Testing SpeedwayMedia.com

Category: Featured Headline

Featured headlines from SpeedwayMedia.com

  • Richard Boswell to call 100th Xfinity race as crew chief at New Hampshire

    Richard Boswell to call 100th Xfinity race as crew chief at New Hampshire

    A significant milestone start is in the making for Richard Boswell, crew chief for Riley Herbst and the No. 98 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang team in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. By participating in this weekend’s Xfinity event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Boswell will call his 100th Xfinity race as a crew chief.

    A native of Friendship, Maryland, Boswell, whose father, Dickie, was a successful late model competitor, grew up competing in racing, where he won multiple World Karting Association national titles in 1998 before competing in late models in 2001. In 2006, Boswell joined JR Motorsports and competed in the Hooters Pro Cup Series. As part of JRM’s racing program, Boswell made his lone NASCAR national touring series start at Memphis International Raceway in the Xfinity Series in October 2009. Driving the No. 5 JRM Chevrolet, Boswell started third and finished 23rd.

    Due to sponsorship issues, Boswell’s racing career as a driver came to an early close. Boswell, though, worked on becoming a crew chief in NASCAR by earning his mechanical engineering degree from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He continued to work for JR Motorsports and eventually joined Hendrick Motorsports, where he was a part of the No. 48 Chevrolet team piloted by Jimmie Johnson, seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion.

    In 2016, Boswell made his debut as a NASCAR crew chief in November 2016 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the final Xfinity Series event of the season, for Cole Custer and the No. 5 JR Motorsports Chevrolet team. During the event, Custer started 18th and finished 17th.

    The following season, Boswell was selected to crew chief one of Stewart-Haas Racing’s two newly formed Xfinity Series entries, which competed in six events while being piloted by Kevin Harvick, the 2014 NASCAR Cup Series champion. During the six-race schedule, Boswell and Harvick finished in the top 10 in all of their appearances, with their best result being a runner-up finish at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May.

    Boswell returned as crew chief for Stewart-Haas Racing’s No. 98 Ford Mustang for 12 Xfinity Series events in 2018, where the ride was shared between Harvick, veteran Aric Almirola and rookie Chase Briscoe. By then, SHR formed a partnership with Biagi-DenBeste Racing. Throughout the part-time season, Boswell earned his first two career victories as a crew chief, the first with Harvick at Atlanta Motor Speedway in February and the second with Briscoe at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval in October. The team also earned four top-five results and five top-10 results between Almirola, Briscoe and Harvick.

    Following two part-time seasons, Boswell was named crew chief for Briscoe and the No. 98 SHR Ford Mustang team for the entire 33-race Xfinity Series schedule in 2019. Throughout the season, Boswell and Briscoe achieved a win at Iowa Speedway in July. They also achieved two poles, 13 top-five results, 26 top-10 results, an average-finishing result of 8.2 and a spot in the 2019 Xfinity Playoffs, where Briscoe remained in title contention before being eliminated prior to the Championship Round. Despite finishing in fifth place in the final standings, Briscoe locked up the 2019 Xfinity Rookie-of-the-Year title.

    Remaining as an Xfinity crew chief for Briscoe and SHR in 2020, it only took two races into the season for Boswell and Briscoe to earn their first victory of the season, which occurred at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in February. At Darlington Raceway in May, Boswell and Briscoe achieved their second victory of the season when Briscoe fended off Kyle Busch in a thrilling finish.

    Following the first of a Homestead-Miami Speedway doubleheader weekend feature in June, Boswell was suspended from the following four Xfinity races due to a safety violation involving dropped ballast from Briscoe’s car prior to the event. Also suspended with Boswell were car chief Nick Hutchins and engineer DJ Vanderley. With Boswell suspended, Greg Zipadelli, competition director at Stewart-Haas Racing and a former championship-winning crew chief, filled in as Briscoe’s interim crew chief, where they won in three out of four races.

    Returning at Kentucky Speedway in July, the momentum for Boswell, Briscoe and the No. 98 SHR Ford team continued as Briscoe went on to win at Dover International Speedway in August and at Bristol Motor Speedway in September. 

    When the 2020 Xfinity Playoffs commenced, Boswell and Briscoe notched a dominating victory at Las Vegas in September. They went on to win at Kansas Speedway in October, a victory that secured the driver, crew chief and the team a spot in the Championship Round at Phoenix Raceway in November. During the finale, however, Briscoe ended up in ninth place on the track and behind his three fellow title contenders in the final standings. Overall, Boswell achieved six victories, 13 top-five results and 19 top-10 results in 29 races with Briscoe.

    For the 2021 season, Boswell remained in the Xfinity Series and as crew chief for SHR’s No. 98 Ford team. While Briscoe moved up to the Cup Series with SHR, however, Riley Herbst joined the team to pilot the No. 98 car as a full-time Xfinity driver. Through the first 18 Xfinity events of this season, Boswell and Herbst have achieved a pole, two top-five results, five top-10 results and an average-finishing result of 18.7. They are ranked in 13th place in the regular-season standings.

    Through 99 previous Xfinity events, Boswell has achieved nine victories, three poles, 37 top-five results and 61 top-10 results with five different competitors. 

    Boswell is set to call his 100th Xfinity Series career race as a crew chief at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Saturday, July 17, with the event scheduled to occur at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

  • Chastain to achieve 100th Cup start at Atlanta

    Chastain to achieve 100th Cup start at Atlanta

    A significant milestone start is in the making for Ross Chastain, driver of the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE in the NASCAR Cup Series. By taking the green flag in this weekend’s event at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Chastain will accomplish 100 career starts in NASCAR’s premier series. 

    A native of Alva, Florida, Chastain made his Cup Series debut at Dover International Speedway in June 2017. By then, he was a full-time Xfinity Series competitor for JD Motorsports. Driving the No. 15 Chevrolet for Premium Motorsports, Chastain finished 20th in his Cup debut. He returned for the Cup Playoff race at Dover in October, where he finished 38th while driving for Premium Motorsports.

    The following season, Chastain competed in 34 of the 36-race Cup schedule, making all of his starts with Premium Motorsports. Throughout the season, he earned two top-20 results, including a season-best 18th-place result at Texas Motor Speedway in April.

    In 2019, Chastain campaigned in all but one of the 36-race Cup schedule with Premium Motorsports. He also competed the entire Truck Series schedule with Niece Motorsports and on a part-time basis in the Xfinity Series between JD Motorsports and Kaulig Racing. During his Cup tenure, Chastain earned a 10th-place result in the season-opening Daytona 500 and a 12th-place result at Talladega Superspeedway in October. He also led a total of 11 laps and averaged a finishing result of 28.2.

    While competing as a full-time Xfinity Series competitor for Kaulig Racing in 2020, Chastain also made a total of eight Cup starts, starting with the season-opening Daytona 500 in February. Driving the No. 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE in a partnership between Spire Motorsports and Chip Ganassi Racing, Chastain was in position to win the 500 until he was involved in a late multi-car wreck that relegated him to 25th in the final running order.

    Two days after the 2020 Daytona 500, Chastain was named a substitute competitor for Roush Fenway Racing’s No. 6 Ford Mustang driven by Ryan Newman, with Newman hospitalized after suffering non-life threatening injuries from a final lap accident during the 500. Making his first Cup start with RFR at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in February, Chastain finished 27th after being involved in a late spin. He went on to finish 17th and 23rd during the following two race weekends at Auto Club Speedway and Phoenix Raceway in March before the COVID-19 pandemic put a hiatus to all racing activities.

    When NASCAR resumed the 2020 season in May at Darlington Raceway, Newman was medically cleared to return to racing. Chastain, meanwhile, returned the following week at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the Coca-Cola 600. Driving for Spire Motorsports, he finished 21st. He made three more Cup starts for the remainder of the season, all for Spire Motorsports, beginning at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July, where he finished 17th. He also competed at Daytona in August, where he finished 16th, and at Darlington Raceway for the Southern 500 in September, where he finished 29th.

    Prior to the 2021 season, Chastain was selected by Chip Ganassi Racing to drive the team’s No. 42 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE on a full-time basis. The move fulfilled the fruition of Chastain competing with CGR following sponsor DC Solar’s fallout and FBI raid in December 2018, an event that cost Chastain an opportunity to compete with CGR for the 2019 Xfinity Series season due to sponsorship woes and resulted with CGR’s Xfinity team ceasing operations.

    Commencing this season with a seventh-place result in the Daytona 500, Chastain has achieved two top-five results, five top-10 results, 40 laps led and an average-finishing result of 18.1 through the first 20 Cup races of the schedule. This includes a career-best runner-up result achieved at Nashville Superspeedway in June along with a strong fourth-place finish at the Circuit of the Americas in May. He and Ganassi’s No. 42 Chevrolet team are currently ranked in 18th place in the regular-season standings.

    Through 99 previous Cup starts, Chastain has achieved two top-five results, six top-10 results, 53 laps led and an average-finishing result of 25.7.

    Chastain is primed to make his 100th Cup career start at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday, July 11, with the race scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m. on NBCSN.

  • Chris Gayle to call 150th Xfinity race as crew chief at Atlanta

    Chris Gayle to call 150th Xfinity race as crew chief at Atlanta

    A significant milestone start is in the making for Chris Gayle, crew chief for Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 54 Toyota Supra team piloted by multiple competitors in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. By participating in this weekend’s event at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Gayle will call his 150th Xfinity career race as a crew chief.

    A native of Little Rock, Arkansas, Gayle spent two years as a student at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville before transferring to the University of North Carolina in Charlotte, where he earned a degree in mechanical engineering in 2002. Not long after, he joined Joe Gibbs Racing to work as a race engineer.

    Eleven years later, Gayle, who was a senior engineer for Kyle Busch in the NASCAR Cup Series, was promoted to the crew chief role, where he was paired with veteran Elliott Sadler and JGR’s No. 11 Toyota Camry team for the 2013 NASCAR Xfinity Series season. Throughout the 33-race Xfinity schedule, Gayle and Sadler earned nine top-five results and 20 top-10 results before finishing in fourth place in the final standings.

    Eight races into the 2014 Xfinity season, Gayle earned his first NASCAR career victory as a crew chief at Talladega Superspeedway in April, where Sadler held off the field in a three-lap shootout to return to Victory Lane following a one-year winless season. They went on to earn a pole, seven top-five results and 25 top-10 results before settling in third place in the final standings.

    Prior to the 2015 season, Sadler departed JGR and the team shuffled its crew chief lineup, placing Gayle as crew chief for the team’s No. 54 Toyota Camry piloted by multiple competitors, starting with Kyle Busch for the season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway in February. The season, however, started off on a harrowing note when Busch was involved in a late multi-car accident that saw his car make head-on contact into a concrete wall installed with no SAFER barriers and the driver being transported to a local hospital, where he suffered a massive compound fracture to his right leg and a fractured left foot.

    With Busch absent and recovering from his injuries, Gayle spent the following 11 Xfinity events working with Erik Jones, Denny Hamlin and Boris Said. When Busch returned at Michigan International Speedway in June, he and Gayle went to Victory Lane after Busch completed a late pass on Chase Elliott en route to his first win of the season and in his first Xfinity start since the Daytona accident. A week later, Gayle went to Victory Lane with Erik Jones at Chicagoland Speedway. 

    In total, Gayle achieved seven Xfinity victories in 2015, six with Kyle Busch and one with Erik Jones. In addition, he notched five poles, 17 top-five results and 23 top-10 results throughout the 33-race schedule for JGR’s No. 54 Toyota team, which settled in the runner-up position behind Team Penske’s No. 22 Ford Mustang team in the final Xfinity owners’ standings.

    Gayle remained as JGR’s Xfinity “all-star” crew chief in 2016, where he worked with Dakoda Armstrong, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Drew Herring, Sam Hornish Jr., Owen Kelly, Bobby Labonte, David Ragan and Matt Tifft, all of whom took turns piloting the No. 18 Toyota Camry throughout the season. Throughout the 33-race schedule, Gayle earned 11 victories (10 with Kyle Busch and one with Hornish), 11 poles (nine with Kyle Busch, one with Ragan and one with Tifft), 19 top-five results and 23 top-10 results. When the final checkered flag of the season flew, JGR’s No. 18 Toyota team ended up in fourth place in the owners’ standings.

    Following the 2016 Xfinity season, Gayle moved up to the NASCAR Cup Series, where he worked as a crew chief for Erik Jones and the No. 77 Furniture Row Racing Toyota Camry team. After a four-year run in the Cup Series, where Gayle earned two career victories between 2018 and 2019 with Erik Jones, Gayle returned to the Xfinity Series for the 2021 season, where he was assigned to JGR’s No. 54 Toyota Supra team piloted by multiple competitors, starting with Ty Dillon for the season-opening event at Daytona in February. 

    Following a 14th-place result with Dillon at Daytona, Gayle returned to Victory Lane the following weekend at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course with Ty Gibbs, grandson of team owner Joe Gibbs, winning his first Xfinity race in his series’ debut. Since then, Gayle has achieved four additional victories this season, three with Kyle Busch and another with Ty Gibbs. Currently, with seventeen races of the 2021 season complete, JGR’s No. 54 team led by Gayle is ranked in second place in the owners’ standings.

    Through 149 previous Xfinity appearances, Gayle has achieved 25 victories, 20 poles, 63 top-five results and 102 top-10 results while working with 15 different competitors.

    Gayle is primed to call his 150th Xfinity race as a crew chief at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday, July 10, with Kyle Busch scheduled to drive the No. 54 JGR Toyota Supra and with the race scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

  • Alex Palou grabs victory away from Newgarden after Newgarden has mechanical failure late

    Alex Palou grabs victory away from Newgarden after Newgarden has mechanical failure late

    Alex Palou overtook race leader Josef Newgarden with two laps to go following a restart and Newgarden having a mechanical failure. Newgarden had led the majority of the race up until that point and looked poised to win in dominating fashion before being passed by eventual race winner Palou. Pole sitter Newgarden fell to 21st in the running after leading 32 of the 55 laps.

    “I don’t know, it was a really good weekend overall,” Palou said. “We started not super, super good, but we made some progress, and I feel like we always are really good when the weekend ends, and we were getting — every run we were doing with the reds, with the blacks, we were getting even closer to Josef. So I was really happy. And then yeah, I don’t know what happened to him, but we the lead, and that was super exciting, and yeah, we had good power, we had good car setup, and yeah, just super happy.”

    Colton Herta placed second and earned his second podium of the season, his first since winning the St. Peterburg race earlier in the year.

    “Yeah, it finally happened,” Herta said earning a podium finish. “I’ve been struggling to get on the podium when I’m not winning, so it feels nice to finally get one, or my second one in my career. Yeah, it feels good. Team did an amazing job. We seemed to lack a little bit of pace to Alex and Josef. They seemed to be the guys to beat. You know, so I think we had third place pace and that was where we were going to finish until Josef had that problem. Car felt really good. Guys did an amazing job in the pits to gain me a few spots on track and put us on the podium in the second spot.”

    The action was intense and early, as Takuma Sato was penalized for avoidable contact with the No. 20 of Conor Daly. Former Formula 1 driver Kevin Magnussen filling in for Felix Rosenqvist as he was not medically cleared after his crash at Detroit went off course momentarily in Turn 13.

    Meanwhile, as pit stops started to approach, race leader Newgarden had some issues with his gearbox as the gearbox would get stuck in Turn 8. Fortunately for Newgarden, the gearbox was able to get back to normal and he was able to continue to lead the race.

    At Lap 11, the first round of green-flag pit stops occurred with Will Power, Colton Herta, Romain Grosjean, and others who came to pit road. Newgarden didn’t pit until Lap 13 and Palou one lap later at Lap 14.

    The first caution of the day came at Lap 16 following the completion of green-flag stops. Jimmie Johnson in the No. 48 went off track spinning and scraping the Turn 7 wall. Another yellow was flown on Lap 22 for the No. 8 of Marcus Ericsson who went off in Turn 3. It was during this yellow on Lap 24, the majority of the race leaders pitted with the exception of Magnussen and Sato who stayed out to assume the top spots.

    Magnussen held Sato by 2.3 seconds before eventually pitting on Lap 31 and Sato just a few laps later. Unfortunately for Magnussen, his day was cut short due to an engine failure on Lap 34. Magnussen came to a complete stop and brought out another caution.

    With the laps winding down, the action started to heat up on the track and in the pits. Newgarden pitted on Lap 40 from the lead while Palou pitted one lap later. Palou came out briefly ahead of Newgarden, but Newgarden was already at full speed and flew right past him going into Turn 14 to come out ahead of Palou.

    While Palou and Newgarden made their stops, they were stuck behind Max Chilton, Ed Jones, and Oliver Askew who had not stopped yet. Askew and Chilton led for a short while, however, a late-race caution was seen on Lap 51 as Ed Jones went spinning in Turn 12 to bring out the full course yellow.

    Disappointingly for Askew, he had already pitted right before the yellow, which saw Newgarden and Palou take over the top two spots for the final restart of the day.

    When the green-flag flew for the final restart, Newgarden’s car had trouble firing away, and Palou went straight to the lead and went on to win his second race of the 2021 NTT IndyCar Series season and his first since the season opener at Barber Motorsports Park.

    Colton Herta, Will Power, Scott Dixon, Romain Grosjean, Marcus Ericsson, Alexander Rossi, Takuma Sato, Pato O’Ward, and Max Chilton rounded out the Top 10 finishers. Pole sitter Newgarden finished a disappointing 21st after leading four times for 32 laps.

    “I couldn’t get it to shift into sixth gear,” Newgarden said about the mishap. “And then I got it stuck in fifth in turn one and finally got it to go down, but just could not get it to upshift after that. So I got it down to first essentially. So just trying to stay out of the way after that because I couldn’t get it to upshift after that. I’m not sure what happened. Obviously its disappointing for all of us. I know we had a great car. We had a good car all day and were doing everything we had to do. We were surviving the yellows. Surviving the fuel game. We had a rocket ship. Team Chevy did a good job for us. We had such amazing fuel mileage and good power. Super pleased about that. Proud of our teams. Proud of our partners. I guess it just wasn’t meant to be again. I think we have fast cars, its just not working out right now. But now we will claw. We will claw our way back. This is not what I was planning for this day. I would have liked for us to be a little closer. But, what are we 88 (points back)? Just a bigger challenge when we go to next race. We’ll get after it.”

    As for Newgarden’s Team Penske teammate Will Power, the Aussie bounced back to finish third and secured his second podium of the year his first since the season opener at Barber.

    “Yeah, we did,” Power said about the solid Road America weekend. “I just think about Indy and Detroit, like two massive results of points there. Those two results have put us right back in the championship. Stoked to be third. Pretty fun race, to be honest. It had a bit of everything and good racing and a bit of roughing up.”

    There were 11 lead changes among seven different leaders and four cautions for seven laps. There were two penalties handed during the race. The first for Takuma Sato for avoidable contact with Conor Daly and the final penalty for the No. 14 of Sebastien Bourdais for pitting in a closed pit area.

    Official Results following the REV Group Grand Prix at Road America:

    1. Alex Palou, led five laps
    2. Colton Herta
    3. Will Power
    4. Scott Dixon, led one lap
    5. Romain Grosjean
    6. Marcus Ericsson
    7. Alexander Rossi
    8. Takuma Sato, led two laps
    9. Pato O’Ward
    10. Max Chilton, led seven laps
    11. Graham Rahal
    12. Oliver Askew, led two laps
    13. Ryan Hunter-Reay
    14. Scott McLaughlin
    15. James Hinchcliffe
    16. Sebastien Bourdais
    17. Jack Harvey
    18. Simon Pagenaud
    19. Cody Ware
    20. Conor Daly
    21. Josef Newgarden
    22. Jimmie Johnson, 1 lap down
    23. Ed Jones, OUT, Off Course
    24. Kevin Magnussen, OUT, Off Course, led seven laps
    25. Dalton Kellett, OUT, Mechanical

    Race Statistics
    Winner’s average speed: 119.424 mph
    Time of Race: 1:50:55.0534
    Margin of victory: 1.9106 seconds
    Cautions: 4 for 7 laps
    Lead changes: 11 among 7 drivers

    Lap Leaders:
    Newgarden 1 – 13
    Palou 14
    Dixon 15
    Newgarden 16 – 24
    Magnussen 25 – 30
    Sato 31 – 32
    Newgarden 33 – 39
    Palou 40 – 41
    Chilton 42 – 48
    Askew 49 – 50
    Newgarden 51 – 53
    Palou 54 – 55

    NTT INDYCAR SERIES point standings: Palou 349, O’Ward 321, Dixon 296, Newgarden 261, Pagenaud 255, VeeKay 243, Herta 242, Ericsson 239, Rahal 228, Sato 206.

    Up Next: The NTT IndyCar Series will take a short break before heading to Mid-Ohio for the Honda Indy 200 on Sunday July 4 live on NBC at 12 p.m./ET.

  • Brown to make 100th Xfinity Series start at Texas

    Brown to make 100th Xfinity Series start at Texas

    A significant milestone start is in the making for Brandon Brown, driver of the No. 68 Brandonbilt Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. By competing in this weekend’s event at Texas Motor Speedway, Brown will reach 100 career starts in the Xfinity circuit.

    A native of Woodbridge, Virginia, Brown made his Xfinity Series debut at Richmond Raceway in September 2016. By then, he had made select NASCAR Truck Series races in the previous two seasons and he was a student at Coastal Carolina University. Driving the No. 86 Chevrolet for Brandonbilt Motorsports, his family-owned team, Brown started 26th and finished 29th in his series debut. He went on to compete at Kansas Speedway in October, where he finished 25th, and the season-finale Homestead-Miami Speedway in November, where he finished 23rd.

    Brown returned for 10 Xfinity races in 2017, with his first event occurring at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March and his last occurring at Dover International Speedway in September. His best results were 17th at Dover in June and 20th at Darlington Raceway in September.

    In 2018, Brown competed in seven of the 33-race schedule, where he earned two 18th-place results (Darlington in September and Texas in November) and a 19th-place result (Richmond Raceway in April).

    The following season, Brown competed in all 33 Xfinity scheduled races between Brandonbilt Motorsports and RSS Racing. His best result was sixth at Daytona International Speedway in July. He also went on to earn a total of 10 top-15 results before settling in 15th place in the final standings.

    Brown returned as a full-time Xfinity competitor for Brandonbilt Motorsports in 2020, where he kicked off the season with a seventh-place result at Daytona in February. He earned four top-10 results and 17 top-15 results throughout the 26-race regular-season stretch, which were enough for him to make the Xfinity Playoffs for the first time in his career.

    During the Round of 12 in the Xfinity Playoffs, Brown earned results of 15th, ninth and 26th, but his title hopes came to an early end after he was eliminated from the Playoffs. Two races later, Brown rebounded by earning his first top-five career result in the series after finishing fifth at Texas in October. He went on to conclude the season in 11th place in the final standings and with a career-high six top-10 results along with a career-best average result of 16.0.

    Through the first 13 races of this season, Brown has finished in the top five twice and in the top 10 seven times. During this span, he earned a career-best third-place result at Phoenix Raceway in March following a late restart and dash to the finish. He is currently ranked in 13th place in the Xfinity Series regular-season standings.

    Through 99 previous Xfinity Series starts, Brown has claimed three top-five results, 14 top-10 results and an average result of 19.0.

    Brown is primed to make his 100th Xfinity Series career start at Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday, June 12, which will occur at 4 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Perez capitalizes late to win the Azerbaijan Grand Prix

    Perez capitalizes late to win the Azerbaijan Grand Prix

    In a late chain of events that featured title contenders Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton left in a draw for the championship lead following late on-track issues, Sergio “Checo” Perez came out on top and claimed his first victory of the season in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix at Baku City Circuit, the sixth event of the 2021 Formula One season.

    The 31-year-old veteran from Guadalajara, Mexico, was initially poised for a podium result when his teammate and leader Max Verstappen wrecked with five laps remaining due to a left-rear tyre puncture, an incident that left Verstappen upset following his Monaco Grand Prix victory. With the race red-flagged to have the debris cleared from the wreckage, the race restarted in a two-lap shootout that featured all of the cars restarting in double lanes. Hamilton, meanwhile, was poised to challenge Perez for the victory until he locked up his front tires and overshot the first corner, which took him out of race-winning contention and an opportunity to reclaim the points lead. That all but gave Perez the clean air needed to drive to victory.

    The Azerbaijan victory marked Perez’s second Formula One career victory in his 197th career start, his first as a Red Bull Racing driver and his first since claiming his maiden F1 victory in the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix last December. It also marked Perez’s third time standing on the podium at the Baku City Circuit after finishing in third place in 2016 and 2018.

    “I think we all love Baku, right?” Perez said. “It worked well. We had good pace, good start, good first lap. We did everything perfect apart from that restart. Simply, I didn’t have any grip. I had an issue with my tyres and I couldn’t warm them up, so I think that was part of it, of the issue that I had a very poor start. We gave it all. I thought, ‘I cannot miss this race two laps from the end.’ Overall, I’m just very pleased. I certainly did a very good step in understanding the [Red Bull] car, in feeling comfortable. I think there is still a lot to come from us, so we’re just working really hard. I’m giving it my best. The season is still very long, so anything can happen.”

    Despite finishing 18th with a DNF following his late accident, Verstappen, who earned a single point by setting the fastest lap at 206.839 kph, retained the lead in the drivers’ championship standings after Hamilton fell all the way back to 15th place.

    “Yeah, it’s, of course, frustrating and disappointing,” Verstappen said. “So close to the finish, to retire with a tyre blowout. It’s a big shame. Sometime, you can hate this sport for a few hours and then, I’ll be fine again. Up until that point, it was a great day. The car was on fire. I was just matching whatever I needed to do behind me. It would’ve been an easy win, but of course, I know no guarantees are in this sport. Shame because we missed out on an opportunity to make the gap [between myself and Hamilton] bigger.”

    “Basically, when Checo pulled over to the left and I moved to the left, I, unknowingly, hit a switch and it basically switched off the rear brakes and only the fronts were working, so it just went straight,” Hamilton said. “It’s really painful, but I’m really sorry to the team for this day. All I can do is rebuild and know that I gave it absolutely everything today.”

    Trailing Perez to the line by more than a second was Sebastian Vettel, who claimed his first podium result of the season, his first since the 2020 Turkish Grand Prix last November and his first with the Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team.

    “I feel good,” Vettel said. “We started 11th, but I think we were very strong today. The team did a great job. We prepared well for the race, knew what to do and execute…good pace throughout. Looking forward to the next races.”

    Pierre Gasly, meanwhile, fended off a late challenge from pole-sitter Charles Leclerc during the two-lap shootout to round out the podium in third place, thus claiming his first podium result since winning his maiden Grand Prix event in Monza, Italy, last September and the first podium result of the season for the AlphaTauri team.

    “It’s been an incredible weekend for us,” Gasly said. “The car’s been very, very strong and [qualifying] was great yesterday. The race was going really well at the start. From mid-race to onwards, we had engine problems, so we started to lose performance, especially down the straights. I knew it would be tight with Charles with our lethal issue. It was quite close racing, hard racing, but exactly how we like it. I really wanted that podium and I’m really, really happy for the guys.”

    Leclerc rallied from his dismal week at Monaco, where he did not make the starting grid nor competed, by finishing fourth while Lando Norris crossed the line in fifth place.

    Fernando Alonso settled in sixth place followed by rookie Yuki Tsunoda, who notched a career-best result. Carlos Sainz, Daniel Ricciardo and Kimi Räikkönen completed the top-10 points finishing results.

    Antonio Giovinazzi finished 11th followed by Valtteri Bottas, Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin, all of whom finished in front of Hamilton. Nicholas Latifi finished 16th while teammate George Russell retired in 17th.

    Lance Stroll ended his race in 19th place and with a DNF following a harrowing accident caused by a left-rear tyre puncture on the high-speed straightaway that sent the Canadian into the wall and with a wrecked Aston Martin F1 car.

    Esteban Ocon finished in 20th place and as the first retiree of the event after an early engine turbo issue took him out of contention.

    Results:

    1. Sergio Perez, eight laps led, 25 points

    2. Sebastian Vettel, four laps led, 18 points

    3. Pierre Gasly, 15 points

    4. Charles Leclerc, one lap led, 12 points

    5. Lando Norris, 10 points

    6. Fernando Alonso, eight points

    7. Yuki Tsunoda, six points

    8. Carlos Sainz, four points

    9. Daniel Ricciardo, two points

    10. Kimi Räikkönen, one point

    11. Antonio Givinazzi

    12. Valtteri Bottas

    13. Mick Schumacher

    14. Nikita Mazepin

    15. Lewis Hamilton, nine laps led

    16. Nicholas Latifi

    17. George Russell, retired

    18. Max Verstappen, retired, 29 las led, one point

    19. Lance Stroll, retired

    20. Esteban Ocon, retired

    Verstappen continues to lead the drivers’ standings by four points over Hamilton with Perez trailing by 36 points. Red Bull Racing Honda also continues to lead the constructors’ standings by 26 points over Mercedes.

    Next on the 2021 Formula One schedule is Circuit Paul Ricard for the French Grand Prix, which will occur on Sunday, June 20.

  • Hemric to achieve 100th Xfinity Series start at Mid-Ohio

    Hemric to achieve 100th Xfinity Series start at Mid-Ohio

    In his return to full-time NASCAR competition, Daniel Hemric is within reach of a milestone start. By competing in this weekend’s Xfinity Series event at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, the driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Supra will reach 100 career starts in the Xfinity circuit.

    A native of Kannapolis, North Carolina, Hemric made his inaugural presence in the Xfinity Series in 2017. By then, he was coming off his second full-time season in the Truck Series, where he earned 11 top-five results, 17 top-10 results and a spot in the Playoffs, where he finished in sixth place in the final standings as a Brad Keselowski Racing competitor.

    Two months prior to the 2016 Truck season’s conclusion, Hemric was named a full-time Xfinity competitor for Richard Childress Racing and in the No. 21 Chevrolet Camaro. 

    Hemric opened his rookie Xfinity season on a low note by finishing 31st after being involved in an early multi-car wreck. He rallied the following week at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where he achieved his first top-10 result in the Xfinity circuit after finishing ninth. Five races later, Hemric earned his first top-five result at Bristol Motor Speedway in April after finishing fifth, where he also led eight laps, won the second stage and claimed the Dash 4 Cash bonus in the race. His momentum continued the following week at Richmond Raceway, where he started on pole position for the first time in his career, led 26 laps and finished in third place.

    Throughout the 26-race regular-season stretch, Hemric achieved a season-best second-place result at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in August, a total of five top-five results and 12 top-10 results before clinching his spot in the 2017 Xfinity Playoffs.

    During the Playoffs, Hemric advanced from the Round of 12 to the Round of 8 following three consecutive top-10 results. He commenced the Round of 8 with an 18th-place result at Kansas Speedway followed by a 14th-place result at Texas Motor Speedway. Scored on the outside of the top-four cutline to the Championship Round entering the final Round of 8 event at Phoenix Raceway in November, Hemric prevailed over a late two-tire pit strategy and a battle with Cole Custer in the final laps to finish in fifth place, two spots ahead of Custer, and secure the fourth and final spot to the Championship Round at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where he entered the finale as the only non-JR Motorsports competitor to battle for the title. 

    During the finale at Homestead, Hemric started the race strong and as the leading title contender. Everything changed during the second stage when he brought his No. 21 Chevrolet to pit road under green after reporting battery issues. While his crew repaired the issue, Hemric returned to the track multiple laps behind and out of title contention as he concluded his rookie season in fourth place in the final standings. Despite missing out on winning the title and the Rookie-of-the-Year title over William Byron, Hemric achieved a pole, seven top-five results, 16 top-10 results and a 13.2 average-finishing result throughout the 2017 season.

    Following an impressive rookie season, Hemric retained his seat with RCR for the 2018 Xfinity season. He started on pole position for the season-opening event at Daytona, but finished 26th after being involved in a multi-car incident at the halfway mark. While he did not record a single victory throughout the 26-race regular-season stretch, Hemric and the No. 21 team were strongly consistent as they earned two runner-up results, 12 top-five results, 16 top-10 results and a spot for the 2018 Xfinity Playoffs.

    Throughout the Playoffs, including the Rounds of 12 and 8, Hemric finished in the top 10 in all but one event, including an additional two runner-up results, as he returned to the Championship Round at Homestead in November with another opportunity to win his first Xfinity title. During the finale, however, Hemric finished fourth in the main event and settled in third place in the final standings. Despite enduring another winless season, Hemric earned a career-high four poles, 16 top-five results, 23 top-10 results, 440 laps led and a 9.0 average result.

    After two impressive, consistent seasons in the Xfinity circuit, Hemric moved up to the Cup Series with RCR in 2019. Despite achieving the 2019 Cup Rookie-of-the-Year title, Hemric was released from RCR following the 2019 season. He ended up joining JR Motorsports as a part-time Xfinity Series competitor for the 2020 season. Driving the No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro, Hemric made his first start of a part-time schedule at Las Vegas in February, where he finished 35th after being involved in an early incident that result in a suspension failure. He returned for an additional 20 races throughout the 33-race schedule. During his stint, Hemric earned two season-best runner-up results (Charlotte Motor Speedway in May and Kansas Speedway in October), a total of seven top-five results, 12 top-10 results and an average result of 16.2.

    Following the 2020 season, Hemric was named a full-time Xfinity competitor for Joe Gibbs Racing and in the No. 18 Toyota Supra for the 2021 season. He commenced the season in ninth place at Daytona before earning three consecutive top-three results during the following three weeks, including a runner-up result at Las Vegas in March.

    Through the first 12 Xfinity events of this season, Hemric has achieved five top-five results, eight top-10 results and an average-finishing result of 11.3. He is currently ranked in fourth place in the Xfinity Series standings.

    Through 99 previous Xfinity starts, Hemric has achieved five poles, 35 top-five results and 59 top-10 results, while continuing to pursue his first victory within NASCAR’s top three national touring series.

    Hemric is slated to make his 100th Xfinity career start at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on Saturday, June 5, at 1 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Elliott to make 200th Cup start at Charlotte

    Elliott to make 200th Cup start at Charlotte

    Competing in his sixth full-time season in the NASCAR Cup Series, Chase Elliott is within reach of a milestone start. By competing in this weekend’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the reigning series champion and driver of the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE will achieve career start No. 200 in NASCAR’s premier series.

    A native of Dawsonville, Georgia, Elliott made his inaugural presence in the Cup Series in 2015. By then, he was the reigning Xfinity Series champion driving for JR Motorsports and was named the successor of Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 24 Chevrolet for the 2016 Cup season, replacing four-time champion Jeff Gordon with Gordon set to retire from full-time racing following the 2015 season.

    Elliott made his Cup debut at Martinsville Speedway in March 2015, driving the No. 25 Chevrolet SS for Hendrick Motorsports. During the event, however, he was involved in an early on-track incident that damaged his car and broke the power steering. Following repairs in the garage, Elliott returned and finished 38th in his series debut. He went on to compete in four additional Cup races, which included Richmond Raceway in April, Charlotte Motor Speedway in May, Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July at Darlington Raceway in September. His best results during his five-race Cup span were 16th at Richmond and a pair of 18th-place results at Charlotte and Indy. Elliott went on to finish in the runner-up position in the 2015 Xfinity Series standings while Gordon and the No. 24 team won at Martinsville in November and competed for the 2015 Cup title at Homestead-Miami Speedway before finishing in third place in the final standings.

    Assuming the No. 24 Chevrolet in 2016, Elliott kicked off his rookie Cup season on a high note by winning the pole position for the Daytona 500, thus becoming the youngest pole winner of the 500 at age 20, two months and 17 days, while recording the 10th 500 pole award for Hendrick Motorsports. During the main event, however, Elliott was involved in an early incident and finished 37th. He rebounded with his first top-10 career result in the Cup Series after finishing eighth at Atlanta Motor Speedway. 

    By September in his rookie season, Elliott claimed an additional pole at Talladega Superspeedway in April, two runner-up results in both Michigan International Speedway events, seven top-five results and 13 top-10 results, which were enough for him to make the 2016 Cup Playoffs. Finishing third, 13th and third in the Round of 16, Elliott advanced into the Round of 12. His title hopes, however, came to an end following the Round of 12 and following results of 33rd, 31st and 12th. Nonetheless, he capped off the season in 10th place in the final standings and with the Rookie-of-the-Year title. Overall, Elliott earned two poles, 10 top-five results, 17 top-10 results and an average result of 14.6 in his first full-time Cup season.

    Elliott commenced his sophomore Cup season, 2017, with his second consecutive Daytona 500 pole award. He went on to win the non-point Can-Am Duel at Daytona four days later. During the 500, Elliott led a total of 39 laps and was leading a pack of cars in the final laps until his No. 24 NAPA Chevrolet SS started sputtering on low fuel under the final three laps. Instead of a possible trip to Victory Lane for his first 500 triumph, he ended up in 14th place.

    By the time the 2017 regular-season stretch concluded in September, Elliott and the No. 24 team earned six top-five results and 14 top-10 results, which were enough for him to make the Playoffs. In the Round of 16, Elliott finished second, 11th and second as he advanced into the Round of 12. With results of second, 16th and fourth during the second round, he made his way into the Round of 8.

    At Martinsville in October, Elliott made his way into the lead in the closing laps and was on his way to win his first Cup race and claim a spot to the Championship Round at Homestead due in three races when a bump from Denny Hamlin sent Elliott into the Turn 3 outside wall, where he wrecked and fell all the way back in 27th place when the checkered flag flew. The incident was one that led to both competitors confronting one another on pit road following the race and mixed reaction from the crowd. With his titles hopes in jeopardy, Elliott finished eighth during the following race at Texas Motor Speedway. During the next race at Phoenix, he took over the lead late and was on his way to redeem himself until he was overtaken in the closing laps by Matt Kenseth. With Kenseth winning, Elliott finished in second place for the fifth time in 2017 (seventh since 2016) and was not able to earn a spot in the Championship Round. The driver went on to settle in fifth place in the final standings and with 12 top-five results, 21 top-10 results and an average result of 12.0.

    For the 2018 Cup season, Hendrick Motorsports switched Elliott’s number to 9, his father Bill’s iconic number, while newcomer William Byron was given the No. 24.

    Through the first 21 races of the season, Elliott earned a runner-up result at Richmond in April, five top-five results, 10 top-10 results and was in 12th place in the regular-season standings. In the following race at Watkins Glen International in August, Elliott led a race-high 52 of 90 laps and held off a late challenge from Martin Truex Jr. to claim his first elusive Cup career victory in his 99th series start and return the Elliott name back in Victory Lane in NASCAR’s premier series. As an added bonus, Elliott recorded the 250th Cup career victory for Hendrick Motorsports. He went on to earn three consecutive top-10 results before the Playoffs commenced in September. By then, he surpassed 100 Cup career starts.

    Despite crashing out in the Playoff opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, he rebounded by finishing fourth at Richmond and sixth in the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course event to transfer from the Round of 16 to the Round of 12. He kicked off the second round in the Playoffs on a high note by claiming his second Cup career victory at Dover. As a result, he secured his spot for the Round of 8 in the Playoffs. Two races later, he claimed his third career win at Kansas Speedway. Following results of seventh, sixth and 23rd in the Round of 8, though, Elliott was eliminated from title contention. He went on to conclude the season in sixth place in the final standings and with 11 top-five results and 21 top-10 results.

    The 2019 Cup season started off on a low note for Elliott, who finished 17th after being involved in a late multi-car wreck. Through the first nine events of the season, he achieved a pole, a runner-up result at Martinsville in March and two top-10 results. During the following event at Talladega in April, Elliott led a race-high 45 laps and held off teammate Alex Bowman and the field on the final lap and in the midst of multiple wrecks behind to claim his first Cup victory of the season and the fifth of his career. He went on to win at Watkins Glen in August before the Playoffs commenced. 

    In October, Elliott claimed his third victory of the season at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course as he transferred from the Round of 16 to the Round of 12. He rallied from a 38th-place result at Dover the following week to finish eighth and second during the next two races (Talladega and Kansas), which were enough for him to claim the eighth and final transfer spot to the Round of 8. Elliott’s title hopes, however, came to an end following three consecutive results outside of the top 30 during the Round of 8. When the final checkered flag of the season flew, Elliott concluded the season with a total of three victories, four poles, 11 top-five results, 15 top-10 results and a 10th-place result in the final standings.

    Through the first seven races of the 2020 season, Elliott recorded three top-five results and was ranked in fourth place in the regular-season standings. He rebounded the following race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May by claiming his first victory of the season. He went on to win the All-Star Race at Bristol in July and the inaugural Cup event at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course layout in August.

    Despite finishing 20th in the Playoff opener at Darlington Raceway following a late incident, Elliott finished in the top 10 in the following two races and claim his spot in the Round of 12. He earned a spot in the Round of 8 following another victory at the Charlotte Roval. After winning at Martinsville in November, Elliott and his No. 9 team earned a spot in the Championship Round at Phoenix. Despite starting at the rear of the field in the championship finale, Elliott led a race-high 153 of 312 laps and fend off Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin to win the race and capture his first NASCAR Cup Series title in his fifth season in Cup competition, thus becoming the 34th competitor to win a Cup title and recording the 13th title for Hendrick Motorsports. In addition to his first Cup championship, Elliott capped off the season with a career-high five victories, 15 top-five results, 22 top-10 results, over 1,200 laps led and an 11.7 average-finishing result.

    Elliott is coming off his first victory of the 2021 season in the inaugural Circuit of the Americas event in Austin, Texas. Through the first 14 events of this season, he has also notched six top-five results and eight top-10 results. He is currently ranked in fifth place in the regular-season standings.

    Through 199 previous Cup starts, Elliott has achieved one championship, 12 career victories, nine poles, 65 top-five results, 104 top-10 results and an average result of 13.3.

    Elliott is slated to make his 200th Cup career start at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday, May 30, with the event scheduled to occur at 3 p.m. ET on FOX.

  • Buescher to make 200th Cup start at COTA

    Buescher to make 200th Cup start at COTA

    Competing in his sixth full-time season in the NASCAR Cup Series, Chris Buescher is set to reach a milestone start. By competing in this weekend’s inaugural EchoPark Texas Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas, the driver of the No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford Mustang will make his 200th career start in NASCAR’s premier series.

    A native of Prosper, Texas, Buescher made his Cup Series debut at Auto Club Speedway in March 2015. By then, he was a full-time Xfinity Series competitor for Roush Fenway Racing. Driving the No. 34 Ford Fusion for Front Row Motorsports as a substitute competitor in place of Brett Moffitt, Buescher finished 20th in his Cup debut. He ended up competing in five additional Cup races with FRM at Martinsville Speedway in March, Texas Motor Speedway in April, Bristol Motor Speedway in April, Talladega Superspeedway in May and Watkins Glen International in August.

    After winning the 2015 Xfinity Series championship, Buescher earned a full-time Cup ride in Front Row Motorsports’ No. 34 Ford Fusion for the 2016 season, which he entered as a rookie contender. His rookie Cup season, however, started off on a low note after being involved in a multi-car accident nearing the midway point of the 2016 Daytona 500.

    Through the first 20 races of the 2016 Cup season, Buescher’s best result was 14th at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July and he was mired back in 31st in the regular-season standings. Everything changed, however, at Pocono Raceway in July, when he emerged with the lead on Lap 127 as part of an economy run while most of the leaders pitted under green. Buescher retained the lead when the caution flew shortly after and as the leaders were brought down to pit road with the race red-flagged due to weather. Following an extensive weather delay, NASCAR made the race official and handed Buescher his first Cup career victory in his 27th series start. With his first win in NASCAR’s premier series, Buescher became the first Rookie-of-the-Year candidate to claim victory in a season since Joey Logano made the last accomplishment in 2009 and he recorded the second career victory for Front Row Motorsports. Buescher, however, was not automatically guaranteed a spot in the Playoffs since he was outside of the top-30 cutline in the regular-season standings and needed to earn consistent results for the upcoming five races to move into the cutline prior to the Playoffs commencing.

    Following his victory at Pocono, Buescher earned an impressive fifth-place result at Bristol Motor Speedway in August and generated enough decent results above the top 35 on the track through the remaining five regular-season events to move into the top-30 cutline in the standings and secure his spot for the 2016 Cup Playoffs, which also marked the first postseason appearance for Front Row Motorsports. Buescher’s Playoff run, however, came to an end after finishing 28th, 30th and 23rd through the Round of 16. Nonetheless, Buescher went on to finish in a career-best 16th place in the final standings.

    In 2017, Buescher departed Front Row Motorsports and joined JTG-Daugherty Racing as driver of the No. 37 Chevrolet SS. Commencing the season in 35th place following a multi-car wreck in the second half of the Daytona 500, he went on to earn a total of four top-10 results and two season-best sixth-place results. Compared to his rookie Cup season, however, Buescher did not record a victory nor did he make the Playoffs as he concluded his sophomore Cup season in 25th place in the final standings.

    Remaining at JTG-Daugherty Racing for the 2018 Cup season, Buescher commenced the season on a strong note by finishing in fifth place in the Daytona 500. He would earn another fifth-place result at Daytona in July, but conclude the season in 24th place in the final standings. By then, Buescher surpassed 100 Cup career starts.

    Throughout the 2019 season, Buescher earned a season-best sixth-place result in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May and a total of four top-10 results before finishing in 20th place in the final standings.

    For the 2020 Cup season, Buescher reunited with Roush Fenway Racing and replaced Ricky Stenhouse Jr. as driver of the No. 17 Ford Mustang. He kicked off the season by finishing in third place in the Daytona 500. Ultimately, he would earn a total of two top-five results and six top-10 results throughout the 26-race regular-season stretch. While he did not make the Playoffs, he earned three additional top-10 results during the final 10 races before finishing in 21st place in the final standings. The eight top-10 results he achieved throughout the 2020 season were his career best in a season.

    Through the first 13 events of the 2021 Cup season, Buescher has achieved three top-10 results, a season-best result of seventh place at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March, a career-best average result of 15.9 and a career-high 71 laps led. He is currently ranked in 14th place in the regular-season standings.

    Through 199 previous Cup starts, Buescher has achieved one career win, six top-five results, 23 top-10 results, 135 laps led and an overall average result of 21.0.

    Buescher is slated to make his 200th Cup career start at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, on Sunday, May 23, at 2:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Allgaier to reach 350 Xfinity career starts at COTA

    Allgaier to reach 350 Xfinity career starts at COTA

    Competing in his 11th full-time season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Justin Allgaier is within reach of a milestone start. By competing in this weekend’s inaugural Xfinity event at the Circuit of the Americas, Allgaier will achieve 350 career starts in the Xfinity circuit.

    A native of Riverton, Illinois, Allgaier made his Xfinity Series debut at Charlotte’s Lowe’s Motor Speedway in October 2008. By then, he was also a full-time ARCA Re/Max Series competitor competing for his family owned team led by his father Mike. Driving the No. 12 Dodge for team owner Roger Penske, Allgaier started 14th before finishing 34th in his series debut after being involved in a wreck in the second half of the event. He returned for the final three races of the season, where he earned an 11th-place result at Phoenix Raceway in November.

    Following his brief appearance in the Xfinity circuit and after winning the 2008 ARCA championship, Allgaier was named a full-time Xfinity competitor in Penske’s No. 12 Dodge for the 2009 season. While he did not record a single victory throughout his rookie Xfinity campaign, he achieved the 2009 Rookie-of-the-Year title in a season where he claimed a pole, three top-five results, 12 top-10 results, an average result of 16.5 and a sixth-place result in the final standings.

    Remaining with the Penske organization in 2010, Allgaier commenced the season on a strong note by finishing in fourth place in the season-opening event at Daytona. Three races later, he achieved his first Xfinity career win at Bristol Motor Speedway in March after leading the final 27 laps while holding off teammate Brad Keselowski. Overall, Allgaier went on to earn two poles, eight top-five results, 20 top-10 results and an average result of 11.5. When the season concluded at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November, he finished in fourth place in the final standings and as the highest-finishing Xfinity regular competitor.

    Following the 2010 season, the No. 12 Penske team ceased operations due to sponsorship issues and Allgaier joined Turner Motorsports to drive the No. 31 Chevrolet Impala for the 2011 season. Finishing as high as second place through the first 13 events of the season, Allgaier claimed his first victory of the season at Chicagoland Speedway in June and in thrilling fashion after overtaking Carl Edwards, who had run out of fuel, on the final lap before he too ran out of fuel and had enough to coast ahead to the finish line ahead of Edwards. Overall, Allgaier earned a victory, six top-five results, 17 top-10 results and an average result of 11.8 before settling in third place in the final standings. Following the 2011 season, Allgaier surpassed 100 career starts in the Xfinity circuit.

    In 2012, Allgaier’s lone victory of the season occurred at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Quebec, in August after he overtook Jacques Villeneuve on the final lap. He went on to earn a total of six top-five results, 19 top-10 results and a sixth-place result in the final standings.

    The 2013 Xfinity season saw Allgaier experience his first winless season since his rookie campaign, but he managed to finish in fifth place in the final standings and in a season where he earned a pole, six top-five results, 16 top-10 results and an 11.2 average result.

    Following the 2013 season, Allgaier moved up to the NASCAR Cup Series to drive for HScott Motorsports. After spending the next two seasons in the Cup Series, Allgaier returned to the Xfinity Series as a full-time competitor in 2016, where he joined forces with JR Motorsports to drive the No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro. Though he did not win during the entire season, Allgaier utilized consistency to make the inaugural Xfinity Playoffs and all the way to the Championship Round at Homestead-Miami Speedway before settling in third place in the final standings. He also earned 13 top-five results, a career-high 27 top-10 results and a 9.1 average result. By then, he surpassed 200 Xfinity career starts.

    In 2017, Allgaier returned to Victory Lane following a five-year dry spell after winning at Phoenix Raceway in March. He went on to earn his second victory of the season at Chicagoland in September. Returning to the Playoffs and to the Championship Round for a second consecutive season, Allgaier went on to finish in third place in the final standings and in a season where he also earned a pole, 10 top-five results and 17 top-10 results.

    The 2018 season was a career year for Allgaier, who won a career-high five races (Dover International Speedway in May, Iowa Speedway in June, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and Road America in August and Indianapolis Motor Speedway in September) and the 2018 Xfinity Series regular season championship. He also earned a career-high 17 top-five results and 24 top-10 results. Despite the momentum throughout the season and the Playoffs, finishes of 38th, fifth and 24th during the Playoff’s Round of 8 were enough to prevent him from reaching the Championship Round as the driver went on to finish in seventh place in the final standings.

    The momentum from the previous season carried forth in the 2019 Xfinity opener at Daytona for Allgaier, who earned a strong runner-up result behind teammate Michael Annett. It was not until the penultimate event of the season at Phoenix in November, though, where he won for the first time during the season. Nonetheless, the victory was enough for the veteran driver and his No. 7 JRM Chevrolet team to secure a spot in the Championship Round at Homestead. During the finale, however, Allgaier cut a tire late in the event and settled in fourth place in the final standings. He capped off the season with 16 top-five results, 24 top-10 results and a career-best average result of 9.0. By then, he surpassed 300 Xfinity starts.

    In 2020, Allgaier earned a victory in one of Dover International Speedway’s doubleheader events in August and he won both Richmond Raceway events in a doubleheader weekend in September. Despite returning to the Championship Round at Phoenix, he settled in a career-best runner-up result in the final standings behind the champion, Austin Cindric. He concluded the season with 11 top-five results, 19 top-10 results and a career-high 1,008 laps led.

    Through the first 10 races of this season, Allgaier has achieved two victories (Atlanta Motor Speedway in March and Darlington Raceway in May), three top-five results and five top-10 results. He is ranked in sixth place in the regular-season standings.

    Through 349 previous Xfinity starts, Allgaier has achieved 16 career victories, six poles, 99 top-five results, 200 top-10 results and a 12.1 average result.

    Allgaier is set to make his 350th Xfinity Series career start at the Circuit of the Americas for the Pit Boss 250 on Saturday, May 22, at 4 p.m. ET on FS1.