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Category: XFINITY Series

NASCAR XFINITY Series news and information

Weekend schedule for Martinsville-2

This weekend the NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series travel to Martinsville Speedway to set the field for the Championship 4 Playoffs. Cup Series winners Kyle Larson (Las Vegas Motor Speedway) and Christopher Bell (Homestead-Miami Speedway) have secured their spot in the Playoffs.

Xfinity Series winners Riley Herbst (Las Vegas Motor Speedway) and Sam Mayer (Homestead-Miami Speedway) are also locked into the Championship 4 Playoffs.

The NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series is off as Corey Heim, Brett Moffitt, Carson Hocevar and Grant Enfinger prepare for the finale at Phoenix Raceway on November 3.

On Thursday, October 26, the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will kick off the weekend with the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 200 race at 8 p.m. on FloRacing.com.

NASCAR PressPass will be available post-qualifying and post-race for the Cup Series and the Xfinity Series.

All times are Eastern.

Friday, October 27

5 p.m.: Xfinity Series Practice – USA/NBC Sports App
5:35 p.m.: Xfinity Series Qualifying – USA/NBC Sports App

Saturday, October 28

12:35 p.m.: Cup Series Practice – USA/MRN/SiriusXM/NBC Sports App
1:20 p.m.: Cup Series Qualifying – USA/MRN/SiriusXM/NBC Sports App

3:30 p.m.: Xfinity Series Dead On Tools 250
Distance: 131.5 miles (250 Laps)
Stage 1 ends on Lap 60, Stage 2 ends on Lap 120, Final Stage ends on Lap 250
USA/MRN/SiriusXM/NBC Sports App
Purse: $1,380,935

Sunday, October 29

2 p.m.: Cup Series Xfinity 50- NBC/MRN/SiriusXM/NBC Sports App
Distance: 263 miles (500 Laps)
Stage 1 ends on Lap 130, Stage 2 ends on Lap 260), Final Stage ends on Lap 500
NBC/MRN/SiriusXM/NBC Sports App
Purse: $8,587,800

October 25, 2023
Jesse Love elevated to full-time Xfinity Series ride with Richard Childress Racing for 2024 season

Newly crowned ARCA Menards Series champion Jesse Love will be graduating to the NASCAR Xfinity Series to pilot the No. 2 Chevrolet Camaro for Richard Childress Racing for the 2024 season, where he will be replacing the departing Sheldon Creed.

The news comes as the 18-year-old Love from Menlo Park, California, is coming off his first full-time campaign in the ARCA Menards Series, where he won the driver’s championship on the strength of 10 victories, seven poles, 17 top-five results, 18 top-10 results, 1,477 laps led and an average-finishing result of 4.1 through 20 starts, all while competing for Venturini Motorsports.

“I’ve been fortunate to gain a lot of racing experience at a young age, but nothing compares to the opportunity to race for a legendary team like Richard Childress Racing,” Love said. “I have so much respect for Richard Childress and am extremely grateful to be able to race and learn with one of the most successful teams in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. I’ve dreamed of racing at the highest levels of the sport since I was a young kid, and the path to the NASCAR Cup Series seems more clear with this opportunity. It’s even more special to be able to represent a company like Whelen who has a long-standing involvement in motorsports and strong focus on building American-made products.”

Love, who grew up competing in Quarter Midgets, achieved two consecutive USAC Speed2 Western US Dirt Midget Series championships and the 2017 USAC Speed2 Western US Asphalt Midget Series title. He would win the 2018 Bay Cities Racing Association Midgets title before transitioning to the ARCA Menards Series West.

Driving for Bill McAnally Racing, Love won the 2020 ARCA West title by 25 points over Blaine Perkins and on the strength of three victories, four poles and top-10 results in all but one of 11-scheduled events. By then, the Californian became the youngest ARCA West champion in series’ history at age 15 years, nine months and 24 days. He would then capture his second consecutive ARCA West title a year later in a tie-breaker over rookie Jake Drew and based on winning two races throughout the season while Drew recorded none.

Amid his two consecutive ARCA West championship seasons, Love made a total of six starts in the ARCA Menards Series East and 14 in the ARCA Menards Series, which he achieved his first victory at Salem Speedway while driving for Venturini Motorsports. He would pilot Venturini’s No. 20 entry for 14 of 20 ARCA events in 2022, where he achieved his second career win at Illinois State Fairgrounds and racked up four poles, eight top-five results and 12 top-10 results.

This season and while competing for the ARCA title, Love made his inaugural presence within NASCAR’s top three national touring series when he made his Craftsman Truck Series debut at World Wide Technology Raceway in June. Driving the No. 11 Toyota for TRICON Garage while filling in for Corey Heim, who was ill prior to the event, Love earned a top-10 result in his debut by finishing ninth. He would compete in his second Truck event at Kansas Speedway with TRICON in September, where he finished 13th.

“We’ve been watching Jesse for a while now and his breakout performance in the ARCA Menards Series was impressive this season,” Richard Childress, Richard Childress Racing’s Chairman and CEO, said. “We know that he has the talent and determination to win races and compete for championships within RCR’s NASCAR Xfinity Series program. We are looking forward to welcoming Whelen back for another year on the No. 2 program and feel confident that Jesse will be a strong ambassador for Whelen.”

Love’s move to Richard Childress Racing completes the team’s two full-time driver lineup for the 2024 Xfinity season as Love, who will also contend for the Rookie-of-the-Year title, will compete alongside Austin Hill, who announced in mid-August that he will be returning for a third full-time season and continue to pilot RCR’s No. 21 Chevrolet Camaro. Sponsorship support for Love and the No. 2 team will come from Whelen Engineering, Inc., which will remain with the organization.

With his plans for next season set, Love’s first campaign both in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and with Richard Childress Racing is set to commence at Daytona International Speedway on February 17 for the 2024 series’ season opener. The event’s broadcast is slated to occur at 5 p.m. ET on FS1.

October 25, 2023
Mayer clinches Championship 4 berth with late Xfinity victory at Homestead

Two weeks after keeping his championship hopes alive by earning a walk-off victory in the Playoff’s Round of 8 finale at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course, Sam Mayer will officially race for his first NASCAR Xfinity Series championship after achieving a late victory in the Contender Boats 250 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Saturday, October 21.

The 20-year-old Mayer from Franklin, Wisconsin, led three times for 46 of 200-scheduled laps in an event where he started 13th and made his presence at the front known at the start of the second stage period while scoring a handful of stage points during the first two stage periods. Then after assuming the lead with 49 laps remaining while pole-sitter and Playoff rival Cole Custer pitted under green due to a flat tire, Mayer, who pitted with under 37 laps remaining for his final set of tires, withstood two late restarts, including the final one with 23 laps remaining, to fend off a hard-charging Riley Herbst and claim his fourth Xfinity Series victory of the 2023 season. Above all, Mayer punched his ticket into this year’s Championship 4 round as he will contend for the 2023 Xfinity Series title at Phoenix Raceway in two weeks’ time.

With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Friday, October 20, Playoff contender Cole Custer secured the pole position after posting a pole-winning lap at 165.604 mph in 32.608 seconds. Joining him on the front row was Playoff contender John Hunter Nemechek, who posted the second-best qualifying lap at 164.704 mph in 32.786 seconds.

Prior to the event, Patrick Emerling and Ryan Ellis dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments made to their respective entries.

When the green flag waved and the race started, Custer used the outside lane to rocket away from Nemechek and retain the lead through the first two turns. With the field fanning out and jostling for early spots through the backstretch, Custer proceeded to lead the first lap while Nemechek was overtaken by Justin Allgaier and Austin Hill for second and third place. Josh Berry would follow suit during the following along with rookie Sammy Smith while Custer was leading by half a second.

Through the first 10 scheduled laps, Custer retained the lead by half a second over Allgaier followed by Nemechek, Hill, and Berry while Sammy Smith, Sam Mayer, Brett Moffitt, Riley Herbst and Ryan Sieg were in the top 10. Behind, rookie Chandler Smith and Sheldon Creed were in the top 15 along with Dale Earnhardt Jr. as Kaz Grala and Daniel Hemric were a part of the battle.

Ten laps later, Custer stretched his advantage to a second over Nemechek followed by Allgaier, Hill and Sammy Smith while Mayer, Herbst, Berry, Moffitt and Creed occupied the top 10 on the track. Behind, Chandler Smith was in 13th ahead of Hemric and Earnhardt Jr. while Ryan Sieg and Grala were in the top 12. In addition, Ryan Newman was running in the top 20.

At the Lap 35 mark, Custer continued to lead by more than a second over Nemechek as Allgaier, Mayer and Creed were in the top five. Behind, Herbst occupied sixth place ahead of Moffitt, Hill, Grala and Sammy Smith while Chandler Smith, Parker Kligerman, Daniel Hemric, Earnhardt Jr. and Berry were in the top 15.

When the first stage period concluded on Lap 45, Custer, who came into the event 15 points above the top-four cutline to transfer into the Playoff’s Championship 4 round, captured his eighth Xfinity stage victory of the 2023 season. Mayer settled in second ahead of Nemechek, Creed and Moffitt while Allgaier, Herbst, Hill, Grala and Hemric were scored in the top 10. By then, Playoff contenders Chandler Smith and Sammy Smith were mired in 11th and 14th, respectively.

Under the stage break, the lead lap field led by Custer pitted. Following the pit stops, Custer retained the lead after exiting pit road ahead of Mayer, Creed, Nemechek, Allgaier and Herbst. Amid the pit stops, Brandon Jones was penalized for his crew members’ going over the wall too soon. Josh Williams was also penalized for pit interference.

The second stage period started on Lap 52 as Custer and Mayer occupied the front row. At the start, Custer and Mayer dueled for the lead for nearly a lap. Mayer would lead the following lap by a hair until Custer fought back and reassumed the top spot by Lap 54. Another few laps later, Allgaier made his way into the runner-up spot over teammate Mayer as Nemechek and Hill trailed in the top five.

At the Lap 60 mark, Custer was leading by six-tenths of a second over Allgaier followed by Mayer, Nemechek and Hill while Herbst, Kligerman, Berry, Creed and Chandler Smith were racing in the top 10.

Seven laps later, the caution flew after Dawson Cram wrecked in Turn 1 and lost his left-rear wheel in the process. During the caution period, the front-runners led by Custer remained on the track while select names that included Jeremy Clements, Derek Kraus, Brennan Poole and Kyle Sieg pitted for fresh tires.

When the race restarted on Lap 72, Custer and Nemechek briefly dueled for the lead until Nemechek muscled ahead with the lead from the inside lane. With Nemechek driving away from the field, Mayer and Custer battled for the runner-up spot followed by Allgaier and Kligerman while Hill and Herbst followed suit along with a hard-charging Kraus.

Then on Lap 78, Kraus, who pitted during the previous caution period, assumed the lead from Nemechek. Kraus would proceed to lead just past the Lap 80 by more than a second over Nemechek as Custer, Mayer and Allgaier were scored in the top five. By then, Kyle Sieg was in sixth while Hill, Kligerman, Herbst and Hemric were in the top 10. By then, Chandler Smith, Sammy Smith and Creed were in 11th, 12th and 14th while Earnhardt Jr. was in 13th.

When the second stage period concluded on Lap 90, Kraus, who was making his seventh Xfinity career start, captured his first Xfinity career stage victory. Nemechek settled in second ahead of Custer, Mayer and Allgaier while Kligerman, Kyle Sieg, Herbst, Hill and Hemric were scored in the top 10. 16, 18 and 2 in 11th, 12th and 14th while Earnhardt Jr. was back in 16th.

Under the stage break, the lead lap field led by Custer returned to pit road for service. Following the pit stops, Custer retained the lead after exiting pit road first. Amid the pit stops, Berry was penalized for speeding on pit road.

With 104 laps remaining, the final stage started as Custer and Allgaier occupied the front row. At the start, Custer and Allgaier dueled for the lead through the first two turns and they continued to battle dead even entering the backstretch. Shortly after, the caution returned after Playoff contender Chandler Smith, who was battling for a top-10 spot on the track, was hit by teammate Kraus, who was being rubbed by Brandon Jones, before Smith bounced off of Creed and spun before he was then hit by Brett Moffitt.

During the following restart with 97 laps remaining, Allgaier benefitted from restarting on the inside lane as he muscled away from Custer to inherit the lead. Amid the battles ensuing behind the leaders, Allgaier would lead the next eight laps before Custer reassumed the lead with 90 laps remaining.

Then with 81 laps remaining, Allgaier, who was running third, made a pit stop under green to address a loose left-rear wheel on his No. 7 hellowater Chevrolet Camaro. By then, Custer extended his advantage to two seconds over Mayer followed by Herbst, Nemechek and Hill while Earnhardt Jr., Sammy Smith, Creed, Hemric and Kraus were running in the top 10.

With nearly 65 laps remaining, green flag pit stops commenced as Joe Graf Jr. pitted. Richard Childress Racing’s Hill and Creed would pit under green a few laps later followed by Earnhardt Jr., Herbst, Custer, Mayer and others. As the green flag pit stops dwindled, Custer reassumed the lead with 53 laps remaining.

Four laps later, however, Custer fell off the pace while leading through the frontstretch and pitted after the right-front tire was spotted flat on the No. 00 Haas Automation Ford Mustang. Custer’s late misfortune moved Mayer into the lead while Hill, Nemechek, Herbst and Allgaier followed suit in the top five.

With 37 laps remaining, the caution returned after a wheel was spotted leaning against the outside wall on pit road. The caution occurred a few laps after Allgaier had pitted for his final set of tires. During the caution period, the lead lap field led by Mayer pitted for their final set of tires.

As the race restarted with 30 laps remaining, Mayer retained the lead ahead of Hill, Nemechek and Herbst as the field fanned out and jostled for late positions. Shortly after, the caution returned after Earnhardt Jr., who was battling within the top 10, got loose entering the backstretch, slipped up the track and bumped against his JR Motorsports’ driver Berry, which sent Berry into the outside wall before Berry went up the track in Turns 3 and 4 and scraped the wall amid a flat tire to his No. 8 Tire Pros Chevrolet Camaro.

During the following restart with 23 laps remaining, Mayer cleared Hill entering Turn 2 to retain the lead as the field behind fanned out through the backstretch. Mayer would stabilize his advantage to seven-tenths of a second over Hill as Nemechek, Herbst and Brandon Jones followed suit in the top five with 20 laps remaining.

Down to the final five laps of the event, Mayer extended his advantage to more than a second over Nemechek while Herbst, Hill and Earnhardt Jr. were scored in the top five. Behind, Hemric was in sixth while Brandon Jones, Sammy Smith, Kligerman and Joe Graf Jr. were up in the top 10.

When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Mayer remained as the leader by more than two-tenths of a second over Herbst. Amid Playoff contender Creed wrecking just past the backstretch, the race remained under green flag conditions. With Herbst unable to narrow the gap, Mayer was able to navigate his No. 1 Accelerate Pros Talent Chevrolet Camaro around the Homestead circuit smoothly for a final time as he returned to the frontstretch and claimed his fourth checkered flag of this season and of his career.

With the victory, Mayer, who achieved his first oval-circuit win in the Xfinity Series and came into the event 16 points below the top-four cutline, became the first Playoff contender to secure one of four vacant spots into this year’s Championship 4 round as he will officially contend for his first Xfinity Series championship. Mayer’s victory was also enough for the Chevrolet nameplate to secure this year’s manufacturer’s title and it was the seventh of the season for JR Motorsports.

“That’s unreal. We won on an oval! Whoo!” Mayer exclaimed on USA Network. “I can’t believe it. These guys, the Accelerate Pros Camaro today was just so good. It’s all about putting a full race together and I’m so proud of these guys. They kicked tail on pit road. We made it happen with these [Hendrick Motorsports] engines. Stewart-Haas [Racing] had [the race won] today, that’s for sure. It’s just really cool to be able to beat an amazing organization like that. We got to turn it on a little harder going to Phoenix.”

Herbst, who achieved his first Xfinity victory a week ago at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, settled in the runner-up spot while Nemechek, Hill and Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished in the top five. Behind, Hemric ended up sixth while Kligerman, Brandon Jones, Sammy Smith and Joe Graf Jr. finished in the top 10. Meanwhile, Playoff contenders Custer, Allgaier and Creed, all of whom led a combined 126 laps, ended up 13th, 15th and 26th, respectively.

There were 13 lead changes for six different leaders. The race featured six cautions for 33 laps. In addition, 12 of 38 starters finished on the lead lap.

Results.

1. Sam Mayer, 46 laps led

2. Riley Herbst

3. John Hunter Nemechek, seven laps led

4. Austin Hill

5. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

6. Daniel Hemric

7. Parker Kligerman

8. Brandon Jones

9. Sammy Smith

10. Joe Graf Jr.

11. Derek Kraus, 21 laps led, Stage 2 winner

12. Parker Retzlaff

13. Cole Custer, one lap down, 114 laps led, Stage 1 winner

14. Ryan Sieg, one lap down

15. Justin Allgaier, one lap down, eight laps led

16. Kyle Weatherman, one lap down

17. Josh Williams, one lap down

18. Jeffrey Earnhardt, one lap down

19. Brennan Poole, one lap down

20. Jeb Burton, one lap down

21. Jeremy Clements, one lap down

22. Kyle Sieg, one lap down

23. Leland Honeyman, one lap down

24. Ryan Ellis, one lap down

25. Patrick Emerling, two laps down

26. Sheldon Creed, two laps down, four laps led

27. Mason Massey, two laps down

28. Anthony Alfredo, three laps down

29. Blaine Perkins, four laps down

30. Kaz Grala, six laps down

31. Connor Mosack – OUT, Electrical

32. Josh Berry – OUT, Accident

33. Mason Maggio – OUT, Electrical

34. Chandler Smith – OUT, Engine

35. Brett Moffitt – OUT, Accident

36. Dawson Cram – OUT, Accident

37. CJ McLaughlin – OUT, Carburetor

38. Ryan Newman – OUT, Rear gear

*Bold indicates Playoff competitors

Playoff standings

1. Sam Mayer – Advanced

2. John Hunter Nemechek +44

3. Cole Custer +3

4. Austin Hill +3

5. Justin Allgaier -3

6. Sammy Smith -49

7. Chandler Smith -54

8. Sheldon Creed -65

The Round of 8 in the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs is set to conclude next Saturday, October 28, at Martinsville Speedway, which will determine the Championship 4 field. The event’s broadcast is slated for 3:30 p.m. ET on USA Network.

October 21, 2023
Weekend schedule for Homestead

NASCAR travels to Homestead-Miami Speedway this week as the Playoffs continue. It will be the second race in the Round of 8 for the NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series. With the win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway last weekend, Kyle Larson claimed his spot in the Championship 4 round and will compete for the 2023 championship at Phoenix Raceway on November 5, leaving three spots up for grabs.

Xfinity Series driver Riley Herbst is also locked into the Championship 4 after winning last week at Las Vegas.
It will be the final race in the Round of 8 for the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series with winners Corey Heim (Bristol) and Brett Moffitt (Talladega) already locked into the Playoffs.

All times are Eastern.

NASCAR PressPass will be available throughout the weekend.

Friday, October 20

4:05 p.m.: Truck Series Practice (All Entries) No TV
4:35 p.m.: Truck Series Qualifying (Single Vehicle/1Lap/All Entries) No TV

6:05 p.n.: Xfinity Series Practice (All Entries) USA/NBC Sports App
6:35 p.m.: Xfinity Series Qualifying (Impound) Single Vehicle/1 Lap/All Entries – USA/NBC Sports App

Saturday, October 21

9:05 a.m.: Cup Series Practice (Group A & B) NBC Sports App/MRN/SiriusXM
9:50 a.m.: Cup Series Qualifying (Impound)
Group A & B – Single Vehicle/1 Lap/2 Rounds
NBC Sports App/MRN/SiriusXM

Noon: Truck Series Baptist Health Cancer Care 200
Stages 30/60/134 Laps = 201 Miles
FS1/MRN/SiriusXM
Purse: $689,963

3 p.m.: Xfinity Series Contender Boats 300
Stages 45/90/200 Laps = 300 Miles
USA/MRN/ SiriusXM/NBC Sports App
Purse: $1,433,590

Sunday, October 22

2:30 p.m. Cup Series 4EVER 400 Presented by Mobil 1Race
Stages 80/165/267 Laps = 400.5 Miles
NBC/MRN/SiriusXM/NBC Sports App
Purse: $7,634,143

October 18, 2023
The Boo Crew is back as Spartan Waste and Fox Sports Spartanburg return to Jeremy Clements Racing at Martinsville

Spartanburg, SC – Jeremy Clements Racing is ready to haunt down the competition as the Xfinity Series enters the penultimate race of 2023 at Martinsville Speedway with Halloween just a scare away. JCR will attack the Half Mile of Mayhem with a Ghostly livery from primary partners Spartan Waste and Fox Sports Spartanburg entering All Hallows’ Eve weekend.

Also reappearing as associate sponsors will be High Speed Auto and The Racing Warehouse. The Dead On Tools 250 will take place on Saturday, October 28th at 3:30 pm EST on the USA Network.

“Man, it looks like we have started a pretty great tradition! This will be the third consecutive year that the Spartan and Fox crew have partnered with us for the Fall race at Martinsville,” said Clements. “It is always a fun weekend when these guys are on board and even better is that it is also my favorite time of the year, Halloween. We look to have a good run for them and finish these last two races on a high note, ” Clements went on to say.

Additionally, Fox Sports Spartanburg and Spartan Waste will be holding a Green Flag Meet and Greet Party at Rockers Brewing Co. on Wednesday, October 25th from 4:00 – 7:00 EST in Spartanburg.

Also joining Spartan Waste and Fox Sports Spartanburg as associate sponsors will be Whitetail Smokeless, E3 Spark Plugs, Elite Towing & Recovery, Matman Designs, Dynamic Paintware, Nordic Logistics, People of the Woods, Mechanix Wear, Wix Filters, Carolina Driveline, Cometic and ZMAX.

RACE PREVIEW

Track: Martinsville Raceway
Date: Saturday, October 28th, 2023
Broadcast Information: TV: 3:30 pm EST on USA

FAST FACTS:

Best Start 11th – 2021
Best Finish 9th – 2021
7th career start at Martinsville

JCR TEAM

Crew Chief: Mark Setzer
Manufacturer: Chevrolet
Engine: Clements Racing Engines

ABOUT SPARTAN WASTE

Spartan Waste is a locally owned trash collection company that services communities throughout the upstate of South Carolina. Friendly, professional and dependable, we take pride in the work we do, the customers we serve, and, in the place, we call home. Keep it Clean. For more information visit spartan-waste.com.

ABOUT FOX SPORTS SPARTANBURG 1400

Spartanburg Sports are on Fox Sports 1400 / 98.3 Spartanburg. Home to the Spartanburg Vikings, Gamecock Baseball, and of course Open Mic Daily with Hauser and Clary. Fox Sports 1400 Spartanburg will feature: The Dan Patrick 9 am-noon The Herd with Colin Cowherd 12-3 pm Open Mic Daily 3-6 pm SportsTalk with Phil Kornblut 6-8 pm On Saturdays: The Saturday Sports Report 7-10 am, Start Your Engines 10 am-12 pm. To listen live check out www.spartanburgsportsradio.com.

October 16, 2023
Herbst dominates for first Xfinity Series career victory at Las Vegas

In an event where an early ticket to the championship finale at Phoenix Raceway was up for grabs for eight Xfinity Series Playoff contenders, a non-Playoff contender stole the show after Riley Herbst scored his first elusive NASCAR national touring series victory by winning the Alsco Uniforms 302 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, his home track, on Saturday, October 14.

The 24-year-old Herbst from Las Vegas, Nevada, led three times for a race-high 103 of 201-scheduled laps in an event where he started at the rear of the field for unapproved adjustments made to his No. 98 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang. After methodically navigating his way through the field and racing his way into the top 10 by the conclusion of the first stage period, Herbst then claimed a dramatic victory at the conclusion of the second stage period after racing his way past teammate Cole Custer and John Hunter Nemechek in two laps. He then reassumed the lead with 96 laps remaining and quickly cycled his way back into the lead amid a late green flag pit stop period before muscling away from the field and beating runner-up Nemechek by nearly 15 seconds to claim his first Xfinity Series career victory in his 139th series start and in front of his home crowd.

With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Friday, October 13, Josh Berry claimed pole position after posting a pole-winning lap at 181.996 mph in 29.671 seconds. Joining him on the front row was Cole Custer, the fastest competitor during Friday’s practice session who proceeded to post the second-best qualifying lap at 181.702 mph in 29.719 seconds.

Prior to the event, a bevy of names that included Stefan Parsons, John Hunter Nemechek, Patrick Emerling, Josh Williams and Riley Herbst dropped to the rear of the field for unapproved adjustments made to their respective entries.

When the green flag waved and the race started, Berry and Custer dueled for the lead through the first two turns and the backstretch until Berry gained the momentum from the outside lane to muscle his No. 8 LubeZone Chevrolet Camaro ahead of Custer through Turns 3 and 4 and lead the first lap. By then, rookie Chandler Smith made his move beneath Custer to gain the runner-up spot while Daniel Hemric and rookie Sammy Smith battled for fourth place in front of Justin Allgaier, rookie Parker Retzlaff, Austin Hill and Sam Mayer.

Two laps later, the first caution of the event flew after Patrick Emerling, who had smoke billowing out of his car, slapped the outside wall through the frontstretch. During the caution period, some including Brett Moffitt, Joey Gase, Stefan Parsons and Brennan Poole pitted while the rest led by Berry remained on the track.

Following an extensive caution period, the race restarted on the 10th lap. At the start, Berry and Chandler Smith dueled for the lead until Smith rocketed his No. 16 Barger Precast/Quick Tie Products Inc. Chevrolet Camaro ahead through Turns 1 and 2. Smith would proceed to lead at the Lap 12 mark with Berry and Custer giving chase. By then, the caution returned when Moffitt slapped the outside wall entering the frontstretch, which caused Joe Graf Jr., who was running behind Moffitt, to get loose after hitting Moffitt before he too hit the frontstretch wall.

During the proceeding restart on Lap 18, Berry and Chandler Smith dueled for the lead again until Smith rocketed ahead from the outside lane. In the process, Custer made his move into the runner-up spot from Berry. Behind and amid the field fanning out and jostling for early positions, Sammy Smith and Hemric battled for fourth while Austin Hill moved up to sixth as Allgaier fell to seventh.

Just past the Lap 25 mark, Chandler Smith was leading by four-tenths of a second over Custer followed by Sammy Smith, Berry and Hemric while Hill, Allgaier, John Hunter Nemechek, Sheldon Creed and Parker Retzlaff were in the top 10. Behind, Brandon Jones was in 11th ahead of Parker Kligerman, Layne Riggs, Riley Herbst and Sam Mayer while Myatt Snider, Ryan Sieg, Jeb Burton, Anthony Alfredo and Kaz Grala occupied the top 20.

Ten laps later, Custer assumed the lead over Chandler Smith. Behind, Sammy Smith, Hemric and Hill were in the top five while Nemechek, Allgaier, Berry, Kligerman and Creed were running in the top 10. Meanwhile, Playoff contender Mayer was down in 16th while Jones, Herbst, Snider, Retzlaff and Riggs battled in the top 15.

When the first stage period concluded on Lap 45, Custer captured his seventh Xfinity stage victory of the 2023 season. Chandler Smith fended off Sammy Smith to settle in second followed by Hemric and Hill while Nemechek, Allgaier, Brandon Jones, Kligerman and Herbst were scored in the top 10. By then, Playoff contenders Creed and Mayer were scored outside the top 10 in the running order as there were mired in 13th and 15th, respectively.

Under the stage break, the lead lap field led by Custer pitted for service. Following pit stops, Custer retained the lead as he exited pit road ahead of Hemric, Chandler Smith, Nemechek, Allgaier and Hill. Amid the pit stops, Kligerman was penalized for an uncontrolled tire violation. Not long after, Sammy Smith, who lost a bevy of spots during his service, pitted again to address loose lug nuts on his No. 18 Pilot Flying J Toyota Supra.

The second stage period started on Lap 52 as Custer and Hemric occupied the front row. At the start, Hemric and Custer dueled for the lead through the first two turns and the backstretch until Custer used the outside lane to muscle ahead and clear Hemric to retain the lead. Then during the following lap, the caution quickly returned after Kaz Grala blew an engine entering Turn 1 and triggered a multi-car pileup amid his smoke that collected Rajah Caruth, Alfredo, Jeremy Clements, Josh Williams and Kyle Weatherman. The incident was enough for the event to be placed in a red flag period.

Nearly nine minutes later, the red flag lifted once the carnage was cleared and the oil was cleared as the field resumed under a cautious pace. During the caution period, Hill and Jeb Burton pitted while the rest led by Custer remained on track.

When the race restarted on Lap 58, Custer and Hemric battled dead even for the lead for nearly a full lap until Custer muscled his No. 00 Haas Ford Mustang through the frontstretch. With Custer leading Hemric, Nemechek and Chandler Smith battled for third followed by Allgaier as Herbst joined the battle. Shortly after, Nemechek moved into second place from Hemric. Allgaier would follow suit into third place as Hemric slipped to fourth in front of Herbst while Chandler Smith, Berry and Creed battled for sixth. In the process, Custer retained the lead.

By Lap 65, Custer was leading by half a second over Nemechek followed by Allgaier, Hemric and Herbst while Chandler Smith, Berry, Creed, Brandon Jones and Ryan Sieg were in the top 10. In addition, Mayer and Sammy Smith were running in the top 15 while Hill was mired back in 17th.

Ten laps later, Custer continued to lead by nearly four-tenths of a second over Nemechek while Allgaier, Herbst and Hemric were racing in the top five. Behind, Chandler Smtih occupied sixth place ahead of Berry, Mayer, Jones and Cred while Sammy Smith and Hill were in 11th and 14th, respectively. Custer would stretch his advantage by seven-tenths of a second over Nemechek by Lap 80 as Herbst moved up to third. By then, Sammy Smith was back in the top 10 as he was scored in 10th while Creed slipped to 12th front of Snider and Hill.

When the second stage period concluded on Lap 90, Herbst, who spent the previous two laps overtaking Nemechek and Custer after gaining ground amid lapped traffic, scored his second Xfinity stage victory of the 2023 season. Custer and Nemechek settled in second and third while Allgaier, Hemric, Chandler Smith, Berry, Mayer, Sammy Smith and Jones were scored in the top 10. By then, teammates Hill and Creed were in 13th and 14th, respectively.

During the stage break, the lead lap field led by Herbst returned to pit road for service. Following the pit stops, Herbst retained the lead after edging teammate Custer off of pit road first followed by Hemric, Nemechek, Allgaier and Chandler Smith followed suit.

With 105 laps remaining, the final stage period started as teammates Herbst and Custer occupied the front row. At the start, Custer reassumed the lead from Herbst as Nemechek claimed the runner-up spot over Herbst while Hemric and Allgaier followed suit.

At the halfway mark between Laps 100 and 101, Custer was leading by six-tenths of a second over teammate Herbst followed by Nemechek, Hemric and Chandler Smith while Allgaier, Hill, Mayer, Jones, Creed and Sammy Smith were running in the top 11.

Then with 96 laps remaining, Herbst returned to the lead as he led by a hair over Custer while the lead between the Stewart-Haas Racing teammates intensified. Six laps later, Herbst extended his lead to more than a second over Custer while third-place Nemechek trailed by nearly two seconds as Chandler Smith and Allgaier were in the top five.

With 80 laps remaining, Herbst continued to extend advantage as he was now scored three seconds ahead with the lead over Custer while Nemechek, Chandler Smith and Allgaier were in the top five. Behind, Mayer, Jones, Hemric, Hill and Sammy Smith in top 10 while Creed was in 13th behind Riggs and Snider.

Ten laps later, Herbst stretched his advantage to more than four seconds over teammate Custer while Nemechek, Chandler Smith and Allgaier remained in the top five. By then, Mayer, Jones, Hill, Sammy Smith and Riggs were in the top 10 followed by Snider and Hemric while Creed was still mired in 13th ahead of Berry and Ryan Sieg.

With less than 65 laps remaining, pit stops under green commence as Hemric pits followed by Creed, Chandler Smith, Allgaier, Hill and Riggs. Custer would pit with less than 60 laps remaining along with Nemechek, Mayer and Snider before Herbst surrendered the lead to pit with 58 laps remaining. Amid the pit stops, Ryan Sieg was penalized for an uncontrolled tire violation.

Then with 56 laps remaining, Herbst cycled back into the lead after Kyle Sieg managed to lead the previous lap. Shortly after, Custer moved back to second followed by Chandler Smith, Nemechek, Sieg and Hill. Hill, Allgaier and Mayer would all overtake Sieg with 46 laps remaining as Herbst’s advantage stood to eight seconds over teammate Custer. Herbst would proceed to retain the lead by more than eight seconds over teammate Custer with 40 laps remaining while Chandler Smith, Nemechek and Allgaier trailed by a distance in the top five.

With 30 laps remaining, Herbst was leading by more than 11 seconds over Chandler Smith, who prevailed in a three-way battle against Nemechek and Custer, while Mayer trailed behind in fifth place. Behind, Allgaier, Hill, Jones, Hemric and Riggs were in the top 10. In addition, Creed was in 13th behind Berry while Samm Smith, who pitted to address a loose wheel during the previous green flag cycle period, was back in 17th.

Ten laps later, Herbst increased his lead by more than 13 seconds over Nemechek while Chandler Smith, Custer and Mayer trailed in the top five ahead of Allgaier, Hill, Jones, Hemric and Riggs. By then, Creed slipped to 15th while Sammy Smith was still mired in 17th.

Down to the final 10 laps of the event, Herbst retained the lead by more than 14 seconds over Nemechek as Chandler Smith, Custer and Mayer trailed by a distance in the top five. By then, only the top 10 competitors on the track were scored on the lead lap as Herbst continued to lead by a large advantage over Nemechek with five laps remaining.

When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Herbst remained as the leader by more than 14 seconds over Nemechek. Having no competition close in from behind, Herbst was able to navigate his way around his home track for a final time before returning to the frontstretch and crossing the finish line first to claim his first checkered flag in NASCAR and by nearly 15 seconds over Nemechek.

With the victory, Herbst, who was revealed to return to Stewart-Haas Racing for the 2024 Xfinity season, became the fifth first-time winner of this year’s Xfinity Series season, the first since Sam Mayer won at Road America in late July, and the first competitor to achieve a first Xfinity career win at Las Vegas since Ross Chastain made the last accomplishment in 2018. The victory was also the third of the season for Stewart-Haas Racing, the fourth for the Ford nameplate and the first for crew chief Davin Restivo.

“Oh, my goodness,” Herbst said on USA Network. “I love this town. I love this team. I can’t thank Monster Energy enough. Everybody said that I couldn’t do it. Oh, my goodness. You don’t know what this means, what this takes off my chest. I can’t believe it. I love you, Las Vegas. Let’s go.”

“I’ve been working on myself and everything I can control,” Herbst added. “I knew all I could do is all I could do and if there was a caution, there was a caution and we’re gonna race them straight up. This year was such a failure because we didn’t make the Playoffs. It’s so embarrassing to be in a car like this that doesn’t make the Playoffs and walk in the garage each week with your head down, but [crew chief] Davin Restivo and all these guys on the No. 98 team told me to keep my head up and we’re gonna go win a race and that’s what we did. I can’t fathom it. Let’s go party and we’re gonna celebrate tonight.”

Nemechek settled in second followed by Playoff rivals Custer, Chandler Smith and Sam Mayer. Allgaier ended up sixth while Hill, Brandon Jones, Hemric and Layne Riggs finished in the top 10.

There were 11 lead changes for six different leaders. The race featured five cautions for 26 laps. In addition, only 10 of 38 starters finished on the lead lap.

Results.

1. Riley Herbst, 103 laps led, Stage 2 winner

2. John Hunter Nemechek

3. Cole Custer, 62 laps led, Stage 1 winner

4. Chandler Smith, 23 laps led

5. Sam Mayer

6. Justin Allgaier

7. Austin Hill

8. Brandon Jones

9. Daniel Hemric, one lap led

10. Layne Riggs

11. Myatt Snider, one lap down

12. Josh Berry, one lap down, 11 laps led

13. Parker Kligerman, one lap down

14. Parker Retzlaff, one lap down

15. Sheldon Creed, one lap down

16. Ryan Sieg, two laps down

17. Sammy Smith, two laps down

18. Kyle Sieg, two laps down, one lap led

19. Connor Mosack, two laps down

20. Ryan Reed, three laps down

21. Daniel Dye, three laps down

22. Jeb Burton, four laps down

23. Rajah Caruth, four laps down

24. Brett Moffitt, four laps down

25. Brennan Poole, four laps down

26. Stefan Parsons, four laps down

27. Ryan Ellis, four laps down

28. Blaine Perkins, six laps down

29. CJ McLaughlin, seven laps down

30. Jeremy Clements, eight laps down

31. Dawson Cram, eight laps down

32. Joey Gase, eight laps down

33. Josh Williams – OUT, Accident

34. Anthony Alfredo – OUT, Accident

35. Kaz Grala – OUT, Accident

36. Kyle Weatherman – OUT, Accident

37. Joe Graf Jr. – OUT, Accident

38. Patrick Emerling – OUT, Accident

*Bold indicates Playoff competitors

Playoff standings

1. John Hunter Nemechek +47

2. Justin Allgaier +21

3. Austin Hill +19

4. Cole Custer +15

5. Chandler Smith -15

6. Sam Mayer -16

7. Sammy Smith -35

8. Sheldon Creed -41

The second Round of 8 event in the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs is set to occur next Saturday, October 21, at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida, with the event’s broadcast to occur at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network.

October 14, 2023
Herbst retained by Stewart-Haas Racing for 2024 Xfinity Series season

Stewart-Haas Racing revealed that Riley Herbst will be returning to the organization and continue to pilot the No. 98 Ford Mustang with primary sponsorship support from Monster Energy for the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series season.

The news comes as the 24-year-old Herbst from Las Vegas, Nevada, is currently competing in his fourth full-time season in the Xfinity Series. Through 29 current starts, Herbst has achieved six top-five results, 13 top-10 results, 45 laps led, and an average-finishing result of 16.6 as he is currently ranked in 13th place in the driver’s standings despite not making the 2023 Xfinity Series Playoffs.

Herbst, who made his Xfinity Series debut at Iowa Speedway in 2018 with Joe Gibbs Racing before returning for nine starts in 2019, became a full-time Xfinity competitor in 2020, where he piloted JGR’s No. 18 entry to four top-five results, 17 top-10 results, 15 laps led and an average-finishing result of 16.0 throughout the regular-season stretch. He also made the Playoffs during his rookie season before settling in 12th place in the final standings.

In 2021, the Las Vegas native transitioned to Stewart-Haas Racing to drive the No. 98 Ford Mustang, where he recorded his first career pole position at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May. He also recorded five top-five results, 13 top-10 results, a career-high 57 laps led, and an average-finishing result of 17.1 before finishing in 11th place in the final standings after making the Playoffs for a second consecutive season.

This past season, Herbst notched career-high stats in top-fives (eight) and top-10s (20) along with a personal-best average-finishing result of 13.0. He also recorded a pole position at Nashville Superspeedway before making the Playoffs for a third time in his career and ending up in 10th place in the final standings.

Through 138 previous starts in the Xfinity Series, Herbst, a two-time ARCA Menards Series race winner, has achieved two poles, 23 top-five results, 67 top-10 results, 130 laps led, and an average-finishing result of 15.7 as he continues his pursuit for his first Xfinity victory. He also made his first four career starts in the NASCAR Cup Series this season, which occurred during both Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway events between Rick Ware Racing and Front Row Motorsports and has made 11 Craftsman Truck Series career starts between 2018 and 2022.

The Monster is back.@rileyherbst returns to the No. 98 Ford Mustang for 2024. pic.twitter.com/QlKZJvIhlz
— Stewart-Haas Racing (@StewartHaasRcng) October 12, 2023

With his plans for next season set, Herbst’s next Xfinity Series start of this season is set to occur this Saturday, October 14, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Herbst’s home track. The event’s broadcast time is slated to occur at 3:30 p.m. ET on USA Network.

October 12, 2023
Creed departing Richard Childress Racing following 2023 Xfinity Series season

Richard Childress Racing took to social media to reveal that Sheldon Creed will not return as the driver of the No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet Camaro for the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series season.

The news comes as the 26-year-old Creed from Alpine, California, is currently campaigning in his second full-time season in the Xfinity circuit for RCR. After finishing in 10th place during last weekend’s Xfinity Playoff event at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course, Creed was one of eight Playoff contenders to transfer from the Round of 12 to 8 as he is currently ranked in seventh place in the Playoff standings with 3,008 points and continues his pursuit for his first Xfinity Series championship.

Creed, a two-time Stadium Super Trucks champion, the 2018 ARCA Menards Series champion and the 2020 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion, made his inaugural presence in the Xfinity Series in 2017, where he competed at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and at Road America for JD Motorsports. He then made a single Xfinity start for JR Motorsports at Daytona International Speedway in 2019 before making his lone Xfinity start in 2021 at Phoenix Raceway for BJ McLeod Motorsports.

In 2022, Creed became a full-time Xfinity Series competitor for Richard Childress Racing as he took over the No. 2 Chevrolet Camaro on a full-time basis. He commenced his rookie campaign by finishing sixth at Daytona before logging in a total of four top-five results, 13 top-10 results, 155 laps led and an average-finishing result of 17.5 throughout the 33-race schedule. His best result of the season was a runner-up finish at Darlington Raceway in September, where he attempted to scrape the wall at full speed while battling for the victory on the final lap, only to be overtaken by eventual winner Noah Gragson. After falling short of making the 2022 Xfinity Playoffs, Creed settled in 14th place in the final standings.

This season, Creed, who made the Xfinity Playoffs for the first time in his career, has achieved a pole, five top-five results, 13 top-10 results, 181 laps led and an average-finishing result of 13.8 through 29-scheduled starts. His best results of this season include a trio of runner-up results at Talladega Superspeedway, Watkins Glen International and Daytona International Speedway.

Through 66 current starts in the Xfinity circuit, Creed has achieved a pole, nine top-five results, 27 top-10 results, 336 laps led and an average-finishing result of 16.6 as he continues his pursuit for his first victory in the series.

pic.twitter.com/avPVwtnWeq
— RCR (@RCRracing) October 11, 2023

Additional announcements regarding Creed’s plans and the driver for the No. 2 RCR entry for the 2024 season have yet to be determined. RCR’s second Xfinity competitor, Austin Hill, will remain with the organization and as the driver of the No. 21 Chevrolet Camaro in 2024 as part of a new multi-year contract extension that was made in mid-August. Like Creed, Hill, a four-time race winner of this season, is currently one of eight competitors contending in this year’s Playoffs.

With four races remaining of this season, Creed’s next Xfinity Series start is at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the Playoff’s Round of 8 opener. The event will occur this Saturday, October 14, and will be broadcast at 3:30 p.m. ET on USA Network.

October 11, 2023
Weekend schedule for Las Vegas

This weekend the NASCAR Cup Series and the Xfinity Series travel to Las Vegas Motor Speedway as the Playoffs continue with the first race in the Round of 8.

Last week at the Charlotte ROVAL, four Cup Series drivers were eliminated from championship contention – Brad Keselowski, Ross Chastain, Bubba Wallace and Kyle Busch. We also saw four Xfinity Series drivers whose championship hopes came to an end – Daniel Hemric, Parker Kligerman, Josh Berry and Jeb Burton.

The ARCA Menards Series West will join Friday night’s lineup with the Star Nursery 150 (Bullring) while the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series takes the weekend off before they return to completion on October 21 at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the series final race in the Round of 8.

NASCAR PressPass will be available throughout the weekend.

All times are Eastern.

Friday, October 13

7:05 p.m.: Xfinity Series Practice – All Entries – USA/NBC Sports App
7:35 p.m.: Xfinity Series Qualifying (Impound) Single Vehicle/1 Lap/All Entries – USA/NBC Sports App 10:10 p.m.: ARCA Menards Series West Star Nursery 150 (Bullring) – Live stream at FloRacing

Saturday, October 14

12:35 p.m.: Cup Series Practice – Group A & B – USA/PRN/SiriusXM/NBC Sports App
1:20 p.m.: Cup Series Qualifying (Impound-Group A & B) Single Vehicle/1 Lap/2 Rounds
USA/PRN/SiriusXM/NBC Sports App

3:10 p.m.: Xfinity Series Driver Intros
3:30 p.m.: Xfinity Series Alsco Uniforms 302
Stages 45/90/201 Laps = 301.5 Miles
USA/PRN/SiriusXM/NBC Sports App
Purse: Purse: $1,329,729

Sunday, October 15

2:05 p.m.: Cup Series Driver Intros
2:30 p.m.: Cup Series South Point 400
Stages 80/165/267 Laps = 400.5 Miles
NBC/PRN/SiriusXM/NBC Sports App
Purse: $7,785,320

Cup Series Round of 8 Drivers:

William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports, 4,041 points
Martin Truex Jr., Joe Gibbs Racing, 4,036 points
Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing, 4,032 points
Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports, 4,024 points
Chris Buescher, RFK Racing, 4,021 points
Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing, 4,016 points
Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing, 4,016 points
Ryan Blaney, Team Penske, 4,014 points

Xfinity Series Round of 8 Drivers

John H. Nemechek, Joe Gibbs Racing, 3055 Points
Austin Hill, Richard Childress Racing, 3039 Points
Justin Allgaier, 3035 Points, JR Motorsports
Sam Mayer, 3020 Points, JR Motorsports
Cole Custer, 3018 Points, Stewart-Haas Racing
Chandler Smith, 3009 Points, Kaulig Racing
Sheldon Creed, 3008 Points, Richard Childress Racing
Sammy Smith, 3006 Points, Joe Gibbs Racing

October 11, 2023
Mayer avoids title elimination with dominant Xfinity victory at Charlotte Roval; Playoff’s Round of 8 field set

After crashing out of his last three consecutive starts, including his latest two that nearly derailed his championship hopes, Sam Mayer capitalized after being in a “must-win” situation and earned a walk-off win into the Playoff’s Round of 8 by dominating from pole position and winning the sixth annual running of the Drive for the Cure 250 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course on Saturday, October 7.

The 20-year-old Mayer from Franklin, Wisconsin, led four times for a race-high 50 of 67 scheduled laps in an event in which he entered 34 points below the top-eight cutline and in a “must-win” situation to transfer to the next round after crashing and not finishing his previous two events. Commencing his weekend by winning the pole position, Mayer briefly lost the lead to teammate Justin Allgaier at the event’s start before claiming it for the first time on the fifth lap. Despite surrendering the lead to pit prior to the first two stage’s conclusion and sacrificing stage points, Mayer, who restarted in the top six with 11 laps remaining, capitalized on two late caution periods to overtake Cole Custer with four laps remaining and rocket away to score his third NASCAR Xfinity Series victory of the 2023 season and be one of eight Playoff competitors to race their way into the Round of 8.

With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Saturday, Playoff contender Sam Mayer started on pole position after posting a pole-winning lap at 101.798 mph in 82.045 seconds. Joining him on the front row was teammate and Playoff contender Justin Allgaier, who posted the second-best qualifying lap at 101.751 mph in 82.083 seconds.

Prior to the event, a bevy of names that included Playoff contender John Hunter Nemechek, Kyle Sieg, Ryan Sieg, Jeremy Clements, Conor Daly and Josh Williams dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments made to their respective entries.

When the green flag waved and the race started, teammates Mayer and Allgaier dueled for the lead amid two stacked lanes through the first three turns until Allgaier managed to muscle ahead from the inside lane and assume the lead through the infield road course turns. With the field navigating its way through the road course turns and back onto the oval turns, Allgaier managed to retain the lead as he proceeded to lead the first lap while Mayer, Josh Berry, Sheldon Creed and Daniel Hemric followed suit.

Through the second to fourth lap, Allgaier stabilized his advantage to as high as half a second over a hard-charging Mayer while Berry, Creed and Hemric remained in the top five. Behind, Parker Kligerman was in sixth while Cole Custer, Austin Hill, Riley Herbst and Alex Labbe were running in the top 10.

Through the fifth lap, Mayer, who used the frontstretch chicane to claim the lead back from Allgaier, was leading by four-tenths of a second over teammate Allgaier while Berry, Creed and Hemric were scored in the top five. Behind, Kligerman was in sixth ahead of Custer, Hill, Herbst and Alex Labbe while Kaz Grala, Brandon Jones, Jordan Taylor, rookie Chandler Smith and Kyle Weatherman were in the top 15. Meanwhile, Playoff contenders Sammy Smith and Jeb Burton were in 17th and 18th while John Hunter Nemechek was mired in 27th.

At the Lap 10 mark, Mayer continued to lead by six-tenths of a second over teammate Allgaier while Berry, Creed and Hemric retained their respective spots in the top five. With Custer, Kligerman and Hill running sixth through eighth, Chandler Smith, Sammy Smith and Jeb Burton were in 13th, 15th and 16th, respectively, while Nemechek was still back in 27th.

Seven laps later, a host of names that included Berry, Custer, Herbst, Labbe and Grala pitted under green. More names that included Connor Mosack, Brandon Jones, Jordan Taylor, Parker Retzlaff, Myatt Snider and Nemechek would follow suit on pit road before the leader Mayer pitted on Lap 18, just before pit road closed and as Allgaier reassumed the lead.

When the first stage period concluded on Lap 20, Allgaier, who had already secured his spot for the Playoff’s Round of 8 by virtue of winning the Playoff opener at Bristol Motor Speedway in September, claimed his 12th Xfinity stage victory of the 2023 season. Hemric settled in second followed by Creed, Kligerman and Hill while Chandler Smith, Sammy Smith, Mayer, Jeb Burton and Josh Bilicki were scored in the top 10.

Under the stage break, a majority of the field led by Allgaier pitted while the rest led by Mayer remained on the track. Amid the pit stops, Jeb Burton was penalized for speeding on pit road while Conor Daly was also penalized for his crew being over the pit wall too soon.

The second stage period started on Lap 24 as teammates Mayer and Berry occupied the front row. At the start, the field quickly fanned out entering the first turn as teammates Mayer and Berry dueled for the lead. After being locked in a dead even battle against Berry through the first three turns, Mayer muscled ahead from the outside lane and retained the top spot through the infield turns before blending back on the oval turns ahead of the field. As the field continued to jostle for spots back on the oval turns and through the backstretch chicane, Mayer was leading by nearly a second over teammate Berry while Custer, Riley Herbst and Alex Labbe followed suit. Mired within the on-track battles was the battle for the transfer spots to the Playoffs with Mayer, Hill, Chandler Smith, Creed and Sammy Smith currently scored above the cutline while Hemric, Kligerman, Berry and Jeb Burton were scored below the cutline.

Through the Lap 30 mark, Mayer extended his advantage to more than two seconds over teammate Berry with Custer, Herbst and Labbe were in the top five. Behind, Nemechek, Brandon Jones, Allgaier, Hemric and Creed were in the top 10, Sammy Smith, Kligerman and Hill were running 12th through 14th, Chandler Smtih was in 20th and Jeb Burton was back in 28th.

Two laps later, Berry, who came into the event below the cutline, spun and backed his No. 8 High Rock Vodka Chevrolet Camaro into the wall in between Turns 3 and 4 while running second, which dropped him to 13th. Amid Berry’s incident, the race remained under green flag conditions as Mayer continued to extend his advantage by more than five seconds over Custer. With Herbst, Nemechek and Brandon Jones running in the top five, Playoff contenders Allgaier, Hemric, Creed and Kligerman were battling in the top 10 while Sammy Smith, Berry and Hill were in the top 14. Meanwhile, Chandler Smith was in 19th and Jeb Burton was up to 23rd.

By Lap 37, green flag pit stops ensued for a second time as Herbst pitted his No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang from third place followed by Hill, Grala, Berry, Myatt Snider, Mosack, Jordan Taylor, Sage Karam and Retzlaff as Mayer stabilized his lead by more than six seconds over Custer. Mayer then pitted during the following lap along with Custer, Jones and Allgaier as Nemechek assumed the lead just as pit road closed. Shortly after, Conor Daly drew a caution after he blew a left-rear tire and spun towards the outside wall in Turn 15 before he limped his damaged car and came to a stop towards the frontstretch chicane. Daly’s incident was enough for the second stage period scheduled to conclude on Lap 40 to conclude under caution. As a result, Nemechek, who had already secured his spot into the Round of 8 based on winning the previous Xfinity Playoff event at Texas Motor Speedway, captured his 10th Xfinity stage victory of the 2023 season, Hemric followed suit in second while Kligerman, Creed, Labbe, Sammy Smith, Mayer, Chandler Smith, Bilicki and Stefan Parsons were scored in the top 10.

During the stage break, some led by Nemechek pitted for service while the rest led by Mayer remained on the track. Amid the pit stops, Brandon Jones was penalized for speeding on pit road.

With 24 laps remaining, the final stage commenced as Mayer and Custer occupied the front row. At the start, Mayer used the outside lane to retain the lead from Custer through Turn 1. As the field behind jostled for positions, Mayer started to pull away from Custer while Allgaier was in third ahead of Herbst and Grala. By then, Hemric and Creed were currently tied for the eighth and final transfer spot to the Playoffs, with Hemric owning the tie-breaker by virtue of securing a higher result within the Round of 12, while Kligerman, who was in 12th, was two points below the cutline.

With 20 laps remaining and amid the on-track battles, Mayer extended his advantage to a second over Custer followed by Allgaier, Herbst and Grala while Hill, Berry, Connor Mosack, Ryan Sieg and Myatt Snider were in the top 10. Meanwhile, Kligerman was in 11th ahead of Hemric, Jeb Burton, Sammy Smith and Creed while Nemechek and Chandler Smith were in 17th and 18th, respectively.

Five laps later, Mayer continued to lead by more than a second over Custer while Allgaier, Herbst and Grala were in the top five. Meanwhile, Kligerman and Hemric were in ninth and 10th while Creed was back in 15th, which currently placed him a single point above the cutline over Hemric while Kligerman trailed the cutline by three points. In addition, Sammy Smith, who was in 14th, was five points above the cutline while Jeb Burton and Berry were currently scored out of the cutline. Shortly after, Hemric and Creed were scored tied for the final transfer spot after Hemric moved into 10th place on the track, with Creed in 15^th and eighth-place Kligerman behind by two points while Sammy Smith was still scored above the cutline while running 14th on the track.

Then with 12 laps remaining, Allgaier pitted under green as Mayer continued to lead by more than a second over Custer. Shortly after, the caution flew due to debris reported in Turn 17. During the caution period, Allgaier along with Jeb Burton and Blaine Perkins remained on the track while the rest, led by Mayer, pitted.

Down to the final eight laps of the event, the race restarted under green. At the start, Jeb Burton and Allgaier dueled for the lead until trouble struck after Burton got sideways and sent him and Allgaier sliding into the wall, with Perkins also hitting the wall while slamming on the brakes as the caution quickly returned and Allgaier was left eliminated from contention. With the leaders wrecked, Custer assumed the lead followed by Mayer, Bery, Herbst and Hill.

During the proceeding restart with five laps remaining, Custer and Mayer dueled for the lead entering Turn 1 until Custer managed to muscle his No. 00 Haas Ford Mustang ahead entering Turn 2 and the infield turns. With Mayer keeping Custer within his sights, Custer retained the lead through infield turns and the oval turns. Amid Ryan Ellis getting into the wall and Brandon Jones spinning on the frontstretch, the race remained under green as Custer retained the lead back to the frontstretch ahead of Mayer, Berry, Herbst and Grala.

Then during the following lap, Mayer, who came into the event below the cutline and in a “must-win” situation, overtook Custer for the lead through Turn 4. Mayer’s move moved him back above the cutline. As a result, Creed was now scored a single point above Hemric on points and above the cutline with Kligerman behind by six points. Amid the battles, Sammy Smith was also scored above the cutline by three points.

During the proceeding laps, Mayer extended his advantage to more than a second over Custer with Berry, Herbst and Grala were in the top five. Behind, Kligerman was in sixth and scored five points below the cutline, Hemric was in sixth and scored two points below and Creed was in 10th behind teammate Hill while scored two points above the cutline.

When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Mayer remained as the leader by more than two seconds over Custer. With Custer unable to close the gap, Mayer was able to smoothly navigate his way around the infield road course and oval circuits for a final time before returning to the frontstretch chicane and crossing the finish line to claim his third checkered flag of the 2023 Xfinity season.

With the victory, Mayer notched his third NASCAR Xfinity Series career victory in his 80th series start, all occurring on road course events, and his first since winning at Watkins Glen International in August. The victory was also the sixth of the season for JR Motorsports and the 15th for the Chevrolet nameplate. By winning the Playoff’s Round of 12 finale, Mayer clinched his spot for the Round of 8 as he continues in his pursuit of winning his first Xfinity Series title.

“I knew we had time,” Mayer said on NBC. “Our car was so fast. What a day. We kicked their tails today. It just feels so great. Bonus points feel great, winning feels great. Winning solves everything. That’s the name of the game. Getting another shot at [the title], I think this is our second chance moment and I think we can make something out of it. Winning still feels great.”

Meanwhile, as Custer, Berry and Herbst finished second through fourth, Kligerman, who was locked in a tight battle against Kaz Grala for fifth place, made contact with Grala through the frontstretch chicane before he, Grala and a hard-charging Daniel Hemric crossed the finish line in a three-wide photo finish as Grala edged Kligerman and Hemric, respectively, to finish fifth. The sixth- and seventh-place results for Kligerman and Hemric, however, were not enough for both to transfer into the Round of 8 as Creed, who ended up 10th on the track, claimed the eighth and final transfer spot by two points over Hemric and four over Kligerman.

As a result, Creed joins Sam Mayer, John Hunter Nemechek, teammate Austin Hill, Justin Allgaier, Cole Custer, Chandler Smith and Sammy Smith as competitors to transfer into the Playoff’s Round of 8 while Daniel Hemric, Parker Kligerman, Josh Berry and Jeb Burton were eliminated from title contention.

“[I] Just kind of stumbled our way through this first round to make it,” Creed said. “Really just fortunate that we have the luck we did at the times we did. At the end of the day, we need to bring faster race cars. Just proud of everyone’s fight. We can’t stumble our way through the next [round], that’s for sure.”

“It’s the way it is,” Hemric said. “Before the day started, I said I’m gonna be humble in victory and gracious in defeat. We were defeated this round. It’s the way it goes. We carry on. I put [my team] in a hole, for sure, there in Texas. I hate it for these guys. We got a long road ahead of us. It’s just part of the journey, man. Journey makes the man. Looking forward to what’s ahead and what’s ahead for this race team.”

“[I was saying] Just get every spot I could and hope something happen,” Kligerman said. “I just knew I had to pass people and I was just trying everything I could to get spots. I’m more upset because I love the pressure of all of this. I love the idea of fighting for something so big like we were, but it’s been a big achievement to be a part of the Playoffs for this race team. I think I can be a better driver in 2024 than I was this year for [the team]. Man, I feel like every move, aside from that one restart, I felt like we were money. Just not enough.”

There were 10 lead changes for five different leaders. The race featured four cautions for 12 laps. In addition, 33 of 38 starters finished on the lead lap.

Results.

1. Sam Mayer, 50 laps led

2. Cole Custer, four laps led

3. Josh Berry

4. Riley Herbst

5. Kaz Grala

6. Parker Kligerman

7. Daniel Hemric

8. John Hunter Nemechek, two laps led, Stage 2 winner

9. Austin Hill

10. Sheldon Creed

11. Sammy Smith

12. Chandler Smith

13. Ryan Sieg

14. Myatt Snider

15. Alex Labbe

16. Jordan Taylor

17. Brennan Poole

18. Stefan Parsons

19. Rajah Caruth

20. Josh Williams

21. Leland Honeyman

22. Parker Retzlaff

23. Jeremy Clements

24. Connor Mosack

25. Josh Bilicki

26. Kyle Weatherman

27. Sage Karam

28. Blaine Perkins

29. Brandon Jones

30. Anthony Alfredo

31. Joe Graf Jr.

32. Kyle Sieg

33. Alex Guenette

34. Jeb Burton, one lap down, one lap led

35. Conor Daly, one lap down

36. Ryan Ellis – OUT, Accident

37. Justin Allgaier – OUT, Accident, 10 laps led, Stage 1 winner

38. Brett Moffitt – OUT, Ignition

*Bold indicates Playoff competitors

Playoff standings

1. John Hunter Nemechek – Advanced

2. Justin Allgaier – Advanced

3. Sam Mayer – Advanced

4. Cole Custer – Advanced

5. Austin Hill – Advanced

6. Chandler Smith – Advanced

7. Sammy Smith – Advanced

8. Sheldon Creed – Advanced

9. Daniel Hemric – Eliminated

10. Parker Kligerman – Eliminated

11. Josh Berry – Eliminated

12. Jeb Burton – Eliminated

The Round of 8 in the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs is scheduled to commence next Saturday, October 14, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event’s broadcast is slated to occur at 3:30 p.m. ET on USA Network.

October 7, 2023