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Race Central NASCAR XFINITY Series news and information

  • Kyle Larson finishes off dominant NASCAR XFINITY Series run at Dover

    Kyle Larson finishes off dominant NASCAR XFINITY Series run at Dover

    By Reid Spencer
    NASCAR Wire Service

    DOVER, Del. – Saturday’s One Main Financial 200 ended as it started – as a two-man show with polesitter Kyle Larson on top.

    Larson and Ryan Blaney were in a class by themselves at Dover International Speedway in the 11th NASCAR XFINITY Series race of the season. In winning for the third time in six starts this season, Larson led 137 of the 200 laps to Blaney’s 28.

    In fact, Larson now has three wins, a second and a third this season for an average finish of 2.5 – numbers that could rival those of another Kyle, XFINITY Series all-time victory leader Kyle Busch.

    “Our cars have been really good on both sides, (Monster Energy NASCAR) Cup and XFINITY,” Larson said. “Especially XFINITY, we’ve been extremely good. We’ve done a really good job adjusting to this new (lower-downforce) aero package.

    “This is the best car I’ve had here. At a lot of the tracks we’ve gone to, it seems like this is the best XFINITY car I’ve had this time around. Just a lot of fun. Hats off to (crew chief Mike) Shiplett and the rest of the mechanics at the shop and the engineers – the real reason I’m getting to run up front more often.”

    A first-time winner at Dover, Larson collected the eighth victory of his career, finishing 1.173 seconds ahead of Blaney. Third-place Daniel Suarez crossed the stripe 14.078 seconds behind the race winner.

    Cole Custer ran fourth, followed by Ryan Reed and William Byron, but Byron got the biggest consolation prize. The Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate collected a $100,000 bonus as the highest-finishing series regular among four drivers eligible for the prize in the last of four Dash 4 Cash events this season.

    But the day belonged to Larson, who led the first 63 laps and had to win a drag race with Blaney to secure victory in the first 60-lap stage. After the second stage, won by Darrell Wallace Jr., divergent pit strategies shuffled Larson and Blaney to 13th and 14th, respectively, for a restart on Lap 128.

    To Blaney, that was the key moment in the race, as his No. 22 Ford lost positions in a near-wreck with Wallace and couldn’t close on Larson despite a subsequent restart on Lap 141, after Blake Koch tangled with Daniel Hemric and Brennan Poole and nosed into the inside wall.

    “We almost got wrecked when the 6 (Wallace) got loose below whoever that was, the white car (the No. 90 of Brandon Brown), and that actually cost us the race,” Blaney said. “That allowed Larson to get by us, and he set sail from there, even though there was another restart.

    “He was about three rows ahead of us, and I couldn’t run him down by the time I got to second.”

     

    NASCAR XFINITY Series Race – OneMain Financial 200
    Dover International Speedway
    Dover, Delaware
    Saturday, June 3, 2017
    1. (1) Kyle Larson(i), Chevrolet, 200.
    2. (2) Ryan Blaney(i), Ford, 200.
    3. (3) Daniel Suarez(i), Toyota, 200.
    4. (14) Cole Custer #, Ford, 200.
    5. (17) Ryan Reed, Ford, 200.
    6. (8) William Byron #, Chevrolet, 200.
    7. (9) Elliott Sadler, Chevrolet, 200.
    8. (18) Darrell Wallace Jr., Ford, 200.
    9. (6) Matt Tifft #, Toyota, 200.
    10. (11) Ty Dillon(i), Chevrolet, 200.
    11. (12) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 200.
    12. (5) Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, 199.
    13. (10) Daniel Hemric #, Chevrolet, 199.
    14. (23) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 199.
    15. (26) JJ Yeley, Toyota, 199.
    16. (19) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 199.
    17. (32) Brandon Brown, Chevrolet, 199.
    18. (25) Ben Kennedy #, Chevrolet, 199.
    19. (22) Dakoda Armstrong, Toyota, 198.
    20. (15) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, 198.
    21. (20) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 198.
    22. (28) BJ McLeod, Chevrolet, 197.
    23. (29) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 197.
    24. (34) Ray Black II, Chevrolet, 191.
    25. (40) Mike Harmon, Dodge, 191.
    26. (27) Jordan Anderson(i), Chevrolet, Suspension, 188.
    27. (33) Garrett Smithley, Chevrolet, Track Bar, 176.
    28. (7) Austin Dillon(i), Chevrolet, Power Steering, 175.
    29. (13) Brandon Jones, Chevrolet, Parked, 174.
    30. (21) Dylan Lupton, Toyota, 170.
    31. (24) Spencer Gallagher #, Chevrolet, 166.
    32. (16) Blake Koch, Chevrolet, Steering, 135.
    33. (36) David Starr, Chevrolet, 107.
    34. (31) Chad Finchum, Chevrolet, Engine, 105.
    35. (4) Erik Jones(i), Toyota, Engine, 100.
    36. (39) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, Overheating, 99.
    37. (30) Harrison Rhodes, Chevrolet, Engine, 91.
    38. (35) Morgan Shepherd, Chevrolet, Handling, 50.
    39. (37) Timmy Hill, Toyota, Accident, 39.
    40. (38) Jeff Green, Chevrolet, Electrical, 13.

    Average Speed of Race Winner: 96.709 mph.

    Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 04 Mins, 05 Secs. Margin of Victory: 1.173 Seconds.

    Caution Flags: 10 for 45 laps.

    Lead Changes: 7 among 6 drivers.

    Lap Leaders: K. Larson(i) 1-63; A. Dillon(i) 64-67; K. Larson(i) 68-87; R. Blaney(i) 88-115; D. Wallace Jr. 116-122; R. Reed 123-127; D. Suarez(i) 128-146; K. Larson(i) 147-200.

    Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): K. Larson(i) 3 times for 137 laps; R. Blaney(i) 1 time for 28 laps; D. Suarez(i) 1 time for 19 laps; D. Wallace Jr. 1 time for 7 laps; R. Reed 1 time for 5 laps; A. Dillon(i) 1 time for 4 laps.

    Stage #1 Top Ten: 42,22,20,9,48,1,7,6,21,16

    Stage #2 Top Ten: 6,22,1,7,42,9,21,48,11,14

  • NASCAR Racing Schedule for Dover

    NASCAR Racing Schedule for Dover

    NASCAR travels to Dover International Speedway for a full weekend of competition with Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, XFINITY Series and Camping World Truck Series events. Please check below for the complete schedule. All times are Eastern.

    Thursday, June 1:

    On Track:
    2- 2:55 p.m.: Truck Series Practice – No TV (Follow live)
    4- 4:55 p.m.: Truck Series Final Practice – No TV (Follow live)

    Friday, June 2

    On Track:
    9:30- 10:25 a.m.: XFINITY Series Practice – FS2
    10:30- 11:55 a.m.: Cup Series Practice – FS2
    1:30- 2:25 p.m.: XFINITY Series Final Practice – FS1
    2:35 p.m.: Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying – FS1
    3:50 p.m.: Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – FS1
    5:30 p.m.: Truck Series Bar Harbor 200 Presented by Sea Watch International (200 laps, 200 miles) – FS1

    Press Conferences: Watch Here
    9 a.m.: Jimmie Johnson
    9:15 a.m.: Chase Elliott
    9:30 a.m.: Jeffrey Earnhardt
    9:50 a.m.: Matt Kenseth
    Noon: NASCAR XFINITY Seris Dash 4 Cash Drivers Elliott Sadler and Daniel Hemric
    12:30 p.m.: Martin Truex Jr.
    12:45 p.m.: Austin Dillon
    4:30 p.m.: Post Cup Series Qualifying (time approx.)
    7:30 p.m.: Post-Truck Series Race (time approx.)

    Saturday, June 3:

    On Track:
    9- 9:55 a.m.: Cup Series Practice – FS1
    10:05 a.m.: XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – FS1
    11:30 a.m.- 12:20 p.m.: Cup Series Final Practice – FS1
    1 p.m.: XFINITY Series OneMain Financial 200 (200 laps, 200 miles) – FS1

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

    Sunday, June 4:

    Pre-Race Schedule:
    12:30:00 p.m.: Driver Introductions
    12:59:00 p.m.: “God Bless America” by Cassidy Daniels, Nashville Recording Artist
    1:00:00 p.m.: Aerial Adventures parachute teams lands on track
    1:00:00 p.m.: Presentation of Colors by The Dover Air Force Base Color Guard
    1:00:20 p.m.: Invocation by Dan Schafer Pastor of Calvary Assembly of God from Heightstown, NJ
    1:00:50 p.m.: Intro National Anthem
    1:01:00 p.m.: National Anthem by Cassidy Daniels, Nashville Recording Artist (pyro from backstretch during “rockets’ red glare”)
    1:01:30 p.m.: Three Parachutists land on track
    1:02:30 p.m.: Flyover: A-10 Warthogs from the 104th Fighter Squadron of the Maryland Air National Guard (Turn 4 to Turn 1)
    1:07:00 p.m.: “Driver’s Start Your Engines” by Gordon Ramsay
    1:15:00 p.m.: Start of the AAA Drive for Autism 400 (400 Laps / 400 Miles)

    On Track:
    1 p.m.: Cup Series AAA 400 Drive for Autism – FS1

    Press Conference:
    4:30 p.m.: Post-Cup Series Race (time approx.) Watch Here

    Race Details:

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
    Friday, June 2
    Time: 5:30 p.m. ET
    TV: FS1, 5 p.m. ET
    Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    Distance: 200 miles (200 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 45), Stage 2 (Ends on lap 90),
    Final Stage (Ends on lap 200)

    NASCAR XFINITY Series
    Date: Saturday, June 3
    Time: 1 p.m. ET
    TV: FS1, 12:30 p.m. ET
    Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    Distance: 200 miles (200 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 60), Stage 2 (Ends on lap 120),
    Final Stage (Ends on lap 200)

    Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
    Date: Sunday, June 4
    Time: 1 p.m. ET
    TV: FS1, 12:30 p.m. ET
    Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    Distance: 400 miles (400 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 120), Stage 2 (Ends on lap 240),
    Final Stage (Ends on lap 400)

    Odds To Win NASCAR AAA 400
    Martin Truex Jr +550
    Kevin Harvick +551
    Kyle Busch +615
    Kyle Larson +632
    Jimmie Johnson +650
    Brad Keselowski +800
    Matt Kenseth +800
    Chase Elliott +850
    Joey Logano +1200
    Denny Hamlin +1500
    Clint Bowyer +3500
    Erik Jones +4000
    Ryan Blaney +4000
    Kurt Busch +4500
    Jamie McMurray +4500
    Dale Earnhardt Jr +5500
    Daniel Suarez +6500
    Ryan Newman +8000
    Ricky Stenhouse Jr +8500
    Austin Dillon +8500
    Kasey Kahne +8500
    Field (Any Other Driver) +3113

    Complete TV Schedule

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

     

  • Blaney Surges in Final Laps to XFINITY Win at Charlotte

    Blaney Surges in Final Laps to XFINITY Win at Charlotte

    CONCORD, N.C. — With two laps to go, Ryan Blaney executed the move of the race, powering by Kevin Harvick in his No. 12 Team Penske Ford to reclaim the lead and capture the XFINITY Series Hisense 4K TV 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

    Justin Allgaier led the field to green in the XFINITY Series race Saturday afternoon but his lead in the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevy was short-lived, as the race came down to a battle between Blaney and Kevin Harvick with some surprise runs thrown in by Austin Dillon and Darrell Wallace Jr. just to keep things interesting.

    Harvick won Stage 1 and led three times during the race for 58 total laps while Stages 1 and 2 went to Blaney who led four times for 107 laps. Though Harvick led fewer laps overall, he put himself in position to win as the race neared its conclusion, leading from Lap 181-197 after Blaney got blocked in his stall on his last pit stop and lost the lead. A final caution on Lap 195 and the subsequent restart on Lap 198, gave Blaney the opportunity he needed to pass Harvick and capture the checkered flag.

    It’s his fifth XFINITY Series career win and the second victory for Team Penske this year. It also has special meaning for Blaney and his father, Dave Blaney as they became the first father-son duo to win a XFINITY Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

    Blaney spoke about the significance of the win for Team Penske.

    “It means a ton,” he said. “Anytime you can win for Mr. Penske is huge. That’s super-special to me. He’s given me my opportunity. It was a combination of Brad’s truck team and Mr. Penske giving me a shot in 2012 and I’ve been really lucky to drive great race cars for him, so you want to do the best job you can for him, especially on this weekend, where he has the Indy 500. That’s such a huge race for them and he’s been so dominant in that race. To deliver for him early, hopefully, that will put him in a good mood for tomorrow and get those guys going.”

    When asked about his Dad’s influence, Blaney began by saying, “He’s the best race car driver ever,” adding, “That’s how I’ve always looked at him and that’s how I’ve always thought of him, not only as my father but the way he drives car – and not only his driving ability, but his mindset towards things. I think he’s one of the smartest people I know, personally, in the race car, outside the race car, building parts, coming up with inventions and ideas.

    “He always just supports me and it was cool to have him here today. That’s really special to me to have him at the race track through the good and bad times of getting a stern talking to or helpful support and it’s usually support. I’ve been lucky to have somebody like that to help me through these weekends to try to get myself better, whether it’s restarts or long runs or just communication. He’s been the best person, so in my mind, I’ll never be half the race car driver he is, personally. I think he’s the greatest one ever and that’s how I’ll always think of him.”

    Harvick finished second, posting his 18th top-10 finish in 28 races at Charlotte and his third top-10 finish this season. He talked about the last restart and the decision to start on the outside.

    “It was a tough decision for our Hunt Brothers Ford team. I knew that we had the 22 behind us if we were on the top and he pushed me a little bit and then kind of laid off there, getting into one. The 12 had the best car on the restart getting going. He’s the one who helped us get the lead and I knew I was gonna have my hands full, but he just beat me there at the end and we wound up getting second.”

    Austin Dillon, who led 20 laps during the race, placed third in his No. 2 Rheem Chevrolet.

    Although he didn’t get the finish he wanted, Dillon said, “We did a really good job adjusting the car over the course of the race. The Rheem Chevrolet really came to us at the end when the clouds came in. I hate that we weren’t able to visit Victory Lane today for our pit crew, especially. They did such a good job today.

    “So did my new crew chief, Randall Burnett. We had a few good restarts there but we were in a Penske sandwich and couldn’t do much about it. I got hit on the restart and it just wasn’t enough to carry me into Turn 1. I had a lot of fun today. I’m proud of this RCR XFINITY Series program.”

    Christopher Bell drove his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota to fourth place in his debut start in the XFINITY Series. Denny

    “I’m glad it was 200 laps, because we used every single bit of it,” Bell said after the hard-fought fourth place finish. “We didn’t have a lot of luck on the restarts at the beginning of the race, starting on the bottom, but we got the luck (starting on the top) when we needed it at the end.”

    Denny Hamlin rounded out the top five in the No. 20 JGR Toyota but thought the team should have finished stronger.

    “I thought our car handled pretty decent all day and it definitely hurt with that one pit stop where we had a lugnut hang up on us. I felt we were as good as the 41 (Harvick) and the 2 (Dillon),” Hamlin said, “for sure and it all comes down to those last restarts. It just took too long for us to battle back there.”

    Elliott Sadler remains the series points leader despite a 35th place result, after getting caught up in an accident late in the race.

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

    Unofficial Results:

    [pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/NXS-Charlotte-results.pdf” title=”NXS Charlotte results”]

     

  • Justin Allgaier Captures XFINITY Coors Light Pole in Charlotte

    Justin Allgaier Captures XFINITY Coors Light Pole in Charlotte

    CONCORD, N.C. — Justin Allgaier topped the speed charts during qualifying for the NASCAR XFINITY Series Hisense 4K TV 300 with a lap of 182.488 mph in his No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet to earn the Coors Light Pole at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

    It’s his fifth career pole in 217 XFINITY Series starts, his first pole this season and his first ever at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Allgaier’s pole award is also the third for JRM, who won one with Chase Elliott in 2014 as well as a truck pole by Kasey Kahne in 2015.

    Austin Dillon posted the second-fastest time in his No. 2 Rheem Chevrolet with a lap of 181.519 mph followed by Ryan Blaney in the No.12 Snap-On Ford (181.378 mph). Daniel Hemric, the fastest qualifying rookie, will start fourth (181.324 mph) in his No. 21 Chevy as Kevin Harvick rounds out the top five in the No. 41 Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford.

    Cole Custer, Christopher Bell, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Reed and Tyler Reddick will start, sixth through 10th, respectively.  This race will mark Bell’s debut in the XFINITY Series.

    Jeff Green (No.78) and Jordan Anderson (No. 74) failed to qualify.

    The  Hisense 4K TV 300 will begin Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. ET and will be televised on Fox Sports 1.

    Hisense 4K TV 300 Starting Lineup:

    [pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Charlotte-NXS-Starting-Lineup-May-2017.pdf” title=”Charlotte NXS Starting Lineup May 2017″]

     

     

     

  • NASCAR Racing Schedule for Charlotte Coca-Cola 600 Weekend

    NASCAR Racing Schedule for Charlotte Coca-Cola 600 Weekend

    CONCORD, N.C. — This Sunday NASCAR celebrates Memorial Day with the 58th running of the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The race will be broadcast at 6 p.m. Sunday evening, on the FOX network. The XFINITY Series will be on track Saturday for the Hisense 4K TV 300 on FS1.

    Furniture Row Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. is the defending Coca-Cola 600 race and pole winner. Kyle Busch, winner of last week’s All-Star race, heads to Charlotte with the second-best driver rating with 10 top fives, 15 top 10s and two poles. Jimmie Johnson has the most impressive stats entering the race with four Coca-Cola 600 wins plus four victories in the Bank of America 500. His driver rating of 110.6 is the series best, evidenced by his 15 tops fives, 19 top 10s and four poles.

    There are 41 drivers entered for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coca-Cola 600. Please check below for the complete schedule of events. All times are Eastern.

    Thursday, May 25:

    On Track:

    2-3:25 p.m.: Cup Series Practice – FS1
    4-4:55 p.m.: XFINITY Series Practice – FS1
    6-6:55 p.m.: XFINITY Series Final Practice – FS1
    7:15 p.m.: Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – FS1

    Garage Cam: (Watch live)

    1:30 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
    3:30 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series

    Press Conferences: (Watch live)
    12:45 p.m.: Ryan Blaney
    1:15 p.m.: Jimmie Johnson
    1:30 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series drivers: Christopher Bell and Matt Tifft
    1:45 p.m.: NASCAR Drive for Diversity Pit Crew Combine
    3:30 p.m.: Ben Kennedy
    3:45 p.m.: Kyle Busch
    4 p.m.: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
    8 p.m.: Post-Cup Series Qualifying (time approx.)

    SATURDAY, MAY 27:

    On Track:
    9-9:55 a.m.: Cup Series Practice – FS1
    10:05 a.m.: XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – FS1
    11:30 a.m.-12:25 p.m.: Cup Series Final Practice – FS1
    1 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Hisense 4K TV 300 (200 laps, 300 miles) – FS1

    Press Conferences: (Watch live)
    3:30 p.m.: Post-XFINITY Series Race (time approx.)

    SUNDAY, MAY 28:

    On Track:
    6 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 (400 laps, 600 miles) – FOX

    Press Conference: (Watch live)
    10:30 p.m.: Post-Cup Series Race (time approx.)

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

    Complete NASCAR TV Schedule

    Hisense 4K TV 300 Entry List

    Coca-Cola 600 Entry List:

    [pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Coca-Cola-600-Entry-List-C1712_PREENTNUM.pdf” title=”Coca Cola 600 Entry List C1712_PREENTNUM”]

  • ‘Big One’ Strikes Early in XFINITY Talladega Race

    ‘Big One’ Strikes Early in XFINITY Talladega Race

    TALLADEGA, Ala. — The field was four laps shy of the end of the first stage of the Sparks Energy 300 at Talladega Superspeedway when the Big One was triggered.

    Riding down the backstretch on the 21st lap, Brennan Poole attempted to thread the needle between Kasey Kahne to his low-side and Matt Tifft and Daniel Suarez to his high-side. Poole made contact with Tifft, leading to Tifft’s loose car turning down and hooking the 48 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet up the track and into the left-rear corner panel of Suarez.

    This triggered a nine-car wreck, brought out the second caution of the race and cleanup necessitated a nine-minute and 28-second red flag.

    Despite being at the eye of the wreck, Suarez and Tifft both drove to a top-10 finish.

    “That’s the big thing here, surviving,” Tifft said. “This stage racing deal sure makes for a lot of intensity and wrecks at that to. We just got caught up in the first stage crash, hurt the nose of the Camry and got to a point where if we didn’t have a good pusher out back it was going to be hard to move around and get a lane going.”

    Among those collected were William Byron, who t-boned Suarez as Suarez slid down the track. Daniel Hemric was barely clipped by Suarez, spun up the track and his right-rear corner slammed into the wall in Turn 3. Darrell Wallace Jr. was turned down the track, following a shunt from the 13 car of Mark Thompson, and clipped the 24 car of Scott Lagasse Jr. Brandon Jones was turned down into the inside wall by Spencer Gallagher as both drove onto the apron to avoid the spinning cars ahead.

  • Almirola Wins Competitive XFINITY Race at Talladega

    Almirola Wins Competitive XFINITY Race at Talladega

    TALLADEGA, Ala. — The final run to the finish had five lead changes, and Aric Almirola took the lead with four laps remaining to win a competitive XFINITY Series Sparks Energy 300 at Talladega Superspeedway.

    Justin Allgaier led the field to the final restart with 11 laps to go. Joey Logano, with Almirola in tow, powered down the backstretch and “chicaned” around Allgaier to take the lead with nine to go. He swapped the lead with Erik Jones before Jones was edged out by Almirola coming to the line with four to go and Almirola drove on to score the victory.

    Elliott Sadler came home second and Joey Logano finished third.

    Ben Kennedy and Erik Jones rounded out the top-five.

    Matt Tifft, Michael Annett, Justin Allgaier, Daniel Suarez and Jeff Green rounded out the top-10.

    Blake Koch led the field to the green flag at 1:21 p.m., but Kasey Kahne used a push from the outside lane on to lead the first lap. Kennedy took the lead on the sixth lap. Ray Black Jr. brought out the first caution on the seventh lap for a blown engine.

    On the ensuing restart on lap 11, Kahne retook the lead. Logano took the lead for the first time on lap 16, edging out Suarez at the line. Almirola followed suit on lap 20, edging out Logano at the line. The following lap on the backstretch, Brennan Poole attempted to thread the needle between Kasey Kahne, Tifft and Suarez. He made contact with Tifft, who hooked him into the left-rear corner panel of Suarez, which sent him spinning, triggering a nine-car spin and bringing out the second caution.

    Red flag was displayed for nine minutes and 28 seconds.

    The race restarted on lap 23 and ran to the end of the first stage, two laps later, that was won by Almirola.

    Michael Annett, who opted not to pit, led the field to the restart on lap 32, and lost the led to Ty Dillon on lap 34. Dillon and Logan swapped the lead back and forth for the next few laps until Jones powered by on the top coming to the line on lap 47 to take the lead. Allgaier jumped in front to take the lead on lap 48.

    A second multi-car wreck, triggered by Almirola bumping Ryan Reed, sending him into the wall and collecting Brendan Gaughan in the process, brought out the fourth caution on lap 49 and ended the second stage with Allgaier in the race lead.

    The multi-car wreck brought out an 11-minute and 30-second red flag.

    Back to green on lap 55, Jones retook the lead on lap 59, only to lose it on the backstretch the following lap to Almirola, who then lost it to Kahne.

    With 44 to go, the top-six cars had broken away from the field. Three of the six, including race leader Kahne, pitted with 43 to go. Jones, who inherited the lead, pitted the following lap, giving the lead to Jeff Green.

    Green led 18 laps, the most he’s led in an XFINITY Series race since Rockingham in 2002, but pitted with 24 to go and the lead cycled back to Allgaier.

    Debris brought out the final caution with 16 to go, setting up the 11-lap run to the finish.

    The race lasted two hours, nine minutes and 41 seconds at an average speed of 139.068 mph. There were 28 lead changes among 14 different drivers and five cautions for 20 laps.

    Sadler leaves Talladega with a 29-point lead over Allgaier.

    [pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/N1709_UNOFFRES.pdf”]

  • Brandon Jones Fastest at Talladega in Final XFINITY Practice

    Brandon Jones Fastest at Talladega in Final XFINITY Practice

    TALLADEGA, Ala. — Brandon Jones topped the chart in final NASCAR XFINITY Series practice at Talladega Superspeedway.

    The driver of the No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet was the fastest with a time of 52.381 and a speed of 182.814 mph followed by Blake Koch in second in his No. 11 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet with a time of 52.508 and a speed of 182.372 mph.

    Daniel Hemric was third in his No. 21 GMS Racing Chevrolet with a time of 52.623 and a speed of 181.974 mph. Ben Kennedy was fourth in his No. 2 Childress Chevrolet with a time of 52.766 and a speed of 181.480 mph while Ty Dillon rounded out the top-five in his No. 3 Childress Chevrolet with a time of 52.890 and a speed of 181.055 mph.

    No driver posted a 10 consecutive lap average.

    Koch Fastest In First Talladega XFINITY Practice

    [pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/N1709_PRACFINAL.pdf”]

     

  • Elliott Sadler says there’s a big difference between racing Daytona and Talladega

    Elliott Sadler says there’s a big difference between racing Daytona and Talladega

    TALLADEGA, Ala. — The late Barney Hall once said, “They don’t race ’em anywhere in the world like they do at Talladega,” and there’s truth to that statement.

    Restrictor plate racing, while polarizing to some, is beloved by many in the NASCAR nation for its unpredictability and intensity. A byproduct of the use of restrictor plates, the racing consists of cars packed together racing inches apart three, four and sometimes five-wide, at 200 mph.

    Brad Keselowski summed up plate racing as a “balance of daredevils and chess players” and said that Talladega is a “daredevil style of track.”

    “…racing has always been that balance of daredevils and chess players. Some weekends we’re chess players, some weekends we’re daredevils,” Keselowski said. “(Talladega) has always been the more daredevil style of track, which probably offsets some of the tracks that we go to where we’re the chess player.”

    This type of racing is done exclusively at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway, both of which were built to serve as cathedrals of speed.

    Talladega is essentially an enlarged version of Daytona, being 2.66 miles in length to Daytona’s 2.5. It’s also wider, allowing for four to five-wide racing, whereas the narrow confines of Daytona restrict pack racing to three-wide racing.

    Beyond the size, you’d almost think there was no difference in racing at either track. That’s unless you ask NASCAR XFINITY Series driver Elliott Sadler.

    “To me, it’s a big difference,” Sadler said. “It is restrictor plate racing and we have the bumpers all lined up. But Daytona, there are some handling characteristics involved. The turns are a lot tighter. The course is a lot more narrow. The tri-oval is more of a sharp corner. You have some handling characteristics where two-wide is good, but three-wide is not real good at Daytona. We can run three and four-wide around here (at Talladega) all day long. The corners are a lot longer. It’s a little bit more banked. The tri-oval is not as sharp of a turn. So handling is not a characteristic. So what that means is more people are in play.”

  • Koch Fastest in First Talladega XFINITY Practice

    Koch Fastest in First Talladega XFINITY Practice

    TALLADEGA, Ala. — Blake Koch topped the chart in first NASCAR XFINITY Series practice at Talladega Superspeedway.

    The driver of the No. 11 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet was the fastest with a time of 49.722 and a speed of 192.591 mph. followed by Brendan Gaughan in second in his No. 62 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet with a time of 49.732 and a speed of 192.552 mph.

    Ben Kennedy was third in his No. 2 Childress Chevrolet with a time of 49.784 and a speed of 192.351 mph. Daniel Hemric was fourth in his No. 21 GMS Racing Chevrolet with a time of 49.803 and a speed of 192.278 mph while Ty Dillon rounded out the top-five in his No. 3 Childress Chevrolet with a time of 50.128 and a speed of 191.031 mph.

    Dillon posted the fastest 10 consecutive lap average at a speed of 188.343 mph.

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