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Category: XFINITY Series

NASCAR XFINITY Series news and information

  • Weekend schedule for Dover – Cup Series race postponed to Monday at Noon

    Weekend schedule for Dover – Cup Series race postponed to Monday at Noon

    This weekend the NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series travel to Dover Motor Speedway. Friday evening will showcase the ARCA Menards Series East and the Xfinity Series will take center stage Saturday afternoon.

    The Cup Series will close the weekend with the Würth 400 race on the one-mile concrete paved oval track known as the ‘Monster Mile. Eight active drivers have previously won at Dover with Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. topping the list with three wins each.

    Chase Elliott has been to victory lane twice (2022, 2018) and is the defending race winner while Alex Bowman, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson and Brad Keselowski have each claimed the checkered flag once.

    The Xfinity Series race at Dover is the final round of the Dash 4 Cash competition. Cole Custer, Jeb Burton, Sheldon Creed and Parker Kligerman will be eligible to claim the $100,000 bonus.

    The Craftsman Truck Series will have the week off and will return to competition Saturday, May 6 at Kansas Speedway.

    All times are Eastern.

    Friday, April 28

    1 p.m.: ARCA Practice (All Entries) No TV – Canceled
    2:10 p.m.: ARCA Qualifying (Impound/Timed/All Entries) No TV – Canceled
    5:35 p.m.: ARCA General Tire 125 (125 Laps) FloRacing.com – Postponed to Saturday at 4:30 p.m. after Xfinity Series A-GAME 200 (Time approximate)
    3:05 p.m.: Xfinity Series Practice – FS1 – Canceled
    3:35 p.m.: Xfinity Series Qualifying (Impound/Single Vehicle/2 Laps/All Entries) FS1 – Canceled

    Saturday, April 29

    10:35 a.m.: Cup Series Practice – FS2/PRN (FS1 at 11 a.m.)
    11:20 a.m.: Cup Series Qualifying – FS1/PRN/SiriusXM – Canceled
    Post Cup Series Qualifying on Press Pass

    1:30 p.m.: Xfinity Series A-GAME 200
    Stages – 45/90/200 Laps = 200 Miles
    FS1/PRN/SiriusXM
    The Purse: $1,361,382
    Post Xfinity Series race on Press Pass

    4:30 p.m.:ARCA General Tire 125 (125 Laps) FloRacing.com

    Sunday, April 30

    1 p.m.: Cup Series Würth 400 – Postponed to Monday, May 1 at Noon
    Stages – 120/250/400 Laps = 400 Miles
    FS1/PRN/SiriusXM
    The Purse: $7,629,649
    Post Cup Series race on Press Pass

  • Ryan Truex dominates for first NASCAR Xfinity victory at Dover

    Ryan Truex dominates for first NASCAR Xfinity victory at Dover

    In his 188th start across NASCAR’s top three national touring series, Ryan Truex silenced his doubters and emerged triumphant for the first time after claiming his first Xfinity Series career victory in the A-GAME 200 at Dover Motor Speedway on Saturday, April 29, following a dominant run from start to finish.

    The 31-year-old Truex from Mayetta, New Jersey, led seven times for a race-high 124 of 200-scheduled laps, including the final 11, and swept both stages en route to a long-awaited first career victory at the Monster Mile, his home race track. The victory occurred in Truex’s fifth start of this season in the Xfinity circuit, all in Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 19 “all-star” entry, and in his 89th series start overall.

    With on-track qualifying that was scheduled to occur on Friday being canceled due to rain, the starting lineup for the main event was determined through a metric formula per the NASCAR Rule Book. As a result, Parker Kligerman was awarded the pole position and was joined on the front row by Cole Custer. The only competitor to drop to the rear of the field was Timmy Hill, who did so due to unapproved adjustments to his entry.

    When the green flag waved and the race commenced, Kligerman and Custer dueled for the lead through the first turn until Custer muscled ahead on the inside lane. He then proceeded to lead the first lap ahead of Kligerman and Sheldon Creed as the rest of the field jostled early through two lanes for positions.

    On the fifth lap, the first caution flew when Jeremy Clements, who was running in the top 10, spun his car toward the apron between Turns 1 and 2. By then, Custer was leading by half a second over Creed while Kligerman fell back to third. Austin Hill and rookie Chandler Smith were in the top five while Jeb Burton, Brandon Jones, Ryan Truex, Herbst and Justin Allgaier occupied the top 10.

    During the following restart on the ninth lap, Creed gained a strong start on the inside lane as he assumed the lead from Custer. Behind, teammate Hill battled and overtook Custer for the runner-up spot as Custer fell back to third. As the field behind continued to jostle for early positions, Creed started to pull away from the field with the lead.

    At the Lap 15 mark, Creed was leading by a second over teammate Hill followed by Custer, Truex and Kligerman while Riley Herbst, Justin Allgaier, Brandon Jones, Chandler and Brett Moffitt Moffitt were running in the top 10.

    Two laps later, Ryan Ellis spun off of Turn 2, but the race remained under green flag conditions as Ellis managed to steer his car and proceed below the apron. By Lap 19, however, the caution flew when Anthony Alfredo, who lost a brake rotor through the backstretch earlier, stalled his car up the high lane in Turn 2. Alfredo’s caution served as the competition caution initially planned for Lap 20. By then, Creed was ahead by a second over teammate Hill while Truex, Custer and Kilgerman were in the top five. In addition, Josh Berry was up in ninth, Nemechek was in 11th, Hemric was back in 14th ahead of Jeb Burton, rookie Sammy Smith was scored in 16th ahead of Sam Mayer and Derek Kraus was in 19th.

    During the competition caution, select names led by Creed remained on the track while the rest of the field pitted. Following the pit stops, Allgaier was penalized for speeding on pit road.

    When the race restarted on Lap 24, Creed fended off teammate Hill while restarting on the outside lane to retain the lead, though Hill kept his Richard Childress Racing teammate close within his sights. Behind and amid the on-track battles, Custer was in third while fending off Berry and Truex while Nemechek was up in sixth.

    Just past the Lap 30 mark, Creed was leading by three-tenths of a second over teammate Hill, who had Truex, Custer and Berry hounding him for the runner-up spot. Behind, Nemechek retained sixth ahead of Jones, Kligerman, Sammy Smith and Clements while Chandler Smith, Hemric, Jeb Burton, Sam Mayer and Ryan Sieg were in the top 15.

    Soon after, the battle for the lead between Creed and a hard-charging Truex ignited as Truex tried to assume the top spot over Creed, but the latter maintained his ground and the top spot. Behind, Nemechek carved his way up to third followed by Hill and Berry while Custer fell back to seventh behind Jones. In addition, Kligerman, who was awarded the pole, was slowly dropping below the leaderboard and out of the top 10.

    Then on Lap 34, Truex, who pitted during the competition caution, assumed the lead for the first time over Creed. Another four laps later, teammate Nemechek, who also pitted during the competition caution, moved up to second as Creed fell back to third in front of teammate Hill and Berry.

    When the first stage concluded on Lap 45, Ryan Truex, who despite being mired in lapped traffic, claimed the stage victory after retaining the lead by more than three seconds over teammate Nemechek. Creed settled in third followed by Hill and Berry while Brandon Jones, Sammy Smith, Custer, Hemric and Chandler Smith were scored in the top 10. By then, Kligerman fell back to 12th and Allgaier was mired back in 18th as 31 of 38 starters were scored on the lead lap.

    Under the stage break, nearly the entire field led by Truex pitted. Following the pit stops, Truex exited first followed by Hill, Nemechek and Allgaier, who only opted for two fresh tires to gain a bevy of spots, while Sammy Smith and Jones exited in the top six. Back on the track, however, Kyle Weatherman opted to remain on the track as he inherited the lead. Amid the pit stops, rookie Parker Retzlaff and Herbst were penalized for speeding on pit road.

    The second stage started on Lap 53 as Weatherman and Truex occupied the front row. At the start, Weatherman briefly jumped ahead, but Truex rocketed past him to reassume the lead in Turn 1. Hill quickly followed pursuit in second along with Nemechek while Weatherman was trying to retain fourth ahead of Allgaier, Sammy Smith, Brandon Jones, Chandler Smith and the rest of the field.

    By Lap 60, Truex was leading by more than a second over Hill and more than three seconds over Nemechek as Allgaier navigated his way past Weatherman for fourth. Behind, Sammy Smith and Chandler Smith were in sixth and seventh while Custer, Berry and Creed were scored in the top 10.

    Nearly three laps later, the caution returned when Kligerman got turned by newcomer Corey Heim entering the backstretch, which sent Kligerman’s No. 48 Big Machine Racing Chevrolet Camaro spinning before he slammed the inside wall. The incident spoiled Kligerman’s opportunity of both winning the race and claiming the final Dash 4 Cash prize as he sustained significant damage to both the front and rear of his car. The incident also prompted Kligerman to express his displeasure to Heim on the track with an obscene gesture.

    During the following restart on Lap 69, Truex and Hill dueled for the lead for nearly a lap until Truex managed to pull ahead on the outside lane entering the frontstretch to retain the lead. As Truex fended off Hill for the lead, Nemechek battled Allgaier for third as Chandler Smith moved up to fifth in front of Custer and Sammy Smith. Meanwhile, Creed was back in eighth ahead of Berry and Mayer.

    Just past the Lap 75 mark, Truex was leading by nearly two seconds over Hill followed by Nemechek and Allgaier while Custer battled and overtook Chandler Smith for fifth. By then, Creed was in seventh in front of Sammy Smith while Berry, who went up the track a few laps ago, fell back to 10th in front of Hemric.

    When the second stage concluded on Lap 90, Truex, who approached and carved his way through lapped traffic, claimed his second consecutive stage victory of the day. Hill trailed in second place by more than four seconds while Nemechek, Allgaier, Custer, Chandler Smith, Creed, Sammy Smith, Mayer and Berry were scored in the top 10. By then, 27 of 38 starters were scored on the lead lap.

    Under the stage break, the leaders led by Truex returned to pit road for service. Following the pit stops, Hill exited with the lead ahead of Truex and followed by Nemechek, Custer, Chandler Smith and Creed.

    With 101 laps remaining, the final stage started as Hill and Truex occupied the front row. At the start, Hill fended off Truex on the outside lane to maintain the lead. Shortly after, Nemechek battled and overtook teammate Truex for second as the field fanned out and battled for positions. Then just as the field surpassed its halfway mark, the caution returned when Creed got loose amid a three-wide battle for sixth with Allgaier and Sammy Smith as he spun in the middle of the track in Turn 3. Despite the incident, Creed managed to continue without sustaining any damage to his No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet Camaro as the rest of the field dodged him.

    During the following restart with 94 laps remaining, Hill fended off Nemechek on the outside lane to maintain the lead. Truex, however, followed pursuit in second as he then set his sights on Hill for the lead. Then with 88 laps remaining, Truex seized an opportunity as he side-drafted Hill to reassume the lead.

    With 80 laps remaining, Truex was leading by more than a second over Hill as third-place Nemechek trailed by more than two seconds. Behind, Custer was in fourth ahead of Allgaier while Sammy Smith, Berry, Hemric, Jones and Mayer were in the top 10. Meanwhile, Chandler Smith was in 11th ahead of Herbst, Jeb Burton, Kraus and Moffitt while Kaz Grala, Creed, Ryan Sieg, Weatherman and Clements were in the top 20.

    Ten laps later, Truex continued to lead as he extended his advantage to more than two seconds over Hill. He then extended his advantage to more than three seconds over Hill with 60 laps remaining and more than four seconds with 50 laps remaining. By then, Allgaier was in fourth ahead of Berry and behind Nemechek.

    With less than 40 laps remaining, Truex retained the lead by more than five seconds over Allgaier while Hill fell back to third, trailing by more than six seconds. Berry and Custer were in the top five while Sammy, Jones, Mayer, Creed and Hemric were in the top 10. By then, green flag pit stops commenced as Nemechek and Sammy Smith pitted. A host of names, including Truex, would pit as the laps dwindled past the final 30-lap mark.

    Back on the track and with 27 laps remaining, Creed cycled into the lead followed by Herbst and select names while Truex was back in fifth and awaiting the fate of those who had yet to pit.

    Then with 11 laps remaining, Creed, who was vying for his first victory and the final Dash 4 Cash prize, surrendered the lead to pit under green. Herbst would also pit, though he would eventually be penalized for speeding on pit road. Their pit stops allowed Truex to cycle his No. 19 Toyota Genuine Accessories Supra back to the lead as he was leading by more than five seconds over Berry.

    When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Truex, who led by more than five seconds with five laps remaining, remained as the leader by more than four seconds over Berry. Having a clear path in front of him and with no challengers closing in, Truex managed to cycle around his home track smoothly for a final time and return to the frontstretch to claim his first elusive checkered flag in the Xfinity circuit and across NASCAR’s top three national touring series.

    With the victory, Truex, whose previous best result in the series was second three times, became the 174th different competitor to win in the Xfinity circuit and the third first-time winner of this season in the series alongside teammate Sammy Smith and Chandler Smith. He became the 22nd different competitor to win an Xfinity event for Joe Gibbs Racing as he also recorded the fourth victory of the season for both the JGR organization and for the Toyota nameplate.

    The victory was also redemption for Truex, who was within striking distance of winning his first Xfinity event at Dover in 2012 until his advantage was erased amid lapped traffic, which enabled Joey Logano to overtake Truex with six laps remaining as Truex ended up in a disappointing second place. Ironically, Truex’s first NASCAR career victory at Dover, his home track, occurred nearly 16 years after his brother and former Cup Series champion, Martin Truex Jr., recorded his first Cup career victory at the Monster Mile.

    “I’m out of breath, man,” Truex said on FS1. “Oh my god. Just so thankful. All these fans, my team, everybody that stuck behind me. Most people didn’t believe in me and I still did. Just so thankful to be here. This is amazing. [With] Twenty [laps] to go, I was just waiting for something to happen and I was just praying, ‘Please, guys. Just keep everything straight. Let’s get to the end of this. What a car. What an amazing GR Supra. I’m speechless. I thought I’d be more emotional right now but when I crossed the flag [finish line], I couldn’t even talk on the radio. I’m not an emotional guy. This is for everyone that doubted me.”

    “I belong here,” Truex added. “I just proved that. I’ve known it for a while. People around me have known it for a while. Now, everybody in this garage area knows it. My goal is to drive one of these cars full-time next year. Hopefully, we can make it happen.”

    Berry finished in second place followed by teammate Allgaier while Hill and Nemechek completed the top five. Nemechek, Sammy Smith, Custer, Brandon Jones and Hemric finished in the top 10.

    With today’s Xfinity event serving as the fourth and final Dash 4 Cash event of the 2023 season, the final $100,000 prize from the initiative went to Custer, who claimed the prize for a second consecutive week after finishing eighth.

    There were 11 lead changes for five different leaders. The race featured six cautions for 32 laps. Only 10 of 38 starters finished on the lead lap.

    Following the 10th event of the 2023 Xfinity Series season, Austin Hill leads the regular-season standings by four points over John Hunter Nemechek, 38 over Chandler Smith, 43 over Josh Berry and 49 over Justin Allgaier.

    Results.

    1. Ryan Truex, 124 laps led, Stage 1 & 2 winner

    2. Josh Berry

    3. Justin Allgaier

    4. Austin Hill, 18 laps led

    5. John Hunter Nemechek

    6. Sammy Smith

    7. Cole Custer, 13 laps led

    8. Brandon Jones

    9. Sam Mayer

    10. Daniel Hemric

    11. Sheldon Creed, one lap down, 41 laps led

    12. Kaz Grala, one lap down

    13. Chandler Smith, one lap down

    14. Kyle Weatherman, one lap down, four laps led

    15. Brett Moffitt, one lap down

    16. Ryan Sieg, one lap down

    17. Parker Retzlaff, one lap down

    18. Jeb Burton, two laps down

    19. Jeremy Clements, two laps down

    20. Derek Kraus, two laps down

    21. Riley Herbst, two laps down

    22. Joe Graf Jr., two laps down

    23. Josh Williams, two laps down

    24. Brennan Poole, three laps down

    25. Ryan Ellis, three laps down

    26. Rajah Caruth, four laps down

    27. Gray Gaulding, four laps down

    28. Stefan Parsons, four laps down

    29. Kyle Sieg, five laps down

    30. Timmy Hill, five laps down

    31. Garrett Smithley, five laps down

    32. Chad Chastain, seven laps down

    33. Patrick Emerling, eight laps down

    34. CJ McLaughlin, eight laps down

    35. Corey Heim – OUT, Engine

    36. Anthony Alfredo – OUT, Brakes

    37. Jeffrey Earnhardt – OUT, Engine

    38. Parker Kligerman – OUT, Accident

    With the 2023 Dash 4 Cash initiative concluded, the next regular-season event on the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule is the series’ first of two scheduled visits to Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. The event is scheduled to occur on May 13 at 1:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Jeb Burton upsets the competition with thrilling Xfinity victory at Talladega

    Jeb Burton upsets the competition with thrilling Xfinity victory at Talladega

    In an event mired with multiple lead changes amid a series of competitive battles plus multiple carnages and two rollovers, Jeb Burton and Jordan Anderson Racing Bommarito Autosport pulled the upset by fending off the competition through two overtime attempts and steering their way to victory in the Ag-Pro 300 at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday, April 22.

    The 30-year-old Burton from Halifax, Virginia, led three times for 17 of 121 over-scheduled laps in an event where he kept pace with the front-runners amid the draft. After falling short of winning the first stage before winning the second, Burton seized an opportunity for the win when he dodged a multi-car pileup with two laps remaining that eliminated initial leader Daniel Hemric to reassume the lead. From there, he fended off late charges from Sheldon Creed and Parker Kligerman through two overtime attempts to claim his second NASCAR Xfinity Series career victory and the first ever for Jordan Anderson Racing Bommarito Autosport at the 2.6-mile superspeedway venue.

    With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Friday, Richard Childress Racing’s two-car stable comprising of drivers Austin Hill and Sheldon Creed swept the front row, with Hill claiming the pole position at 182.459 mph in 52.483 seconds while Creed started on the front row with a fast qualifying lap at 181.632 mph in 52.722 seconds.

    Prior to the event, Cole Custer, Sam Mayer and Parker Kligerman dropped to the rear of the field for unapproved adjustments made to their respective entries.

    When the green flag waved and the race commenced, teammates Hill and Creed dueled for the lead in front of two tight-packed lanes through the first two turns and entering the backstretch. Then through the backstretch, Creed gained momentum on the outside lane followed by rookie Parker Retzlaff before moving in front of teammate Hill through Turns 3 and 4. Retzlaff, however, seized the clean air opportunity in front of him by storming to the lead on the outside lane through the frontstretch as he managed to lead the first lap over Creed.

    Through the second lap, Retzlaff continued to lead while fending off Alfredo and Creed from the top to the bottom lane. As the field fanned out through the backstretch, Alfredo started to challenge Retzlaff for the lead on the outside lane while Creed and Jeb Burton battled Hill for third.

    Through the first five scheduled laps, Alfredo was leading ahead of both Jeb Burton and Retzlaff while Brett Moffitt and Riley Herbst were scored in the top five. Behind, Creed was in sixth ahead of rookie Sammy Smith, Hill, Ryan Truex and Daniel Hemric. By then, all 38 starters were separated by three-and-a-half seconds as the field continued to jostle for positions amid three tight-packed lanes.

    Three laps later, Hemric muscled his way into the lead over Alfredo. He continued to lead at the Lap 10 mark while Moffitt tried to launch a challenge on the inside lane. Hemric, though, moved from the outside to the inside lane to fend off Moffitt with the lead as Alfredo fell back to fourth in front of Justin Allgaier. By Lap 13, however, Creed moved his No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet Camaro into the lead as he led a lap for himself.

    Just past the Lap 16 mark, the battle for the lead intensified amid four tight-packed lanes as rookie Chandler Smith tried to use the draft to move his No. 16 Quick Tie Products Chevrolet Camaro into the lead on the inside lane. Creed, however, maintained the lead on the outside lane in front of teammate Hill and Moffitt while Smith had his teammates Hemric and Derek Kraus coming to his assistance within the draft and the middle lane. By then, Ryan Truex ignited a third lane on the inside lane as he tried to move his way to the front.

    At the Lap 20 mark, the top-21 competitors were separated under a second as Creed retained the lead ahead of teammate Hill with Moffitt, Chandler Smith and Alfredo in close pursuit while Hemric, Herbst, Kraus, Sammy Smith and Allgaier were in the top 10. By the following lap, however, Chandler Smith peeked ahead to lead a lap for himself before Creed reassumed the lead with drafting help from Hill on the outside lane. The intensity towards the front continued during the following lap as Allgaier carved his No. 7 Fight Hunger Spark Change Chevrolet Camaro towards the front amid three lanes and challenged Creed for the lead on the inside lane. Both Creed and Allgaier would battle dead even for the lead during the following lap and in front of the pack.

    When the first stage concluded on Lap 25, Allgaier, who dipped his car below the double yellow lines through the backstretch and nearly lost the lead to Jeb Burton, fended off the pack and a hard-charging Creed through the final turns to claim his fourth stage victory of the 2023 Xfinity season. Creed settled in second while Sam Mayer, Jeb Burton, Hill, Kligerman, Truex, Chandler Smith, Josh Berry and Herbst were scored in the top 10. By then, the event featured seven different lead changes for six different leaders.

    Under the stage break, nearly the entire field led by Allgaier pitted amid mixed strategy while some led by Brennan Poole remained on the track. Following the pit stops, Ryan Truex was the first competitor to exit pit road first after only opting for two fresh tires followed by Allgaier, John Hunter Nemechek, Moffitt and Creed. Amid the pit stops, Hill and Josh Williams were penalized for speeding on pit road. Once the remaining names led by Poole who had yet to pit pitted, Truex cycled his way into the lead under caution.

    The second stage started on Lap 31 as Truex and Allgaier occupied the front row. At the start, Truex and Allgaier dueled in tight formation for the lead through the first two turns and the backstretch. Soon after, the field fanned out to three lanes as both Truex and Allgaier remained dead even for the lead in front of Moffitt, Nemechek and Sammy Smith. During the following lap, Moffitt launched a charge for the lead amid the draft on the inside lane as Allgaier managed to move in front of Truex for the lead both on the outside lane and the overall race.

    By Lap 34, Moffitt managed to pull himself from the top to the outside lane in front of Allgaier as he had the clear air to his advantage. Allgaier, however, fought back on the outside lane as he led the following lap with the field behind jostling for positions amid the draft and the pack.

    Then on Lap 37, the caution flew when Derek Kraus turned Parker Chase into Retzlaff through the backstretch, which nearly turned over Retzlaff as Retzlaff spun in the middle of the pack before he was hit by Alfredo’s No. 78 RTIC Chevrolet Camaro while the rest of the field scattered to avoid the melee mayhem. In the ensuing mayhem, Chase went dead straight towards the inside wall on the backstretch and sustained more damage as both his and Alfredo’s run came to an early end.

    During the caution period, names that included Hemric, Kraus, Gray Gaulding, Joey Gase, CJ McLaughlin, Kyle Sieg, Berry, Ryan Sieg, Poole and Josh Williams pitted while the rest led by Moffitt remained on the track.

    With eight laps remaining in the second stage, the race proceeded under green as Moffitt and Herbst occupied the front row. At the start, Moffitt managed to pull ahead and move in front of Herbst for the lead as both had Cole Custer drafting on them on the inside lane. As Sam Mayer tried to challenge Moffitt for the lead on the outside lane, Jeb Burton made a bold move beneath Custer through the frontstretch to move up to third followed by Hill as Custer dropped out of the top five. By then, Moffitt continued to lead ahead of Herbst.

    By Lap 44, Jeb Burton moved into the lead followed by a hard-charging Hill, who then tried to make his move for the lead. Hill, however, got shuffled out by Nemechek through Turns 3 and 4 before fighting back through the frontstretch as he then drew himself alongside Burton for the lead. With the event surpassing the Lap 45 mark, the field fanned out to three packed lanes as Jeb Burton maintained a narrow lead ahead of Chandler Smith, Hill and Brandon Jones before Josh Berry started to carve his way to the front.

    Then on Lap 47 and amid the tight battles towards the front, the caution flew for a harrowing multi-car wreck on the backstretch that started when Dexter Stacey got loose and spun below the track while clipping Blaine Perkins before he slammed the inside wall at full speed. Meanwhile, Perkins spun back across the track and towards the outside wall before he got T-boned by Jade Buford, which sent the latter airborne and flipping multiple times as the right-rear wheel of Perkins’ car flew off, which would be hit by Kaz Grala, before coming to rest right-side up. Despite his wild rollover ride, Perkins along with Stacey emerged unscathed as they made the trip to the infield care center. Perkins would eventually be transported to a local hospital for further evaluation. The wreck, however, put the race in a 12-minute red flag period to remove the carnage.

    Once the red flag lifted and the field proceeded under a cautious pace, the second stage scheduled to conclude on Lap 50 concluded under caution as Jeb Burton claimed his first Xfinity stage victory of the season. Chandler Smith followed cautiously in second while Truex, Berry, Hemric, Hill, Kraus, Creed, Brandon Jones and Allgaier were scored on the lead lap. By then, the field featured 14 lead changes for 10 different leaders.

    Under the stage break, nearly the entire field led by Burton pitted while some led by Poole remained on the track. Following the pit stops, Hemric, who only opted for fuel, exited pit road first followed by teammate Kraus, who also opted for fuel, while Truex, Nemechek and Sammy Smith exited in the top five. Once the rest of the field, led by Poole, had to pit, Hemric inherited the lead.

    With 59 laps remaining, the final stage started as Hemric and Ryan Truex occupied the front row. At the start, Hemric and Truex dueled for the lead in front of the pack submerged in two tight-packed lanes. The field would quickly fan out to three lanes through the backstretch as both Hemric and Truex continued to duel for the lead in front of Kraus, Nemechek, Jeb Burton and Sammy Smith.

    During the following lap, Hemric managed to break away from the pack on the outside lane followed by teammate Kraus, Truex, Nemechek and Ryan Sieg while Hill and Jeb Burton battled for sixth. Creed would then muscle his way into seventh behind teammate Hill while Berry and Chandler Smith battled Burton for eighth amid three lanes. By then, the event surpassed its halfway point while Hemric maintained the lead.

    Then with 50 laps remaining, the caution returned when Sammy Smith and Brandon Jones made contact entering the backstretch, which resulted in Smith spinning and pounding the inside wall hard in his No. 18 Pilot Flying J Toyota Supra while Jones emerged with significant front nose damage to his No. 9 Menards Chevrolet Camaro. By then, Hill, who overtook Hemric following a strong move to Hemric’s outside on the backstretch during the previous lap, was still leading as Creed, Chandler Smith and Berry were in the top five.

    During the caution period, some led by Hill, Creed and Josh Bilicki remained on the track while a majority, led by Hemric, pitted amid mixed strategies for enough fuel for the finish.

    With the event restarting under green with 44 laps remaining, Hill and Chandler Smith dueled for the lead until Hill peeked ahead with drafting help from teammate Creed. Hill then pulled ahead in his No. 21 Bennett/Realtree Chevrolet Camaro through the backstretch while running on the outside lane as Chandler Smith tried to keep pace as the lead competitor on the inside lane.

    A lap later, Chandler Smith gained a run on Hill through the backstretch as he tried to snatch the lead away, but Hill received another boost from teammate Creed to maintain the lead. Then through the frontstretch, Cole Custer, who was pushing Chandler Smith, launched a three-wide battle on Chandler Smith and Hill for his bid for the lead, though he moved up to second. Creed quickly overtook Custer to move back into second as Hill maintained the lead in front of two tight-packed lanes.

    With 40 laps remaining, Hill was leading ahead of teammate Creed followed by Hemric, Custer and Truex while Chandler Smith, Berry, Kraus, Moffitt and Gray Gaulding were scored in the top 10. By then, the top-19 competitors were separated under a second amid the tight-packed competition.

    A lap later, the caution returned when Brandon Jones, who received front nose damage during the previous caution after his on-track incident with Sammy Smith, went up the track entering Turn 1 after blowing a tire and clipped the No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang piloted by Herbst as he made contact with the wall. In the process, Mayer, who was running behind teammate Jones, slipped sideways in front of his other teammate Allgaier as he spun below the apron. During the caution period, some led by Hill pitted while the rest led by Truex remained on the track.

    During the following restart with 34 laps remaining, Truex fended off Moffitt to maintain the lead entering the backstretch as Retzlaff made his way into second. As Truex tried to fend off Retzlaff, Moffitt assumed the lead during the following lap followed by a hard-charging Nemechek as the field fanned out to three lanes. It would not take long until the caution flew with 32 laps remaining when Nemechek, who moved up the track in front of teammate Truex, was bumped by Truex just past the start/finish line as he spun his No. 20 Mobil 1 Toyota Supra below the frontstretch and hit the inside wall on the driver’s left side while damaging his rear suspension.

    With 24 laps remaining, the race restarted under green as Moffitt and Ryan Sieg occupied the front row. At the start, Moffitt jumped ahead with a strong start as he moved from the top to the inside lane in front of Sieg to maintain the lead. Behind, Kaz Grala was up in third followed by Hill and Creed while Truex fell back to sixth. As Moffitt led through the backstretch, Hill moved up to third while Moffitt maintained the lead in front of Sieg.

    During the following lap, Ryan Sieg made his move beneath Moffitt on the backstretch to move into the lead and in front of two tight-packed lanes with multiple competitors bumping, pushing and jostling for late positions. With Sieg maintaining the lead on the outside lane, Creed tried to launch a charge on the inside lane followed by Chandler Smith and Kaz Grala.

    With 22 laps remaining, Hill made a move beneath Moffitt in his attempt for the lead, but he could not gain drafting help from teammate Creed as he began to lose a bevy of spots on the inside lane while Moffitt retained the lead in front of a bevy of cars opting to run in a single file line on the outside lane. With both Hill and Creed falling back, Moffit was in second while Kligerman, Hemric and Ryan Truex were in the top five.

    Then with 19 laps remaining, the caution returned when Hill and Berry made contact as a result of Berry trying to block Hill with the former spinning in Turn 4. Berry, though, managed to continue without sustaining any significant damage to his No. 8 Tire Pros Chevrolet Camaro.

    During the following restart with 15 laps remaining, Sieg battled and fended off Moffitt to maintain the lead. Shortly after, Hemric launched his bid for the lead against Sieg, with Hemric side-drafting Sieg to slow his momentum and take the lead on the outside lane. With the field behind fanning out to four lanes, Sieg maintained the lead on the inside lane followed by Moffitt as Hemric, Kligerman, Truex and Jeb Burton were all in the midst of the battle for the lead.

    Then with 13 laps remaining and as Sieg continued to lead in front of Hemric and Moffitt, the caution flew when Mayer spun off the front nose of teammate Berry, came down across the track and collected teammate Justin Allgaier in Turn 3, thus sending all three JR Motorsports’ competitors with wrecked race cars as Derek Kraus and Gray Gaulding also received damage.

    Down to the final six laps of the event, the race proceeded under green. At the start, Moffitt peeked ahead with drafting help from Kligerman while Ryan Sieg fought back on the outside lane followed by Hemric. As the field battled through two tight-packed lanes, Sieg emerged with the lead on the outside lane with five laps remaining as Hemric moved up to second and made a bid for the lead. In the process, Jeb Burton challenged Moffitt for third while Sieg remained in front of Hemric with the lead. Moffitt would then gain the draft on the inside lane and nearly make contact with Hemric as he battled for second with drafting help from Kligerman.

    With three laps remaining, Hemric muscled his way into the lead through the backstretch followed by Jeb Burton as Creed followed suit in third. Then as the battle for the lead intensified through the backstretch, the caution flew amid another multi-car wreck in Turn 3 when Creed made contact and turned the leader Hemric around as Hemric tried to block Creed, which resulted in Hemric spinning and getting hit by Ryan Sieg. Hemric’s No. 11 Cirkul Chevrolet Camaro then shot back across the track and towards the outside wall amid a vicious hit from Herbst as Hemric rolled upside down while towards the wall and the catchfence before his car slid below the apron and came to rest while still on its roof. Among other names involved in the wreck included Hill, Moffitt, Jeremy Clements, Ryan Truex, Josh Bilicki, Chandler Smith, Grala, Retzlaff and Joey Gase. Amid the carnage, all competitors, including Hemric, emerged uninjured. The carnage, however, was enough to send the field into a second red flag period for nearly 14 minutes. Meanwhile, Jeb Burton carved his way into the lead followed by Creed while Kligerman, Poole, Kyle Sieg and Custer were scored in the top six.

    When the red flag lifted and the race restarted in an overtime attempt, Burton and Creed dueled for the lead entering the first turn as Creed peeked ahead with drafting help from Kligerman. Burton, however, fought back on the outside lane with help from Kyle Sieg through the backstretch before Creed muscled back into the lead through Turns 3 and 4. Then as the field entered the frontstretch, the caution returned and the event was sent into a second overtime attempt due to debris reported on the track that came off of Hill’s car. At the moment of caution, Burton was deemed the leader over Creed.

    At the start of the second overtime attempt, Burton peeked ahead on the outside lane entering the first turn until Creed claimed the lead with a push from Kyle Sieg on the inside lane. Through the backstretch, however, Burton received another push from Kligerman as he cleared the field and had both lanes to his control with the lead. In the process, Kligerman moved his No. 48 Big Machine Racing Chevrolet Camaro up to second while Creed slipped to third.

    When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Burton remained as the leader ahead of Creed, who overtook Kligerman as he reignited his sights on Burton for the lead and win. After keeping his No. 27 Solid Rock Carriers Chevrolet Camaro in front of Creed’s through the first two turns, Burton then went from the top to the bottom lane to fend off late charges from both Kligerman and Creed through the backstretch. Through Turns 3 and 4, Burton started to pull away followed by a hard-charging Creed. Then as names that included CJ McLaughlin, Clements, Garrett Smithley, Moffitt and Ryan Ellis wrecked entering the backstretch, Burton managed to block and hold off Creed to return to the finish line and claim the checkered flag for his first series victory in two years.

    With the victory, Burton, who swapped teams from Our Motorsports to Jordan Anderson Racing Bommarito Autosport prior to this season, notched his second career victory in the Xfinity circuit in his 118th series start, both occurring at Talladega Superspeedway and became the sixth different winner of the 2023 season. Compared to his first victory at Talladega and of his career, which occurred in a rain-shortened event in 2021, Burton’s second career victory in the series and at Talladega was all earned on the track and amid a wild finish to the checkered flag. It also served as a redemptive moment for Burton, who claimed his first top-five finish in the series since September 2021 at Darlington Raceway and after posting an average-finishing result of 20.9 all during the previous Xfinity season with no top-five or top-10 results.

    The first NASCAR victory for Jordan Anderson as an owner in his third season was also a redemptive one for the Forest Acres, South Carolina, native, who survived a fiery incident during the Craftsman Truck Series’ Talladega event in October 2022, where he sustained second degree burns on his body.

    “The only thing I’m disappointed about is that I didn’t get to do a burnout,” Burton, who celebrated with his crew and team owner Jordan Anderson on the frontstretch, said on FS1. “I blew the transmission out of [the car]. Man, I’m pumped up. I’m out of breath from yelling. [I] Went through some stuff on the off-season [period]. I’m more focused now than ever. These [Jordan Anderson Racing] guys made racing fun again for me. Our little team, you have no idea how big this is. This is huge. We’re locked in the Playoffs. I can promise you one thing. We’re gonna drink a lot of beer tonight. I hope my buddies better be ready when we get home because we’re gonna burn it down.”

    Sheldon Creed tied his career-best result of second place followed by Kligerman while Cole Custer claimed the third Dash 4 Cash bonus by finishing fourth and emerging as the lone Dash 4 Cash competitor to finish the race while his opponents (Josh Berry, John Hunter Nemechek and Sammy Smith) were eliminated due to wrecks. Poole claimed fifth place while Caesar Bacarella, Parker Retzlaff, Gray Gaulding, Joey Gase and Josh Williams finished in the top 10.

    Custer along with race winner Jeb Burton, Sheldon Creed and Parker Kligerman will contend for the fourth and final Dash 4 Cash bonus of this season at Dover Motor Speedway next Saturday.

    There were 28 lead changes for 12 different leaders. The race featured 10 cautions for 48 laps, including two red flag periods. In addition, 18 of 38 starters finished on the lead lap while 19 sustained DNFs.

    Following the ninth event of the 2023 Xfinity Series season, Austin Hill leads the regular-season standings by four points over John Hunter Nemechek, 19 over Chandler Smith, 32 over Riley Herbst, 36 over Josh Berry and 41 over Justin Allgaier.

    Results.

    1. Jeb Burton, 17 laps led, Stage 2 winner

    2. Sheldon Creed, 11 laps led

    3. Parker Kligerman

    4. Cole Custer

    5. Brennan Poole, two laps led

    6. Caesar Bacarella

    7. Parker Retzlaff, two laps led

    8. Gray Gaulding

    9. Joey Gase

    10. Josh Williams

    11. Ryan Ellis

    12. Brett Moffitt, 20 laps led

    13. CJ McLaughlin

    14. Brandon Jones

    15. Kyle Sieg

    16. Garrett Smithley

    17. Ryan Truex, nine laps led

    18. Austin Hill, 14 laps led

    19. Jeremy Clements – OUT, Accident

    20. Joe Graf Jr., eight laps down

    21. Daniel Hemric – OUT, Accident, 15 laps led

    22. Ryan Sieg – OUT, Accident, 18 laps led

    23. Riley Herbst – OUT, Accident

    24. Kaz Grala – OUT, Accident

    25. Chandler Smith – OUT, Accident, one lap led

    26. Josh Bilicki – OUT, Accident

    27. Derek Kraus – OUT, DVP

    28. Justin Allgaier – OUT, Accident, seven laps led, Stage 1 winner

    29. Sam Mayer – OUT, Accident

    30. Josh Berry – OUT, Accident

    31. Jeffrey Earnhardt – OUT, Transmission

    32. John Hunter Nemechek – OUT, Accident

    33. Sammy Smith – OUT, Accident

    34. Blaine Perkins – OUT, Accident

    35. Dexter Stacey – OUT, Accident

    36. Jade Buford – OUT, Accident

    37. Anthony Alfredo – OUT, Accident, five laps led

    38. Parker Chase – OUT, DVP

    Next on the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule is the series’ lone visit of the season to Dover Motor Speedway in Dover, Delaware, which will serve as the site of the fourth and final Dash 4 Cash event of this season. The event is scheduled to occur next Saturday, April 29, at 1:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Weekend schedule for Talladega

    Weekend schedule for Talladega

    The NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series travel to Talladega Superspeedway this week for one of NASCAR’s most anticipated events. The 2.66-mile track has produced six different winners in the last six races. And, since we’ve already seen seven different winners in the first nine races of the 2023 season, Talladega promises to deliver another exciting result.

    The Xfinity Series has also seen a high level of completion at Talladega with 28 different winners in 34 races. This weekend’s race will feature the third installment of the Dash 4 Cash program with John Hunter Nemechek, Sammy Smith, Cole Custer and Josh Berry vying for the $100,000 bonus.

    The ARCA Menards Series will be first up with the General Tire 200 Saturday afternoon at 12:30 p.m. while the NASCAR Camping World Truck is off for the next couple of weeks and will return to competition on May 6 at Kansas Speedway.

    All times are Eastern

    Friday, April 21

    4 p.m.: ARCA Menards Series Practice (Impound) (Groups) No TV
    5:35 p.m.: Xfinity Qualifying (Impound) Single Vehicle/1 Lap/2 Rounds) FS1
    Post Xfinity Qualifying on Press Pass

    Saturday, April 22

    10:30 a.m.: Cup Series Qualifying (Impound) Single Vehicle/1 Lap/2 Rounds
    12:30 p.m.: ARCA General Tire 200
    Stages 25/50/113 Laps (300.58 Miles)
    FS1/MRN/SiriusXM
    4 p.m.: Xfinity Ag-Pro 300
    Stages 25/50/113 Laps (300.58 Miles)
    Post Xfinity race on Press Pass
    The Purse: $1,438,641

    Sunday, April 23

    3 p.m.: Cup Series GEICO 500
    Stages 60/120/188 Laps (500.08 Miles)
    FOX/MRN/SiriusXM
    The Purse: $7,857,314
    Post Cup Series race on Press Pass

  • John Hunter Nemechek clocks in for dominant Xfinity victory at Martinsville

    John Hunter Nemechek clocks in for dominant Xfinity victory at Martinsville

    Two weeks after having a victory at Richmond Raceway slip out of his grasp in the late stages, John Hunter Nemechek doubled down with resilience and rose to the occasion after scoring a dominant victory in the Call811.com Before You Dig. 250 at Martinsville Speedway on Saturday, April 15.

    The 25-year-old Nemechek from Mooresville, North Carolina, led three times for a race-high 198 of 250-scheduled laps, including the final 33, as he also capitalized on the final restart with 18 laps remaining to beat teammate Sammy Smith and Cole Custer by more than a second to claim his second checkered flag of the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series season in an event where he swept both stages. As an added bonus, Nemechek claimed the second Dash 4 Cash bonus with his victory at the Paperclip-shaped short track.

    With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Friday, Cole Custer notched his second Xfinity pole of the season after posting a pole-winning lap at 94.411 mph in 20.057 seconds. Joining him on the front row was John Hunter Nemechek, who posted the second-best qualifying lap at 94.331 mph in 20.074 seconds.

    Prior to the event, names that included Sheldon Creed, Jeremy Clements, Kaden Honeycutt, Anthony Alfredo and Alex Labbe dropped to the rear due to unapproved adjustments made to their respective entries.

    When the green flag waved and the race commenced, Custer launched ahead with a strong jump on the inside lane as he cleared Nemechek and assumed the lead for a full circuit, where he proceeded to lead the first lap. Behind, the field fanned out to three tight-packed lanes as rookie Parker Retzlaff, who qualified fourth, was getting shuffled out of the racing groove while rookie Sammy Smith and Samy Mayer moved up and battled for third in front of Riley Herbst and Josh Berry.

    Three laps later, Nemechek launched his bid for the lead as he drew his No. 20 Pye Barker Fire & Safety Toyota Supra beneath Custer’s No. 00 Haas Ford Mustang through Turns 1 and 2. After dueling with Custer amid a tight side-by-side battle during the following lap, Nemechek became the new leader of the event on the sixth lap after clearing Custer in Turns 3 and 4 while Sammy Smith trailed behind in close distance.

    Through the first 10 scheduled laps, Nemechek was leading by more than half a second over Custer followed by Sammy Smith, Sam Mayer and Riley Herbst while Berry, rookie Chandler Smith, Justin Allgaier, Daniel Hemric and Parker Retzlaff were in the top 10. Behind, Austin Hill was in 11th over Brandon Jones, Ryan Sieg, Brett Moffitt and Derek Kraus in the top 15 while Ryan Truex, Connor Mosack, Parker Kligerman, Kaz Grala and Josh Williams occupied the top 20.

    Fifteen laps later, Nemechek continued to lead by half a second over Custer while third-place Sammy Smith trailed by more than a second. With Herbst and Mayer remaining in the top five, Berry also remained in sixth followed by Chandler Smith, Allgaier, Hemric and Retzlaff.

    Another 11 laps later, the first caution of the event flew when Moffitt got loose while battling Austin Hill through Turns 3 and 4 as he spun without getting hit by the oncoming field. By then, Nemechek and Custer had reignited their early battle for the lead amid lapped traffic while 30 of 38 starters were scored on the lead lap. During the caution period, some like Josh Berry, Hill, Jeb Burton, Brennan Poole, Dawson Cram, Kaden Honeycutt, Gray Gaulding and Anthony Alfredo pitted while the rest led by Nemechek remained on the track.

    During the following restart on Lap 43, Nemechek retained the lead and pulled ahead of Custer after receiving a bump and shove from teammate Sammy Smith on the inside lane amid a stacked-up restart. With Nemechek out in front, teammate Sammy Smith battled and fended off Custer to assume second while the field behind jostled amid tight-quarter lanes for positions.

    At the Lap 50 mark, Nemechek was leading by half a second over teammate Sammy Smith while third-place Custer trailed by more than a second along with Mayer and Herbst.

    When the first stage concluded on Lap 60, Nemechek captured his second stage victory of the 2023 Xfinity season after fending off teammate Sammy Smith by more than six-tenths of a second. Custer trailed the two Joe Gibbs Racing competitors in third while Mayer, Herbst, Allgaier, Hemric, Chandler Smith, Retzlaff and Brandon Jones were scored in the top 10.

    Under the stage break, a majority of the field led by Nemechek pitted while others led by Hill and Berry, both of whom pitted on Lap 39, remained on the track. Following the pit stops, Nemechek exited pit road first followed by Sammy Smith, Hemric, Chandler Smith and Herbst.

    The second stage started on Lap 71 as Hill and Berry occupied the front row followed by Dawson Cram and Jeb Burton. At the start, Hill rocketed with the lead on the inside lane followed by Berry as the field fanned out and stacked up through the turns and the straightaways. With Berry trying to close back towards Hill’s rear bumper for the lead, Nemechek shoved his way up to fourth on fresh tires behind Jeb Burton while Cram was shuffled out and falling below the leaderboard. In the process, Hemric carved his way up into the top five while Sammy Smith was mired in sixth as he battled Custer to retain the spot.

    Three laps later, Berry moved his No. 8 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet Camaro into the lead as the front-runners settled in a single-file line. This kept Nemechek in fourth behind Jeb Burton while Hemric was in fifth ahead of Custer and Sammy Smith. By Lap 78, however, Nemechek navigated his way into second as Hemric and Custer joined the battle while Berry continued to lead.

    Nearing the Lap 85 mark, the second caution of the event flew when smoke billowed out of the No. 74 entry piloted by Kaden Honeycutt exiting the frontstretch and entering Turn 1, with the driver proceeding to park his car towards the outside wall in Turn 1 as he became the first retiree of the event. During the pit stops, names that included Moffitt, Parker Kligerman, Josh Williams, Joe Graf Jr., Ryan Ellis and Brennan Poole pitted while the rest led by Nemechek opted to remain on the track.

    Following an extensive caution period amid Honeycutt’s mechanical issue, the race restarted on Lap 100. At the start, Berry and Nemechek dueled for the lead entering Turn 1 before the former managed to pull ahead of the latter. Then entering Turn 3, Sammy Smith vaulted his No. 18 Pilot Flying J Toyota Supra past Nemechek as he challenged Berry for the lead on the outside lane, which he succeeded. During the following lap, Berry made contact with Smith in Turn 1, but Smith returned the favor entering Turn 3 as he bumped and moved Berry out of his path, which moved Smith back into the lead after Berry got loose and slipped up. In the process, teammate Nemechek moved into second while Berry fell back to third in front of Custer and Hemric. Meanwhile, Hill, who was stuck on the outside lane, was also locked in a side-by-side battle with Brandon Jones for sixth.

    Not long after, a side-by-side battle for the lead ignited between teammates Nemechek and Sammy Smith as Nemechek, who drew himself beneath Smith, peeked ahead to lead Lap 107. Nemechek then managed to pull ahead of Smith and assume full control of both lanes with the top spot while Berry tried to close in on Smith for second.

    Just past the Lap 110 mark, Berry and Sammy Smith were locked in a tight side-by-side battle for second in front of Custer through every corner and straightaway. This, however, allowed Nemechek to pull away by nearly a second with the lead.

    When the second stage concluded on Lap 120, Nemechek, who extended his advantage to more than two seconds, claimed the second stage victory of the night and the third of this season. Berry muscled his way into second followed by Custer, Sammy Smith and Hemric while Brandon Jones, Ryan Truex, Herbst, Chandler Smith and Derek Kraus were scored in the top 10. By then, 32 of 38 starters were scored on the lead lap.

    Under the stage break, nearly the entire field led by Nemechek pitted while Brennan Poole remained on the track. Following the pit stops, Nemechek exited first followed by teammate Sammy Smith, Brandon Jones, Custer, Berry and Hemric.

    With 119 laps remaining, the final stage started as teammates Nemechek and Sammy Smith occupied the front row. At the start, Nemechek, who restarted on the outside lane, rocketed ahead with a strong start entering Turn 1 while Sammy Smith, who restarted on the inside lane, engaged in a side-by-side duel with Custer, who battled Smith hard on the outside lane, for second. In the process, JR Motorsports’ Brandon Jones and Berry battled for fourth in front of Kaulig Racing’s Hemric and Chandler Smith. It would only take three laps, however, for the caution to return when Joe Graf Jr. and Ryan Ellis made contact and wrecked up against the Turn 1 outside wall. During the caution period, Berry, who initially reported his spoiler was delaminated pitted as his pit crew later determined he had a right-front tire going down.

    During the following restart with 108 laps remaining, Nemechek, who restarted on the inside lane on this occasion, muscled away from teammate Sammy Smith with the lead while Custer drew himself alongside Sammy Smith in his bid for second. It would only take one lap for the caution to return for a multi-car wreck that erupted on the backstretch that involved Dawson Cram, Ryan Ellis, Alex Labbe and Kyle Sieg.

    At the start of the following restart with 95 laps remaining, Nemechek retained the lead on the inside lane while Sammy Smith and Custer reignited their side-by-side battle for second in front of Hemric and Brandon Jones. Following a heated side-by-side battle for second for two laps, Custer made contact with Smith and moved him up the track as he managed to peek ahead and grab second place. Sammy Smith, however, came under attack from Hemric and Herbst for third while Nemechek was pulling away with the lead. Then as Hemric battled and cleared Sammy Smith for third place with Herbst joining the battle, the caution returned with 89 laps remaining when Josh Williams spun between Turns 1 and 2 after cutting a right-rear tire.

    During the following restart with 82 laps remaining, Nemechek pulled ahead of Custer on the inside lane to retain the lead through the first two turns. In the process, Custer, who restarted on the outside lane, fended off Hemric for second while Sammy Smith trailed in fourth in front of Chandler Smith and Herbst.

    With less than 75 laps remaining, Nemechek was leading by six-tenths of a second over Custer followed by Sammy Smith, Hemric and Herbst while Chandler Smith, Brandon Jones, Kraus, Jeb Burton and Mayer were in the top 10. Behind, Creed, Retzlaff, Ryan Truex, Grala and Ryan Sieg were in the top 15 while Berry and Hill were mired back in 17th and 19th.

    Down to the final 60 laps of the event, Nemechek continued to lead by a second over Custer while Sammy Smith Hemric and Brandon Jones trailed in the top five. By then, Creed cracked the top 10 in 10th, Berry moved his way up in 12th and Hill had fallen back to 20th.

    Ten laps later, Nemechek stabilized his advantage to seven-tenths of a second over Custer while third-place Sammy Smith trailed by more than two seconds.

    Then with 42 laps remaining, the caution flew when Jeremy Clements, who nearly made contact with the wall a few laps earlier, slapped the outside wall between Turns 1 and 2. By then, Nemechek retained the lead by a second over Custer despite encountering lapped traffic while Berry had worked his way up to eighth, though he had no fresh sets of tires for another pit stop for the remainder of the event. During the pit stops, the leaders led by Nemechek pitted and Nemechek retained the lead after exiting first followed by Custer, Hemric, Sammy Smith and Berry, who pitted for scuffed tires. Back on the track, however, a handful of competitors led by Patrick Emerling and Allgaier, who was also out of fresh tires, remained on the track. While Emerling would eventually surrender the lead to pit, Allgaier remained on the track alongside Labbe while Nemechek lined up in third place and as the first competitor on fresh tires.

    During the following restart with 33 laps remaining, Allgaier, Nemechek and Custer launched ahead on the inside lane while Labbe, who restarted on the front row and on the outside lane, struggled to launch ahead of Hemric on old tires as the field stacked up. With the field fanning out to three lanes amid a stacked-up restart, Nemechek dueled and overtook Allgaier during the following lap. Sammy Smith quickly followed suit in second while Custer battled Allgaier for third. Then as Sammy Smith tried to close in on teammate Nemechek for the lead, the caution returned with 29 laps remaining when Ryan Truex turned and sent Mayer into Herbst as the latter two spun. While Herbst backed his No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang into the Turn 1 outside wall, Mayer came back down the track and collided with Jeb Burton as he emerged with extensive nose damage. The incident prompted Mayer to display an obscene gesture to Truex after emerging from his wrecked car.

    Following an extensive caution period for the wreckage to be cleared, the race restarted with 18 laps remaining. At the start, Nemechek, who restarted alongside Custer on the front row, rocketed away with the lead as teammate Sammy Smith quickly vaulted himself into second. Behind, Custer battled and fended off Allgaier for third with Berry joining the battle.

    Down to the final 10 laps of the event, Nemechek was leading by six-tenths of a second over Custer, who overtook Sammy Smith for the runner-up spot four laps earlier, while Berry moved his way up to fourth. Meanwhile, Allgaier settled in fifth as he was locked in a battle with teammate Brandon Jones for the spot while Creed, Hemric, Kraus and Moffitt were mired back in the top 10.

    With five laps remaining, Nemechek retained the lead by six-tenths of a second over a hard-charging Custer, who continued to try and close in for his bid for the victory while third-place Sammy Smith trailed by a second. By then, fourth-place Berry trailed by two seconds while Brandon Jones was in fifth ahead of Allgaier and Hemric.

    When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Nemechek remained as the leader by nearly a second over Custer as Sammy Smith tried to close in on Custer for second. Amid the battles within the field, Nemechek was able to cycle his way around the Paperclip-shaped circuit for a final time and claim the checkered flag for his second victory of the season just as the caution flew when Sheldon Creed wrecked on the backstretch while vying for a top-15 finish.

    With the victory, Nemechek, who delivered the third victory of the season for Joe Gibbs Racing, claimed his fourth career victory in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, his first since winning at Auto Club Speedway in February and his second national touring series win at Martinsville after winning the Truck Martinsville race in 2018. He also became the second multi-race winner of this year’s Xfinity season as he pocketed the second Dash 4 Cash bonus of $100,000, which was also his first in the series, to go along with the race-winning grandfather clock trophy.

    “I’m just grateful for [sponsor] Pye Barker Fire & Safety,” Nemechek, whose car caught on fire while performing his victorious burnout across the frontstretch wall, said on FS1. “Martinsville Speedway, actually, uses Pye Barker Fire & Safety fire extinguishers. Thank you to them for all the safety equipment, for that amazing burnout that caught on fire. I can’t say enough about this whole team. If you would’ve asked me yesterday if we would’ve won, I thought we were a 10th-place car in practice, didn’t think we were very good. Just grateful that the guys made the right adjustments and gave me a Pye Barker Toyota GR Supra as fast as Xfinity 10G. Let’s celebrate. We’ll go celebrate with [family]. [Wife] Taylor, we got another grandfather clock to bring home.”

    Behind, Sammy Smith pulled a bump-and-run move on Custer on the final turn to claim second place as Custer fell back to third. Berry navigated his way through the scuffed tires to finish fourth while Brandon Jones claimed his first top-five finish of the season by finishing fifth. The top-four finishers that include Nemechek, Sammy Smith, Custer and Berry will contend for the third Dash 4 Cash bonus next weekend at Talladega Superspeedway.

    “[I] Just a little bit more drive off,” Smith said. “Congrats to [Nemechek]. They were the best car all night. We just needed a couple more adjustments to get our Pilot Flying J Toyota GR Supra in Victory Lane, but close. We’ll get’em next week.”

    Like Berry, teammate Allgaier navigated his way through worn tires to finish sixth while Hemric, Kraus, Moffitt and Chandler Smith finished in the top 10.

    There were seven lead changes for six different leaders. The race featured 10 cautions for 82 laps. In total, 27 of 38 starters finished on the lead lap.

    Following the eighth event of the 2023 Xfinity Series season, John Hunter Nemechek leads the regular-season standings by 21 points over Austin Hill, 34 over Chandler Smith, 38 over Riley Herbst and 43 over Josh Berry.

    Results.

    1. John Hunter Nemechek, 198 laps led, Stage 1 & 2 winner

    2. Sammy Smith, six laps led

    3. Cole Custer, five laps led

    4. Josh Berry, 27 laps led

    5. Brandon Jones

    6. Justin Allgaier, six laps led

    7. Daniel Hemric

    8. Derek Kraus

    9. Brett Moffitt

    10. Chandler Smith

    11. Parker Retzlaff

    12. Ryan Truex

    13. Blaine Perkins

    14. Jeb Burton

    15. Kaz Grala

    16. Austin Hill, eight laps led

    17. Parker Kligerman

    18. Ryan Sieg

    19. Josh Williams

    20. Jeffrey Earnhardt

    21. Patrick Emerling

    22. Matt Mills

    23. Gray Gaulding

    24. Anthony Alfredo

    25. Leland Honeyman

    26. Alex Labbe

    27. Sheldon Creed

    28. Ryan Ellis, one lap down

    29. Brennan Poole, four laps down

    30. Riley Herbst – OUT, Accident

    31. Sam Mayer – OUT, Accident

    32. Jeremy Clements – OUT, Accident

    33. Connor Mosack, 45 laps down

    34. Kyle Weatherman – OUT, Suspension

    35. Kyle Sieg – OUT, Accident

    36. Dawson Cram – OUT, Accident

    37. Joe Graf Jr. – OUT, Accident

    38. Kaden Honeycutt – OUT, Engine

    Next on the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule is the series’ lone visit of the season to Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama, which will serve as the site of the third Dash 4 Cash event of this season. The event is scheduled to occur next Saturday, April 22, at 4 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Cole Custer captures Xfinity Series pole at Martinsville Speedway

    Cole Custer captures Xfinity Series pole at Martinsville Speedway

    Cole Custer set the fastest lap speed of 94.411 mph during the NASCAR Xfinity Series qualifying session at Martinsville Speedway and won the pole for Saturday’s Call811.com Before You Dig. 250. It was the second pole of the season for the Stewart-Haas Racing driver and his 14th career pole in the series.

    He described his qualifying effort, saying, “It’s always very nerve-racking coming here in qualifying because you never know how good your tires are going to come in. But it never feels great, but you hope when they say your lap time afterward that it was a good one. Luckily, had a good one.

    “This is a hard place. It’s not easy to get a trophy here, and a clock. You have to dodge a lot of bullets throughout the race. Hopefully, I can stay up front and dodge all of them.”

    John Hunter Nemechek was second quickest with a lap of 94.331 mph followed by Sheldon Creed (94.237 mph), rookie Parker Retzlaff (94.041) and Sam Mayer (93.808) to complete the top five qualifiers.

    Josh Berry, Sammy Smith, Justin Allgaier, Riley Herbst and Brandon Jones will line up sixth-10th.

    Nemechek, Berry, Allgaier and Chandler Smith are eligible for the Dash4Cash bonus.

    Notes:

    Garrett Smithley (JD Motorsports) and Chad Finchum (MBM Motorsports) did not qualify for the race.

    Alex Labbe had to make repairs due to a brake line cut during practice and will start 24th.

    Anthony Alfredo will start from the back of the field after issues during tech inspection and will start from the back of the field.

    You can tune into the Call811.com Before You Dig. 250 Saturday, April 14 at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1, with radio coverage on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

    Starting Lineup:

  • Weekend schedule for Martinsville Speedway

    Weekend schedule for Martinsville Speedway

    This weekend NASCAR heads to Martinsville Speedway for some short-track racing.

    Chase Elliott will also make his much-anticipated return to Cup Series competition after missing the previous six races due to a broken left leg sustained in a snowboarding accident on March 3.

    “We’re looking forward to having Chase back in his race car to pick up where he left off,” Rick Hendrick said in a statement issued by Hendrick Motorsports Wednesday afternoon.

    “Since the injury, he’s worked extremely hard and focused all his time and energy on returning to the No. 9 team. Throughout the last six weeks, he’s stayed fully engaged with everything we’re doing, and we know he’s chomping at the bit to get on the racetrack and compete for wins.”

    Martinsville Speedway has hosted 148 Cup Series races since the first event in 1949. There have been 57 different race winners and this weekend 10 of those drivers will be competing on Sunday.

    Denny Hamlin tops the list with five victories, followed by Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch with two wins each. Christopher Bell, William Byron, Alex Bowman, Chase Elliott, Joey Logano and Kevin Harvick have each visited Victory Lane once at the 0.526-mile track.

    The Xfinity Series has hosted 39 races at Martinsville with 25 different race winners. Saturday’s race will host the second segment of the Dash 4 Cash competition. Justin Allgaier won the first segment at Richmond and will compete against Josh Berry, John Hunter Nemechek and Chandler Smith for the $100.000 bonus.

    Friday night the Camping World Truck Series hits the track for the 45th race held at Martinsville. Four of the drivers entered have won previously at ‘The Paperclip” and include Kyle Busch (2016, 2019), Matt Crafton (2014, 2015), Grant Enfinger (2020) and Zane Smith (2021).

    Friday, April 14

    3 p.m.: Truck Series Practice – Group 1 & 2 – FS1
    3:35 p.m.: Truck Series Qualifying (Impound) Single Vehicle/2 Laps/All Entries) FS1
    5 p.m.: Xfinity Series Practice – Group 1 & 1 – FS1
    5:35 p.m.: Xfinity Series Qualifying (Impound) Single Vehicle/2 Laps/All Entries) FS1
    7:30 p.m.: Truck Series Long John Silver’s 200
    Stages 50/100/200 Laps = 105.2 Miles
    FS1/MRN/SiriusXM
    The Purse: $693,842
    Post Truck Series Race: Press Pass

    Saturday, April 15

    4:35 p.m.: Cup Series Practice – Group A & B
    FS2/MRN/SiriusXM
    5:20 p.m.: Cup Series Qualifying (Impound) Group A & B – Single Vehicle/2 Laps/2 Rounds) FS2/MRN/SiriusXM
    7:30 p.m.: Xfinity Series Call811.com Before You Dig. 250
    Stages 60/120/250 Laps = 131.5 Miles
    FS1/MRN/SiriusXM
    The Purse: $1,403,623
    Post Xfinity Series Race: Press Pass

    Sunday, April 16

    3 p.m.: Cup Series NOCO 400
    Stages 80/180/400 Laps = 210.4 Miles
    FS1/MRN/SiriusXM
    The Purse: $7,324,203
    Post Cup Series Race: Press Pass

  • Weekend schedule for Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt

    Weekend schedule for Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt

    The NASCAR Cup Series and Craftsman Truck Series head to Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend where the 0.533-mile concrete oval has once again been transformed into a dirt track. Kyle Busch (Cup Series) and Ben Rhodes (Truck Series) are the defending race winners.  

    The Xfinity Series is off and returns to competition on Saturday, April 15 at Martinsville Speedway.

    All times are Eastern.

    Friday, April 7

    5:35 p.m.: Truck Series First Practice – FS1 – Canceled due to rain
    6:35 p.m.: Cup Series First Practice – FS1 – Canceled due to rain
    8:02 p.m.: Truck Series Final Practice – FS1 – Canceled due to rain
    8:32 p.m.: Cup Series Final Practice – FS1 – Canceled due to rain

    Saturday, April 8

    4:30 p.m.: Truck Series Qualifying Heat Race No. 1 (15 laps) FS2/MRN/SiriusXM
    4:45 p.m.: Truck Series Qualifying Heat Race No. 2 (15 laps) FS2/MRN/SiriusXM
    5 p.m.: Truck Series Qualifying Heat Race No. 3 (15 laps) FS2/MRN/SiriusXM
    5 15 p.m.: Truck Series Qualifying Heat Race No. 4 (15 laps) FS2/MRN/SiriusXM

    6 p.m.: Cup Series Qualifying Heat Race No. 1 (15 laps) FS2/PRN/SiriusXM
    6:15 p.m.: Cup Series Qualifying Heat Race No. 2 (15 laps) FS2/PRN/SiriusXM
    6:30 p.m.: Cup Series Qualifying Heat Race No. 3 (15 laps) FS2/PRN/SiriusXM
    6:45 p.m.: Cup Series Qualifying Heat Race No. 4 (15 laps) FS2/PRN/SiriusXM

    8 p.m.: Truck Series Weather Guard Truck Race on Dirt
    150 laps – 75 miles
    Stages end on laps 40/90/150
    The Purse: $738,461
    FS1/ MRN/SiriusXM
    The Purse: $738,461
    Post Truck Series Race: Press Pass

    Sunday, April 17

    7 p.m.: Cup Series Food City Dirt Race
    250 laps – 125 miles
    Stages end on laps 75/150/250
    FOX/PRN/SiriusXM
    The Purse: $7,808,640
    Post Cup Series Race: Press Pass

  • Chandler Smith notches first Xfinity Series career victory at Richmond

    Chandler Smith notches first Xfinity Series career victory at Richmond

    Nearly a month after having a victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway within his grasp slip out of reach in the final laps, rookie Chandler Smith redeemed himself through a late shootout to claim his first NASCAR Xfinity Series career win in the ToyotaCare 250 at Richmond Raceway on Saturday, April 1.

    The 20-year-old Smith from Talking Rock, Georgia, led three times for a race-high 83 of 250-scheduled laps as he spent a majority of the event running towards the front. After claiming the lead from John Hunter Nemechek during a restart with 12 laps remaining prior to a late caution, Smith then used the outside lane during the final restart with six laps remaining to duel and fend off Nemechek before pulling away and retaining the top spot to claim his first checkered flag in the series.

    With on-track qualifying that was scheduled to occur on Saturday canceled due to inclement weather, the starting lineup for the main event was determined through a qualifying metric system from NASCAR’s rulebook qualifying procedure. Based on the metric system, Justin Allgaier was awarded the pole position and was joined on the front row by rookie Sammy Smith.

    Prior to the event, Parker Kligerman dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments made to his No. 48 Big Machine Racing entry.

    When the green flag waved and the race commenced amid a delay spanning more than half an hour due to inclement weather, Allgaier jumped ahead with the lead on the inside lane as he managed to clear Sammy Smith and proceed to lead the first lap. Behind, teammate Sam Mayer launched an early challenge on Smith for second ahead of Riley Herbst, Daniel Hemric and Sheldon Creed while the field behind jostled for positions.

    Two laps later, Sammy Smith overtook Allgaier with a strong launch entering Turn 3. A lap later, Mayer would overtake teammate Allgaier on the outside lane through the frontstretch to claim second place as Hemric and Herbst closed in on the battle.

    During the fifth lap, early troubles ignited for Joe Graf Jr., who went dead straight into the Turn 2 outside wall due to a left-front tire while running inside the top 20. He was, however, able to make a pit stop without drawing a caution.

    With the event surpassing the first 10-scheduled laps, Sammy Smith was leading by a second over Hemric followed by Mayer, John Hunter Nemechek, and Allgaier while rookie Chandler Smith, Herbst, Josh Berry, Sheldon Creed and newcomer Derek Kraus were in the top 10. Meanwhile, Anthony Alfredo was in 11th ahead of Brandon Jones, Cole Custer, Jeremy Clements and Ryan Sieg while Jeb Burton, Austin Hill, Kaz Grala, Josh Williams and Brett Moffitt were running in the top 20.

    Through the first 20 laps, Sammy Smith continued to lead by more than a second over Hemric while Chandler Smith moved up to third ahead of Nemechek as Mayer fell back to fifth. Behind, Allgaier was back in sixth ahead of Herbst and Berry while Creed and Kraus occupied the top 10.

    When the competition caution flew on Lap 35, Sammy Smith retained the lead over Hemric, Chandler Smith and the rest of the field with 36 of 38 starters scored on the lead lap. During the competition caution, nearly the entire lead lap field led by Hemric pitted while Joe Gibbs Racing’s Sammy Smith and John Hunter Nemechek remained on the track. During the pit stops, Hill was penalized for speeding on pit road. Brennan Poole was also penalized for an uncontrolled tire violation after a tire rolled out of his pit box during his pit stop.

    Once the event restarted under green on Lap 42, Sammy Smith jumped ahead with a brief advantage while Chandler Smith, Hemric and Herbst took Nemechek through a four-wide battle entering the first turn as Nemechek struggled to launch on old tires. With Nemechek getting swallowed up by the field and competitors running on fresher tires, Sammy Smith was then quickly challenged for the lead through the backstretch as Herbst muscled his No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang to the lead on the outside lane. Kaulig Racing’s Hemric and Chandler Smith would quickly follow suit for podium spots against Sammy Smith, who was then overtaken by Brandon Jones, Creed and Custer as he returned to the frontstretch and continued to lose spots. As the field behind continued to scramble for positions during the following lap, Herbst was overtaken by Chandler Smith during the following lap with the latter clearing the field and slowly pulling away.

    At the Lap 50 mark, Chandler Smith was leading by six-tenths of a second over Herbst followed by Hemric, Brandon Jones and Creed while Berry and Cole Custer duked for sixth. Allgaier was in eighth ahead of teammate Mayer, Kaz Grala, Kligerman and Ryan Sieg while Sammy Smith and Nemechek plummeted all the way back to 30th and 32nd while running on older tires compared to the field.

    Fifteen laps later, Chandler Smith continued to lead by three-tenths of a second over Herbst while Jones, Berry and Hemric occupied the top five. By then, teammates Nemechek and Sammy Smith were mired in 32nd and 34th, respectively, towards the rear end of the lead lap field as the leaders started to close in to lap them.

    When the first stage concluded on Lap 75, Chandler Smith claimed his first stage victory of the 2023 Xfinity season. Herbst settled in a close second followed by Brandon Jones while Berry, Custer, Hemric, Allgaier, Creed, Ryan Sieg and Mayer were scored in the top 10. By then, Nemechek and Sammy Smith were lapped by the leaders. By being scored the first competitor a lap down, however, Nemechek was the recipient of the free pass while Smith remained pinned a lap down.

    Under the stage break, the lead lap field led by Chandler Smith returned to pit road for service. Following the pit stops, Herbst exited first followed by Jones, Chandler Smith, Custer and Hemric. During the pit stops, Mayer endured a long pit stop and lost a lap after running in the top 10 while Ryan Sieg was penalized for having too many men over the pit wall.

    The second stage started on Lap 84 as Herbst and Jones occupied the front row. At the start, Herbst launched ahead to retain the lead while Chandler Smith battled Jones for second as the field behind jostled for positions. With Herbst keeping his No. 98 entry in front of a side-by-side battle between Chandler Smith’s No. 16 Kaulig Racing entry and Jones’ No. 9 JR Motorsports entry, Custer followed suit in fourth while Berry was up in fifth.

    At the Lap 100 mark, Herbst was leading by two-tenths of a second over Chandler Smith followed by Jones, Custer and Berry while Allgaier, Parker Kligerman, Creed, Kraus and Hemric were running in the top 10. Behind, Hill was in 11th ahead of Kaz Grala, Clements, Nemechek and Jeffrey Earnhardt while Ryan Ellis, Brett Moffitt, Alex Labe, Chris Hacker and Jeb Burton occupied the top 20.

    Five laps later, Chandler Smith reassumed the lead over Herbst, who had to check up as Joe Graf Jr. endured more on-track issues by slipping sideways on the backstretch. Jones would eventually make his way into second place over Herbst while Custer was locked in a battle with Berry for fourth.

    At the halfway mark on Lap 125, Chandler Smith was leading by nine-tenths of a second over Jones followed by Herbst, Berry and Custer while Kligerman, Allgaier, Kraus, Nemechek and Hill were in the top 10. By then, 27 of 38 starters were scored on the lead lap, none of which included Sammy Smith and Mayer.

    Fifteen laps later, Chandler Smith continued to lead ahead of Berry as Jones and Herbst fell back to third and fourth. Custer occupied fifth while Allgaier was the highest-running Dash 4 Cash competitor in eighth. By then, Hemric was lapped by the field.

    Another lap later, Berry navigated his No. 8 Jarrett Companies Chevrolet Camaro into the lead with the leaders lapping the benchmarkers. Teammate Jones followed suit in second as Chandler Smith fell back to third. By then, Anthony Alfredo had scrubbed the Turn 2 outside wall with a flat right-front tire, but the event remained under green flag conditions.

    When the second stage concluded on Lap 150, Berry claimed his first stage victory of the 2023 Xfinity season. Teammate Jones settled in second followed by Herbst, Chandler Smith and Custer while Grala, Nemechek, Kligerman, Allgaier and Creed were scored in the top 10. By then, 18 of 38 starters were scored on the lead lap.

    Under the stage break, the lead lap field led by Berry pitted and Berry retained the lead after exiting first followed by teammate Jones, Herbst, Chandler Smith, Custer and Nemechek.

    With 89 laps remaining, the final stage started as teammates Berry and Jones occupied the front row. At the start, Berry retained the lead in front of Jones and Herbst while Chandler Smith launched his bid for the lead while running in fourth. During the following lap, Jones muscled his No. 9 Menards Chevrolet Camaro into the lead while Chandler Smith battled Berry for second. Behind, Nemechek and Herbst battled for fourth in front of Custer and Allgaier as the field jostled for late positions.

    Fourteen laps later and with 75 laps remaining, Jones was leading by two-tenths of a second over Chandler Smith followed by Berry, Nemchek and Allgaier while Custer, Herbst, Grala, Creed and Hill battled within the top 10. By then, 19 of 38 starters were scored on the lead lap while names like Sammy Smith, Ryan Sieg, Moffitt, Hemric, Mayer and Connor Mosack were off the lead lap category.

    Another nine laps later, Berry battled and overtook teammate Jones to reassume the lead lap. With Berry slowly pulling away, Nemechek, who rallied from losing a lap during the first stage, started to challenge Jones for second while Chandler Smith fell back to fourth in front of Allgaier and Herbst.

    With 50 laps remaining, Berry was leading by six-tenths of a second over Nemechek while third-place Jones trailed by more than two seconds. Chandler Smith and Custer remained in the top five while Herbst, Allgaier, Hill, Grala and Creed were back in the top 10.

    Nearly 10 laps later, Allgaier, who was running inside the top 10, pitted under green for four fresh tires as Berry maintained his advantage over Nemechek. With 30 laps remaining, however, the caution flew due to Clements coming to a stop on pit road. By then, 13 of 38 starters were scored on the lead lap while a multitude of names, among which included all four Dash 4 Cash competitors Allgaier, Sammy Smith, Mayer and Hemric were pinned at least a lap behind. In addition, Berry retained the lead in front of Nemechek, Jones, Chandler Smith and Herbst.

    During the caution period, the field led by Berry pitted and Berry retained the lead after exiting with the lead followed by Nemechek, Jones, Chandler Smith and Herbst.

    Down to the final 22 laps of the event, the race restarted under green. At the start, Berry and Nemechek battled for the lead as Nemechek managed to muscle ahead on the outside lane and retain the lead through the frontstretch. With 20 laps remaining, however, the caution returned when Jones made contact with Herbst as Herbst backed his car into the outside wall as Jones slipped sideways and spun backward while getting hit by Custer’s No. 00 Haas Ford Mustang and barely by Connor Mosack’s No. 24 Sam Hunt Racing Toyota Supra. At the moment of caution, Chandler Smith cycled into second over Berry while Mayer was the recipient of the free pass after being scored the first competitor a lap down in front of Hemric and Sammy Smith.

    During the following restart with 12 laps remaining, Nemechek retained the lead amid a side-by-side battle with Chandler Smith before the latter managed to move back into the lead. The caution returned shortly after, however, when Moffitt spun in Turn 3 as Leland Honeyman and Graf also spun to avoid hitting Moffitt. At the moment of caution, Sammy Smith received the free pass to cycle back on the lead lap.

    With six laps remaining, the event proceeded under green. At the start, Chandler Smith and Nemechek dueled for the lead through the first two turns and the backstretch until Smith managed to move into the lead through Turns 3 and 4. During the following lap, Nemechek drew himself back alongside Smith’s No. 16 entry for the lead as both continued to battle through two tight lanes. Smith, however, would pull away through Turns 3 and 4 while Nemechek settled in second in front of Berry. Then with four laps remaining, Nemechek launched a final bid beneath Chandler Smith, but the latter pulled away with a clear racetrack in front of him and behind him. As the laps continued to dwindle, Chandler Smith retained a narrow advantage ahead of Nemechek and Berry.

    When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Chandler Smith remained as the leader ahead of Nemechek and Berry. With Nemechek unable to close the gap despite launching a final overtake bid on the outside lane entering Turn 3, Smith was able to navigate his way around the short track circuit for a final time and claim the checkered flag by more than two-tenths of a second for his first series career victory.

    With the victory, Chandler Smith became the 173rd different competitor to win in the Xfinity circuit and the fifth overall to win for Kaulig Racing. He also became the second first-time winner of the 2023 Xfinity circuit and the fifth different competitor to win through the first seven events on the 2023 Xfinity schedule.

    Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images.

    “[The win] Feels great,” Smith said on FS1. “This goes to testimony just to Vegas. Dominated that race, didn’t win. I said it was all in God’s timing. He’s in something creating way bigger better something than I know to do it. Here we are at Richmond, my favorite racetrack and we’re sitting in Victory Lane. All glory goes to God. Thank you, [owner] Chris Rice, [team president] Matt Kaulig, Quick Tie Products, everybody at Kaulig Racing, [crew chief] Bruce [Schlicker]. This is unbelievable.”

    Nemechek rallied from nearly losing a lap during the first stage to settle in second place for his third top-five result of the season and at Richmond for a second consecutive season while Berry ended up third after leading 63 laps.

    “We weren’t very good on the short run,” Nemechek said. “We had a long-run speed car. [I] Came from the back up there to battle for the win, put ourselves in position. Disappointed to run runner-up again. That’s the last three races here I’ve run second, so frustrating, but we’ll go back to work. We just got to figure out how to execute a little bit better. Just one of those days, but good run.”

    Grala and Custer claimed top-five finishes in fourth and fifth while Creed, Ryan Sieg, Kligerman, Hill and newcomer Derek Kraus finished in the top 10.

    Meanwhile, Allgaier was the winner of the first Dash 4 Cash initiative despite finishing in 13th place, which was enough for him to claim the bonus ahead of his opponents Mayer, Sammy Smith and Hemric, all of whom finished 17th, 19th and 24th, respectively. The accomplishment marked Allgaier’s first Dash 4 Cash bonus since 2018 and his fourth since 2016. Allgaier along with race winner Chandler Smith, runner-up John Hunter Nemechek and third-place finisher Josh Berry will contend for the second Dash 4 Cash bonus that will occur two weeks from now at Martinsville Speedway.

    “Weird day today,” Allgaier said. “We didn’t fire off quite as good as we’d hoped, but [the team] kept working. Great pit stops all day. We pitted under green there to go for the win and ultimately, it bit us. Then it was just hanging on. We weren’t really sure what was gonna happen, but luckily, we were able to hold everybody off. It’s weird finishing 13th and still be standing here holding this [Dash 4 Cash] check.”

    There were 10 lead changes for seven different leaders. The race featured six cautions for 43 laps.

    Following the seventh event of the 2023 Xfinity Series season, Austin Hill leads the regular-season standings by 12 points over Riley Herbst, 18 over John Hunter Nemechek, 24 over Chandler Smith, 43 over Josh Berry and 46 over Justin Allgaier.

    Results.

    1. Chandler Smith, 83 laps led, Stage 1 winner

    2. John Hunter Nemechek, 11 laps led

    3. Josh Berry, 63 laps led, Stage 2 winner

    4. Kaz Grala

    5. Cole Custer

    6. Sheldon Creed

    7. Ryan Sieg

    8. Parker Kligerman

    9. Austin Hill

    10. Derek Kraus

    11. Alex Labbe

    12. Jeb Burton

    13. Justin Allgaier, two laps led

    14. Chris Hacker

    15. Ryan Ellis

    16. Parker Retzlaff

    17. Sam Mayer

    18. Jeffrey Earnhardt

    19. Sammy Smith, 40 laps led

    20. Kyle Sieg

    21. Brandon Jones, 24 laps led

    22. Brett Moffitt

    23. Riley Herbst, 27 laps led

    24. Daniel Hemric, one lap down

    25. Leland Honeyman, one lap down

    26. Blaine Perkins, two laps down

    27. Joey Gase, two laps down

    28. Connor Mosack, two laps down

    29. Patrick Emerling, two laps down

    30. Garrett Smithley, two laps down

    31. Mason Maggio, three laps down

    32. Stefan Parsons, three laps down

    33. Josh Williams, three laps down

    34. Brennan Poole, three laps down

    35. Gray Gaulding, five laps down

    36. Jeremy Clements, seven laps down

    37. Joe Graf Jr., 14 laps down

    38. Anthony Alfredo – OUT, Accident

    Next on the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule is another Virginia event as the series travels southwest from Richmond to Martinsville for its first of two visits to Martinsville Speedway, which will also serve as the site of the second Dash 4 Cash event. The event is scheduled to occur on April 15 at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Weekend schedule for Richmond and Texas

    Weekend schedule for Richmond and Texas

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

    All times are Eastern.

    Friday, March 31

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

    Saturday, April 1

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

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

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

    Sunday, April 2

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