain is in fourth with 583 points, and Haley rounds out the top five with 521 points.

The Xfinity Series will head next to Texas Motor Speedway on July 18.

Complete Results:

1. Austin Cindric
  2. Chase Briscoe
  3. Justin Haley
  4. Ross Chastain
  5. Justin Allgaier
  6. Anthony Alfredo
  7. Noah Gragson
  8. Michael Annett
9. Daniel Hemric
10. Riley Herbst
11. Jeremy Clements
12. Harrison Burton
13. Brandon Brown
14. Jesse Little
15. Josh Williams
16. Garrett Smithley
17. Brett Moffitt
18. Jeffrey Earnhardt
19. Matt Mills
20. BJ McLeod
21. Colby Howard
22. Joe Graf Jr
23. Mason Massey
24. Alex Labbe
25. Bayley Currey
26. Timmy Hill
27. Tommy Joe Martins
28. Vinnie Miller
29. Kody Vanderwal
30. Brandon Jones
31. Myatt Snider
32. Ronnie Bassett Jr
33. Chad Finchum
34. Stephen Leicht
35. Ryan Sieg
36. Kyle Weatherman

July 10, 2020
#IStandWithBubba

When the news flashed before me today I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I thought it was a mistake at first, but then it came on my local news and I knew it was true. Someone had put a noose in Bubba Wallace’s garage stall. At first,I felt sick and then outrage. Who would do something so heinous “good ole boys” sport. Most of them had fast cars because they were running moonshine. It a Southern sport for the most part then.

However, along came Jeff Gordon. He dressed nice, looked nice, and had crazy talent which started a shift in the sport. Other drivers were starting to take notice of him and suddenly NASCAR blew up with fans. The rivalry between Jeff and Dale Earnhardt made it exciting.

It’s not a ‘good ole boys’ sport dominated by young white moonshiners anymore and it hasn’t been for a long time now. Times have changed since then, but not enough when it comes to racism. I have even heard people say he probably did it for attention. Yes, he was behind the Confederate Flag being banned from NASCAR, but change is needed. There was never a time for it, no longer will it be tolerated. Whoever did this is just sick and I truly hope they are caught.

We need to be the leaders to eradicate racism in NASCAR. We need to change how we treat each other regardless of skin color.

I was so proud to see the support he had from his fellow drivers before the race. Watching them roll his car to the front of the field then surround him in solidarity brought tears to my eyes. I know not everyone will feel like I do. Hatred is a hard thing to overcome. I just ask you to put yourself in his shoes or anyone else’s for that matter. Maybe then you can see that change can be a good thing.

NASCAR is fully behind Wallace and investigating this incident. “There is no room for this,” they said and added, “We are angry and outraged and cannot state strongly enough how seriously we take this heinous act. There is no place for racism in NASCAR.”

As Wallace said,” This will not break me.” He went on to say, “Sorry, I’m not wearing a mask because I want everyone to see that I am still smiling.”

Keep on smiling Bubba you have a lot of people standing with you.

June 23, 2020
Haley Wins The Unhinged 300 At Talladega Superspeedway

It was a great day for the Xfinity race on Saturday at Talladega Superspeedway. As the field took the green flag you get that feeling that something is going to happen. Mayhem would happen at some point we just didn’t know when. One driver managed to get through everything and bring home the trophy. Justin Haley in his No. 11 Kaulig Racing Chevy wins his first career victory at Talladega.

Haley commented, “Just a wonderful day emotionally. I’m fighting for a ride the next time I get in a race car next year. “ he added, “ Big hats off to the No. 11 crew and everyone at Kaulig Racing, Kaulig we love you, thank you so much. It’s amazing.”

Ross Chastain driving his No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevy may not have won the race, but he didn’t mind coming in second to his teammate and walking away with the Dash 4 Cash $100.000 prize money.

Chastain said, “So proud of the Kaulig Racing team coming into pit road under green out perfect, that’s the way you draw it up.” He added, “ Caution came out and set us up for track position. I’ve never been so happy to finish second. God is Good.”

Coming in third was Jeb Burton in his No. 8 JR Motorsport Chevy. Burton was eligible for the Dash 4 Cash prize but just couldn’t quite get to the front past the Kaulig Racing teammates.

Austin Cindric and Brett Moffitt would round out the top five. Anthony Alfredo, A.J. Allmendinger, Gray Gaulding, Alex Labbe and Noah Gragson finished sixth through 10 respectively.

Stage 1 only had one caution in it and that was the competition caution at lap 10. It looked as if they could have the “Big One” at any moment as the were racing three and four wide. It made for an exciting finish with Justin Haley winning the stage.

Stage 2 went caution-free from start to finish. It also was an exciting stage just waiting for something to happen. What did happen was a lot of swapping for the lead. So much so, that it was hard to keep up at times. Chase Briscoe would win stage 2.

The final stage it where all the action happened. The first caution was for Chase Briscoe and Riley Herbst who got tangled up together. The second caution brought out the red flag when there was a mini “Big One”. Involving Harrison Burton, Joe Graf Jr., and Josh Williams. With ten laps to go the “Big One” finally hit bringing out the red flag for the second time. Some of the drivers involved were Myatt Snider, Tommy Joe Martins, Justin Allgaier, Noah Gragson, Brandon Jones just to name a few.

When the cleanup was complete the field was set for a 3 lap shootout for the win. Haley had his teammate to help and took the win.

The top five in driver points are Gragson with 469 points, Briscoe with 454 points, Austin Cindric with 426 points, Chastain with 422 points, and H. Burton with 399 points.

The Xfinity Series will head next to Pocono Raceway on Saturday June 28.

June 21, 2020
Brandon Jones takes the win at Phoenix Raceway

The NASCAR Xfinity Series raced at sunny Phoenix Raceway in the LS Tractor 200. NASCAR Cup regulars Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski joined the Xfinity drivers for the race. With Busch’s record many assumed that he would lead the race and it would be boring. It was anything but, especially for Brandon Jones who passed Busch in his No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, with 20 laps to go for the lead and the win.

This is Jones’s second career win and first for this season. It also is the 500th victory for Toyota in NASCAR’s top three national series.

I can’t believe he (Busch) left the bottom open. We’re so strong on the top lane.” Jones said, “ Toyota is the manufacturer to be with, I love those guys so much, it’s like a family working with them.” He added, “Coach Gibbs is great, life is good. We’re going to work hard and we’re going to get big results because of it.”

Stage 1 only saw one caution for a minor incident with Ray Black Jr. Busch and Cindric had a great battle for the lead swapping it back and forth but on the last lap Justin Allgaeir swept in and took the Stage 1 win.

Stage 2 also only had one minor caution. Allgaier was strong and ran out front for several laps until Busch took the lead over on Lap 75. It looked like Busch was going to win this stage but on the last lap Noah Gragson snuck in there to take the stage win.

Stage 3 is where all the action happened. There were three cautions, only one of which involved more than one car, none had serious damage. There was a lot of great side by side racing. On Lap 47 Busch was back on top again and looked like he would cruise to the finish, only Jones’ car was getting bigger in his mirror. On Lap 20 Busch left the bottom open and that was all Jones needed to take the lead and the checkered flags. Last weeks’ winner Harrison Burton was also able to get his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota past Busch for second place, while Busch finished third in his No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Driver Dillon Bassett was upset with Brandon Brown and met him on pit road but before he could get out of the car Bassett reached in and a small fight ensued. Needless to say, both of them and their crew chiefs got called to meet with NASCAR.

Keselowski and Haley rounded out the top five. Chase Briscoe, Noah Gragson, Austin Cindric, Ross Chastain, and Riley Herbst finished sixth through 10, respectively.

Burton is in the points lead with 176 points over Briscoe who has 173 points.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series heads next to Atlanta Motor Speedway.

March 7, 2020
Harrison Burton gets first win at Auto Club Speedway

It was a beautiful day for the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Auto Club Speedway for the Production Alliance Group 300. For one driver it was even more special as he is one of the few who can say he won his very first Xfinity Series race on Leap Day. Who is the lucky driver? It was Harrison Burton in only his 12th start. Burton, who drives the No. 20 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, took the checkered flag after a caution filled final stage.

“It’s awesome!” Burton exclaimed, “I’m so proud of our guys, it’s really awesome, it feels so good to win.” He further stated, “When you go through a little bit of a drought, you doubt yourself especially after last year, we struggled a little bit.”

Stage 1 went caution free with Brandon Jones taking the stage win.

Stage 2 went pretty much the same as stage one. There weren’t any cautions and Jones won the second stage too. It was looking as if no one would be able to touch Jones, until the third stage.

The final stage of the race was the exact opposite of the first two. They say that cautions breed cautions and this stage was proof of that. There were several drivers vying up front including Chase Briscoe and Daniel Hemric. The cautions flew fast mostly for cut tires and a couple of spins. There was a mini big one that a few drivers like Brandon Brown and Michael Annett got caught up in but most cars were able to continue the race.

The two drivers who could get the closest to Jones were Riley Herbst who took second in his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and Austin Cindric who placed third in the No. 22 Team Penske Ford.

When asked what he needed at the end to catch Burton, Herbst commented,” A few more laps. This Monster Energy Supra was really fast. I’m really proud of Harrison, me and him have worked so hard this off season.”

Austin Cindric said, “Obviously it is great to continue the consistency. I think we had a car capable of winning, especially with some of the attrition there at the end. Execution kind of bit us today. I had to get brave on some restarts. We were better than the 20 and 18 there at the end but you just need track position sometimes. Overall, I couldn’t be prouder of my Odyssey Battery Ford Mustang team for where we came from after unloading to being a race winning car. Just not enough laps in the race for us.”

Rounding out the top five were Ryan Sieg and Justin Haley. Anthony Alfredo, Daniel Hemric, Ross Chastain, Jeremy Clements, and Josh Williams finished sixth through 10, respectively.

Harrrison Burton has the points lead with 136 points over second place Chase Briscoe with 126 points.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series heads next to Phoenix Raceway on March 7.

February 29, 2020