Category: RC XFINITY

Denny Hamlin laid down a hot lap in NASCAR XFINITY Series Pole Qualifying for tonight’s ToyotaCare 250 NASCAR XFINITY Series at Richmond International Raceway. Hamlin led the way with a speed of 124.069 mph.

Joey Logano joins Hamlin on the front row with a speed of 124.018 mph. Erik Jones, Aric Almirola, and Brian Scott complete the top five for tonight’s main event.

Tickets are still available for tonight’s ToyotaCare250, starting at $35. Children 12 and younger are admitted free with a ticketed adult in general admission areas. To purchase, click here or call 866-455-7223.

Need more NASCAR action in your life? That’s great because the NASCAR weekend continues at Richmond International Raceway on Saturday, April 25, with the TOYOTA OWNERS 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. Come see Dale Earnhardt Jr., Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch and all your favorite drivers battle it out short track style under the lights. NASCAR’s best are looking to secure a win and move one step closer to competing for the 2015 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

Don’t forget tickets for children 12 and younger are $25 off the adult price in EVERY grandstand. Want to put your feet to RIR’s pavement? Every fan who has a ticket to the TOYOTA OWNERS 400 can be a part of Track Takeover powered by Nationwide. If you’re a fan, you’re invited to become a part of RIR history when you sign the Start/Finish line and participate in interactive and educational displays. Take a stroll on the very pavement your favorite drivers will be racing on and enjoy Q&As with Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Chase Elliott, live music from Eric Lee Beddingfield, and more! Tickets can be purchased by clicking here, by calling 866-455-7223, or visiting a ticket booth at RIR.

Stay up to speed by “Liking” us on Facebook and following us on Twitter and Instagram @RIRInsider. Don’t forget to add ‘ririnsider’ on Snapchat to get behind-the-scenes content on race weekend!

BRISTOL, Tenn.—Joey Logano was enjoying such a perfect day at Bristol Motor Speedway that the driver of the No. 22 Team Penske Ford kept expecting something to go wrong.

It never did.

Logano led all 300 laps of Saturday’s Drive to Stop Diabetes 300 at the .533-mile short track, a record for laps led in a NASCAR XFINITY Series race. It was the first time a driver led every lap in a single race since Kyle Busch accomplished the feat in winning the Virginia 529 College Savings 250 at Richmond on Sept. 5, 2014.

The victory was Logano’s second of the season, his second at Bristol (and his second straight dating back to his last start at Thunder Valley in 2012) and the 23rd of his career.

“I’ve never led every single lap in a race before—what a fast Discount Tire Ford!” Logano said in Victory Lane. “Gosh, that’s amazing. You’re waiting for something to go wrong. It’s such a fast car, and with late cautions and all that stuff, you’re like ‘All right, where am I going to blow this thing?’

“Those are the ones you’re just nervous throughout the whole race—but what a fast car. (Crew chief) Greg Erwin and all this team here … it was a perfect day. I can’t ask for any more out of them.”

A caution for Jeremy Clements’ contact with the Turn 2 wall brought out the eighth and final caution of the race on Lap 280, but after a restart on Lap 288, Logano pulled away to beat rookie Daniel Suarez to the finish line by 1.172 seconds.

Suarez notched the best finish of his XFINITY Series career. Chris Buescher ran third, followed by polesitter Erik Jones and Ty Dillon. Buescher and Dillon are tied for the series lead, 12 points ahead of reigning series champion and sixth-place finisher Chase Elliott in third.

Early in the race, Kevin Harvick posed the only realistic threat to Logano’s supremacy, but a pit road speeding penalty under caution on Lap 175 sent Harvick to the rear of the field, and the driver of the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet never recovered.

Even after stopping for fresh tires under the final caution, Harvick was unable to make up ground. He restarted seventh with 13 laps left and finished seventh, providing plenty of food for thought for NASCAR Sprint Cup crew chiefs who will have to make tire calls in Sunday’s Food City 500 in Support of Steve Byrnes (1 p.m. ET on FOX).

During the 66-lap green-flag run that preceded the final caution, Suarez took over second place from Jones and began to gain on Logano. But Logano’s car had a maneuverability edge in traffic and was able to keep Suarez comfortably behind him.

“At one point in that run I was thinking, ‘Man, maybe I can take it,’” said Suarez, whose finish was the highest ever by a Mexican-born driver in the XFINITY Series. “I just started thinking about the big picture, and it looked like at one point of that run that maybe for 20 laps or after 10 laps, we were a little bit faster than him (Joey Logano).

“Later in the run we started getting a little too tight in the center, so we killed a little of the momentum off the corner, and it looked like he kept the same speed. Maybe he wasn’t super faster than us, but he was a little bit faster. Really, he had a lot of experience and he was able to pass traffic a little faster and with more confidence than me, and at that point he made a good gap between us.”

NASCAR XFINITY Series Race – Drive to Stop Diabetes 300
Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol, Tennessee
Saturday, April 18, 2015

1. (2) Joey Logano(i), Ford, 300, $61795.
2. (9) Daniel Suarez #, Toyota, 300, $50774.
3. (14) Chris Buescher, Ford, 300, $43677.
4. (1) Erik Jones(i), Toyota, 300, $44885.
5. (16) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 300, $34701.
6. (13) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 300, $33566.
7. (6) Kevin Harvick(i), Chevrolet, 300, $25998.
8. (4) Brian Scott, Chevrolet, 300, $31857.
9. (8) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, 300, $31635.
10. (12) Elliott Sadler, Ford, 300, $34382.
11. (17) Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, 300, $31080.
12. (7) Darrell Wallace Jr. #, Ford, 300, $30979.
13. (21) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 299, $30878.
14. (11) John Wes Townley(i), Chevrolet, 297, $30828.
15. (20) Jeffrey Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 297, $31152.
16. (3) Austin Dillon(i), Chevrolet, 297, $24702.
17. (23) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 296, $30652.
18. (29) David Starr, Toyota, 296, $30601.
19. (33) Cale Conley #, Toyota, 296, $30500.
20. (25) Mike Bliss, Toyota, 295, $30950.
21. (24) Ryan Reed, Ford, 294, $30574.
22. (32) Blake Koch, Toyota, 294, $30319.
23. (22) Dakoda Armstrong, Ford, 294, $30268.
24. (28) Todd Bodine, Chevrolet, 293, $30192.
25. (27) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 293, $30291.
26. (26) Eric McClure, Toyota, 291, $30066.
27. (18) Ross Chastain #, Chevrolet, Engine, 273, $30016.
28. (19) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, Brakes, 268, $29940.
29. (31) Harrison Rhodes #, Chevrolet, 260, $29889.
30. (10) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 252, $29634.
31. (5) Denny Hamlin(i), Toyota, 229, $23128.
32. (35) Peyton Sellers #, Chevrolet, Electrical, 227, $28992.
33. (15) JJ Yeley, Toyota, Accident, 206, $28876.
34. (37) Timmy Hill(i), Toyota, Engine, 198, $28841.
35. (39) Mike Harmon, Dodge, Suspension, 106, $22800.
36. (38) Carlos Contreras, Chevrolet, Brakes, 60, $20646.
37. (36) Derrike Cope, Chevrolet, Fuel Pump, 55, $19646.
38. (30) Morgan Shepherd, Chevrolet, Brakes, 41, $18646.
39. (34) Jeff Green, Toyota, Vibration, 28, $17646.
40. (40) Derek White, Dodge, Electrical, 11, $16646.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 87.218 mph.
Time of Race: 01 Hrs, 50 Mins, 00 Secs. Margin of Victory: 1.172 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 8 for 48 laps.
Lead Changes: 1 among 1 drivers.
Lap Leaders: 0; J. Logano(i) 1-300.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): J. Logano(i) 1 time for 300 laps.
Top 10 in Points: C. Buescher – 258; T. Dillon – 258; C. Elliott – 246; D. Wallace Jr. # – 236; R. Reed – 220; E. Sadler – 215; B. Gaughan – 211; R. Smith – 211; B. Scott – 205; D. Suarez # – 202.

FORT WORTH, Texas—Teenager Erik Jones turned his first NASCAR XFINITY Series pole at Texas Motor Speedway into his first series victory Friday night, schooling NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stars Brad Keselowski and Dale Earnhardt Jr. en route to the checkered flag in the 19th annual O’Reilly Auto Parts 300.

Jones, 18, held off Keselowski on a restart on Lap 175 of the scheduled 200 around TMS’ high-banked, 1.5-mile quad-oval for a margin of victory of 1.624-seconds in the first night race of the season. Jones’ first series win came in his ninth start. In the process Jones became the second-youngest series winner at TMS at 18 years, 10 months, 11 days—a record set last year by Chase Elliott at 18 years, 4 months and 7 days when he scored his first series victory in this event.

“This is surreal. That confidence is something I never doubted in myself,” said Jones, who shared the Victory Lane celebration with crew chief Michael Wheeler. “This is just amazing. We beat Cup guys tonight! Just a really cool day and something I’m really proud of not only for myself but everybody at Joe Gibbs Racing. It’s a great feeling knowing you had to work for it, that it was not just handed to you.”

Jones, driver of the No. 20 GameStop/Mortal Kombat X Toyota Camry, previously had competed at TMS in the NASCAR Camping World Series. He started fifth and finished 11th in last June’s annual summer night race.

Jones took the lead for good on Lap 151 from Earnhardt and paced the final 50 circuits. Jones led six times for a race-high 79 laps, 23 more than Keselowski, who started from the rear of the field because of “unapproved adjustments.” Prior to taking the lead, Jones ran up to the back of Earnhardt’s rear bumper and gave him a warning tap.

“That was fun and frustrating,” Jones said. “I knew what he was doing. It was hard racing, two drivers giving 100 percent. I learned a lot from him. He definitely raced us hard and we raced him hard. At the end of the day we got to race against Dale Earnhardt Jr., a guy I’ve watched forever on TV. He’s a great race car driver and has a great team and to beat him is really, really cool. Man, what a battle. It was fun for me and I hope just as much fun to watch.”

Keselowski, meanwhile, sounded the horn for NASCAR’s latest youth movement. “Erik had a great car and did a great job,” Keselowski said. “We raced side-by-side for about two laps but eventually he cleared me, so that was good racing.

“It was good side-by-side racing and we ran wide-open there, and that’s always cool when you’re running wide-open and side-by-side. It was a matter of who was going to lift first and nobody lifted. We came up a bit short. We were pretty strong at times…got a little damage on that last pit stop cycle, but who knows? Just up-and-down and barley missed it at the end.”

Keselowski said he really didn’t consider the fact that Jones, a fellow-Michigander, celebrated his high school graduation ceremony at TMS last year so he could compete in that NCWTS event.

“We’re all racing and racing’s a very selfish sport,” said Keselowski, who scored his 11th top-10 result in 15 races at TMS. “I’ve watched him race in the Truck Series and he does a great job. He’s right there where that ‘youth movement’ demands you to be successful. This is certainly a notch in his belt and I’m happy for him.

“This is definitely not a good time to sit out of a car. You see this where it seems no one new is coming up and then where everyone new is coming up. It seems to be changing very rapidly in this last year or so. It’s a bad time to get hurt because there’s plenty of youth in this sport. That’s part of it. I don’t want to get out of the seat because I love racing—and I don’t know how to make money doing anything else.”

Keselowski, driver of the No. 22 Discount Tire Ford Mustang fielded by Team Penske, overtook Earnhardt and his No. 88 Goody’s Chevrolet Camaro on Lap 167. Keselowski’s last best shot to beat Jones was set up after series veteran Brendan Gaughan and Cale Conley crashed exiting Turn 2 after Conley’s car blew a right front tire. But Jones held his ground on the restart against Keselowski, the 2012 NSCS champion.

Regan Smith finished fourth in the No. 7 TaxSlayer.com Chevrolet, with Austin Dillon fifth in the No. 33 Ruud Chevrolet. The top rookie finisher was Darrell Wallace Jr., who placed sixth in the No. 6 AdvoCare Ford after starting eighth and running as high as second.

“Good sixth-place finish, I think it’s the best for me with Roush Fenway,” Wallace said. “Exciting night for us. I could not go on the bottom; I hated the bottom. Every time I got on the bottom I wasted like eight years down there. It never helps when you’re trapped on the bottom. But we’re showing progression each and every week. Our time will come soon. I’m excited for Bristol, Richmond—those are good tracks for me.”

Earlier Friday, Jones qualified on-pole at 185.166 mph. The race, slowed by five cautions, took 2 hours, 15 minutes and 21 seconds. Jones’ winning average speed was 132.989 mph.

Team-owner Joe Gibbs acknowledged that Jones is on the “fast track” to an eventual Cup ride. “Erik has great family support and got everybody around him and carries himself well,” Gibbs said. “Very talented. I had to call Kyle (Busch) and give him credit (for discovering Jones). We’re really proud of him. I think he won his first Truck race in his fifth race. The big thing is tonight he beat some good people, good cars up front and really quality stuff. We’re proud of him and he should be proud of himself.”

Ty Dillon, who finished 12th, has a two-point lead over Chris Buescher (219-217) in the driver’s championship, with reigning series champ Elliott third, 11 points behind Dillon.

March 21, 2015
By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service

FONTANA, Calif.—It’s about time to start reserving a spot on the NASCAR podium for Kevin Harvick.

With a dominating victory in Saturday’s Drive4Clots.com 300 NASCAR XFINITY Series race, Harvick won his second race of the season, his first at Auto Club Speedway and the 46th of his career, third-most all-time.

Incredibly, Harvick scored his 28th consecutive top 10 in the XFINITY Series, dating to 2013. With two victories and two seconds in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series this year to go with two wins and a third in the XFINITY Series, Harvick has recorded seven podium finishes in seven starts in both series combined.

“I’m just a lucky guy to be piloting really fast cars,” Harvick said in Victory Lane. “We’ve just got to keep riding the wave.”

It doesn’t seem to matter whether Harvick is driving his No. 4 Sprint Cup car for Stewart-Haas Racing or the No. 88 Chevrolet he drove to victory for JR Motorsports on Saturday. Once he got to the front from his sixth-place starting position (taking the lead for the first time after a restart on Lap 38), he stayed there, leading 100 of the 150 laps and giving up the top spot only during cycles of green-flag pit stops.

JR Motorsports car owner Dale Earnhardt Jr., who competes against Harvick at NASCAR’s highest level, hasn’t been surprised by Harvick’s dominance in both series this year.

“They’ve got something figured out,” Earnhardt said. “Kevin’s an amazing driver. He’s really focused, and his work outside the car helps him inside the car and helps his team… It don’t last forever, so you’ve got to enjoy it while it’s happening.

“Sooner or later, what they know will be common knowledge, and somebody will be in search of the next advantage — and find it. But they’ve got it right now.”

Harvick finished 3.317 seconds — roughly three football fields — ahead of runner-up Brendan Gaughan, who moved from eighth to second after the final restart of the race on Lap 122.

There were three cautions in the race. Trailing Harvick by more than three seconds in the closing laps, Gaughan was praying for a fourth.

“I love the fact that I’m pissed off at being second,” Gaughan said. “I love my restarts. My restart got us there… Any time you finish second to Kevin Harvick, come on, but — I don’t care if we would have finished fifth — I would have loved a shot at it. I know we’re pretty good on restarts.

“I would have loved one shot at a restart, just to see if I still had something for him.”

But the caution never came, and Gaughan had to settle for second. Polesitter Erik Jones ran third, followed by defending series champion Chase Elliott and Chris Buescher.

Ty Dillon finished 14th and retained the series lead by five points over Buescher, with Elliott 15 points back in third.