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Category: RC XFINITY

Race Central NASCAR XFINITY Series news and information

  • Kyle Busch Scores XFINITY Pole at Kentucky

    Kyle Busch Scores XFINITY Pole at Kentucky

    SPARTA, Ky. — Kyle Busch will lead the field to the green flag in tonight’s race in the Bluegrass State.

    The driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota earned the pole for the Alsco 300 at Kentucky Speedway with a new track record time of 28.828 and a speed of 187.318 mph. It’s his 52nd career pole in 320 career starts in the XFINITY Series, first at Kentucky, fourth of the season and his ninth top-10 start of the season.

    Daniel Suárez will start second in his No. 19 JGR Toyota after posting a time of 28.831 and a speed of 187.298 mph. It’s his 16th top-10 start of the season and third in three starts at Kentucky. Erik Jones will start third in his No. 20 JGR Toyota after posting a time of 28.967 and a speed of 186.419 mph. It’s his 16th top-10 start of the season and third at Kentucky. Austin Dillon will start fourth in his No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet after posting a time of 29.085 and a speed of 185.663 mph. Elliott Sadler rounded out the top-10 in his No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet after posting a time of 29.100 and a speed of 185.567 mph.

    Ryan Blaney will start sixth in his No. 12 Team Penske Ford. Ryan Reed will start seventh in his No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing Ford. Cole Custer will start eighth in his No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet. Blake Koch will start ninth in his No. 11 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet. Brad Keselowski will round out the top-10 in his No. 22 Team Penske Ford.

    Darrell Wallace Jr. will start 11th in his No. 6 RFR Ford. Ryan Sieg will round out the 12 drivers that made the final round of qualifying in his No. 39 RSS Racing Chevrolet.

    No cars were sent home.

    Twenty-four Chevrolet’s, one Dodge, seven Ford’s and eight Toyota’s will comprise the field of 40 cars in Friday’s race.

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  • Suárez Fastest in Final XFINITY Practice at Kentucky

    Suárez Fastest in Final XFINITY Practice at Kentucky

    SPARTA, Ky. — Daniel Suárez topped the chart in final XFINITY Series practice at Kentucky Speedway.

    The driver of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 28.901 and a speed of 186.845 mph. Erik Jones was the second fastest in his No. 20 JGR Toyota with a time of 28.918 and a speed of 186.735 mph. Ryan Blaney followed in third in his No. 12 Team Penske Ford with a time of 28.972 and a speed of 186.387 mph. Kyle Busch was fourth in his No. 18 JGR Toyota with a time of 28.973 and a speed of 186.380 mph and Ty Dillon rounded out the top-five in his No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet with a time of 29.116 and a speed of 185.465 mph.

    Blake Koch was sixth in his No. 11 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet while Austin Dillon was seventh in his No. 2 RCR Chevrolet. JJ Yeley was eighth in his No. 44 TriStar Motorsports Toyota. Elliott Sadler was ninth in his No. 1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet and Brad Keselowski rounded out the top-10 in his No. 22 Penske Ford.

    Busch posted the fastest 10 consecutive lap average at a speed of 184.768 mph. Blaney was second at an average speed of 183.828 mph. Suárez was third at an average speed of 182.307 mph.

    The XFINITY Series is back on track Friday at 4:45 p.m. for qualifying.

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  • Jones Fastest in Third XFINITY Practice at Kentucky

    Jones Fastest in Third XFINITY Practice at Kentucky

    SPARTA, Ky. — Erik Jones topped the chart in third XFINITY Series practice at Kentucky Speedway.

    The driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota was the fastest in the third practice session with a time of 28.754 and a speed of 187.800 mph. Daniel Suárez was second in his No. 19 JGR Toyota with a time of 28.816 and a speed of 187.396 mph. Kyle Busch was third in his No. 18 JGR Toyota with a time of 28.864 and a speed of 187.084 mph. Ty Dillon was fourth in his No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet with a time of 29.285 and a speed of 184.395 mph. Ryan Blaney rounded out the top-five in his No. 12 Team Penske Ford with a time of 29.418 and a speed of 183.561 mph.

    JJ Yeley was sixth in his No. 44 TriStar Motorsports Toyota. Brad Keselowski was seventh in his No. 22 Penske Ford. Austin Dillon was eighth in his No. 2 RCR Chevrolet. Darrell Wallace Jr. was ninth in his No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford. Justin Allgaier rounded out the top-10 in his No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet.

    Allgaier was the only driver to post a 10 consecutive lap average at a speed of 181.457 mph.

    The XFINITY Series is back on track one last time Thursday evening at 7 p.m. for final practice.

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  • Erik Jones Fastest at Kentucky in Second XFINITY Practice

    Erik Jones Fastest at Kentucky in Second XFINITY Practice

    SPARTA, Ky. — Erik Jones topped the chart in second XFINITY Series practice at Kentucky Speedway.

    The driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota was the fastest in the second practice session with a time of 28.994 and a speed of 186.245 mph. Daniel Suárez was second in his No. 19 JGR Toyota with a time of 29.247 and a speed of 184.634 mph. Kyle Busch was third in his No. 18 JGR Toyota with a time of 29.291 and a speed of 184.357 mph. Brad Keselowski was fourth in his No. 22 Team Penske Ford with a time of 29.475 and a speed of 183.206 mph. Austin Dillon rounded out the top-five in his No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet with a time of 29.476 and a speed of 183.200 mph.

    Justin Allgaier was sixth in his No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet. Cole Custer was seventh in his No. 88 JRM Chevrolet. Ryan Blaney was eighth in his No. 12 Team Penske Ford. Brennan Poole was ninth in his No. 48 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet. Blake Koch rounded out the top-10 in his No. 11 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet.

    Justin Marks, who’s fastest single lap was 18th fastest, was the only driver to post a 10 consecutive lap average at a speed of 179.116 mph.

    The XFINITY Series is back on track later this afternoon at 4:00.

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  • Austin Dillon Fastest in First XFINITY Practice at Kentucky

    Austin Dillon Fastest in First XFINITY Practice at Kentucky

    SPARTA, Ky. — Austin Dillon topped the chart in first XFINITY Series practice at Kentucky Speedway.

    The driver of the No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 28.761 and a speed of 187.754 mph. Kyle Busch was second in his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota with a time of 28.882 and a speed of 186.958 mph. Erik Jones was third in his No. 20 JGR Toyota with a time of 28.892 and a speed of 186.903 mph. Ty Dillon was fourth in his No. 3 RCR Chevrolet with a time of 28.962 and a speed of 186.451 mph. Daniel Suárez rounded out the top-five in his No. 19 JGR Toyota with a time of 29.018 and a speed of 196.091 mph.

    Cole Custer was sixth in his No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet. Brennan Poole was seventh in his No. 48 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet. Brandon Jones was eighth in his No. 33 RCR Chevrolet. Elliott Sadler was ninth in his No. 1 JRM Chevrolet. Justin Allgaier rounded out the top-10 in his No. 7 JRM Chevrolet.

    Ty Dillon was the only driver to post a 10 consecutive lap average at a speed of 183.382 mph.

    The XFINITY Series is back on track Thursday afternoon at 1 p.m. for their second of four practice sessions.

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  • Changes Made to Kentucky Speedway

    Changes Made to Kentucky Speedway

    SPARTA, Ky. — The repave wasn’t the only change made to the racing surface at Kentucky Speedway.

    It was announced back in early-January that the 1.5-mile facility would undergo its first repave in its 17-year history. In addition, they changed the degree of the banking in Turns 1 and 2, narrowed the width of the turns, improved drainage and added over 3,000 feet of SAFER barrier.

    The repave was completed in May. In total, 17,000 tons of asphalt was poured to form the new surface by Ohio Valley Asphalt. The asphalt used is a “standard” racing asphalt mix that’s been tweaked to “age the track” faster.

    The finished product was 29,700 feet of added drainage pipes, an addition of 3,200 feet of SAFER barrier for a total of 11,300 feet, all added by Southern Bleacher and Seal Pro. The pit exit lane and apron in Turns 1 and 2 were widened from 14 to 30-feet, Turns 1 and 2 were narrowed from 74 to 56 feet and banking increased from 14 to 17 degrees both of which were done by Baker’s Construction Services.

    The changes in Turns 1 and 2 were done because the previous pit exit lane was very narrow and made merging back onto the racing surface difficult.

    “Modifying Turns 1 and 2 will present an exciting challenge to the drivers while addressing issues of the track surface, SAFER barrier, and drainage will improve safety, which is always our  paramount concern,” said Mark Simendinger, general manager of Kentucky Speedway.

    After blistering was seen during a tire test held at the track in mid-June, Goodyear has decided to bring harder tires for use during the race weekend.

  • NASCAR Racing Schedule for Kentucky Speedway

    NASCAR Racing Schedule for Kentucky Speedway

  • Almirola Edges out Allgaier in Overtime at Daytona

    Almirola Edges out Allgaier in Overtime at Daytona

    As hell broke loose on the backstretch at the “World Center of Racing,” Aric Almirola found himself just barely ahead of Justin Allgaier when the caution waved to score the victory in the Subway Firecracker 250.

    “It was an emotional last few laps,” Almirola said in victory lane. “I thought I had a shot to win but wasn’t sure I would get it done. I got a big push from the 7 and then he pulled out and the 18 came and gave me a good push. I am really thankful for that. It is a huge night for me to get back to victory lane in the XFINITY Seires. I didn’t feel like I truly won in the XFINITY Series before but tonight was my night. Now I can truly say I have truly won in every series in NASCAR.”

    This is the second career victory in 93 XFINITY Series for the driver of the No. 98 Biagi-DenBeste Racing Ford and first since Milwaukee in 2007. It’s his third top-10 finish of 2016 and third in eight races at Daytona International Speedway.

    Allgaier led three laps on his way to a runner-up finish in his No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet. It’s his 12th top-10 finish in 2016 and sixth in 12 races at Daytona. Ryan Sieg rounded out the podium in his No. 39 RSS Racing Chevrolet. It’s his third top-10 finish in six races at Daytona.

    Joey Logano led 46 laps, most of any driver, on his way to a fourth-place finish in his No. 22 Team Penske Ford.

    “We had such a fast Discount Tire Ford and it just goes to show with how many laps we led,” Logano said. “Toward the end of the race we just made a bad call. Went to the top to block and the bottom was coming with momentum and I didn’t get there in time and we got shuffled down the middle and lost 10 or 15 spots. We recovered to finish third. We will take it.”

    Brendan Gaughan led one lap on his way to rounding out the top-five in his No. 62 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet.

    Ryan Reed earned his first top-10 finish with a sixth-place finish in his No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing Ford. Jeff Green finished seventh in his No. 17 Rick Ware Racing Toyota. It’s his first top-10 finish since Richmond in 2005. Spencer Gallagher finished eighth in his No. 23 GMS Racing Chevrolet. Chase Elliott led five laps on his way to a ninth-place finish in his No. 88 JRM Chevrolet. Erik Jones rounded out the top-10 in his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

    “Just really up and down day…Not really sure – we just got drug down at the end,” Jones said. “We had a lot of right rear damage and knew it wasn’t going to be too good by ourselves there but just had a tandem at the end and tried to give yourselves the best shot to get out and break away from the field but we just couldn’t do it. Too bad. I feel bad for the 18 (David Ragan) car. We both got drug back together.”

    Twenty-two cars finished the race on the lead lap and 27 were running at the finish.

    The race lasted two hours, seven minutes and 29 seconds at an average speed of 121.192 mph. There were 19 lead changes among 12 different drivers and eight cautions for 33 laps.

    Daniel Suárez leaves Daytona with a six-point lead over Sadler in the points standings.

    Next up for the XFINITY Series is Kentucky Speedway next Friday.

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  • NASCAR Racing Schedule for Daytona

    NASCAR Racing Schedule for Daytona

    The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and XFINITY Series head to Daytona International Speedway this weekend while the Camping World Truck Series is off. Please check below for the complete schedule of events.

    All times are Eastern.

    Thursday, June 30:

    On-Track:
    2-2:55 p.m.: XFINITY Series First Practice – NBCSN
    3-3:55 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series First Practice – NBCSN
    4-4:55 p.m.: XFINITY Series Final Practice – NBCSN – Canceled Due to Rain
    5-5:55 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Final Practice – NBCSN – Canceled Due to Rain

    Garage Cam: (Watch live)
    1:30 p.m.: XFINITY Series
    2:30 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series

    Press Conferences: (Watch live)
    12:15 p.m.: Joe Gibbs Racing
    2:15 p.m.: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
    4:20 p.m.: Denny Hamlin

    Friday, July 1:

    On-Track:
    9:45 – 10:30 a.m.: Sprint Cup Series Final Practice – NBCSN
    2:10 p.m.: XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – NBCSN
    4:10 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – NBCSN
    7:30 p.m.: XFINITY Series Subway Firecracker 250 Powered by Coca-Cola (100 laps, 250 miles) – NBCSN

    Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

    Press Conferences: (Watch live)
    12:45 p.m.: Bobby Labonte
    1:35 p.m.: Aric Almirola
    5:15 p.m.: Post-Sprint Cup Qualifying (time approx.)
    9:45 p.m.: Post-XFINITY Series Race (time approx.)

    Saturday, July 2:

    On-Track:
    7:45 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola (160 laps, 400 miles) – NBC

    Press Conferences: (Watch live)
    11 p.m.: NBC America Post-Sprint Cup Race Show (time approx.)

    *Complete NASCAR TV Schedule*

     

    NOTES – NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES:

    NASCAR to Honor Victims of Orlando Tragedy

    Following the recent attack in the Orlando community, NASCAR has shared plans to remember the victims of this tragedy during the race weekend at Daytona International Speedway.

    An #ORLANDOUNITED decal will be placed on the A-Post of all cars in the NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

    NBC to Air First NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Broadcast of Season

    The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns to NBC for the second straight season of NASCAR and NBC’s 10-year landmark broadcast agreement on Saturday, July 3 with the airing of the Coke Zero 400 presented by Coca-Cola.

    Coverage starts with the pre-race show at 7 p.m. ET and the race broadcast begins at 7:45 p.m. ET.

    Rick Allen (play-by-play), 21-time NSCS winner Jeff Burton (analyst) and Daytona 500-winning crew chief Steve Letarte (analyst) will commentate from the booth while Dave Burns, Mike Massaro, Marty Snider and Kelli Stavast will report from pit road.

    Krista Voda will host the pre-race show with NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett and eight-time NSCS winner Kyle Petty providing analysis.

    NASCAR: An American Salute™

    (#NASCARSalutes) is the industry’s collective expression of reverence, respect and gratitude for those who have served and continue to defend the United States today.

    “NASCAR’s long-standing tradition of honoring the U.S. Armed Forces will never waver – it is woven into the fabric of our sport,” said Brent Dewar, NASCAR chief operating officer. “We have a unique opportunity with the NASCAR XFINITY Series to pay tribute to the military units and bases integral to preserving our country’s freedom.”

    The race track will again host and recognize three recipients of the Medal of Honor, the highest award given to military service members, continuing a tradition dating back several years. The Medal of Honor recipients in attendance this weekend will include Staff Sergeant Ty Carter, Command Sergeant Major Gary Littrell and Captain Florent Groberg, each representing the U.S. Army.

    NASCAR together with Daytona International Speedway and race teams will host hundreds of active military and veterans, and their families, during the race weekend. Among them will be the 65th Infantry Regiment of the U.S. Army, nicknamed “The Bourinqueneers,” a Puerto Rican regiment that was awarded a Congressional Gold Medal in April.

    Several active military members present for Saturday’s Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola will take part in a special moment of recognition for the U.S. Armed Forces before the start of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.

    Pre-race activities will also feature a flyover of four F-16s from the 93rd Fighter Squadron from Homestead Air Reserve Base during the national anthem, which will be performed by the U.S. Army Maneuver Center of Excellence Band from Fort Benning, Georgia. The national anthem will be performed as 200 military members unfurl a giant American flag in the infield.

    Retired U.S. Air Force Sergeant Kelly Miller will be grand marshal for Friday’s Subway Firecracker 250 Powered By Coca-Cola. A Subway franchisee, Miller served as an aeromedical service specialist, responsible for the healthcare of Air Force pilots and flight crews. Retired Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Fred Gardner, also a Subway franchisee, will serve as the honorary starter. Gardner operated the Terrier missile first control system during Mediterranean tours.

    Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Telvin Smith will serve as the race’s honorary pace car driver. A former Florida State standout, Smith owns the NFL’s longest active streak of 16 straight games with six-plus tackles.

    NOTES – NASCAR XFINITY SERIES

    NASCAR XFINITY Series Salutes U.S. Military Units With Tribute At Daytona

    In a show of appreciation for the United States Armed Forces, NASCAR XFINITY Series drivers will bear the names of active military units and installations on their race car windshields during Friday’s Subway Firecracker 250 Powered By Coca-Cola at Daytona International Speedway (7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN)

     

  • Hornish reigns victorious in the heartland

    Hornish reigns victorious in the heartland

    You would never have guessed this was the first time Sam Hornish Jr. had been in a car this season with his dominant performance and victory in America’s heartland.

    The driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota led 183 of the 250 laps on the way to winning the American Ethanol E15 250 at Iowa Speedway.

    “It doesn’t get much better than that,” Hornish said of his win. “I’ve just got to thank Toyota and everybody from Joe Gibbs Racing for getting me out here and giving me this opportunity. Got my wife and kids here and it’s the first time the kids have got to be here for one of dads wins so — I can’t tell you what this means to me. You work so hard to try to get a win when I have my kids here and the fact of how all of this went on and I’ve just got to thank God. He makes things happen. I was so nervous on Friday getting into the car thinking I’m going to make a mistake and man, to go out there and win the way we did I just can’t say anything more about it. Thank you TRD (Toyota Racing Development). I hope Matt (Tifft) is doing well. I definitely want to thank the fans and happy Father’s Day to everybody. This is definitely one of the best ones I’ve ever had I can guarantee you that.”

    It’s his fourth career win in the XFINITY Series in 111 starts, first of 2016, second at Iowa and first since May 2014.

    “Anytime you get an opportunity to strap into a JGR car you know that you’ve got an opportunity and the car they told me as soon as I got here they’ve done a lot of work since we were here last time and man, this car was so good over the long run,” Hornish added. “I’d be remised if I didn’t thank Brad Keselowski because I picked both lanes that I could to get in front of him on those restarts because I knew that’s one guy that would give me a push. I was just happy about that – thanks to him. And, just man, I just can’t believe it. You always wait for when you have a car that’s this good for something to happen — run over a piece of debris or whatever. I love coming here to Iowa – the fans. I was worried it was going to be too hot and I was going to get all sweaty in the car, which I did, but man it was just put it on cruise once we got about 40 laps into a run. Car was good and I got a good idea of what it takes to be fast around here to keep the tires underneath it. Just fantastic day.”

    Ty Dillon finished runner-up in his No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet.

    “I gave it just about everything I could there at the end,” Dillon said. “We had a heck of a battle for second place with Brad (Keslowski) and I felt I could have run down the 18 car if we hadn’t of had that late caution. Wow what a race. Second place is still a great finish and I know our guys worked hard. They earned it. On Friday in practice we were not where we wanted to be, but we made some great adjustments and moved forward. Today was an overall great day for us, and even better, we got American Ethanol and Kum & Go a solid finish in their home state.”

    It’s his ninth top-10 finish of the season and fourth in five starts at Iowa.

    Brad Keselowski rounded out the podium in his No. 22 Team Penske Ford. It’s his sixth top-10 finish in six starts at Iowa.

    Daniel Suárez led 62 laps on his way to a fourth-place finish in his No. 19 JGR Toyota.

    “We just needed a little bit better long run right there,” Suárez said of his performance. “At the beginning of the race we were super strong for 10 or 15 laps and for the second part of the race we had to start making bigger changes and adjustments to try to help the long run but we ended here on the short run. That’s part of racing. We’ll keep working and come back in a couple weeks.”

    Alex Bowman rounded out the top-five in his No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet.

    Elliott Sadler finished sixth in his No. 1 JRM Chevrolet. Justin Allgaier finished seventh in his No. 7 JRM Chevrolet. Brennan Poole led one lap on his way to an eighth-place finish in his No. 48 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet. Darrell Wallace Jr. led four laps on his way to a ninth-place finish in his No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford. In his XFINITY Series debut, Ben Kennedy rounded out the top-10 in his No. 2 RCR Chevrolet.

    “Man, this was a blast,” Kennedy said. “I had so much fun. We had a fast Ruud Chevrolet. My goal at the beginning of the weekend was to finish in the top 10 and we achieved that. We were just a little too tight there at the end. I learned a ton on those restarts, what to expect throughout the run and how the lines change during the race. We could really utilize that top line as the run went on. I think we were one of the first teams to make that work. Overall, it was a great learning experience and I’m happy to go home with a top 10 finish. I can’t thank everyone at Richard Childress Racing and Ruud enough for this opportunity. It’s been a great weekend.”

    Drew Herring, Ryan Preece and Derrick Cope retired from the race due to accidents. Jeff Green retired from the race due to transmission issues. Timmy Hill retired from the race due to engine issues. Dexter Bean retired from the race due to vibration issues. Morgan Shepherd, Carl Long and Tyler Young retired from the race due to brake issues. Josh Reaume retired from the race due to electrical issues.

    Thirty of the 40 cars finished the race and 16 finished on the lead lap.

    The race lasted two hours, seven minutes and 51 seconds at an average speed of 102.659 mph. There were 10 lead changes among four different drivers and six cautions for 33 laps.

    Suárez leaves Newton, Iowa still the points leader.

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