Testing SpeedwayMedia.com

Category: RC XFINITY

Race Central NASCAR XFINITY Series news and information

  • Weekend schedule for Nashville

    Weekend schedule for Nashville

    This weekend the NASCAR Cup Series travels to Nashville Superspeedway for the fourth consecutive year. Chevrolet has dominated the series at the 1.33-mile concrete track. Ross Chastain is the defending Cup Series race winner as Hendrick Motorsports teammates Chase Elliott (2022) and Kyle Larson (2021) also return as previous winners.

    Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race is the 25th event for the series at Nashville. But only two past winners, Justin Allgaier (2022) and AJ Allmendinger (2023), are entered in this year’s race.

    The NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series returns to competition Friday evening after a 3-week break for the final race of the 2024 Triple Truck Challenge. Current Cup Series driver, Carson Hocevar, is the defending race winner.

    Clint Bowyer will make his first NASCAR start since his retirement in 2020 and his first at Nashville Superspeedway. Bowyer will drive the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet in this weekend’s Truck Series Rackley Roofing 200.

    NASCAR Press Pass will be available post-race for all series and post-Cup Series qualifying.

    All times are Eastern

    Friday, June 28
    4:30 p.m.: Truck Series Practice
    Timed: All Entries, 20 Minutes – FS2

    5 p.m.: Truck Series Qualifying
    Impound: All Entries, Single Vehicle, 1 Lap – FS2

    8 p.m.: Truck Series Rackley Roofing 200
    Distance: 199.5 miles (150 Laps)
    Stages end on Lap 45, Lap 95, Lap 150
    FS2/MRN/SiriusXM
    Purse: $897,631

    Saturday, June 29
    Noon: Xfinity Series Practice
    Timed: Groups 1 & 2, 15 minutes each – USA

    12:30 p.m.: Xfinity Series Qualifying
    Impound: All Entries, Single Vehicle, 1 Lap – USA

    2:05 p.m.: Cup Series Practice
    Timed: Groups A & B, 20 minutes each
    USA/PRN/SiriusXM

    2:50 p.m. Cup Series Qualifying
    Impound: Groups A & B, Single Vehicle/1 Lap/2 Rounds
    USA/PRN/SiriusXM

    5 p.m.: Xfinity Tennessee Lottery 250
    Distance: 250.04 miles (188 Laps)
    Stages end on Lap 45, Lap 90, Lap 188
    USA/PRN/SiriusXM
    Purse: $1,420,381

    Sunday, June 30
    3:3 p.m.: Cup Series Ally 400
    Distance: 399 miles (300 Laps)
    Stages end on Lap 90, Lap 185, Lap 300
    NBC/PRN/SiriusXM
    Purse: $8,915,372

  • Bell survives overtime shootout for fourth consecutive Xfinity victory at New Hampshire

    Bell survives overtime shootout for fourth consecutive Xfinity victory at New Hampshire

    Christopher Bell remains undefeated in four NASCAR Xfinity Series career starts at New Hampshire Motor Speedway after prevailing in an overtime battle against teammate Sheldon Creed and Cole Custer to win the SciAps 200 on Saturday, June 22.

    The 2024 Coca-Cola 600 champion from Norman, Oklahoma, led twice for 43 of 203 over-scheduled laps in an event where he started in 23rd place based on a qualifying metric formula as the event’s qualifying session was canceled due to on-track precipitation. After methodically carving his way to the front, Bell assumed the lead for the first time at the start of the second stage period on Lap 52 and he would proceed to capture the second stage victory on Lap 90.

    Despite losing the lead to Cole Custer at the start of the final stage period with 95 laps remaining, Bell remained upfront and withstood a series of late-race caution periods to restart alongside Custer on the front row as the event was sent into overtime. Then during the event’s only overtime attempt, Bell seized an opportunity amid a late-race battle between Custer and teammate Sheldon Creed to make a three-wide move on both through the frontstretch to start the final lap. He then overtook both through the first two turns and retained the top spot through the final two turns to claim his fourth consecutive Xfinity Series checkered flag at the Magic Mile and in his first Xfinity start of the 2024 season.

    On-track qualifying was scheduled for Friday, June 21, but was canceled due to on-track precipitation. The starting lineup for the main event was determined through a qualifying metric formula. As a result, Cole Custer was awarded the pole position and shared the front row with rookie Chandler Smith.

    Before the event, Parker Retzlaff dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments to his No. 31 Jordan Anderson Racing Chevrolet Camaro entry. He was also assessed a stop-and-go penalty at the start of the event.

    Prior to the field entering the track for pace laps, NASCAR directed the teams to change to wet weather tires on their respective entries due to this weekend’s on-track precipitation and with more wet weather looming near the circuit.

    When the green flag waved and the race started, the field jumbled up and scattered as Matt DiBenedetto, who qualified in 10th place and started alongside teammate Ryan Sieg in the fifth row, struggled to launch at the start and through the frontstretch. During the early chaos, Custer muscled his No. 00 Haas Automation Ford Mustang ahead with the lead from the outside lane. He would retain the lead from the backstretch and back to the frontstretch, where he would lead the first lap ahead of teammate Riley Herbst and Chandler Smith.

    During the next four laps, Custer extended his advantage to a second over teammate Herbst while Chandler Smith, Sam Mayer and Sammy Smith trailed in the top five, with the latter trailing by two seconds. Chandler Smith would then slowly drift out of the top five while battling handling issues to his entry as Parker Kligerman overtook him for fifth place. Sheldon Creed, Austin Hill, Justin Allgaier and Corey Heim would all overtake Chandler Smith, who would soon lose 10th place to Anthony Alfredo, as Kligerman was being challenged Creed, Hill and Allgaier for fifth place.

    Through the first 10 scheduled laps, Custer was leading by nine-tenths of a second over teammate Herbst followed by Mayer, Hill and Sammy Smith while Allgaier, Heim, Creed, Jeremy Clements and Kligerman occupied the top 10 spots on the track. Behind, Alfredo was in 11th place ahead of Christopher Bell, who carved his way up to the top 12 on the track after starting 23rd, while rookie Jesse Love, AJ Allmendinger and Ryan Sieg were running in the top 15.

    Shortly after, a competition caution was flown as NASCAR analyzed the track to determine if it was still wet or not. With the track deemed dry, the field led by Custer pitted for slick, dry tires. Following the pit stops, Custer retained the lead after exiting pit road first as Hill, Sammy Smith, Bell, Creed and Mayer followed suit in the top six.

    When the event restarted under green on Lap 16, Hill challenged Custer for the lead through the first two turns before he muscled his No. 21 Bennett Transportation Chevrolet Camaro ahead through the backstretch. Hill retained the lead over Custer for the following lap while Bell was intimidating Sammy Smith for third place. Amid the early battles around the circuit, Custer reassumed the lead from Hill by Lap 18 and he would retain the lead by the Lap 20 mark while Sammy Smith retained third place ahead of Bell and Creed.

    At the Lap 25 mark, Custer stretched his advantage to more than a second over Hill while Bell was up to third place after he overtook Sammy Smith for the spot. Corey Heim, who was making his eighth Xfinity Series start of the 2024 season with Sam Hunt Racing, occupied fifth place ahead of Herbst, Creed, Mayer, AJ Allmendinger and Allgaier while Kligerman, Ryan Sieg, Alex Bowman, Clements and Chandler Smith followed suit in the top 15 ahead of Jesse Love, Justin Bonsignore, Jeb Burton, Carson Kvapil and Brennan Poole.

    Two laps later, the event’s second caution flew due to Patrick Emerling stalling his SS-Green Light Racing entry off of Turn 2. During the caution period, select names including Allgaier, teammate Brandon Jones, Retzlaff, Leland Honeyman, rookie Shane van Gisbergen and newcomer Justin Bonsignore pitted while the rest led by Custer remained on the track.

    As the event restarted under green on Lap 33, Custer rocketed away from Hill and the field entering the first two turns while Bell overtook Hill for the runner-up spot. Heim would move his No. 26 Yahoo! Toyota Supra to third place as he also overtook Hill for the spot while Custer retained the lead for the following lap. The caution would then return by Lap 34 as Kligerman, who was racing in eighth place, received a tap from Allmendinger that sent Kligerman’s No. 48 Spiked Coolers Chevrolet Camaro spun towards the outside wall in between Turns 1 and 2.

    During the caution period, some led by Custer and including Bell, Hill, Creed, Heim, Chandler Smith and Jesse Love pitted while the rest led by Sammy Smith remained on the track.

    The start of the next restart period on Lap 39 featured Sammy Smith retaining the lead while Mayer and Alex Bowman battled for the runner-up spot. Mayer would then muscle through and overtake teammate Sammy Smith to assume the lead during the following lap as Herbst, Allmendinger and Bowman battled for third place.

    When the first stage period concluded on Lap 45, Mayer, winner of last weekend’s Xfinity Series event at Iowa Speedway, secured his first Xfinity stage victory of the 2024 season. Teammate Sammy Smith fended off Herbst for the runner-up spot as they were followed by Allmendinger and Allgaier while Bowman, Kvapil, Ryan Sieg, Jeb Burton and Bonsignore were scored in the top 10. By then, Bell was up to 11th place while Creed, Hill, Custer, Chandler Smith and Heim were trailing in the top 21 on the track.

    Under the stage break, some led by Mayer and including those who did not during the previous caution period pitted while the rest led by Bonsignore and Bell remained on the track.

    The second stage period started on Lap 52 as teammates Bonsignore and Bell occupied the front row. At the start and with the field fanning out to three lanes through the frontstretch, Bonsignore struggled to launch at the start while Bell received a push from teammate Creed to assume the lead. Bonsignore would retain second place ahead of teammate Creed, Brandon Jones and Hill while teammate Bell retained the lead for the following lap. Bell would proceed to lead by half a second over teammate Bonsignore, who kept Bell’s No. 20 Mobil 1 Toyota Supra close in his front windshield, while Custer was trying to carve his way back into the top five as he trailed Creed, Hill and Heim in sixth place.

    Through the Lap 60 mark, Bell extended his advantage to a second over teammate Bonsignore while teammate Creed was trying to retain third place ahead of Heim, Custer, Chandler Smith, Brandon Jones and Hill, all of whom trailed Creed by a second. Meanwhile, Allgaier, who pitted during the first stage break period due to concerns of smoke coming out of his No. 7 BRANDT Chevrolet Camaro, was in ninth place as he trailed the lead by five seconds while Kligerman was up to 10th place. Behind, Jesse Love, Mayer, Sammy Smith, DiBenedetto and Alfredo occupied the top 15 while Allmendinger, Kyle Weatherman, Ryan Sieg, Bowman and Kvapil trailed in the top 20.

    Ten laps later, Bell stretched his lead to another second as he was leading by two seconds over teammate Bonsignore while third-place Creed retained third place as he trailed teammate Bell by five seconds. Behind, Custer and Heim were in the top five while Chandler Smith, the fourth Joe Gibbs Racing competitor, was up to sixth place ahead of Allgaier, Hill, Brandon Jones and Kligerman.

    By Lap 80 and with the leaders lapping the rear end of the field, Bell stabilized his advantage to two seconds over teammate Bonsignore. Behind, Custer, who trailed the lead by more than five seconds, was up to third place and Creed dropped to fourth while Chandler Smith was up to fifth place ahead of Allgaier and Heim.

    When the second stage period concluded on Lap 90, Bell cruised to his first Xfinity stage victory in his first Xfinity start of the 2024 season. Teammate Bonsignore settled in second as he trailed Bell by four seconds followed by Custer, Creed and Chandler Smith while Allgaier, Heim, Brandon Jones, Hill and Kligerman were scored in the top 10.

    During the stage break, the lead lap field led by Bell pitted for service. Following the pit stops, Custer returned atop the leaderboard after he exited pit road first ahead of Bell, Chandler Smith, Creed and Bonsignore. Allgaier slid through his pit box and endured a slow pit service as he exited the pits in 25th place.

    With 102 laps remaining, the final stage commenced as Custer and Bell occupied the front row. At the start, Custer launched ahead of Bell from the outside lane while Chandler Smith tried to challenge Bell for the runner-up spot. Bell then tried to draw even with Custer through the first two turns, but Custer retained the lead through the backstretch. Bell then got briefly loose entering Turn 3, which allowed teammate Chandler Smith to assume the runner-up spot while Custer retained the lead during the following lap. Then just as the event reached its halfway mark on Lap 100, the caution returned after Armani Williams spun in Turn 4.

    With the event restarting under green with 95 laps remaining, Custer gained another strong start from the outside lane to retain the lead while Chandler Smith battled and prevailed in a brief battle over teammate Bell for the runner-up spot. Teammate Bonsignore followed suit in fourth along with Heim and Creed while Hill and Sammy Smith battled for seventh place in front of Herbst and Kligerman. Amid the battles within the field, Custer continued to lead by half a second over a side-by-side battle between teammates Chandler Smith and Bell.

    With 80 laps remaining, Custer stretched his advantage to a second over Chandler Smith while Smith’s Toyota teammates that included Bell, Bonsignore, Creed and Heim followed suit in the top six. Herbst, Sammy Smith, Hill and Mayer trailed in the top 10 while Ryan Sieg, Kligerman, Allmendinger, Bowman and Allgaier were running in the top 15 ahead of Kvapil, Brandon Jones, Love, van Gisbergen and DiBenedetto.

    Ten laps later, Custer added another second to his advantage and was now leading by two seconds over Bell. Bonsignore was up to third place after he prevailed in an earlier battle with teammate Chandler Smith for the spot, as he overtook Smith from the outside lane. With Smith dropping to fourth place, teammate Creed retained fifth place as he trailed Smith by half a second while Heim was scored in sixth place ahead of Herbst, Sammy Smith, Hill and Mayer.

    Another 10 laps later, Custer stretched his advantage to three seconds over Bell while third-place Bonsignore also trailed by three seconds, but by seven-tenths of a second to teammate Bell. With the event remaining under green flag conditions despite light precipitation being reported around the circuit, Custer, who was nearing his fuel window, retained the lead as Bell, Sammy Smith and Herbst pitted under green with 51 laps remaining.

    The following lap, more green flag pit stops commenced as the leader Custer pitted along with Bonsignore, Heim, Hill, Allgaier, Allmendinger and Love before Chandler Smith, Creed, Mayer, Kligerman, van Gisbergen and DiBenedetto pitted with 49 laps remaining. During the pit stops, Kvapil, who had yet to pit, was leading and would continue to lead with 45 laps remaining while Brandon Jones, Bowman, Weatherman, Josh Williams, Alfredo and Retzlaff all trailed in the top seven as all have yet to pit.

    With 40 laps remaining, Kvapil, who was opting to stretch his fuel tank as far as he could, continued to lead ahead of teammate Jones, Bowman and Weatherman while Custer, the first competitor on four fresh tires and a full tank of fuel, carved his way up to fifth place as he trailed the lead by 12 seconds. Meanwhile, Bell was mired in eighth place and trailing Custer by four seconds while Chandler Smith, Creed and Bonsignore were back within the top 12.

    Four laps later, Bowman pitted his No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro from third place as Retzlaff would also pit under green. As Bowman was then assessed a penalty for an uncontrolled tire violation, Jones would pit his No. 9 Menards Chevrolet Camaro from the runner-up spot a few laps later before Kvapil surrendered the lead to pit his No. 88 Clarience Technologies Chevrolet Camaro with 34 laps remaining. As a result, Custer cycled his way back into the lead while Bell, Chandler Smith, Creed and Bonsignore moved back into the top five.

    The caution would then fly with 33 laps remaining after Armani Williams spun in the backstretch, which marked his second incident of the day. During the caution period, nearly the entire lead lap field led by Custer returned to pit road for service while Love and Kvapil remained on the track. Following the pit stops, Custer exited pit road first ahead of Bell, Chandler Smith, Kligerman, Sammy Smith, Hill, Creed and Bonsignore.

    The start of the following restart period with 26 laps remaining featured Kvapil receiving a push from Custer to shoot into the lead from the inside lane as Chandler Smith tried to make a three-wide move on Custer and Love through the frontstretch. With the move not prevailing for Smith, Custer would battle and overtake Love for the runner-up spot as he started to close in on Kvapil for the lead. Then as Custer attempted to draw even with Kvapil through the frontstretch, the caution returned after Chandler Smith spun his No. 81 Smith General Contracting Toyota Supra from fifth place after he made contact with teammate Creed in Turn 3.

    The start of the next restart period with 19 laps remaining did not last long as Sammy Smith made contact with Bonsignore as both Bonsignore and Mayer, who was racing beneath Sammy Smith at the moment of contact, spun together through Turns 1 and 2. At the same time, a chain reaction wreck occurred that collected Hill, van Gisbergen, Jones, Brennan Poole, Weatherman, Allmendinger and Bowman. At the moment of caution, Custer had managed to reassume the lead from Kvapil while Bell, Love, Creed and Allgaier were scored in the top six.

    Down to the final 12 laps of the event, the field restarted under green. At the start, Custer rocketed ahead of Kvapil from the outside lane with the lead while Bell was battling Kvapil for the runner-up spot. Creed then tried to ignite a three-wide battle between teammate Bell and Kvapil for the runner-up spot, but Bell prevailed in the battle as he assumed the spot followed by Creed and a hard-charging Allgaier, who was charging strong from the outside lane, while Kvapil dropped to fifth. The caution, however, would return during the following lap as Nathan Byrd and Hailie Deegan wrecked in Turn 4.

    With the event restarting under green with six laps remaining, Custer held a brief advantage entering the first two turns until Bell drew even with Custer through the backstretch. With both remaining dead even for the top spot during the following lap, Custer held the advantage by a hair over Bell while Creed followed in close pursuit in third place. As all three continued to battle closely for the lead, the caution returned for an incident involving Mason Massey and Deegan in Turn 2. At the moment of caution and with the event sent into overtime, Custer was deemed the leader over Bell as Creed, Allgaier and Kvapil were scored in the top five.

    The start of the first overtime attempt featured Custer gaining another strong start from the outside lane as he muscled ahead with the lead while Creed muscled his way up to second place from teammate Bell. Then as Custer retained the lead through the backstretch, he received a little bump from Creed entering the frontstretch, which allowed both Creed and Bell to make their move beneath Custer as Creed emerged ahead of both Custer and Bell by a hair to start the final lap of the event.

    Then entering Turns 1 and 2, Bell made the inside lane stick as he muscled ahead of both Custer and teammate Creed to assume the lead entering the backstretch. As Creed and Custer battled for the runner-up spot through the backstretch and in front of Allgaier, Bell was able to maintain his ground and make the final two turns stick as he cycled back to the frontstretch victorious by claiming the checkered flag by two-tenths of a second over Creed and by six-tenths of a second over Custer.

    With the victory, Bell notched his fourth consecutive Xfinity Series win in all four career starts at New Hampshire that includes the 2018, 2019 and 2021 seasons. He also recorded his 18th career victory in the series and his first since winning at New Hampshire in 2021 as he joined AJ Allmendinger as competitors to win in first four career starts at a track.

    In addition, Bell recorded the 13th Xfinity victory overall at New Hampshire for both the Toyota nameplate and Joe Gibbs Racing. He is the fourth Cup Series regular to win through the first 16 events of the 2024 Xfinity season, joining John Hunter Nemechek, Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott. He is also the fourth competitor overall to pilot the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Supra entry to a victory this season, including Nemechek, Aric Almirola and Ryan Truex.

    “I feel so bad for Sheldon [Creed],” Bell said on USA Network. “He’s been really, really close to winning these [races] and today, he did everything right to win that race. He restarted in the right lane, gave Cole [Custer] a good push and then coming to the white flag, he got Cole loose and that’s what opened the door for me. This Mobil 1 [Supra] was really, really good early in the race and once I lost the track position, I was just kind of another guy. Very fortunate to keep my undefeated streak alive. We got really lucky there. Everyone on this No. 20 car’s doing awesome.”

    Teammate Sheldon Creed, who led the penultimate lap before being overtaken by teammate Bell on the final lap, settled in second place for the third of the 2024 season and the 10th time in his career while Cole Custer, who led a race-high 114 laps, ended up in third place.

    “I feel like there’s a million things to do differently,” Creed said. “[Finishing second for the 10th time]’s not a stat I wanted to tie. Most seconds before a win. I thought when I got next to [Custer] off of [Turn] 4 coming to the white [flag], that was going to be my opportunity. Obviously, Bell got a good run and we shifted down there in [Turn] 1. I felt like I was gonna stay outside of him. I think [Custer] was able to stay close enough to me and me being free on the short run all day, just a little too free there to stay outside of [Bell]. Overall, a great day. I’ve been in the hunt the last four weeks, so just gonna keep working hard at it.”

    “I would’ve done the same thing [on Creed with the contact],” Custer said. “You’re racing for the win. It is what it is. Man, it just stings. I felt like we had the best car all day. That’s not easy to do at these flat short tracks. Our guys brought such a fast car. [I] Guess you get put in those late-race restarts six times or whatever, eventually, it’s probably not gonna going your way, but I’m gonna relive that, definitely, of what I could’ve done different. Maybe I could’ve protected a little bit more, but you watch the replay and it went perfectly wrong for us. Just got to keep digging. I’m really excited about what we can do. That was a really fast car. We got the points lead. Just got to keep knocking on the door.”

    Justin Allgaier rallied from his early issues on pit road to finish fourth while Carson Kvapil finished in fifth place for the third time in his first four Xfinity Series career starts.

    Ryan Sieg, Parker Kligerman, Riley Herbst, Alex Bowman and Corey Heim finished in the top 10. Notably, Justin Bonsignore, a three-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion who won the Modified event at New Hampshire hours before the Xfinity event, finished 22nd in his Xfinity Series debut while Sam Mayer, who won the first stage period, ended up in 19th place.

    *Matt DiBenedetto was disqualified from his 17th-place result due to three loose lug nuts that were discovered on his right-rear section of his car.

    There were 15 lead changes for 10 different leaders. The race featured 11 cautions for 58 laps. In addition, 29 of 38 starters finished on the lead lap.

    Following the 16th event of the 2024 Xfinity Series season, Cole Custer leads the regular-season standings by 15 points over Chandler Smith, 42 over Justin Allgaier, 69 over Austin Hill, 105 over Sheldon Creed and 111 over Riley Herbst.

    Results.

    1. Christopher Bell, 43 laps led, Stage 2 winner

    2. Sheldon Creed, one lap led

    3. Cole Custer, 114 laps led

    4. Justin Allgaier

    5. Carson Kvapil, 24 laps led

    6. Ryan Sieg

    7. Parker Kligerman

    8. Riley Herbst

    9. Alex Bowman

    10. Corey Heim

    11. AJ Allmendinger

    12. Sammy Smith, three laps led

    13. Jesse Love, three laps led

    14. Brandon Jones

    15. Chandler Smith, one lap led

    16. Brennan Poole

    17. Jeb Burton

    18. Shane van Gisbergen

    19. Sam Mayer, nine laps led, Stage 1 winner

    20. Anthony Alfredo

    21. Jeremy Clements

    22. Justin Bonsignore, three laps led

    23. Josh Williams

    24. Austin Hill, two laps led

    25. Kyle Weatherman

    26. Parker Retzlaff

    27. Blaine Perkins

    28. Glen Reen

    29. Garrett Smithley, one lap down

    30. Mason Massey, one lap down

    31. Kyle Sieg, two laps down

    32. Hailie Deegan, two laps down

    33. Armani Williams, five laps down

    34. Patrick Emerling, six laps down

    35. Ryan Ellis – OUT, DVP

    36. Nathan Byrd – OUT, Accident

    37. Leland Honeyman – OUT, Accident

    38. Matt DiBenedetto – Disqualified

    Next on the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule is Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, Tennessee, for the Tennessee Lottery 250. The event is scheduled to occur next Saturday, June 29, and air at 5 p.m. ET on USA Network.

  • NASCAR Weekend schedule for New Hampshire

    NASCAR Weekend schedule for New Hampshire

    This weekend the NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series head to New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Martin Truex Jr., who recently announced that this would be his final full-time season, is the defending race winner at the 1.058-mile track.

    So far this season, 10 different drivers have won Cup Series races and have guaranteed their spot in the Playoffs – William Byron, Daniel Suárez, Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott, Tyler Reddick, Brad Keselowski, Austin Cindric and Ryan Blaney. That leaves only six available spots up for grabs.

    Sam Mayer, Austin Hill, Chandler Smith, Justin Allgaier, Jesse Love, and Shane van Gisbergen have already raced their way into the Xfinity Series Playoffs via wins this year. Cole Custer has also earned a spot in the Playoffs as the points leader, leaving five available spots.

    The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is off and will return to competition on Friday, June 28 at Nashville Superspeedway.

    Friday, June 21
    2:30 p.m.: Whelen Modified Tour Practice – No TV
    5:45 p.m.: Whelen Modified Tour Qualifying – No TV

    4:05 p.m.: Xfinity Series Practice – USA – Canceled due to rain
    4:35 p.m.: Xfinity Series Qualifying – USA – Canceled due to rain

    Saturday, June 22

    10 a.m.:Whelen Modified Mohegan Sun 100 – FloRacing (Originally scheduled for 6:30 p.m.)
    12:35 p.m.: Cup Series Practice – USA/PRN/SiriusXM
    1:20 p.m.: Cup Series Qualifying – USA/PRN/SiriusXM
    Post-Cup Qualifying: NASCAR Press Pass

    3:30 p.m.: Xfinity Series SciAps 200 – USA/PRN/SiriusXM
    Distance: 211.6 miles (200 laps)
    Stages end on Laps 45, 90, 200
    Purse: $1,270,055
    Post Xfinity Race: NASCAR Press Pass
    6:30 p.m.: Whelen Modified Mohegan Sun 100 – FloRacing

    Sunday, June 23
    2:30 p.m.: Cup Series USA Today 301 – USA/PRN/SiriusXM
    Distance: 318.46 miles (301 Laps)
    Stages end on Laps 70, Lap 185, Lap 301
    Purse: $7,876,911 Post Cup Race: NASCAR Press Pass

  • Mayer survives overtime shootout for dramatic Xfinity victory at Iowa

    Mayer survives overtime shootout for dramatic Xfinity victory at Iowa

    Sam Mayer preserved his tires to the very end and fended off a late challenge from Riley Herbst during an overtime shootout to win the Hy-Vee PERKS 250 at Iowa Speedway on Saturday, June 15.

    The 20-year-old Mayer from Franklin, Wisconsin, led three times for 47 of 253 over-scheduled laps in an event where he started fifth and ran up front for the majority of the event. Amid a series of on-track carnages that knocked a multitude of front runners out of contention due to tire explosions, Mayer, who nearly wrecked at the start of the second stage period on Lap 82 but led for the first time on Lap 169, made the event’s final pass for the lead on Herbst with seven laps remaining. Then amid an overtime shootout, Mayer managed to fend off Herbst for two laps to score his second NASCAR Xfinity Series victory of the 2024 season and cap off an eventful afternoon of competition in Iowa Speedway’s return to hosting Xfinity events.

    With on-track qualifying that was scheduled to occur on Saturday canceled due to inclement weather, the starting lineup for the main event was determined through a performance metric system from the NASCAR Rule Book. As a result, Austin Hill was awarded the pole position.

    Rookie Shane van Gisbergen, winner of last weekend’s Xfinity event at Sonoma Raceway, was scheduled to start alongside Hill on the front row but he dropped to the rear of the field in a backup car after he wrecked his primary car during Friday’s practice session. Patrick Emerling also dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments made to his respective entry.

    When the green flag waved and the race started, Austin Hill muscled ahead with a brief advantage through the frontstretch until Justin Allgaier, who was scheduled to start in fourth place but moved up to start alongside Hill on the front row in second place, used the outside lane to his advantage as he rocketed his No. 7 BRANDT/Precision Build Chevrolet Camaro into the lead through the first two turns. Sheldon Creed then tried to battle Hill for the runner-up spot through the backstretch, but he slipped up the track while making light contact with Hill’s No. 21 Bennett Transportation Chevrolet Camaro. The contact cause Creed to slip into a side-by-side battle with Sam Mayer for third place as Hill retained second while Allgaier proceeded to lead the first lap.

    During the proceeding four laps, Creed retained third place while teammate Chandler Smith moved his No. 81 Mobil 1 Toyota Supra into fourth place over Mayer. Amid a flurry of battles ensuing within the middle of the pack, Brennan Poole got loose off the front nose of Sammy Smith and nearly slipped up the track and into the path of Jeremy Clements in Turn 3, but all kept their respective entries running straight. Amid the tight side-by-side battles as the competitors in the mid-pack region fanned out to multiple lanes, Allgaier retained the lead by nearly half a second over Hill as Chandler Smith, Creed and Mayer were running in the top five.

    Through the first 10 scheduled laps, Allgaier was leading by three-tenths of a second over Hill followed by Chandler Smith, Creed and John Hunter Nemechek while Mayer, Cole Custer, rookie Jesse Love, Riley Herbst and Corey Heim trailed in the top 10. Behind, Parker Kligerman followed suit in 11th place ahead of AJ Allmendinger, Ryan Sieg, Sammy Smith and Parker Retzlaff while Anthony Alfredo, Brandon Jones, Matt DiBenedetto, Brett Moffitt and Ross Chastain were in the top 20 ahead of Jeb Burton, Kyle Sieg, Brennan Poole, Leland Honeyman and Jeremy Clements. Meanwhile, Shane van Gisbergen was up to 33rd place while teammates Josh Williams and Daniel Dye were mired in 28th and 29th, respectively.

    Five laps later, Chandler Smith overtook Allgaier to assume the lead. Smith would stretch his advantage to a second over Allgaier by the Lap 20 mark as Nemechek and Creed were up to third and fourth, respectively. Meanwhile, Hill, who was battling loose conditions, dropped to fifth while Mayer, Custer, Love, Herbst and Allmendinger followed suit in the top 10.

    At the Lap 30 mark, Chandler Smith stabilized his advantage to more than a second over teammate Nemechek while third-place Creed, another Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, trailed by four seconds. In the midst of the three Joe Gibbs Racing competitors running first through third on the track, Allgaier trailed in fourth place by six seconds while Hill retained fifth. Allgaier and Hill would then battle for fourth place as Mayer, Custer, Herbst, Love and Allmendinger were in the top 10. By then, van Gisbergen was lapped by the leaders.

    Three laps later, the event’s first caution period flew after Allmendinger, who was running 10th, blew a right-front tire and veered dead straight into the Turn 4 outside wall at full speed before he parked his damaged No. 16 Cirkul Chevrolet Camaro on the frontstretch’s grass and retired from the event. During the event’s first caution period, nearly the entire field led by Chandler Smith pitted while the rest led by teammate Nemechek and including Jeremy Clements and Ryan Ellis remained on the track. Shortly after the pit stops, Brandon Jones nursed his No. 9 Menards Chevrolet Camaro back to pit road as smoke was seen billowing out of his car with the driver battling oil pressure issues that would send the Georgian to the garage.

    When the event restarted under green on Lap 42, Nemechek gained a brief advantage from the outside lane through the frontstretch, but he then went wide in Turn 1, which allowed Jeremy Clements to move his No. 51 Whitetail Smokeless Chevrolet Camaro into the lead from the inside lane. Clements would retain the lead through Lap 48 before Chandler Smith reassumed the lead. Smith would be followed by teammates Creed and Nemechek along with Mayer by the Lap 50 mark while Clements dropped to fifth ahead of Hill.

    By Lap 60, Chandler Smith extended his advantage to more than a second over teammate Creed as Mayer, Nemechek and Custer trailed in the top five. Behind, Allgaier was up to sixth place and Clements dropped to seventh place, with Sammy Smith, Herbst and Moffitt following suit in the top 10 ahead of Love, Hill, Heim, Chastain and Ryan Sieg.

    Nearing the Lap 70 mark, Chandler Smith continued to extend his advantage as he was leading by nearly three seconds over teammate Creed while JR Motorsports’ Mayer, Allgaier and Sammy Smith were up in the top five. Meanwhile, Nemechek dropped to ninth as he trailed Custer, teammate Moffitt and Heim on the track as Love occupied 10th place.

    Two laps later, the event’s second caution period flew after Jeb Burton, who was running 14th, blew a right-front tire and scrubbed the outside wall through Turns 1 and 2. Burton’s incident was enough for the first stage period scheduled to conclude on Lap 75 to officially conclude under caution as Chandler Smith claimed his fourth Xfinity stage victory of the 2024 season. Teammate Creed followed suit in second ahead of Mayer, Allgaier and Sammy Smith while Custer, Moffitt, Heim, Nemechek and Love were scored in the top 10.

    Under the stage break, the entire lead lap field led by Chandler Smith pitted for service. Following the pit stops, Chandler Smith retained the lead after exiting first followed by teammate Creed, Custer, Sammy Smith, Mayer and Moffitt.

    The second stage period started on Lap 82 as teammates Chandler Smith and Creed occupied the front row. At the start, both Joe Gibbs Racing teammates dueled for the lead until Smith muscled ahead from the outside lane while Creed got loose on the inside lane. Creed was then placed in a tight four-wide battle against Herbst, Mayer and Moffitt for fourth place through the backstretch while Custer and Sammy Smith grabbed second and third, respectively, through the backstretch.

    Mayer then slid sideways after getting hit by Moffitt through Turns 3 and 4, but he kept his car running straight as the oncoming field behind scattered and fanned out to avoid hitting him. Amid the war of attrition in the middle of the pack, Chandler Smith proceeded to lead Custer by a tenth of a second by the Lap 85 mark while third-place Sammy Smith trailed by four-tenths of a second in third.

    On Lap 87, the caution returned after van Gisbergen, who was mired in the top 25, got loose entering the backstretch and slipped up the track and into Blaine Perkins, which resulted in Perkins slapping the outside wall as van Gisbergen slid down the track and was hit hard by Kyle Weatherman, which took all three out of contention and spoiled van Gisbergen’s hopes of winning three consecutive Xfinity races.

    As the event restarted under green on Lap 96, the two Smiths, Chandler and Sammy, battled for the lead, with the former edging ahead for nearly a lap from the outside lane until Sammy mounted the pressure on Chandler for the top spot after the latter slipped up the track. With the battle for the lead intensifying during the following lap, Chandler Smith would muscle ahead followed by Custer while Sammy Smith slipped to third. Behind, Chastain and Moffitt carved their way up to fourth and fifth, respectively, while Love trailed in sixth as Chandler Smith was leading by two-tenths of a second by the Lap 100 mark.

    Fifteen laps later, Chandler Smith was leading by more than a second over Custer followed by Sammy Smith, Moffitt and Love while Chastain, Nemechek, Herbst, Allgaier and Mayer were in the top 10. Behind, Heim trailed in 11th place ahead of Creed, Kligerman, Ryan Sieg and Hill while Ryan Ellis, Leland Honeyman, Daniel Dye, Brennan Poole and Clements were scored in the top 20.

    Then on Lap 123 and with a multitude of competitors battling for car control on the track’s paved surface, the caution flew after Patrick Emerling spun in Turn 1. During the caution period, some including Moffitt, Hill, Josh Williams, Ryan Sieg, Kligerman, Clements, Dawson Cram and Joey Gase pitted while the rest led by Chandler Smith remained on the track.

    With the event restarting under green on Lap 132, Chandler Smith muscled ahead of Custer to retain the lead as Custer slipped through the first two turns. Custer’s misfortune cost him three spots as Sammy Smith, Chastain and Allgaier all moved up the leaderboard. Soon after, Allgaier and Custer made contact, but they continued to race in the top 10 as the field fanned out. Amid the battles in the middle of the pack, the battle for the lead between the two Smiths, Chandler and Sammy, began to intensify as the latter challenged the former for the top spot. Chastain and Mayer would close in to make the battle for the lead a four-car battle while Chandler Smith retained the top spot.

    Just past the Lap 140 mark, Chandler Smith continued to lead by three-tenths of a second over Sammy Smith as Mayer, Chastain and Creed followed suit within a second in the top five. Behind, Heim was up to sixth place while Allgaier, Herbst, Love and Custer trailed in the top 10 ahead of Hill, DiBenedetto, Nemechek, Daniel Dye and Moffitt.

    Then on the final lap of the second stage period, the caution flew due to 14th-place runner Love cutting a right-front tire and going dead straight into the outside wall in between Turns 3 and 4 as his event came a late end. The drama for Love would continue as his damaged No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet Camaro went up in flames while being towed back to the garage.

    Love’s incident was enough for the second stage period scheduled to conclude on Lap 150 to officially conclude under caution as Chandler Smith captured his fifth Xfinity stage victory of the 2024 season and second of the day. Mayer muscled his way up to second place as he was followed by Chastain, Heim and Sammy Smith while Creed, Allgaier, Herbst, Custer and Hill were scored in the top 10.

    During the stage break, nearly the entire lead lap field led by Chandler Smith returned to pit road for service while Josh Williams remained on the track, with the latter assuming the lead. Amid the pit stops, Ryan Sieg exited pit road second after he opted for a full tank of fuel to his entry.

    With 90 laps remaining, the final stage commenced as Williams and Ryan Sieg occupied the front row. At the start, Chandler Smith tried to force his way in between both for the lead, but Sieg muscled ahead with the lead. In addition, Mayer overtook both to assume the runner-up while Chandler Smith slipped. This resulted with Smith dropping out of race-winning contention and out of the top 10 on the track while Sieg was leading ahead of Mayer and a bevy of battles ensuing behind them.

    With 80 laps remaining, Mayer, who overtook Ryan Sieg for the lead two laps earlier, was leading by six-tenths of a second over Creed followed by Ryan Sieg, Custer and Moffitt while Nemechek, Heim, Hill, Williams and Sammy Smith were in the top 10. Meanwhile, Chandler Smith was still mired in 12th.

    Ten laps later, Mayer stabilized his advantage to half a second over Creed as Custer, Nemechek and Moffitt trailed in the top five. Behind, Chandler Smith retained 12th place as he was racing in between Allgaier and Chastain while Heim, Hill, Ryan Sieg, Sammy Smith and Williams were mired in the top 10.

    Another 10 laps later, Mayer slightly extended his advantage to nine-tenths of a second over Creed as Custer, Nemechek and Heim followed suit in the top five. Meanwhile, Ryan Sieg and Moffitt, both of whom pitted under green a few laps earlier, were mired back in 25th and 27th, respectively.

    With 50 laps remaining, Mayer stabilized his advantage to a second over Creed as Nemechek moved up to third place ahead of Custer and Heim. By then, Williams and Matt DiBenedetto had pitted under green. Another lap later, the caution flew after Allgaier blew a right-front tire and went dead straight into the outside wall entering Turn 4 as his strong run came to a late end.

    During the caution period, the lead lap field led by Mayer pitted for service. Following the pit stops, Nemechek emerged with the lead after he exited first while teammate Creed, Mayer, Custer, Hill and Chandler Smith followed suit in the top six.

    As the event restarted with 40 laps remaining, Nemechek muscled ahead with the lead from the outside lane followed by teammate Creed while Hill put the bumper to Mayer and moved Mayer in the middle of a three-wide battle as Hill tried to march his way back to the front. Then as Kligerman went wide and nearly hit the outside wall in between Turns 3 and 4, the battle for the lead intensified between teammates Nemechek and Creed as they dueled in front of Custer through the frontstretch. Creed then briefly wiggled in Turn 1, which allowed Nemechek to muscle back ahead as Custer and Hill overtook Creed for second and third on the track.

    Then with 33 laps remaining, Hill’s chances of contending for the victory evaporated after a blown left-front tire sent Hill straight into the outside wall in Turn 1. With Hill out of contention, Nemechek had retained the lead while Custer, Creed, Mayer and Chandler Smith were scored in the top five.

    Down to the final 26 laps of the event, the event restarted under green. At the start, Nemechek continued to make the outside lane work to his advantage as he muscled away from the field followed by Custer while Mayer, who restarted as the first competitor on the inside lane, settled in third and in front of Creed. Mayer would then overtake Custer for the runner-up spot during the following lap. He would retain the spot over Herbst and Custer over the next four laps before the caution flew as Brennan Poole went up in smoke and dropped fluid around the circuit.

    The start of the next restart period with 13 laps remaining featured Nemechek fending off Herbst for nearly a lap before Herbst drew his No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang alongside Nemechek’s No. 20 Daisy Brands Toyota Supra in a late battle for the lead through the frontstretch. Herbst then managed to clear Nemechek and emerge with the lead and with both lanes to his control during the following lap while Creed battled Nemechek for the runner-up spot.

    Shortly after, Nemechek and Creed made contact that resulted in Nemechek generating a tire rub and slipping out of the top five. Amid the contact, Mayer made his way into the runner-up spot. Heim, Custer and Chastain moved into the top five while Herbst retained the lead by three-tenths of a second with 10 laps remaining.

    Then with seven laps remaining, Mayer drag-raced against Herbst through the backstretch before he assumed the lead in his No. 1 Roto-Rooter Chevrolet Camaro. As Mayer started to pull away from Herbst and Heim with the lead, the caution returned with five laps remaining after Nemechek, who was trying to nurse his car to the finish amid his tire rub and late run-in with teammate Creed, ended up against the outside wall towards Turn 4 with a flat tire. Nemechek’s incident was enough to send the event into overtime.

    The start of the first overtime attempt featured Herbst and Mayer battling dead even for the lead approaching the first turn. As Creed got loose and nearly slid into Heim, Mayer managed to rocket ahead of Herbst through the first two turns and lead through the backstretch.

    When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Mayer was leading by two-tenths of a second over Herbst as Heim tried to join the battle. With both Herbst and Heim unable to mount a final lap charge, Mayer was able to nurse his car around the Iowa circuit smoothly for a final time before he cycled back to the frontstretch and claimed the checkered flag by a tenth of a second.

    With the victory, Mayer, who ended up with a flat left-rear tire after Herbst gave Mayer a post-race bump into the side to express his displeasure from an earlier on-track contact and proceeded to blow his right-rear tire from his post-race burnout, notched his sixth career win in his 99th Xfinity Series career start, his second of the 2024 season and his first since winning at Texas Motor Speedway in April.

    In addition to becoming the fourth multi-race winner of this year’s Xfinity Series season, Mayer became the 15th competitor overall to win an Xfinity event at Iowa in the speedway’s return to hosting NASCAR Xfinity events since the 2019 season. The Wisconsin native also delivered the 10th victory of the season for the Chevrolet nameplate and the third of the season for JR Motorsports.

    “We struggled yesterday and this Roto-Rooter team went to work,” Mayer said on USA Network. “Obviously, we did pretty good overnight making good decisions on this race car. Man, I’m out of breath because I was just huffing in a bunch of smoke, but I feel really good. I could do another 100 laps, for sure. With a race car like this, it’d be a lot of fun. We definitely got a little bit tight there at the end of the second stage, so I was a little concern [of the tire wear] there. [Crew chief] Mardy [Lindley] said the tires look all good. We took care of [the car] and we did our job and now, we get to celebrate.”

    As Mayer celebrated on the frontstretch, Herbst was left disappointed on pit road and with a small axe to grind towards Mayer after the latter had made contact with the former earlier prior to their late-race battle for the victory. Nonetheless, Herbst was also left pleased with his performance and the resilience being exhibited by Stewart-Haas Racing amid the team’s closure at this season’s conclusion. Currently, Herbst’s racing plans for the 2025 season remains to be determined.

    “It was just frustrating,” Herbst said. “It was an up-and-down day, for sure. I felt like we were okay yesterday and we got it better. We worked all night. [The No. 98 team] did a really good job. We worked our day back up through the field, got some track position and then, the guy who won [Mayer], I mean, he just absolutely brooms us into [Turns] 1 and 2, so that was frustrating. Then for him to door me down the straightaway before the green white checkered [restart], I don’t know.

    “That was a bit frustrating, but all in all, it was fun to race with them on the green-white checkered. I’m just most proud in that the speed’s back in the No. 98 Monster Energy car. It was really fast today, so I appreciate everybody at Stewart-Haas Racing for sticking together. It’s been a hard last couple of months and it’s gonna be a hard couple months going forward as well with everything that’s going on. Everybody staying together is awesome. Hopefully, we can continue to bring the speed to New Hampshire next week.”

    Corey Heim piloted the No. 26 Yahoo! Toyota Supra from Sam Hunt Racing to a career-best third place in his 11th career start in the Xfinity Series while Sammy Smith and Sheldon Creed finished in the top five.

    Cole Custer came home in sixth place while Matt DiBenedetto, Chandler Smith, Ross Chastain and Daniel Dye completed the top 10 in the final running order.

    There were 13 lead changes for eight different leaders. The race featured nine cautions for 71 laps. In addition, 17 of 38 starters finished on the lead lap.

    Following the 15th event of the 2024 Xfinity Series season, Cole Custer leads the regular-season standings by a single point over Chandler Smith while Austin Hill trails by 41 points and Justin Allgaier trails by 44 points.

    Results.

    1. Sam Mayer, 47 laps led

    2. Riley Herbst, seven laps led

    3. Corey Heim

    4. Sammy Smith

    5. Sheldon Creed

    6. Cole Custer

    7. Matt DiBenedetto

    8. Chandler Smith, 131 laps led, Stages 1 & 2 winner

    9. Ross Chastain

    10. Daniel Dye

    11. Parker Kligerman

    12. Ryan Sieg, eight laps led

    13. Leland Honeyman

    14. Ryan Ellis

    15. Anthony Alfredo

    16. Joey Gase

    17. David Starr

    18. Brett Moffitt, one lap down

    19. Kyle Sieg, one lap down

    20. Josh Williams, one lap down, four laps led

    21. Jeremy Clements, one lap down, seven laps led

    22. Dawson Cram, one lap down

    23. Patrick Emerling, one lap down

    24. Jeb Burton, three laps down

    25. Hailie Deegan, three laps down

    26. Garrett Smithley, three laps down

    27. John Hunter Nemechek – OUT, Accident, 35 laps led

    28. Brennan Poole – OUT, Oil Line

    29. Austin Hill – OUT, Accident

    30. Justin Allgaier – OUT, Accident, 14 laps led

    31. Jesse Love – OUT, Accident

    32. Parker Retzlaff – OUT, Electrical

    33. Kyle Weatherman – OUT, Accident

    34. Shane van Gisbergen – OUT, Accident

    35. Blaine Perkins – OUT, Accident

    36. Brandon Jones – OUT, Engine

    37. AJ Allmendinger – OUT, Accident

    38. Glen Reen – OUT, Carburetor

    Next on the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule is the series’ annual visit to New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire, for the SciAps 200. The event is scheduled to occur next Saturday, June 22, and air at 3:30 p.m. ET on USA Network.

  • Jeremy Clements Racing partners with Whitetail Smokeless in NASCAR’s return to Iowa Speedway

    Jeremy Clements Racing partners with Whitetail Smokeless in NASCAR’s return to Iowa Speedway

    Spartanburg, SC – Jeremy Clements Racing is gearing up for an exciting event as the NASCAR Xfinity Series returns to the Hawkeye state, with Whitetail Smokeless as the primary sponsor.

    Having been a valued full-season associate partner of JCR since 2020, Whitetail Smokeless will be taking on its annual primary sponsor role for the season as Jeremy makes his Xfinity Series-leading 20th career start at the Speedway. The Team 51 Chevy also welcomes two new associate partners Benz Beverage Depot and Flying Eagle Express. Plus, Alliance Driveaway Solutions, Impel Union, The Racing Warehouse, and Root River Archery will return as well to support JCR. The much-anticipated Hy-Vee PERKS 250 is scheduled for Saturday, June 15th at the 0.875-mile D-shaped oval in Newton, IA.

    “I can’t wait to get back to some short-track racing, and going back to Iowa Speedway will definitely fulfill that need. I’ve always liked this track. We’ve had some good runs over the years, and with our great partner Whitetail Smokeless supporting us for the race, we’re looking to rack up a top 10, or hey, we might even bring home a checkered flag,” said Clements.

    “Rob (Kieckbusch) from Whitetail and his family have been terrific partners to JCR and a real asset in helping us grow. I can’t thank them enough for their outstanding support over the last 5 seasons,” Clements finished saying.

    The No, 51 Chevy Camaro SS will feature the logos of various generous supporters, such as Spartan Waste, Workforce OHSS, Elite Towing, Matman Designs, Carolina Driveline, Nordic Logistics, Zmax, E3 Spark Plugs and Dynamic Paintware.

    RACE PREVIEW

    Track: Iowa Speedway
    Date: Saturday, June 15th, 2024
    Broadcast Information: TV: 3:30 pm EST on USA

    FAST FACTS

    Best Start 13th – 2019
    Best Finish 7th – 2017
    20th career start at Iowa

    ABOUT WHITETAIL SMOKELESS

    Handcrafted in the heartland, Whitetail Smokeless is the only smokeless tobacco alternative that delivers the same experience as traditional dip without using any part of the tobacco plant. Just organic mint leaf, food-grade flavorings and pharmaceutical-grade nicotine. Same taste, texture, and buzz. Everything dippers demand and nothing they don’t.

    Long cut and pouches in five flavors and three nicotine strengths.

    Join the evolution. Head over to DeerDip.com.

  • NASCAR Weekend Schedule for Iowa Speedway

    NASCAR Weekend Schedule for Iowa Speedway

    This weekend the NASCAR Cup Series heads to Iowa Speedway for the first time. The Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol is scheduled for Sunday, June 16 at 7 p.m.. It will air on the USA Network at 7 p.m. ET with radio coverage provided by MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

    Nine drivers have earned a spot in the Cup Series Playoffs by virtue of wins including Christopher Bell, William Byron, Austin Cindric, Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson, Tyler Reddick and Daniel Suárez, leaving seven available spots.

    After a five-year absence, the NASCAR Xfinity Series will compete at the .875-mile short track. The Hy-Vee PERKS 250 is set for Saturday, June 15 at 3:30 p.m. ET and will also be broadcast on the USA Network, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

    Justin Allgaier, Austin Hill, Jesse Love, Sam Mayer, Chandler Smith, and Shane van Gisbergen have claimed their spot in the Xfinity Series Playoffs via wins, leaving six open spots.

    NBC Sports will broadcast the final 20 Cup Series and 11 NASCAR Xfinity Series races in 2024 across the NBC, USA Network and Peacock platforms.

    BROADCAST TEAM

    • Play by Play: Rick Allen
    • Analysts: Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte, Brad Daugherty
    • Pit Reporters: Marty Snider, Dave Burns, Kim Coon
    • Specialty Reporter: Dale Jarrett

    STUDIO COVERAGE TEAM

    • Host: Marty Snider
    • Studio Analysts: Dale Jarrett, Brad Daugherty

    Friday, June 14
    3 p.m.: ARCA Menards Series Practice – ARCA Race Center
    4 p.m.: ARCA Menards Series Qualifying – ARCA Race Center
    4:35 p.m.: Xfinity Series Practice – USA/NBC Sports
    5:35 p.m.: Cup Series Practice – USA/NBC Sports/MRN/SiriusXM
    8 p.m.: ARCA Menards Series Atlas 150 (64 Laps, 127.36 Miles) FS1/MRN

    Saturday, June 15
    12:05 p.m.: Xfinity Series Qualifying – USA/NBC Sports
    1:05 p.m.: Cup Series Qualifying – USA/NBC Sports/MRN/SiriusXM
    Post Cup Series Qualifying: NASCAR Press Pass
    3:30 p.m.: Xfinity Series Hy-Vee Perks 250
    Stages 75/150/250 = 218.75 miles
    USA/NBC Sports/MRN/SiriusXM
    Purse: $1,408,568
    Post Xfinity Series Race: NASCAR Press Pass

    Sunday, June 16
    7 p.m.: Cup Series Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol
    Stages 70/210/350 = 306.25 miles
    USA/NBC Sports/MRN/SiriusXM
    Purse: $8,881,630
    Post Cup Series Race: NASCAR Press Pass

    All times are Eastern.

  • Shane van Gisbergen muscles to second consecutive Xfinity victory of 2024 at Sonoma

    Shane van Gisbergen muscles to second consecutive Xfinity victory of 2024 at Sonoma

    On the heels of notching two firsts between two road course venues in two West Coast states, rookie Shane van Gisbergen accomplished another first by notching back-to-back victories in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for the first time after scoring a dominant victory in the second annual running of the Zip Buy Now, Pay Later 250 at Sonoma Raceway on Saturday, June 8.

    The three-time Supercars champion from Auckland, New Zealand, led twice for a race-high 32 of 79 scheduled laps in an event where he led the field to the green flag from pole position for the first time in his career. After taking care of business early by winning the first stage period on Lap 20, he was shuffled back into the top 10 for the start of the second stage period after pitting during the first stage’s break period. Nonetheless, the New Zealander methodically carved his way back towards the front, where he would run for the remainder of the event.

    After challenging Austin Hill for the lead before a late-race caution for rookie Jesse Love spinning with 15 laps remaining, van Gisbergen capitalized on the ensuing restart period with 11 laps remaining by making contact with Hill entering the first two turns. The contact got Hill loose and shuffled him back to fifth place while van Gisbergen reassumed the lead. Despite battling a voltage issue to his No. 97 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet entry since the midpoint region, van Gisbergen managed to muscle away from Sam Mayer and Sheldon Creed in the closing laps with enough power to claim the checkered flag.

    It was his second consecutive victory in the Xfinity Series in Sonoma, California, one week after achieving his first series victory at Portland International Raceway.

    With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Saturday, rookie Shane van Gisbergen notched his first Xfinity pole position of the season and of his career after posting a pole-winning lap at 95.933 mph in 74.677 seconds. Joining him on the front row was Ty Gibbs, who posted the second-fastest qualifying lap at 95.458 mph in 75.049 seconds.

    Before the event, Boris Said dropped to the rear of the field in a backup car after he wrecked his primary car during Friday’s practice session.

    When the green flag waved and the race commenced, Shane van Gisbergen and Ty Gibbs dueled for the lead through the first turn and approaching the uphill turn to Turn 2 before he managed to launch ahead of Gibbs prior to entering Turns 3 and 3A. As the field behind jostled for early spots, van Gisbergen retained the lead through Turns 4 and 7, including the circuit Chute corner, before navigating through a series of right and left-hand turns through Turns 8 and 10. Once he navigated his way through Turns 11 and 12, van Gisbergen proceeded to lead the first lap over Gibbs while AJ Allmendinger, Austin Hill and rookie Jesse Love followed suit.

    Over the next three laps, van Gisbergen maintained and stretched his advantage as high as eight-tenths of a second over Gibbs throughout the circuit’s 12 turns while Allmendinger, Hill and Love continued to trail in the top five.

    Through the first five scheduled laps, van Gisbergen retained the lead by half a second over Gibbs as Hill, Love and Allmendinger followed suit in the top five. Behind, Justin Allgaier trailed closely in sixth place ahead of teammate Sam Mayer, John Hunter Nemechek, Sheldon Creed and Sammy Smith while Cole Custer, Parker Kligerman, Chandler Smith, Anthony Alfredo and Parker Retzlaff were racing in the top 15 ahead of Riley Herbst, Jeb Burton, Ed Jones, Austin Green and Ryan Sieg. Meanwhile, Jeremy Clements was mired in 22nd, three spots ahead of Josh Williams. In addition, Boris Said was back in 31st behind Brandon Jones and Hailie Deegan was in 37th while racing in between Matt DiBenedetto and Garrett Smithley.

    Five laps later, van Gisbergen stabilized his advantage to half a second over Gibbs, who kept van Gisbergen close in front of him as he continued to try to narrow the deficit, while Hill, Love and Allmendinger continued to trail in the top five. As Allgaier retained sixth place ahead of teammate Mayer, Nemechek and Creed, Kligerman navigated his way into 10th place after he made contact with Custer in Turn 11 before proceeding to overtake Sammy Smith on the track. Sammy Smith would then battle Chandler Smith and Custer for 11th place during the following lap while Kligerman proceeded to battle Creed for ninth place.

    On Lap 14, Creed pitted due to a vibration concern to his No. 18 MRC Construction Toyota Supra entry under green. Prior to Creed’s pit service, Hill slid his No. 21 Bennett Transportation Chevrolet Camaro entry into the Turn 11 outside tire barrier while running in third place, but he proceeded without drawing a caution and without sustaining significant damage. Meanwhile, van Gisbergen continued to hold a narrow lead over Gibbs by the Lap 15 mark.

    Then starting on Lap 16, a first round of green flag pit stops commenced as Mayer, Allgaier, Custer, Austin Green and Ed Jones pitted their respective. Gibbs would then surrender the runner-up spot to pit his No. 19 Starkey/Soundgear Toyota Supra during the following lap along with Love as Allmendinger moved into second place, all while van Gisbergen remained on the track with the lead.

    When the first stage period concluded on Lap 20, van Gisbergen claimed his first Xfinity stage victory of the season and his career. Teammate Allmendinger trailed in second place by a distance along with Hill, Kligerman and Nemechek while Chandler Smith, Sammy Smith, Alfredo, Retzlaff and Herbst were scored in the top 10.

    Under the stage break, a majority of the field led by van Gisbergen pitted while the rest led by Gibbs, including those who pitted before the first stage’s conclusion, remained on the track. Amid the pit stops, Herbst was penalized for speeding on pit road while Allmendinger endured a slow pit service due to the front tire changer’s hose getting caught on the splitter of Allmendinger’s entry.

    The second stage period started on Lap 24 as Gibbs and Love occupied the front row. At the start, Gibbs muscled ahead of Love to retain the lead through the first turn and as he entered the uphill climb to Turn 2 while Love was trying to fend off JR Motorsports’ Mayer and Allgaier for the runner-up spot. A series of on-track battles and contact within the field ensued through the Chute and entering Turns 7 to 10 as van Gisbergen, the first competitor who exited pit road first, charged his way back into the top five on four fresh tires. With van Gisbergen starting to intimidate Creed for fourth place, Gibbs retained a steady advantage over Love and Mayer as Leland Honeyman went off the track and spun just past Turn 1.

    At the Lap 26 mark, Gibbs was leading by six-tenths of a second over Love while third-place Mayer trailed by a second. Behind, van Gisbergen trailed the lead by three seconds in fourth place while Creed settled in fifth, with Allgaier, Custer, Hill, Kligerman and Nemechek racing in the top 10.

    By Lap 30, Gibbs continued to lead by eight-tenths of a second over Mayer and by more than a second over third-place Mayer. Meanwhile, van Gisbergen settled in fourth place along with fifth-place Creed while Custer fended off Allgaier in a battle for sixth place. Allgaier would then be pressured by Hill, Kligerman, Nemechek, Chandler Smith and Allmendinger for seventh place while Sammy Smith, Austin Green and Retzlaff trailed in the top 15.

    Shortly after, Boris Said, who was piloting the No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro entry for Hendrick Motorsports, spun in Turn 7A after he got hit by Alex Labbe while battling within the top 20 on the track. Nonetheless, Said managed to proceed without drawing a caution as Gibbs continued to lead. Gibbs would then proceed to extend his advantage to more than two seconds over Love by the Lap 35 mark.  

    Nearing the Lap 40 mark, a series of battles started to ensue within the circuit as Kligerman was trying to fend off Allgaier, who was slowly losing spots, and Nemechek for ninth place while van Gisbergen was closing in on Mayer and Love for top-three spots. Allgaier would then be overtaken by Nemechek for 10th place as Green, Allmendinger, Sammy Smith and Retzlaff all tried to close in on Allgaier for more. Soon after, van Gisbergen made a bold move beneath Mayer to move into third place and he proceeded to track Mayer for the runner-up spot while Gibbs stretched his advantage to four seconds.

    With three laps remaining in the second stage period, select names including Hill, Mayer, Green and Allmendinger pitted under green, with Mayer only opting for two fresh tires for his entry. Amid the pit stops Gibbs remained on the track with the race lead while Love was being pressured by van Gisbergen for the runner-up spot.

    When the second stage period concluded on Lap 45, Gibbs claimed his first Xfinity stage victory of the 2024 season while van Gisbergen, who overtook Love for the runner-up spot a lap earlier, retained the spot. Creed and Custer followed suit in the top five while Chandler Smith, Nemechek, Kligerman, Allgaier and Retzlaff were scored in the top 10. Amid the conclusion of the second stage period, Sammy Smith pitted to address a broken axle to his No. 8 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet Camaro, an issue that would send him to the garage and pin him multiple laps behind.

    During the stage break, nearly the entire field led by Gibbs pitted while select names including Hill, Green and Allmendinger remained on the track. Following the pit stops, Custer exited pit road first as he was followed by van Gisbergen, Mayer, Creed, Allgaier and Kligerman. Amid the pit stops, Nemechek and Clements were sent to the rear of the field for speeding on pit road while Herbst was penalized for a second time, this time for pitting his No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang outside of his pit box. In addition, Boris Said was sent to the rear of the field for a safety violation.

    With 30 laps remaining, the final stage period commenced as Austin Hill and Austin Green occupied the front row. At the start, Hill muscled ahead with the lead while Allmendinger made his way into second place over Green. The caution then quickly flew when Chandler Smith, who was battling for a top-10 spot, got bumped and sent sideways by Jeb Burton in between Turns 2 and 3 as he bounced off of Josh Williams and triggered a multi-car wreck that stacked up the midfield region. Among those involved included Burton, Brandon Jones, Ed Jones, Herbst, Kyle Weatherman, Ryan Sieg, Retzlaff, Preston Pardus, Josh Bilicki, Said and Gibbs, who restarted in the mid-pack region after enduring a slow pit service during the second stage period and had his hopes of winning spoiled with a wrecked race car. Amid the carnage, Hill retained the lead as he was followed by Allmendinger, Green, van Gisbergen, Custer and Mayer.

    Following an extensive caution period to have the multi-car carnage cleared, the event restarted under green with 24 laps remaining. At the start, Hill and Allmendinger dueled for the lead through the uphill first turn until Hill managed to muscle ahead with the lead. As Allmendinger tried to keep Hill close in front of him, he was pressured by teammate van Gisbergen for the runner-up spot. Van Gisbergen then made a bold move beneath teammate Allmendinger to overtake him from the runner-up spot while Hill retained the lead during the next lap. Amid the battle towards the front, Custer was rammed by Mayer and sent for a spin in Turn 11. Not long after, Chandler Smith spun in Turn 7A, but the event remained under green as van Gisbergen started to close in on Hill for the lead.

    Down to the final 20 laps of the event, Hill was leading by four-tenths of a second over a hard-charging van Gisbergen while third-place Allmendinger trailed by two seconds. Mayer and Kligerman trailed in the top five while Creed, Green, Allgaier, Love and Nemechek were racing in the top 10 ahead of Alfredo, Ryan Sieg, Alex Labbe, Retzlaff and Herbst.

    Five laps later, Hill continued to lead by four-tenths of a second over van Gisbergen, who began to report a voltage issue to his car. Amid the issues, van Gisbergen started to close in on Hill for the lead, where he then tried to make a move beneath Hill in Turn 11, before the caution returned as Love slipped sideways and spun his No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet Camaro in Turn 10 while running in eighth place.

    During the caution period, select names including Kligerman, Blaine Perkins, Love, Brad Perez, Custer and Ryan Ellis pitted while the rest led by Hill and van Gisbergen remained on the track.

    As the event restarted with 11 laps remaining, Hill briefly muscled ahead from the inside lane approaching the uphill first turn before van Gisbergen drew even against Hill entering Turn 2. Van Gisbergen then kept his foot on the throttle and ran into the side of Hill, which resulted in Hill getting loose, briefly dropping off the pace and losing spots as van Gisbergen rocketed away with the lead. Behind, Mayer moved into the runner-up spot followed by Green while Allmendinger followed suit in fourth place. Allmendinger was then sent for a spin in Turn 7A after getting hit by Creed as he plummeted below the leaderboard. With the event remaining under green flag conditions, van Gisbergen retained the lead with 10 laps remaining.

    Down to the final five laps of the event, van Gisbergen stretched and stabilized his advantage to a second over Mayer’s No. 1 myRTIC Chevrolet Camaro while third-place Creed trailed by two seconds. Behind, Green retained fourth place ahead of Hill while Nemechek, Ryan Sieg, Allgaier, Chandler Smith and Retzlaff were in the top 10.

    Two laps later, Creed made his move beneath Mayer through Turn 11 to assume the runner-up spot. With Mayer trying to keep Creed in pace along with Austin Green, Ryan Sieg and Preston Pardus both wrecked separately in Turn 3A, but the event remained under green flag conditions as van Gisbergen retained the lead by more than two seconds.

    When the white flag waved and the final lap started, van Gisbergen remained as the leader by more than two seconds over Creed as Mayer and Green followed suit. Having a comfortable lead to his advantage, van Gisbergen cruised his No. 97 WeatherTech Chevrolet Camaro smoothly around Sonoma’s 12-turn circuit for a final time before he cycled his way back to the frontstretch and claimed his second consecutive checkered flag in the series, where he beat runner-up Sheldon Creed by more than a second.

    With the victory, van Gisbergen became the first competitor to record his first two career wins in the series in back-to-back races since Austin Cindric made the last accomplishment in 2019 and the 132nd competitor overall to achieve multiple victories in the Xfinity circuit. He also joins Aric Almirola as the only other competitor to win an Xfinity event at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, California, with the New Zealander etching the 25th Xfinity career win for Kaulig Racing.

    “Firstly, I got to thank these guys so much [at] Kaulig Racing,” van Gisbergen, who kicked another rugby football into the frontstretch’s stands, said on FS1. “Our WeatherTech Camaro got beat up again, but man, what a race. Adventure up and down all day. That last restart [with 11 laps remaining], I was just giving it all I had. Two guys going for the same real estate come together. It was pretty awesome, a lot of fun. Hope everyone enjoyed the show. Pretty awesome, back-to-back weeks for us. It’s awesome and the work we did between weeks to make the car better again. It’s special to win two road courses in a row and one day, dream about winning on an oval.”

    Sheldon Creed settled in the runner-up position for the second time of the 2024 season and the ninth of his career while Sam Mayer rallied from a 28th-place result last weekend at Portland to finish third. Austin Green, son of former Xfinity Series champion David Green, piloted the No. 32 Jordan Anderson Racing Chevrolet Camaro to a career-best fourth-place finish in his third series start while Hill, who led 21 laps, ended up in fifth place.

    During van Gisbergen’s post-race burnout around the Sonoma circuit, Hill kept his No. 21 Chevrolet running in front of van Gisbergen’s No. 97 Chevrolet as the race-winning driver did a full course burnout and refused to let the latter pass until he pulled into his pit stall while van Gisbergen celebrated with more burnouts on the frontstretch. Amid the disappointment, Hill, who endured an earlier run-in with van Gisbergen at Circuit of the Americas while battling for the victory in late March, minced his words and spoke little about his perspective towards the contact with van Gisbergen that dropped him out of race-winning contention.

    “I’m gonna leave it to the keyboard warriors on this one,” Hill said. “I’ll let them figure out what happened. I’m sure no matter what comment I say, it’ll be wrong. I plead the Fifth [Amendment]. I’m not gonna say anything about [the contact]. We’ll just go onto the next [race]. Good hard racing. We were holding off [van Gisbergen] there for a while, had that caution [with 15 laps remaining], I knew it was gonna be tough on the restart. Didn’t work out, but we had a good points day, finished in the top five. Can’t ask for more than that.”

    Justin Allgaier settled in sixth while Chandler Smith rallied from being involved in two separate incidents to finish seventh. John Hunter Nemechek, Cole Custer and Parker Kligerman finished in the top 10.

    There were three lead changes for three different leaders. The race featured four cautions for 14 laps. In addition, 28 of 38 starters finished on the lead lap.

    Following the 14th event of the 2024 Xfinity Series season, Cole Custer continues to lead the regular-season standings by 12 points over both Austin Hill and Chandler Smith, with Justin Allgaier trailing by 24 points and rookie Jesse Love trailing by 74 points.

    Results.

    1. Shane van Gisbergen, 32 laps led, Stage 1 winner

    2. Sheldon Creed

    3. Sam Mayer

    4. Austin Green

    5. Austin Hill, 21 laps led

    6. Justin Allgaier

    7. Chandler Smith

    8. John Hunter Nemechek

    9. Cole Custer

    10. Parker Kligerman

    11. Parker Retzlaff

    12. Jesse Love

    13. Riley Herbst

    14. Brennan Poole

    15. Ed Jones

    16. Josh Bilicki

    17. AJ Allmendinger

    18. Blaine Perkins

    19. Alex Labbe

    20. Ryan Sieg

    21. Matt DiBenedetto

    22. Jeremy Clements

    23. Kyle Sieg

    24. Brad Perez

    25. Preston Pardus

    26. Ryan Ellis

    27. Garrett Smithley

    28. Boris Said

    29. Leland Honeyman, one lap down

    30. Kyle Weatherman, one lap down

    31. Anthony Alfredo, two laps down

    32. Hailie Deegan, seven laps down

    33. Sammy Smith, eight laps down

    34. Thomas Annunziata – OUT, Transmission

    35. Ty Gibbs – OUT, Accident, 26 laps led, Stage 2 winner

    36. Jeb Burton – OUT, Accident

    37. Josh Williams – OUT, Accident

    38. Brandon Jones – OUT, Accident

    Next on the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule is the series’ return to Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa, for the Hy-Vee PERKS 250. The event is scheduled to occur next Saturday, June 15, and air at 3:30 p.m. ET on USA Network.

  • Weekend schedule for Sonoma Raceway

    Weekend schedule for Sonoma Raceway

    This weekend the NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series travel to Sonoma Raceway. Martin Truex Jr. is the defending Cup Series race winner at the 1.99-mile track and leads all active drivers with four wins (2023, 2019, 2018, 2013) at Sonoma.

    Denny Hamlin is the most recent Cup Series pole winner with a lap of 92.178 mph in 77.719 seconds last June.

    This will be the second time the Xfinity Series has competed on the 1.99-mile course. Last year’s race winner, Aric Almirola, and pole winner, Kyle Larson, are not entered in this weekend’s event.

    The Craftsman Truck Series is off and returns to completion on June 28 at Nashville Superspeedway.

    All times are Eastern.

    Friday, June 7
    1:40 p.m.: ARCA Menards Series West Practice (All Entries) ARCA Race Center
    3:10 p.m.: ARCA Menards Series West Qualifying (Timed, Impound) ARCA Race Center
    4:05 p.m.: Xfinity Series Practice – All Entries (Tape delayed: 5 p.m.) F1
    5:05 p.m.: Cup Series Practice – All Entries (Tape delayed: 8:30 p.m.) FS1/PRN/SiriusXM
    6:30 p.m.: ARCA Menards Series West General Tire 200 – 64 Laps, 127.36 Miles FloRacing

    Saturday, June 8
    3:30 p.m.: Xfinity Series Qualifying (Impound, Group A & B, Multi-Vehicle, 2 Rounds) FS2
    6 p.m.: Cup Series Qualifying (Impound, Group A & B, Multi-Vehicle, 2 Rounds) FS2/PRN/SiriusXM
    Post-NCS Qualifying Press Pass
    8 p.m.: Xfinity Series Zip Buy Now, Pay Later 250
    Stages 20/45/79 Laps = 156.95 Miles – FS1/PRN/SiriusXM
    Purse: $1,747,861
    Post-Xfinity Race – Press Pass

    Sunday, June 9
    3:30 p.m.: Cup Series Toyota/Save Mart 350
    Stages 25/55/110 Laps = 218.9 Miles FOX/PRN/SiriusXM
    Purse: $8,426,274
    Post-Cup Series: Press Pass

  • Shane van Gisbergen scores first Xfinity career victory at Portland

    Shane van Gisbergen scores first Xfinity career victory at Portland

    Nearly a year after making his inaugural presence in NASCAR quickly known with his first Cup Series career victory at Chicago, rookie Shane van Gisbergen checked off another accomplishment by clinching his first Xfinity Series career win in the third annual running of the Pacific Office Automation 147 at Portland International Raceway on Saturday, June 1.

    The three-time Supercars champion from Auckland, New Zealand, led three times for 12 of 75 scheduled laps in an event where he started on the front row and quickly endured a wild start by sending pole-sitter Sam Mayer for a spin. Despite struggling to launch on restarts and after slipping off the course during the second stage period, van Gisbergen managed to keep himself running towards the front in the closing stages. Amid two late-race restarts, van Gisbergen then managed to overtake and fend off Justin Allgaier during a four-lap shootout to the finish to claim his first Xfinity career win in his 13th series start.

    With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Saturday, Sam Mayer claimed his first Xfinity pole position of the 2024 season and the second of his career after posting a pole-winning lap at 96.654 mph in 73.375 seconds. Joining him on the front row was rookie Shane van Gisbergen, who clocked in the second-fastest qualifying lap at 96.596 mph in 73.419 seconds.

    Prior to the event, AJ Allmendinger dropped to the rear of the field in a backup car after he wrecked his primary car during the event’s qualifying session earlier in the day. The following names that included rookie Jesse Love, Patrick Gallagher, Brandon Jones, Hailie Deegan, ED Jones, Sage Karam, Austin Green, Chandler Smith, Kyle Weatherman and Logan Bearden also dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments made to their respective entries.

    When the green flag waved and the race started, Sam Mayer launched ahead with a brief lead over Shane van Gisbergen as the field fanned out entering the first set of turns. Then in Turn 1, van Gisbergen hit Mayer as Mayer was sent spinning backwards through the course’s first three tight turns. Amid the early contact with the field scattering to avoid Mayer as Mayer plummeted below the leaderboard, Riley Herbst navigated his No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang into the lead as Justin Allgaier overtook van Gisbergen for the runner-up spot. As Cole Custer, Sheldon Creed and Parker Kligerman followed suit in the top six while Sammy Smith and Josh Bilicki battled for seventh, Herbst proceeded to lead the first lap.

    Over the next four laps, Herbst stabilized his advantage within four-tenths of a second over Allgaier while van Gisbergen trailed by a second in third place. Behind, Custer and Creed continued to trail in the top five along with Kligerman, Bilicki and Sammy Smith while Ryan Truex and Jeb Burton followed suit in the top 10. Meanwhile, Kyle Weatherman was trying to regain his momentum back on the course after he was sideways off the course in Turn 12 while AJ Allmendinger was mired in the top 30.

    Through the first 10 scheduled laps, Herbst was leading by four-tenths of a second over a hard-charging Allgaier followed by van Gisbergen, Custer and Creed while Kligerman, Bilicki, Sammy Smith, Truex and Burton continued to follow suit in the top 10. Behind, Austin Hill trailed in 11th place ahead of Parker Retzlaff, Anthony Alfredo, Josh Williams and Jeremy Clements while Sage Karam, Ryan Sieg, Jesse Love, Chandler Smith and Sam Mayer trailed in the top 20, with AJ Allmendinger and Brandon Jones occupying 21st and 24th, respectively.

    Five laps later and as Logan Bearden was trying to rally from getting sideways off the course entering Turn 12, Herbst continued to lead by half a second over van Gisbergen while Allgaier dropped to third place. Behind, Custer and Creed continued to run in the top five while Kligerman was trying to fend off Bilicki for sixth place and with Sammy Smith, Truex and Hill racing in the top 10.

    Another lap later, van Gisbergen, who got to Herbst’s rear bumper through the frontstretch, pulled a crossover move on Herbst through three turns to move into the lead. Van Gisbergen would maintain the lead for the following lap while Allgaier was trying to find a way to overtake Herbst for the runner-up spot.

    Just past the Lap 20 mark, van Gisbergen stretched his advantage to more than a second and a half over Allgaier while Herbst, Custer, Creed, Kligerman and Bilicki continued to follow suit in the top seven and by within less than five seconds. Behind, Sammy Smith trailed by more than seven seconds in eighth place and ahead of Truex and Hill while Retzlaff, Karam, Chandler Smith, Mayer and Alfredo occupied the top 15.

    Then on Lap 22, Custer went for a spin entering the first turn after he locked the brakes and got loose while trying to avoid hitting teammate Herbst. Amid Custer’s issues, the race remained under green flag conditions as Custer proceeded despite dropping to eighth place. Another lap later, van Gisbergen surrendered the lead to pit his No. 97 Quad Lock Chevrolet Camaro under green. This enabled Allgaier to cycle into the lead over Herbst and Creed while Bilicki and Kligerman trailed in the top five and within less than four seconds.

    When the first stage period concluded on Lap 25, Allgaier, who navigated past a spinning Retzlaff in Turn 12, captured his ninth Xfinity stage victory of the 2024 season. Herbst settled in second followed Creed, Bilicki and Kligerman while Sammy Smith, Custer, Truex, Hill and Sage Karam were scored in the top 10.

    Under the stage break, the field led by Allgaier pitted for a unique, competitive pit sequence for this event, where the pit stops were to last a minimum of 63 seconds from the pit road entrance to exit. Amid the pit sequence, all competitors could either gain or lose positions on pit road, with the lineup for the next stage being determined by the order of exit from pit road. Following the pit stops, Allgaier retained the lead after he exited pit road first followed by Creed, Bilicki, Custer, Truex, Herbst, Chandler Smith, Hill, Sage Karam and Jesse Love.

    The second stage period started on Lap 29 as Allgaier and van Gisbergen occupied the front row. At the start, van Gisbergen struggled to launch and he was being pinned in a three-wide Joe Gibbs Racing sandwich in between Creed and Bilicki while Allgaier launched ahead through the frontstretch. As Allgaier led Creed through the first three turns, van Gisbergen made contact with Custer, which stalled their momentum as Bilicki and Ryan Truex overtook them to move up to third and fourth. As the field navigated through the next turns amid two tight lanes, Chandler Smith then passed van Gisbergen to claim sixth place. Amid the battles over the next sets of turns, Allgaier retained the lead by eight-tenths of a second by the Lap 30 mark.

    By Lap 35, Allgaier was out in front by more than a second over Creed and more than three seconds over Bilicki as van Gisbergen and Custer trailed in the top five ahead of Truex. Behind, Chandler Smith trailed in seventh ahead of Herbst and Sage Karam while AJ Allmendinger was scored in 10th.

    A lap later, van Gisbergen, who was racing with a damaged left-front fender amid his earlier contact with Custer, slipped off the course after he hopped the curbs in Turns 10 and 11. He then slid sideways and went off the course in Turn 12, all while battling Bilicki for third, but he managed to quickly blend back onto the racing surface as he dropped to seventh place.

    At the Lap 40 mark, Allgaier extended his advantage by more than over Creed as Bilicki, Custer and Chandler Smith occupied the top five. Meanwhile, van Gisbergen was mired back in sixth while Herbst, Truex, Karam and Allmendinger were in the top 10.

    Then on the final lap of the second stage period, Lap 49, the caution flew after Matt DiBenedetto stalled his RSS Racing entry on the course. DiBenedetto’s stalled incident was enough for the second stage period scheduled to conclude on Lap 50 to conclude under caution as Allgaier proceeded to capture his 10th Xfinity stage victory of the 2024 season and sweep both stages of the event. Creed settled in second followed by Bilicki, Custer and van Gisbergen while Chandler Smith, Herbst, Karam, Mayer and Ed Jones were scored in the top 10.

    During the stage break, the field led by Allgaier returned to pit road for service. Following the pit stops, Allgaier retained lead after exiting ahead of Creed, Bilicki, Chandler Smith, Truex, Herbst, Karam, Ed Jones, Mayer and van Gisbergen.

    With 20 laps remaining, the final stage commenced as Allgaier and Creed occupied the front row. At the start and as the field fanned out through the frontstretch, Allgaier and Creed dueled for the lead entering the first turn. Then as Bilicki was sent for a spin while three competitors led by Herbst missed the first turn, Creed muscled his No. 18 Friends of Jaclyn Foundation Toyota Supra ahead of Allgaier to move into the lead. Despite receiving numerous bumps into the rear by Allgaier for a series of turns, Creed retained the top spot when he led Allgaier back to the frontstretch.

    A lap later, however, Allgaier and Creed dueled through the frontstretch. Both competitors then proceed to hit and rub fenders against one another past the first three turns, with Allgaier reassuming the lead prior to entering Turn 4. Amid their contact, Chandler Smith tried to close in from third place while Truex and van Gisbergen were in the top five. Meanwhile, Jesse Love pitted with a crumbled hood after he T-boned into the rear of Mayer prior to the latest restart period.

    With 15 laps remaining, Allgaier was leading ahead of a side-by-side battle between Creed and van Gisbergen for second place while Mayer and Chandler Smith followed suit in the top five. Behind, Truex was in sixth ahead of Sammy Smith, Herbst, Ed Jones and Kligerman while Williams, Allmendinger, Weatherman, Retzlaff and Hill were in the top 15. With Allgaier maintaining a reasonable advantage of three seconds during the following lap, van Gisbergen bumped, rubbed and overtook Creed for the runner-up spot before Mayer seized third place from Creed during the next lap.

    Following another late caution period with 13 laps remaining after Hailie Deegan lost a right front tire in Turn 9, the race restarted under green with nine laps remaining as Allgaier and van Gisbergen occupied the front row for a second time. At the start, Allgaier muscled his No. 7 Brandt Chevrolet Camaro ahead of a four-wide battle for second place entering the first turn. With the field tightly navigating through the first three turns, Allgaier maintained the top spot over Creed, who moved back into second place, as van Gisbergen, Mayer and Sammy Smith followed suit in the top five.

    As Chandler Smith, who was running sixth, pulled his car off the course in Turn 12 with a damaged front nose, the caution quickly returned during the following lap for a multi-car wreck that ensued in Turn 12 when Brennan Poole and Blaine Perkins got turned sideways separately, with the latter getting spun into the path of Bilicki and Brandon Jones as Jones went head-on into the tire barriers while Andre Castro, Ryan Ellis, Kyle Sieg and Herbst were also involved. By then, Creed was assessed a drive-through penalty through pit road due to being penalized for a restart violation.

    During the next restart period with four laps remaining, Allgaier fended off van Gisbergen and teammate Sammy Smith through the frontstretch to retain the lead and through the first three turns. With the field behind navigating through the turns, the battle for the lead ignited as van Gisbergen attempted to make a move beneath Allgaier entering Turn 4. Despite sliding sideways through the next two turns, van Gisbergen managed to keep his car pointing straight while also keeping Allgaier next to him as he avoided spinning Allgaier through the turns. Then as Allgaier also got loose in between Turns 5 and 6, van Gisbergen seized an opportunity to move into the lead. As Allgaier was getting pressured by teammate Mayer for the runner-up spot, van Gisbergen retained the lead through the frontstretch and with three laps remaining.

    Then with two laps remaining, Mayer’s strong rally back to the front evaporated after he scrubbed the wall entering the frontstretch, which cut his left-rear tire as Mayer had to keep his No. 1 RTIC Outdoors Chevrolet Camaro running straight while going off the course. Amid Mayer’s incident, the race remained under green flag conditions as Allgaier was slowly closing in on van Gisbergen for the lead through each set of turns.

    When the white flag waved and the final lap started, van Gisbergen remained as the leader by four-tenths of a second over Allgaier while third-place Sammy Smith trailed by two seconds. As van Gisbergen retained the lead through the first three turns before he made his way to Turn 4, he started to extend his advantage by more than a second as Allgaier was losing ground. With Allgaier unable to close the deficit for the final nine sets of corners, van Gisbergen was able to keep his car running straight on the course and cycle back to the frontstretch victorious as he claimed his first checkered flag of the season and of his career.

    With the victory, van Gisbergen, who drifted his race-winning car through the turns while performing his victory burnouts and kicked a rugby ball into the frontstretch’s crowd, became the 178th competitor overall to win in the Xfinity Series as he joined rookie rival Jesse Love as first-time Xfinity race winners of the 2024 season. He also became the seventh foreign-born competitor to win in the Xfinity level and the first since Daniel Suarez made the last accomplishment at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November 2016. As an added bonus, van Gisbergen notched the first victory of the season for Kaulig Racing.

    “Firstly, I’m very sorry to Sam Mayer and the No. 1 team for [hitting them in the] first corner,” van Gisbergen said on FS1. “I just mucked up there and just clipped him. He got back well, but year, Quad Lock Chevy. Thanks Kaulig Racing, Trackhouse [Racing] guys. What a day. It was really cool. Had some great racing. I need to get better at my restarts and learn how to position, but man, that was so much fun. Really cool racing. I love these cars. They’re great.”

    Justin Allgaier, who led a race-high 46 laps, settled in the runner-up spot for a second consecutive season in Portland while teammate Sammy Smith, AJ Allmendinger and Ed Jones finished in the top five.

    Cole Custer, the winner of last year’s Xfinity event at Portland, rallied for sixth place while Josh Williams, Parker Kligerman, Parker Retzlaff and Riley Herbst finished in the top 10.

    Notably, Josh Bilicki piloted the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Supra to a 12th-place result behind Austin Hill, Sheldon Creed rallied for 13th, Jesse Love ended up 19th, Ryan Truex dropped to 27th after he spun on the final lap and Sam Mayer plummeted to 28th.  

    There were nine lead changes for four different leaders. The race featured four cautions for 14 laps. In addition, 27 of 38 starters finished on the lead lap.

    Following the 13th event of the 2024 Xfinity Series season, Cole Custer leads the regular-season standings by 18 points over both Austin Hill and Chandler Smith, with Justin Allgaier trailing by 23 points and rookie Jesse Love trailing by 73 points.

    Results.

    1. Shane van Gisbergen, 12 laps led

    2. Justin Allgaier, 45 laps led, Stages 1 & 2 winner

    3. Sammy Smith

    4. AJ Allmendinger

    5. Ed Jones

    6. Cole Custer

    7. Josh Williams

    8. Parker Kligerman

    9. Parker Retzlaff

    10. Riley Herbst, 15 laps led

    11. Austin Hill

    12. Josh Bilicki

    13. Sheldon Creed, two laps led

    14. Ryan Sieg

    15. Austin Green

    16. Brennan Poole

    17. Ryan Ellis

    18. Kyle Sieg

    19. Jesse Love

    20. Blaine Perkins

    21. Nathan Byrd

    22. Garrett Smithley

    23. Andre Castro

    24. Patrick Gallagher

    25. Kyle Weatherman

    26. Leland Honeyman

    27. Ryan Truex

    28. Sam Mayer, one lap down

    29. Logan Bearden, one lap down

    30. Jeremy Clements, two laps down

    31. Matt DiBenedetto, two laps down

    32. Anthony Alfredo, three laps down

    33. Hailie Deegan, four laps down

    34. Sage Karam, six laps down

    35. Chandler Smith – OUT, Accident

    36. Brandon Jones – OUT, Accident

    37. Jeb Burton, 14 laps down

    38. Preston Pardus – OUT, Track Bar

    Next on the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule is the series’ second annual event at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, California, for the Zip Buy Now, Pay Later 250. The event is scheduled to occur next Saturday, June 8, and air at 8 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Weekend schedule for World Wide Technology Raceway (Gateway) and Portland 2024

    Weekend schedule for World Wide Technology Raceway (Gateway) and Portland 2024

    This weekend the NASCAR Cup Series and the Craftsman Truck Series travel to World Wide Technology Raceway (Gateway). Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch is the defending Cup Series race winner of the 1.25-mile oval.

    The Toyota 200 is the second race of the Triple Truck Challenge and the winner of the event will receive a $50,000 bonus except Nick Sanchez who won the first race of the bonus program last week at Charlotte. If he wins at Gateway, he will receive an increased bonus of $150,000.

    The Xfinity Series and the ARCA Menards Series West head to Portland International Raceway. AJ Allmendinger won the first Xfinity race at the 1.97-mile road course track in 2022 while Cole Custer took home the trophy last year.

    NASCAR Press Pass will be available throughout the weekend.
    All times are Eastern.

    Friday, May 31
    2:35 p.m.: ARCA Menards Series West Practice (Portland) Race Center
    5:30 p.m.: ARCA Menards Series West Qualifying (Portland) Race Center

    6:05 p.m.: Craftsman Truck Series Practice (Gateway) FS1
    6:35 p.m.: Craftsman Truck Series Qualifying (Gateway) FS1

    7 p.m.: ARCA Menards Series West Portland 112 – FloRacing/MRN

    Saturday, June 1
    9:30 a.m.: Cup Series Practice (Gateway) FS1/MRN/SiriusXM
    10:15: Cup Series Qualifying (Gateway) FS1/MRN/SiriusXM

    1:30 p.m.: Truck Series Toyota 200 (Gateway) Fox/MRN/SiriusXM
    Distance: 200 miles (160 Laps)
    Stages end on Lap 35, Lap 70, Final Stage ends on Lap 160
    Purse: $752,252

    11:30: Xfinity Series Practice (Portland) No TV
    Noon: Xfinity Series Qualifying (Portland) FS1
    4:30: Xfinity Series Pacific Office Automation 147 (Portland) FS1/MRN/SiriusXM
    Distance: 147.75 miles (75 Laps)
    Stages end on: Lap 25, Lap 50, Final Stage ends on Lap 75
    Purse: $1,408,568

    Sunday, June 2
    3:30 p.m.: Cup Series Enjoy Illinois 300 (Gateway) FS1/MRN/SiriusXM
    Distance: 300 miles (240 laps)
    Stages end on: Lap 45, Lap 140, Final Stage ends on Lap 240
    Purse: $7,776,907