Category: RC XFINITY

Race Central NASCAR XFINITY Series news and information

Berry captures his first NASCAR Xfinity Series win at Martinsville

Josh Berry held off his JR Motorsports (JRM) teammate in Sundays’ rain-delayed NASCAR Xfinity Series(NXS) Cook Out 250 race at Martinsville Speedway. Berry, who is running a partial schedule for JRM, led four times for 95 laps in his No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet en route to his first NXS career win and a grandfather clock trophy.

“Oh, gosh, I have so many people I could thank I could be here until tomorrow morning,” Berry said after the race. “Just Dale, L.W. (Miller), Kelley, everybody for believing in me, everyone on this No. 8 team.

“Man, they’ve been through a lot the last couple of years. Had a ton of different drivers. Man, I wanted to win so bad for these guys. They’re such a great group. I knew this would be a good opportunity to win. (Crew chief) Taylor (Moyer) called a perfect race. The car was good, and we just kept tweaking on it. The tires were pretty worn out there at the end. I was struggling a little bit with wheel-hop.

“This is just unbelievable.”

The race was stopped on Lap 91 of 250 laps on Friday night. The remainder of the race was postponed until Sunday at noon ET due to persistent rain.

JRM teammate Noah Gragson won stage one and finished second. With the runner-up finish, Gragson captured a $100,000 payday for being the top finisher among the four eligible drivers for the Dash 4 Cash bonus.

“One hundred thousand dollars richer,” Gragson said. “I’m pumped up. Great 1-2 finish for our team at JR Motorsports.”

Other dash participants Harrison Burton finished seventh as Justin Allgaier finished ninth and AJ Allmendinger finished 13th. Berry and Gragson will advance to the next round at Talladega Superspeedway on April 24 along with Daniel Hemric and Brandon Jones.

Hemric won stage two and finished third, Ty Gibbs placed fourth and Jones rounded out the top five.

“This Poppy Bank Toyota Supra was so fast and it was cool to get that second stage win. Dave Rogers (crew chief) and the guys are bringing incredible cars to the race track,” said Hemric.

Burton started on the pole and led 53 laps before the race was halted.

“I thought we were going to win the race, and it just got away from everybody.” said Burton. “Tough day. You have high expectations any time you go back somewhere you’ve won in the past.”

The NASCAR Xfinity Series heads to Talladega Superspeedway on April 24 at 4 p.m. ET with coverage by FOX, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

NASCAR Xfinity Series Race Number 7
Race Results for the Cook Out 250 – Friday, April 9, 2021
Martinsville Speedway – Martinsville, VA – 0.526 – Mile Paved
Total Race Length – 250 Laps – 131.5 Miles

Fin	Str	No	Driver	Team	Laps	S1Pos	S2Pos	S3Pos	Pts	Status
1	29	8	Josh Berry #	Chevrolet Accessories Chevrolet	250	0	10	0	41	Running
2	8	9	Noah Gragson	Bass Pro Shops/True Timber/BRCC Chevrolet	250	1	2	0	54	Running
3	4	18	Daniel Hemric	Poppy Bank Toyota	250	0	1	0	44	Running
4	16	54	Ty Gibbs #	AutoByNelson.com Toyota	250	4	0	0	40	Running
5	24	19	Brandon Jones	Toyota Toyota	250	0	0	0	32	Running
6	6	22	Austin Cindric	Menards/Richmond Ford	250	2	0	0	40	Running
7	1	20	Harrison Burton	DEX Imaging Toyota	250	0	0	0	30	Running
8	5	11	Justin Haley	LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet	250	3	0	0	37	Running
9	2	7	Justin Allgaier	Walmart Fight Hunger Chevrolet	250	0	0	0	28	Running
10	10	1	Michael Annett	Pilot Flying J Chevrolet	250	0	4	0	34	Running
11	13	10	Jeb Burton	PurYear Tank Lines Chevrolet	250	0	3	0	34	Running
12	27	2	Brett Moffitt(i)	Destiny Homes Chevrolet	250	0	0	0	0	Running
13	3	16	AJ Allmendinger	Ellsworth Advisors/Hyperice Chevrolet	250	0	0	0	24	Running
14	11	51	Jeremy Clements	First Pacific Funding Chevrolet	250	7	5	0	33	Running
15	9	2	Myatt Snider	TaxSlayer Chevrolet	250	6	0	0	27	Running
16	15	92	Josh Williams	DGM Racing Chevrolet	250	0	0	0	21	Running
17	25	26	Brandon Gdovic	SnapMobile.Shop Toyota	250	0	0	0	20	Running
18	37	90	George Gorham Jr.	Blackburns BBQ/Franciscos Chevrolet	250	0	9	0	21	Running
19	30	48	Jade Buford	Big Machine Spike Coolers Chevrolet	250	0	0	0	18	Running
20	38	99	Stefan Parsons	SOKAL Digital Toyota	249	0	7	0	21	Running
21	39	52	Gray Gaulding	Panini America Chevrolet	249	0	0	0	16	Running
22	34	61	David Starr	MBM Motorsports Toyota	249	0	0	0	15	Running
23	12	39	Ryan Sieg	CMR Construction & Roofing Ford	249	0	0	0	14	Running
24	33	17	JJ Yeley	Alcova/DBAutomotive.com Chevrolet	249	8	8	0	19	Running
25	31	47	Kyle Weatherman	LOF Defence Systems LTD Chevrolet	249	0	0	0	12	Running
26	26	74	Bayley Currey	JM Steel Chevrolet	249	10	0	0	12	Running
27	19	68	Brandon Brown	Original Larry’s Hard Lemonade Chevrolet	248	5	0	0	16	Running
28	40	13	Matt Jaskol	Auto Parts 4 Less Toyota	248	0	0	0	9	Running
29	7	98	Riley Herbst	Monster Energy Ford	248	0	0	0	8	Running
30	20	66	Timmy Hill	LiftKits4Less Toyota	248	0	0	0	7	Running
31	22	36	Alex Labbe	Larue Industrial Snowblowers Chevrolet	248	0	0	0	6	Running
32	21	78	Jesse Little	Tufco Flooring Chevrolet	245	0	0	0	5	Running
33	36	5	Matt Mills	J.F. Electric Chevrolet	241	0	0	0	4	Running
34	17	44	Tommy Joe Martins	Diamond Gusset Jeans Chevrolet	231	0	6	0	8	Running
35	32	23	Blaine Perkins	Raceline Chevrolet	226	0	0	0	2	Running
36	18	0	Jeffrey Earnhardt	KSDT CPA Chevrolet	213	9	0	0	3	Suspension
37	14	4	Landon Cassill	511 Auction Chevrolet	197	0	0	0	1	Engine
38	28	7	Joe Graf Jr.	Responsible Gold Chevrolet	179	0	0	0	1	Accident
39	23	15	Colby Howard	Project Hope Foundation Chevrolet	153	0	0	0	1	Suspension
40	35	6	Ryan Vargas #	SEM Products Chevrolet	97	0	0	0	1	Accident

April 11, 2021

Xfinity Series race at Martinsville postponed to Sunday finish

By Staff Report – NASCAR.com

Nagging rain has forced NASCAR officials to postpone Friday night’s NASCAR Xfinity Series Cook Out 250 to a Sunday finish at Martinsville Speedway.

The race will resume Sunday at noon ET with coverage on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Brandon Jones is scored as the leader with 91 of a scheduled 250 laps complete.

RELATED: Race leaderboard | Martinsville schedule

Noah Gragson won Stage 1 of the race, and the second stage was near its halfway mark when a rain shower halted the event at 9:32 p.m. ET. Track-drying efforts continued until storms intensified late in Friday evening. The start of the race was also delayed roughly a half-hour due to an early evening shower at the track.

The race at the 0.526-mile track marks the seventh Xfinity race of the season and the first in the 2021 Dash 4 Cash program. Justin Allgaier, AJ Allmendinger, Harrison Burton and Gragson are the four drivers competing in the race within a race. The highest finishing driver among those four takes the $100,000 prize. The winning driver also advances on to compete for the prize with the three highest finishing drivers running for Xfinity points in the next event at Talladega Superspeedway on April 24.

Burton, who won last fall in the first Xfinity race here since 2006, started on the pole with Allgaier lined up along side of him. Burton led the first 53 laps at Martinsville. Allmendinger had an issue early in the race and had to pit under green, leaving him a lap down.

April 10, 2021
Weekend schedule for Martinsville – updated

This year in the Cup Series we’ve seen seven races and seven different drivers in Victory Lane. Will the streak continue as NASCAR travels to Martinsville Speedway?

Denny Hamlin leads all active drivers with five wins at “The Paperclip” and is the top contender to score his first victory this season. Brad Keselowski, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, and Martin Truex Jr. have two wins each while Chase Elliott, Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick and Ryan Newman have one win at Martinsville.

The racing action begins Thursday at 8 p.m. when the Whelen Modifieds hit the track. Notables on the entry list include JTG-Daugherty Cup Series driver Ryan Preece, Roush Fenway Racing’s Ryan Newman and 2000 Cup Series champion Bobby Labonte.

Friday evening features the Xfinity Series Cook Out 250 and the Cup Series closes out the weekend Saturday with its first night race of the season. It will also be only the second night race hosted by the track in Cup Series history.

The Camping World Truck Series does not compete this weekend but will return next week at Richmond Raceway.

All times are Eastern.

Thursday, April 8

2:30 – 4 p.m.: NWMT Practice
6 p.m.: NWMT Qualifying (Impound) Two laps, All positions
7:45 p.m.: NWMT Driver Intros (with drivers standing by their cars)
8 p.m.: Whelen Modified Virginia Is for Racing Lovers 200 (200 Laps, 106.6 Miles) MRN/TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold (Live)

Friday, April 9

7:40 p.m.: Xfinity Driver Intros (with drivers standing by their cars)
8 p.m.: Xfinity Cook Out 250 (Stages 60/120/250 Laps = 131.5 Miles) FS1/MRN/TSN/ SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Pole: Harrison Burton
Postponed – The Xfinity race is scheduled to resume on Lap 92 of 250 at noon ET Sunday on FS1.

Saturday, April 10

7:25 p.m.: Cup Series Driver Intros (with drivers standing by their cars)
7:30 p.m.: Cup Series Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 (Stages 130/260/500 Laps = 263 Miles) Start time delayed due to rain
FS1/MRN/TSN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Pole: Joey Logano
Postponed – The Cup Series race will resume Sunday at 4 p.m. ET on FS1.

Notes:

2021 Cup Series winners:
Michael McDowell – Daytona 500
Christopher Bell – Daytona Road Course
William Byron – Homestead-Miami
Kyle Larson – Las Vegas
Martin Truex Jr. – Phoenix
Ryan Blaney – Atlanta
Joey Logano – Bristol Dirt

Martinsville Speedway Data

Season Race #: 7 of 36 (04-10-21)
Track Size: 0.526-mile
Banking/Turn 1 & 2: 12 degrees
Banking/Turn 3 & 4: 12 degrees
Banking/Frontstretch: 0 degrees
Banking/Backstretch: 0 degrees
Frontstretch Length: 800 feet
Backstretch Length: 800 feet
Race Length: 500 laps / 263 miles
Stage 1 & 2 Length: 130 laps (each)
Final Stage Length: 240 laps

Martinsville Speedway Qualifying Information:

2020 pole winner: None – Starting Lineup was decided by a random draw: Ryan Blaney started on the pole.
Track qualifying record: Joey Logano, Ford (100.201 mph, 18.898 secs. on 03-28-14)

Kurt Busch leads the NASCAR Cup Series(NCS) in starts among active drivers with 41 starts, followed by Kevin Harvick with 39, and Ryan Newman with 38. NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty leads the NCS with 67.

Joey Logano leads all active drivers in the NCS in average starting position with a 7.917 in 24 starts at Martinsville. Logano leads the series among active drivers with the most poles with five (2015 sweep, spring 2016, fall 2017 and spring 2019).

Martinsville Speedway Race Information:

2020 race winner: Martin Truex Jr., Toyota (77.378 mph, (03:23:56), on 06-10-20)
Track race record: Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet (82.223 mph, (3:11:55), on 09-22-96)

Denny Hamlin leads the NCS among active drivers in wins at Martinsville Speedway with five (2008, 2009, 2010 sweep, 2015). Martin Truex Jr. was the most recent driver to win consecutive NCS races (Oct. 2019; June 2020).

Hendrick Motorsports leads the NCS in wins with 25 wins. Jeff Gordon (nine), Jimmie Johnson (nine), Darrell Waltrip (four), Geoffrey Bodine (one), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (one), and Chase Elliott (one).

Hamlin leads the NCS among active drivers in average finishing position of 9.933 in 30 starts, followed by Brad Keselowski at 10.182 in 22 starts. Hamlin also leads all active drivers in the series in laps led with 1,608 (11%).

A total of 11 manufacturers have won in the NCS at Martinsville Speedway. Led by Chevrolet (57), Ford (30), Plymouth (12), Dodge (10), Toyota (9), Pontiac (8), Oldsmobile (8), Buick (3), Chrysler (3), Hudson (2), and Mercury (2).

Top 12 Driver Ratings at Martinsville

Denny Hamlin – 105.0
Kyle Busch – 102.7
Brad Keselowski – 99.8
Ryan Blaney – 98.5
Joey Logano – 97.3
Chase Elliott – 95.3
Kevin Harvick – 93.8
Martin Truex Jr – 84.4
Ryan Newman – 83.8
Kurt Busch – 82.0
William Byron – 74.9
Kyle Larson – 73.6

Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2020 races (32 total) among active drivers at Martinsville Speedway.

April 8, 2021
Allgaier prevails to win Xfinity Series race at Atlanta

Justin Allgaier had the dominant car when it mattered most, holding off Martin Truex Jr. to capture the EchoPark 250 Xfinity Series race win at Atlanta Motor Speedway Saturday evening.

Truex won the first two stages and led 103 laps but a pit road speeding penalty resulted in Truex having to restart at the back of the field on Lap 118 and ultimately cost him the victory.

Allgaier took advantage of the mistake and though Truex was able to work his way back to the front, he came up short and had to settle for a runner-up finish.

It was his first win this season, his first victory at Atlanta and his 15th career win.

“We have had a rough go at it,” Allgaier said. “Today was more about digging deep and persevering. I knew Martin was going to be coming at the end of the race there.

“It’s really special. I’m just proud of the guys. We had great pit stops all day and made great adjustments all day. At the end, we put ourselves in the right spot.”

“We didn’t start out the day like we wanted to—these guys persevered behind it,” Allgaier continued. “They pushed and made great adjustments on pit road—(crew chief) Jason Burdett and all the guys on the team did a great job. My wife and daughter are here. They may not be able to come out here (to Victory Lane), but I get to go celebrate with them. Just proud of the effort that we put in today.

“Martin had a great race car. They definitely had the car to beat at the beginning. We made good adjustments, and that’s what it came down to at the end.”

It was Truex’s first Xfinity Series race since 2010.

“We got back up there, but obviously, we were kind of out of tires at that point, champion who was racing in the series for the first time since 2010. “Got close, and then the last 10 (laps), the right rear was completely smoked off. Just had to use too much to get there.

“Thanks to (sponsor) Stanley and everyone else at JGR for letting me go do this. It was fun until I screwed it up. Just came up a little short at the end there.”

Harrison Burton, Noah Gragson and AJ Allmendinger rounded out the top-five. Riley Herbst, Michael Annett, Justin Haley, Daniel Memric and Ryan Seig finished sixth-10th, respectively..

After the race, Gragson and Daniel Hemric, who finished ninth, were involved in an altercation. The incident stemmed from an incident on pit road when Gragson backed into Hemric’s car.

Hemric confronted Gragson after the race and punches were thrown before they were quickly separated by NASCAR officials. Gragson was later called to the NASCAR hauler. If NASCAR decides to penalize Gragson for his actions, it will likely be announced next week.

Austin Cindric leads the points standings with 277 points followed by Hemric (-46), Burton (-65), Allmendinger (-83) and Justin Haley (-84).

The Xfinity Series will have the next two weeks off, returning to competition on Friday, April 9 at Martinsville Speedway.

Official Results:

1. Justin Allgaier
2. Martin Truex Jr.
3. Harrison Burton
4. Noah Gragson
5. AJ Allmendinger
6. Riley Herbst
7. Michael Annett
8. Justin Haley
9. Daniel Hemric
10. Ryan Sieg
11. Myatt Snider
12. Jeremy Clements
13. Austin Cindric
14. Landon Cassill
15. Santino Ferrucci
16. Josh Williams
17. Alex Labbe
18. Tommy Joe Martins
19. Jeffrey Earnhardt
20. Timmy Hill
21. Colby Howard
22. Jesse Little
23. Cody Ware
24. Bayley Currey
25. Jeb Burton
26. Jade Buford
27. David Starr
28. Kyle Weatherman
29. Joe Graf Jr
30. Blaine Perkins
31. Ryan Vargas
32. Mason Massey
33. Brandon Brown
34. Matt Mills
35. Dexter Bean
36. Gray Gaulding
37. Brandon Jones
38. Josh Berry
39. Chad Finchum
40. Brett Moffitt

March 20, 2021
Cindric nabs his second win of the season at Phoenix Raceway

One driver was better than the rest Saturday during the NASCAR Xfinity Series Before You Dig 200 presented by Arizona 811 and that was Austin Cindric in his No. 22 Team Penske Ford.

He spent most of the race up in the front and led the most important lap, the last one. It was a battle for the lead and it bit some drivers, but it was Cindric bringing home the trophy.

Cindric stated, “I think it was a role reversal from the last time we were here. He (Justin Allgaier ) obviously got a good restart and stuck on top of three there fighting for track position. I came away with a win here with Carshop Ford Mustang.” He added, “It’s awesome to have them on board for this season, keep pink and white colors in Victory Lane.”

Coming in second with another great run was Ty Gibbs in his No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Ford. Having a great finish in third was Brandon Brown in his No. 68 Brandonbilt Motorsports Chevrolet.

Stage 1:

Stage 1 was rather uneventful with no actual cautions. However, on the last lap, Josh Berry had issues and Jesse Little smacked into the wall, but the stage was already over. Cindric would win this stage.

Stage 2:

Stage 2 had a couple of incidents that pretty much involved only one car such as Dexter Bean hitting the wall and Noah Gragson, who had a fire underneath his car. Daneil Hemric won the stage.

Stage 3:

Stage 3 is where chaos would hit but again in mostly one car incidents. Harrison Burton spun and then Brett Moffitt spun. Brandon Jones hit the wall and Alex Labbe also spun. One thing never changed though and that was the leader. The last lap had cars bouncing off the wall and each other, but Cindric made it through with no issues after battling with Ty Gibbs who finished second.

Brandon Brown, Riley Herbst and AJ Allmendinger rounded out the top five. Jeb Burton, Bayley Currey, Justin Allgaier, Brett Moffitt and Jeremy Clements finished sixth through 10, respectively.

In the NASCAR Series standings, Cindric leads with 248 points, Hemric is second with 201 points, in third is Jeb Burton with 172 points, in fourth is Allmendinger with 162 points, and rounding out the top five is Harrison Burton with 162 points.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series head next to Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sat., March 20.

March 13, 2021
Allmendinger nabs a win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

The NASCAR Xfinity Series held their event today at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the Alsco Uniforms 300. Throughout the race, it seemed as if there were several cars that were capable of dominating and winning the race however only one driver got it done. AJ Allmendinger, driving his No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet, took advantage of a late-stage caution to get the lead and stay there taking the checkered flag.

Allmendinger stated after the race, “First off, it’s great to have you all back in the grandstands, that’s the most important thing. Without you and all of you at home we can’t do this, thank you so much for showing up and packing this place.” He continued, “I’m just emotional, this could be the last win, I don’t know. I hope not, I think we can do a lot more.”

Daniel Hemric brought his Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 home in second place, also having a great race.

Hemric said, “First off, I’m so proud of the rebound of my pit crew this week.” Adding, “You hate to give one away like that but you know we wanted to have more speed to lead laps and win stages and we did that today. I lined up the shot there I just got beat. Congratulations to A.J.”

Brandon Jones didn’t have the win but came in at a respectable third in his Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19 Toyota.

Stage 1

Stage 1 would only have one caution for the spinning car of Stefan Parsons. Hemric and Austin Cindric had really strong cars. Cindric led a good majority of the stage but, had to make a last-lap pass to win it which he did.

Stage 2

Stage 2 was rather chaotic at times having three cautions. Cindric cut a tire but was saved from losing a lap when the caution came out for Riley Herbst and Ty Dillon when they got together. Hemric dominated this stage and went on to win it with ease.

Stage 3

The Final Stage saw several great battles on the track, Hemric, Allmendinger, B.Jones, and Cindric were swapping the lead but it would be Allmendinger bringing home the prize. He took the lead with 62 laps to go and pretty much never looked back.

Hemric, B. Jones, Cindric and Noah Gragson would round out the top five. Michael Annett, Josh Berry, Justin Haley, Harrison Burton, and Jeb Burton finished sixth through 10, respectively.

Cindric leads in the Xfinity Series points standings with 191 points, second is Hemric with 170 points, third is Brandon Jones with 140 points, fourth is Ross Chastain with 133 points, and rounding out the top five is Justin Haley with 128 points.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series heads next to Phoenix Raceway on March 13.

March 6, 2021
Myatt Snider claims his first Xfinity Series win at Homestead
Myatt Snider in his No.2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet brought his car to the Checkered Flag in first place, winning it the hard way, in double overtime, in his 39th start. For two consecutive weeks, the NASCAR Xfinity Series has had first-time winners.

Snider said, “I guess I learned my lesson on the first restart because I spun the wheels.” adding, “I saw Tyler (Reddick) spin his wheels on the next one so I kind of figured I might have a chance.” He stated, ”Shout out to all those RCR guys and these people supporting me all these years. It’s been a journey but we’re here to win and I can’t complain.”

Tyler Reddick brought his Richard Childress Racing No. 23 Chevrolet home in second but was disqualified after failing the rear height requirement in post-race inspection, relegating him to a 40th place finish.

Brandon Jones was originally credited with a third-place result in his No.19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota but moved up to earn a runner-up finish with Reddick’s disqualification.

Jones stated, “I think compared to last year this is already a better start to our year. I know we’ve had our ups and downs, but our performance is really close. All in all a pretty solid day, third (his original finish) is good and we’ll take the points and push for a win here.”

Stage 1:

Stage 1 was relatively uneventful with only one caution.

A.J. Allmendinger was up front for most of the stage and when it came down to it, he got a late-stage lead and went on to win Stage 1 of the race.

Stage 2:

Stage 2 only had one caution as well, for fluid on the track. Things didn’t go as smoothly as they had for Allmendinger in this stage but Josh Berry had a really nice run today. At the end of the stage, it would be Austin Cindric winning Stage 2.

Stage 3:

Stage 3 saw a little more trouble. Riley Herbst and Justin Allgaier tangled up with each other. The worst moment was when David Starr had tire problems and shot up the track right where race leader Noah Gragson was running. Gragson couldn’t react fast enough and hit him pretty hard. The last actual caution came out for the spinning car of Allmendinger. The race went into double overtime and it came down to Reddick and Snider, with Snider taking the win.

With Reddick disqualified, Daniel Hemric, Jeb Burton and Austin Cindric would round out the top five. Justin Haley, Brett Moffitt, Ryan Sieg, Jeremy Clements and Josh Berry finished sixth through 10, respectively.

Austin Cindric leads the Xfinity Series standings with 147 points. Myatt Snider is second with 118 points, Daniel Hemric has 117 points, Jeb Burton is in fourth with 106 points and Brandon Jones rounds out the top five with 93 points.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series goes next to Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sat. March 6.

Official Results:
1. Myatt Snider
2. Brandon Jones
3. Daniel Hemric
4. Jeb Burton
5. Austin Cindric
6. Justin Haley
7. Brett Moffitt
8. Ryan Sieg
9. Jeremy Clements
10. Josh Berry
11. Riley Herbst
12. JJ Yeley
13. Michael Annett
14. AJ Allmendinger
15. Alex Labbe
16. Timmy Hill
17. Dexter Bean
18. Tommy Joe Martins
19. Landon Cassill
20. Jade Buford
21. David Starr
22. Jeffrey Earnhardt
23. Chad Finchum
24. Ryan Vargas
25. Kyle Weatherman
26. Josh Williams
27. Joe Graf Jr
28. Gray Gaulding
29. Matt Mills
30. Santino Ferrucci
31. Stefan Parsons
32. Jesse Little
33. Noah Gragson
34. Brandon Brown
35. Bayley Currey
36. Colby Howard
37. Ty Dillon
38. Justin Allgaier
39. Harrison Burton
40. Tyler Reddick
February 27, 2021
Weekend schedule for Homestead-Miami Speedway

The NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series travel to Homestead-Miami Speedway this weekend. The Camping World Truck Series will not compete but returns next week when all three series head to Las Vegas.

NASCAR 2021 pole winners are determined by the following metrics formula:

• 25 percent: Driver’s finishing position from the previous race
• 25 percent: Car owner’s finishing position from the previous race
• 35 percent: Team owner points ranking
• 15 percent: Fastest lap from the previous race

All times are Eastern.

Saturday, Feb. 27

4:30 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series Contender Boats 250 – FS1/ MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 250.5 miles (167 Laps)
Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 40), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 80), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 167)
TV coverage: 4 p.m. NASCAR RaceDay on FS1
Pole: Austin Cindric

Sunday, Feb. 28

3:30 p.m.: NASCAR Cup Series Dixie Vodka 400 – FOX/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 400.5 miles (267 laps)
Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 80), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 160), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 267)
TV coverage: 3 p.m. NASCAR RaceDay on FOX
Pole: Denny Hamlin

Noteworthy:

The first two races of the Cup Series this season have been won by two first-time winners, a feat that hasn’t been accomplished since the series’ inaugural season in 1949 and again in 1950. Only once, in 1949, has the series begun the year with three consecutive winners. However, Homestead-Miami Speedway has never had a first-time winner in the Cup Series.

Statistical highlights for the NASCAR Cup Series Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway Data – Race # 3 of 36

Track Size: 1.5-mile
Banking/Turn 1 & 2: 18-20 degrees
Banking/Turn 3 & 4: 18-20 degrees
Banking/Frontstretch: 4 degrees
Banking/Backstretch: 4 degrees
Frontstretch Length: 1,760 feet
Backstretch Length: 1,760 feet
Race Length: 267 laps / 400.5 miles
Stages 1 & 2 Length: 80 Laps (each)
Finale Stage Length: 107 Laps
Top 10 Driver ratings at Homestead-Miami Speedway
Tyler Reddick – 115.5
Kyle Larson – 107.0
Kevin Harvick – 106.8
Martin Truex Jr – 105.9
Kyle Busch – 102.1
Denny Hamlin – 100.1
Chase Elliott – 96.9
Joey Logano – 91.6
Brad Keselowski – 89.0
Austin Dillon – 83.4
*Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2020 races (16 total) among active drivers at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Homestead-Miami Speedway race info & stats

2020 pole winner: Denny Hamlin
Track qualifying record: Brad Keselowski – 181.238 mph, 29.795 secs. (11-14-14)
2020 race winner: Denny Hamlin
Track race record: Kyle Busch, Toyota – 142.654 mph, 02:48:47 (11-17-19)

A total of 14 different drivers have won at least one race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Six of the 14 drivers are active this weekend. Denny Hamlin (2009, 2013, 2020) leads the active drivers in wins at Homestead-Miami Speedway with three. No driver has scored their first career Cup win at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Active driver race winners (wins)

Denny Hamlin (3)
Kyle Busch (2)
Joey Logano (1)
Kevin Harvick (1)
Kurt Busch (1)
Martin Truex Jr (1)

Homestead-Miami organization wins (wins)

Joe Gibbs Racing (8)
Roush Fenway Racing (7)
Hendrick Motorsports (2)
Stewart-Haas Racing (2)
Furniture Row Racing (1)
Richard Petty Motorsports (1)
Team Penske (1)

February 26, 2021
Ty Gibbs nabs his first win in the NASCAR Xfinity Series
The NASCAR Xfinity Series held the Super Start Batteries 188 At Daytona Presented by O’Reilly Saturday for some road course racing. It was an extremely exciting race, and one driver got his first win in his first-ever Xfinity Series start. That driver was 18-years-old Ty Gibbs in his No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

“You know, can’t thank everyone right now. This is like a dream come true for me.” Gibbs said, “I can’t do burnouts, that’s one thing I cannot do at all.” An emotional Gibbs added, “This is just a dream come true to me. I really didn’t think I had it there. Kind of fought back and won.”

Austin Cindric tangled with A.J. Allmendinger in the first stage and it looked like he wasn’t going to be a front runner. Cindric managed to fight back and bring his No. 22 Penske Racing Ford home in second place. He was hoping for a win for his team owner Roger Penske’s 84th birthday.

Cindric stated, “Obviously I don’t want to be racing to a stage that aggressively. I’d love to see the replay on that. Congrats to Ty.”

Coming in third was Daniel Hemric who was up in the mix of things the whole race, but couldn’t catch Gibbs and Cindric.

Stage 1:

Stage 1 only had one caution and that was for fluid on the track. The excitement was at the end when Allmendinger and Cindric got together coming to caution. Cindric held on to win the stage.

Stage 2:

Stage 2 started with Harrison Burton at the lead but six laps later Gibbs would take the top spot away. There were no cautions in this stage and Gibbs took the stage win easily.

Stage 3:

Stage 3 had Hemric, Gibbs and Cindric vying for the top spot. There were a couple of cautions that slowed the race some but nothing too serious. Restarts were the most interesting having cars spin off the track and back on. There were two NASCAR overtimes due to spinning cars. In the end, no one could touch Gibbs, giving him his first win in his first-ever Xfinity race. That is quite an accomplishment.

Brandon Jones and Jeb Burton would round out the top five. Harrison Burton, Miguel Paludo, Brandon Brown, Justin Haley, and Jeremy Clements finished sixth through 10, respectively.

Cindric leads the Xfinity Series standings with 105 points. Harrison Burton is in second with 81 points, Hemric is third with 75 points, fourth is Brandon Brown with 72 points and rounding out the top five is Myatt Snider with 69 points.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series will head next to Homestead Speedway on Feb. 27.

Official Results:
1. Ty Gibbs
2. Austin Cindric
3. Daniel Hemric
4. Brandon Jones
5. Jeb Burton
6. Harrison Burton
7. Miguel Paludo
8. Brandon Brown
9. Justin Haley
10. Jeremy Clements
11. Brett Moffitt
12. Landon Cassill
13. Myatt Snider
14. Jesse Little
15. Michael Annett
16. Kyle Weatherman
17. Josh Williams
18. Kris Wright
19. Matt Mills
20. Joe Graf Jr.
21. Gray Gaulding
22. Alex Labbe
23. Colby Howard
24. Tommy Joe Martins
25. Cody Ware
26. Justin Allgaier
27. Ryan Sieg
28. Noah Gragson
29. Stephen Leicht
30. Jeffrey Earnhardt
31. Andy Lally
32. Bayley Currey
33. Preston Pardus.- Transmission
34. Timmy Hill
35. AJ Allmendinger
36. Jade Buford – Suspension
37. Ryan Vargas
38. David Starr – Transmission
39. Riley Herbst – Accident
40. Natalie Decker – Accident
February 20, 2021
Daytona Road Course weekend schedule

This weekend NASCAR returns to Daytona International Speedway. But this time, the Cup Series, Xfinity Series and the Camping World Truck Series will all compete on the Daytona Road Course.

It will be the first of seven road course events that will also include Circuit of The Americas (COTA), Watkins Glen International, Sonoma Raceway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course, Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course (ROVAL) and Road America.

There will be no qualifying or practice and the lineup has been set using the following formula:

25 percent: Driver’s finishing position from the previous race
25 percent: Car owner’s finishing position from the previous race
35 percent: Team owner points ranking
15 percent: Fastest lap from the previous race

All times are Eastern.

Friday, Feb. 19

7:30 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series BrakeBest Pads 159 at Daytona Presented by O’Reilly – FS1/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 158.85 miles (44 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 12), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 25), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 44)
Pole: Ben Rhodes

Saturday, Feb. 20

5 p.m.: Xfinity Series Super Start Batteries 188 at Daytona Presented by O’Reilly – FS1/ MRN/ SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 187.72 miles (52 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 15), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 30), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 52)
Pole: Brett Moffitt

Sunday, Feb. 21

3 p.m.: Cup Series O’Reilly Auto Parts 253 at Daytona – FOX/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 252.7 miles (70 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 16), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 34), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 70)
Pole: Chase Elliott

Daytona Road Course Cup Series Data:

Season Race # 2 of 36 (02-21-21)
Track Size: 3.61-miles
Track Type: Road Course
Number of Turns: 14
Elevation Change: 31 degrees
Race Length: 70 laps (252.7-miles)
Stage 1 and 2 Length: 16 laps
Stage 2 Length: 18 laps
Final Stage Length: 36 laps

Top-10 road course ratings at Daytona:
Chase Elliott – 135.3
Martin Truex Jr. – 126.5
Denny Hamlin – 116.0
William Byron – 102.3
Joey Logano – 86.3
Michael McDowell – 85.7
Erik Jones – 85.7
Alex Bowman – 84.8
Kurt Busch – 84.7
Aric Almirola – 78.5

The first NASCAR Cup Series race held on the Daytona Road Course (RC) was Aug. 16, 2020, and the event was won by Chase Elliott. Elliott led 34 laps and became the youngest RC winner at 24 years, 8 months and 19 days.

Elliott leads all active drivers in NASCAR Cup Series road course wins with five victories, followed by Kyle Busch (4), Martin Truex Jr. (4), Kevin Harvick (2), Joey Logano (1), Kurt Busch (1) and Ryan Blaney (1).

February 18, 2021