Category: XFINITY Series PR

STATESVILLE, N.C.: Officials from AM Racing announced today that the company will strengthen its Motorsports portfolio by expanding its operations to include the NASCAR Xfinity Series beginning with the Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. 300 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway on Sat., Feb. 18, 2023.

The Statesville, N.C.-based team also plans to continue its full-time NASCAR CRAFTMAN® Truck Series program next season, as well as compete in the ARCA Menards Series.

The expansion of the team’s racing platforms to include multiple series is a commitment to the sport that the team is “Future Focused” on offering competitive Motorsports programs for years to come.

“AM Racing is proud and excited about our next chapter,” said team president Wade Moore. “Adding the NASCAR Xfinity Series to our program is going to allow us to further grow and become a team where we are focused on showcasing drivers, marketing partners and personnel for years to come.

“We have been slowly preparing for this transition this year and will continue to add the necessary assets over the coming months to make sure we have a smooth but also competitive transition as we continue to climb the ladder.”

AM Racing was established in 2015 with Austin, Texas native Austin Wayne Self behind the wheel as its primary driver, but the company’s new “Future Focused” initiative will broaden the team’s driver lineup next season.

Throughout its tenure, AM Racing has been home to other drivers in the sport, including Late Model standout Logan Bearden, NASCAR Mexico Series champion Max Gutiérrez, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion Brett Moffitt, Xfinity Series winner Myatt Snider and NASCAR Cup Series drivers Bubba Wallace and JJ Yeley.

“Austin Wayne Self will always be an integral member of our team,” added Moore. “He is going to do a great job helping us launch the Xfinity Series program while being an asset to our other projects too.

“Austin wants to see his family-owned team grow. With that transition, he will also be expanding his responsibilities on the business forefront to make sure AM Racing is around for a long time.”

Additional details on AM Racing’s programs, including car numbers, drivers, crew chiefs and partnership lineup, will be announced at a later date.

Self, 26, will attempt to make his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut this weekend at the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Road Course in a collaborative effort with Jordan Anderson Racing in Saturday afternoon’s Drive for the Cure 250 presented by BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina.

For more on AM Racing, please visit AMRacingteam.com, like their Facebook page (AM Racing) or follow them on Twitter @AMRacingNASCAR.

About AM Racing:

AM Racing is a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) team headquartered in Statesville, N.C.

Established in December 2015, AM Racing is prided on faith, honesty and intelligent performance.

The No. 22 team has named Austin Wayne Self as its primary driver for the 2022 season while also expanding to a second No. 37 truck with a rotation of drivers this season.

KRIS WRIGHT
No. 68 F.N.B. Corporation Chevrolet Camaro SS
NASCAR Xfinity Series News and Notes
Event: Drive for the Cure 250 presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina
Date: Saturday, October 8
Venue: Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course
Location: Concord, North Carolina
Track Description: 2.28-mile road course
Race: 155.44 miles / 67 laps

F.N.B. Corporation … F.N.B. Corporation (NYSE: FNB), one of the 50 largest bank holding companies in the United States, continues the partnership with Kris Wright for this weekend at the Charlotte Motor Speedway on the No. 68 F.N.B. Corporation Chevrolet Camaro SS for Brandonbilt Motorsports for the last road course of the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) season. Headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pa., FNB first partnered with Wright in 2020 at the DAYTONA Road Course in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) for his debut in NASCAR national series competition.

ROVAL™ Turtle Power … This weekend marks Kris Wright’s second NASCAR Xfinity Series start at the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course.

The 100-pound kerbs, dubbed ‘turtles’ because of their rounded shape, are bolted to the track surface to help keep drivers on the 17-turn, 2.28-mile course during the scheduled 67-lap event. Road Course Stats: In eight NASCAR Xfinity Series starts on a road course, the Pittsburgh, Pa., – native recorded an average finish of 30.1.

DAYTONA (Fla.) Road Course on August 16, 2020, saw his debut in NASCAR national series competition in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, and was his single series start of the 2020 season. The 28-year-old also has four combined NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts on road courses.

Wright has competed on 22 different road courses and street circuits throughout his career.

QUOTE WORTHY

Kris Wright, driver of the No. 68 F.N.B. Corporation Chevrolet Camaro SS for Brandonbilt Motorsports

On the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course:

“I am excited to get to the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL and race again. The No. 68 F.N.B. Corporation Chevrolet Camaro SS has been ready to attack the twists and turns of the ROVAL. I am glad to be back in the seat for Brandonbilt Motorsports, and every remaining NASCAR Xfinity Series weekend, until the season finale.

“Let’s make some gains before 2023 and end the season with some momentum.” Kris Wright on Social Media … To keep up-to-date with the latest news, information and exclusive content, visit KrisWrightMotorsports.com, or connect with Kris Wright on Facebook (/KrisWrightRacing), Twitter (@KrisOnNASCAR) or Instagram (@krisonnascar).

Brandonbilt Motorsports’ NASCAR Camping World Truck Series History at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course … The organization posted a team-best 17th-place with driver Brandon Brown on September 28, 2019, at the 17- turn road course. This weekend’s elimination-race will be the fifth time the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course has hosted a NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff race. The four previous starts at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course have earned Brandonbilt Motorsports an overall average starting position of 17 and an average finish of 23.3. Brandonbilt Motorsports’ NASCAR Xfinity Series History … Since entering the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2016, the Mooresville, N.C., -based organization has logged 138 starts with five drivers. Brandonbilt Motorsports has collected one victory (Brandon Brown, 2021: Talladega), six top-five finishes and 20 top-10 finishes and has logged an average starting position of 19.6 and an average finishing position of 19.6.

BRANDONBILT MOTORSPORTS STATISTICS

Catch the Action … The Drive for the Cure 250 presented by BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina at the Charlotte Motor Speedway will be broadcast on NBC starting with the Countdown to Green: Charlotte on Saturday, October 8 at 3:00 p.m. (ET). It will also broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network (PRN) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio at 2:30 p.m. (ET). On Saturday the practice session will be broadcasted at 10:00 a.m. (ET) followed by qualifying at 10:30 a.m. (ET) on the NBC Sports App.

RILEY HERBST
Charlotte Roval NASCAR Xfinity Series Advance
No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing

NASCAR Xfinity Series Overview

• Event: Drive for the Cure 250 (Round 29 of 33)
• Date: Saturday, Oct. 8
• Location: Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Roval
• Layout: 2.28-mile, 17-turn road course
• Time/TV/Radio: 3 p.m. EDT on NBC/PRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Riley Herbst Notes of Interest

• Riley Herbst rolls into Saturday’s Drive for the Cure 250 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Roval on a mission to advance in the playoffs. It’s the final race in the Round of 12, where only the top-eight drivers in points after the Roval move on to the Round of 8. Entering this cutoff race, Herbst is 11th in the standings, 10 points outside of the top-eight. The driver of the No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang knows a strong finish is needed to keep his championship drive alive. While a victory will secure his spot in the Round of 8, Herbst can point his way into the next round with smart and savvy driving throughout the 67-lap race around the 2.28-mile, 17-turn road course. It’s what Herbst has done so far in the playoffs, with a strong fifth-place finish Sept. 24 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth and a respectable 11th-place run last Saturday at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. Adding extra incentive to Herbst is that the Round of 8 begins next Saturday at his home track, Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

• With five races still remaining this season, Herbst can already call 2022 a career year. His seven top-fives eclipsed his previous season-best tally of five top-fives earned last year, and his 17 top-10s have already equaled his season high, first earned during his rookie year in 2020. Herbst is likely to add to those stats this Saturday at the Roval. In his last three road-course races, the 23-year-old has brought home a top-10 result each time. He finished seventh July 2 at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, sixth July 30 on the infield circuit at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and seventh Aug. 20 at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International. All of these finishes equaled or bettered his previous best effort on each track.

• The Drive for the Cure 250 will be Herbst’s third career Xfinity Series start on the Roval. Herbst had a strong outing in his first start there in 2020 despite a torrential downpour. He ran up front and led seven laps en route to a 12th-place finish, best among the rookie class. Last October, Herbst started ninth and was holding his position in the top-10 during the final stage before a suspension issue ended his race seven laps from the finish.

• Herbst is driving for the team that knows how to win on the Roval. The No. 98 team of Stewart-Haas Racing won the inaugural Xfinity Series race at the Roval on Sept. 29, 2018 via Chase Briscoe. It was Briscoe’s first career Xfinity Series victory. He led twice for 33 laps to beat Justin Marks by 1.478 seconds.

Riley Herbst, Driver of the No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang

Despite two strong runs at Texas and Talladega to open the Round of 12, you still find yourself 10 points below the cutline. What’s your strategy to secure a spot in the Round of 8?

“We have to race for points and then a win. I think we’ve seen improvement with our road-course program this year, so I’m hoping that helps us out. But honestly, the Roval is a beast of its own. I think it’s a wild card in its own way – just like Talladega. We know what we have to do heading into this weekend, and that’s to get points. A win would erase all of our worries, but we have to make it to the end to have a shot. We’re in a much better position coming into Charlotte than we were last year, so let’s make the most of it.”

You have two previous starts on the Roval. What are your thoughts on the configuration of the track, and how do you prepare for this race with so much on the line?

“To be honest, this is one track that I haven’t been able to wrap my head around. It’s not that we haven’t run decent there in the past, but I think I was just at a disadvantage because I never had practice on this track and I was never able to lay down laps outside of the simulator until it was race time. This is only my third race there, but I’m hoping we can show improvement like we have at all the other road courses this year.”

There has been significant growth not only by the team, but by you as a driver this season. Who do you go to for advice within the organization and the garage?

“I’ve talked to Chase Briscoe a little since he’s been good on road courses in his career and Kevin Harvick, who has been helping me out this year. More than anything, it’s just been getting the experience through practice and qualifying this season. We’re going to racetracks where we’ve been before and now we have the notes to help. The simulator is great, but nothing beats getting behind the wheel of our Monster Energy Ford Mustang and actually making laps on a road course. This is really the first fulltime season in my career where we’ve had practice and qualifying at every race, even if it’s shortened. So I think that’s helping a lot with our improvement, as well.”

No. 98 Monster Energy Team Roster

Primary Team Members:

Driver: Riley Herbst
Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada

Crew Chief: Richard Boswell
Hometown: Friendship, Maryland

Car Chief: Matt Noyce
Hometown: Oregon, Wisconsin

Engineer: DJ VanderLey
Hometown: Mobile, Alabama

Engineer: Justin Bolton
Hometown: Latrobe, Pensylvania

Spotter: Tim Fedewa
Hometown: Holt, Michigan

Over-The-Wall Crew:

Front Tire Changer: Josh Leslie
Hometown: Mount Clemens, Michigan

Rear Tire Changer: Trevor White
Hometown: Arlington, Texas

Tire Carrier: Chad Emmons
Hometown: Tyler, Texas

Fueler: Corey Coppola
Hometown: Bluefield, West Virginia

Jackman: Stan Doolittle
Hometown: Ninety Six, South Carolina

Road Crew Members:

Truck Driver: Steve Wood
Hometown: Eatontown, New Jersey

Engine Tuner: Willie Pelotte
Hometown: Oakland, Maine

Tire Specialist: Austin Quick
Hometown: Flagstaff, Arizona

Smith to Compete for NASCAR Xfinity Series Rookie of the Year

 LEXINGTON, N.C. (October 5, 2022) – Following the team’s announcement of AJ Allmendinger returning to full-time NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) competition, Kaulig Racing is excited to announce the addition of Chandler Smith to its 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) roster.

The 20-year-old, Georgia native has signed a multi-year deal with Kaulig Racing and plans to compete for Rookie of the Year honors during the 2023 NXS season, as he drives the No. 16 Chevrolet.

“I’m really excited to have an opportunity like this for my rookie year in the NASCAR Xfinity Series,” said Smith. “Kaulig Racing has grown from a small team to a multi-series, powerhouse team in just a few short years. I’m honored to take over the No. 16 car that has had so much success these last couple of years.

Currently in his second, full-time season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS), Smith has recorded five wins, one pole award, 22 top fives, 32 top-10 finishes and has led 746 laps. Smith currently sits second in the NCWTS playoff standings.

“Chandler Smith is a kid who we see a ton of potential in at Kaulig Racing,” said Chris Rice, president of Kaulig Racing. “We take pride in giving kids like Chandler an opportunity to compete for wins and be a steppingstone in their career. It’s been exciting to see what Chandler has done in the truck series over two seasons, and we think competing for Kaulig Racing is the perfect next step for both Chandler and our team.”

Since the team’s inception in 2016, Kaulig Racing has recorded 18 wins, 95 top fives, 214 top-10 finishes and has led 2106 laps. Smith will take over the No. 16 Chevrolet currently fielded by the two-time, regular-season champion, AJ Allmendinger.

“Getting to know Chandler has been great, and we are excited to bring more young, talented drivers to Kaulig Racing to help build our program,” said team owner, Matt Kaulig. “We are excited to win many trophies together over the next couple of years!”

Smith will continue to compete for the 2022 NCWTS championship before beginning his rookie season in the NXS with Kaulig Racing beginning with the 2023 season opener at Daytona International Speedway on February 18. 2023 Partner information will be announced at a later date.
 
 
About Kaulig Racing™

Kaulig Racing™ is a full-time multi-car NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) team, owned by award winning entrepreneur, Matt Kaulig. Established in 2016, Kaulig Racing™ has made the NXS Playoffs consecutively each season since the playoff system started and made the Championship 4 round in both the 2020 and 2021 seasons. They will continue fielding three, full-time NXS entries; the No. 10 Chevrolet driven by Landon Cassill, the No. 11 Chevrolet driven by Daniel Hemric, and the No. 16 Chevrolet driven by AJ Allmendinger. With multiple wins, Kaulig Racing has come to be one of the top competitors on track each weekend. The team made multiple starts in the NCS in 2021 and won in its seventh-ever start with AJ Allmendinger’s victory at “The Brickyard” for the Verizon 200 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The young team has acquired two charters for the 2022 NCS season, with Justin Haley competing as its first, full-time driver in the series. The team’s second entry will be shared by part-time teammates AJ Allmendinger, Daniel Hemric and Noah Gragson. To learn more about the team, visit kauligracing.com.

JR MOTORSPORTS TEAM PREVIEW:
TRACK: Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course
RACE: Drive for the Cure 250 (67 laps / 155.44 miles)
DATE: Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022

Broadcast Information – TV: 3 p.m. ET on NBC / Radio: 2:30 p.m. ET on PRN and Sirius XM Ch. 90

Sam Mayer
No. 1 Accelerate Professional Talent Solutions Chevrolet
• With one race remaining in the Round of 12, Sam Mayer currently sits seventh in the playoff grid, 12 points above the eighth and final spot to advance into the Round of 8.
• Mayer earned his career-best Xfinity Series effort of second last week at Talladega Superspeedway, finishing a mere .015 behind the race winner.
• Mayer has finished inside of the top 10 in four consecutive NASCAR Xfinity Series races dating back to Kansas Speedway. Throughout the run, Mayer’s average finish is 5.8.
• The 19-year-old Franklin, Wis. native was fast at the Charlotte Roval last season. He was running second on the white-flag lap before finishing in the 10th position.

Josh Berry
No. 8 HarrisonsUSA.com Chevrolet
• Josh Berry and the No. 8 team currently sit fifth on the playoff grid, 27 points above the eighth and final spot with one race remaining in the Round of 12.
• By virtue of his fifth-place finish at Talladega last week, Berry has now finished inside of the top 10 in eight of the last 10 races, including five straight.
• The Roval is the last active track in the NXS that Berry has yet to compete on in his career.
• Having minimal road-course experience in any vehicle, Berry has put together an impressive stat line of two top-five and four top-10 finishes in six starts on such tracks. His 10.8 average finish is his best on any style track in the NXS.

Noah Gragson
No. 9 Bass Pro Shops / TrueTimber / Black Rifle Coffee Chevrolet
• Noah Gragson, who saw his four-race win streak end last week, is already qualified for the Round of 8 in the NXS Playoffs and is tied for the series point lead after two playoff races.
• Gragson has been very good on the 2.28-mile combo roadcourse/oval at Charlotte, finishing fifth, second and sixth in three previous starts for an average of 4.3.
• In five road-course starts this season, Gragson has two top five and five top-10 finishes, averaging 7.0 per finish for the quintet. His best results were fourth at both Circuit of the Americas and Watkins Glen International.

Justin Allgaier
No. 7 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet
• Justin Allgaier enters the final race in the Round of 12 for the NXS Playoffs 25 points above the cutline.
• In four previous starts at the Roval in the NXS, Allgaier has earned one top five and two top 10s. The JRM driver’s best finish came in this event in 2019, when he scored a fourthplace finish.
• In 44 career NXS starts on road courses, Allgaier has amassed three wins, 13 top fives and 26 top 10s.
• Two of Allgaier’s three road-course victories came while driving for JRM in 2018; one at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and the second at Road America.

Driver Quotes

“We had a really fast car last season at the Roval and we were almost able to come out with a victory. With more experience in these cars this year and my experience at road courses, we should be in a good spot for this weekend. Missing out on our first win last week at Talladega has us even hungrier for that win and there isn’t a better time than this week.” – Sam Mayer

“We know what we need to do this weekend at the Roval with our BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet. We just need to go out and execute to the best of our ability and I know that we will move on to the next round in these playoffs. We’ve had some good runs at the Roval in the past, and hopefully we can back that up again on Saturday afternoon.” – Justin Allgaier

“This is the one track on the schedule I haven’t raced at yet, but Mike (Bumgarner, crew chief) and this entire Harrison’s USA team has brought fast cars to every roadcourse race this year. We will spend some more time in the sim this week preparing for this race and making sure I am ready. We have a good points buffer with only one race left in this round, but anything can happen in an instant so we have to be on top of our game.” – Josh Berry

“We’ve always been fast at the Roval, and it’s a really good track for me. I get around there pretty well and it is a lot of fun. We are on a roll as the season winds down, and Luke Lambert and the Bass Pro Shops/TrueTimber/Black Rifle Coffee team have been just so consistent all year long. We’ll have good speed this weekend and look to get back to winning ways at home.” – Noah Gragson

JRM Team Updates:

• JR Motorsports at the Charlotte Roval: JR Motorsports has competed at the Charlotte Roval a combined 16 times in the NXS. Over the course of those starts at the 2.28-mile facility, the organization has tallied four top fives and 10 top 10s. The best result for the company was a second-place finish for Noah Gragson during the 2020 season.
• Bass Pro Shops: Now through Oct. 31, you can get $60 extra Club points when you shop Cabela’s MT050 Insulated Parka and Bib. Shop now. Remember, you earn free gear with your Bass Pro Shops Club Card. Take advantage of all the ways your Club Card can reward you!
• Hellmann’s: Taco Wednesday anyone? Gather the family around the table for a meal worth celebrating any day of the week, Tuesday or not. Get the super tasty 20-minute Fish Tacos with Spicy Slaw recipe here. Flavored with a sriracha pepper blend and made with real chili peppers, Spicy Mayo enhances any meal, including traditional mayo dishes like sandwiches, wraps, burgers and more.

What: Drive for the Cure 250 presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina
When: Saturday, Oct. 8, 3 p.m. EDT
Where: The ROVAL (2.32 miles, 17 turns), Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord, N.C.
Driver: Preston Pardus, Daytona Beach, Fla.
car: No. 91 Chinchor Electric/Garage Oil Whiskey Chevrolet
Crew chief: Dan Pardus
Distance: Stages of 20, 20 and 27 laps (67 laps = 155.44 miles)
Broadcast info: TV – NBC; Radio – Performance Racing Network/Sirius XM Ch. 90

CONCORD, N.C. — Preston Pardus is understandably pumped up about the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ return to Charlotte Motor Speedway this week.

After all, it was on the track’s ROVAL course a year ago that Pardus scored his career-best finish, battling from the 37th starting spot to earn a seventh-place finish. That marked the first of six consecutive races in which Pardus has not only finished, but has finished on the lead lap – something he’s accomplished in all four of his 2022 Xfinity outings.

“We’ve had a lot of speed and haven’t had things kind of go our way in stages two and three,” Pardus said of the current campaign. “It’s still a good year overall. Being on the lead lap means you’re finishing races, and you’ve got to do that before you can have top 10s.

“It’d be nice to parlay our speed into good results.”

He would love nothing better than for the No. 91 Chevrolet to produce the same race-day speed it did last October on the 17-turn layout. Pardus steadily climbed through the field to the top 15, where he raced most of the day, then charged into the top 10 when it mattered most.

“The whole day, we had great speed,” he said. “We didn’t have to play the pit strategy game because we were in the top 15 the whole day. To get a seventh, that was sweet.

“It was great, being able to battle it out with those guys, especially the playoff drivers. I think there were 10-12 playoff drivers, and to finish seventh means we beat guys that were running for a championship. It’s cool when you think about it like that.”

This time, Pardus will find himself battling with 12 championship-eligible drivers, including frontrunners A.J. Allmendinger, who won last weekend at Talladega Superspeedway, and Noah Gragson, who leads the series with seven victories. They’re atop the standings with 2,134 points apiece.

“It takes everything to go together for a successful day,” Pardus said of his 2021 career-best day at Charlotte. “We had a great car, a great handle on it, great pit strategy, and I felt pretty good behind the wheel. Everything more or less went right. We were in it all day and came away with a good result.”

The race is Pardus’ first in Xfinity action since mid-August at Watkins Glen International. He competed last weekend in the SCCA National Runoffs at Virginia International Raceway, where he was attempting to become a three-peat champion in the Spec Miata ranks. He qualified second with a new car and was a contender for the win until the final lap, when he got run off course and wound up eighth.

Xfinity action at Charlotte’s roval kicks off Saturday with a 30-minute practice beginning at 10 a.m. Qualifying ensues immediately at 10:30, followed by the green flag on the 67-lap Drive for the Cure 250 at 3 p.m. Eastern.

Pardus’ No. 91 Chevrolet is sponsored at Charlotte by Chinchor Electric (Orange City, Fla.) and Garage Oil – American Badass Whiskey (Austin, Texas).

Sheldon Creed and the No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet Team Claim Respectable 12th-Place Finish at Talladega Superspeedway

Finish: 12th
Start: 3rd
Points: 14th

“Overall it was a good day. Our Whelen Chevrolet is in one piece and we can make it better for Daytona next year. I thought the first part of the race went how we planned it. We were trying to keep the No. 21 safe and try to do most of the blocking for him to keep him up front. I thought that worked really good in the first two stages. I got dropped there at the end of Stage 2, but I wasn’t too worried about that. I was just focused on keeping the No. 21 out front at that point. That might have hurt us because I only got back to like fifth or sixth. After we made our green flag stop, I got in line in seventh and I thought we were in a really good spot. The end just didn’t play out like I thought it was going to. I thought we were going to get a caution at one point. I thought they were going to wreck so I was just trying to be in a spot where if they did start wrecking, I could be safe. Even on the last lap I thought it was going to play out way different. We got the bottom line rolling really good off of Turn 2 down the backstretch and it just stalled out. I was boxed in the last few laps and couldn’t really move. It just didn’t play like Talladega normally plays out.” -Sheldon Creed

Austin Hill and the No. 21 Bennett Transportation & Logistics Chevrolet Team Lead Laps and Earn Stage Points at Talladega Superspeedway

Finish: 14th
Start: 1st
Points: 4th

“We were so close. Our Bennett Transportation & Logistics Chevrolet was crazy fast. We started on the pole and led a lot of laps today, but at Talladega Superspeedway you just never know what’s going to happen. My guys brought me a rocket ship and my pit crew was on it for every stop. I was really preparing for this race, studying and in the simulator. The guys at RCR and ECR deserve all the recognition for the cars they’ve put together every week. My team and I talked about strategy and my spotter, Derek Kneeland, and I had a really strong game plan at the start of the race. We went into this race wanting to win the stages and get as many points as we could, and we did just that, so that’s a positive. We just got shuffled out of the mix at the end and I couldn’t get the push I needed to get back to the lead. I’m bummed for my team because we were dominant all day, but we are heading to the ROVAL next weekend with a pretty good points buffer. Everyone knew we were there today, and everyone saw the speed and the car we had. I’m proud of this team and we’ll go get it at the ROVAL.” -Austin Hill

Herbst Finishes 11th at Talladega
Monster Energy Driver Perseveres Despite Ill-Handling Racecar

Date: Saturday, Oct. 1
Event: Sparks 300 (Round 28 of 33)
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Location: Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway (2.66-mile oval)
Format: 113 laps, broken into three stages (25 laps/25 laps/63 laps)
Start/Finish: 23rd / 11th (Running, completed 113 of 113 laps)
Point Standing: 11th (2,060 points, 10 points below the top-eight cutoff)
Race Winner: A.J. Allmendinger of Kaulig Racing (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner: Austin Hill of Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet)
Stage 2 Winner: Austin Hill of Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet)

Overview:

Riley Herbst brought home an 11th-place finish despite an ill-handling No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang in Saturday’s Sparks 300 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. In the second race of the Round of 12 of the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs, Herbst started 23rd and made quick work of utilizing the draft to move his way forward. He was 14th by the day’s first caution on lap three, and then entered the top-10 on lap 12. In typical superspeedway fashion, the field was shuffled forward and backward during the opening two stages, which Herbst finished 11th and 12th, respectively, just missing out on scoring bonus points each time. He restarted the final stage 16th and worked his way up to seventh when the field went single file during the early laps of the run. Crew chief Richard Boswell opted to bring his driver down pit road in the second wave of green-flag pit stops on lap 68 for a quick, fuel-only stop. When the field cycled through the round of stops, the 23-year-old driver was ninth. The final stage went caution-free, and Herbst struggled to find speed in his racecar and ultimately finished just outside the top-10. It left him 10 points below the top-eight cutoff with one race to go in the Round of 12.

Riley Herbst, driver of the No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

“It was a weird superspeedway race, to be honest. I feel like we just lacked overall speed, which isn’t like us at these tracks. We couldn’t jump above the cutline for the playoffs, but we’re going to another unpredictable track next Saturday. The Roval will be tough, too. We know what we have to do and we’ll do it.”

Notes:

● Herbst’s 11th-place finish was his third consecutive top-12. He finished fifth in the regular-season finale Sept. 16 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, and fifth in last Saturday’s playoff opener at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth.

● AJ Allmendinger won the Sparks 300 to score his 14th career Xfinity Series victory, his fourth of the season, and his first at Talladega. His margin over second-place Sam Mayer was .015 of a second.

● There were three caution periods for a total of 11 laps.

● Twenty-three of the 38 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule is the Drive for the Cure 250 on Oct. 8 on the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Roval. It will be the third race of the seven-race playoffs and the final of the Round of 12. The race starts at 3 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.