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Category: RC XFINITY

Race Central NASCAR XFINITY Series news and information

  • Harrison Burton gets first win at Auto Club Speedway

    Harrison Burton gets first win at Auto Club Speedway

    It was a beautiful day for the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Auto Club Speedway for the Production Alliance Group 300. For one driver it was even more special as he is one of the few who can say he won his very first Xfinity Series race on Leap Day. Who is the lucky driver? It was Harrison Burton in only his 12th start. Burton, who drives the No. 20 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, took the checkered flag after a caution filled final stage.

    “It’s awesome!” Burton exclaimed, “I’m so proud of our guys, it’s really awesome, it feels so good to win.” He further stated, “When you go through a little bit of a drought, you doubt yourself especially after last year, we struggled a little bit.”

    Stage 1 went caution free with Brandon Jones taking the stage win.

    Stage 2 went pretty much the same as stage one. There weren’t any cautions and Jones won the second stage too. It was looking as if no one would be able to touch Jones, until the third stage.

    The final stage of the race was the exact opposite of the first two. They say that cautions breed cautions and this stage was proof of that. There were several drivers vying up front including Chase Briscoe and Daniel Hemric. The cautions flew fast mostly for cut tires and a couple of spins. There was a mini big one that a few drivers like Brandon Brown and Michael Annett got caught up in but most cars were able to continue the race.

    The two drivers who could get the closest to Jones were Riley Herbst who took second in his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and Austin Cindric who placed third in the No. 22 Team Penske Ford.

    When asked what he needed at the end to catch Burton, Herbst commented,” A few more laps. This Monster Energy Supra was really fast. I’m really proud of Harrison, me and him have worked so hard this off season.”

    Austin Cindric said, “Obviously it is great to continue the consistency. I think we had a car capable of winning, especially with some of the attrition there at the end. Execution kind of bit us today. I had to get brave on some restarts. We were better than the 20 and 18 there at the end but you just need track position sometimes. Overall, I couldn’t be prouder of my Odyssey Battery Ford Mustang team for where we came from after unloading to being a race winning car. Just not enough laps in the race for us.”

    Rounding out the top five were Ryan Sieg and Justin Haley. Anthony Alfredo, Daniel Hemric, Ross Chastain, Jeremy Clements, and Josh Williams finished sixth through 10, respectively.

    Harrrison Burton has the points lead with 136 points over second place Chase Briscoe with 126 points.
    The NASCAR Xfinity Series heads next to Phoenix Raceway on March 7.

  • Noah Gragson captures first Xfinity Series win at Daytona

    Noah Gragson captures first Xfinity Series win at Daytona

    Noah Gragson was in the right place at the right time and grabbed his first Xfinity Series win in the season-opening NASCAR Racing Experience 300 at Daytona International Speedway in the No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevy. He took the lead from Chase Briscoe on the final restart of the race and was scored as the winner when a caution came out on the last lap.

    The final restart came on Lap 118 of the 120-lap race as Gragson moved to the lead. A multi-car wreck in Turn 3 brought out the final race caution on Lap 120 and he was declared the winner, besting second-place Harrison Burton by 0.631 seconds.

    It was the 21-year-old’s first victory in the series in 37 starts but it was the seventh win at Daytona for car owner, JR Motorsports, who has now won three of the season-openers in a row.

    He thanked everyone who has helped him along the way, particularly team owner, Dale Earnhardt Jr.

    “Man, I’m speechless right now,” Gragson said. “I didn’t think this would come. But there’s so many people who made this possible for me, Dustin Ash back at home, the O’Hanley family, Jefferson Pitts Racing, Kyle Busch Motorsports, everybody who’s helped me get to this point. 

    “I spent a lot of time with Dale Jr. this week, talked to him for about two hours, and wanted to be a better speedway racer. He told me, go have fun; wreckers or checkers; you’ve got to manage your gaps, be there at the end, and just go lead the damn thing. That’s what we did.

    Joe Gibbs Racing’s Harrison Burton finished second in his debut race for the team.

    Although he conceded it was a great finish, he had hoped for more and credited his fallen friend, John Andretti, whose presence he felt during the race.

    “Not as great as it could have been, which is unfortunate,” Burton said. “There was a couple times where we almost got wrecked, and we kind of barely squeaked out of it, so I know I had John Andretti kind of over my shoulder watching me for that. That was really cool. There was a couple times this weekend in general where I blew a tire in practice and somehow didn’t wreck. Had a lot of help there from him.”

    Timmy Hill, who qualified for the upcoming Daytona 500 in the Bluegreen Vacations Duel 2, finished third, saying, “I just feel like this year is kicking off on a great note. Making the Daytona 500 on Thursday was awesome. I didn’t think it could get any better. Third place was a nice finish. I thought we could’ve had a shot at the win.”

    Brandon Jones and Chase Briscoe rounded out the top five as Justin Haley, Brandon Brown, Ray Black Jr., Ryan Sieg and Alex Labbe completed the top 10 finishers.

    Unofficial Race Results
    NASCAR Xfinity Series Race Number 1
    Race Results for the 39th Annual NASCAR Racing Experience 300 – Saturday, February 15, 2020
    Daytona International Speedway – Daytona Beach, FL – 2.5 – Mile Paved

    FinStrNoDriverLapsS1PosS2PosS3PosPtsStatus
    1129Noah Gragson12049049Running
    2820Harrison Burton #12080038Running
    32666Timmy Hill1200000Running
    4619Brandon Jones12008036Running
    51098Chase Briscoe1201010034Running
    6311Justin Haley12052046Running
    71168Brandon Brown12006035Running
    8167Ray Black II12000029Running
    9939Ryan Sieg12004035Running
    101936Alex Labbe12090029Running
    1121Michael Annett11920035Accident
    123452JJ Yeley11900025Running
    13220BJ McLeod11900024Running
    142578Vinnie Miller11900023Running
    153647Joe Nemechek(i)1190000Running
    163574Mike Harmon11900021Running
    172015Robby Lyons II11900020Running
    18316David Starr11900019Running
    19184Jesse Little #11800018Accident
    203313Chad Finchum11800017Running
    213299Josh Bilicki11700016Running
    222338Ross Chastain11507019Running
    2348Jeb Burton11413032Accident
    24242Brett Moffitt(i)1140000Accident
    251522Austin Cindric11365023Accident
    261792Josh Williams11300011Accident
    272193CJ McLaughlin11300010Running
    282951Jeremy Clements1130009Running
    291490Caesar Bacarella1120008Accident
    30137Justin Allgaier10731025Accident
    31305Matt Mills1010006Electrical
    32718Riley Herbst #590005Accident
    33121Myatt Snider597008Accident
    342725Chris Cockrum590003Accident
    352861Austin Hill(i)370000Accident
    3658Joe Graf Jr #370001Accident
  • Noah Gragson Wins NASCAR Racing Experience 300; Final DAYTONA 500 Practice Led by Former Champion Joey Logano

    Noah Gragson Wins NASCAR Racing Experience 300; Final DAYTONA 500 Practice Led by Former Champion Joey Logano

    • Logano, Five Others Top 200 mph in Practice
    • 62nd Annual DAYTONA 500 Set for 2:30 p.m. Sunday

    DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 15, 2020) – Noah Gragson won the NASCAR Racing Experience 300 on Saturday  to open the NASCAR Xfinity Series season at Daytona International Speedway.

    Gragson, driving the No. 9 Bass Pro Shops/BRCC Chevrolet for JR Motorsports and car owner Dale Earnhardt Jr., emerged from a tight battle after the race’s final restart on Lap 118 of the 120-lap/300-mile race being held for the 62nd time at the “World Center of Racing.” Gragson took the lead on Lap 118 and kept it until a Turn 3 multi-car incident brought out the yellow flag on Lap 120 to effectively end the race under caution.

    Gragson nipped runner-up Harrison Burton (No. 20 Dex Imaging Toyota) by 0.631 seconds. Timmy Hill (No. 66 VSI Racing/RoofClaim.com Toyota) finished third.

    After getting his first NASCAR Xfinity Series victory, the 21-year-old Gragson celebrated like a veteran – and a champion – by climbing the frontstretch fencing and gesturing to the fans in attendance.

    “That was bad-ass,” Gragson said. “I’m so thankful for this opportunity and I’m very proud of this team. I spent a lot of time with Dale Jr. this week. I talked to him for about two hours. I wanted to be a better superspeedway racer.

    “He told me to go have fun … wreckers or checkers … you’ve got to manage your gaps … be there at the end … and just go lead the damn thing. And that’s what we did.”

    Added Earnhardt, winner of 17 races at Daytona International Speedway during his NASCAR career: “We just sat down and talked about all the scenarios you find yourself in, in the draft. I like sharing that information with drivers. This was just a great day for JR Motorsports.

    “This (going to Gatorade Victory Lane) never gets old.  You know, I don’t expect I’ll ever do it again as a driver, so I’ll take these whenever they’re coming, right?  If I can get in here as an owner or part of any kind of success like this, it’s a great feeling.”

    Also on Saturday, the last of four practice sessions was held for Sunday’s 62nd annual DAYTONA 500 (2:30 p.m. ET; TV – FOX; Radio – MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Joey Logano, the 2015 DAYTONA 500 champion, led the practice with a fast lap of 200.517 mph in the No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford. Logano was one of six drivers to post laps above 200 mph; there surely would have been more if 14 drivers had not opted to bypass the session.

    One of those sitting out was defending and two-time DAYTONA 500 champion Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota). In fact, none of the five Toyota drivers in the field took part. That seemingly play-it-safe approach seemed reasonable. No matter where you qualify, if you switch to a back-up car or change an engine, you must go to the rear of the field at the start of the race. And going from back-to-front is no easy task in this 40-car field.

    “Towards the end, I can see it being very aggressive,” Logano predicted. “Everyone is racing so hard. Everyone knows what it means to win the DAYTONA 500, how big of a deal it is. And you know you’re going to see some aggressive driving out there and that usually causes crashes.”

    The DAYTONA 500 opens the season for the NASCAR Cup Series; it will be watched by a sellout crowd.

    Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (No. 47 Kroger Chevrolet) will start on the DAYTONA 500 pole. Alex Bowman (No. 88 Valvoline Chevrolet) will roll off alongside Stenhouse.


    Tickets for the 50th annual DAYTONA Supercross on March 7 and all other Daytona International Speedway events can be purchased online at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP. Fans can stay connected with Daytona International Speedway on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube and Snapchat, and by downloading Daytona International Speedway’s mobile app, for the latest Speedway news throughout the season.

  • Tyler Reddick wins race and Xfinity Series championship

    Tyler Reddick wins race and Xfinity Series championship

    As seen in year’s past, if you want to win the championship, you will more than likely also have to win the race. Tyler Reddick did just that at Homestead-Miami Speedway and capped off a perfect season by earning his sixth win of the 2019 season. He took the lead with 18 to go after a fierce battle with Championship 4 contender Cole Custer. Reddick became just the seventh Xfinity Series driver to win back-to-back championships.

    “It’s just amazing and the best part is, my girlfriend Alexa said if I won the championship, our baby boy was going to be named Bo,” Reddick said to MRN Radio. “I got the call so late, we were honestly trying to keep everyone on their toes. I was sideways coming on pit road and I really didn’t know how good my approach was, so I just took it easy. I cost us a lot of time there and came out behind the other two (Champ 4 drivers). That’s on me, I had to put that in my back and had to go out there, and pass those guys while ultimately putting this car in victory lane. Had to put this car in victory lane to where it deserves, that’s on the championship stage, as well as an Owner’s Championship in Richard Childress Racing’s 50th year.”

    Qualifying was held on Saturday afternoon just a few hours before the Xfinity Series race. The session also saw Reddick qualifying on the pole. Championship 4 drivers Cole Custer was second, Christopher Bell was seventh and Justin Allgaier qualified 16th. Bobby Earnhardt was the only driver that failed to qualify. Stages were broke into 45/45/110 laps to make up the 200-lap race distance.

    Stage 1: Lap 1- Lap 45

    Stage 1 got off to a rocky start with multiple incidents. On lap 6 the first yellow came out for the No. 07 of Ray Black Jr. as a tremendous amount of smoke came out of the back of his car. The day would end early for Black Jr. but he would be okay. Another incident occurred in Turn 4 on Lap 16, where the No. 15 of Tyler Matthews hit the wall hard and had a flat tire. Matthews’ day was done early too and resulted in a 37th place finish.

    A piece of debris was stuck in Turns 3 and 4 after the accident which made the leaders move down a groove to protect their car from getting hit with it. Shortly after TV cameras pointed the debris out, officials displayed the yellow for the third time of the night on Lap 34.

    With a few quick cautions early, the rest of the stage saw a nine lap dash to the stage break. Stewart-Haas Racing driver Chase Briscoe took the stage win while Custer was second, Reddick fourth, Bell 12th and Allgaier finished 13th.

    Stage 2: Lap 51- Lap 96

    Stage 2 was relaxed for the most part when it came to the cautions. However, one Championship 4 driver had a problem occur on Lap 57. Custer had reported a potential loose wheel to the No. 00. Trying to stay out in hopes of a caution and not lose track positions, he could not anymore and eventually pitted on Lap 60. After the pit stop, the team quickly diagnosed the issue, which was a right-rear that was loose. Custer rejoined the race, one lap down.

    One more driver also faced a tire issue. Jeb Burton had a right rear tire go down as well, but this time, almost spinning out coming to the entry of pit road. Burton saved the car and was able to get down to pit road without bringing out a caution.

    Just a few laps before the stage finished, Custer had the lucky dog position and was hoping that the No. 22 of Austin Cindric, who was the race leader at the time, would help Custer out by leaning over to get his lap back. However, an accident broke out between Justin Haley and Harrison Burton off Turn 4. Custer passed Cindric in time before the caution was displayed in order to get his lap back.

    Cindric wound up winning the stage, with Bell in second, Allgaier in third, Reddick in fourth and Custer in 16th.

    Stage 3: Lap 96- Lap 200

    As soon as the final stage began, the caution was flown once again. This time it was a bumper cover off Haley’s car that was on the frontstretch. While the drivers were scrambling not to run over it, the No. 35 of Joey Gase was the unlucky one and hit the debris.

    After having a strong car early, Briscoe brought out the caution with 78 to go. The Stewart-Haas driver found himself in the wall with a right front tire down. With the caution, most of the leaders pitted and Bell won the race off pit road.

    From that point on, no cautions would be flown but intense battles took place. Three out of the four championship drivers were the top three with 51 to go. Bell was out front, Reddick in second and Custer third. All three drivers were battling hard to win the championship.

    When the last round of green-flag pit stops started to take place, Bell missed the entry to pit road with 41 to go. This ultimately cost him a shot to win the championship and a lot of ground on the racetrack. Therefore, the championship was left up to Reddick, Custer and Allgaier, unless a caution late bunched the field up.

    Allgaier pitted the same time Bell did, while Reddick and Custer pitted a few laps later. When the two rejoined the racing surface, they found themselves racing with Allgaier. The three of them were not trying to run each other over and were three wide going off the pit stops. Eventually, Reddick and Custer had the best two cars of the night and broke away from Allgaier leaving the two drivers to decide it out on their own.

    Working the high line, Reddick made slight contact with the wall while trying to chase Custer with 33 to go. The contact wasn’t hard enough to slow him down but it basically helped Reddick a little bit. The Richard Childress Racing driver still kept close to Custer in regrouping and trying to find more momentum. Reddick found his chance with 18 to go and took the lead. Hoping for no cautions, the Corning, California native held on en route to the ninth victory of his Xfinity Series career and a second Xfinity Series championship.

    “It’s about this race team, man, and I was just honored to pilot this Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet,” Reddick said. “I’m losing my breath—I’m that excited. This one means so much more. It was just a lot better year, and it was really cool to go back-to-back.”

    Meanwhile, Cole Custer came up short once again despite rebounding from a flat tire early on in the race and a battle with Reddick.

    “Yeah, I mean, like I said, I think I said it on TV, Tyler can rip the fence here,” Custer said. “I don’t know, I can match his lap time there, out there at the end, but he was just a tick better where he could be on my bumper when he was behind me and do a slide job, and I could keep up with him and I just ‑‑ there at the end I felt like I needed to find a way to close the gap.”

    “I was just like three car lengths back the whole time, so I was like, I need to try and figure out a way to close the gap, and I just got in the fence a little bit.  It’s been a great year, so we have a lot to hang our hats on.  It sucks running second again, but we can still stay positive about how great of a year we’ve had.”

    Reddick led five times for 84 laps before closing the door on the 2019 Xfinity Series season. There were seven cautions for 35 laps and 15 lead changes among six drivers.

    Official Results

    1. Tyler Reddick, 2019 Xfinity Series Champion, led 84 laps
    2. Cole Custer, led 15 laps
    3. Chase Briscoe, 2019 Rookie Of The Year, led 14 laps
    4. Noah Gragson, led 10 laps
    5. Christopher Bell, led 37 laps
    6. John Hunter Nemechek
    7. Austin Cindric, led 40 laps
    8. Brandon Jones
    9. Jeb Burton, one lap down
    10. Harrison Burton, one lap down
    11. Michael Annett, one lap down
    12. Ryan Sieg, one lap down
    13. Brandon Brown, one lap down
    14. Justin Allgaier, one lap down
    15. Landon Cassill, one lap down
    16. Jeremy Clements, two laps down
    17. Gray Gaulding, two laps down
    18. Alex Labbe, two laps down
    19. Josh Williams, two laps down
    20. B.J. McLeod, two laps down
    21. Colin Garrett, two laps down
    22. Will Rodgers, three laps down
    23. David Starr, four laps down
    24. Stephen Leicht, five laps down
    25. Jairo Avila Jr, five laps down
    26. Vinnie Miller, seven laps down
    27. Joey Gase, seven laps down
    28. Robby Lyons, eight laps down
    29. Joe Nemechek, eight laps down
    30. Matt Mills, OUT, Clutch
    31. C.J. McLaughlin, OUT, Vibration
    32. Garrett Smithley, OUT, Oil Line
    33. Justin Haley, OUT, Damage Vehicle Policy
    34. Timmy Hill, OUT, Brakes
    35. Chad Finchum, OUT, Engine
    36. J.J. Yeley, OUT, Suspension
    37. Tyler Matthews, OUT, Crash
    38. Ray Black Jr, OUT, Engine

    Up Next: With the 2019 Xfinity Series season officially over, the next on-track activity will be the 2020 opener at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, Feb. 15.

  • Allgaier fights for first win of 2019 in Round of 8 cutoff race

    Allgaier fights for first win of 2019 in Round of 8 cutoff race

    AVONDALE, Ariz. — When the Playoffs were on the line, Justin Allgaier rose to the occasion by winning the Desert Diamond West Valley Casino 200 as the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship 4 has officially been declared.

    “We had a hot rod today,” Allgaier declared.

    After winning five races in 2018, Allgaier looks for redemption at Homestead-Miami Speedway this year by winning his first race of the season. It also came at the right time since the JR Motorsports driver was among the cutoff line throughout the race.

    “I don’t think we could have beaten the 20 (Bell),” said Allgaier. “But when he made his mistake, we capitalized on it. That’s what it’s all about. No question (not winning) is a weight on your shoulders, man. You can’t even begin to describe it.”

    Christopher Bell won last weekend at Texas Motor Speedway to secure his spot for the championship race. Bell led every green-flag lap in both opening stages, but a speeding penalty on pit road forced him to drop to the rear of the field on the restart of the final stage. Another caution, later on, forced him to pit again. The No. 20 car went one lap down and wasn’t able to recover.

    “I feel like I gave up a winner,” said Bell. “It all comes down to this one next week. I’m ready for it. I feel really good about where we’re at, and our car is going to be extremely strong next week.

    “We’ve prepared a ton for this. Ever since we left Homestead last year, we knew that this race was where we needed to improve. Pretty much all year long, we’ve been focused on Homestead.”

    Since Brandon Jones won at Martinsville, no other driver was completely locked in yet. In a combination of stage points and other competitors falling out of the race, Cole Custer had a large enough gap in the points standings to mathematically lock himself into Homestead.

    “I never got the memo,” Custer laughed when asked if he was told about the championship status update after Stage 2. “I was giving it all I had. I was really struggling with the brake pedal. I kind of lost it at the start of the run. I had to save the whole run until like 15 laps to go, and then I just let it happen. I just came up a little bit short, but I think that was the best run we’ve had at Phoenix in a long time.”

    “I’m looking forward to Homestead, and hopefully we can do one spot better.”

    The regular-season champion, Tyler Reddick, will now go for a second consecutive championship in the Xfinity series. Last year, he won with JR Motorsports. This year, he’ll look to bring a title to Richard Childress Racing.

    Chase Briscoe, Michael Annett, Austin Cindric, and Noah Gragson were the four drivers eliminated after Phoenix.

    The NASCAR Xfinity Series will crown their champion next Saturday at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

  • Christopher Bell wins O’Reilly 300, Chastain takes second at Texas

    Christopher Bell wins O’Reilly 300, Chastain takes second at Texas

    FORT WORTH, Texas — Christopher Bell took the checkered flag in Saturday’s O’Reilly 300 at Texas Motor Speedway, punching his ticket to the Championship Round at Homestead-Miami Speedway in two weeks. Bell started third and took the checkered by 5.561-seconds over Kaulig Racing’s Ross Chastain.

    “I can’t wait to go to Phoenix,” said Bell. “I love that race track. Now we get to go there and focus on one thing and that’s winning the race.”

    “I don’t know if Jason [Ratcliff, Crew Chief] was thinking points tonight, but we’re definitely not going to have to think about points next week.”

    Runner-up Chastain used pit strategy to lead 29 laps before spinning his tires on a restart late in the race.

    “It was an up-and-down race,” said Chastain of his final start with Kaulig in 2019. “Up at the start, we ran fifth in that first stage. Then we got caught in that dirty air and couldn’t pass anybody, but then we got track position again and took control of the race for a little while.”

    “The car was incredible. I made one pretty big mistake on that final restart and spun my tires, and from there we just had to run hard to finish second.”

    Austin Cindric, Brandon Jones, and John Hunter Nemechek rounded out the top-five while Justin Allgaier, Harrison Burton, Cole Custer, Jeb Burton, and Ryan Sieg rounded out the top-10.

    Cindric also had a strong run on the night, leading 38 laps on the way to his third-place finish.

    “Yeah, we’re in a must-win situation as far as points go, and when you’re leading in the third stage and a caution comes out your heart kind of sinks a little bit,” said Cindric. “But I thought we had a Discount Tire Mustang good enough to win in clean air.”

    “We had 50 or 60 people from Discount Tire come out today and was hoping we could get them in Victory Lane and get in the Final Four. But we got next week in Phoenix. It’s a bummer when you’re pissed at finishing third, but I guess that’s the sign of a good night, being able to execute on some of those restarts.”

    The biggest incident of the night occurred on Lap 162 when contact between Playoff drivers Chase Briscoe and polesitter Tyler Reddick sent Reddick’s Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet hard into the backstretch wall.

    Despite hitting the wall, Reddick still holds a 36-point edge over Briscoe heading into Phoenix. Meanwhile, fellow Playoff driver Noah Gragson scored his first DNF of 2019 following an incident on the frontstretch. Gragson finished 30th and is 57 points below the cutline heading into Phoenix.

    There were nine cautions for 51 laps, with nine lead changes among four drivers.

    The series makes its next appearance at ISM Speedway on Nov. 9 for the Desert Diamond West Valley Casino 200.

  • Brandon Jones breaks through for first career Xfinity win at Kansas

    Brandon Jones breaks through for first career Xfinity win at Kansas

    Kansas City, KS – Brandon Jones scored his first career Xfinity Series win today after race leaders Chase Briscoe and Christopher Bell took each other out late in the race. Jones took the lead on Lap 191, never looked back and went on to win at Kansas for the first time.

    “This is incredible,” Jones said. “I knew this was going to happen – that we were going to come here and have an amazing run like we did today. It’s only because of those guys here. They have fought with me for a long time and this feels way better because it has been tough to get to this point. Everyone that has been a part of my career to this point – Flow was on today, a new sponsor with us, we have had Menards in the past, iK9, Toyota, for all they do. I don’t think I could have done this without the manufacturer. I wish my parents were here. They have been through a bunch of wins with me. All in all, I cannot wait to celebrate with these guys.”

    Qualifying was held prior to the race and playoff driver Christopher Bell captured the pole. The stages were 45/45/110 laps to make up the 200-lap race that began the Round of 8 for the Xfinity Series Playoffs.

    Stage 1: Lap 1 – Lap 45

    It wasn’t all Brandon Jones when the race began. In fact, his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Bell had the best car of anyone for Stage 1. However, playoff driver Austin Cindric had his troubles early. Cindric bounced off the wall a couple of times and had to come down pit road on Lap 36. Tyler Reddick also slightly scraped the wall just 10 laps before Cindric did. Ryan Truex who was making his final Xfinity start of the year blew up early and finished last.

    There were no cautions during the first stage and it remained green the whole way. Bell led all 47 laps to win Stage 1 followed by Cole Custer, Noah Gragson, Reddick, Justin Allgaier, Ross Chastain, Chase Briscoe, Jones, John Hunter Nemechek and Michael Annett rounded out the top-10 finishers.

    Stage 2: Lap 51- Lap 90

    While Stage 1 did not see much action, the intensity picked up for Stage 2. Custer took the lead on Lap 64 after slight contact with Bell in Turn 1. The third caution flew on Lap 71 for the No. 18 of Harrison Burton after contact with Cindric in Turn 4. The contact was major enough that Burton had to go to the garage and wound up a disappointing 34th.

    Numerous drivers also had incidents in this stage. Cindric continued to have his own problems making slight contact with Nemechek and then having a flat tire, causing him to pit on Lap 79 to fix the damage. The Team Penske driver was back on pit road again on Lap 87 for another flat tire.

    Custer took the lead on Lap 62 and for the final time in Stage 2 on Lap 75. Then the No. 00 Stewart-Haas Racing driver went on to take the stage win that ended on Lap 90. Bell, Reddick, Allgaier, Briscoe, Gragson, Annett, Chastain, Jones and Justin Haley completed the top-10 finishers in Stage 2.

    Stage 3: Lap 96- Lap 200

    The lead was swapped between Bell and Custer once more before Custer went on to lead from Lap 102 to Lap 151. Then Chase Briscoe came into the mix and took the lead on Lap 152. At this point in the race, Briscoe was the dominant car. Even two cautions for Michael Annett on Lap 146 wouldn’t slow him down.

    Under that caution, the race leaders came down pit road but Annett stayed out to assume the lead. However, the strategy didn’t quite work out for the JR Motorsports driver as he would fall back quickly and Briscoe took the lead once again.

    A major turning point in the race happened for the leaders on Lap 185. Briscoe and Bell came up on a lap car off Turn 4 and made contact with each other. Both Bell and Briscoe had heavy damage with Bell spinning in the grass. Another caution was also seen with just a few laps left between Noah Gragson and Joey Gase in Turn 1.

    Then enter Jones who had never won a NASCAR Xfinity Series race in his career. But, the caution set up a late-race restart that saw Jones on the front row. He took the lead with just 10 laps left and scored his first career Xfinity Series victory in his 134th career start.

    “I had a conversation with my dad before this weekend. Dover was a big hit to the head, not even making a lap at that track,” Jones added. “I said to myself, you watch, we’re going to come to this race or even Texas, I know it’s a great track for me as well. We’re going to win one of these races and have a shot to go to Homestead. It doesn’t matter though. This is what we’re trying to do every single week is win these races and run consistent, not have bad things happen to us. It’s unfortunate, but it still shows if we go back and look, we could have made it there. I know the ability is there and the drive is there.”

    Jones led one time for 10 laps en route to his first career Xfinity Series victory. There were eight cautions for 41 laps and 12 lead changes among five different drivers.

    Points Standings

    1. Christopher Bell
    2. Cole Custer, -11
    3. Tyler Reddick, -12
    4. Justin Allgaier, -47
    5. Chase Briscoe, -49
    6. Michael Annett, -59
    7. Noah Gragson, -64
    8. Austin Cindric, -77

    Official Results

    1. Brandon Jones, led 10 laps
    2. Tyler Reddick
    3. Chase Briscoe, led 33 laps
    4. Michael Annett
    5. Justin Allgaier
    6. Jeremy Clements
    7. Justin Haley
    8. John Hunter Nemechek
    9. Ryan Sieg
    10. Ross Chastain
    11. Cole Custer
    12. Christopher Bell, won Stage 1 led 69 laps
    13. Noah Gragson
    14. Ray Black Jr.
    15. Alex Labbe, one lap down
    16. Dillon Bassett, one lap down
    17. Gray Gaulding, one lap down
    18. Brandon Brown, three laps down
    19. B.J. McLeod, three laps down
    20. Matt Mills, three laps down
    21. Josh Williams, three laps down
    22. Kyle Weatherman, four laps down
    23. David Starr, four laps down
    24. C.J. McLaughlin, five laps down
    25. Austin Cindric, six laps down
    26. Chad Finchum, six laps down
    27. Stephen Leicht, six laps down
    28. Tyler Matthews, six laps down
    29. Josh Bilicki, six laps down
    30. Vinnie Miller, six laps down
    31. Bobby Earnhardt, eight laps down
    32. Joey Gase, 16 laps down
    33. Garrett Smithley, OUT, Accident
    34. Harrison Burton, OUT, Accident
    35. Bayley Currey, OUT, Suspension
    36. Landon Cassill, OUT, Vibration
    37. J.J. Yeley, OUT, Electrical
    38. Ryan Truex, OUT, Engine

    Up Next: The NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers take one week off before continuing their Round of 8 at Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday, November 2.

  • Custer plays strategy to win at Dover

    Custer plays strategy to win at Dover

    Cole Custer and his No. 00 Stewart Haas team played pit strategy to win Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series Drive Sober 200 at Dover International Speedway. This was Custer’s seventh career victory in 100 starts.

    “We just had a great pit call,” Custer said to MRN Radio. “Mike (Shiplett, Crew Chief) made an excellent call there staying out, we caught the caution. Production Alliance Group, it’s their third time and third win. Him and Dale, I can’t thank them enough. For everybody at Ford Performance, Stewart Haas Racing, Gene Haas. Unbelievable year and I can’t thank everyone enough.”

    Chase Briscoe qualified on the pole, but due to carburetor problems during qualifying and had to drop to the rear prior to the start of the race. Also playoff driver Michael Annett also had to start in the rear due to a engine change.

    Stages were 45-45-110 to make up the 200 lap race.

    Stage 1 Lap 1- Lap 45

    There were tons of action in the first stage, especially lap 1. Harrison Burton in the No. 18 got loose off Turn 1 and went spinning on the backstretch, collecting his teammate and playoff driver Brandon Jones. Both had heavy damage and would be out of the race early. In result, Jones playoff hopes were over due to the crash.

    In a separate incident, Tyler Reddick got loose as well and slightly tapped the wall, while making contact with Justin Allgaier. A few more incidents occurred in the first stage. Jeremy Clements had his engine expire early on lap 11 and Christopher Bell came down pit road on lap 15 with no fuel pressure. Clements day was done, but Bell came back on-track. It was later reporter that Bell replaced a carburetor while being behind the wall. John Hunter Nemechek made contact with Mike Harmon on lap 21 to bring out the final caution in Stage 1.

    After all that chaos early, the stage remained green until the checkered flag flew on lap 45. It was Justin Allgaier who emerged with the stage win. Custer, Austin Cindric, Zane Smith, Justin Haley, Noah Gragson, Chase Briscoe, Ryan Sieg, John Hunter Nemechek and Michael Annett rounded out the top-10 finishers in Stage 1.

    Stage 2 Lap 52- Lap 90

    Despite a wild Stage 1, Stage 2 saw no incidents and remained green until lap 90. With that in mind, Allgaier once again won the stage. Cindric, Briscoe, Gragson, Custer, Smith, Nemechek, Haley, Annett and Sieg were the top-10 finishers in Stage 2. A big moment came on pit road during the stage break, as Custer won the race off pit road.

    Also under the stage break, Nemechek had to come back down pit road due to missing lug nuts, while Gragson had a pit gun failure and also had to make another stop.

    Stage 3 Lap 96- Lap 200

    When Stage 3 began, it was all Chase Briscoe early taking the lead on lap 98. Briscoe led until lap 168 when he made his last pit stop of the race. During that run, however, he began to report the same problems he had during qualifying.

    During the cycle of green flag pit stops, the caution came out on lap 176 for the No. 90 of Dillon Bassett who spun trying to come on pit road. Another yellow came with 12 to go, as Matt Mills, Ray Black Jr and Stephen Leicht were all involved in a accident off Turn 2.

    With a late caution also came a late race restart with seven to go. However, Custer was able to hold of the field for his seventh win of the 2019 season.

    “It’s huge,” Custer added about the win. “We’ve really stepped it up this year. I feel like we can go to any track to compete for wins. It’s just a matter of us putting it together every weekend. I think we have a shot at any track we go too.”

    Custer led twice for 31 laps for his eighth Xfinity Series win of his career. There were six cautions for 33 laps and nine lead changes among six drivers.

    As for the playoff drivers, John Hunter Nemechek, Ryan Sieg, Brandon Jones and Justin Haley all failed to make to the next round of the playoffs.

    Playoff Points Standings

    1. Cole Custer
    2. Austin Cindric, -25
    3. Justin Allgaier, -31
    4. Christopher Bell, -33
    5. Chase Briscoe, -47
    6. Tyler Reddick, -49
    7. Noah Gragson, -58
    8. Michael Annett, -81

    Official Results

    1. Cole Custer, led 31 laps
    2. Justin Allgaier, won both stages, led 67 laps
    3. Austin Cindric, led 29 laps
    4. Justin Haley
    5. Chase Briscoe, led 71 laps
    6. Michael Annett, led one lap
    7. Noah Gragson
    8. John Hunter Nemechek
    9. Zane Smith, one lap down
    10. Ryan Sieg, one lap down
    11. Brandon Brown, two laps down
    12. Tyler Reddick, two laps down
    13. Ross Chastain, two laps down
    14. Dillon Bassett, two laps down
    15. Josh Williams, two laps down
    16. B.J. McLeod, three laps down
    17. Ray Black Jr, three laps down
    18. Gray Gaulding, four laps down
    19. Stefan Parsons, four laps down
    20. Vinnie Miller, four laps down
    21. David Starr, five laps down
    22. Joey Gase, six laps down
    23. Stephen Leicht, OUT, Crash
    24. Matt Mills, OUT, Crash
    25. Christopher Bell, OUT, Carburetor
    26. Garrett Smithley, OUT, Rear Gear
    27. Timmy Hill, OUT, Rear Gear
    28. Carl Long, OUT, Transmission
    29. Landon Cassill, OUT, Electrical
    30. Joe Nemechek, OUT, Rear Gear
    31. Chad Finchum, OUT, Engine
    32. J.J. Yeley, OUT, Brakes
    33. Bayley Currey, OUT, Vibration
    34. Mike Harmon, OUT, Accident
    35. Kyle Weatherman, OUT, Overheating
    36. Jeremy Clements, OUT, Engine
    37. Brandon Jones, OUT, Accident
    38. Harrison Burton, OUT, Accident

    Up Next: The NASCAR Xfinity Series take a couple of weeks off before they head back to the Midwest at Kansas Speedway to begin the Round of 8.

  • Allmendinger wins Xfinity Series at Charlotte Roval as Playoff drivers take seven spots in Top-10

    Allmendinger wins Xfinity Series at Charlotte Roval as Playoff drivers take seven spots in Top-10

    AJ Allmendinger took home the checkered flag in the Drive for the Cure 250 on the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval course, giving Kaulig Racing their second-ever XFINITY Series win. It was their second win this season after Ross Chastain took the win at Daytona in July.

    Tyler Reddick took home second, while fellow Playoff drivers Austin Cindric, Justin Allgaier, and Noah Gragson rounded out the top-five.

    Sixth-place went to Alex Labbe in Mario Gosselini’s No. 90 Camaro, while Playoff drivers John Hunter Nemechek, Cole Custer, and polesitter Chase Briscoe finished seventh through ninth. JR Motorsports driver Ryan Truex rounded out the top-10.

    “I can’t thank Matt Kaulig enough,” Allmendinger told NBCSN. “First of all, he put his belief in me. [He] wanted me to come here to try to build this team. The last times at road courses, I’ve been gutted not getting my wins. I can’t thank all my race team enough.

    “Really got to thank Tyler Reddick. He’s phenomenal. He told me he needed my help on the road courses. He’s out-qualified me in every race then, beat me in a couple. I knew behind me I could be defensive on the right side and get myself an angle. Tyler wouldn’t shove it down in there, appreciate that.”

    Briscoe won the first stage from the pole, earning 10 stage points and a playoff point, while Christopher Bell and Custer battled for the second stage win. Custer prevailed, which helped along with his eighth-place finish as he was able to clinch his spot in the Round of Eight.

    The action heated up in the final stage as several drivers including Truex, Custer, and Briscoe all found themselves turned around. The Briscoe incident was the biggest incident of the day in terms of repercussions, as hard driving between Bell and Briscoe led to the latter’s incident after the No. 98 ran Bell’s No. 20 Toyota hard enough that he missed a chicane. NASCAR penalized Bell to the tail-end of the longest line, where he recovered to finish twelfth after unceremoniously dumping rookie Will Rodgers on the last lap.

    There were seven cautions for 14 laps, with six drivers swapping the lead seven times. Nemechek, Brandon Jones (16th), Ryan Sieg (30th), and Justin Haley (31st) head into Dover below the Playoff cutoff line. The XFINITY Series Use Your Melon Drive Sober 200 at Dover International Speedway will start at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

  • Reddick Hits the Royal Flush of Fuel Mileage to Win at Vegas

    Reddick Hits the Royal Flush of Fuel Mileage to Win at Vegas

    LAS VEGAS, NEVADA — Tyler Reddick takes the fuel mileage gamble at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to edge out the dominant Christopher Bell and wins the Rhino Pro Truck Outfitters 300 in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

    “That was nerve-wracking to say the least,” Reddick told NBCSN. “Those last three laps, I was losing fuel pressure.”

    The bold call took place during the final caution when C.J. McLaughlin crashed into the Turn 4 wall. Most of the leaders stayed out, but Reddick came to pit road to begin what would be the race-winning fuel mileage strategy. The Richard Childress Racing team recognized they didn’t have the speed to catch or pass Bell, so they played the long game and had the dice roll in their favor over the next 105 miles.

    “We came in for fuel and tires and had to save a lot,” Reddick said after a sigh of relief crossing the line under power. ”It allowed us to run some really, really fast laps there before we had on tires at the end to keep us out front. Our car was fast on the long run and that’s what we needed to get a buffer at the end.

    “We’ve had a really, really fast car here in the past. Today we didn’t have it but we got them on strategy again.”

    Reddick clinched the regular season championship part way through Stage 2 as other cars retired from the race. However with the postseason reset, Bell will take over the points lead by 11 points, leaving Reddick and pole sitter Cole Custer tied for second.

    “We ain’t done yet. We got to go to Homestead and get another trophy,” said Reddick who seemed unphased about losing the points lead after dominating the regular season.

    Bell led a race high 154 laps, but fell short by just 0.738 seconds. The gap was over 20 seconds after the final pit stops, but Reddick was able to outsmart and out-luck Bell with his strategy.

    “It’s the second time this year that we got beat by circumstances,” Bell told NBCSN. “At Iowa we put on our tires when we needed to and some guys banked on a yellow coming out later and they got it and they beat us. Today those guys did the opposite of us and they won the race. Very, very disappointing.”

    Brandon Jones, Custer and Justin Allgaier completed the top five. Las Vegas native Noah Gragson finished sixth. Gray Gaulding also gambled with his fuel and had it pay off to finish in seventh, becoming the first non-Playoff driver in the finishing order. John Hunter Nemecheck, Riley Herbst and Elliott Sadler finished in the top 10 respectively. It was Sadler’s final NASCAR race. Ryan Sieg finished in the 14th position, but was disqualified after post-race inspection found his No. 39 Lombar Bros. Gaming Chevrolet Camaro too low in both the right front and left front. He still has enough points to carry him into the postseason.

    Bell Shows Strength Early in Stage One

    As the series’ final regular season race, the points gap was larger than the other two national touring series. For those outside of the top 12, they were all too far back to point their way in, so only a win could sneak their way into the Playoffs.

    Custer started on pole, but was beat on the first lap by Bell. Custer quickly fell back to third as Justin Allgaier made his way around for the second position. Las Vegas native Gragson spun earlier in qualifying and was forced to start at the rear of the field. He quickly climbed through the field and cracked the top 15 halfway through the stage. Sadler, who was making his final NASCAR start, began the day from the eighth position and ran in the top 10 most of the stage before fading back to the 15th position.

    Bell went on the lead all the laps and win the first stage. Sadler was the first car one lap down. Landon Cassell, after a fantastic qualifying run for the ninth starting position, fell out of the race early after overheating issues.

    The field came down pit road for service, but Austin Cindric’s crew was penalized for an uncontrolled tire. He came off pit road fourth and was forced to the rear of the field.

    Dominance by Bell Was Outplayed by Reddick’s Gamble

    Bell took the restart and had a strong challenge by Allgaier before reclaiming the lead. A few cars were declared out of the race due to part failures and mechanical issues, which clinched Reddick as the regular season series champion. He looks to make a run at back-to-back championships in the Xfinity series.

    By the end of the stage, Bell led all but two laps up to this point and wins his 15th stage of the regular season.

    Drivers began to get more aggressive as they took the green flag for the final stage. Bell continued to dominate, but Allgaier and Custer stayed closer to him. On Lap 110, Tommy Joe Martins spun to bring out the caution. That brought all the leaders to pit road. Cindric had fought his way up to fourth, but with too many crew members over the pit wall and NASCAR penalized him to put him at the tail end of the field.

    The field restarted on Lap 115, and Allgaier stayed aggressive. He was able to complete the pass by the exit of Turn 2 and claim the lead, putting Bell into a fight for the second position. Bell stayed patient and was able to reclaim the lead by Lap 123. The caution flew just one lap later as McLaughlin crashed into the outside wall of Turn 4. Most lead lap cars elected to stay on the track, as they could not make it to the end on fuel without coming to pit road again, but Reddick came down pit road for fresh tires and fuel.

    When the green flag came out again for what would be the final restart of the race, Bell took over the lead but Briscoe began his late race charge. Halfway through the run, he was able to get by Custer and Allgaier and find himself in the second position. As everyone came down pit road for green flag pit stops, Briscoe speeds on the entrance of pit road, and gets a pass-through penalty.

    As the final pit stop cycle completes itself, Reddick elects to stay out to extend his fuel run to the end of the race. He was able to stretch his fuel for 70 laps (105 miles) to the end for his fifth win of the season.

    The Playoff field was also set as the regular season concludes. Bell will inherit the points lead, 51 points above the cutoff line. Custer and Reddick will tie for second with a 40 point margin. The rest of the drivers above the cutoff line include Cindric, Briscoe, Allgaier, Michael Annett and Gragson. Jones is the first car in the elimination spot, just one point out of the next round. Justin Haley, Sieg and Nemecheck sit out by two, four and five points respectively.

    The NASCAR Xfinity Series compete next at Richmond Raceway on Friday, September 20.

    Source: Racing Reference

    FinSt#DriverSponsor / OwnerCarLapsStatusLedPtsPPts
    142   Tyler ReddickTame the Beast   (Richard Childress)Chevrolet200running30545
    2220   Christopher BellRheem / Smurfit Kappa   (Joe Gibbs)Toyota200running154552
    3619   Brandon JonesJuniper Networks   (Joe Gibbs)Toyota200running0440
    4100   Cole CusterHaas Automation   (Stewart Haas Racing)Ford200running0470
    537   Justin AllgaierBrandt   (JR Motorsports)Chevrolet200running15500
    6369   Noah GragsonSwitch   (JR Motorsports)Chevrolet200running0310
    71608   Gray GauldingJT Marine   (Bobby Dotter)Chevrolet199running0300
    81323   John Hunter NemechekBerry’s Manufacturing   (Maury Gallagher)Chevrolet199running0350
    91518   Riley HerbstMonster Energy   (Joe Gibbs)Toyota199running000
    10810   Elliott SadlerNutrien Ag Solutions   (Matthew Kaulig)Chevrolet199running0270
    11798   Chase BriscoeFord Performance   (Fred Biagi)Ford199running1360
    12522   Austin CindricMoney Lion   (Roger Penske)Ford199running0360
    13111   Michael AnnettPilot / Flying J   (JR Motorsports)Chevrolet199running0270
    14228   Ryan TruexBar Harbor   (JR Motorsports)Chevrolet199running0260
    151011   Justin HaleyLeaf Filter Gutter Protection   (Matthew Kaulig)Chevrolet199running0230
    161786   Brandon BrownVero True Social   (Jerry Brown)Chevrolet198running0210
    173790   Alex LabbeMartin & Cain Warehousing   (Mario Gosselin)Chevrolet198running0200
    182936   Josh WilliamsStar Brite / Star Tron / Simcraft   (Mario Gosselin)Chevrolet198running0190
    192007   Ray Black, Jr.Isokern Fireplaces & Chimneys / Scuba Life   (Bobby Dotter)Chevrolet197running0180
    201251   Jeremy ClementsRepairableVehicles.com   (Jeremy Clements)Chevrolet197running0170
    212301   Stephen LeichtJD Motorsports   (Johnny Davis)Chevrolet197running0160
    22214   B.J. McLeodJD Motorsports   (Johnny Davis)Chevrolet196running0150
    23260   Garrett SmithleyJD Motorsports   (Johnny Davis)Chevrolet196running0140
    24245   Matt MillsJ.F. Electric   (B.J. McLeod)Chevrolet195running0130
    251861   Tommy Joe MartinsDiamond Gusset Jeans   (Carl Long)Toyota194running0120
    263052   David StarrCircle Track / Franklin’s Signs   (Jimmy Means)Chevrolet194running0110
    273899   Jairo Avila, Jr.ART General Contractor   (B.J. McLeod)Toyota193running0100
    282815   Tyler MatthewsLineTec Services   (Johnny Davis)Chevrolet191running090
    293235   Joey GaseNevada Donor Network   (Carl Long)Toyota187vibration080
    303478   Vinnie MillerPit Viper Sunglasses   (B.J. McLeod)Chevrolet186running070
    313193   C.J. McLaughlinSci Aps   (Rod Sieg)Chevrolet121crash060
    322574   Kyle Weatherman  (Mike Harmon)Chevrolet66suspension050
    332717   Joe NemechekRWR   (Rick Ware)Chevrolet56steering000
    343366   Chad FinchumLasVegas.net   (Carl Long)Toyota52suspension030
    353513   Stan MullisLasVegas.net   (Carl Long)Toyota22carburetor020
    36989   Landon CassillVisone RV   (Morgan Shepherd)Chevrolet20overheating010
    371438   J.J. YeleyRSS Racing   (Rod Sieg)Chevrolet2fuel pump010
    381939   Ryan SiegLombar Bros. Gaming   (Rod Sieg)Chevrolet199disqualified010