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Race Central NASCAR XFINITY Series news and information

NASCAR Racing Schedule for Talladega

NASCAR travels to Talladega Superspeedway this weekend for the XFINITY Series Sparks Energy 300 and the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series GEICO 500. The XFINITY races will air Saturday at 1 p.m. and the Cup Series race will be broadcast Sunday at 2 p.m., both on FOX.

Chip Ganassi Racing’s Kyle Larson remains the Cup Series points leader while Furniture Row Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. is in second place, 40 points behind Larson. Team Penske driver Brad Keselowski is the defending race winner. Forty-two drivers are on the entry list for the GEICO 500.

Elliott Sadler is the XFINITY Series points leader and will be looking to defend his 2016 win in the Sparks Energy 300.

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

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Next Race: GEICO 500
The Place: Talladega Superspeedway
The Date: Sunday, May 7
The Time: 2 p.m. ET
TV: FOX, 1:30 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 500.8 miles (188 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 55),
Stage 2 (Ends on lap 110), Final Stage (Ends on lap 188)

NASCAR XFINITY Series
Next Race: Sparks Energy 300
The Place: Talladega Superspeedway
The Date: Saturday, May 6
The Time: 1 p.m. ET
TV: FOX, 12:30 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 300.58 miles (113 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 25),
Stage 2 (Ends on lap 50), Final Stage (Ends on lap 113)

Friday, May 5

On-Track:
8:30 AM 10:20 AM ARCA FINAL PRACTICE
10:30 AM 11:25 AM NXS 1ST PRACTICE
NOON-12:30 PM NXS PRACTICE
1:30 PM-2:25 PM NXS FINAL PRACTICE
2:30 PM-3:25 PM MENCS PRACTICE
4:30 PM-5:25 PM MENCS FINAL PRACTICE – CANCELED DUE TO RAIN
5:00 PM ARCA RACE (76 LAPS, 202.16 MILES) – POSTPONED TO MAY 6 DUE TO RAIN

Garage Cam:
1 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series
2 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series

Press Conferences:
10 a.m.: Brendan Gaughan and Ben Kennedy
10:15 a.m.: Erik Jones
10:30 a.m.: Brennan Poole and Elliott Sadler
10:45 a.m.: Joey Logano
12:30 p.m.: Ryan Blaney
1:30 p.m.: Kyle Larson
1:50 p.m.: Chase Elliott
3:30 p.m.: Kurt Busch
3:50 p.m.: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
TBD: Kurt Busch

Saturday, May 6

On-Track:
10:30 AM NXS QUALIFYING (SINGLE VEHICLE / TWO ROUNDS)
1:00 PM NXS RACE (113 LAPS, 300.58 MILES)
4:00 PM MENCS QUALIFYING IMPOUND (SINGLE VEHICLE / TWO ROUNDS)
5:00 PM ARCA RACE (76 LAPS, 202.16 MILES)

Sunday, May 7

On-Track:
1:00 PM MENCS RACE (188 LAPS, 500.08 MILES)

Complete NASCAR TV Schedule

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

Odds to win NASCAR Geico 500
Dale Earnhardt Jr +900
Jimmie Johnson +1100
Brad Keselowski +750
Joey Logano +750
Denny Hamlin +1100
Kevin Harvick +800
Kyle Larson +1100
Kyle Busch +1500
Chase Elliott +1000
Matt Kenseth +1200
Clint Bowyer +2000
Ryan Blaney +2000
Kurt Busch +2200
Erik Jones +2500
Kasey Kahne +2500
Jamie McMurray +3000
Austin Dillon +3500
Daniel Suarez +4000
Ryan Newman +4200
Trevor Bayne +2000
Ricky Stenhouse Jr +4000
AJ Allmendinger +4500
Aric Almirola +6000
Paul Menard +6000
Field (Any Other Driver) +2500

Sparks Energy 300 Entry List

GEICO 500 Entry List:

[pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Geico-500-Entry-List-Talladega-May-2017-C1710_PREENTNUM.pdf” title=”Geico 500 Entry List Talladega May 2017 C1710_PREENTNUM”]

May 4, 2017
Kyle Larson Takes the Checkered Flag at the ToyotaCare 250 NASCAR XFINITY Series

Justin Allgaier Wins Dash 4 Cash for Second Time This Season

The ToyotaCare 250 NASCAR XFINITY Series race was settled in overtime, as Kyle Larson, driver of the Chip Ganassi Racing No. 42, took the checkered flag at Richmond International Raceway (Richmond). Following multiple lead changes in the race’s final laps, Larson led the most important one as he made a last lap pass on JR Motorsports driver Justin Allgaier.

It is Larson’s first victory at Richmond in the XFINITY Series. Previously, Larson’s best finish was a fourth-place showing in 2014’s ToyotaCare 250. For the 24-year-old, the win is his second of the year, after also visiting Gatorade Victory Lane with a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win at Auto Club Speedway in March.

“We were good enough to stay in contention to win, so everyone from the pit crew to the guys at the shop did a great job,” said Larson. “I was surprised I cleared [Justin Allgaier] going into (Turn) 2 because I thought he would hang on my outside, if not pass me like he did to Austin (Dillon) earlier in the race. I was able to clear him, they threw the caution, and I got the overtime win.”

Daniel Hemric, Austin Dillon and Ryan Blaney rounded out the top five. In addition to leading the most laps in Saturday’s race, Allgaier came out on top in the XFINITY Series Dash 4 Cash. The other three drivers who battled in the Dash 4 Cash were Hemric, Virginia-native Elliott Sadler (7th) and Joe Gibbs Racing driver Kyle Benjamin (32nd).

“To win $100,000 is something we set out to do when we got here this weekend,” Allgaier told Fox Sports 1. “Unfortunately there at the end, the best car doesn’t always win the race.”

The ToyotaCare250 was also the first time fans could witness stage racing at Richmond. Stages 1 and 2 were each run 75 laps and won by Austin Dillon and Justin Allgaier, respectively.

The spring Toyota race weekend continues on Sunday, April 30 with the fan-friendly Track Takeover driven by AAA from 10 a.m. to noon followed by NASCAR’s best in the TOYOTA OWNERS 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 30.

Richmond’s fall race weekend, presented by Who’s Your Driver, will crown the inaugural Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series regular season champion over Fan Appreciation Weekend on September 8-9. Witness history in the Federated Auto Parts 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race on Saturday, September 9 as a regular season champion will be crowned. On Friday, September 8, the rising stars of tomorrow will compete in the Virginia529 College Savings 250 NASCAR XFINITY Series race.

About Richmond International Raceway
Richmond International Raceway is America’s Premier Short Track annually hosting two NASCAR race weekends, featuring the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR XFINITY Series, on a ¾-mile D-shaped oval. Richmond is a regional leader for events including sports, live music and consumer trade shows. The Richmond Raceway Complex’s 1,000 plus acre multipurpose facility hosts more than 200 live events annually including concerts with top national recording artists at The Classic Amphitheater. To learn more, visit rir.com and richmondracewaycomplex.com.

April 29, 2017
NASCAR Racing Schedule for Richmond

NASCAR travels to Richmond International Raceway this weekend for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Toyota Owners 400 and the NASCAR XFINITY Series ToyotaCare 250. The XFINITY race will be broadcast on FS1 at 1 p.m. and the Cup Series event will be televised on FOX at 2 p.m.

Chip Ganassi Racing’s Kyle Larson enters the race as the Cup Series points leader, 27 points ahead of Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott. Larson has six starts at Richmond, with a best finish of second in last year’s fall race and an average finish of 11.3. There are 38 drivers on the entry list for the Toyota Owners 400.

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

Friday, April 28:

On Track:
11:30 a.m.-12:55 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Practice – FS1
1-1:55 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Practice – FS1
3-3:55 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Final Practice – FS1
4:45 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – FS1

Garage Cam: (Watch live)
11 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
2:30 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series

Saturday, April 29:

On Track:
9-9:55 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Practice – FS1
10:05 a.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – FS1
11:30 a.m.-12:20 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Final Practice – FS1
1 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series ToyotaCare 250 Dash 4 Cash Race (250 laps, 187.5 miles) – FS1
Stage 1 (Ends on lap 75), Stage 2 (Ends on lap 150), Final Stage (Ends on lap 250)

Sunday, April 30:

On Track:
2 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Toyota Owners 400 (400 laps, 300 miles) – FOX
Stage 1 (Ends on lap 100), Stage 2 (Ends on lap 200), Final Stage (Ends on lap 400)

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

Complete NASCAR TV Schedule

ToyotaCare 250 Entry List

Toyota Owners 400 Entry List:

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April 27, 2017
Erik Jones Rallies from Late Speeding Penalty to Win Bristol XFINITY Race

BRISTOL, Tenn. — Erik Jones rallied back from a late speeding penalty and took the lead in the closing laps to score the victory in the NASCAR XFINITY Series Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

After being penalized for speeding on pit road during the fifth caution of the race, Jones worked his way back through the field until he restarted second on the penultimate restart with 23 laps to go. Two laps later, he put the chrome bumper to leader Ryan Blaney, took the lead and held him off on a three-lap restart to end the race and win for the eighth time in his career.

“It was just hard racing,” said Jones. “We ended up racing hard and getting by him. To come back from a pit road penalty like that, it’s a race I won’t forget for a long time — just an awesome day.”

Blaney finished runner-up and Daniel Suarez rounded out the podium.

Elliott Sadler and Daniel Hemric round out the top-five.

Ty Dillon, Kyle Larson, Brennan Poole, Blake Koch and Michael Annett round out the top-five.

Larson led the field to the green flag at 1:04 p.m. He lost the lead to Jones on lap 20, but took it back five laps later passing him exiting Turn 2 and held it through the end of the stage.

The race restarted on lap 95 and was stopped twice, for a spin into the Turn 2 wall by Ray Black Jr. and rain delaying the race for over 90 minutes (1:38.52), but won by Daniel Hemric after the leaders opted to short-pit the stage caution as the caution for rain came with eight laps before the end of the stage.

Blaney cycled to the lead under the stage break caution.

Larson took the race lead again with 95 to go, but he lost it under the fifth caution with 95 to go and wasn’t a factor in the race win.

The run to the finish was set up by an incident on the backstretch related to Ross Chastain.

Justin Allgaier spins out in the closing laps of the Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Photo: Tucker White/SpeedwayMedia.com

With 95 to go, Black spun out in Turn 4 and his front-end was clipped by David Starr. With 56 to go, Darrell Wallace Jr. tapped Brendan Gaughan and sent him spinning into a head-on collision with the inside wall on the frontstretch. With 45 to go, Wallace spun out and got t-boned by Garrett Smithley, brining out the red flag for five minutes and 10 seconds. The final caution flew with seven laps to go for a two-car incident involving Justin Allgaier and William Byron.

The race lasted two hours, 21 minutes and 38 seconds at an average speed of 67.738 mph. There were 15 lead changes among seven different drivers and nine cautions for 85 laps.

Sadler leaves Bristol with a 16-point lead over Byron.

[pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/N1707_UNOFFRES.pdf”]

April 22, 2017
Larson Takes Bristol XFINITY Pole

BRISTOL, Tenn. — Kyle Larson will lead the field to the green flag this afternoon at Bristol Motor Speedway after winning the pole for the Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300.

The driver of the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet scored the pole after posting a new track record time of 14.992 and a speed of 127.988 mph. Austin Dillon will start second in his No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet after posting a time of 15.043 and a speed of 127.554 mph. Cole Custer will start third in his No. 00 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford after posting a time of 15.074 and a speed of 127.292 mph. Erik Jones will start fourth in his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota after posting a time of 15.104 and a speed of 127.039 mph. Justin Allgaier will round out the top-five starters in his No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet after posting a time of 15.128 and a speed of 126.838 mph.

Ty Dillon, Matt Tifft, Daniel Hemric, Ryan Blaney and Daniel Suarez will round out the top-10 starters.

Ross Chastain and Brendan Gaughan will round out the 12 drivers that made the final round of qualifying.

[pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/N1707_STARTROW.pdf”]

April 22, 2017
Allgaier Fastest in Final Bristol XFINITY Practice

BRISTOL, Tenn. — Justin Allgaier topped the chart in final NASCAR XFINITY Series practice at Bristol Motor Speedway.

The driver of the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet was the fastest with a time of 15.422 and a speed of 124.420 mph. Erik Jones was second in his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota with a time of 15.509 and a speed of 123.722 mph. Kyle Larson was third in his No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet with a time of 15.525 and a speed of 123.594 mph. Ryan Blaney was fourth in his No. 22 Team Penske Ford with a time of 15.535 and a speed of 123.515 mph. Austin Dillon rounded out the top-five in his No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet with a time of 15.552 and a speed of 123.380 mph.

[pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/N1707_PRACFINAL.pdf”]

April 21, 2017
NASCAR Racing Schedule for Bristol – Updated

NASCAR travels to Bristol Motor Speedway for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and the NASCAR XFINITY Series this weekend. Saturday’s XFINITY Series Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300 will be broadcast on Saturday on FS1 at 1 p.m. The action wraps up on Sunday with the Food City 500 at 2 p.m. on FOX. Radio coverage for both events will be carried by PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Kyle Larson enters the race at the top of the MENCS points standings. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver has six starts at Bristol with two top 10s and a driver rating of 87.4. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Matt Kenseth has the series-best driver rating (100.9) with four wins, 13 top fives, 20 top 10s and two poles. There are 39 drivers on the entry list for the Food City 500.

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

Friday, April 21:

On Track:
2-2:55 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Practice – FS1
3-3:55 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Practice – FS1
4:45 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – FS1 – Canceled due to rain

Press Conferences: (Watch live)
9:30 a.m.: Kurt Busch
10:30 a.m.: Jimmie Johnson
10:45 a.m.: Chase Elliott
11 a.m.: XFINITY Series Dash 4 Cash drivers: Justin Allgaier, Michael Annett, Darrell Wallace Jr.
1:45 p.m.: Trevor Bayne
2:15 p.m.: Kyle Busch
3:55 p.m.: Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott

Garage Cam: (Watch live)
11 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series – Canceled

Saturday, April 22:

On Track:
8:30-9:25 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Practice – FS1
9:35 a.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – FS1
11-11:55 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Final Practice – FS1
1 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300 (300 laps, 159.9 miles) – FS1
Stage 1 (Ends on lap 85), Stage 2 (Ends on lap 170), Final Stage (Ends on lap 300)

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

Sunday, April 23: – All activities canceled due to rain

On Track:
2 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Food City 500 (500 laps, 266.5 miles) – FOX
Stage 1 (Ends on lap 125), Stage 2 (Ends on lap 250), Final Stage (Ends on lap 500)

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

Monday, April 24:

On Track:
12:20 p.m.: Driver Introductions
12:53 p.m.: Presentation of Colors: Grundy High School JROTC Color Guard
12:53 p.m.: Invocation: Mike Rife, Vansant Church of Christ, Vansant, Virgina
12:54 p.m.: National Anthem: TBD
12:56 p.m.: Flyover TOT by: (4) T-38s 49^th Fighter Training Squadron from Columbus AFB, Mississippi (Turn 1 to Turn 4)
12:56 p.m.: Food City Salute Commercial (Colossus TV)
12:57 p.m.: Bristol August Video (Colossus TV)
12:58 p.m.: Bristol Motor Speedway Hype Video (Colossus TV)
1 p.m.: Dale Earnhardt Jr Congratulations Food City Video (on Colossus TV)
1:01 p.m.: “Drivers, Start Your Engines”: Kerry Earnhardt and Kelley Earnhardt Miller
1:07 p.m.: Start of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Food City 500 (500 laps, 266.5 miles), FOX

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

Complete NASCAR TV Schedule

Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300 Entry List

Odds to win NASCAR Food City 500
Kyle Busch +550
Joey Logano +604
Kyle Larson +650
Kevin Harvick +705
Chase Elliott +705
Brad Keselowski +750
Martin Truex Jr +908
Matt Kenseth +1207
Denny Hamlin +1207
Jimmie Johnson +1214
Clint Bowyer +2554
Jamie McMurray +3077
Dale Earnhardt Jr +3605
Ryan Blaney +3605
Kurt Busch +3605
Erik Jones +5000
Kasey Kahne +5000
Ryan Newman +6000
Austin Dillon +7500
Ricky Stenhouse Jr +7500
Field (Any Other Driver) +255

Food City 500 Entry List:

[pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Bristol-Cup-Series-Entry-List-C1708_PREENTNUM.pdf” title=”Bristol Cup Series Entry List C1708_PREENTNUM”]

April 20, 2017
Blaney Takes Second at Texas in XFINITY, ‘Learns a lot’ for Sunday’s Cup Race

Ryan Blaney drove his No. 22 Ford to a second-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway in Saturday’s My Bariatric Solutions 300 NASCAR XFINITY Series race. It was his second race in the series this year and his second top-two result.

Erik Jones won the event scoring his second win at Texas and his seventh career victory. He led 112 of the 200 laps and beat Blaney to the checkered flag by .512 seconds. Blaney, who led 43 laps, was pleased with his team’s overall performance but said that Jones got such a lengthy lead on the last run that he “couldn’t run him down.”

“I thought our car was pretty good all day,” Blaney said after the race. “The 20 seemed to be a little better than us for 35 or 40 laps. Then I feel like we could start running him down. We passed him before the last pit stop and I thought our car was pretty decent right there. I needed to turn a little better early in a run. I knew it wasn’t going to be that long for the next stint. We didn’t come out with the lead and that hurt us. I think if we would have come out with the lead I don’t know if I could have held him off.

“He was pretty good right away but we kind of over adjusted and got too free that last run. I felt like we were kind of even with them 10 laps into a run but then he got so far out ahead that we couldn’t run him down. Just couldn’t get there. I thought it was a solid weekend overall for the 22 group. I felt the way the car has been running on that side is promising. It has been second a lot this year and that team deserves a win. They have been working hard the past six months to get competitive again and be in position to win races. We just need to have one go our way.”

As Blaney was winding down after the XFINITY Series race, his focus soon shifted to Sunday’s Cup Series race and how he could transfer what he had learned to the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500.

He is currently seventh in the points standings with three top 10s this season and one top five at Daytona where he finished second. Blaney is looking to rebound at Texas after getting caught up in a wreck last week at Martinsville Speedway that resulted in a 25th place finish. With the newly repaved surface at Texas, the extra track time he gained during the XFINITY Series race will be invaluable.

Blaney described what he learned, adding that he would “have some comments” for the team during the post-race debrief.

“The track changed a lot in the second half of the race. The beginning of the race was treacherous at the top. I think me and Erik fell back to eighth and ninth from 2nd and 4th just trying not to go anywhere and wreck. I feel like that came in a little to where it wasn’t as deadly up there from passing lap cars. You get stuck behind a lap car and you can’t pass them for a lap or so and that part was tough. They don’t want to leave the line and get in the dust either so you have to kind of wait and just time it right. Personally, I learned a lot for tomorrow’s race. I think it will be very helpful. I was really thankful to run this race to get some laps. That part was good.”

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

April 8, 2017
NXS Recap: Erik Jones dominates at Texas for NASCAR XFINITY Series win

By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service

FORT WORTH, Tex. – What a difference a pit stop made.

Erik Jones gained two seconds over Ryan Blaney on his final trip to pit road, and that was all the driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota needed for a convincing victory in Saturday’s My Bariatric Solutions 300 NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Texas Motor Speedway.

In winning for the second time at Texas, the first time this season and the seventh time in his career, Jones led 112 of the 200 laps and stretched his advantage to more than three seconds in the late going before driving conservatively over the last three laps and beating Blaney to the stripe by .512 seconds.

“I tiptoed a lot there in the segments and ended up letting the 22 (Blaney) catch us and pass us, but then I was just super aggressive the whole time in traffic just trying to make passes as quick as I could and get as many cars as I could between myself and Ryan, and it paid off,” Jones said.

“I think we were probably a little slower than him for the last few laps – he had so many lapped cars to get around that there was no way he was going to get to us.”

Kevin Harvick ran third, 21.383 seconds behind Jones, as only nine drivers finished on the lead lap. Austin Dillon was fourth, followed by Sunoco rookie Cole Custer, who posted a career-best fifth, and Darrell Wallace Jr., who finished sixth for the fifth consecutive race.

With the final stage of the race going green from a restart on lap 98 to the conclusion, Blaney ran down Jones and passed him for the lead on Lap 131. Jones came to pit road for fresh tires and fuel on Lap 147, and Blaney followed a lap later.

In the exchange of stops, Jones went from a half-second behind to 2.178 seconds ahead of the runner-up, and from that point on it was game over.

“I thought our car was pretty good all day,” Blaney said. “The 20 seemed to be a little better than us for 35 or 40 laps. Then I feel like we could start running him down. We passed him before the last pit stop, and I thought our car was pretty decent right there. I needed to turn a little better early in a run. I knew it wasn’t going to be that long for the next stint.

“We didn’t come out with the lead, and that hurt us. I think if we would have come out with the lead, I don’t know if I could have held him off. He was pretty good right away, but we kind of over adjusted and got too free that last run. I felt like we were kind of even with them 10 laps into a run, but then he got so far out ahead that we couldn’t run him down. Just couldn’t get there.”

Stage racing played a decisive role in strategies employed by NASCAR XFINITY Series regulars versus Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers moonlighting in Saturday’s race. When Garrett Smithley’s spin off Turn 2 brought out the fifth caution on Lap 84, most of the Cup drivers came to pit road. The XFINITY regulars, on the other hand, stayed on the track under the yellow to collect points at the end of the second stage, which concluded on Lap 90. William Byron won the stage and the accompanying playoff point, leading nine XFINITY regulars in the top 10 in that stage.

In contrast, Jones won the first stage, which featured only three full-time XFINITY drivers in the top 10.

Despite finishing 10th as the first driver one lap down, Elliott Sadler retained the series lead by six points over Byron in second place.

NASCAR XFINITY Series Race – My Bariatric Solutions 300
Texas Motor Speedway
Fort Worth, Texas
Saturday, April 8, 2017

1. (2) Erik Jones(i), Toyota, 200.
2. (4) Ryan Blaney(i), Ford, 200.
3. (14) Kevin Harvick(i), Ford, 200.
4. (3) Austin Dillon(i), Chevrolet, 200.
5. (6) Cole Custer #, Ford, 200.
6. (8) Darrell Wallace Jr., Ford, 200.
7. (5) William Byron #, Chevrolet, 200.
8. (12) Ty Dillon(i), Chevrolet, 200.
9. (19) Matt Tifft #, Toyota, 200.
10. (10) Elliott Sadler, Chevrolet, 199.
11. (9) Ryan Reed, Ford, 199.
12. (15) Daniel Suarez(i), Toyota, 199.
13. (20) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 199.
14. (16) Spencer Gallagher #, Chevrolet, 199.
15. (13) Brandon Jones, Chevrolet, 199.
16. (18) Blake Koch, Chevrolet, 198.
17. (23) Dakoda Armstrong, Toyota, 198.
18. (17) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 198.
19. (24) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, 198.
20. (34) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 197.
21. (28) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 197.
22. (27) JJ Yeley, Toyota, 197.
23. (22) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 197.
24. (38) David Starr, Chevrolet, 196.
25. (29) Ray Black Jr., Chevrolet, 195.
26. (35) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 195.
27. (30) BJ McLeod, Chevrolet, 194.
28. (33) Alex Labbe, Chevrolet, 194.
29. (21) Jeb Burton, Toyota, 192.
30. (32) Garrett Smithley, Chevrolet, 188.
31. (37) Timmy Hill, Chevrolet, 179.
32. (7) Daniel Hemric #, Chevrolet, 172.
33. (11) Tyler Reddick, Chevrolet, 148.
34. (1) Joey Logano(i), Ford, Engine, 145.
35. (36) Harrison Rhodes, Chevrolet, Clutch, 137.
36. (40) Jeff Green, Chevrolet, Suspension, 114.
37. (25) Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, Accident, 66.
38. (26) Casey Mears, Ford, Rear Gear, 50.
39. (39) Carl Long, Toyota, Steering, 24.
40. (31) Jordan Anderson(i), Chevrolet, Electrical, 17.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 131.563 mph.
Time of Race: 02 Hrs, 16 Mins, 49 Secs. Margin of Victory: 0.512 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 6 for 31 laps.
Lead Changes: 11 among 7 drivers.
Lap Leaders: J. Logano(i) 1-19; E. Jones(i) 20-48; W. Byron # 49-57; D. Suarez(i) 58-59; R. Blaney(i) 60-84; W. Byron # 85-92; E. Jones(i) 93-130; R. Blaney(i) 131-148; D. Wallace Jr. 149; B. Jones 150-154; D. Suarez(i) 155; E. Jones(i) 156-200.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): E. Jones(i) 3 times for 112 laps; R. Blaney(i) 2 times for 43 laps; J. Logano(i) 1 time for 19 laps; W. Byron # 2 times for 17 laps; B. Jones 1 time for 5 laps; D. Suarez(i) 2 times for 3 laps; D. Wallace Jr. 1 time for 1 lap.
Stage #1 Top Ten: 20,22,12,9,16,18,6,42,2,41
Stage #2 Top Ten: 9,1,16,7,33,20,39,11,62,6

April 8, 2017
NASCAR Racing Schedule for Texas

This weekend the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and the XFINITY Series travel to Texas Motor Speedway. The drivers will practice on the newly repaved track for the first time Friday, April 7 in preparation for Saturday’s NXS My Bariatric Solutions 300 race and Sunday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 event. Both races will be televised on FOX.

Kyle Busch is the defending MENCS race winner at Texas with two victories, 11 top fives, 12 top 10s and one pole at the 1.5-mile track with the third-best driver rating (102.4). Chase Elliott, who is still searching for his first win, enters the Cup Series race with the series-best average finish of 4.500. The struggling Jimmie Johnson has the potential to turn his season around with a much-needed victory based on his six wins, 14 top fives, 20 top 10s and one pole in the Lone Star State.

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

Friday, April 7:

On Track:
Noon-2:25 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Practice – FS1
2:30-3:55 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Practice – FS1
5-5:55 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Final Practice – FS1
6:15 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – FS1

Garage Cam: (Watch live)
11:30 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
4:30 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series

Press Conferences: (Watch live)
10:30 a.m.: Daniel Suarez
10:45 a.m.: Chris Buescher
11 a.m.: Clint Bowyer
11:15 a.m.: Jimmie Johnson
11:30 a.m.: Brendan Gaughan, Daniel Hemric and Brennan Poole
3 p.m.: Trevor Bayne
3:15 p.m.: Martin Truex Jr.
4:15 p.m.: Tony Stewart and Christopher Bell
6 p.m.: Texas Motor Speedway Announcement
7:30 p.m.: Post-Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying (time approx.)

Saturday, April 8:

On Track:
9:30-10:25 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Practice – FS1
10:35 a.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – FS1
Noon-12:50 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Final Practice – FS2
1:30 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series My Bariatric Solutions 300 (200 laps, 300 miles) – FOX – Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

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

Sunday, April 9:

On Track:
1:30 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 (334 laps, 501 miles) – FOX – Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Press Conferences: (Watch live)
10:30 a.m.: JTG Daugherty Racing Announcement
5:30 p.m.: Post-Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Race (time approx.)

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

Complete NASCAR TV Schedule

My Bariatric Solutions 200 Entry List

O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 Entry List:

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April 6, 2017