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Category: NASCAR Cup Series

NASCAR Cup Series

  • Larson reigns supreme with first Cup victory of 2023 at Richmond

    Larson reigns supreme with first Cup victory of 2023 at Richmond

    Nearly a month after having a pair of victories within the West Coast region slip out of his grasp, Kyle Larson gained a needed late break to exit pit road ahead of the field and fend off the competition through two late-race restarts to win the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway on Sunday, April 2, for his first elusive NASCAR Cup Series victory of the 2023 season.

    The 2021 Cup Series champion from Elk Grove, California, led four times for 93 of 400 scheduled laps in an event that was dominated by drivers between Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing. After enduring an up-and-down day, where he led in certain portions of the event before trailing the front-runners and slightly damaging his car amid contact with Daniel Suarez on pit road during the second stage, Larson capitalized on a pit stop under caution due to Tyler Reddick’s spin to beat the field off of pit road and cycle back to the lead. From there, he fended off substitute teammate Josh Berry and the competition through two restarts under the final 21 laps to grab his first victory of the season.

    With on-track qualifying that was scheduled to occur on Saturday canceled due to inclement weather, the starting lineup for the main event was determined through a qualifying metric system from NASCAR’s rulebook qualifying procedure. Based on the metric system, Alex Bowman, the series points leader, was awarded the pole position and was joined on the front row by Kyle Busch.

    When the green flag waved and the race commenced, Bowman and Busch engaged in a side-by-side battle for the lead for a full lap before Busch was able to lead the first lap by a hair on the outside lane as the entire field battled in close-quarters racing through two lanes. Bowman, however, was able to clear Busch and the field during the following lap as he assumed the clean air with the lead. Behind, teammate William Byron battled and overtook Busch for second as Ross Chastain and Tyler Reddick proceeded to battle Busch for third.

    By Lap 10 and with a series of on-track battles continuing around the short circuit, Byron, who had been closing in on teammate Bowman for the lead, made a strong move to Bowman’s outside entering the frontstretch to assume the lead in his No. 24 Raptor Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. He continued to lead the field through the Lap 20 mark while Bowman fell back to fourth as Chastain and Reddick overtook him. Soon after, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. muscled his way into the top five after overtaking Kyle Busch while Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin cracked the top 10 behind Kyle Larson and Austin Cindric.

    When the competition caution flew on Lap 30, Byron retained the lead by more than two seconds over Chastain and more than three seconds over third-place Reddick while Bowman, Stenhouse, Larson, Kyle Busch, Harvick, Cindric and Hamlin were in the top 10. By then, all 37 starters were scored on the lead lap, with names like Martin Truex Jr., Christopher Bell, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, Daniel Suarez, Brad Keselowski, rookie Ty Gibbs, Chase Briscoe, Bubba Wallace, Aric Almirola, Austin Dillon, Josh Berry, AJ Allmendinger and Erik Jones were in 11th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 17th, 19th, 20th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 25th, 26th, 27th and 29th. In addition, Chandler Smith, winner of Saturday’s Xfinity event at Richmond and who was making his Cup Series debut for Kaulig Racing, was back in 34th.

    During the competition caution, the entire field led by Byron pitted, and amid a jammed-packed exit off of pit lane, Chastain exited with the lead followed by Byron, Bowman, Reddick, Busch and Larson. During the pit stops, Hamlin was sent to the rear of the field for speeding on pit road along with Todd Gilliland, who was penalized for equipment interference. In addition, Stenhouse, who was running in the top five prior to the competition caution, endured a long pit stop due to a mechanical issue as he took his No. 47 Kroger Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 to the garage.

    During the following restart on Lap 38, the field fanned out to four lanes as Chastain rocketed his No. 1 Jockey Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 with the lead followed by Byron and Reddick while teammates Larson and Bowman battle for fourth. With Larson eventually overtaking Bowman for position, Logano followed suit to move his No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang into the top five while Bowman was being pressured by Kevin Harvick for more. As Ryan Blaney moved up the leaderboard to eighth in front of Daniel Suarez and Keselowski, Kyle Busch slipped out of the top 10.

    Then on Lap 44, the caution flew when Hamlin, who was running just outside of the top 30 and was trying to rally from the rear of the field from his pit road speeding penalty, bumped and sent JJ Yeley sideways as Yeley backed his car into the Turn 1 outside wall with significant rear end damage. During the caution period, some like Suarez, Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Preece, Aric Almirola, Erik Jones, Corey LaJoie, Allmendinger, Justin Haley, Ty Dillon and Chandler Smith pitted while the rest led by Chastain remained on the track.

    When the event restarted under green on Lap 50, Chastain struggled to launch on the gas, which allowed Byron and Larson to trap Chastain with a three-wide move as both Hendrick Motorsports competitors muscled away with the top-two spots. With Chastain falling back to third, teammates Byron and Larson engaged in a side-by-side duel for the lead for the following two laps until Byron managed to clear Larson and retain the lead. Behind, Harvick started to close in on his bid for the lead in fourth behind Chastain while a series of battles ensued within the middle of the pack.

    Just past the Lap 60 mark, Byron was leading by eight-tenths of a second over teammate Larson followed by Chastain and Harvick while Reddick was in fifth. By then, Logano was in sixth in front of Bowman, Keselowski, Bell and Briscoe while Kyle Busch was back in 12th. Meanwhile, Truex, who was the first competitor with four fresh tires after pitting during the previous caution period, carved his No. 19 Auto-Owners Insurance Toyota TRD Camry up to 16th.

    When the first stage concluded on Lap 70, Byron captured his fifth stage victory of the 2023 Cup season. Teammate Larson settled in second followed by Chastain, Harvick and Logano while Reddick, Bowman, Bell, Keselowski and Briscoe were scored in the top 10.

    Under the stage break, the entire field led by Byron returned to pit road for service. Following the pit stops, Byron retained the lead after exiting pit road first followed by teammate Larson, then Chastain, Harvick, Logano and Bowman. During the pit stops, Blaney and Allmendinger were penalized for speeding on pit road.

    The second stage started on Lap 79 as teammates Byron and Larson occupied the front row. At the start, Byron rocketed with the lead ahead of Larson, Chastain, Harvick and Logano while Bowman, who struggled with launch pace in his No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 on restarts, was being challenged by Chase Briscoe for sixth. As the field behind fanned out to three lanes, Byron maintained his advantage to six-tenths of a second over Larson. By Lap 82, however, Chastain navigated his way around Larson for second. Meanwhile, Kyle Busch was mired back in 10th behind Bell and Keselowski while Hamlin was battling Ryan Preece for 14th.

    On Lap 94, the caution returned when Blaney, who was running within the top 30 and trying to rally from his pit road speeding penalty during the first stage’s conclusion, bumped and sent Josh Berry’s No. 9 NAPA Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 spinning in Turn 4, with Berry managing to keep his car off the wall with no damage. During the caution period, the entire field led by Byron returned to pit road for service and Byron retained the lead after exiting pit road first followed by Larson, Chastain, Bowman, Logano and Bell. During the pit stops, Harvick, who pitted from fifth place, endured a slow pit stop and fell back to 16th. In addition, Team Penske’s Logano and Cindric pitted for a second time, with Logano addressing a loose right rear wheel while Cindric addressed power issues to his No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang.

    With the event restarting under green on Lap 101, the field fanned out to three lanes through the first two turns as Byron retained the lead over Larson and Chastain. Behind, Bowman slotted himself into fourth while Bell, the highest-running Joe Gibbs Racing competitor on the track, was in fifth. By then, Truex was up in eighth behind Suarez and Keselowski while Briscoe and Kyle Busch battled for ninth.

    Through the first 125 laps of the event, Larson, who assumed the lead over Byron in his No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 a lap earlier, was leading by half a second over teammate Byron followed by Chastain, Bell and Bowman while Keselowski, Truex, Suarez, Hamlin and Briscoe were in the top 10. By then, Ty Gibbs was in 11th ahead of Kyle Busch Harvick, Preece and Bubba Wallace while Blaney, Reddick, Almirola, Michael McDowell and Todd Gilliland occupied the top 20. Behind, Austin Dillon was in 21st followed by Harrison Burton, Logano, Berry and Corey LaJoie while Chris Buescher, rookie Noah Gragson, Haley, Ty Dillon and Cindric were in the top 30 as 35 of 37 starters were scored on the lead lap.

    Twenty-five laps later, Larson extended his advantage to more than two seconds over teammate Byron while Chastain and Bell battled for third in front of Bowman. By then, Buescher and Berry made pit stops under green while Ty Gibbs carved his No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota TRD Camry into ninth place behind teammates Truex and Hamlin along with Keselowski. Meanwhile, Harvick had fallen back to 11th behind Suarez.

    Nearing the Lap 155 mark, green flag pit stops started to slowly commence as Reddick pitted his No. 45 SiriusXM Toyota TRD Camry. Truex, Kyle Busch, Gilliland and Logano would also pit nearing the Lap 160 mark followed by Byron. The leader Larson would then pit along with Bell, Burton, Chastain, Suarez, Harvick, Briscoe, Erik Jones and others. During the pit stops, Larson and Suarez made contact on pit road as Larson was trying to exit his pit stall while Suarez was trying to enter his. Amid the pit stops, Hamlin assumed the lead followed by teammate Gibbs, Blaney and Austin Dillon, all of whom had yet to make a pit stop. Once Hamlin pitted on Lap 166 along with Gibbs, Blaney and Dillon, Larson cycled his way back into the lead followed by Byron, Bell, Bowman, Chastain and Truex. Following the pit stops, Blaney was penalized for removing a wrench out of his pit box, an issue that would cost him a lap behind the leaders.

    By Lap 175, Larson was leading by half a second over teammate Byron while Bell, Bowman and Chastain were running in the top five. Truex was in sixth ahead of Keselowski while Berry navigated his way to eighth followed by Hamlin and Reddick as Harvick trailed behind in 11th.

    At the halfway mark on Lap 200, Byron, who assumed the lead from teammate Larson three laps earlier, was leading by eight-tenths of a second over Bell while Larson, who fell back to third, was battling tight conditions to his No. 5 entry as a result of the right-front fender damage from hitting Suarez’s No. 99 Quaker State Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 on pit road. Truex and Bowman were in the top five followed by Chastain, Hamlin, Keselowski, Harvick and Ty Gibbs while 21 of 37 starters were scored on the lead lap.

    Seven laps later, Bell overtook Byron, who was stuck behind lapped traffic, particularly Harrison Burton, to move his No. 20 Rheem Toyota TRD Camry into the lead as he became the seventh different leader of the event. By then, teammate Truex overtook Larson for fourth while Hamlin was in fifth after claiming the spot over Bowman.

    When the second stage concluded on Lap 230, Hamlin, who cycled his way around teammate Bell for the lead two laps earlier and rallied from his early pit road speeding penalty, claimed his first stage victory of the 2023 Cup season. Bell settled in second by Byron, Truex and Chastain while Keselowski, Bowman, Larson, Harvick and Ty Gibbs were scored in the top 10. By then, 19 of 38 starters were scored on the lead lap.

    Under the stage break, the lead lap field led by Hamlin pitted and Hamlin retained the lead after exiting pit road first followed by Byron, Truex, Bell, Bowman and Keselowski.

    With 160 laps remaining, the final stage started as Hamlin and Byron occupied the front row. At the start, Hamlin rocketed out his No. 11 SHINGRIX Toyota TRD Camry in front to retain the lead followed by Byron and Truex as the field behind jostled and fanned out for positions, among which included Logano as he tried to carve his way into the top 15. As the laps proceeded, Keselowski, who was in eighth in front of Chastain and Larson, radioed gearing issues to his No. 6 Solomon Plumbing Ford Mustang as his car kept coming out of fourth gear, though he continued under race pace.

    With 125 laps remaining, Hamlin was leading by half a second over teammate Truex while third-place Byron trailed by more than three seconds. Harvick and Bell were running in the top five followed by Larson, Bowman, Keselowski, Chastain and Preece while Wallace, Logano, Briscoe, Gibbs and Almirola were in the top 15.

    Then with nearly 110 laps remaining, another cycle of green flag pit stops commenced as Truex, who was closing in on teammate Hamlin for the lead, pitted along with Suarez, Josh Berry and Kyle Busch. By then, Allmendinger, who was not on the lead lap, had made a pit stop. Soon after, a multitude of names that included Larson, Bowman, Chastain, Gibbs, Briscoe, McDowell, Burton, Austin Dillon, Reddick, Byron, Cindric, Keselowski and Preece pitted as Hamlin continued to lead. With 107 laps remaining, however, Hamlin surrendered the lead to pit along with Bell and Harvick. During his pit stop, Hamlin endured a slow service for his pit crew to change the right-front tire. Once the last set of names that included Bubba Wallace, Logano and Blaney pitted, with Wallace being penalized for a safety violation after a crew member fell over the wall, Truex cycled his way into the lead with 105 laps remaining.

    With less than 100 laps remaining, Truex was leading by more than two seconds over Larson followed by Byron, Bowman and Bell while Chastain, Harvick, Almirola, Keselowski and Preece were in the top 10. By then, Hamlin was mired back in 12th following his slow pit service.

    Down to the final 95 laps of the event, however, the caution flew when rookie Noah Gragson got loose entering Turn 2 at full speed and slapped the outside wall with smoke billowing out of his No. 42 Sunseeker Resort Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. During the caution period, the leaders led by Truex returned to pit road for service. Following the pit stops, Truex retained the lead followed by Byron, Larson, Bowman, Harvick and Chastain.

    With 88 laps remaining, the event restarted under green as Truex and Byron occupied the front row. At the start, Truex launched ahead with the lead followed by Byron, Larson and Bowman as the field behind jostled for late positions, among which included Hamlin as he tried to make his way through the top 10.

    Down to the final 75 laps of the event, Truex was leading by four-tenths of a second over Byron followed by Larson, Bowman and Chastain while Harvick was in sixth ahead of Bell and Keselowski. By then, Hamlin carved his way only up to ninth while Logano was in 10th ahead of Almirola, Gibbs, Briscoe, Preece and Berry.

    Fifteen laps later, Truex continued to lead by eight-tenths of a second over Byron while Larson, Bowman and Bell remained in the top five. By then, Hamlin was back in 10th behind Logano, Kyle Busch was back in 17th behind Briscoe, Reddick was mired back in 20th and Wallace was in 22nd, a lap down.

    Another 10 laps later, Truex extended his advantage to more than a second over Byron as Larson, Bowman and Chastain remained in the top five followed by Harvick, Keselowski and Hamlin, who could not gain the lost ground on the leaders. By then, Briscoe pitted along with Austin Dillon, Kyle Busch, Preece, Harrison Burton and Ty Gibbs.

    Shortly after, Byron pitted as he was soon followed by Larson, Bowman, Chastain, Almirola, Harvick, Suarez and the leader Suarez. While most of the leaders had already made a pit stop, Bell was leading a group of seven competitors who had yet to pit. Bell would pit with 45 laps remaining along with teammate Hamlin as Keselowski cycled to the lead for a lap before he pitted and handed the lead to Berry. By then, Berry, McDowell and Gilliland had yet to pit while Byron, the first competitor who recently pitted, was in fourth ahead of Truex and Larson.

    Then with 33 laps remaining, Byron tracked and overtook teammate Berry for the lead. Truex would follow suit in second as Larson would eventually make his way into third. By then, Berry and McDowell remained on the track and in the top five.

    With 29 laps remaining, however, the caution flew when Reddick spun in Turn 2. By then, Byron, who was locked in a side-by-side battle for the lead with Truex, was deemed the leader over Truex. During the caution period, the leaders led by Byron returned to pit road and Larson emerged with the lead after exiting first amid a tight-packed field followed by teammate Berry, Truex, Byron, Harvick and Bell. During the pit stops, Hamlin was busted for speeding on pit road for a second time.

    During the following restart with 21 laps remaining, Larson peeked ahead of teammate Berry as the field started to fan out to multiple lanes entering the first turn. Through the first turn, however, Bell made contact with Byron and sent Byron spinning sideways into the outside wall as he plummeted below the leaderboard.

    The next restart with 14 laps remaining saw teammates Larson and Berry duke for the lead until Larson managed to clear Berry for the lead through the first two turns. As the field fanned out behind, Chastain and Truex battled for third behind Berry while Larson pulled away by half a second.

    Down to the final 10 laps of the event, Larson was leading by eight-tenths of a second over teammate, Berry, while Chastain and Bell were in the top five. Truex fell back to sixth in front of McDowell, Bowman, Logano and Gibbs. Larson would retain the lead by nearly a second with five laps remaining while Truex slipped back to eighth.

    When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Larson remained as the leader by more than a second over teammate Berry. With the clean air to his advantage and no late challenges lurking behind, Larson was able to cycle his No. 5 entry around the short track circuit for a final time and back to the frontstretch to claim his first checkered flag of the 2023 Cup Series season.

    With the victory, Larson notched his 20th career victory in NASCAR’s premier series and his second at Richmond as he became the sixth different winner through the first seven events on the schedule. The 2023 season also marked Larson’s sixth season with at least one Cup victory and his 14th driving the No. 5 car for Hendrick Motorsports.

    The victory was also the first for veteran Kevin Meendering, who served his third race as an interim Cup crew chief for Cliff Daniels as Daniels is currently serving his third of a four-race suspension stemming from NASCAR confiscating the louvers from all four Hendrick Motorsports’ entries and the team being penalized for modifying pieces of the car pertaining to the air direction over the hoods. All four HMS entries were reinstated their points earlier in the week while the crew chief suspensions and $400,000 fine from each entry remained in place.

    “It’s really cool,” Larson said on FS1. “We’ve been close to winning a couple [races]. William’s [Byron] been extremely good this year. It was probably gonna be between him, [Truex] and us. [Bell] was really good, so just things worked out. My pit crew had a great stop, so shoutout to Brandon Johnson. He’s out jackman, he just turned 30 today. Our spotter, Tyler Monn, he turned 30 today, so great day for them guys. What an awesome HendrickCars.com Chevy. I got into [Suarez] there on pit road sometime in the second stage. We were awful after that and I was hoping the damage was the reason why. [The pit crew] had to calm me down a little bit and get refocused, and I was able to get it done. Thanks to everyone on this team. [Crew chief] Cliff Daniels for everything he does to prepare the team to be as strong as we are without him on the box. Good to get a win and hopefully, many more.”

    Teammate Josh Berry, making his fourth Cup start as an interim competitor for the injured Chase Elliott, made his late pit strategy pay off to perfection as he notched a career-best second place while Chastain, Bell and Harvick finished in the top five.

    “Man, this is really cool,” Berry said. “I gotta give all the credit to this NAPA team, [interim crew chief] Tom [Gray], [regular crew chief] Alan [Gustafson],…everybody at Hendrick Motorsports. Man, they made some great calls. When we got some clean track, we weren’t running bad lap times. I’m so glad they tried something different there at the end to just get us up front because I felt like we were decent the whole time. Just getting in clear air there. Really a little too free to run with Kyle [Larson], but man, what a huge day. To come here and start at the back, no practice, qualifying, get spun out, worked through the field like that to a second place, it’s pretty cool.”

    McDowell, who also benefitted through a late pit strategy as Berry, came home in sixth place while Logano, Bowman, rookie Ty Gibbs and Keselowski completed the top 10 on the track.

    Notably, Truex fell back to 11th in front of Briscoe, Almirola, Kyle Busch and Todd Gilliland while Hamlin settled in 20th following his share of pit road speeding penalties. In addition, Chandler Smith finished 17th in his Cup Series debut behind Reddick, Wallace ended up 22nd in front of Suarez, Byron fell back to 24th after leading a race-high 117 laps and Blaney ended up in 26th, a lap down.

    There were 22 lead changes for 11 different leaders. The race featured eight cautions for 54 laps.

    Following the seventh event of the 2023 Cup Series season, Alex Bowman leads the regular-season standings by four points over Ross Chastain, 34 over Christopher Bell, 35 over William Byron, 36 over Kevin Harvick and 41 over both Joey Logano and Kyle Larson.

    Results.

    1. Kyle Larson, 93 laps led

    2. Josh Berry, 10 laps led

    3. Ross Chastain, 16 laps led

    4. Christopher Bell, 26 laps led

    5. Kevin Harvick

    6. Michael McDowell

    7. Joey Logano

    8. Alex Bowman, eight laps led

    9. Ty Gibbs

    10. Brad Keselowski, one lap led

    11. Martin Truex Jr., 56 laps led

    12. Chase Briscoe

    13. Aric Almirola

    14. Kyle Busch, one lap led

    15. Todd Gilliland

    16. Tyler Reddick

    17. Chandler Smith

    18. Ryan Preece

    19. Harrison Burton

    20. Denny Hamlin, 71 laps led, Stage 2 winner

    21. Corey LaJoie

    22. Bubba Wallace, one lap led

    23. Daniel Suarez

    24. William Byron, 117 laps led, Stage 1 winner

    25. Austin Dillon, one lap down

    26. Ryan Blaney, one lap down

    27. AJ Allmendinger, one lap down

    28. Austin Cindric, one lap down

    29. Justin Haley, one lap down

    30. Chris Buescher, two laps down

    31. Erik Jones, two laps down

    32. Ty Dillon, two laps down

    33. Anthony Alfredo, four laps down

    34. Cody Ware, five laps down

    35. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 16 laps down

    36. JJ Yeley, 17 laps down

    37. Noah Gragson – OUT, Accident

    Next on the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the third annual running of the Food City Dirt Race at the Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt Course in Bristol, Tennessee. The event is scheduled for next Sunday, April 9, on Easter at 7 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Suarez penalized amid Cup Series post-race run-in at COTA

    Suarez penalized amid Cup Series post-race run-in at COTA

    Daniel Suarez was assessed a $50,000 fine from NASCAR following his post-race actions from this past weekend’s Cup Series’ EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. The penalty stems from the 31-year-old star from Monterrey, Mexico, bumping into the rear bumper of Alex Bowman’s No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports entry on pit road at the conclusion of the event in Austin.

    The issue occurred during the second of three overtime attempts, when Bowman, who restarted on the fourth row and inside the top 10, made a move to the left side of Suarez’s No. 99 Trackhouse Racing entry for position entering the first turn’s braking zone. Through the braking zone, Suarez’s teammate, Ross Chastain, bumped and pushed Bowman into Suarez, which the contact carried forth into Suarez hitting Joe Gibbs Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. as Truex was sent for a spin while Suarez jammed on the brakes to avoid Truex. In doing so, he was relegated to the tail end of the lead lap field and limped his No. 99 entry back to pit road with a flat left-front tire.

    At the conclusion of the event, which was extended to a third overtime restart before being won by 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick, Suarez, who was poised for a top-five run, finished in 27th place while Bowman and Chastain proceeded to finish third and fourth, respectively. During the cooldown lap, however, Suarez tracked both competitors and bumped into the rear of Chastain’s No. 1 Trackhouse entry prior to entering pit road, where he then proceeded to hit Bowman’s rear bumper three times before the latter jammed on the brakes with NASCAR officials present near the contact. Suarez would exchange brief words with Bowman before expressing his displeasure towards his teammate Chastain.

    Despite being fined for violating Sections 4.4.B&D pertaining to NASCAR Member Conduct from the NASCAR Rule Book, Suarez was not issued any points penalty. He is currently situated in 17th place in the driver’s standings, 13 points below the top-16 Playoff cutline, on the strength of three top-10 results through the first six events on the 2023 Cup Series schedule.

    Suarez’s next event on the 2023 Cup Series schedule is set to occur this Sunday, April 2, at Richmond Raceway, with the event’s broadcast time to commence at 3:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Weekend schedule for Richmond and Texas

    Weekend schedule for Richmond and Texas

    This weekend the NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series head to Richmond Raceway. They will be joined by the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour while the Craftsman Truck Series travels to Texas Motor Speedway.

    All times are Eastern.

    Friday, March 31

    Whelen Modified Tour – Richmond:
    12:45 p.m.: Practice – No TV
    4:15 p.m.: Qualifying – No TV
    6:30 p.m.: Virginia is for Lovers 250 race – FloRacing /MRN – Rescheduled to Saturday, April 1 at 4:30 p.m.

    Saturday, April 1

    Xfinity Series – Richmond:
    8:05 a.m.: Practice – FS1 – Canceled
    8:35 a.m.: Qualifying – FS1 – Canceled – Justin Allgaier on Pole
    Post Qualifying on Press Pass
    1 p.m.: ToyotaCare 250 race
    Distance: 187.5 miles (250 Laps)
    Stage 1 ends on Lap 75, Stage 2 ends on Lap 150, Final Stage ends on Lap 250
    The Purse: $1,721,030
    Post Race on Press Pass

    Cup Series – Richmond:
    10:05 a.m.: Practice – FS1/MRN/SiriusXM – Canceled
    10:50 a.m.: Qualifying – FS1/MRN/SiriusXM – Canceled – Alex Bowman on Pole
    Post Qualifying on Press Pass

    Truck Series – Texas:
    10:35 a.m.: Practice – No TV
    11:05 a.m.: Qualifying – No TV
    4:30 p.m.: SpeedyCash.com 250 – FS1/MRN/SiriusXM
    Distance: 250.2 miles (167 Laps)
    Stage 1 ends on Lap 77, Stage 2 ends on Lap 122), Final Stage ends on Lap 167
    The Purse: $710,218

    Sunday, April 2

    Cup Series – Richmond:
    3:30 p.m.: Toyota Owners 400 – FS1/MRN/SiriusXM
    Distance: 300 miles (400 laps)
    Stage 1 ends on Lap 70, Stage 2 ends Lap 230, Final Stage ends on Lap 400
    The Purse: $7,529,485
    Post Race on Press Pass

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: COTA

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: COTA

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Ross Chastain: A slow pit stop on a late caution cost Chastain track position. Things soon got worse, as Chastain’s No. 1 car suffered damage after contact on the Lap 59 restart. But a remarkable recovery, helped by numerous restarts, allowed Chastain to recover and salvage a fourth.

    “You probably saw the video of me dropping a watermelon off the COTA tower,” Chastain said. “It was fun, but could have been way more satisfying if only Denny Hamlin had been down there to catch it.”

    2. William Byron: Byron started on the pole at the Circuit Of The Americas and took the lead with eight laps to go with a pass of Tyler Reddick. But Reddick later got back by and held on for the win, while Byron took fifth.

    “NASCAR may penalize us, fine us, and suspend us,” Byron said, “but this team just keeps persevering. Call us ‘cheaters,’ but we don’t care. We deflect criticism better than our modified car part deflects air.”

    3. Joey Logano: Logano was caught up in a late crash on a restart and finished 29th in the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix.

    “When you have 30 plus cars barreling into Turn 1 at COTA,” Logano said, “there’s bound to be chaos. When that many cars try to navigate a turn with a width that can accommodate maybe four of them, it’s like opening Pandora’s Box or Kyle Busch’s luggage.”

    4. Kyle Busch: Busch charged late and finished second at COTA, as Tyler Reddick pulled away for the victory.

    “I’ve got nothing but good things to say about COTA,” Busch said. “And Austin is a great city, except for one small issue that really frightens me: it’s over 225 miles from the Mexican border, which is way too close for my liking.”

    5. Tyler Reddick: Reddick overtook William Byron with five laps to go and held the lead on several restarts, winning the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix.

    “My racing with William Byron was quite exciting,” Reddick said. “If you won a group bet with your friends by wagering that I would win the race over the driver in the Liberty University car, then Jerry Falwell, Jr. would like to tell you that you won the ‘pool, boy.’”

    6. Alex Bowman: Bowman ran in the top five for much of the day at COTA and came home third, recording his third top-5 of the season.

    “I think drivers and fans alike enjoy road course racing,” Bowman said. “As a Hendrick Motorsports driver, it’s a lot like getting a massive penalty from NASCAR, because I find it very ‘appealing.’”

    7. Kevin Harvick: Harvick finished 13th in the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix.

    “It was a grueling race,” Harvick said. “And I think the ‘Echo’ in the race name had to refer to all these restarts that keep repeating themselves. When people say NASCAR racing is repetitive, this is what they are talking about.”

    8. Ryan Blaney: Blaney was a victim of a spin in the first overtime restart at COTA, and limped home to a 21st-place finish once the race was settled after two more overtime restarts. He is sixth in the points standings, 34 out of first.

    “With that much contact on the many restarts,” Blaney said, “tempers were bound to flare. And they did. Daniel Suarez was upset with his own teammate, Ross Chastain. You know what they say about Ross: ‘With teammates like Ross Chastain, who needs enemies?’

    9. Christopher Bell: Bell was knocked out of the race with two laps remaining at COTA and finished with his worst result of the season, a 31st.

    “The race had quite the Formula 1 flavor,” Bell said. “Former world champions Jenson Button and Kimi Räikkönen were in the race. That symbol over the ‘a’ and ‘o’ in ‘Räikkönen’ is called an ‘umlaut.’ For all of you NASCAR fans not familiar with that word, it doesn’t come with bacon and a side of hash browns.”

    10. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin finished 16th at COTA.

    “Hey,” Hamlin said, “let’s give it up for Tyler Reddick. That dude’s got ‘Monster Energy’ on his car and in his body. You need ‘monster energy’ just to survive the number of restarts caused by NASCAR’s idiotic restart rules. Reddick may have set a record, by winning the same race three times in one day.”

  • Three Big Stories: COTA (2023)

    Three Big Stories: COTA (2023)

    Matt Weaver summed it up best.

    Sunday’s EchoPark Automotive Texas Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas showcased NASCAR at both its best and dumbest. With the former, you witnessed two generational talents duke it out for the victory. Furthermore, the lack of stage breaks added layers of strategy that road course races in NASCAR lacked for years. With the latter, however, a great race turned into a face palm-inducing crash fest.

    So without further adieu, let’s dive into the Three Big Stories of the NASCAR Cup Series at COTA.

    1. A master class of driving between two generational talents

    AUSTIN, Texas – MARCH 26: William Byron, driver of the #24 Liberty University Chevrolet, and Tyler Reddick, driver of the #45 Monster Energy Toyota, lead the field on a pace lap prior to the NASCAR Cup Series EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas on March 26, 2023, in Austin, Texas. Photo: Chris Graythen/Getty Images

    On the Lap 44 restart, Tyler Reddick overshot Turn 1, and William Byron drove underneath him to retake the lead. For much of the remaining laps, they put on a battle that showcased NASCAR at its best.

    “We made it a battle for sure every time with crossovers, out-braking each other… that was a lot of fun,” Byron said.

    With five to go, Byron got loose off Turn 10 and Reddick pounced. He pulled to Byron’s inside in Turn 11, drag-raced him down the backstretch and ran him off the track to take the lead.

    To borrow a line from former NASCAR Chairman and CEO, Brian France, this was “quintessential NASCAR.” Only instead of a poorly handled fustercluck over three races, it was two generational talents using every inch of real estate and an aero package on the razor’s edge of control to fight it out for the victory.

    2. The return of strategy to road course races

    AUSTIN, Texas – MARCH 26: William Byron, driver of the #24 Liberty University Chevrolet, and Tyler Reddick, driver of the #45 Monster Energy Toyota, lead the field on a pace lap prior to the NASCAR Cup Series EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas on March 26, 2023, in Austin, Texas. Photo: Chris Graythen/Getty Images

    Before a caution on Lap 40 put the field onto equal tires, multiple pit stop strategies played out.

    Byron, on a two-stop plan, pitted from the lead on Lap 24. Reddick, on a three-stop race, pitted from the lead on Lap 32. Byron cycled back to the lead, but with an eight-lap tire difference, Reddick reeled in Byron with ease. He cut the lead by three seconds, in the span of two laps.

    On Lap 39, Reddick overtook him with ease in Turn 1.

    None of this happens if NASCAR throws a caution to end stages.

    “Well, it certainly allows the race to play out more naturally, which I feel like in the spirit of road course racing, in my opinion, that’s what it should be more about,” Reddick said. “We had the natural cautions towards the end there with people having tire failures and issues to bring out the cautions to have the exciting green-white-checkered finishes.”

    All stage breaks did, since 2017, was interrupt the flow of a race and removed an element of strategy. As a result, the quality of racing at road courses (and to an extent, Pocono Raceway) diminished. After all, why short-pit, when you’d get two free pit stops with stage breaks?

    “From my perspective, I enjoyed it more today,” Reddick said. “It was about maximizing your pace on the racetrack and minimizing the mistakes because depending on what strategy you had, if you made a mistake, you’re going to be costing yourself track position as the race just played out.”

    With five more road course races left on the Cup Series schedule, you’ll have a strong case for NASCAR doing away with stage breaks everywhere.

    That was some dumb, dumb, DUMB racing at the finish

    AUSTIN, Texas – MARCH 26: Tyler Reddick, driver of the #45 Monster Energy Toyota, and Alex Bowman, driver of the #48 Ally Chevrolet, lead the field to an overtime restart during the NASCAR Cup Series EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas on March 26, 2023, in Austin, Texas. Photo: Sean Gardner/Getty Images

    If everything I mentioned above was some of NASCAR at its best, then the overtime calamities were some of NASCAR at its dumbest.

    Three separate times, cars accordioned into each other and spun others out at the crest of Turn 1. Once or twice, I get it. It happens. But after three times, on each overtime attempt, I just think, “What the hell are we doing, guys?”

    “The end of the race became a typical NASCAR road course race,” Austin Dillon said. “It was just a mess.”

    Honestly, I don’t know how you fix it.

    Perhaps single-file restarts in overtime cuts down on it, but in that scenario, what’s to stop the driver in second from dive-bombing the race leader in Turn 1?

    NASCAR won’t penalize drivers for contact (well, up to an extreme point) like IndyCar and Formula 1 do. Bumping and banging are woven into the league’s DNA. So unless there’s a seismic shift in thinking from the heads in Daytona, that’s a non-starter.

    Well, we’ll see if this also happens in a few months at Sonoma Raceway.

  • Reddick survives three overtime attempts for wild Cup victory at COTA

    Reddick survives three overtime attempts for wild Cup victory at COTA

    In a highly anticipated event featuring a star-studded lineup of competitors and new names across the grid, Tyler Reddick captured the main spotlight by winning the third annual running of the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas on Sunday, March 26, amid three overtime attempts and a dominant run since the start of the weekend.

    The two-time Xfinity Series champion from Corning, California, led a race-high 41 of 75 over-scheduled laps in an event where he utilized pit strategy and a fast race car to keep himself in contention towards the front. Swapping the lead with William Byron on several occasions before overtaking him with four laps remaining, Reddick then had to navigate his way around Austin’s 20-turn circuit through three overtime attempts and a series of carnages erupting behind him to muscle away from Kyle Busch, Alex Bowman, Ross Chastain and Byron to claim the first checkered flag for himself, 23XI Racing and Toyota of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season.

    With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Saturday, William Byron notched his first Cup pole of the 2023 season after posting a pole-winning lap at 93.882 mph in 130.760 seconds. Joining him on the front row was Tyler Reddick, who clocked in the second-fastest qualifying lap at 93.783 mph in 130.898 seconds.

    Prior to the event, Michael McDowell dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments made to his No. 34 Front Row Motorsports entry.

    When the green flag waved and the race commenced, Byron jumped ahead with the lead as the field fanned out through the uphill climb to the first turn. With the field navigating its way into the first turn, Byron retained the lead through a series of right and left-hand turns from Turns 2 to 10 before approaching a steep left-hand turn in Turn 11. As the field approached the long straightaway between Turns 11 and 12, Tyler Reddick and Austin Cindric battled for second with Daniel Suarez closing in after he overtook Jordan Taylor, a three-time IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar champion who was filling in the No. 9 UniFirst Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for the injured Chase Elliott. Following the final series of turns from Turns 12 to 20, the field returned to the frontstretch as Byron led the first lap ahead of Reddick, Cindric, Suarez and Alex Bowman while Jordan Taylor fell back to ninth.

    Just then, the first caution of the event flew on the second lap when Brad Keselowski, who was running within the middle of the field, spun in between Turns 19 and 20. As a bevy of cars approaching Keselowski scattered to avoid him, Ty Dillon got pinched in between Todd Gilliland and Chris Buescher, which resulted in Buescher hitting Dillon as he veered sideways and slammed into the No. 84 Club Wyndham Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 piloted by seven-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson as Johnson spun with right-side damage while Dillon emerged with significant front nose damage to his No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. The early incident was enough to knock both Dillon and Johnson out of contention while Keselowski continued.

    During the following restart on the fifth lap, the field fanned out again entering the first turn as Cindric, who restarted third, managed to motor his way past Byron and Reddick, both of whom went wide in Turn 1, to assume the lead entering the series of turns from Turns 2 to 10. As the field jostled for positions past the turns and entering the frontstretch between Turns 11 and 12, Cindric maintained the lead over Reddick and Byron with Suarez in fourth and AJ Allmendinger in fifth. By then, Taylor locked up the front tires entering Turn 11 while battling within the top 10 and nearly clipped Erik Jones, which caused him to drop back to 13th.

    A lap later, Chase Briscoe, who was running 17th, got hit by Justin Haley and spun in Turn 1, but the field remained under green flag conditions as Briscoe lost a bevy of spots on the track. By then, Joey Logano was assessed a pass-through penalty for shortcutting through the esses while running in 16th, all while Cindric retained the lead in front of Reddick and Byron. By the seventh lap, however, Reddick managed to cycle his No. 45 Monster Energy Toyota TRD Camry around Cindric’s No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang entering Turn 19 to assume the lead on the eighth lap.

    Through the first 10 scheduled laps, Reddick was leading by seven-tenths of a second over Byron while third-place Cindric trailed by more than a second. Allmendinger and Suarez were running fourth and fifth while Bowman, Kyle Busch, Erik Jones, Kyle Larson and Ross Chastain were scored in the top 10. Behind, Bubba Wallace was in 11th ahead of Christopher Bell, Jordan Taylor and rookies Ty Gibbs and Noah Gragson while Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ryan Preece, Tod Gilliland, Harrison Burton and Martin Truex Jr. occupied the top 20. By then, Kevin Harvick was in 22nd ahead of Ryan Blaney and Austin Dillon, former Formula One champion Kimi Räikkönen was in 25th, Keselowski was back in 27th, former Formula One champion Jenson Button was mired back in 31st in between Aric Almirola and Chase Briscoe and IndyCar competitor Conor Daly was in 34th. Meanwhile, Denny Hamlin, Corey LaJoie and Michael McDowell were assessed penalties for cutting the course.

    Then during the following lap, trouble erupted when Bubba Wallace locked up the front tires and slammed into Larson with Erik Jones also sustaining damage in Turn 12. While limping his No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 back to pit road, Larson endured more on-track issues when he got hit by Denny Hamlin and spun backward toward the pit wall in between Turns 19 and 20 at the same time when Wallace was pitting his wounded No. 23 MoneyLion Toyota TRD Camry as the caution returned. Despite the pair of incidents, Larson managed to continue while Wallace retired with a damaged oil line. By then, Cody Ware also endured on-track issues when he spun within the infield turns. In addition, names like Stenhouse, Harvick, Buescher, Keselowski, Almirola, Briscoe, Logano and LaJoie pitted.

    The following restart on Lap 15 also marked the conclusion of the first stage as Byron managed to edge Cindric to capture his fourth stage victory of the 2023 Cup season followed by Allmendinger, Bowman, Chastain, Suarez, Kyle Busch, Taylor, Bell and Ryan Preece. Compared to the first five events on the schedule, the caution flag did not display and the competitors proceeded under green as part of NASCAR’s new rules for this season, which highlighted that no caution periods would be mandated at the conclusion of stage breaks on road course venues that hold Cup Series events.

    With the second stage proceeding under green on Lap 15, the field fanned out and scrambled for positions through the first turn and the series of left and right-hand turns from Turns 2 to 10 with Byron retaining the lead over Cindric, Allmendinger, Bowman and Chastain.

    At the Lap 20 mark, Byron was leading by six-tenths of a second over Cindric followed by Allmendinger, Suarez and Chastain while Bowman, Ty Gibbs, Bell, Taylor and Reddick were in the top 10. By then, 34 of 39 starters were scored on the lead lap. Meanwhile, Blaney, who spun in Turn 15 a few laps earlier after getting hit by Larson, and Keselowski, who received an earlier tap from Blaney before spinning in Turn 12, plummeted down to 27th and 35th, respectively.

    Shortly after, green flag pit stops slowly commenced as Kyle Busch pitted his No. 8 Netspend Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 followed by Jenson Button, Almirola, Preece, Gilliland and Gibbs. Taylor would also pit a few laps later followed by Joe Gibbs Racing’s Truex and Bell. By Lap 23, Cindric pitted despite enduring issues with changing the right-rear tire along with Bowman and Chastain while Byron retained the lead ahead of Allmendinger.

    Once Byron surrendered the lead to pit his No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 under green prior to Lap 24, Reddick, who pitted prior to the conclusion of the first stage, cycled back into the lead. Behind, Allmendinger and Suarez also pitted while Austin Dillon, McDowell, Harvick and Larson emerged in the top five. By then, every competitor still running on the field made at least one pit stop with all on mixed pit strategies.

    By Lap 25, Reddick was leading by more than three seconds over Austin Dillon followed by McDowell, Harvick and Larson while Stenhouse, Buescher, Erik Jones, Briscoe and Logano were scored in the top 10. By then, Hamlin was in 11th ahead of Gragson, Kimi Räikkönen, Keselowski and Byron while Allmendinger, Kyle Busch, Suarez, Gibbs and Chastain were in the top 20. By then, Bowman was in 21st, Bell was back in 26th ahead of teammate Truex and Taylor had fallen back in 29th ahead of Cindric and Jenson Button. Meanwhile, Blaney was mired a lap down in 34th following his earlier on-track incident and spin.

    When the second stage concluded under green on Lap 30, Reddick captured his first stage victory of the 2023 Cup season while former teammate Austin Dillon trailed by more than seven seconds. McDowell, Harvick, Buescher, Stenhouse, Larson, Erik Jones, Briscoe and Gragson were scored in the top 10 while 33 of 39 starters were scored on the lead lap.

    With the final stage proceeding under green with 38 laps remaining, Hamlin and Keselowski pitted under green shortly after while Gibbs was penalized for cutting the course. Briscoe, Gragson, Larson and McDowell would eventually pit, with Larson being penalized for speeding on pit road. Then approaching Lap 32, Reddick surrendered the lead to pit along with Stenhouse while Buescher assumed the lead. Following Reddick’s pit stop, Byron managed to overtake Reddick on the track as he settled in third behind Buescher and Erik Jones while Reddick was back in 10th.

    A lap later, Byron reassumed the lead once Buescher pitted along with Erik Jones. This enabled Allmendinger to move into second followed by Suarez, Chastain and Kyle Busch while Reddick moved up to sixth. Another lap later, the event reached its halfway mark. By then, Gibbs was assessed another pass-through penalty for cutting the course while Reddick set the fastest lap of the event while running towards the top five.

    With 30 laps remaining, Byron was leading by a tenth of a second over a hard-charging Reddick followed by Allmendinger, Suarez and Chastain while Bowman, Kyle Busch, Austin Dillon, Cindric and McDowell were mired in the top 10. A lap later, Reddick made his move beneath Byron in Turn 1 and moved back into the lead. Meanwhile, Logano pitted his No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang under green while Bell, who spun in Turn 8, was in 14th.

    Three laps later, the caution flew due to debris reported in Turn 9. This occurred after Hamlin, who was running 17th, spun his No. 11 Interstate Batteries Toyota TRD Camry a turn prior and kicked up dirt on the course. During the caution period, nearly the entire lead lap field led by Reddick pitted for service that included fresh tires and enough fuel for the finish while Logano, who pitted a few laps prior to the caution, remained on the track along with Harrison Burton and Cody Ware. Following the pit stops, Reddick was the first competitor to exit pit road followed by Byron, Suarez, Chastain, Austin Dillon and McDowell. During the pit stops, Gibbs was penalized for pitting outside his pit box.

    With 25 laps remaining, the race restarted under green as Logano and Harrison Burton occupied the front row. At the start, the field fanned out entering the first turn as Reddick launched his move beneath Logano for the lead. Despite grabbing it approaching the turn, Reddick wiggled and went wide, which allowed Byron to overtake him for the lead as Reddick was left to battle Chastain for second. Through the series of left and right-hand turns from Turns 2 to 10 and with the field still fanning out and jostling for late positions, Byron maintained the lead while Reddick was trying to navigate his way back into second. As the field continued to navigate through the next round of turns entering Turn 12, Suarez overshot the turn and lost a spot to fifth place on the track while Byron retained the lead ahead of Reddick, Chastain and Bowman.

    Two laps later, a side-by-side battle for the lead ignited between Reddick and Byron through the straightaway turn between Turns 11 and 12. Following a side-by-side, crossover and swapping duel fight between the top-two leaders through Turns 12 to Turn 20, Byron managed to retain the lead by a narrow hair over Reddick. During the following lap, Byron and Reddick continued to fight for the lead as Chastain started to close in on the two leaders. Through the infield turns, however, Reddick managed to pull ahead and remain ahead of Byron to retake the lead as Chastain started to challenge Byron for second. Meanwhile, fourth-place Bowman trailed by more than a second as he started to join the battle.

    Down to the final 20 laps of the event, Reddick was leading by two-tenths of a second over Byron while third-place Chastain trailed by nine-tenths of a second. Behind, Bowman was in fourth place while Austin Dillon occupied fifth place. With Suarez, Bell, Harvick, Logano and McDowell running in the top 10, Allmendinger, who endured a slow pit stop during the last caution period, was mired in 11th while Jordan Taylor navigated his way into 19th place, six spots over Räikkönen and eight over Jenson Button. Meanwhile, Larson limped back to pit road with a broken toe link to his No. 5 entry while Preece, who was assessed a pass-through penalty for short-cutting the esses, was assessed another pass-through penalty for speeding on pit road while serving his first penalty.

    Five laps later, the Reddick and Byron, both of whom were instructed to save fuel, were separated by half a second, with Reddick leading while third-place Chastain trailed by more than a second. In the midst of the battles upfront, both Keselowski and Stenhouse spun through Turn 11, but the event proceeded under green. A few laps later, Hamlin and Kyle Busch pitted under green for enough fuel for the finish.

    Then with 12 laps remaining, Byron slipped and went off the course in Turn 8, which allowed Trackhouse Racing’s Chastain and Suarez to move up to second and third. Not long after, Suarez bumped and moved teammate Chastain out of his way in Turn 11 to claim second place while Reddick retained the lead by more than a second. Just then, the caution returned when Keselowski came to a stop in Turn 7. During the caution period, a majority of the field led by Reddick pitted while names like Bell, Kyle Busch, Hamlin, Räikkönen and Preece remained on the track. Following the pit stops, Reddick was the first competitor to exit first followed by Byron, Suarez, Bowman, Austin Dillon and McDowell while Chastain lost a bevy of spots amid a slow pit service.

    During the following restart with nine laps remaining, where Bell and Kyle Busch occupied the front row, Bell jumped ahead with a slight advantage as the field fanned out entering the first turn. Then as Reddick challenged Bell for the lead on fresh tires, carnage ensued behind as Allmendinger clipped and sent Austin Dillon around. At the same time, Chastain, who went wide to avoid Dillon, made contact with Erik Jones as he spun. With Chastain unable to pull away in Turn 1, the caution returned to being displayed. By then, Reddick reassumed the lead ahead of Bell while Byron was up in third followed by Kyle Bush and Truex.

    As the field restarted under green with seven laps remaining, Reddick jumped ahead with the lead. Through Turn 1, however, Reddick overdrove the first turn, which allowed Byron to draw back even and clear him for the lead entering the series of turns. Then through Turn 9, Bell got turned as he spun while running towards the front, but the event remained under green. With the field scrambling entering Turns 11 and 12, Byron was out in front ahead of Reddick and Kyle Busch while Truex and Suarez rounded out the top five.

    Down to the final five laps of the event, Byron maintained the lead by half a second over Reddick while third-place Kyle Busch trailed by more than two seconds. With Suarez and Bowman in the top five, Truex was in sixth while McDowell, Preece, Logano and Gragson were in the top 10. By then, 31 of 39 starters were scored on the lead lap.

    Then entering Turn 11, Reddick, who kept Byron pressured for the lead, pounced on an opportunity to seize it back, which he did as he also fended off Byron through the straightaway from Turns 11 and 12 before maintaining the advantage through a series of turns from Turns 12 to 20. A lap later, the caution returned and the event was sent into overtime due to debris reported on the course as a result of Austin Dillon, who was penalized for cutting the esses earlier, shredding a left-rear tire on his No. 3 Get Bioethanol Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.

    With the event restarting in overtime, Reddick dueled against Byron amid the field fanning out before being locked into another side-by-side battle with Kyle Busch after he nearly overshot the turn. Behind, however, more on-track issues ensued in Turn 1 when Blaney got turned and spun. In front of him, Preece also got turned after making contact with Gibbs, which he also clipped Gragson. With the carnage ensuing behind, the event remained under green as Reddick maintained the lead over Kyle Busch and Byron. Then as Reddick was trying to motor his car back to the start/finish line to start the final lap, the caution returned and the event was sent into a second overtime attempt due to debris coming off of Blaney’s No. 12 Menards Ford Mustang while fluid was also leaking out of Preece’s damaged No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang.

    At the start of the second overtime attempt, Bowman, who restarted within the top 10 and fanned out in his move to the front, made contact with Suarez and the contact carried forth into Truex getting hit and spun in Turn 1 while Suarez plummeted below the field after stopping in front of Truex’s car. As Reddick remained ahead of Kyle Busch, Bowman and Byron with the lead, Justin Haley spun in Turn 11 while running in the middle of the pack, but the event remained under green. Then through the infield carousel turns, McDowell, Räikkönen and Bell also spun, but the event remained under green again. The caution, however, flew and the event was sent into a third overtime attempt due to debris on the course after Suarez shredded the left-front tire of his No. 99 Freeway Insurance Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. By then, Reddick was scored the leader ahead of Kyle Busch, Bowman and Byron while Chastain maneuvered his way back to fifth.

    When the event proceeded under green for the third overtime attempt, Reddick managed to fend off Bowman through the first turn to maintain the lead as the field bumped and jostled through the first turn. With Almirola falling off the pace, Reddick continued to navigate at the front through the series of turns from Turns 2 to 10. With more names like Logano, Bell and Suarez wrecking through the turns, Reddick retained the lead in front of Bowman, who had Kyle Busch pressuring him for second while Chastain was in fourth ahead of Byron.

    When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Reddick, who was able to navigate his way back to the frontstretch without another caution to stall his progress, remained as the leader by a second over Bowman, who was drawn even and overtaken by Kyle Busch for second. Having a clear view in front of him for a final time through the 20-turn circuit while his challengers battled behind, Reddick was able to smoothly navigate his way back to the frontstretch and claim his first checkered flag of the 2023 campaign by more than a second over Busch.

    With the victory, Reddick became the third different winner at Circuit of the Americas in the venue’s three-year history of hosting NASCAR Cup Series events. By becoming the fifth different winner of the 2023 season, he also notched his third victory on a road course venue and his fourth career win in NASCAR’s premier series. The victory was also the first of the season and fourth overall for 23XI Racing while the Toyota nameplate notched its first Cup victory of 2023.

    “[The victory] means the world,” Reddick said on FOX. “This whole 23XI team has been working hard all winter long to make the road course program better and was extremely motivated to come in here and improve that performance. Just so proud of this Monster Energy Toyota Camry TRD. This whole team, Toyota, everybody. All the resources, everything they’ve been putting into this to help turn around the road course program means a lot. I’m out of gas, but I feel a little bit better with Monster Energy.”

    Meanwhile, Kyle Busch navigated his way around Alex Bowman for second place for his second top-two finish of the season. Bowman settled in third place for his second consecutive top-three finish at Circuit of the Americas while Chastain and Byron finished in the top five.

    “I don’t know if we could have [beaten Reddick],” Busch said. “Even if we were on equal tires, when we tested here, [Reddick’s team] were lights out and had us beat on the front side of the runs. We needed longer runs, but even today, for some reason, we just didn’t have the really great long-run speed. We had good middle run speed, but overall, for as much as effort and everything that we’ve put into coming here and focusing on this place and all the testing and everything that we’ve been able to do over the off-season, we come out of here with a really good finish.”

    “[Today] was really fun,” Byron said. “[Reddick’s team] were great all weekend. Tyler’s been great at the road courses. We made it a battle, for sure. Every time, crossovers, out-braking each other. That was a lot of fun. I hate that it kind of got down to restarts at the end. I got shoved off one time in second. We needed a top five and probably could’ve done some things different, but overall, a good day for the Liberty University Chevrolet. Good speed. Just, Tyler was so fast all weekend. I felt like, when I got the lead, I was just slipping and sliding, so it was fun.”

    With 30 of 39 starters finishing on the lead lap, Cindric, Stenhouse, Buescher, Gibbs and Todd Gilliland completed the top 10 on the track.

    Notably, Harvick finished 13th in his third and final start at Circuit of the Americas, Larson rallied for 14th, Hamlin fell back to 16th in front of teammate Truex, Blaney ended up 21st and Suarez settled in 27th in front of Logano. In addition, Jenson Button emerged as the highest-finishing open-wheel star in 18th while IMSA’s Jordan Taylor finished 24th and Formula One’s Kimi Räikkönen ended up 29th.

    There were 16 lead changes for seven different leaders. The race featured eight cautions for 17 laps.

    Following the sixth event of the 2023 Cup Series season, Ross Chastain leads the regular-season standings by 19 over Kyle Busch, 25 over both Joey Logano and Kevin Harvick, 27 over Christopher Bell and 34 over Ryan Blaney.

    Results.

    1. Tyler Reddick, 41 laps led, Stage 2 winner

    2. Kyle Busch

    3. Alex Bowman

    4. Ross Chastain

    5. William Byron, 28 laps led, Stage 1 winner

    6. Austin Cindric, two laps led

    7. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

    8. Chris Buescher, one lap led

    9. Ty Gibbs

    10. Todd Gilliland

    11. Corey LaJoie

    12. Michael McDowell

    13. Kevin Harvick

    14. Kyle Larson

    15. Chase Briscoe

    16. Denny Hamlin

    17. Martin Truex Jr.

    18. Jenson Button

    19. Justin Haley

    20. Noah Gragson

    21. Ryan Blaney

    22. Harrison Burton

    23. Erik Jones

    24. Jordan Taylor

    25. Cody Ware

    26. Josh Bilicki

    27. Daniel Suarez, one lap led

    28. Joey Logano, one lap led

    29. Kimi Räikkönen

    30. Aric Almirola, one lap down

    31. Christopher Bell – OUT, Accident, one lap led

    32. Ryan Preece – OUT, Accident

    33. Austin Dillon – OUT, Accident

    34. AJ Allmendinger – OUT, Accident

    35. Brad Keselowski – OUT, Driveshaft

    36. Conor Daly – OUT, Transmission

    37. Bubba Wallace – OUT, Accident

    38. Jimmie Johnson – OUT, DVP

    39. Ty Dillon – OUT, Accident

    Next on the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the series’ first of two scheduled events of this season at Richmond Raceway in Richmond, Virginia. The event is scheduled to occur on Sunday, April 2, at 3:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • William Byron scores Busch Light Pole at Circuit of The Americas

    William Byron scores Busch Light Pole at Circuit of The Americas

    William Byron had the car to beat Saturday at Circuit of The Americas. He topped the NASCAR Cup Series qualifying session in his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet with a lap of 130.76 seconds at 93.882 mph to earn the Busch Light Pole Award at the 20-turn, 3.41-mile track.

    It was his ninth career pole in the Cup Series and Byron also set a record as the first driver to win a poll at four different road course venues – Charlotte Roval (2019), Road America (2021), Indianapolis Road Course (2021) and COTA (2022). 

    Byron spoke about the significance of earning the pole but is focused on Sunday’s race.

    “It’s good,” he said. “I think it’s been an up-and-down weekend. The Cup car, we definitely had a little bit of work to do yesterday just on overall balance and grip in some areas, and areas in me as a driver.

    Byron added, “Good to get the pole, but really tomorrow is what matters and there’s a lot of work to do.”

    Tyler Reddick will join Byron on the front row in the No. 45 Toyota for 23XI Racing, his first top-five start this season. He ran a record qualifying lap record during the opening round (94.210 mph) but fell short during the final round.

    Team Penske driver Austin Cindric will start third in his No. 2 Ford and is optimistic about the upcoming race.

    “Good execution,” he said, “by everyone in our Discount Ford Mustang in qualifying. I feel like this weekend, more than others, qualifying will certainly have an impact on your ability to have a good finish – without the stage cautions. So, solid place to start, it gives us great pit selection.”

     Taylor, a four-time IMSA champion, filling in for the injured Chase Elliott, was fourth fastest in the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

    “It was honestly a full new experience, and yesterday [in practice], I felt like I was out of control 90 percent of the time,” Taylor said. “Today, I felt like I knew what the car was doing. We made good set-up changes to help with that and give me a better sense of where the grip was. Today felt super smooth, and it felt like I was driving my [sports] car, something super familiar for me.”

    He gave much of the credit to HMS, saying, “the Hendrick guys have done an amazing job.”

    Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suárez rounds out the top-five qualifiers. Legacy Motor Club’s Noah Gragson was the fastest rookie in qualifying.

    Former Formula One drivers Kimi Räikkönen who has one prior Cup Series start, qualified 22nd in the No. 91 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet and Jenson Button, in his first start in the series, (No. 15 Rick Ware Racing Ford) qualified 24th.

    Jimmie Johnson qualified 31st in his second race this year as a team owner and part-time driver for Legacy Motor Club in the No. 84 Chevrolet.

    IndyCar driver Conor Daly, with two previous starts in the Cup Series, including the 2023 Daytona 500, qualified 35th.

    The EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix is set for Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

    Starting Lineup:

  • Weekend schedule for Circuit of the Americas

    Weekend schedule for Circuit of the Americas

    This weekend all three NASCAR national series head to Circuit of the Americas (COTA) for a full schedule of on-track activity. The 20-turn, 3.41-mile road course track presents a unique challenge for all of the competitors. As an added bonus, Formula One champions Jenson Button and Kimi Räikkönen, along with IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar champion Jordan Taylor, will join the Cup Series regulars on Sunday in the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix.

    GRAMMY® Award-winner Darius Rucker will be the honorary starter and also perform in a pre-race concert before the Cup Series race Sunday afternoon.

    Notes:
    Kaulig Racing’s A.J. Allmendinger will be making his 400th career Cup Series career start this weekend.
    Ross Chastain is the defending Cup Series race winner. AJ Allmendinger won the Xfinity Series event last year and Zane Smith was victorious in the Truck Series at COTA in 2022.

    All times are Eastern.

    Friday, March 24

    2:35 p.m.: Cup Series Practice – No TV – Tape Delay 8 p.m. on FS1
    4:30 p.m.: Truck Series Practice – No TV – Tape Delay 9 p.m. on FS1
    5 p.m.: Truck Series Qualifying – No TV – Tape Delay 9 p.m. on FS1
    Post Truck Series Qualifying – Watch live on Press Pass
    6:30 p.m.: Xfinity Series Practice – FS1
    7 p.m.: Xfinity Series Qualifying – FS1
    Post Xfinity Series Qualifying – Watch live on Press Pass

    Saturday, March 25

    11:30 a.m.: Cup Series Qualifying – FS1/PRN/SiriusXM

    1:30 p.m.: CRAFTSMAN Truck Series XPEL 225
    Distance: 143.22 miles (42 Laps)
    Stage 1 ends on Lap 12, Stage 2 ends on Lap 26, final Stage ends on Lap 42
    FS1/MRN/SiriusXM
    The Purse: $740,517
    Post Truck Series Race: Watch live on Press Pass

    5 p.m.: Xfinity Series Pit Boss 250 presented by USA Today
    Distance: 156.86 miles (46 Laps)
    Stage 1 ends on Lap 14, Stage 2 ends on Lap 30, Final Stage ends on Lap 46
    FS1/PRN/SiriusXM
    The Purse: $1,695,270
    Post Xfinity Series Race: Watch live on Press Pass

    Sunday, March 26

    3:30 p.m.: Cup Series EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix
    Distance: 231.88 miles (68 laps)
    Stage 1 ends on Lap 15, Stage 2 ends on Lap 30, Final Stage ends on Lap 68
    FOX/PRN/SiriusXM
    The Purse: $9,294,829
    Post Cup Series Race: Watch live on Press Pass

  • EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix Lassos Emmy Award-Winning Brendan Hunt for Grand Marshal Role

    EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix Lassos Emmy Award-Winning Brendan Hunt for Grand Marshal Role

    • Brendan Hunt, co-star in the Apple TV+ hit comedy series Ted Lasso, will give the command for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race.
    • Three-time Grammy Award-winning singer Darius Rucker to serve as Honorary Starter.
    • Friday Night Lights’ Adrianne Palicki, co-star in Hulu’s upcoming Quasi movie, named Honorary Pace Car Driver.
    • Award-winning actor, producer and co-star on Apple TV+ hit musical show Schmigadoon! Jaime Camil to sing national anthem.
    • ESPN SportCenter’s Sage Steele to deliver invocation.

    AUSTIN, Texas (March 22, 2023) – Two-time Emmy Award-winning actor, writer and producer Brendan Hunt, who co-stars in the Apple TV+ global phenomenon Ted Lasso, will serve as the Grand Marshal for Sunday’s EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) race at Circuit of The Americas (COTA) and highlight the weekend’s dignitary roster.

    Hunt will have the honor of providing the “Drivers, start your engines” command to the NCS field for Sunday’s EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix on the 20-turn, 3.41-mile permanent road course in Austin, Texas (2:30 p.m. CT, TV: FOX, Radio: PRN, SiriusXM).

    He is best known for his role as “Coach Beard” in Ted Lasso and has won consecutive Emmy Awards in 2021 and ’22 for “Outstanding Comedy Series” as the show’s producer. Hunt is a six-time Emmy Award nominee, including five with Ted Lasso. In 2021, he was a nominee for “Best Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series” as well as two nominations for “Outstanding Writing For A Comedy Series.”

    The blockbuster comedy series, co-created by Hunt with Jason Sudeikis, Joe Kelly and Bill Lawrence, recently opened its third season on March 15. Hunt has appeared in a wide variety of critically acclaimed television programs and films throughout his career. Prior to Ted Lasso, he is most known for his roles in Community, Key and Peele, Parks and Recreation and Horrible Bosses 2.

    Three-time Grammy Award-winning singer Darius Rucker will serve as the Honorary Starter and wave the green flag to commence the third running of the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix. Earlier that day, Rucker will treat the crowd to a pre-race concert on the frontstretch beginning at 12:45 p.m. CT.

    Adrianne Palicki, known for her critically acclaimed role of “Tyra Collette” in the hit series, Friday Night Lights, will help lead the NCS field to the green flag as the Honorary Pace Car Driver.

    Palicki’s current project has her starring next to the female lead with Broken Lizard in Searchlight Pictures Quasi, a satirical take on The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Quasi will debut Thursday, April 20 on Hulu. Most recently, she starred in the anthology film With/In and for three seasons of Hulu’s The Orville.

    Performing the national anthem will be Golden Globe Award and Critic’s Choice Award nominee actor/producer Jaime Camil. Camil is beloved by many from his roles on Jane the Virgin and Disney’s Coco and currently co-starring on the hit show Schmigadoon!, which has its second season premiere on April 5 on Apple TV+. Rounding out the list of extraordinary dignitaries will be ESPN SportsCenter co-anchor Sage Steele delivering the invocation.

    Dignitaries for the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix NCS race:

    • Grand Marshal: Emmy Award-winning actor, writer, producer Brendan Hunt.
    • Honorary Starter: Three-time Grammy Award-winning singer Darius Rucker.
    • Honorary Pace Car Driver: Actress Adrianne Palicki.
    • National Anthem: Award winning actor/producer Jaime Camil.
    • Invocation: ESPN SportsCenter co-anchor Sage Steele.

    Dignitaries for Saturday’s Pit Boss 250 presented by USA TODAY NASCAR Xfinity Series race:

    • Grand Marshal: Dansons company-wide raffle winner.
    • Honorary Starter: Dansons Chief Executive Officer Dan Thiessen.
    • National Anthem: Christian recording artist Payton Keller.
    • Victory Lane Trophy Presenter: Dansons Chief Executive Officer Dan Thiessen.
    • Invocation: Dansons Chief Operating Officer Jordan Thiessen.

    Dignitaries for Saturday’s XPEL 225 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race:

    • Grand Marshal: Porsche North Austin General Manager Christian Ames.
    • Honorary Starter: Authentic Details owner Brad McRae.
    • God Bless America: Christian recording artist Payton Keller.
    • Victory Lane Trophy Presenter: XPEL Vice President of Corporate Development Michael Mayall.
    • Invocation: NCS driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

    Tickets:

    Tickets for the March 24-26 NASCAR at COTA tripleheader weekend are on sale now at NASCARatCOTA.com. Three-day weekend packages for adults including the Darius Rucker pre-race concert start at just $99 and just $10 for kids 12 and under. Further details can be found on the NASCAR at COTA website.

    Follow Us:

    Keep track of all things NASCAR at COTA by following on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@NASCARatCOTA). Keep up with all the latest information on the NASCAR at COTA website and mobile app.

  • Allmendinger to make 400th Cup career start at COTA

    Allmendinger to make 400th Cup career start at COTA

    In his return to full-time NASCAR Cup Series competition, AJ Allmendinger is set to achieve a milestone start. By taking the green flag in this weekend’s EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas (COTA), the driver of the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will be making career start No. 400 in NASCAR’s premier series.

    A native of Los Gatos, California, Allmendinger made his inaugural presence in NASCAR’s premier series in 2007, when he was named the driver of the No. 84 Toyota Camry for the newly formed Red Bull Racing. By then, he was coming off three full-time seasons in the Champ Car World Series, where he achieved the rookie title in 2004 and five victories along with a third-place result in the final standings in 2006. After failing to qualify for the first four events on the schedule, Allmendinger’s first start occurred at Bristol Motor Speedway in March, where he finished 40th after being involved in an early wreck in Turn 1. In total, he competed in 17 of 36-scheduled events, where his best result of the season was a 15th-place finish at Charlotte Motor Speedway in October followed by a 16th-place result at Atlanta Motor Speedway and an 18th-place run at Auto Club Speedway in September.

    The 2008 Cup season produced another difficult start for Allmendinger, who failed to qualify for the first three events, including the 50th running of the Daytona 500, before being replaced for the following five events. He then made his first start of the season at Talladega in April, where he finished 30th after being involved in a multi-car wreck on the final lap. After finishing no higher than 27th during his next two starts, he achieved a breakthrough moment in his early stock car career by winning the non-points All-Star Open at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May, which enabled him to transfer to the All-Star Race as he went on to finish 17th. From Talladega in April through Kansas Speedway in September, Allmendinger managed to qualify and compete in the series. During the span, he achieved his first top-10 career result after finishing 10th at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July. He then achieved his career-best result of ninth place at Kansas before being released by Red Bull Racing. After being absent for the following event at Talladega, Allmendinger drove the No. 00 Toyota Camry for Michael Waltrip Racing on a one-race basis at Charlotte in October, where he finished 43rd, dead last, after being eliminated in an early wreck. He then competed in the final five scheduled events in the No. 10 Dodge Charger for Gillett Evernham Motorsports, where he finished in the top 16 in all but one of his five starts. Overall, Allmendinger competed in 27 of 36-scheduled events and concluded the season with an average-finishing result of 24.7.

    Allmendinger commenced the 2009 Cup season as the driver of the No. 44 Dodge for Richard Petty Motorsports while the team was unable to secure sponsorship for Allmendinger’s entry for the full season. Nonetheless, he commenced the season on a high note by finishing in third place during the rain-shortened 51st running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway in February. Five races later, he secured his second top-10 result of the season by finishing ninth at Martinsville Speedway in March. Over the course of the season, where he managed to qualify and compete in all 36-scheduled events, Allmendinger racked up seventh-place results at Sonoma Raceway in June and at Dover Motor Speedway in September before notching two 10th-place finishes during the final three events of the season. When the final checkered flag of the 2009 season flew and with a total of 17 top-20 results, Allmendinger capped off the season in 24th place in the final standings.

    In 2010, Allmendinger replaced teammate Reed Sorenson as the driver of the iconic No. 43 Ford Fusion for RPM. After finishing no higher than 25th during the first three scheduled events, he achieved a new career-best result to his Cup resume after finishing sixth at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March. He would improve his best result in the series by finishing fourth at Watkins Glen International in August. By then, he had achieved his first career pole at Phoenix Raceway in April. While he did not make the 2010 Cup Playoffs, he accumulated a total of two top-five results, including a fifth-place run at Homestead in November, eight top-10 results, a career-high 181 laps led and an average-finishing result of 17.8 before finishing in 24th place in the final standings. Remaining in the No. 43 Ford in 2011, Allmendinger’s best result of the season was a fifth-place run in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte in May. Despite securing a single top-five result in 2011, he accumulated a career-high 10 top-10 results and recorded an average-finishing result of 16.1 before finishing in 15th place in the final standings. By then, he surpassed 100 career starts in NASCAR’s premier series.

    At the conclusion of the 2011 season, Allmendinger moved to Team Penske to drive the No. 22 Dodge Charger for the 2012 season, where he replaced the 2004 Cup champion Kurt Busch. Allmendinger’s campaign with Penske commenced on a rough note after finishing 34th in the 54th running of the Daytona 500. He rallied five races later by notching a career-best runner-up result behind Ryan Newman amid a green-white-checkered shootout. During his next 11 starts with Team Penske, Allmendinger finished in the top 20 five times before notching back-to-back ninth-place runs at Sonoma and Kentucky Speedway in June. Then in July, Allmendinger was suspended indefinitely from NASCAR after failing a random drug test and violating NASCAR’s substance abuse program, where he was found to have taken amphetamine, which was a banned stimulant. By August, he was released by Team Penske and participated in the Road to Recovery program. After being reinstated by NASCAR in September, Allmendinger made four starts with Phoenix Racing between October and November, where his best result occurred at Charlotte after finishing 24th. Throughout the 2012 campaign, Allmendinger competed in all but 15 of 36 events.

    Allmendinger commenced the 2013 season as a part-time competitor between the IndyCar Series, the NASCAR Xfinity Series and the Cup Series, where he competed in select events for Phoenix Racing. After recording four top-20 results during his first five part-time starts, he then transitioned between Phoenix Raceway and JTG-Daugherty Racing in select Cup events, beginning at Michigan International Speedway in June. With a total of 18 starts in 2013, Allmendinger’s best on-track result was a 10th-place run at Watkins Glen in August. By then, he surpassed 200 Cup career starts.

    In August 2013, Allmendinger was named a full-time competitor of the No. 47 Chevrolet SS for JTG Daugherty Racing for the 2014 season. He commenced the season with back-to-back 26th-place results before notching his first top-10 result of the season at Auto Club Speedway in March by finishing eighth. He then notched a sixth-place result at Richmond Raceway in April before collecting his first top-five result of the season at Talladega Superspeedway. Then at Watkins Glen in August, Allmendinger prevailed in several duels against Marcos Ambrose, including the last one during a two-lap shootout, to achieve his first Cup career victory in his 213th series career start, to record the first win for JTG-Daugherty Racing and to claim a spot to the 2014 Cup Playoffs. Allmendinger’s title run, however, came to an early end after three consecutive finishes outside of the top 10 during the Round of 16 left the Californian two points shy of transferring to the Round of 12. With a total of 17 top-20 results throughout the 36-race campaign, Allmendinger went on to finish in a career-best 13th place in the final standings.

    Remaining as a full-time Cup competitor for JTG-Daugherty Racing in 2015, Allmendinger was unable to return to Victory Lane nor make the Playoffs as he only achieved a total of three top-10 results, including a season-best sixth-place run at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March. Despite recording two poles during the season, he ended up in 22nd place in the final standings. He rallied during the following season by tripling his total top-10 results to nine and recording two top-five runs, including a season-best second place behind Kyle Busch at Martinsville in April. While he improved his average-finishing result from 23.1 to 17.8 in 2016, he went winless for a second consecutive season, missed the Playoffs and ended up in 19th place in the final standings.

    The 2017 Daytona 500 marked Allmendinger’s 300th Cup career start, where he achieved a strong third-place result. He then finished no higher than 17th during the following four events before managing a sixth-place run at Martinsville in April. With just three additional top-10 results during the following 20 regular-season events, Allmendinger did not accumulate enough points to make the 2017 Cup Playoffs. Finishing no higher than 14th during the final 10 events, he concluded the season in 27th place in the final standings.

    In comparison to the 2017 season, the 2018 Cup season produced a single top-five run for Allmendinger, which occurred at Daytona in July after he finished third. The season also produced a total of five top-10 results, but he managed to improve on his average-finishing result from the previous season from 22.0 to 21.3 and improve five spots in the standings from 27th to 22nd when the final checkered flag flew. At the conclusion of the 2018 season, however, Allmendinger was replaced by Ryan Preece at JTG-Daugherty Racing. He then joined NBC Sports as an analyst for the network’s IMSA Sports Car coverage before being recruited by Kaulig Racing to compete in select Xfinity events, which he continued through 2020 as he collected three victories in the process.

    In 2021, Allmendinger, who became a full-time Xfinity competitor for Kaulig, returned from a two-year absence in NASCAR’s premier series by making his first Cup start of the season at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course in the No. 16 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE for Kaulig, where he finished seventh. His next two Cup starts occurred at COTA in May and at Road America in July, where he finished fifth and 29th, respectively. Then during the series’ inaugural event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course, Allmendinger capitalized on a late run-in involving rookie Chase Briscoe and veteran Denny Hamlin to assume the lead during an overtime attempt and fend off the field to win and grab both the second Cup victory of his career and the first for Kaulig Racing in NASCAR’s premier series. His fifth and final Cup start of the season occurred at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course in October, where he finished 38th due to an engine failure.

    Remaining as a part-time Cup competitor and a full-time Xfinity competitor for Kaulig Racing in 2022, Allmendinger competed in half of the 36-scheduled events, beginning at Phoenix in March as he finished 20th. His best results of the season included a runner-up result at Watkins Glen in August followed by a third-place result at Homestead-Miami Speedway and a fourth-place finish at Charlotte in October. At COTA in March, Allmendinger battled against Ross Chastain and Alex Bowman for the victory on the final lap until he was bumped by Chastain with two turns remaining, collided into Bowman and sent sideways into the gravel trap, where he plummeted to 33rd place in the final running order. In total, Allmendinger accumulated a total of eight top-10 results. By then, he was named a full-time competitor of the No. 16 entry for the 2023 Cup Series season.

    Through 399 previous Cup starts, Allmendinger has achieved two victories, four poles, 16 top-five results, 69 top-10 results, 559 laps led and an average-finishing result of 20.8. He is currently ranked in 17th place in the driver’s standings with his best result being a sixth-place finish in the 65th running of the Daytona 500.

    Should Allmendinger win this weekend’s event in Austin, Texas, he will join an exclusive club of competitors to win in Cup career start No. 400, a list that features Lee Petty, Richard Petty, David Pearson, Dale Earnhardt and Jimmie Johnson.

    Allmendinger is set to make his 400th Cup Series career start at Circuit of the Americas on Sunday, March 26, with the event’s coverage slated to occur at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX.