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Race Central NASCAR XFINITY Series news and information

  • Early Wreck at Phoenix Finishes Poole’s Playoff Run

    Early Wreck at Phoenix Finishes Poole’s Playoff Run

    Brennan Poole’s run at a championship in the 2017 NASCAR XFINITY Series season ended in the garage after slamming the wall twice in the Ticket Galaxy 200 at Phoenix Raceway.

    Poole attempted to drive under the lapped car of Caesar Bacarella entering Turn 1 on Lap 23. Sandwiched between Cole Custer and Poole, and not knowing Poole was passing him, Bacarella turned down into the side of Poole.

    The contact cut Poole’s right-front tire and he veered hard into the outside wall.

    “I saw the 8 car go in, and we were going to kind of go to the top to go around him, and he slid up….I didn’t know really what was going to happen there,” Poole said. “So I tried to go underneath him, and we made a little contact and cut the right-front tire down. Bad luck, bad circumstances. I guess I could’ve been a little bit more cautious there. But we were just trying to get up there and get stage points and keep moving forward. Our car was actually pretty good. It’s just a bummer. I don’t know what else to say. Sometimes, lapped cars are in your way. You got to navigate around them and we just didn’t make that happen.”

    Poole’s team fixed up the car enough to send him back out just before time expired on the five-minute repair clock, but he slammed the wall exiting Turn 4, took his car to the garage and retired from the race with a 38th-place finish.

    “You’re just trying to salvage everything that you can, try to hope for the best,” Poole added. “It just cut the right-front tire down again. We put another tire on it and went into the wall again. Our car is pretty torn up and ended our championship hopes.”

    He leaves Phoenix sixth in points.

  • NASCAR Racing Schedule for Phoenix

    NASCAR Racing Schedule for Phoenix

  • Erik Jones Wins XFINITY Race at Texas

    Erik Jones Wins XFINITY Race at Texas

    Erik Jones captured the pole and won the first and second stages in the NASCAR XFINITY Series (NXS) O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 race at Texas Motor Speedway (TMS) on Saturday night. This was his third win of the season and the ninth of his NXS career.

    “It’s sure been a good race track to me though. On the old track and the repave now. It’s just been a place I’ve enjoyed coming to. The first time I came here in a truck, I’ll never forget, I never thought I’d like the place and ever since then, it’s just kind of clicked for me. A great GameStop Camry. Call of Duty and Diamond on the car this weekend, it’s pretty cool for veterans. Just excited to get back to victory lane.” Jones said in victory lane.

    Jones led 142 of 200 laps and completed the season sweep of NASCAR XFINITY Series races at TMS.

    “We led a lot of laps, but it seemed like we were really working for it, but you know that’s kind of the way it is. The XFINITY Series has really gotten tighter and tighter year by year and it’s been really close all year long, so just happy to get the GameStop Camry back in victory lane again. It’s been a few months since I’ve gotten a win, since they’ve gotten a win, so happy to come back to Texas again and grab another one.” Jones said.

    Ryan Blaney finished second, Kyle Larson third, and Elliott Sadler finished fourth.

    “I thought our car was good from the beginning. I was pretty loose to start but once we got it tightened up I thought we were really good. I thought the track took another swing free with maybe 60 to go and got our car looser again but we were still able to run down the 20 and get to him but we just couldn’t pass him,” Blaney said.

    Cole Custer finished fifth after having an early tire issue.

    “I think we just had a flat tire at the start of the race and had to go pit but we kept our heads on straight and tried to do what we could to salvage a good day,” Custer said. “Yeah, we are only like 13 points out of the top four right now I think.”

    Sadler took the series lead by five points over JR Motorsports teammate William Byron, who finished in ninth place.

    “My car was really good tonight,” Sadler said. “Erik and Blaney were so much better into (turns) one and two. They had it figured out. I’ve got to go to work before we come back here in the spring. But all in all, it was a great night for us.”

     

    NASCAR Xfinity Series Race Results
    O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 at Texas Motor Speedway
    Saturday, November 4, 2017

    1. (1) Erik Jones(i), Toyota, 200.
    2. (4) Ryan Blaney(i), Ford, 200.
    3. (10) Kyle Larson(i), Chevrolet, 200.
    4. (5) Elliott Sadler (P), Chevrolet, 200.
    5. (2) Cole Custer # (P), Ford, 200.
    6. (8) Christopher Bell(i), Toyota, 200.
    7. (12) Brennan Poole (P), Chevrolet, 200.
    8. (3) Matt Tifft # (P), Toyota, 200.
    9. (9) William Byron # (P), Chevrolet, 200.
    10. (7) Austin Dillon(i), Chevrolet, 200.
    11. (13) Justin Allgaier (P), Chevrolet, 200.
    12. (18) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 199.
    13. (17) Blake Koch, Chevrolet, 199.
    14. (6) Daniel Hemric # (P), Chevrolet, 199.
    15. (16) Spencer Gallagher #, Chevrolet, 199.
    16. (14) Ty Dillon(i), Chevrolet, 199.
    17. (19) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, 199.
    18. (21) JJ Yeley, Toyota, 199.
    19. (24) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 199.
    20. (20) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 199.
    21. (23) Dylan Lupton, Toyota, 198.
    22. (25) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 198.
    23. (15) Ryan Reed (P), Ford, 198.
    24. (26) Garrett Smithley, Chevrolet, 198.
    25. (32) Harrison Rhodes, Chevrolet, 196.
    26. (22) BJ McLeod, Chevrolet, 196.
    27. (28) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 196.
    28. (33) Mario Gosselin, Chevrolet, 195.
    29. (36) Spencer Boyd, Chevrolet, 191.
    30. (34) Timmy Hill, Chevrolet, 188.
    31. (31) David Starr, Chevrolet, 159.
    32. (37) Mike Harmon, Dodge, Suspension, 104.
    33. (30) Gray Gaulding(i), Chevrolet, Vibration, 65.
    34. (38) Josh Williams, Chevrolet, Electrical, 62.
    35. (11) Brandon Jones, Chevrolet, Accident, 60.
    36. (29) Reed Sorenson(i), Chevrolet, Electrical, 52.
    37. (27) Jeff Green, Chevrolet, Vibration, 50.
    38. (35) Angela Ruch, Chevrolet, Accident, 47.
    39. (39) Morgan Shepherd, Chevrolet, Handling, 25.
    40. (40) John Jackson, Dodge, Fuel Pump, 7.

  • NASCAR Racing Schedule for Texas

    NASCAR Racing Schedule for Texas

    NASCAR heads to Texas Motor Speedway this weekend with all three national series as the Playoffs continue. The Truck Series hits the track Friday for the JAG Metals 350 followed by the XFINITY Series O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 Saturday night. The Cup Series closes out the action Sunday at 2 p.m. on NBCSN with the AAA Texas 500.

    Please check below for the complete schedule of events. All times are Eastern.

    Thursday, Nov. 2

    On-Track:
    3-3:55 p.m.: World Truck Series Practice (Follow Live)
    5-5:55 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Final Practice (Follow Live)

    Friday, Nov. 3
    On-Track:
    1-2:25 p.m.: Cup Series First Practice – NBCSN/NBC Sports App
    3-3:45 p.m.: XFINITY Series First Practice – NBCSN/NBC Sports App
    4 p.m.: Truck Series Texas Keystone Light Pole Qualifying – FS1
    5-5:55 p.m.: XFINITY Series Final Practice – NBC Sports App
    6:15 p.m.: Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – NBC Sports App (Will air tape delayed on NBCSN at 11:30 p.m.)
    8 p.m.: Truck Series JAG Metals 350 Driving Hurricane Harvey Relief (147 laps, 220.5 miles) – FS1

    Garage Cam: (Watch live)
    12:30 p.m.: Cup Series
    2:30 p.m.: XFINITY Series

    Press Conferences: (Watch live)
    11 a.m.: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Appreci88tion
    11:30 a.m.: Erik Jones
    11:45 a.m.: Chase Elliott
    Noon: Ryan Blaney
    12:15 p.m.: Jimmie Johnson
    12:40 p.m.: Cole Custer, Brennan Poole, Matt Tifft
    3:15 p.m.: Martin Truex Jr.
    3:45 p.m.: Richard Petty Motorsports announcement
    7:15 p.m.: Post-Cup Series Qualifying (time approx.)
    10:15 p.m.: Post-Truck Series Race (time approx.)

    Saturday, Nov. 4

    On-Track:
    3-3:55 p.m.: Cup Series Second Practice – CNBC/NBC Sports App
    5-5:50 p.m.: Cup Series Final Practice – CNBC/NBC Sports App
    6:05 p.m.: XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – CNBC/NBC Sports App
    8:30 p.m.: XFINITY Series O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 (200 laps, 300 miles) – NBCSN/NBC Sports App

    Press Conference: (Watch live)
    11 p.m.: Post-XFINITY Series Race (time approx.)

    Sunday, Nov. 5

    On-Track:
    2 p.m.: Cup Series AAA Texas 500 (334 laps, 501 miles) – NBCSN/NBC Sports App

    Press Conference: (Watch live)
    5:30 p.m.: Post-Cup Series Race (time approx.)

    Complete TV Schedule

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

    Race Details:

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series 
    Race: JAG Metals 350
    Place: Texas Motor Speedway
    Date: Friday, Nov. 3
    Time: 8 p.m. ET
    TV: FS1, 7:30 p.m. ET
    Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    Distance: 220.5 miles (147 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 35), Stage 2 (Ends on lap 70), Final Stage (Ends on lap 147)

    NASCAR XFINITY Series
    Race: O’Reilly Auto Parts 300
    Place: Texas Motor Speedway
    Date: Saturday, Nov. 4
    Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
    TV: NBCSN, 8 p.m. ET
    Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    Distance: 300 miles (200 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 45), Stage 2 (Ends on lap 90), Final Stage (Ends on lap 200)

    Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
    Race: AAA Texas 500
    Place: Texas Motor Speedway
    Date: Sunday, Nov. 5
    Time: 2 p.m. ET
    TV: NBCSN, 1:30 p.m. ET
    Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio                   
    Distance: 501 miles (334 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 85), Stage 2 (Ends on lap 170), Final Stage (Ends on lap 334)

     

  • Christopher Bell gets first NASCAR XFINITY Series win at Kansas

    Christopher Bell gets first NASCAR XFINITY Series win at Kansas

    By Reid Spencer | NASCAR Wire Service

    KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Saturday’s Kansas Lottery 300 may have been the opening race in the Round of 8 of the NASCAR XFINITY Series Playoff, but the real drama involved two Joe Gibbs Racing teammates outside the championship battle.

    On Lap 197 of 200 at Kansas Speedway, Christopher Bell caught and passed Erik Jones for the lead, clearing Jones’ No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota with a slide job and drifting up to the outside wall right in front of his JGR teammate.

    Under a full head of steam, Jones plowed into the back of Bell’s No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, wrecking the No. 20 Camry, which slowed markedly and finished 15th, a lap down.

    Bell took the checkered flag with polesitter Tyler Reddick and some hard feelings on Jones’ part in his wake.

    “It’s not dirt racing,” Jones complained, referencing Bell’s dirt-track background. “He’s not clear. I can’t just stop on the top. I didn’t expect him to drive in on the bottom so hard he wouldn’t be able to hold his lane.

    “It’s unfortunate. I thought we were going to race for the win, and unfortunately, it wasn’t much of a race—it was more of a wreck. We’ll just have to move on.”

    Jones had led four times for 186 laps before Bell ran him down from more than two seconds back in the closing laps. The series leader in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Bell got the victory in his fifth start, becoming the first driver to get his maiden XFINITY win at the 1.5-mile track.

    Bell also is the 10th straight different winner in the series.

    “I never want to wreck anyone, especially my teammate,” Bell said. “I don’t know. My spotter said ‘Clear.’ I drove it in really deep. I felt like I cleared him – I don’t know.

    “It’s my first XFINITY win. I’m sorry that Erik didn’t finish the race, but, man, I’m just stoked. This thing was awesome. To be able to win in the XFINITY Series is something I dreamed of as a kid. We were both on old tires. We were sliding around.

    “Bummed for the way it finished, but I’m glad it held on, man. I was getting tire smoke in the car there those last couple of laps, and I was worried we weren’t going to make it.”

    Ryan Blaney ran third, followed by playoff drivers and JR Motorsports teammates William Byron and Justin Allgaier, the latter of whom collected 11 stage points and took over the top spot in the standings by two points over Byron, who had to start from the rear of the field because of unapproved pre-race adjustments to his No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet.

    Elliott Sadler, another JRM entry, recovered from a spin in Turn 4 on Lap 76 to finish seventh and is third in the Playoff standings, 11 points behind Allgaier.

    “A tire came apart—I don’t know whether I ran over something or not,” said Sadler, who turned sideways in the path of oncoming traffic. Eventual sixth-place finisher Austin Dillon did a masterful job of avoiding Sadler’s spinning car.

    “I gave ‘em a big target, but nobody hit us,” a relieved Sadler said after the race.

    Beyond the top three Playoff positions, little was decided. With two races left in the Round of 8, there’s an eight-point gap between fourth-place Brennan Poole, who ran 12th on Saturday, and eighth-place Cole Custer, who brought his No. 00 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford to pit road with two laps left because of a cut tire and finished 19th, two laps down.

    NASCAR XFINITY Series Race – Kansas Lottery 300 – Kansas Speedway

    1. (4) Christopher Bell(i), Toyota, 200.
    2. (1) Tyler Reddick, Chevrolet, 200.
    3. (3) Ryan Blaney(i), Ford, 200.
    4. (6) William Byron # (P), Chevrolet, 200.
    5. (13) Justin Allgaier (P), Chevrolet, 200.
    6. (5) Austin Dillon(i), Chevrolet, 200.
    7. (11) Elliott Sadler (P), Chevrolet, 200.
    8. (8) Matt Tifft # (P), Toyota, 200.
    9. (16) Ty Dillon(i), Chevrolet, 200.
    10. (15) Ryan Reed (P), Ford, 200.
    11. (12) Brandon Jones, Chevrolet, 200.
    12. (9) Brennan Poole (P), Chevrolet, 200.
    13. (24) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, 200.
    14. (20) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 199.
    15. (2) Erik Jones(i), Toyota, 199.
    16. (19) Dylan Lupton, Toyota, 199.
    17. (21) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 199.
    18. (10) Daniel Hemric # (P), Chevrolet, 199.
    19. (7) Cole Custer # (P), Ford, 198.
    20. (23) JJ Yeley, Toyota, 198.
    21. (14) Spencer Gallagher #, Chevrolet, 197.
    22. (31) Quin Houff, Chevrolet, 196.
    23. (18) Blake Koch, Chevrolet, 196.
    24. (28) Harrison Rhodes, Chevrolet, 195.
    25. (22) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 195.
    26. (17) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 194.
    27. (32) David Starr, Chevrolet, 194.
    28. (34) Garrett Smithley, Chevrolet, 192.
    29. (36) Mario Gosselin, Chevrolet, 192.
    30. (35) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 192.
    31. (40) Bobby Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 188.
    32. (26) BJ McLeod, Chevrolet, 188.
    33. (38) Spencer Boyd, Chevrolet, 188.
    34. (33) Josh Berry, Toyota, Engine, 182.
    35. (39) Jennifer Jo Cobb(i), Chevrolet, 139.
    36. (30) Timmy Hill, Dodge, Vibration, 36.
    37. (37) Morgan Shepherd, Chevrolet, Suspension, 24.
    38. (27) Reed Sorenson(i), Chevrolet, Handling, 7.
    39. (29) Gray Gaulding(i), Chevrolet, Brakes, 3.
    40. (25) Jeff Green, Chevrolet, Handling, 2.

    Average Speed of Race Winner: 141.158 mph.
    Time of Race: 02 Hrs, 07 Mins, 31 Secs. Margin of Victory: 2.670 Seconds.
    Caution Flags: 4 for 20 laps.
    Lead Changes: 8 among 5 drivers.

    Lap Leaders: T. Reddick 0; E. Jones(i) 1-51; T. Reddick 52-54; E. Jones(i) 55-81; R. Blaney(i) 82-84; E. Jones(i) 85-93; T. Dillon(i) 94-97; E. Jones(i) 98-196; C. Bell(i) 197-200.

    Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): E. Jones(i) 4 times for 186 laps; T. Dillon(i) 1 time for 4 laps; C. Bell(i) 1 time for 4 laps; T. Reddick 1 time for 3 laps; R. Blaney(i) 1 time for 3 laps.

    Stage #1 Top Ten: 20,22,42,2,18,1,48,7,21,00
    Stage #2 Top Ten: 20,22,7,18,42,9,00,48,21,2

  • NASCAR Racing Schedule for Kansas

    NASCAR Racing Schedule for Kansas

  • Alex Bowman Drives to Victory at Charlotte in First XFINITY Start This Season

    Alex Bowman Drives to Victory at Charlotte in First XFINITY Start This Season

    CONCORD, N.C. — Alex Bowman claimed his first NASCAR national series victory Saturday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the rain-delayed XFINITY Series race.

    In his first XFINITY start this season, he led 32 laps in the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Chevrolet, capturing the Drive for The Cure 300 checkered flag on his way to Victory Lane. Next year, Bowman will take over the Hendrick Motorsports No. 88 Chevrolet in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series after Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s retirement.

    “It’s a dream come true,” said Bowman, who admitted to being slightly rusty in his return to competition. “I’ve got to thank Mr. Hendrick and Chip and everybody that made this possible. It’s been a long time since I’ve raced, so to come here and be as competitive as we were all night, even until that last restart, I was really pleased with how competitive we were.”

    Sam Hornish Jr. finished second for Team Penske in his fifth XFINITY start this season while Ryan Blaney, Austin Dillon and Brennan Poole rounded out the top five finishers. The race was also the final event in the Playoff’s Round of 12, eliminating four drivers from the post-season championship Playoffs.

    William Byron, Justin Allgaier, Elliott Sadler, Daniel Hemric and Cole Custer secured their spots in the Round of 8 when points were awarded after the first two stages of the XFINITY race. They were joined by Poole, Matt Tifft and Ryan Reed, who earned one point more than Brendan Gaughan, at the completion of the Drive for The Cure 300.

    Reed spoke about going “all-in” during the Playoffs to gain that extra point by going three-wide with Gaughan and Byron at a critical point of the race.

    “I ran a pretty conservative race,” he said, “tried not to make too many radical moves and then there at the end I think in these Playoff races you have one or two moments where you have to lay it all out on the line and you have to go all-in so to speak. That was my moment to go all-in and it worked out. I’m glad.”

    Gaughan was eliminated as a championship contender along with Michael Annett, Blake Koch and Jeremy Clements.

    The next XFINITY Series race will be held at Kansas Speedway on Oct. 21.

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

    [pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Charlotte-NXS-results-N1729_UNOFFRES.pdf” title=”Charlotte NXS results N1729_UNOFFRES”]

  • NASCAR Racing Schedule for Charlotte – Updated

    NASCAR Racing Schedule for Charlotte – Updated

  • Ryan Blaney wins “Use Your Melon. Drive Sober 200” NASCAR XFINITY Series playoff race

    Ryan Blaney wins “Use Your Melon. Drive Sober 200” NASCAR XFINITY Series playoff race

    Ryan Blaney fondly remembers coming to race tracks as a child, and having lots of fun during many weekend afternoons.

    On Saturday, Blaney turned Dover International Speedway into his personal playground as he earned a victory in the “Use Your Melon. Drive Sober 200” NASCAR XFINITY Series playoff race.

    Blaney led 136 laps in the No. 22 Ford, collecting his second NASCAR XFINITY Series victory of the season and sixth overall.

    The 23-year-old dominated the final two stages of Saturday’s 200-mile race, which remained caution-free (aside from stage breaks) for the final 171 laps.

    “I can’t remember a race here where we ran that long on a green flag,” Blaney said. “[Our team] did a great job of improving the car all day long.”

    NASCAR XFINITY Series playoff contenders Justin Allgaier and William Byron placed second and third, respectively, improving their standing in the XFINITY Series postseason standings.

    Allgaier leads playoff grid by three points over Byron, followed by veteran Elliott Sadler (13 points back), Cole Custer (14 behind) and Daniel Hemric (17 behind).

    “We knew our car was really good on the long runs,” Allgaier said. “We kept getting messed up on restarts. It was still a good points day for us.”

    Byron, who earned the race’s pole position earlier on Saturday, led all 60 laps of the first stage, which included three cautions, including one for a wreck involving Brandon Jones and Jeff Green exiting Turn 3.

    “Definitely, the first stage was a ton of cautions and a ton of wrecks,” Byron said. “It definitely mellowed out. Our cars were strong all weekend and we had a good amount of speed. Overall, this is the day we needed.”

    Blaney took over from there, as he exited pit road with the lead, grabbed a strong start in clean air, and plowed through lapped traffic on the way to the checkered flag.

    “We knew our car had the best long run speed of any car,” said Greg Erwin, Blaney’s crew chief. “As soon as that sun popped out and we got into lapped traffic, we started to distance ourselves. The long green flag run was very important for us. Coming into the lead and being able to restart in clean air tips the scale in your favor at the end.”

    Blaney, who said afterward he prefers not to do burnouts after victories, gave the checkered flag to a young fan near the start-finish line. In his post-race news conference, Blaney said he was pleased to see many young fans lining the fences after the race.

    “I was a little kid, coming here and watching races,” Blaney said. “Anything we can do to keep people coming back is great. [The kid] was pretty happy when he got the flag.”

    Among other NASCAR XFINITY Series playoff contenders, Daniel Hemric finished fourth, Brennan Poole placed fifth and Matt Tifft finished seventh.

    Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series regular Daniel Suarez finished seventh, Ty Dillon placed 13th and his brother Austin Dillon finished 23rd.

    Blaney covered the 200 miles with an average speed of 111.975 mph in 1 hour, 47 minutes and 10 seconds.

  • Blaney Asserts his Dominance in NASCAR XFINITY Series Win at Dover

    Blaney Asserts his Dominance in NASCAR XFINITY Series Win at Dover

    By Reid Spencer | NASCAR Wire Service

    DOVER, Del. – Once Ryan Blaney got the lead in Saturday’s Use Your Melon. Drive Sober 200 at Dover International Speedway, it was “game over” in the second NASCAR XFINITY Series Playoff race of the season.

    After Playoff driver William Byron led every lap of the 60-circuit first stage and banked a playoff point, Blaney took the lead off pit road under caution on Lap 64. Blaney kept his No. 22 Team Penske Ford out front the rest of the way, except for one lap led by Daniel Suarez on pit road under caution after the conclusion of Stage 2.

    Playoff driver Justin Allgaier charged from fourth to second on the Lap 128 restart that began the final stage, which ran under a green flag to the finish. Though Allgaier was able to hold off Byron, his JR Motorsports teammate, and hold the series lead, he had nothing for Blaney, who finished 4.852 seconds ahead of Allgaier’s No. 7 Chevrolet.

    “It’s really hard to get a car like that, and, to be honest, we didn’t have it in the first run,” said laney, who will try to advance to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Round of 12 in Sunday’s Apache Warrior 400 (on NBCSN at 2 p.m. ET). “We were a little bit off on the first run. We made some great changes after the first stage to get it better to where it needs to be.

    “We actually got it better for the last run… As a driver, that’s all you can ask for, great changes throughout. It’s awesome to get to Victory Lane with (sponsor) Fitzgerald. This is really cool. We were close the first race this year and just didn’t quite get it, definitely learned a lot for tomorrow.”

    The victory was Blaney’s sixth in the series, his second this season and his first at the Monster Mile.

    Though he couldn’t catch Blaney over the final run, Allgaier also had reason to celebrate as the highest finishing series regular. Heading to Charlotte 54 points above the current cut line for the second round of the XFINITY Playoff, Allgaier is a virtual lock to advance.

    So is Byron, who chased Allgaier for the final 73 green-flag laps but couldn’t find a way past his teammate. Byron is 51 points above the cutoff with the Playoff field scheduled to be pared from 12 to eight drivers next Saturday at Charlotte.

    “I was trying to put it in Victory Lane,” Allgaier said. “We just needed a little more. I ran high some, low some. There at the end we made a great adjustment, and I was able to run the bottom, where I wanted to run all day.

    “It paid off. Obviously, second place is not quite Victory Lane, but in the points battle we’re playing, it’s pretty darn close.”

    In the battle to survive the Playoff cutoff, Brendan Gaughan gained ground with a 10th-place finish. Facing the elimination race at Charlotte, Gaughan is ninth in points, two behind eighth-place Ryan Reed, who finished a lap down in 16th-place at Dover.

    Playoff drivers Daniel Hemric, Brennan Poole and Matt Tifft came home fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively, to improve their chances to make the Round of 8. Daniel Suarez ran seventh, joining Blaney as the only non-XFINITY regulars to finish in the top 12.

    Rookie Cole Custer and regular-season champion Elliott Sadler, both well above the current cut line, ran eighth and ninth respectively.

    NASCAR XFINITY Series Race – Use Your Melon. Drive Sober 200
    Dover International Speedway – Dover, Delaware – Saturday, September 30, 2017
     

    1. (8) Ryan Blaney(i), Ford, 200.
    2. (4) Justin Allgaier (P), Chevrolet, 200.
    3. (1) William Byron # (P), Chevrolet, 200.
    4. (9) Daniel Hemric # (P), Chevrolet, 200.
    5. (7) Brennan Poole (P), Chevrolet, 200.
    6. (23) Matt Tifft # (P), Toyota, 200.
    7. (2) Daniel Suarez(i), Toyota, 200.
    8. (6) Cole Custer # (P), Ford, 200.
    9. (10) Elliott Sadler (P), Chevrolet, 200.
    10. (13) Brendan Gaughan (P), Chevrolet, 200.
    11. (16) Michael Annett (P), Chevrolet, 200.
    12. (12) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 200.
    13. (11) Ty Dillon(i), Chevrolet, 200.
    14. (21) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 199.
    15. (14) Corey LaJoie(i), Toyota, 199.
    16. (17) Ryan Reed (P), Ford, 198.
    17. (25) JJ Yeley, Toyota, 198.
    18. (18) Casey Mears, Ford, 198.
    19. (19) Blake Koch (P), Chevrolet, 198.
    20. (3) Erik Jones(i), Toyota, 198.
    21. (27) Ray Black II, Chevrolet, 198.
    22. (22) Jeremy Clements (P), Chevrolet, 198.
    23. (26) Austin Dillon(i), Chevrolet, 198.
    24. (20) Spencer Gallagher Jr. #, Chevrolet, 198.
    25. (29) Brandon Brown, Chevrolet, 197.
    26. (5) Tyler Reddick, Chevrolet, 197.
    27. (28) BJ McLeod, Chevrolet, 194.
    28. (35) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 194.
    29. (30) Garrett Smithley, Chevrolet, 194.
    30. (39) Josh Bilicki, Chevrolet, 192.
    31. (37) Mike Harmon, Dodge, Clutch, 87.
    32. (36) Morgan Shepherd, Chevrolet, Suspension, 43.
    33. (38) Timmy Hill, Chevrolet, Overheating, 35.
    34. (40) Gray Gaulding(i), Chevrolet, Electrical, 31.
    35. (24) Reed Sorenson(i), Chevrolet, Accident, 25.
    36. (34) Chad Finchum, Chevrolet, Accident, 25.
    37. (31) Harrison Rhodes, Chevrolet, Engine, 17.
    38. (32) David Starr, Chevrolet, Accident, 7.
    39. (15) Brandon Jones, Chevrolet, Accident, 4.
    40. (33) Jeff Green, Chevrolet, Accident, 4.

     

    Average Speed of Race Winner:  111.975 mph.
    Time of Race:  1 Hrs, 47 Mins, 10 Secs. Margin of Victory:  4.852 Seconds.
    Caution Flags:  5 for 28 laps.
    Lead Changes:  4 among 3 drivers.

    Lap Leaders:   W. Byron # (P) 1-62; D. Suarez(i) 63; R. Blaney(i) 64-122; D. Suarez(i) 123; R. Blaney(i) 124-200.
    Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  R. Blaney(i) 2 times for 136 laps; W. Byron # (P) 1 time for 62 laps; D. Suarez(i) 2 times for 2 laps.

    Stage #1 Top Ten: 9,22,18,7,20,1,42,00,21,48

    Stage #2 Top Ten: 22,9,7,18,1,42,00,21,48,20