Austin Dillon is seeking to advance to the Round of 12 in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs following a challenging race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Starting from the tail of the field was a setback for a driver confident in the speed of his car.
“We definitely had a No. 3 DOWFROST Camaro ZL1 that was capable of running in the top five today at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. We gave up a lot of track position throughout the day, not just from starting in the back, but we really struggled on pit stops. I felt like I got all I could out of it,” Dillon said.
Dillon surely benefited after several of the Playoff drivers were involved in various issues all day long.
Following an 11th place finish, Richmond Raceway can be the setting stone is determining his advancement into the next round. Despite all the silly season chatter surrounding his team, his focus is on making a deep run in this year’s Playoffs.
Of course, a win would seal the deal, but a great run can give him some space to breathe going into the Roval at Charlotte.
The driver of the Richard Childress Racing No. 3 Dow Camaro ZL1 locked himself into the Playoffs early in the year with a thrilling Daytona 500 victory. Since then, he has been positioning himself as the dark horse of this year’s edition of the Playoffs.
The confidence is there for the young driver to surprise many in the next nine weeks.
“I will take the dark horse role. Anything can happen. We show up at times and people least expect it,” Dillon said.
Richmond will certainly be a battle. Qualifying is important in Richmond as Dillon looks to improve in that aspect. Starting 23rd in the spring showed his struggle all weekend with the car.
Dillon currently sits in 10th place in the Playoff standings with 9 points above the cutoff.
Competition is starting to heat up as the Playoffs continue. A disastrous race can end the young driver’s run to capture the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship.
The South Point 400 in Las Vegas didn’t work out quite the way that most expected. Brad Keselowski ultimately took the checkered flag in a race that involved 12 cautions and a two-lap overtime. Keselowski came in at 10/1 odds to win South Point 400 at top betting sites for NASCAR. And though he was one of our ‘Drivers to Watch’ in Vegas, still most thought that one of the ‘Big Three’ would take the event. Even though both Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch both ran into troubles, the field in Vegas couldn’t keep the Big Three off the podium. Martin Truex Jr. took third, while Kevin Larson finished second.
Odds on the Cup Series
Despite finishing 39th in Las Vegas, Kevin Harvick’s back of pack finish didn’t matter much. He’s still +255 to win the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. He’s just slightly ahead of Kyle Busch on the odds boards at +300 and Martin Truex Jr. at +325. Kyle Larson is +700 followed by Vegas winner, Brad Keselowski at +1000. It starts to get longer from there, Clint Bowyer and Kurt Busch are still in the mix at +2000. Chase Elliot, Denny Hamlin, and Joey Logano are at +2200. Eric Jones and Ryan Blaney sit at +2500. Followed by Jimmie Johnson at +4000, Aric Almirola at +7500 and Alex Bowman at +10000.
Cup Standings
We are likely to see these odds shift. Martin Truex Jr. is the new points leader with 2087. Kyle Busch is a close second with 2085. Brad Keselowski sits third with 2069, and Kevin Harvick is just behind with 2060 points in 4th place. ‘Sliced Bread’ rounds out the top-five with 2056 as we head into the Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond Raceway.
Clint Bowyer called Jimmy Johnson a ‘sleeping giant’ in this series, as he is gunning for his 8th Series Championship. But Jimmy is on the hot seat in the Round of 16. Even more so are Chase Elliot, Erik Jones, and Denny Hamlin. After Las Vegas, these four drivers are the most at risk with only two races left until the next 4-driver elimination. Alex Bowman and Clint Bowyer are also on the cusp. But the new event at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course could throw a wrench in things. The last race before the next cutoff is anyone’s to take.
Richmond
Kyle Busch, Kyle Larson, and Brad Keselowski are all fantastic on the ¾ mile as well. No playoff driver has as much momentum as Keselowski. The rest of the playoff field now has reason to fear him as he has won three in a row, the Bojangles’ Southern 500, the Brickyard 400, and the South Point 400. In his last 16 short track races, he has a victory, six top-five finishes, and eight top-tens. So, look for Brad Keselowski to keep team Penske in the mix with another strong finish in Richmond. The drama is only beginning to build, and any one of these drivers could take the Cup.
Vegas wasn’t so lucky for half of the Playoff contenders as Brad Keselowski claimed the jackpot in the Playoff opener in the NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series at the inaugural South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, securing his spot in the second round of the Playoffs.
“I didn’t think it was ever gonna end,” Brad commented about the multiple yellow flag conditions toward the end of the race, which included one red flag for over 10 minutes. “I was worried about running out of gas there at the end. I know the fans can hear on this microphone and I want to say thank you to everyone who braved 100-degree heat all day. You guys are the real heroes. I get paid to do this. You guys pay to watch and thank you for doing that. Thank you for coming out today and tolerating the heat. We’re so glad to be able to win and get in Victory Lane again with the Autotrader Ford. What a special day for 500 wins for Penske, three in a row here, first win in the Playoffs. There are too many storylines for me to get it all right, but we’re very thankful and very proud for all of them.”
Kyle Larson led multiple times throughout the final stage but finished second in his DC Solar Vegas Strong Chevrolet with Chip Ganassi Racing.
“The restarts, a couple of them worked out for me and a couple of them didn’t,” Larson stated about the end of the race. “But, was happy to end up second there. Didn’t really expect to get to second there on that final restart, but it was pretty hectic. Just glad we had a good day after the tire issue we had early in the race. So, yeah, good points day.”
Martin Truex Jr. was the only driver of the “Big 3” that didn’t have major issues in the race and was able to put his No. 78 5-hour Energy Toyota in the third position.
“It took the race from us, no question,” Truex said with frustration about the multiple short runs toward the end of the race. “With 15 laps or so we could take the lead and drive away. We were actually a little too good on the long run, I wish maybe we could have gone the other direction a little bit and still been able to get the lead. If we were the leader, we could do okay, I could maintain, but when I was second or third or fourth, it just made me tight enough that I had to wait for the thing to come to me or wait for other guys to start getting off the bottom in front of me.
“All in all it was a great day for everybody on the Bass Pro/5-hour ENERGY Camry and all the guys did a phenomenal job this weekend. Thanks to all the guys back in Denver at the shop, it’s pretty cool to see the effort going into these last 10 – we’re going to get after them. We had a winning car, just didn’t work out for us today. Really proud of the effort.”
Alex Bowman surprised the crowd and ran as high as third in the race until a late race crash put him laps down. Photo by Rachel Myers for Speedway Media.
Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, Aric Almirola and Kyle Busch completed the first seven positions and were all Playoff drivers. Daniel Suarez, Ryan Newman and Paul Menard completed the top 10. Other Playoff drivers finished as follows.
Austin Dillon (11th)
Alex Bowman (19th)
Kurt Busch (21st)
Jimmie Johnson (22nd)
Clint Bowyer (23rd)
Denny Hamlin (32nd)
Chase Elliott (36th)
Kevin Harvick (39th)
Erik Jones (40th)
Ross Chastain, who won yesterday’s NASCAR XFINITY Series race, was knocking on the door of a top 10 finish, but a late race incident resulted in a 20th place finish with his No. 15 Xchange of America Chevrolet with Premium Motorsports.
Martin Truex Jr. Keeps the “Big 3” Strong, Wins Stage 1
While Eric Jones started on pole, he was not able to lead a lap as Joey Logano who started alongside him was able to get the advantage on the exit of Turn 4 and lead the opening 33 laps. Kevin Harvick began to hunt him down and lead a small number of laps, but the field started to take green flag pit stops. Toward the beginning of the first stage, Kyle Larson had tire issues and had to pit out of sequence, so his uphill battle started early in the race.
Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin both led one lap each during the cycles, but Regan Smith elected to stay out and lead the next 10 laps. Harvick reclaimed the lead for another 10 laps, but Martin Truex Jr. had a car that was strong on the long runs. He would get by on Lap 60 and secure the win in Stage 1. No cautions came out, and AJ Allmendinger was the beneficiary of the stage caution.
Keselowski Hunts for Three in a Row, Claims Stage 2
Ryan Blaney gets full service on his No. 12 PPG Ford at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Photo by Rachel Myers for Speedway Media.
While stage one was caution-free, Stage 2 was a new race with three yellow flag incidents. The first was for Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in Turn 3 as he smacked the outside wall. He was able to come down pit road and service his No. 17 SunnyD Ford and continue in the South Point 400.
The second yellow was thrown as Ty Dillon crashed along the frontstretch. He was able to continue around the track, but as he drove along the apron of the backstretch, the tread on his front tire fell off as he received more damage to his car.
As the second stage began to close, Kevin Harvick suddenly popped his right-front tire in Turn 2 and collected the pole winner, Erik Jones. Both would be the first of many Playoff contenders to fall victim to the afternoon’s race. Harvick’s car caught fire along the outside wall of the backstretch but he was able to climb out under his own power. Jones’s car was unable to continue as he rested on the apron of Turn 3.
“I am not happy about anything right now,” Harvick proclaimed with extreme frustration since he had a 50 point Playoff cushion coming into today’s race but saw it evaporate before his eyes.
“We have to run well at Richmond and the Roval now,” Jones said as he is now on the outside looking in.
At the final restart of the second stage, Keselowski was able to hold off a hard charging field to win Stage 2. Darrell “Bubba” Wallace was the beneficiary of the Stage 2 caution.
Mayhem Unfolds in the Final Stage of the South Point 400
In the final stage of the first Playoff race of 2018, Las Vegas Motor Speedway began to claim more Playoff drivers. At the start, Jamie McMurray won the race off pit road and led the first five laps. Kyle Larson moved his Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet past his teammate to lead for the first time of the day. He soon battled with Keselowski for the top spot. As they battled, William Byron crashed in Turn 3, which was the first of seven yellow flags of the final stage.
The field took the green and the two main drivers talked about were Brad Keselowski and Martin Truex Jr. Keselowski seemed to have the strong short-run car, but Truex was able to find a new gear with a long-run setup and start hunting down the top spot around 10 laps into a run.
While completing Lap 212, Jamie McMurray appeared to lose a right rear tire as he entered Turn 3. Committed to the low line, his car slid all the way up the track with hard impact into the outside SAFER barrier wall. Playoff contender Chase Elliott was already set for the high line and was collected in the crash. Neither driver was able to continue in the race.
Kyle Busch drove through the speedy dry where Chase Elliott’s car rested and lost control, spinning into the infield grass. Although the right-front tire went flat during his spin, his car received minimal damage. His crew went to work on his Toyota to put their Playoff driver back out onto the track in competition.
NASCAR Officials pull the pit crew of Kurt Busch away from the car as the red flag is displayed. Photo by Rachel Myers for Speedway Media.
With 30 laps to go, the field took the green for the restart. Brad Keselowski’s crew put his No. 2 Ford in front alongside Martin Truex Jr. However going into Turn 1, Kyle Larson made a three-wide pass on the outside and after another circuit around, claimed the top spot. Truex dropped back to fourth as Logano was able to also get by for the third position.
On Lap 246, Denny Hamlin lost control of his Toyota in the same spot as teammate Kyle Busch just earlier. However, as he slid through the grass, his car took severe front-end damage, ending his day.
“Should’ve just finished 10th, 15th, or wherever we were running,” Hamlin said after a disappointing run at Vegas, sharing that he was trying to get “too much out of the car.”
As the field took the green for the restart, Keselowski had a strong restart and was able to claim the lead in the middle of Turns 1 and 2. There was a three-wide battle for third, but the yellow came out as Ricky Stenhouse Jr. got loose on the exit of Turn 2. He slid to the inside of the track and hit the inside wall, similar to Chase Briscoe’s crash in yesterday’s NASCAR XFINITY Series race. Stenhouse was able to climb out of his race car under his own power and was checked and released from the infield care center.
On a late restart, Jimmie Johnson got loose and pinched Clint Bowyer into the outside wall. Alex Bowman also hit the wall after a flat left front tire. The track stayed green for a few laps, but NASCAR eventually did throw another yellow flag on Lap 263 after debris was found on the track.
Brad Keselowski does his traditional victory celebration with the American flag. He also celebrated Team Penske’s 500th career victory. Photo by Rachel Myers for Speedway Media.
With yet another restart underway, Joey Logano made his way up into the second spot, but as Keselowski started to check out on the rest of the field, multiple cars crashed in Turn 4, including two more Playoff contenders, Kurt Busch and Clint Bowyer. Michael McDowell, Ross Chastain, Matt DiBenedetto and David Ragan were also involved. With so much debris on the track, NASCAR put out the red flag for just over 10 minutes to clean up the track and set up the race for overtime.
On the first overtime attempt, Team Penske held three of the top four positions. Logano was caught sleeping on the restart, which gave Keselowski all the room he needed to give Roger Penske his 500th victory.
“That’s quite a number,” Keselowski exclaimed as his team celebrated Team Penske’s 500th victory, as well as their second-round pass into the Playoffs. “It’s really great to be a part of that and to get the last four to get us there, that’s one special time.”
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Race Unofficial Race Results for the Inaugural South Point 400 – Sunday, September 16, 2018 Las Vegas Motor Speedway – Las Vegas, NV
Ross Chastain wins the final race of the NASCAR XFINITY Series regular season and the first of his career at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the DC Solar 300.
“We did it!” Chastain yelled on the frontstretch after celebrating with donuts over the race sponsor’s logo on the frontstretch grass, who also sponsored his car for that race.
Chastain first made headline news in NASCAR media a few weeks ago after the run-in with Kevin Harvick at Darlington. Harvick pinched him into the outside wall, and Chastain immediately retaliated by spinning him out on the same straightaway. His main concern was quickly turned to car owner Chip Ganassi, as he wasn’t sure how his boss would take his reaction on track. A tweet and a phone call showed nothing but pride and confidence in his driver.
“It was so scary when the call was made to take this deal,” Chastain shared in the media center. “[Johnny Davis] believed in me to drive the 4 car and to put me in that car years ago. That’s what my career needed. This [win] is bigger than the playoffs. I’m not trying to spin the story, but this is literally a kid from Florida, eighth generation farmer who started hobby racing when I was 13. It was never supposed to be this way, so that’s why it’s so much bigger.”
Runner-up finisher, Justin Allgaier, was the regular series champion, and will take 15 additional points into the playoffs, but isn’t planning to relax going into the Playoffs.
“Yes and no,” Allgaier said when asked if he felt comfortable with the extra point cushion. “I wanted those extra five bonus points. You gotta go for race wins, you gotta go for stage wins because it’s so challenging to keep the speed but also execute.”
Cole Custer was the third driver that battled at the front all race long, but finished in the third position after what he called a race with insane restarts.
“The restarts were insane,” Custer stated. “If you were fourth on back, you were fighting for your life to try to stay in front of guys because the track position was so important. So you’re trying to block and get as many runs as you can. I feel like every track we go to, we compete for a win but it’s about having it all fall into place.”
Christopher Bell and Elliott Sadler rounded out the top five. Ryan Preece, Brandon Jones, Ryan Truex, Austin Cindric and Spencer Gallagher finished in the remaining top ten positions.
Chastain wins both stages at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the DC Solar 300. Photo by Rachel Myers for Speedway Media.
Chastain Leads Most Laps, Wins Stage 1
Cole Custer started on pole and led the opening two laps, but Ross Chastain was able to get by him. Matt Tifft failed post-qualifying inspection four times, so had to serve a pass-through penalty on Lap 1, putting his car one lap down early on.
On Lap 5, the No. 5 JR Motorsports Chevrolet of Michael Annett slid through the grass after contact with Ryan Preece. A three-wide pass was attempted on the exit of Turn 4 with Ryan Sieg to the far outside. Annett noticed this at the last second and tried to turn sharper. This caused the rear tires to lose grip, and as he caught the car, he made contact with Ryan Preece which sent his car into the grass. Annett tried to drive around onto pit road, but his car expired on the apron of Turn 1. He finished 40th with his fifth DNF.
The track was slick all stage long, but Ross Chastain was able to lead the most laps and win the first stage. He lifted off the throttle to allow Ryan Preece to get a lap back. John Jackson, Jeff Green and Annett were the only three cars out of the race at this point.
The Field Continued to Hunt Down Chastain in Stage 2
Ryan Reed takes heavy damage after contact with Matt Tifft on the exit of Turn 4 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Both drivers were treated and released from the infield care center. Photo by Rachel Myers for Speedway Media.
Chastain’s pit crew were able to keep their driver in the lead. Most of the front runners kept their positions, except for Christopher Bell who lost a couple spots on pit road.
On Lap 65, Matt Tifft and Ryan Reed made heavy contact. In the middle of Turns 3 and 4, Tifft got loose and Reed had nowhere to go, as Reed drove into the left front of Tifft’s No. 2 car. That sent Tifft spinning in the opposite direction, and Reed with no right front panels and heavy damage to his right front wheel. His car rested along the frontstretch. Reed sat next to his car to catch his breath, but thankfully was able to walk away under his own power. Tifft took longer to get out of his car because his car rested with the driver’s side against the frontstretch wall. Both drivers were checked and released from the infield car center.
On the restart, Daniel Hemric got a great push from Custer to lead a couple laps, but Chastain was able to quickly hunt him down and put his No. 42 Chevrolet in the lead. He led the rest of the laps to close out the stage. Three more cars were declared out of the race: Stan Mullis, Matt Tifft and Ryan Reed. Timmy Hill spent 24 laps behind the wall to make some repairs, but was able to rejoin the race.
Everything Goes Wild in the Final Stage at Vegas
Again, Chastain’s pit crew, who are the same members for Kyle Larson’s NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series team, puts their Xfinity driver out on top. Custer lost five spots on this pit stop, allowing everyone else to gain a spot. However, NASCAR issued two penalties: Ryan Preece for speeding on pit road, and Cole Custer for an uncontrolled tire during his pit stop.
Daniel Hemric edges ahead of Ross Chastain on the restart. Photo by Rachel Myers for Speedway Media.
On the restart, Chastain started to get pressure throughout the entire first run as Daniel Hemric started to side draft on the exit of Turns 2 and 4, getting to his rear bumper or side drafting along the straights. That didn’t last too long as Chastain was able to get back around and continue leading. As the run went longer, it appeared that Chastain’s car handled better as the run continued. Toward the beginning of the final stage, both Timmy Hill and Mike Harmon retired from the race.
As the field was facing one of the longest green flag runs of the day so far, Ryan Preece spun on the exit of Turn 2, bringing out the yellow flag around Lap 125. The whole field came down for pit stops. Similar to the other pit stops in the day, the drivers at the front continued to keep most of their positions. Hemric lost a few spots and dropped to the fifth position. Brandon Jones received a penalty for an uncontrolled tire, and went to the back of the field for the restart from his sixth place position after his pit stops.
On the restart, Chastain continued to hold the lead. However, about ten laps into the run, Allgaier moved himself into the second position. After a few side by side battles and pass attempts, he was able to eventually move his No. 7 Chevrolet into the lead and become the first driver besides Chastain to lead more than five laps.
Later in the run on Lap 149, Allgaier radioed to his crew that the car was getting tight. He was passed by Chastain and Custer, but was able to keep pace with them. At the same time, David Starr went behind wall. Ten laps later, Chastain was able to battle through lap traffic faster and grow his lead to over two seconds.
The next yellow flag came out right as green flag stops began. Vinnie Miller spun on the track to bring out that yellow flag.
As for the green flag pit stops, Daniel Hemric, Shane Lee and Cole Custer were all on pit road. Hemric got full service, Lee elected to drive down all of pit lane by skipping his pit box, but Custer’s crew called an audible. They went from a four tire stop to a two tire stop, and with all the chaos over their radio, Custer started to leave his pit box before his jackman was able to clear his path. The crew member climbed over the hood of the car all while holding onto the jack, preventing a penalty of pit equipment leaving the pit box.
As the field came down pit road under yellow, Custer stalled the car and was in position to be in the top three, but lost a spot from that. Hemric was able to get back on the lead lap from all the pit cycles, but had to take the ‘wave around’ before the restart.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. calling the race from Turns 3 and 4 with NBC Sports. Photo by Rachel Myers for Speedway Media.
Green flag waved for the restart with 20 laps to go. Allgaier was to the outside of Chastain as both drivers slightly spun their tires but got great pushes from Custer and Reddick. As the leaders continued to battle side by side, the field had three-wide battles behind them. They started to go four-wide on the front stretch, but Custer put a block to keep it three-wide. That allowed Christopher Bell to clear him and hold the outside line in the middle of Turns 1 and 2. Contact from the driver on his inside made him loose on the exit of Turn 2. Since the field was already so close to each other, everyone stacked up quickly, and the worse of the accordion effect was Chase Briscoe. He was sent spinning to the inside wall. His No. 60 Roush Fenway Racing Ford made heavy contact with the curvature of the safety crew’s track access. All four tires came off the ground from the impact and the car caught fire, but Briscoe was able to get out of his car under his own power.
The next restart was similar on the front row with Chastain on the inside and Allgaier to the outside, but the second row had a new set of pushers: Bell on the outside and Gallagher to the inside. Bell was able to push Allgaier, but Chastain got a stronger restart and pulled away from Gallagher. Going into Turn 1, Chastain slammed the door on Allgaier to clear him and secure the top spot.
On the second lap of the restart, Tyler Reddick hit the outside wall along the frontstretch while trying to block Brandon Jones, and came down in front of the second half of the field. As Reddick came down across the field, he clipped the right rear of Shane Lee, which sent him up into the field and collected his Richard Childress teammate, Daniel Hemric. Jones was the only one able to continue in the race.
With six laps to go, the field took the final restart. Chastain seemed to be flawless everywhere with his team: setup, pit stops and restarts. This was no different. Going into Turn 1, Chastain was able to clear Allgaier once again and never looked back. He led the most laps, as well as the one that counted to take the checkered flag.
“With two laps to go, I had a tear come down my face and I told myself, ‘Don’t cry,’” the Florida watermelon farmer told himself as he completed the closing laps.
The NASCAR XFINITY Series holds their Playoff opener at Richmond Raceway on September 21.
NASCAR Xfinity Series Race Unofficial Race Results for the Inaugural Dc Solar 300 – Saturday, September 15, 2018 Las Vegas Motor Speedway – Las Vegas, NV
In the last race of the NASCAR Xfinity Series regular season, Cole Custer sets the pace for the pole position at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the inaugural DC Solar 300 with a speed of 179.295 mph at 30.118 seconds.
“Yeah, that was one of the craziest qualifying sessions I’ve had,” Custer shared on pit road after winning his fifth career pole in the XFINITY Series.
Custer was over two-tenths faster than Austin Cindric, who edged out Elliott Sadler and Christopher Bell by thousands of a second between those three drivers. Ross Chastain fought his way to a fifth place effort.
Shane Lee in his first 1.5 mile oval attempt stayed in the top ten of qualifying all day, and will start in sixth. JR Motorsports teammates Tyler Reddick, Justin Allgaier and Michael Annett will start seventh through ninth respectively. The last two drivers to attempt a qualifying time in the final round were Ryan Sieg and Ryan Reed.
Jeremy Clements was the only driver in the final round that did not make an attempt to qualify, so his No. 51 Chevrolet will start in the 12th spot in today’s race.
Last Second Lap gives Custer the Pole in the First Round of Qualifying
The No. 00 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford set the pace early in qualifying with a speed of 177.032 mph in the first round of qualifying. After struggling to get through the inspection line, Custer was able to finally pass inspection, finish their final preparations and cross the start/finish line to begin their qualifying attempt with 40 seconds left on the clock. JR Motorsports teammates Justin Allgaier and Tyler Reddick were close in the top three. Christopher Bell and Elliott Sadler completed the top five, but Shane Lee was the one who held the top spot the longest for his first 1.5 mile race.
During the first stage of qualifying, many cars failed inspection, mostly in the rear end. A few teams even failed the second time, putting the car chiefs in jeopardy. According to NASCAR’s rulebook, if a team fails inspection three times, the car chief is ejected from the race and facility for the rest of the weekend. Because of this, some teams elected to not to go through inspection. Matt Tifft was one driver that failed inspection for a third time, so his car chief was ejected for the remainder of the weekend.
David Starr qualified 24th in the first round to be the last driver to move into the second round. He will start in that spot for Saturday’s DC Solar 300. Photo by Rachel Myers for Speedway Media.
Qualifying was halted for a red flag incident with Garrett Smithley, who collided with the outside wall. In qualifying, any incidents that would usually be a yellow flag in race conditions is a red flag. This halts the timer, but inspections continued to give teams a little extra time. Smithley would have to start at the rear of the field in a backup car.
David Starr held the last transferable spot going into the second round, as he beat Timmy Hill.
The drivers that either elected to not attempt a qualifying run or were held up with tech inspection included Daniel Hemric, Stan Mullis, Matt Tifft, Brandon Jones, Ryan Preece and Ryan Truex.
Custer Sweeps Both Stages of Qualifying
Cole Custer kept his top spot in the second round of qualifying with a speed of 178.406 mph. Ross Chastain found himself in the top 10 of qualifying for the first time with a runner-up effort. Austin Cindric, Tyler Reddick and Christopher Bell completed the top five of the second round.
Roughly four drivers made some last run attempts to get into the final round of qualifying but fell short of the top 12. The closest of these was Chase Briscoe, but as he took the green flag, the car got loose and was close to hitting the outside wall at the exit of Turn 4. He pulled out onto the track earlier in the session, but after he took the green flag, the car bobbled in the bumps of Turns 1 and 2, so he wisely backed out to get a better attempt later in the session.
Four drivers in the second stage did not set a qualifying time: Ray Black II, Cole Rouse, BJ McLeod and David Starr.
Starting Lineup Las Vegas Motor Speedway Inaugural DC Solar 300
After a wild race with 5-wide passing, Grant Enfinger emerges on top to grab the win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the World of Westgate 200 in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
“Unbelievable day,” Enfinger said with a big sigh of relief. “[David] Pepper over here is pretty dry is it comes, so it’s kinda happy to see him get choked up a bit. We’ve put together a couple individual performances that could’ve won a race throughout the year, and this was the first time we put the whole package together. It’s a testament to ThorSport Racing.”
Johnny Sauter was rarely in the top ten, but managed to get better throughout the night. The final stage and restarts had his truck fighting for the win.
“We were off a little bit,” Sauter shared in the media center after the race. “So hats off to Joe and all my guys for working it all over. We drove to the lead, and felt like we were in good shape, but caution after caution after caution. Struggled on the restarts tonight, so we have work to do there.”
Sauter explained more specific frustrations claiming some competitors had built motors.
“Restarts are crazy. You have built motors out there that can turn an additional 1500 RPMs going on the restarts, so you feel very vulnerable. The No. 16 and 88 had built motors, and you’re at a disadvantage especially late in the race, and it’s been that way all year. It’s starting to really piss me off.”
Ben Rhodes and Matt Crafton completed the results of the top five finishers. The other three playoff contenders were Brett Moffit, Stewart Friesen and Noah Gragson, who finished 11th, 17th and 18th respectively.
“We didn’t start off the best,” Haley said as he addressed the media. “We didn’t qualify too well, and were running with Johnny [Sauter] there. I’m really tired since I’m still on east coast time, but it was a good night. I agree with Johnny on the built motor statement, and it definitely is a disadvantage. I think it’s going to be a bigger disadvantage going into Homestead where there’s tire fall off.”
As Haley made these statements, Sauter was nodding his head.
Noah Gragson Leads All Laps in Stage 1
While running the second lap of competition, Tanner Thorson in the No. 20 GO Share Chevrolet swerved in the entry of Turn 4 to avoid a collision, causing his truck to drift outside of the preferred racing line and smacked the outside wall. His truck started to smoke from the damage along the front stretch, but before he could complete the third lap and enter pit road, his truck caught fire at the entrance of pit road, bringing out the first yellow of the race. He was evaluated and released from the infield care center.
As the field took the green for the second time of the evening, Matt Crafton, who started from the back, made an exciting 5-wide move on the back stretch to fight his way up to the sixth position. Joe Nemechek was the only other truck that
At the end of the first stage, Noah Gragson not only led all 30 laps but ran in front to over a four second lead over John Hunter Nemechek, 52, 4, 51. This was Gragson’s 10th stage win of the season.
Grant Enfinger Claims the Stage 2 Victory
As the field took the green flag for the second stage, Grant Enfinger was the dominant truck leading the most laps. On Lap 46, Bo LeMastus spun in Turn 3 to bring out the third yellow flag of the night. The second stage also saw more lead changes.
Gragson started to lead the opening laps, but was quickly passed by Friesen. Grant Enfinger put his truck out in front for one lap before Friesen reclaimed the top spot. The last 11 laps were led by Enfinger. The only yellow flag in the second stage was for the No. 17 Toyota of LeMastus.
Strategies Unfold in the Final Stage
Todd Gilliland was running in the top 10 for most of the race, but on lap 82, was battling with Friesen. On the front stretch, Gilliland tried to tuck in behind Friesen entering Turn 1, but Jesse Little was too close behind Friesen. Gilliland and Little made contact, sending Gilliland into the outside wall.
During pit stops, the various strategies between the teams began to unfold. Enfinger was the only truck that elected for fuel only. A small handful of drivers got right-side tires, and the rest of the field, including Gragson and Sauter, received full service.
With almost thirty laps to go, a four-wide pass on the backstretch caused contact with the outer two drivers. Gragson, the furthest to the outside, receive right front damage and a lap later, blew the left front tire. While he was able to keep it off the wall and enter pit road, he also received a commitment line violation as he entered pit road too late.
Friesen slipped out of Turn 4 and slid through the grass. Because of all the debris that got tossed onto the track, NASCAR through the yellow flag, trapping Noah Gragson a lap down. Gragson visited pit road multiple times after the right rear tire started to go flat.
With 13 laps to go, Cory Roper’s truck stalled on the front stretch to bring out the yellow flag. Brandon Jones also brought his Toyota Tundra on pit road, and as the crew raised the hood, it appeared that his truck was done for the race.
Stewart Friesen spun again on lap 130 to bring out the caution with five laps to go.
Three Attempts to Finish the World of Westgate 200
The “Big One” erupts at Vegas during the second overtime finish attempt. Photo by Rachel Myers for Speedway Media.
On the first attempt to finish the race with a green-white-checkered, it all started on the restart. While Brett Moffit got a great start on the outside, Johnny Sauter slightly slipped on the restart, but was able to stay within a truck-length of Moffit. However, Ben Rhodes made a move to the inside on the apron going into Turn 1. That forced both drivers to back out of the throttle and cram the field behind them. Sauter played defense on the exit of Turn 2 and along the backstretch. Thinking he was clear, he tried to close the door on Enfinger, but contact between the two trucks caused Sauter to go sideways slightly on the backstretch, but towards the back of the field. Cody Caughlin ended up spinning out, making heavy contact with the inside wall. The yellow came out before the leaders took the white flag, forcing a second attempt to finish the race.
On this restart, the field seemed to have a better start as a whole. Moffit still had a strong restart, but as the field entered the backstretch, mayhem began to unfold. By the time they entered Turn 3, there were three different 3-wide battles, one 4-wide battle and one 5-wide battle. Before the leaders could get to the start/finish line, the No. 25 truck of Timothy Peters was sideways in the exit of Turn 4. Roughly nine trucks were involved, including John Hunter Nemechek, TJ Bell, Jordan Anderson and Austin Hill.
The race was red flagged for just over ten minutes to clean up debris and fluid from pit road entrance, in the grass and along the front stretch.
The final attempt was heartbreak for Moffit. When the green flag waved for the last restart, Moffit’s truck appeared to not pick up fuel in time, as he barely got out of Sauter’s way in the outside lane. Moffit would eventually get back up to speed, but not before most of the field got around him. He finished 11th.
“Just ran out of fuel,” Moffit shared “I didn’t put enough in the pick up.”
Enfinger to his inside took full advantage and cleared the field going into Turn 1. He never looked back, leading the final two laps to claim the victory over Johnny Sauter.
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races again at Talladega Superspeedway on October 13. Visit the Talladega Superspeedway website to purchase tickets today!
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Unofficial Race Results for the 22Nd Annual World Of Westgate 200 – Friday, September 14, 2018 Las Vegas Motor Speedway – Las Vegas, NV – 1.5 Mile Paved Total Race Length – 144 Laps – 216 Miles
Pos
St
Trk
Driver
Team
Make
1
3
98
Grant Enfinger
(P) Champion Power Equipment/Curb Records
Ford
2
6
21
Johnny Sauter
(P) Allegiant
Chevrolet
3
12
24
Justin Haley
(P) Fraternal Order Of Eagles
Chevrolet
4
18
41
Ben Rhodes
(P) The Carolina Nut Co.
Ford
5
29
88
Matt Crafton
(P) Ideal Door/Menards
Ford
6
13
13
Myatt Snider #
Century Container
Ford
7
24
15
Ross Chastain(i)
Premium Motorsports
Chevrolet
8
21
30
Austin Theriault
Cross Insurance
Toyota
9
25
22
Austin Wayne
Self GO TEXAN
Chevrolet
10
4
54
Chris Eggleston
H2O Fire Protection
Toyota
11
9
16
Brett Moffitt
(P) TZ
Toyota
12
27
10
Jennifer Jo
Cobb Waldo’s Painting Company
Chevrolet
13
20
7
Korbin Forrister
TruClear
Toyota
14
30
45
Justin Fontaine #
ProMATIC Automation/Superior Essex
Chevrolet
15
26
97
Jesse Little
JJL Motorsports
Ford
16
28
83
Bayley Currey
Chevrolet
17
2
52
Stewart Friesen
(P) We Build America
Chevrolet
18
1
18
Noah Gragson
(P) Safelite AutoGlass
Toyota
19
14
25
Timothy Peters
Kingman
Chevrolet
20
32
3
Jordan Anderson
Commercial Property Services
Chevrolet
21
23
38
TJ Bell
Niece Equipment
Chevrolet
22
8
8
John Hunter
Nemechek(i) Berry’s Manufacturing
Chevrolet
23
16
02
Austin Hill
Young’s Building Systems/Randco
Chevrolet
24
15
2
Cody Coughlin
GOD BLESS THE BROKEN ROAD
Chevrolet
25
19
04
Cory Roper
Preferred Industrial Contractors Inc.
Ford
26
7
51
Brandon Jones(i)
Delta Faucet/Menards
Toyota
27
10
4
Todd Gilliland #
JBL/SiriusXM
Toyota
28
31
49
Wendell Chavous
Sobriety Nation
Chevrolet
29
5
46
Riley Herbst
Advance Auto Parts
Toyota
30
17
17
Bo LeMastus #
Crosley Brands
Toyota
31
22
87
Joe Nemechek
Harrah’s
Chevrolet
32
11
20
Tanner Thorson
GO Share
Chevrolet
(P) Playoff Contender
(i) Ineligible for driver points in this series
(#) Rookie
Erik Jones will kick off the playoffs by winning the pole for Sunday’s Inaugural South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series at 188.121 mph in 28.705 seconds.
“It’s exciting to be in the Playoffs for the first time,” proclaimed Jones. “In the Cup Series, you want to be in contention for a championship. This is our opportunity to do it this year. It’s going to be fun. It’s going to be challenging. It’s going to be a new experience.”
Joey Logano was 0.003 seconds off the top spot, and will start on Jones’s outside. Both drivers were the only competitors to run a 188 mph average speed in the final stage of qualifying.
“Just not quite fast enough. I hate being three-thousandths of a second off,” Logano shared as he was frustrated by the short margin. “I am proud of the effort everyone has put into this car. We have a good Pennzoil Ford to run here at Vegas. I am excited about that. Just didn’t finish the turn quite good enough. Got into the corner and turned the first part alright but couldn’t finish the center to the deepest point of the corner. So we will start second and race from there.”
Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch, who was hundredths of a second from being eliminated in the first round of qualifying, wound up third and fourth in the final stage of qualifying. Kevin Harvick was the only one of the “Big 3” to consistently run up front in all three stages of qualifying and will start fifth.
“It was good”, Harvick confidently stated. “We fought tight the whole time and at the last one I got it in there a little too high in turn one and could never really get it back to the bottom but it was still a good lap.”
The rest of the final stage results for positions six through twelve went to Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott, Kurt Busch, Alex Bowman, Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Larson and Jamie McMurray, the only non-Playoff contender in the final stage of qualifying.
Earlier Stages of Qualifying for the Inaugural South Point 400:
In the first stage of qualifying, Kevin Harvick held the top spot over Joey Logano, Alex Bowman, Kyle Larson and Client Bowyer. All playoff drivers made it to Round 2, but Kyle Busch bobbles in the middle of 3 and 4, almost costing him as he finishes 24th in the first round, barely edging out Regan Smith and Matt DiBenedetto.
The second stage had Erik Jones at the top of the charts with a slightly slower time than the first stage. Harvick, Logano, Hamlin and Larson was the top five positions going into the final stage. The Playoff drivers eliminated at the second stage were Brad Keselowski, Clint Bowyer, Aric Almirola, Jimmie Johnson and Austin Dillon.
Starting Lineup Las Vegas Motor Speedway Inaugural South Point 400
Pos
Car
Driver
Team
Make
1
20
Erik Jones (P)
DeWalt
Toyota
2
22
Joey Logano (P)
Pennzoil
Ford
3
11
Denny Hamlin (P)
FedEx Ground
Toyota
4
18
Kyle Busch (P)
M&M’s
Toyota
5
4
Kevin Harvick (P)
Mobil 1
Ford
6
12
Ryan Blaney (P)
PPG
Ford
7
9
Chase Elliott (P)
NAPA Auto Parts
Chevrolet
8
41
Kurt Busch (P)
Haas Automation
Ford
9
88
Alex Bowman (P)
Valvoline
Chevrolet
10
78
Martin Truex Jr. (P)
5-hour ENERGY
Toyota
11
42
Kyle Larson (P)
DC Solar Vegas Strong
Chevrolet
12
1
Jamie McMurray
GEARWRENCH
Chevrolet
13
2
Brad Keselowski (P)
Autotrader
Ford
14
17
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
SunnyD
Ford
15
14
Clint Bowyer (P)
One Cure
Ford
16
10
Aric Almirola (P)
Smithfield
Ford
17
48
Jimmie Johnson (P)
Lowe’s for Pros
Chevrolet
18
3
Austin Dillon (P)
DOWFROST
Chevrolet
19
19
Daniel Suarez
ARRIS
Toyota
20
21
Paul Menard
Menards/Aquafina
Ford
21
24
William Byron #
AXALTA
Chevrolet
22
31
Ryan Newman
Liberty National
Chevrolet
23
6
Trevor Bayne
AdvoCare Rehydrate
Ford
24
34
Michael McDowell
Speedco/Rotella
Ford
25
95
Regan Smith
Procore
Chevrolet
26
32
Matt DiBenedetto
Zynga Poker
Ford
27
38
David Ragan
MDS Transport
Ford
28
37
Chris Buescher
Natural Light Race Day Resume
Chevrolet
29
47
AJ Allmendinger
Kroger ClickList
Chevrolet
30
13
Ty Dillon
GEICO
Chevrolet
31
43
Bubba Wallace #
World Wide Technology
Chevrolet
32
72
Corey LaJoie
Dragonchain
Chevrolet
33
99
Kyle Weatherman
StarCom Fiber
Chevrolet
34
15
Ross Chastain(i)
Xchange of America
Chevrolet
35
96
Jeffrey Earnhardt
American Soldier Network/Xtreme Concepts
Chevrolet
36
23
JJ Yeley(i)
Steakhouse Elite
Toyota
37
00
Landon Cassill(i)
StarCom Fiber
Chevrolet
38
51
BJ McLeod(i)
Jacob Companies
Ford
39
66
Timmy Hill(i)
Rewards.com
Toyota
40
7
Reed Sorenson
Chevrolet
(P) Playoff Contender
(i) Ineligible for driver points in this series
(#) Rookie
With a dominating time of 30.331 seconds at 178.036 mph, Noah Gragson will start in the top spot for this evening’s World of Westgate 200 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. He was only 0.005 seconds shy of the qualifying record.
Stewart Friesen will start to his outside in the second position. Grant Enfinger, Chris Eggleston and Riley Herbst rounds out the top five. The other drivers to make the final round of qualifying include Johnny Sauter, Brandon Jones, John Hunter Nemechek, Brett Moffit, Todd Gilliland, Tanner Thorson and Justin Haley. All drivers will start in that respective order.
“We were fast there earlier on in the spring with my Safelite AutoGlass Toyota Tundra,” stated Gragson as he reflected on his race earlier this year. “We restarted the final restart in second place, but the left-rear tire was chorded, so we didn’t get the result that we showed all throughout the race, but we ran in the top three the whole time. It’s another opportunity to chase a checkered flag.”
Gragson was fastest in the first round of qualifying at his hometrack, with Stewart Friesen and Kyle Busch Motorsports teammate Brandon Jones rounding out the top three starting positions. Gragson was fifth fastest in final practice, but only 16th during first practice; however, he set the fastest 10 consecutive lap average over Matt Crafton. All four KBM trucks made the final round of qualifying.
Two playoff contenders did not make the second round of qualifying. Ben Rhodes was only able to place himself in the 18th starting position in his No. 41 The Carolina Nut Co. Ford. The other was Matt Crafton, who starts 30th with an unusual qualifying run, and puts him in an uphill battle being one of the playoff contenders. Earlier in the day, the No. 88 Ideal Door / Menards Ford was fourth and third fastest in both practices respectively.
Some trucks were required to qualify on speed, but the unfortunate three that did not make the field included Tate Fogleman, JJ Yeley and Norm Benning.
Tune into the only September Truck race of 2018 by listening live on radio with MRN (Motor Racing Network) or watch on television with FS1 later this evening at 9:00pm ET.
Time Trial Results Las Vegas Motor Speedway 22nd Annual World of Westgate 200 Qualifying Round: 2
With fresher tires, Brad Keselowski was able to pass Denny Hamlin in the final laps and win Monday’s rain-delayed Monster Energy NASCAR Series (MENCS) Big Machine Vodka 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Keselowski stayed out as long as possible in the final stage along with a caution flagged allowed him to restart the top-10 and then move up to third before the final caution came out with less than 10 laps remaining.
“I gotta give credit where credit is due. My crew chief, Paul Wolfe, made a heck of a call to pit there late in that run and the yellow came out and we had new tires and started eighth and it was kind of like it gave me the ball. You know how that goes. I had to make a play. I knew it was going to be tough. We weren’t a dominant car by any means but Paul and everyone executed an incredible race.”
Keselowski restarted third on the race’s final restart with three laps to go. Keselowski and Hamlin made contact several times for the lead, but Keselowski prevailed for his second straight win his 26th career MENCS victory and the first Brickyard win for team owner Roger Penske.
“It is incredible. Last year I lost this race almost the exact same way. To bring it home this way feels really good to make up for my mess up last year. To give Roger Penske his first Cup car win here at the Brickyard is just an incredible feeling. I am so happy for everyone at Team Penske.” Keselowski said.
“This is certainly a great win for Team Penske. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is such a special place to me personally and the success we have enjoyed there has really helped build our team and continue to raise our level of performance. Earning Team Penske’s first win in the Brickyard 400, especially coming just a couple of months after winning the Indianapolis 500, is a credit to everyone that works so hard throughout our organization. Congratulations to Brad (Keselowski), Paul (Wolfe) and everyone on the No. 2 Discount Tire Ford team. Well done and now we look forward to the opportunity to pursue Team Penske’s 500th win!” Penske said.
Erik Jones finished second, Hamlin third, Kevin Harvick fourth and Clint Bowyer rounded out the top five.
Kyle Busch finished eighth and captured the Regular Season Championship.
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Point Standings
1. Kyle Busch, 2,050 points
2. Kevin Harvick, 2,050
3. Martin Truex Jr., 2,035
4. Brad Keselowski, 2,019
5. Clint Bowyer, 2,015
6. Joey Logano, 2,014
7. Kurt Busch, 2,014
8. Chase Elliott, 2,008
9. Ryan Blaney, 2,007
10. Erik Jones, 2,005
11. Austin Dillon, 2,005
12. Kyle Larson, 2,005
13. Denny Hamlin, 2,003
14. Aric Almirola, 2,001
15. Jimmie Johnson, 2,000
16. Alex Bowman, 2,000
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Unofficial Race Results for the 25Th Annual Big Machine Vodka 400 At The Brickyard September 10, 2018 – Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Justin Allgaier took the checkered flag Monday in the rain-delayed NASCAR XFINITY Series event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, his fifth win of 2018. Allgaier took the checkered 0.092 seconds ahead of Tyler Reddick and Ryan Blaney, with Chase Elliott in fourth and Daniel Hemric in fifth. Sixth through 10th was Matt Tifft, Christopher Bell, Austin Dillon, Chase Briscoe, and Brandon Jones.
The race saw 14 lead changes between nine drivers, with Allgaier leading the most laps at 41. The race also saw seven cautions with the last turning into a red flag when contact from John Hunter Nemechek sent Ryan Preece into a tire barrier with hard contact. The race was stopped for 10 minutes while the barrier was repaired. Preece was otherwise uninjured.
Allgaier was emotional in his frontstretch interview, dedicating the win to his family.
“I used to come here and stand in the grandstands and watch the Indy 500 and the Brickyard 400 up in turn one, which is why I decided to do a burnout right there,” said Allgaier. “[My Dad] used to drive me up here to Brickyard Crossing every Wednesday night to help me become the best driver I could be in and out of the car…this is awesome.”
The race’s biggest incident happened on a lap-23 restart when Ty Dillon was turned, taking out Elliott Sadler, Austin Cindric, and Spencer Boyd, while Ryan Reed and Christopher Bell were also involved.
With one race left in the regular season Allgaier leads the win total with five wins to Bell’s four. Meanwhile Reddick earned his best finish since his win at Daytona in February, while Briscoe’s ninth-place finish was his career-best result.
The next race will be the DC Solar 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway at 5 p.m. ET on Saturday on NBCSN.
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Unofficial Race Results for the 7Th Annual Lilly Diabetes 250 – Saturday, September 8, 2018
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
