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  • Clint Bowyer paces final Cup practice, Kyle Busch wrecks

    Clint Bowyer paces final Cup practice, Kyle Busch wrecks

    Clint Bowyer has been one of the fastest cars all week, and he showed that again during Saturday’s final Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

    Bowyer, who led the way in Friday’s practice and was quickest in two of three rounds of qualifying in the No. 14, was looking sporty on Saturday with an average lap speed of 179.104 mph.

    Kyle Busch was second but was forced to go to the rear of the field after smacking the outside wall and spinning in Turn 2 (178.873 mph). Austin Dillon was third (178.712mph), Michael McDowell was fourth, and Corey LaJoie rounded out the top-five.

    “Just got loose. We were trying to run a run, and the car was pretty good with fire off there,” Busch said. “We ran some really good times and then just kept getting a little bit looser, a little bit looser. I tried to go back to the bottom and run the bottom to see how slow I had to be to go around the bottom and just snapped.”

    Completing the Top 10 were Kurt Busch, Joey Logano, Daniel Hemric, Ryan Newman, and Martin Truex Jr.

    Busch was forced to go to a backup car, which means he will have to start Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 from the rear of the field.

    Erik Jones went to the garage late in the session after his No. 20 Toyota started to spew smoke. It was reported that he was suffering power steering issues.

    Brad Keselowski, who was sidelined by flu-like symptoms for most of the session, was 28th quickest.

    Of the drivers who ran at least 10 consecutive laps, it was the Kyle and Kyle show. Kyle Busch was quickest (177.302 mph), followed by Kyle Larson.

  • Christopher Bell dominates Xfinity Series race at Atlanta

    Christopher Bell dominates Xfinity Series race at Atlanta

    It was a misty afternoon as the NASCAR Xfinity Series took to the track for the Rinnai 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, but for Christopher Bell, it was all smiles.

    Bell in his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Supra dominated the race. Bell won all three stages and led the most laps leading 142 out of 163. A late caution bunched the field up as the green flag flew with three laps to go and drivers trying to get the top spot, but Bell was just too strong today.

    “Man, I’m very thankful and very fortunate to drive this Rheem Supra,” Bell said, “It’s the first Supra in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, that means a lot to me to be able to become their first driver to win this.” Bell then added, “The Supra is awesome, it looks great and it’s fast too. It’s a lot of fun and I’m just honored to be here.”

    Stage 1 and Stage 2 both ran caution free, with Bell sweeping both stages. Cole Custer who started on the pole in his No. 00 Jacob Companies Ford Mustang came up just a little short but still had a great run.

    The final stage of the race saw Brandon Jones get the jump off pit road in first place, however, a speeding penalty sent him to the rear of the field giving Tyler Reddick the top spot. It took Bell about 11 laps to retake the lead and it was game over. A late caution for the spinning car of John Hunter Nemechek saw the field bunch up for a late-race shootout but it wouldn’t deter Bell who took the checkered flag in first place. Custer would end up in the runner up spot.

    “That was a fun race. I thought the end was pretty good. I thought I might get it for a second. We just didn’t have enough there and Bell kind of took my line there in the last lap. It is a great start to the year in our first race with the Jacob Companies Mustang. We got a new crew chief and it was huge for us to start the year strong. I feel like we will be a threat all year,” commented Custer after the race.

    Justin Allgaier in his No.7 JR Motorsports Chevy also had a good run today finishing in third.

    “Hats off to the guys at JR Motorsports. We had great pit stops all day. We were able to charge our way back through there and at the end, I thought we had the ticket.” Allgaier stated. “I was going to go to the middle on the last restart. I thought I could get that momentum but unfortunately, I let Cole (Custer) get by me. Still all in all a great day and a great start to the season.”

    Jones and Reddick would round out the top five. Jeffrey Earnhardt, in his No. 18 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, is having his best season ever coming home in his career best finish with sixth place. He continues to become a fan favorite in the series.

    Ryan Preece, Justin Haley, Noah Gragson, and Austin Cindric finished seventh through 10th, respectively.

    Bell leads the Xfinity Series standings with 99 points, Jones is in second with 95 points, in third is Allgaier with 81 points, fourth is Reddick with 76 points and Custer rounds out the top 10, also with 76 points.

    The Xfinity Series heads next to Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday, March 2.

  • Monster Energy Cup Series: Drivers to watch at Atlanta

    Monster Energy Cup Series: Drivers to watch at Atlanta

    The Monster Energy Cup Series started the 2019 season with the 61st annual Daytona 500 and while the Great American race has come and gone, the series doesn’t sleep, and the true test begins in Atlanta this weekend.

    Atlanta Motor Speedway is the home to all 3 major series for the weekend and there are tons of variables that could confuse teams. How will the new aero package affect teams? How will the new left side tire compounds work for the racing? Will we see pack racing like we saw last week in Daytona?

    All of these questions are unknowns till we see cars on the track but who are some of the guys you should keep your eye on this week? Let’s dive into some of the drivers that could be up at the front on Sunday in Atlanta.

    Jimmie Johnson: For the seven time champion, it was a prayer from the heavens that Johnson escaped Daytona with an 8th place finish. He was involved in a wreck heading onto to pit road when the 31 of Tyler Reddick collided with the back of the Ally Chevy after Reddick’s car got hit by the two Rick Ware Racing cars. He kept digging and avoiding the two big wrecks at the end of the race to come out of Daytona, with a Top 10. This was also the first race with new crew chief Kevin Meendering.

    What should we expect from Johnson in Atlanta? Well, the track record is fairly good for the El Cajon, California native. He leads all active drivers with 5 wins, 14 Top 5’s and 16 Top 10’s. Even though the Hendrick Motorsports elder hasn’t won in 60 races, don’t be surprised we see the bright purple Ally Chevy into Victory Lane, come Sunday afternoon. Should Johnson end up breaking the winless streak, dating back to Spring Dover race in 2017, it would mark Johnson’s 84th career win; tying him with the NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip and Bobby Allison for fourth on the all-time wins list.

    Denny Hamlin: Unlike Johnson, Hamlin broke his winless streak at the Greatest Spectacle in racing, the Daytona 500, last week in Daytona. The true test begins this week, for the Chesterfield, Virginia alum. Hamlin has won before in Atlanta, but it was in 2012 when the race was in September. He battled Kevin Harvick last year in Atlanta, exchanging the lead with the Stewart Haas driver six time over the last 110 laps. Harvick went on to win the race while Hamlin fell to a fourth place run. Hamlin also has 7 Top 10’s and a pole at one of the oldest tracks in the Cup Series so don’t be shocked if you see the 11 in the Top 5 on Sunday.

    Kevin Harvick: It was a rough day for the defending Atlanta race winner in Daytona as he finished 26th at Daytona after being collected in a crash on lap 194 of the 207-lap race. It is a new week and for Harvick, it should be no surprise he is the man to beat come this weekend. The Bakersfield, CA native won his first career race in 2001 at this race track in an emotional victory lane as he took over the wheel of the #3 (which switched numbers to #29) of Dale Earnhardt. Harvick has had 7 top 5’s, 13 top 10’s along with two poles at the rough and ragged track that is known to be called Atlanta Motor Speedway. With a win on Sunday, Harvick would tie Buck Backer for 16th on the all time win’s list with 46 MENCS victories. Look for Harvick to be around the lead pack and in contention for the trophy at the end of the day of Sunday.

    Kyle Busch: It was once again, frustration for the JGR driver, as Busch finished second (his career finish at the Daytona 500) and one spot short of receiving that Harley J Earl trophy for the Las Vegas native but Busch does come to Atlanta with a milestone. With starting the Cup race on Sunday, the 2015 Cup champion will achieve his 500th career start in the series. Busch has two wins at Atlanta (2008 and 2013) and his car owner Joe Gibbs, has 11 Cup wins total at the track.

    Busch will also be competing in the Gander Outdoor Truck Series on Saturday afternoon and with a win in that series, it would make him the truck series’ all time winningest driver in Truck Series history. It should not be a surprise to see Busch in Victory Lane…more than once this weekend in Atlanta.

    Dark Horse: Matt DiBenedetto:

    The Grass Valley, CA shocked many, many people on Sunday when he took the lead in the Daytona 500 and led the most laps (49) before getting caught up in the big one on Lap 190. DiBenedetto, driving for Levine Family Racing, has teamed up with Joe Gibbs racing to form an alliance to help the 95 throughout the season. DiBenedetto is in the best equipment he has had in the Cup Series and could be contending for wins later on in the season. Look for Dibenedetto to have a solid run this weekend.

    Who is your pick to win the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta on Sunday? Tell us in your comments, below!

    Catch the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at 2:00 PM ET on FOX

    Follow Bryan on Twitter @TheBryanNolen for all the latest on NASCAR news, rumors, and more.

  • Weekend Schedule for Atlanta Motor Speedway

    Weekend Schedule for Atlanta Motor Speedway

    NASCAR heads to Atlanta Motor Speedway for a triple-header weekend as the Monster Energy Cup Series, Xfinity Series and the Gander Outdoors Truck Series hit the track for the second race of the 2019 season.


    Friday, February 22
    11:35 a.m. – 12:55 p.m.: Cup Series first practice – Live on NASCAR.com/live
    1:05 p.m. – 1:55 p.m.: Xfinity Series first practice – Live on NASCAR.com/live
    2:05 p.m. – 2:55 p.m.: Truck Series first Practice – Live on NASCAR.com/live
    3:05 p.m. – 3:55 p.m.: Xfinity Series Final Practice – FS1
    4:05 p.m. – 4:50 p.m.: Truck Series Final Practice – FS1
    5:10 p.m.: Cup Series Qualifying (Multi-Vehicle / Three Rounds) – FS1/PRN

    Saturday, February 23
    9:35 a.m.: Xfinity Series Qualifying (Multi-Vehicle / Three Rounds) – FS1
    10:40 a.m.: Truck Series Qualifying (Single Vehicle / Two Rounds) – FS1
    12:00 p.m. – 1:20 p.m.: Cup Series Final Practice – FS1
    2 p.m.: Xfinity Series Rinnai 250 (Stages 40/80/163 Laps = 251.02 miles ) – FS1/PRN
    4:30 p.m.: Truck Series Ultimate Tailgating 200 (Stages 40/80/130 Laps = 200.02 miles ) – FS1/MRN

    Sunday, February 24
    2:00 p.m.: Cup Series Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 (Stages 85/170/325 Laps = 500.5 miles) – FOX/PRN

    Aric Almirola will lead the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series field as they take the green flag at  2:16 p.m. ET Sunday, Feb. 24 for The Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500. Television live coverage will begin at 2 p.m. ET on FOX.

    Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

    Starting Lineup for the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500

    StartingDriverNumber
    No. 1Aric Almirola10
    No. 2Ricky Stenhouse Jr.17
    No. 3Clint Bowyer14
    No. 4Denny Hamlin11
    No. 5Daniel Suarez41
    No. 6Kyle Busch18
    No. 7Kyle Larson42
    No. 8Kurt Busch1
    No. 9Martin Truex Jr.19
    No. 10Austin Dillon3
    No. 11Jimmie Johnson48
    No. 12Michael McDowell34
    No. 13Ryan Newman9
    No. 14Paul Menard21
    No. 15Erik Jones20
    No. 16Alex Bowman88
    No. 17William Byron24
    No. 18Kevin Harvick4
    No. 19Brad Keselowski2
    No. 20Matt DiBenedetto95
    No. 21Ty Dillon13
    No. 22Chase Elliott9
    No. 23David Ragan38
    No. 24Corey Lajoie32
    No. 25Ryan Preece47
    No. 26Ryan Blaney12
    No. 27Joey Logano22
    No. 28Daniel Hemric8
    No. 29Bubba Wallace 43
    No. 30Chris Buescher37
    No. 31Matt Tifft31
    No. 32Ross Chastain15
    No. 33Landon Cassill00
    No. 34Parker Kligerman96
    No. 35Garrett Smithley77
    No. 36Cody Ware51
    No. 37BJ McLeod52

    Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

  • Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 entry list

    Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 entry list

    After 40 drivers competed in the season-opening Daytona 500 last week, the entry list for this weekend is smaller.

    For Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at the 1.5-mile (2.414-kilometer) high-banked Atlanta Motor Speedway, only 37 drivers will race the scheduled 325-lap distance.

    Live coverage begins on FOX at 2 p.m. ET with the green flag scheduled for 2:30 p.m. ET.

    Here are the drivers that will be in Sunday’s race.

    1 – Landon Cassill – #00, StarCom Racing, Chevrolet
    2 – Kurt Busch – #1, Chip Ganassi Racing, Chevrolet
    3 – Brad Keselowski – #2, Team Penske, Ford
    4 – Austin Dillon – #3, Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet
    5 – Kevin Harvick – #4, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford
    6 – Ryan Newman – #6, Roush Fenway Racing, Ford
    7 – Daniel Hemric – #8, Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet
    8 – Chase Elliott – #9, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet
    9 – Aric Almirola – #10, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford
    10 – Denny Hamlin – #11, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota
    11 – Ryan Blaney – #12, Team Penske, Ford
    12 – Ty Dillon – #13, Germain Racing, Chevrolet
    13 – Clint Bowyer – #14, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford
    14 – Ross Chastain – #15, Premium Motorsports, Chevrolet
    15 – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – #17, Roush Fenway Racing, Ford
    16 – Kyle Busch – #18, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota
    17 – Martin Truex Jr. – #19, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota
    18 – Erik Jones – #20, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota
    19 – Paul Menard – #21, Wood Brothers Racing, Ford
    20 – Joey Logano – #22, Team Penske, Ford
    21 – William Byron – #24, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet
    22 – Corey Lajoie – #32, Go Fas Racing, Ford
    23 – Michael McDowell – #34, Front Row Motorsports, Ford
    24 – Matt Tifft – #36, Front Row Motorsports, Ford
    25 – Chris Buescher – #37, JTG Daugherty Racing, Chevrolet
    26 – David Ragan – #38, Front Row Motorsports, Ford
    27 – Daniel Suarez – #41, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford
    28 – Kyle Larson – #42, Chip Ganassi Racing, Chevrolet
    29 – Darrell Wallace Jr. – #43, Richard Petty Motorsports, Chevrolet
    30 – Ryan Preece – #47, JTG Daugherty Racing, Chevrolet
    31 – Jimmie Johnson – #48, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet
    32 – Alex Bowman – #88, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet
    33 – Matt DiBenedetto – #95, Leavine Family Racing, Toyota
    34 – Cody Ware – #51, Petty Ware Racing, Chevrolet
    35 – B.J. McLeod – #52 Rick Ware Racing, Chevrolet
    36 – Garrett Smithley – #77, Spire Motorsports, Chevrolet
    37 – Parker Kligerman – #96, Gaunt Brothers Racing, Toyota

  • Denny Hamlin Wins The 61st Daytona 500

    Denny Hamlin Wins The 61st Daytona 500

    In a race that featured two big wrecks, two Red Flags and a long winless streak broken, Denny Hamlin won the 61st Daytona 500 for the second time in his 15 year career and 32nd time he has found victory lane.

    “The whole family, they’ve just done so much for me throughout the course of my career. This one’s for J.D.,” Hamlin said after the race. “We’re desperately going to miss him the rest of our lives, but his legacy still lives on at Joe Gibbs Racing.”

    Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Erik Jones and Michael McDowell rounded out the top 5.

    “We had a really good Shell/Pennzoil Ford.” Logano said. “I actually felt like we had the car to beat and just couldn’t get there. It’s so hard to get to the front. Once I got to the front, I felt like we had a really fast car.”

    “We just didn’t have any outright speed to break the 18 or the 11.” -McDowell said after the race. “When the 18 shot to the outside, he had a lot of momentum, a big run. I tried to go with him, to hope the 18 and 11 would get to together to steal a win but a Top 5 is great.”

    Stage 1:

    Under beautiful and bright sunny skies, William Byron led the field to the green flag with his 88 teammate of Alex Bowman to the right of him. Byron led the first 6 laps in his 24 Axalta Chevrolet.

    Pit stops for the first time happened around Lap 19 with Kurt Busch stopping to lead us off. He almost took the fuel can with him but they got it right in the nick of time.

    However, during pit stops, the 32 of Corey Lajoie’s right front tire blew causing the first caution of the race and the season.

    The cars that didn’t come in during the green flag stops, did come which included the teams like Alex Bowman, Bubba Wallace, Jimmie Johnson, Hamlin & Ryan Preece.

    They went back to green on Lap 24 and there we not just one lane that was moving forward, but there was two lines. Unlike the XFinity race the previous night, there was two lanes of racing which made it much better racing for the fans, drivers, and everybody involved.

    Jimmie Johnson took the lead on Lap 39 however it did not take long as the dark M&M’s car of Kyle Busch retook the lead, just a couple circuits later.

    With two laps to go in Stage 1 and everybody itching for stage points, Bubba Wallace collided with Darrell Wallace Jr, sending Wallace Jr. around. Wallace collected Kurt Busch and Jamie McMurray, who is racing in his final race. All had minor damage and were able to continue.

    We went back to green with 7 to go in Stage 1 with the two Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) teammates, one two. Would Hamlin make a move to grab a stage win? You better believe he did but he made the move too soon and fell to sixth to end the stage while his JGR teammate of Kyle Busch, won the first stage of the season.

    Stage 2:

    Stage 2 got going with the defending champion and the winner of the 2nd Duel on Thursday, Joey Logano with the lead spot until lap 73 when Logano among with Ryan Blaney, Kevin Harvick and a host of Ford’s came into Pit lane and got mostly fuel only.

    Matt DiBenedetto retook over the lead and for DiBenedetto, this is already turning into a historic day. According to Racing Reference, Before today’s race, DiBenedetto led only 23 laps in his 140 starts in the Monster Energy Cup Series. Today? By the time he passed the start/finish line on Lap 87, he already surpassed that.

    There was only 19 cars on the lead lap when Matt DieBenedetto caught the pack that went to pit lane on Lap 73, on Lap 104. The lucky thing for the guys that were about to be lapped, they were saved by the 27 of Casey Mears. The driver of the second Germain car, that raced his way in, made contact with the 96 of Parker Kligermann heading into Turn 1.

    Ryan Blaney, Brad Keselowski, Ryan Preece, and Kyle Larson stayed out and took the first two rows on the restart. Kyle Busch restarted fifth after pitting.

    Blaney went back to green with the lead…and did not give it away as he took the Green and White Checkers to end the second stage.

    Byron, Erik Jones, Brad Keselowski and Ricky Stenhouse Jr did not pit.

    Stage 3:

    Byron led off the third stage and was definitely proving that the duo between him and Chad Knuas was working well. Byron, was however, was battling Knaus’ former driver as Jimmie Johnson for multiple, multiple laps.

    During Green Flag pit stops, the real drama began. Multiple drivers, including Johnson, were involved in a wreck when the 52 of Cody Ware and the 51 of BJ McLeod was trying to slow down which ran into Tyler Reddick. Reddick then, proceeded to drive into the 48. Johnson’s entire back side of his car near his fuel cell, was destroyed.

    They went back to green and after a couple of quick cautions for the 42 of Larson cutting a tire and the 2 of Keselowski incident on the front stretch, the carnage started to occur and the big one struck on with 9 laps to go.

    21 drivers were involved in the big one in which Paul Menard made contact with Matt DiBenedetto which set a series of sparks and carnage throughout the field. Among the ones involved? Blaney, Stenhouse Jr, David Regan, Truex Jr, Johnson, William Byron and David Regan.

    “I just saw a replay and I didn’t realize that all that was going on but it was very dark and I saw sparks flying around so I knew I was underneath someone. I cant thank NASCAR and Daytona International Speedway, the safety they have is unbelievable.” Regan said. “That is just speedway racing. Everyone is blocking, everyone is racing hard, not cutting an inch and that’s what happens when you’re going for the Daytona 500.”

    The sparks and excitement weren’t done though as 2 laps later, a “mini” big one occurred when Larson got involved with Stenhouse Jr which included Chase Elliott, Keselowski, Alex Bowman, Kevin Harvick and Ty Dillon.

    The chaos was not over as the Big One Part 2: happened during NASCAR Overtime when the 14 of Clint Bowyer, turned down into the 34 of Michael McDowell sending a gaggle of cars into the mayhem that is accustomed with Daytona International Speedway.

    “Hey it is the Daytona 500, I had to go for it. This just sucks man. We had such a good Rush Truck Centers, Mobile 1 Ford Mustang. We had a shot at it and I just took it.” Bowyer said

    Among the number of cars involved? Cassill, McMurray, Gaughan and Keselowski.

    NASCAR Overtime was back at it again, and this time, they got to the checkered flag. Hamlin went neck and neck with Busch, Logano and McDowell but it was just too little and too late as the Chesterfield, VA native broke his 47 winless drought at the great spectacle in racing, the Daytona 500.

    Monster Energy Cup Series Race Number 1
    Unofficial Race Results for the 61st Annual Daytona 500 – Sunday, February 17, 2019
    Daytona International Speedway – Daytona Beach, FL – 2.5 – Mile Paved
    Total Race Length – 207 Laps – 517.5 Miles

    Fin Str Car Driver Team Laps Stage1Pos Stage2Pos Pts Status
    1 10 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Express Toyota 207 6 0 45 Running
    2 31 18 Kyle Busch M&M’s Chocolate Bar Toyota 207 1 0 45 Running
    3 28 20 Erik Jones Sport Clips Toyota 207 10 0 35 Running
    4 4 22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford 207 3 10 42 Running
    5 34 34 Michael McDowell Love’s Travel Stops Ford 207 0 0 32 Running
    6 22 13 Ty Dillon GEICO Chevrolet 207 0 0 31 Running
    7 26 42 Kyle Larson Credit One Bank Chevrolet 207 8 0 33 Running
    8 21 47 Ryan Preece # Kroger.com Chevrolet 207 0 0 29 Running
    9 17 48 Jimmie Johnson Ally Chevrolet 207 0 9 30 Running
    10 36 15 Ross Chastain(i) Chevrolet 207 0 0 0 Running
    11 2 88 Alex Bowman Nationwide Chevrolet 207 2 0 35 Running
    12 35 2 Brad Keselowski Discount Tire Ford 207 0 4 32 Running
    13 5 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Fastenal Ford 207 0 5 30 Running
    14 19 6 Ryan Newman Oscar Mayer Deli Fresh Ford 207 0 0 23 Running
    15 25 96 * Parker Kligerman(i) Gaunt Brothers Racing/Toyota Toyota 205 0 0 0 Running
    16 20 3 Austin Dillon Dow Chevrolet 205 0 0 21 Running
    17 18 9 Chase Elliott NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet 200 7 0 24 Accident
    18 32 32 Corey LaJoie Old Spice Ford 200 0 0 19 Running
    19 38 51 BJ McLeod(i) Jacob Companies Chevrolet 200 0 0 0 Running
    20 6 14 Clint Bowyer Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Ford 199 0 0 17 Accident
    21 1 24 William Byron Axalta Chevrolet 198 0 2 25 Accident
    22 16 40 Jamie McMurray McDonald’s/Cessna/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet 198 0 0 15 Accident
    23 30 62 * Brendan Gaughan(i) Beard Oil Distributing/South Point Chevrolet 197 0 0 0 Accident
    24 27 0 Landon Cassill PERMATEX Chevrolet 196 0 0 13 Accident
    25 12 1 Kurt Busch Monster Energy Chevrolet 196 0 0 12 Running
    26 3 4 Kevin Harvick Busch Beer Car2Can Ford 194 9 7 17 Accident
    27 39 31 * Tyler Reddick(i) Symbicort Chevrolet 191 0 0 0 Accident
    28 9 95 Matt DiBenedetto Procore Toyota 190 0 6 14 Accident
    29 7 21 Paul Menard Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford 190 0 0 8 Accident
    30 24 38 David Ragan Select Blinds Ford 190 0 0 7 Accident
    31 14 12 Ryan Blaney Menards/Peak Ford 190 5 1 22 Accident
    32 8 10 Aric Almirola Smithfield Ford 190 0 3 13 Accident
    33 23 41 Daniel Suarez Haas Automation Ford 190 4 8 14 Accident
    34 29 8 Daniel Hemric # Bass Pro Shops/Caterpillar Chevrolet 190 0 0 3 Accident
    35 11 19 Martin Truex Jr. Bass Pro Shops Toyota 190 0 0 2 Accident
    36 33 36 Matt Tifft # Speedco Ford 190 0 0 1 Accident
    37 15 37 Chris Buescher Kleenex Wet Wipes Chevrolet 190 0 0 1 Accident
    38 13 43 Bubba Wallace Aftershokz Chevrolet 169 0 0 1 Accident
    39 37 52 Cody Ware # Winn Dixie Chevrolet 155 0 0 1 Accident
    40 40 27 * Casey Mears Chevrolet 104 0 0 1 Accident
  • Michael Annett wins Xfinity Series opener at Daytona for his first victory

    Michael Annett wins Xfinity Series opener at Daytona for his first victory

    DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – 230 starts.

    That is how many starts it took Michael Annett to finally find victory lane.

    Annett kicked off the new season by earning his first career victory at Saturday’s NASCAR Racing Experience 300 at the sport’s most historic track, Daytona International Speedway.

    Annett held off his JR Motorsports teammate Justin Allgaier on the final lap to get the checkered flag.

    “This is amazing. My first words were ‘Eight years’ – it’s been eight years in this series,” Annett said in Victory Lane. “I can’t do it without these guys. They stuck with me when everybody would count us out. Some people wonder why I get to drive this car, and I think we showed it today.

    “Our slogan this year is ‘One team, one dream, one goal’ and this was one of them. So, we’re starting off good.

    “I was waiting for a second line to get formed. I know they tried, but it just wasn’t there,” he said. “When it hadn’t formed with about three (laps) to go, I knew they weren’t going to have enough steam to get us.

    “I was just worried about my teammate. I knew he was going to push hard and I knew he was going to go for it. I just had to keep him in my mirror and keep the gap right.”

    Brandon Jones came home third, Ryan Sieg was fourth, and Austin Cindric rounded out the top-five.

    Completing the Top 10 were Christopher Bell (his best finish in a season opener out of his four full-time NASCAR seasons thus far), Jeff Green, John Hunter Nemechek, defending series champion Tyler Reddick, and Chase Elliott.

    On Lap 71 of the scheduled 120-lap distance, NASCAR threw a caution after one of the roof flaps from Brad Keselowski’s No. 12 Ford flew off his car and landed in the infield grass. Keselowski took his car to the garage and was done for the day.

    “I felt like I was back in the ’50s running a convertible here on the beach. That was interesting,” Keselowski said. “The roof, escape hatch, whatever it is called, looks like there was a defect from the factory on the body and just nothing we could do.

    “The guys tried to fix it, but it is in a spot where you can’t get to it and work on it. It is made the way it is made. We are stuck.”

    Michael Annett assumed the race lead on Lap 76 when the race got back underway. However, it did not stay green for very long. Just four laps later, Ray Black Jr. lost control on the backstretch and spun into the grass to bring out the yellow.

    With 30 laps left in the race, Annett remained at the point followed by Allgaier, Jones, Sieg, and Cindric right behind him.

    Michael Annett, who missed the playoffs a year ago, stretched the Speedweeks streak of first-time winners to three with a victory. Austin Hill won on Friday to pick up his first career Truck victory, while Harrison Burton scored a win in the ARCA Series season opener in his first career race at Daytona.

    JR Motorsports has won this race four out of the last five years.

    Xfinity Series Race
    Unofficial Race Results for the 38th Annual NASCAR Racing Experience 300 at Daytona – Saturday, February 16, 2019
    Daytona International Speedway – Daytona Beach, FL – 2.5 – Mile Paved
    Total Race Length – 120 Laps – 300. Miles

    Fin Str Vehicle Driver Team Laps Stage1Pos Stage2Pos Pts Status
    1 3 1 Michael Annett Pilot Flying J/American Heart Assoc Chevrolet 120 0 9 42 Running
    2 15 7 Justin Allgaier BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet 120 0 7 39 Running
    3 16 19 Brandon Jones Juniper Toyota 120 5 2 49 Running
    4 8 39 Ryan Sieg Larry’s Hard Lemonade Chevrolet 120 7 0 37 Running
    5 13 22 Austin Cindric MoneyLion Ford 120 10 3 41 Running
    6 11 20 Christopher Bell Rheem Toyota 120 8 6 39 Running
    7 21 93 Jeff Green Nightowl Contractors Inc Chevrolet 120 0 0 30 Running
    8 14 23 John Hunter Nemechek # Fire Alarm Services INC Chevrolet 120 3 0 37 Running
    9 1 2 Tyler Reddick Pinnacle Financial Partners Chevrolet 120 9 8 33 Running
    10 7 8 Chase Elliott(i) Aftershokz Chevrolet 120 0 4 0 Running
    11 18 9 Noah Gragson # Switch Chevrolet 120 6 0 31 Running
    12 10 98 Chase Briscoe # Nutri Chomps/Chewy.com Ford 120 0 0 25 Running
    13 6 10 Ross Chastain Nutrien Ag Solutions Chevrolet 120 2 1 43 Running
    14 38 0 Cole Custer Jacob Companies Ford 120 0 0 23 Running
    15 2 18 Jeffrey Earnhardt iK9 Toyota 120 4 5 35 Running
    16 30 35 Joey Gase Medic Air Systems Inc/AGRI Supply Toyota 120 0 0 21 Running
    17 4 11 Justin Haley # LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet 120 1 10 31 Running
    18 28 86 Brandon Brown # Brandonbilt Motorsports Chevrolet 120 0 0 19 Running
    19 22 66 Timmy Hill VSI Racing/Overkill Motorsports Toyota 120 0 0 18 Running
    20 32 52 David Starr Whataburger Chevrolet 120 0 0 17 Running
    21 17 4 Scott Lagasse Jr Rimrock Devlin Chevrolet 120 0 0 16 Running
    22 24 36 Josh Williams JoeFroyo/All Sports Coffee Chevrolet 120 0 0 15 Running
    23 20 38 Josh Bilicki DR Squatch Soap Chevrolet 120 0 0 14 Running
    24 26 0 Garrett Smithley Flex Tape Chevrolet 120 0 0 13 Running
    25 29 78 Vinnie Miller JAS Expedited Trucking LLC/Koolbox Toyota 120 0 0 12 Running
    26 31 5 Matt Mills J.F. Electric Toyota 120 0 0 11 Running
    27 35 15 BJ McLeod BTX Global Logistics/Run the Race Chevrolet 120 0 0 10 Running
    28 34 13 Max Tullman Zoomi Toyota 120 0 0 9 Running
    29 12 90 Caesar Bacarella Alpha Prine/MAXIM Chevrolet 119 0 0 8 Running
    30 33 7 Ray Black II ISOKERN Fireplaces & Chimneys Chevrolet 119 0 0 7 Running
    31 19 17 Chris Cockrum ADVANCED COMMS GROUP Chevrolet 118 0 0 6 Running
    32 37 42 John Jackson James Carter Attorney at Law Toyota 118 0 0 5 Running
    33 27 99 DJ Kennington LORDCO Auto Parts Toyota 113 0 0 4 Running
    34 5 8 Gray Gaulding GGPURE.com Chevrolet 110 0 0 3 Running
    35 36 74 Mike Harmon AIR One Heating and Cooling Chevrolet 108 0 0 2 Running
    36 25 51 Jeremy Clements RepairableVehicles.com Chevrolet 90 0 0 1 Engine
    37 9 12 Brad Keselowski(i) Fitzgerald USA Ford 71 0 0 0 Roof Hatch
    38 23 1 Stephen Leicht OPAV Experience It Chevrolet 24 0 0 1 Overheating

    NASCAR Xfinity Series Unofficial Driver Points
    After the Daytona International Speedway
    38th Annual NASCAR Racing Experience
    300 at Daytona

    RankDriverVehiclePoints
    1Brandon Jones1949
    2Ross Chastain1043
    3Michael Annett142
    4Austin Cindric2241
    5Justin Allgaier739
    6Christopher Bell2039
    7Ryan Sieg3937
    8John Hunter Nemechek #2337
    9Jeffrey Earnhardt1835
    10Tyler Reddick233
    11Noah Gragson #931
    12Justin Haley #1131
    13Jeff Green9330
    14Chase Briscoe #9825
    15Cole Custer023
    16Joey Gase3521
    17Brandon Brown #8619
    18Timmy Hill6618
    19David Starr5217
    20Scott Lagasse Jr416
    21Josh Williams3615
    22Josh Bilicki3814
    23Garrett Smithley013
    24Vinnie Miller7812
    25Matt Mills511
    26BJ McLeod1510
    27Max Tullman139
    28Caesar Bacarella908
    29Ray Black II77
    30Chris Cockrum176
    31John Jackson425
    32DJ Kennington994
    33Gray Gaulding83
    34Mike Harmon742
    35Jeremy Clements511
    36Stephen Leicht11
    37Chase Elliott(i)80
    38Brad Keselowski(i)120
  • Austin Hill Survives wild Daytona race/gets first career Truck Series win

    Austin Hill Survives wild Daytona race/gets first career Truck Series win

    The action never disappoints at Daytona International Speedway and never disappoints for the Truck Series either. After a record high 11 caution flags, two overtimes, the longest Truck Series race ever at Daytona and several big ones, Austin Hill comes out on top with his first career win in the series after 52 starts.

    “We got a little separation from us (Matt Crafton and Grant Enfinger) and my spotter Mike Herman Jr. did an awesome job, just telling me when and where the run was coming, what lines to chose,” Hill told MRN Radio. “The 98 (Enfinger) got to me in the center of 3 and 4, and kind of jacked me up pretty good. I didn’t think I was going to be able to hold on to that, but man, we were saving fuel there at the end, so coming off of (Turn) 4, I was pretty scared. I didn’t think we were going to make it to the finish. “

    Christian Eckes and David Gilliland sat on the front row as the race began with the stages set for 20/20/60 laps.

    The first few laps of Stage 1 set the mood for the night and it all started when Gilliland had a flat left front tire. After that, teammate Natalie Decker received damage as well from debris and cut a left front. She suffered more damage than Gilliland and the truck actually caught on fire. Decker was pulled out of the truck and was alert.

    ARCA race winner, Harrison Burton fell a lap down during the stage. Sheldon Creed, with his new GMS Racing team, took the win in Stage 1.

    Stage 2 began on Lap 26 and was a bit more tame but with a wild finish.

    At Lap 27, a three-truck incident took place in Turn 3, which involved Chris Fontaine, Ray Ciccarelli, and Tyler Dippel. Eckes also received some damage as well.

    With six to go in Stage 2, Brett Moffitt and Creed were black flagged for tandem drafting which is not allowed.

    Coming to the checkered, Todd Gilliland took the lead in Turn 3 and 4, but Johnny Sauter made a move on the outside and Gilliland got shuffled back, while Sauter and Stewart Friesen battled side-by-side at the finish line. But it was Sauter who came out on top with the Stage 2 victory.

    During the caution, Hill had to go to the rear as he was caught speeding. The 24 of Moffitt was also busted for a crew member being over the wall too soon.

    With 54 to go, the field went back to green for the final stage of the race and quite possibly, the wildest stage in Truck Series history.

    The first incident came with 46 to go when Jordan Anderson got turned from the back and set off a multi-vehicle accident. Sauter, Gus Dean, Myatt Snider, Grant Enfinger, Moffitt, Eckes, Austin Wayne Self, Creed, Brennan Poole, Friesen, and Todd Gilliland were all involved.

    Burton and David Gilliland were hit with a one lap penalty for passing the pace truck while coming down for stops.

    One lap after the restart, Christian Eckes machine caught on fire and brought out another caution.

    After the restart with 31 to go, Sauter’s race was over as he came down to the garage area for a motormount problem.

    Rookie Cory Roper went spinning off of Turn 4 and hit the inside wall. Roper’s night was done. Another issue came about when Todd Gilliland came in to the pits under caution as he thought he had rear end issues.

    Five laps after the restart with 17 to go, a wreck on the backstretch occurred when Burton got clipped to the outside and came back down collecting Todd Gilliland and Gus Dean.

    For Angela Ruch, a possible upset of the night, things got a little tougher for the Joe Nemecheck driver, as she had engine issues.

    On the restart with seven to go, another caution came out as Timothy Peters and Clay Greenfield made contact with each other.

    With this incident, it set up a three lap finish to the checkered. Well, sort of. Another big wreck broke out as Dean moved up in front of Creed and collected many others. The 52, 2, 99, 12, 88, 87, 16, 17, 45, and 68 were all involved. This would set up NASCAR overtime, meaning once the leader takes the white flag, the next one ends it.

    You know the term, cautions breed cautions and that came into effect tonight, as Bobby Gerheart, Self, and Friesen wrecked.

    Another overtime was set up, but this time they were able to finish the race. Hill threw a big block on Enfinger on the final lap and it was all Hill needed, as he went on to score his first ever Truck Series career win.

    “I had a big run on the 99 (Ben Rhodes), went to get under him and he came to block, when he did we touched and we both got it back together, but we lost our momentum, the outside lane got a big run and I turned while it clipped the 99,” Hill told MRN Radio in victory lane.

    “Luckily, I don’t know how, but we made it through. That was really the key moment for us. Getting that lead and just being able to protect it. That whole last lap, my heart was pounding and I thought they were going to get to my outside, and it was going to be a drag race. The fuel situation was really big. I was just glad to make it to the start finish line.”

    There was a record high of 11 caution flags for 55 laps and 15 lead changes.

    Austin Hill became the sixth driver to get his first win at Daytona.

  • Ross Chastain and Spencer Boyd earn top-five finish

    Ross Chastain and Spencer Boyd earn top-five finish

    With a little bit of luck and maybe if Austin Hill had run out of gas, Ross Chastain would have been an upset tonight for the small funded Niece Motorsports team at Daytona International Speedway.

    However, Chastain had to settle for a third-place finish in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series NextEra Energy 250 .

    “We didn’t qualify where we wanted too,” Chastain said to MRN Radio. “Just played it safe and we did all right, I did get in that one wreck there in (Turn) 3. That was my fault for spinning out. The truck held up and had plenty of speed at the end, and tried to push Grant (Enfinger), just wanted to give him a shot.”

    “I didn’t feel like I had a shot from third, so just tried to bump draft him up there and the move didn’t quite work out.”

    Another driver that could have been an upset in the race tonight was Spencer Boyd making his first Truck Series start at Daytona.

    “This is something you dream of forever,” Boyd told MRN Radio. “You just always ask for that shot. Put me in a good truck, give me the opportunity to be up front. There was a big wreck there at the end, we knocked the nose in and it was unfortunate and once I got out to second, it was like a parachute. It was going to be tough. I needed to be tucked up behind someone.”

    “I was behind Matt Crafton all night and took a lot of notes. Just to come away with a top five, first race of the year, being new to the trucks, being new to Young’s Motorsports is just a dream come true for me.”

  • Matt Crafton survives Daytona melee/still winless

    Matt Crafton survives Daytona melee/still winless

    After all the carnage tonight at Daytona International Speedway, even after getting caught up late in an accident, Matt Crafton found himself with a shot to snap his long winless streak in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series.

    Unfortunately, he will have to wait until Atlanta next Saturday afternoon as he finished fifth after starting 15th.

    “Just didn’t have anybody there at the end,” Crafton told MRN Radio. Grant (Enfinger) gave me this huge push, where I wished we would have stayed together, but he did everything he had to do to get me up there to have a shot.”

    “The restart before that, I was the best one where I fell in behind the 16 (Austin Hill) and this was the spot we needed to be. All in all, we finished top five. Usually, I’m upside down or crashed real early at these places. As aggravating as it is, we got here and got a bunch of points. It is my favorite racetrack now.”

    This was Crafton’s 110th top five finish of his career and his second at Daytona. His last Truck Series victory was at Eldora Speedway on July 19, 2017.