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  • Ty Gibbs aces Indianapolis Road Course for first Xfinity victory of 2023

    Ty Gibbs aces Indianapolis Road Course for first Xfinity victory of 2023

    A late strategic move by exiting pit road ahead of AJ Allmendinger enabled Ty Gibbs to assume the lead and muscle away from the field during a 16-lap dash to the finish to win the fourth annual running of the Pennzoil 150 at the Brickyard on Saturday, August 12.

    The reigning NASCAR Xfinity Series champion from Charlotte, North Carolina, led twice for a race-high 28 of 62-scheduled laps in an event where he started on the front row alongside Allmendinger before he made his presence known early after assuming the lead on the third lap. Despite losing the lead by Lap 13 to pit for slick tires amid an early lightning delay followed by a brief round of precipitation, Gibbs remained within striking distance of the front-runners throughout the event.

    Then with 19 laps remaining, an opportunity struck for Gibbs, who managed to exit pit road ahead of Allmendinger amid a late cycle of green flag pit stops just as the caution flew for a stalled car off the course in Turn 1. Once a handful of competitors who had not yet pitted did so, Gibbs cycled into the lead. He then managed to fend off Allmendinger before distancing himself from the field during a restart with 16 laps remaining to cruise to his first Xfinity victory in his seventh start of the season and his first at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

    With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Saturday, AJ Allmendinger notched his third pole position of the 2023 Xfinity season and the 11th of his career after posting a pole-winning lap at 92.985 mph in 94.428 seconds. Joining him on the front row was Ty Gibbs, who posted the second-best qualifying lap at 92.352 mph in 95.075 seconds.

    Prior to the event, the following competitors that included Brennan Poole, Jeremy Clements, Brad Perez and Blaine Perkins dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments made to their respective entries. Joe Graf Jr. also dropped to the rear of the field for missing driver introductions.

    When the green flag waved and the race commenced, Allmendinger rocketed away from the field while entering the new restart zone in between Turns 13 and 14 as he also fended off Ty Gibbs through the frontstretch entering the first braking turn. Gibbs then tried to pull a crossover move on Allmendinger through Turns 1 and 2, but Allmendinger retained the lead as the field navigated its way from Turns 2 to 6 before entering a long straightaway prior to another braking zone in Turn 7. With the field behind fanning out and jostling for early positions, Allmendinger continued to lead from Turns 7 to 14 before he returned to the frontstretch and led the first lap. By then, Ty Gibbs kept Allmendinger within his sights and within close margins while Josh Berry, Austin Hill and Daniel Hemric were in the top five.

    Through the second lap, Gibbs drew himself alongside Allmendinger entering Turns 3 and 4 in a bid for the lead, but Allmendinger gained the upper advantage and the preferred lane through Turn 5 as he retained the lead while Gibbs settled in second. Allmendinger would proceed to lead the second lap while continuing to fend off Gibbs’ early challenge. By the third lap, however, Ty Gibbs gained a run on Allmendinger exiting the frontstretch and assumed the lead in his No. 19 He Gets Us Toyota Supra through the first braking turn.

    Through the first five scheduled laps, Ty Gibbs was leading by nearly two seconds over Allmendinger while Berry, Cole Custer and Austin Hill were in the top five. Behind, John Hunter Nemechek, Hemric, Sheldon Creed, Riley Herbst and Justin Allgaier were in the top 10 while Ross Chastain, Parker Kligerman, rookie Sammy Smith, Sam Mayer and Connor Mosack occupied the top 15 on the track. With Brett Moffitt, Josh Bilicki, Kaz Grala, Miguel Paludo and rookie Chandler Smith running in the top 20, Sage Karam was mired in 21st ahead of Jeb Burton, rookie Parker Retzlaff, Brandon Jones and Alex Labbe.

    Another lap later, the first caution of the event flew due to lightning occurring near the speedway. By the seventh lap, the field led by Ty Gibbs was directed to pit road and the event was red-flagged amid the lightning strike and as light precipitation began to increase.

    When the red flag was lifted following a delay period spanning nearly 44 minutes, the competitors returned to the track’s racing surface under a cautious pace on the eighth lap in spite of the track conditions still being slightly wet from the precipitation. Prior to the red flag being lifted, the pit crews were given the option to change to wet tires for their respective entries.

    During the caution laps, however, some led by Allmendinger and including Sam Mayer, Chandler Smith, Retzlaff, Kyle Weatherman and Blaine Perkins pitted to change from wet to slick tires while the rest led by Ty Gibbs remained on the track.

    When the race resumed under green flag conditions on Lap 11 and amid a single-file restart formation, Ty Gibbs retained the lead through the frontstretch and entering Turn 1 followed by Custer as the field fanned out. Then as the field navigated its way from Turns 2 to 7, Ross Chastain spun after getting hit by Connor Mosack’s No. 24 Toyota Genuine Parts Supra in Turn 7, but the event remained under green flag conditions as he proceeded without getting hit by the field. Back at the front of the pack, Ty Gibbs stretched his advantage to more than two seconds over Custer during the proceeding laps while Berry, Nemechek and Austin Hill were in the top five ahead of Hemric.

    By Lap 14, Ty Gibbs surrendered the lead to pit for slick tires under green along with Custer, Moffitt, Kaz Grala, Chastain, Jeb Burton, Ryan Sieg, Brennan Poole and Josh Williams. More names that included Nemechek, Austin Hill, Miguel Paludo, Sage Karam and Josh Bilicki would then pit on Lap 15 as Berry cycled into the lead followed by Hemric and Creed, who would pit on Lap 16. Shortly after, however, Hemric overtook Berry for the lead as Parker Kligerman joined the battle. By Lap 17, more names that included Herbst, Sammy Smith and Alex Labbe pitted as Hemric continued to lead.

    Then on Lap 18, Allmendinger, who methodically carved his way through the field while on slick tires and from starting midfield since the restart, overtook teammate Hemric for the lead in Turn 13. Allmendinger would proceed to stretch his advantage to more than three seconds by the time he entered Turn 7 over teammate Hemric before Mayer, who also pitted prior to the restart, overtook Hemric for the runner-up spot.

    At the conclusion of the first stage period on Lap 20, Allmendinger captured his second Xfinity stage victory of the 2023 season. Mayer settled in second followed by Hemric, Kligerman and Allgaier while Ty Gibbs, Retzlaff, Chandler Smith, Berry and Custer were scored in the top 10.

    With the race remaining under green just past the Lap 20 mark to start the second stage period, Allmendinger continued to extend his advantage to more than five seconds over Mayer while third-place Hemric trailed by more than 14 seconds. Nearing the Lap 21 mark, the following names that included Hemric, Allgaier, Kligerman and Berry pitted for slick tires. By then, Josh Williams nursed his car to the garage amid smoke billowing out of his entry nearing the conclusion of the first stage period.

    By Lap 25 and with the entire field running on slick tires, Allmendinger was leading by more than six seconds over Mayer while Ty Gibbs was in third and trailing by more than 15 seconds. Behind, Custer and Retzlaff were in the top five while Chandler Smith, Creed, Austin Hill, Nemechek and Kyle Weatherman occupied the top 10 in front of Herbst, Moffitt, Grala, Paludo and Ryan Sieg. Meanwhile, Kligerman was mired back in 35th while a lap down after pitting a few laps earlier due to a flat left-front tire on his No. 48 Spiked Light Coolers Chevrolet Camaro stemming from a valve stem being knocked out.

    A lap later, the caution flew when Brad Perez came to a stop on the oval circuit near Turns 13 and 14 as smoke started to billow out of his No. 53 entry due to a mechanical issue. By then, Allmendinger was leading by more than six seconds over Mayer while Ty Gibbs, Custer and Retzlaff continued to run in the top five.

    During the caution period, nearly the entire field led by Allmendinger pitted while the rest led by Mayer and including Custer, Moffitt, Ryan Sieg, Allgaier and Berry remained on the track.

    As the event restarted under green and in double-file formation on Lap 30, Mayer muscled ahead from Custer with the lead as the field fanned out through the frontstretch and entering Turn 1. From Turn 2 to Turn 6, Mayer retained the lead as Custer also retained second in front of Allgaier while Allmendinger, who restarted eighth, had quickly carved his way up to fourth while on four fresh tires. With the field continuing to jostle for positions around each of the remaining 14 turns, Mayer would lead the following lap, Lap 31, as the event reached its halfway mark.

    By Lap 34, Allmendinger battled and reassumed the lead from Mayer through the first three turns. Allmendinger would proceed to increase his advantage to more than a second over Mayer during the following lap while Ty Gibbs, who overtook Custer for third place the lap prior, trailed by more than two seconds.

    Then on Lap 36, Custer, who was battling Allgaier for fourth, made slight contact with Allgaier in Turn 13. Allgaier then ran over the curb entering Turn 14 and made contact again with Custer as Custer ran off the circuit and into the grass before he spun back onto the course while trying to straighten his car. Custer would manage to proceed without sustaining significant damage to his No. 00 Haas Ford Mustang and without drawing a caution while Creed, Herbst and Hill managed to overtake Allgaier for positions fourth through sixth amid the chaos. Another lap later, Allgaier pitted under green along with teammate Paludo, Moffitt, Custer and Andre Castro while Allmendinger retained the lead over Ty Gibbs and Mayer.

    At the conclusion of the second stage period on Lap 40, Allmendinger captured his third Xfinity stage victory of the 2023 season and second of the day as he was leading by more than three seconds over Ty Gibbs. Gibbs settled in second while Mayer, Creed, Herbst, Austin Hill, Chandler Smith, Nemechek, Hemric and Jeremy Clements were scored in the top 10.

    With the final stage commencing under a continuous green flag period with 22 laps remaining, Allmendinger retained the lead by more than two seconds over Ty Gibbs. Another lap later, names including Nemechek, Mayer, Hemric and Chandler Smith pitted under green. Herbst would pit from fourth place with 20 laps remaining while Allmendinger continued to lead by nearly three seconds over Ty Gibbs with 20 laps remaining. By then, Nemechek and Herbst were penalized for speeding on pit road.

    A lap later, Allmendinger surrendered the lead to pit under green followed by Ty Gibbs, Austin Hill, Grala, Brandon Jones while Creed cycled into the lead. Shortly after, however, the caution flew for Andre Castro parking his car off the course in Turn 1 due to a mechanical issue. By then, Creed had made a pit stop, but had failed to enter pit road in time just as the caution flew and was sent to the rear of the field for the proceeding restart.

    During the caution period, some led by Clements and including Josh Bilicki, Karam, Retzlaff, Jeb Burton, Preston Pardus, Paludo and Kligerman pitted while the rest led by Ty Gibbs, who had managed to overtake Allmendinger during the green flag pit stops, remained on the track.

    Down to the final 16 laps of the event, the race restarted under green. At the start, Ty Gibbs fended off Allmendinger to retain the lead through the frontstretch as the field fanned out. Then in Turn 1, Allmendinger tried to draw even with Gibbs, but Gibbs muscled ahead on the inside lane in Turn 2. Gibbs would continue to lead during the proceeding turns as Brandon Jones spun in Turn 1 after getting bumped by Sammy Smith, but without drawing a caution. After fending off another charge from Allmendinger amid contact through Turn 7 while Hemric went off the course after getting hit by teammate Chandler Smith and an oncoming Connor Mosack, Gibbs continued to lead while Mayer pressured Allmendinger for the runner-up spot.

    Gibbs would proceed to lead with 15 laps remaining ahead of Allmendinger and Mayer while Allgaier and Austin Hill battled for fourth. By then, select competitors like teammates Chandler Smith and Hemric along with Sammy Smith pitted under green amid their contact and off-track incident in Turn 7. Gibbs would proceed to extend his advantage to more than two seconds over runner-up Allmendinger during the proceeding laps while Mayer trailed in third place by more than four seconds followed by Austin Hill and Allgaier. By then, Custer rallied to sixth while Grala, Nemechek, Moffitt and Kligerman were running in the top 10.

    With 10 laps remaining, Gibbs continued to lead by more than three seconds over Allmendinger while Mayer, Hill and Allgaier remained in the top five. Behind, Custer, Grala, Nemechek, Moffitt and Kligerman also remained in the top 10 while Creed, Labbe, Jeb Burton, Herbst and Berry were mired in the top 15. Meanwhile, Brandon Jones was down in 23rd, Hemric was in 28th ahead of Sammy Smith while a lap down and Chandler Smith was in 33rd.

    Down to the final five laps of the event, Ty Gibbs extended his advantage to more than four seconds over Allmendinger while third-place Mayer trailed by more than six seconds ahead of Austin Hill and Allgaier. By then, Blaine Perkins, who went off the course in between Turns 8 to 10 after making contact with Ryan Ellis, was mired in 33rd as he eventually pitted. Chandler Smith, who was two laps down in 32nd, locked up the front tires and went off the course in Turn 12 while earlier, Ryan Sieg was assessed a stop-and-go penalty after missing Turn 6 as he was currently running in 27th.

    Shortly after, trouble struck for Grala, who was running sixth before he went off the course entering Turn 1. Then as he tried to blend back into the racing surface, he clipped Nemechek and sent Nemechek’s No. 20 Mobil 1 Toyota Supra spinning in Turn 2 as Nemechek fell out of the top 10 on the track. Despite the incident, the race remained under green flag conditions as Ty Gibbs retained the lead by more than five seconds over Allmendinger.

    When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Ty Gibbs remained as the leader by more than seven seconds over Mayer, who battled and overtook Allmendinger’s No. 10 LeafHome Water Solutions Chevrolet Camaro for the runner-up spot a lap prior. Amid the late on-track chaos and having a clear view in front of him, Gibbs was able to smoothly navigate his way around the 14-turn circuit for a final time and cruise back to the frontstretch to claim his first checkered flag of the 2023 NASCAR season and his first at Indianapolis.

    With the victory, Gibbs, who is currently competing in his first full-time season in the NASCAR Cup Series for Joe Gibbs Racing, notched his 12th career victory in the Xfinity Series and his first since winning both the 2022 season finale and championship at Phoenix Raceway this past November. In addition to winning at Indianapolis for the first time and becoming the fourth different winner in four Xfinity events on Indy’s road course venue, he achieved his fourth victory on a road course venue and the second of the season for Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 19 “all-star” entry led by veteran crew chief Jason Ratcliff while also becoming the 13th different winner of this year’s Xfinity season.

    Gibbs’ victory capped off an eventful IndyCar-NASCAR doubleheader feature at Indianapolis on Saturday as six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon fended off pole-sitter Graham Rahal amid a late battle to win the Gallagher Grand Prix at the Indy Road Course hours earlier.

    “It’s definitely about time [that I won],” Gibbs said on USA Network. “Really cool to get one here at the Brickyard. I grew up racing go-karts at New Castle right down the street, so really special to me. Awesome car! Great car. Thank you, Jason Ratcliff. This is the man right here. Jason does such a great job. This is just so special. We got the Brickyard! Let’s go!”

    Mayer, who led five laps in his No. 1 Huck’s Market Chevrolet Camaro, settled in the runner-up spot for the third time this season while Allmendinger, who led 21 laps and swept both stages, ended up third in his fifth Xfinity event of the season. Austin Hill and Allgaier finished in the top five while Custer, Kligerman, Creed, Grala and Moffitt came home in the top 10.

    Notably, Nemechek ended up 13th in between Herbst and Berry, Brandon Jones settled in 21st ahead of teammate Miguel Paludo, Hemric ended up 27th in front of Sammy Smith and Chandler Smith retired in 34th due to a suspension failure.

    There were 10 lead changes for eight different leaders. The race featured three cautions for nine laps. In addition, 26 of 38 starters finished on the lead lap.

    With four Xfinity regular-season events remaining on the schedule, Austin Hill leads the regular-season standings by 11 points over John Hunter Nemechek and 34 over Justin Allgaier.

    Results.

    1. Ty Gibbs, 28 laps led

    2. Sam Mayer, five laps led

    3. AJ Allmendinger, 21 laps led, Stage 1 & 2 winner

    4. Austin Hill

    5. Justin Allgaier

    6. Cole Custer

    7. Parker Kligerman

    8. Sheldon Creed, one lap led

    9. Kaz Grala

    10. Brett Moffitt

    11. Alex Labbe

    12. Riley Herbst

    13. John Hunter Nemechek

    14. Josh Berry, two laps led

    15. Sage Karam

    16. Jeb Burton

    17. Parker Retzlaff

    18. Josh Bilicki, one lap led

    19. Jeremy Clements, one lap led

    20. Kyle Weatherman

    21. Brandon Jones

    22. Miguel Paludo

    23. Anthony Alfredo

    24. Preston Pardus

    25. Brennan Poole

    26. Connor Mosack

    27. Daniel Hemric, one lap down, three laps down

    28. Sammy Smith, one lap down

    29. Ryan Ellis, one lap down

    30. Kyle Sieg, one lap down

    31. Blaine Perkins, two laps down

    32. Ryan Sieg, five laps down

    33. Josh Williams, five laps down

    34. Chandler Smith – OUT, Suspension

    35. Joe Graf Jr. – OUT, Axle

    36. Andre Castro – OUT, Suspension

    37. Ross Chastain – OUT, Suspension

    38. Brad Perez – OUT, Brakes

    Next on the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule is another road course event as the series travels east from Indiana to New York for Watkins Glen International. The event is scheduled to occur next Saturday, August 19, at 3:30 p.m. ET on USA Network.

  • Allmendinger nabs a win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

    Allmendinger nabs a win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

    The NASCAR Xfinity Series held their event today at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the Alsco Uniforms 300. Throughout the race, it seemed as if there were several cars that were capable of dominating and winning the race however only one driver got it done. AJ Allmendinger, driving his No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet, took advantage of a late-stage caution to get the lead and stay there taking the checkered flag.

    Allmendinger stated after the race, “First off, it’s great to have you all back in the grandstands, that’s the most important thing. Without you and all of you at home we can’t do this, thank you so much for showing up and packing this place.” He continued, “I’m just emotional, this could be the last win, I don’t know. I hope not, I think we can do a lot more.”

    Daniel Hemric brought his Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 home in second place, also having a great race.

    Hemric said, “First off, I’m so proud of the rebound of my pit crew this week.” Adding, “You hate to give one away like that but you know we wanted to have more speed to lead laps and win stages and we did that today. I lined up the shot there I just got beat. Congratulations to A.J.”

    Brandon Jones didn’t have the win but came in at a respectable third in his Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19 Toyota.

    Stage 1

    Stage 1 would only have one caution for the spinning car of Stefan Parsons. Hemric and Austin Cindric had really strong cars. Cindric led a good majority of the stage but, had to make a last-lap pass to win it which he did.

    Stage 2

    Stage 2 was rather chaotic at times having three cautions. Cindric cut a tire but was saved from losing a lap when the caution came out for Riley Herbst and Ty Dillon when they got together. Hemric dominated this stage and went on to win it with ease.

    Stage 3

    The Final Stage saw several great battles on the track, Hemric, Allmendinger, B.Jones, and Cindric were swapping the lead but it would be Allmendinger bringing home the prize. He took the lead with 62 laps to go and pretty much never looked back.

    Hemric, B. Jones, Cindric and Noah Gragson would round out the top five. Michael Annett, Josh Berry, Justin Haley, Harrison Burton, and Jeb Burton finished sixth through 10, respectively.

    Cindric leads in the Xfinity Series points standings with 191 points, second is Hemric with 170 points, third is Brandon Jones with 140 points, fourth is Ross Chastain with 133 points, and rounding out the top five is Justin Haley with 128 points.

    The NASCAR Xfinity Series heads next to Phoenix Raceway on March 13.

  • Double win for Kaulig Racing at Talladega

    Double win for Kaulig Racing at Talladega

    Following a doubleheader weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Kaulig Racing came into Talladega Superspeedway with three opportunities to win the race and two opportunities to win the $100,000 bonus from the Dash 4 Cash program. When the checkered flag flew, the team accomplished both achievements as Justin Haley scored his first NASCAR Xfinity Series career win at one of the world’s fastest superspeedway venues while Ross Chastain claimed the bonus with a runner-up finish.

    Based on a random draw, Haley drew the pole position while Chastain started ninth. Teammate AJ Allmendinger, fresh off his Dash 4 Cash win last weekend at Homestead, started at the rear of the field due to his No. 16 Ellsworth Advisors Chevrolet Camaro failing pre-race inspection three times.

    When the green flag waved and the race started, Haley and Chastain battled and remained at the front of the pack while Allmendinger was settling outside the top 20 and behind the lead pack while preserving his car to the end as a pre-cautionary approach for any potential incident to occur early in the race. This was how the trio ran through the competition caution on the 10th lap and when the first stage concluded on Lap 25, which was won by Haley.  

    Throughout the second stage, it was only Chastain who remained towards the front and battled for the lead as Haley, who started towards the front, was shuffled out of the draft, placed in a three-wide battle with the pack and drifted outside the top 10. Allmendinger, who was penalized for having too many crew members over his pit stall under the first stage’s break, continued running within the top 30 and behind the pack. When the stage concluded, Chastain settled in fifth while Haley worked his way back to sixth after spending the final two laps of the stage going three wide on the outside lane to gain momentum and positions to the start/finish line. Allmendinger finished 25th.

    When the final stage started with less than 60 laps remaining, Chastain and Haley restarted third and fifth, but were shuffled back to eighth and 19th nearly 20 laps later as the racing towards the front started to intensify. Allmendinger continued to settle within the top 20 and behind the lead pack. With 37 laps remaining, all three Kaulig Racing competitors made a green-flag pit stop, but caught a break when the caution flew for a four-car wreck. Under caution, the trio remained on track to restart inside the top five. When the race restarted with 33 laps remaining, the trio occupied the podium positions with Chastain leading. A lap later, Haley was shuffled back to 12th.

    Following another caution for a multi-car wreck, a red-flag delay spanning nearly 11 minutes and a restart with 14 laps remaining, Allmendinger was shuffled out of the draft and all the way back to 14th. Chastain was able to retain the lead while Haley was in seventh. For the next six laps, Chastain was locked in a heated battle with Austin Cindric and Jeb Burton for the lead while Haley was able to work his way back into the top five. Then came an 11-car pileup in the frontstretch with seven laps remaining, a wreck that occurred just behind Haley and Chastain while Allmendinger was barely able to dodge the carnage in one piece.

    Following a second red-flag period spanning six and a half minutes, the racing resumed with three laps remaining, Haley, who restarted second, fired off past the restart zone and ignited a challenge with Burton for the lead with Chastain right behind his bumper and Allmendinger trying to work his way back to the front. A lap later, after Burton was able to pull away from the field, Haley came charging back on the outside lane and was alongside Burton when the final lap started. In Turn 2, Allmendinger gave Chastain’s No. 10 Nutrien Ag Solutions Chevrolet Camaro a push, who closed towards and pushed Haley’s No. 11 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet Camaro clear of Burton with the lead entering Turn 3. From there, Haley was gone and was able to beat the field by two-tenths of a second to claim his first elusive Xfinity win in his 47th series start.

    With the victory, Haley, who led 16 laps, became the 164th driver to win a NASCAR Xfinity Series race and the fifth regular-season series winner of the 2020 season, which has the Winamac, Indiana, native a guaranteed spot for the Xfinity Playoffs. He also became the third first-time winner of this season, (Noah Gragson and Harrison Burton), the fourth first-time series winner at Talladega and the 32nd driver to win across NASCAR’s top three national major division series. The win was also the second for crew chief Alexander Yontz. Following his victory burnouts and celebration with his teammates on the frontstretch, an emotional Haley took a moment to dedicate his first win to the late Nick Harrison, who was Haley’s crew chief last season until he died unexpectedly last July at age 37 following health issues.

    “Well, I got one taken away from me at Daytona [July 2018], which is my own fault,” Haley said. “To, kind of, get redemption, I now won in the Cup Series, the Xfinity Series, Truck Series, K&N, ARCA, you name it, I’ve won in it. That meant a lot to me. The Xfinity win was bugging me. I got’em a little out of place there jumping to my Cup win, but it’s so special for everyone. I can’t believe [Burton] gave me [Chastain, restarting on the outside lane]. You never want teammate lined up and that’s what he did. Just having Ross behind me and AJ [Allmendinger], you see the team love here at Kaulig Racing. A win for one guy’s a win for all of us. Just super special. This car was amazing. I’m loving these Kaulig Racing guys. They’ve been so incredible.” 

    The runner-up finish was Chastain’s best result along with his third top-five finish through the first 11 races of this season. Above all, Chastain, who also led a race-high 24 of the event’s 113-scheduled laps, won his first Dash 4 Cash program of his career and the second in a row of this season for Kaulig Racing. With his result, Chastain jumped from fifth to fourth in the standings and trails points leader Gragson by 47 points.

    “It was teamwork that got it done,” Chastain said. “I would say we were pretty even until the backstretch coming to the white flag. AJ Allmendinger in the 16 car gave me like a hundred horsepower boost down the back. I’ve never been hit so hard and not crashed as that. It started with the third car, took three of us, me, to the 10 car to [Haley] and he was able to clear [Burton]. It’s so gratifying to come these places. You come here and you can come here your whole career and never finish, never run good. AJ’s been coming here so long. He’s hit every corner of this place. It was that experience that paid off, and just having him as a teammate, it’s awesome. Justin and I have learned so much, and it’s all paying off.”

    With their one-two finish, Haley and Chastain will contend for the fourth and final Dash 4 Cash $100,000 bonus of this season next weekend at Pocono Raceway along with Austin Cindric and Alex Labbe.

    Allmendinger settled in seventh for his fourth top-10 result of this season and his sixth in the last two seasons while competing on a part-time basis for Kaulig Racing. He will return at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval-road course venue on July 4.

    Following 11 races into the 2020 season, Kaulig Racing operations have notched a combined nine top-five results, 20 top-10 results and have led a combined 203 laps, the most gained for the organization, team owner Matt Kaulig and team president Chris Rice after 11 races in the team’s fifth year of existence. They have also won four NASCAR career races with three different drivers, all of whom currently drive for the team. For LeafFilter Gutter Protection, Haley’s sponsor which has also been a primary sponsor with the team since its existence in 2016, this marked the company’s first time earning a trip to victory lane with a competitor in a stock car race.

    The NASCAR Xfinity Series will return at Pocono Raceway on June 28, where the race will air at 12:30 p.m. ET on FS1 and will be part of a quadruple-header weekend.

  • Allmendinger notches $100,000 bonus for Kaulig Racing at Homestead

    Allmendinger notches $100,000 bonus for Kaulig Racing at Homestead

    A day after late pit road penalties knocked teammates Ross Chastain and Justin Haley out of potential race-winning contention, Kaulig Racing returned with three cars to the starting grid for the Contender Boats 250 at Homestead-Miami Speedway as Haley and AJ Allmendinger were two of four competitors contending for the second Dash 4 Cash bonus. Following two overtime restarts, Allmendinger was able to claim the $100,000 bonus with a fourth-place result as all three Kaulig competitors finished in the top six.

    The starting lineup for Sunday’s race was based on having the top-15 finishers from Saturday inverted with the next 15-finishing competitors starting Sunday as they finished on Saturday and new entries rounding out the field. Haley, who finished 13th at Miami on Saturday, was the highest-starting Kaulig Racing competitor in third while Chastain, who finished ninth, started seventh. Allmendinger started at the rear of the field since he did not compete in Saturday’s race at Homestead.

    When the green flag dropped, it did not take long for Chastain to flex his muscles early as he took the lead from Myatt Snider on the second lap. He led for a total of seven laps before he was overtaken by Chase Briscoe. When the competition caution flew on Lap 20, Chastain had fallen back to fourth while fighting the balance and grip of his car. Haley was back in sixth while Allmendinger was able to work his way up to 16th. Following another caution in the closing laps of the first stage, all Kaulig Racing teammates were in the top 15 while continuing to fight the grip levels and balance of their respective Chevrolet Camaros. Under the caution, Chastain gave up track position to pit while Haley and Allmendinger remained on track with the leaders. Following a four-lap dash to the conclusion of the first stage, Haley finished 14th while Allmendinger and Chastain finished 17th and 33rd.

    Following pit stops under the stage break, Chastain remained on track to inherit the lead for the start of the second stage while Haley and Allmendinger moved to 10th and 11th after pitting. When the second stage started, Chastain led four laps before being overtaken by Brandon Jones. As the laps progressed, Chastain and Allmendinger were running inside the top 10 while Haley was in 12th. In the closing laps, Allmendinger reported loose conditions to his No. 16 Ellsworth Advisors Chevrolet Camaro while Chastain and Haley were battling tight conditions and falling back from the leaders. When the second stage concluded, Allmendinger finished 10th and earned a stage point while Chastain and Haley finished 12th and 15th.

    When the final stage started with 78 laps remaining, all three Kaulig teammates restarted ninth through 11th and spent the majority of the stage racing within the top 10 and 15. During the run and following green-flag pit stops, all Kaulig competitors were behind a lap from the leaders. With the race dwindling to its final laps, the Kaulig competitors appeared to have top-10 runs solidified despite being a lap down when the caution flew with two laps remaining for a single-car incident in Turn 3. By then, Allmendinger, who was the first competitor a lap behind, was the recipient of the free pass to return on the lead lap while Haley and Chastain took the wave around.

    In the first overtime attempt, Allmendinger made contact with rookie Riley Herbst while battling for a top-five spot, which turned Herbst into a wreck with JR Motorsports’ Michael Annett and Daniel Hemric. Everyone else behind, including Haley and Chastain, were able to scatter pass the wreck with no damage, though Haley and Chastain pitted under caution.

    In the second overtime attempt, all three Kaulig competitors restarted inside the top seven and Chastain was able to carve his way to settle in third while watching Briscoe beat Jones to win the race right in front of him. Behind him, Allmendinger fended off Noah Gragson to finish fourth for his second consecutive top-five finish in his second start of this season and emerge as the highest-finishing Dash 4 Cash contender, thus winning the second $100,000 bonus of the 2020 season. Haley settled in sixth.

    “We fought hard trying to figure out how to make the car better,” Allmendinger said on MRN. “At the end, we made it the best, but we were still about a ninth-place car. I fought hard to get Ellsworth Advisors $100,000, for Chevrolet, ECR, LeafFilter Gutter Protection, for sure. Can’t thank Xfinity enough for all they do and I guess we get to go to Talladega and do it again, right?!”

    With their results, Allmendinger and Haley will contend for the next Dash 4 Cash $100,000 bonus at Talladega Superspeedway next weekend along with Briscoe and Jones.

    With his second top-five result of this season, Chastain dropped from fourth to fifth in the standings, but is 61 points behind points leader Gragson. With his sixth top-10 result of this season, Haley remained in seventh in the standings, but is 105 points behind Gragson.

    The NASCAR Xfinity Series will return on June 20 at Talladega Superspeedway, where the race will air at 5:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Allmendinger capitalizes late to win at Atlanta

    Allmendinger capitalizes late to win at Atlanta

    A.J. Allmendinger seized the opportunity following a late-race pit stop and held off Noah Gragson in the final 34 laps to win the EchoPark 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The victory was Allmendinger’s fourth of his NASCAR Xfinity Series career in his 18th series start, first of the season and his first on an oval-shaped track. Ironically, Allmendinger’s first Xfinity win at Atlanta came in his first series start at the track.

    The starting lineup was based on a random draw and three competitors from JR Motorsports drew the first three starting positions. Noah Gragson, coming off his thrilling win at Bristol Motor Speedway, started on pole position followed by teammates Daniel Hemric and Justin Allgaier. Following the pre-race inspection, the following teams with drivers Hemric, Harrison Burton, Austin Cindric, Myatt Snider, Jeremy Clements, Tommy Joe Martins and Stephen Leicht lost their pit stall selection for next week’s event at Homestead-Miami Speedway for failing the inspection station twice. Martins started at the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments along with Timmy Hill, who pitted under the pace laps. 

    When the race started, Gragson paced ahead to lead the opening six laps, but Austin Cindric, who started eighth and was eliminated early in the previous race at Bristol due to a multi-car wreck, used the high lane to move all the way up to second by the second lap and settle behind Gragson. By Lap 6, Cindric, again, used the high lane to his advantage and took the lead in Turn 3 as Gragson slipped. A lap later, Justin Haley moved into second as Gragson battled early loose-handling conditions in his No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet. By the 10th lap, he had fallen back to fifth as teammates Hemric and Allgaier passed him. Up front, Cindric extended his advantage to over a second over Haley.

    In the midst of the battle up front, Ryan Sieg, who started seventh, experienced early mechanical issues as smoke was billowing out of his No. 39 RSS Racing Chevrolet. He would eventually take his car to the garage for repairs.

    The first caution of the race flew on Lap 16 when Tommy Joe Martins spun on the backstretch. With the competition caution originally planned for Lap 20, NASCAR deemed the caution for Martins’ spin as the competition caution since the field would pass Lap 20 under yellow. At the time of caution, Chastain, who started 11th, moved up to sixth while Burton, who started fifth, fell back to 10th. Under caution, only a handful of competitors like Cindric and Chase Briscoe pitted. Haley remained on track to inherit the lead followed by Hemric, Allgaier, Gragson and Ross Chastain.

    When the race restarted on Lap 21, Haley used the bottom lane to take off with the lead followed by Allgaier and Chastain. Cindric restarted 21st, but bolted his way to fourth in three laps on four fresh tires. By Lap 25, Cindric was in third behind Kaulig Racing’s Haley and Chastain. A lap later, Cindric reassumed the lead. 

    By Lap 30, Cindric extended his advantage to over three seconds over Chastain and four seconds over Haley. During this time, Briscoe, who pitted with Cindric under competition caution only for adjustments, had made his way only up to 11th. Allmendinger, who started 30th, was in 12th, Anthony Alfredo, who started 24th, was in 14th and Jeremy Clements, who started 20th, was in 11th. Brandon Brown, coming off back-to-back top-10 results at Charlotte and Bristol, was in ninth.

    Up front, Cindric remained uncontested and was able to cruise to the Stage 1 win on Lap 40 by over nine seconds over Chastain. With his strong start to the race, Cindric claimed his first stage first victory of the year. Haley finished third followed by Allgaier and Hemric while Gragson, Riley Herbst, Briscoe, Allmendinger and Burton finished in top 10.

    Under the stage break, the leaders pitted and Colby Howard inherited the lead after pitting without changing tires. Cindric was the first to exit with four fresh tires followed by Chastain, Briscoe, Haley and Gragson. Following the pit stops, Haley was sent to the rear of the field due to his crew members jumping over the pit wall too soon. A lap later, Howard returned to pit road, giving the lead back to Cindric.

    When the second stage started on Lap 47, Cindric received a push from Briscoe to maintain the lead. Chastain retained second as Briscoe battled Gragson for third. By Lap 60, Cindric extended his advantage to three seconds over Chastain. In addition, Haley, who restarted outside the top 25 following his penalty, worked his way back to 15th.

    On Lap 65, Hemric, who was running fourth, made contact with a lapped car entering Turn 4, but both cars continued without spinning or drawing out a caution. Behind him, Allmendinger and Allgaier made their way past Gragson for position.

    Three laps later, the caution returned when Riley Herbst, who was running in the top 10, spun in Turn 2. Under caution, the leaders remained on track except for Clements, Josh Williams and Jeffrey Earnhardt.

    When the race restarted with seven laps remaining in the second stage, Cindric received another bump from Briscoe to retain the lead. This time, Briscoe moved to second and Chastain battled Hemric for third as the competitors behind the leaders started duking for positions and battled three wide through the turns and the straightaways. 

    When the second stage concluded on Lap 80, Cindric was the leader as he claimed the stage by half a second over Briscoe and over a second over Chastain. Hemric finished fourth over Allmendinger. Gragson, Haley, Allgaier, Annett and Burton finished in the top 10.

    Under the stage break, the leaders pitted. Briscoe exited first followed by Cindric, Chastain, Allgaier and Allmendinger. Following pit stops, Haley was penalized and sent to the rear of the field a second time, this time due to speeding on pit road.

    The final stage commenced with 76 laps remaining. On the restart, Briscoe and Cindric engaged in a heated battle for the lead while Allgaier and Chastain battled for third. Behind, Gragson made contact with Burton, which loosened Burton’s No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota up the track as Gragson moved up to eighth. Five laps later, Briscoe extended his lead of over a second over Cindric. Chastain, meanwhile, slipped to fourth.

    With 65 to go, caution returned when Josh Williams went for a long slide in Turn 3. He was able to nurse his car back below the apron without receiving any further contact from the field and pit. By then, Haley moved back to 16th following his penalty and Briscoe extended the lead to nearly two seconds over Cindric.

    Under caution, the leaders pitted. Briscoe exited first followed by Allgaier, Cindric, Chastain and Brandon Jones. During the pit stops, Gragson was penalized and sent to the rear for driving through too many pit boxes on pit road. His teammate, Michael Annett, remained on track and inherited the lead.

    On a restart with 61 to go, Briscoe took off on the inside lane while Annett raced four wide with Chastain, Allgaier and Cindric through Turn 1 before Chastain moved to second followed by Cindric, Allgaier, Jones and Hemric. Annett, who struggled on old tires, fell back like an anchor outside the top 10.  

    With 40 to go, Briscoe extended his lead to over a second ahead of Cindric and more than three seconds over Chastain and Allgaier. A lap later, the caution returned when Vinnie Miller spun in Turn 2. Under caution, the leaders pitted. Following pit stops, disaster struck for Briscoe, Allgaier and Cindric as all three were penalized for speeding on pit road. When all three were sent to restart outside the top 20, Allmendinger emerged with the lead alongside Gragson. 

    The race restarted with 34 to go and Allmendinger took off with the lead followed by Gragson, Haley, Jones and Burton. While Allmendinger retained a steady lead over the field, Gragson and Haley battled for second as Gragson would gain the upper hand. With 20 to go, Allmendinger settled in to lead over a second over Gragson followed by Haley, Burton and Chastain. Allgaier was eighth, Briscoe was 10th and Cindric was 17th as all three were running out of time and laps to make up for their late mistakes on pit road.

    With 10 to go, Allmendinger started to approach lapped traffic, which gave Gragson a slim, but brewing opportunity to challenge for the lead. Allmendinger, however, was able to navigate his way through the lapped traffic and maintain his advantage around a second over Gragson. 

    For the final laps, Gragson tried to narrow the gap between himself and Allmendinger, but Allmendinger maintained his ground and his one-second advantage, which was enough for him to cruise to the checkered flag and grab an upset win by 1.858 seconds over Gragson. With the victory, Allmendinger has finished in the top 10 in four of his seven starts with Kaulig Racing as the team recorded its third NASCAR Xfinity Series career victory.

    “Oh, my god! I won on an oval! You like that?!” Allmendinger said on FOX. “Matt Kaulig, I really love you. Chris Rice, these cars were awesome. It’s Atlanta. You’re trying to figure out how much tire to use early. The car was awesome on long runs. Once I got to the lead, I was just trying to hit my marks, which is hard to do. I can’t thank everybody at Kaulig Racing, LeafFilter Gutter Protection, everybody that’s associated with this team. We got C2 Freight Resources on the car…Thank you ECR [Engines], Chevrolet, everybody for giving me the opportunity. Let’s party.”

    In addition, Allmendinger, who was originally not scheduled to compete in next weekend’s second Dash 4 Cash event at Homestead-Miami Speedway on June 14, will enter the event with the opportunity to win $100,000.

    Despite finishing second, Gragson claimed the first Dash 4 Cash $100,000 bonus of the 2020 season. 

    “First off, I wanna say congrats to the 16 team,” Gragson said on FOX. “They did a heck of a job today. We fought a lot of adversity out there. I drove through too many pit boxes on one of the pit stops and had to go to the back. This Axalta, EchoPark team, they never gave up. [Crew chief] Dave Elenz did a great job making changes. We were wrecking loose there at the beginning of the race. We just kept working on it, working on it. We were able to come home second. I wanted to be doing burnouts on the front straightaway. Our car looked really good. That’s alright. We’re gonna move on to Miami. That’s my bread and butter track. Just super fortunate to be running here in the Xfinity Series.”

    Haley rebounded from his two pit-road penalties to finish third for his third top-five result of this season followed by Hemric as both competitors will compete for the second Dash 4 Cash bonus at Homestead alongside Allmendinger and Gragson. Burton finished fifth as he remains the only competitor to finish in the top 10 in all Xfinity events through Atlanta. Allgaier, Chastain, Jones, Briscoe and Alfredo rounded out the top 10.

    There were 10 lead changes for seven different leaders. The race featured six cautions for 28 laps.

    Briscoe continues to lead the Xfinity Series regular-season standings by four points over Gragson and 32 over Burton.

    Results:

    1. A.J. Allmendinger, 37 laps led

    2. Noah Gragson, six laps led

    3. Justin Haley, eight laps led

    4. Daniel Hemric

    5. Harrison Burton

    6. Justin Allgaier, one lap led

    7. Ross Chastain

    8. Brandon Jones

    9. Chase Briscoe, 40 laps led

    10. Anthony Alfredo

    11. Michael Annett, three laps led

    12. Brandon Brown

    13. Jeremy Clements

    14. Brett Moffitt

    15. Colby Howard

    16. Austin Cindric, 68 laps led, Stage 1 & 2 winner

    17. Riley Herbst

    18. Bayley Currey

    19. Ronnie Bassett Jr., one lap down

    20. Jesse Little, one lap down

    21. Jeffrey Earnhardt, one lap down

    22. Tommy Joe Martins, one lap down

    23. Mason Massey, one lap down

    24. Garrett Smithley, one lap down

    25. B.J. McLeod, one lap down

    26. Joe Graf Jr., one lap down

    27. Alex Labbe, one lap down

    28. Josh Williams, one lap down

    29. Myatt Snider, two laps down

    30. Matt Mills, two laps down

    31. Vinnie Miller, seven laps down

    32. Joe Nemechek – OUT, Suspension

    33. Timmy Hill – OUT, Alternator

    34. Chad Finchum – OUT, Suspension

    35. Ryan Sieg – OUT, Engine

    36. Stephen Leicht – OUT, Clutch

    37. Kody Vanderwal – OUT, Engine

    Next on the NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule is a doubleheader series weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the first on June 13 and the second on June 14. The June 13 race at Homestead will air at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX and the June 14 race will air at noon ET on FS1.

  • Tough ending for Kaulig Racing at Bristol

    Tough ending for Kaulig Racing at Bristol

    Following an up-and-down result last week at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Kaulig Racing traveled to Tennessee for the next NASCAR Xfinity Series scheduled race at Bristol Motor Speedway, fielding three cars as AJ Allmendinger joined Ross Chastain and Justin Haley to the team’s lineup. When the checkered flag dropped under the lights, Allmendinger emerged with a top-10 result while Haley and Chastain were left with disappointing finishes outside the top 15.

    With the race’s lineup determined by a random draw, Haley and Chastain started fourth and sixth while Allmendinger, who started his first Xfinity event since the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval in September, started 27th. In the opening laps of the race, Haley and Chastain displayed early speed by moving to third and fourth. Disaster struck, however, on the fifth lap, when Chastain blew a right-front tire entering Turn 4 and made contact with Austin Cindric against the outside wall. The contact sent Chastain around, where he was clipped by an oncoming Michael Annett. Despite sustaining significant rear-end damage to his No. 10 Nutrien Ag Solutions Chevrolet, Chastain’s crew was able to make repairs to keep the driver on the lead lap.

    When the race restarted on Lap 16, Haley settled in third. He remained in the top five as the laps dwindled while Allmendinger methodically worked his way up through the field. Nearly 10 laps later, however, Chastain was forced to pit under green for more repairs needed to his car. He eventually took his car behind the wall where his crew was able to continue making repairs. He would eventually return to the track multiple laps down.

    At the time of the competition caution on Lap 35, Haley was third and Allmendinger was able to race his way to 18th. When the race completed its first stage, Haley was fourth, Allmendinger raced his way into the top 10 in eighth and Chastain was 31st, more than 30 laps behind. Following pit stops under the stage break, Haley exited eighth while Allmendinger returned on track in 11th.

    When the second stage started on Lap 98, Haley moved into second but slipped to third the following restart. On Lap 121, a bump from Ryan Sieg sent Allmendinger spinning in Turn 3, drawing the event’s sixth caution. Despite the contact, Allmendinger was able to keep Kaulig Racing’s No. 16 Ellsworth Advisors Chevrolet sideways below the apron without sustaining any damage or contact from anyone else. He pitted for fresh tires and returned on track.

    By Lap 155, Allmendinger battled his way within the top 10 while Haley continued racing in the top five, spending most of the race in third. At the conclusion of the second stage, Haley was third and Allmendinger was 10th. Chastain was in 28th, 30 laps behind the leaders.

    Throughout the start of the final stage, Haley continued battling in the top five and Allmendinger continued battling inside the top 10. With 81 laps remaining, Haley moved into second after passing Noah Gragson and started his pursuit for the lead toward Justin Allgaier. During this time, however, Allmendinger made an unscheduled pit stop to have the left-side tires changed. By the time he returned on track, he was three laps behind the leaders.

    As the laps dwindled, Haley started to chip away his one-second deficit from Allgaier. With less than 60 laps remaining, Haley drew himself within a tenth of a second from Allgaier, who was struggling behind lapped traffic and was ready to pounce for the lead. With the battle for the lead brewing, the caution flew with eight laps remaining for a single-car spin in Turn 4. Under caution, Haley pitted with the leaders and dropped to fourth. Allmendinger remained on the track while Chastain pitted as both were still multiple laps behind.

    The following restart with 45 to go, Haley made contact with rookie Riley Herbst in Turn 2. The contact sent Herbst spinning and slapping the outside wall while Haley proceeded in third with cosmetic damage and a dragged splitter to his No. 11 LeafFilter Chevrolet. Despite the damage, Haley remained on track while reporting no significant fender damage. When the race restarted with 36 to go, Haley fell to fourth but returned to third two laps later after forcing his way below Brandon Jones in Turn 2.

    With approximately 20 laps remaining, Haley’s race went south when he slipped in Turn 1 and scrubbed the outside wall in Turn 2 while trying to race his way back to second. The contact cut a tire on Haley’s machine, where he was forced to make an unscheduled pit stop as his chances of winning his first Xfinity race evaporated for another week.

    Through two additional cautions and a late restart that extended the race into overtime, Allmendinger was able to race his way back on the lead lap. On the overtime restart, Allmendinger was able to race his way to a 10th-place result for his third top-10 result in his sixth start with Kaulig Racing. Haley settled in 17th, four laps behind the leaders, while Chastain ended his long race in 28th, 48 laps behind. All Kaulig teammates watched from a distance as Gragson held off Chase Briscoe and Jones to win at Thunder Valley.

    With the result, Haley is eighth in the series standings, 79 points behind points leader Briscoe, while Chastain dropped from third to fifth and is 52 points behind.

    Allmendinger is scheduled to make seven more Xfinity races this season with Kaulig Racing. Chastain and Haley, along with their fellow competitors, will return for the next series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway on June 6 at 4:30 p.m. ET on FOX.

  • AJ Allmendinger fails post-race inspection at Watkins Glen

    AJ Allmendinger fails post-race inspection at Watkins Glen

    It was announced after the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Watkins Glen on Saturday that the No. 10 Kaulig Racing car driven by AJ Allmendinger failed post-race inspection due to a rear-height violation. His second-place finish was disqualified and he will be credited with a last-place finish of 37th.

    This is the second time Allmendinger has failed post-race inspection this year in only two starts. The first was last month at Daytona when his third-place finish was also disqualified.

    Allmendinger had a thrilling battle with eventual race winner Austin Cindric in the remaining laps of the Zippo 200. Allmendinger had this to say on Twitter regarding his post-race infraction.

    “I can go into a full description of why it was low from contact early in the race on a restart,” Allmendinger said. “The issues we struggled with after cause track bar mount was bent and oil tank getting hung on the coil of the spring the rest of the race. But just doesn’t f***ing matter.”

    The team has until noon Monday to appeal the decision.

    Updated results

    1. Austin Cindric
    2. Christopher Bell
    3. Justin Allgaier
    4. Ryan Blaney
    5. Tyler Reddick
    6. Chase Briscoe
    7. Cole Custer
    8. Michael Annett
    9. Noah Gragson
    10. Ryan Preece
    11. Jeremy Clements
    12. John Hunter Nemechek
    13. Scott Heckert
    14. Justin Haley
    15. Gray Gaulding
    16. Alex Labbe
    17. Brandon Jones
    18. Brandon Brown
    19. Josh Williams
    20. Stephen Leicht
    21. Cody Ware
    22. Ray Black Jr
    23. Stanton Barrett
    24. Garrett Smithley, Two laps down
    25. Dan Corcoran, Seven laps down
    26. Josh Bilicki, Did Not Finish, Crash
    27. B.J. McLeod, Did Not Finish, DVP
    28. Tommy Joe Martins, Did Not Finish, Crash
    29. David Starr, Did Not Finish, Fuel Pump
    30. Ryan Sieg, Did Not Finish, Crash
    31. Kyle Busch, Did Not Finish, Suspension
    32. Chad Finchum, Did Not Finish, Brakes
    33. Ross Chastain, Did Not Finish, Crash
    34. Joey Gase, Did Not Finish, Transmission
    35. J.J. Yeley, Did Not Finish, Overheating
    36. Vinnie Miller, Did Not Start, Ignition
    37. AJ Allmendinger, Originally finished second but failed post-race inspection.
  • Cindric holds off Allmendinger in thriller for first career win

    Cindric holds off Allmendinger in thriller for first career win

    Austin Cindric earned his first career NASCAR Xfinity Series win at Watkins Glen in a last-lap thriller. It was an intense battle after Cindric started on the outside pole for the Zippo 200 and made a gusty pit call with 10 laps to go. He also had to dodge a near wreck off a restart, going from seventh to second, then trading the lead back and forth with AJ Allmendinger, to get to victory lane.

    “That was nuts, I didn’t know how that was going to work out,” Cindric said to MRN Radio describing his near miss. “Sometimes you have to take advantage of it and we executed all day.”

    All-time Xfinity Series winner Kyle Busch was back in the field for his first race since Texas back in March. Busch sat on the pole, continuing his impressive streak of earning one pole every year in the Xfinity Series. It was his first pole since Bristol last August.

    Stages were broken up into 20/20/42 laps to make up the 82 laps distance.

    Several drivers had issues before the race started, however. Cole Custer went to a backup car after crashing in Friday’s practice session. Vinnie Miller, who spun in qualifying early Saturday morning, couldn’t get the car started and was pushed behind the wall. The 74 of Dan Corcoran was also pushed behind the wall, before returning to the race later.

    Stage 1: Lap 1 – Lap 20

    While Kyle Busch checked out, Tyler Reddick missed the inner loop on the first lap. Many other drivers like Chase Briscoe, Michael Annett, Alex Labbe, Brandon Jones and Ray Black Jr. also had issues with grass on their grille, forcing them to pit to clean it off. Josh Bilicki, in the No. 93, went spinning around in Turn 7, but the race remained green.

    Miller’s issues continued as he went out for the rest of the race on Lap 8 with an ignition problem. J.J. Yeley also went to the garage on the same lap.

    The first caution flew on Lap 10 for the No. 35 of Joey Gase who stalled in Turn 1. During the caution, Justin Allgaier, Ryan Blaney, Custer, Jones, John Hunter Nemechek, Briscoe, Reddick and Annett, along with others, pit.

    Allgaier’s name would come up again on Lap 14, as Ross Chastain made contact with him in Turn 3, which sent Allgaier toward the tire barrier to bring out the caution again. Allgaier would later retaliate by sending Chastain into the tire barrier, which would end Chastain’s day.

    No other incidents took place for rest of the stage, other than Cindric pitting with three to go.

    Busch went on to take the stage win after leading every lap. Christopher Bell, Jeremy Clements, Justin Haley, Blaney, Ryan Preece, Noah Gragson, Ryan Sieg, Reddick, Gaulding rounded out the top-10 stage finishers.

    Tommy Joe Martins and Clements were penalized for a crew member over the wall too soon under the stage break.

    Stage 2: Lap 23 – Lap 40

    After staying out, Bell and Blaney would regain the front spots with Stage 1 winner Busch restarting 15th.

    Not much happened in the second stage, aside from Cindric and Custer going side-by-side with each other in the inner loop with Custer getting the worst of it by collecting grass on his grille, and a possible tire rub as well. Custer would end up pitting to clean the grass off his grille.

    Another major issue broke out for Busch when he went to make a pass on race leader Blaney in the inner loop. Busch could not stop and was going toward the wall in the carousel after what turned out to be a broken control arm. This sent Busch behind the wall for the rest of the race and he ended up with a disappointing 32nd place finish. This would bring out the caution on Lap 33.

    Allmendinger took the lead off the restart on Lap 37 and held on for the rest of the stage to take the stage win. Blaney, Preece, Cindric, Briscoe, Nemechek, Jones, Allgaier, Haley and Bell claimed the remaining top-10 spots for Stage 2. Briscoe and Nemechek would later pit under the stage break.

    Stage 3: Lap 43 – Lap 82

    Like Stage 1, Reddick once again went through the inner loop on Lap 47 and fell back to 20th. Sieg also went around in the inner loop as well after making contact with Nemechek.

    Green flag pit stops started to occur on Lap 48 with Blaney pitting from second. His teammate, Cindric would pit one lap later. This continued until 20 to go with race leader Allgaier being the final driver to pit. In what would be the battle for the lead, Allmendinger pitted from first on Lap 51 but had a slow stop with him coming out behind Cindric.

    After Allgaier pitted, Cindric would cycle out as the race leader. A thrilling battle took place with Allmendinger and Blaney a few laps before with Allmendinger getting the better of it.

    While it looked liked Cindric would run away with the race win, a caution came out on Lap 68 for Garrett Smithley’s tire carcass that was left in the inner loop and eventually picked up by the 99 of Cody Ware. Right before the yellow, Tommy Joe Martins went spinning around in Turn 1.

    In what seemed like a questionable strategy, Cindric pitted from the lead under the yellow for fresh tires. He would restart sixth with Allmendinger as the race leader.

    A wreck with Haley and Bilicki occurred on the restart in Turn 1 with contact from Briscoe, which brought out the caution again.

    A late-race restart took place with seven laps to go. Bell almost went spinning around after contact with Allgaier that caused a logjam in the esses. This also saw Cindric going from sixth to second after the incident.

    This later produced a thrilling battle for the win between Allmendinger and Cindric. Both would trade the lead with each other with less than three laps remaining, with Cindric at one point, almost going off course after a shot from Allmendinger. Both would be side-by-side at the finish on the white flag lap.

    Eventually, Cindric had the better car and pulled away from Allmendinger to earn his first Xfinity Series career win at Watkins Glen International.

    “This is awesome,” Cindric said. “I’ve got so many people to think. You fans are awesome, thank you for coming to Watkins Glen every single year. This is why you come. I’m so pumped.”

    Cindric led twice for eight laps to pick up his first career win. There were seven cautions for 16 laps with nine lead changes among six leaders.

    The NASCAR Xfinity Series continues the road course season by heading to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on Saturday, August 10.

    UPDATE: Allmendinger’s car failed post-race inspection after a rear-height violation and he will be credited with a 37th place finish. The Kaulig Racing team has until noon Monday to appeal the decision.

    Xfinity Series Race Number 20
    Race Results for the 25th Annual Zippo 200 at The Glen – Saturday, August 3, 2019
    Watkins Glen International – Watkins Glen, NY – 2.45 – Mile Road
    Total Race Length – 82 Laps – 200.9 Miles

    Fin Str No Driver Team Laps S1Pos S2Pos S3Pos Pts Status
    1 2 22 Austin Cindric MoneyLion Ford 82 0 3 0 48 Running
    2 4 20 Christopher Bell Rheem Toyota 82 2 9 0 46 Running
    3 9 7 Justin Allgaier BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet 82 0 7 0 38 Running
    4 3 12 Ryan Blaney(i) Pirtek Ford 82 5 1 0 0 Running
    5 5 2 Tyler Reddick Anderson’s Pure Maple Syrup Chevrolet 82 0 0 0 32 Running
    6 6 98 Chase Briscoe # Ford Performance Ford 82 0 4 0 38 Running
    7 13 0 Cole Custer GoBowling Ford 82 0 0 0 30 Running
    8 14 1 Michael Annett Pilot/Flying J Chevrolet 82 0 0 0 29 Running
    9 18 9 Noah Gragson # West Herr Auto Group Chevrolet 82 7 0 0 32 Running
    10 8 8 Ryan Preece(i) Louisiana Hot Sauce Chevrolet 82 6 2 0 0 Running
    11 11 51 Jeremy Clements RepairableVehicles.com Chevrolet 82 3 0 0 34 Running
    12 20 23 John Hunter Nemechek # Digital Ally Chevrolet 82 10 5 0 32 Running
    13 23 5 Scott Heckert Chevrolet 82 0 0 0 24 Running
    14 12 11 Justin Haley # LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet 82 4 8 0 33 Running
    15 15 8 Gray Gaulding GPSPURE.com Chevrolet 82 9 0 0 24 Running
    16 21 90 Alex Labbe DGM Racing Chevrolet 82 0 0 0 21 Running
    17 10 19 Brandon Jones First Foundation Toyota 82 0 6 0 25 Running
    18 27 86 Brandon Brown # Vero Tru Social Chevrolet 82 0 0 0 19 Running
    19 30 36 Josh Williams Star Brite/Star Tron/Sleep Well Chevrolet 82 0 0 0 18 Running
    20 28 1 Stephen Leicht teamjdmotorsports.com Chevrolet 82 0 0 0 17 Running
    21 26 99 Cody Ware Chevrolet 82 0 0 0 16 Running
    22 24 7 Ray Black II ISOKERN Fireplaces & Chimneys/Scuba Life Chevrolet 82 0 0 0 15 Running
    23 31 42 Stanton Barrett(i) Horseheads Brewing Toyota 82 0 0 0 0 Running
    24 29 0 Garrett Smithley teamjdmotorsports.com Chevrolet 80 0 0 0 13 Running
    25 34 74 Dan Corcoran(i) Woobie Shoes/Threatcon 5 Clothing Chevrolet 75 0 0 0 0 Running
    26 16 93 Josh Bilicki Lemons of Love Chevrolet 72 0 0 0 11 Accident
    27 33 15 BJ McLeod teamjdmotorsports.com Chevrolet 67 0 0 0 10 DVP
    28 22 66 Tommy Joe Martins Gusset.com Toyota 65 0 0 0 9 Accident
    29 32 52 David Starr Chevrolet 57 0 0 0 8 Fuel Pump
    30 17 39 Ryan Sieg Midstate Chevrolet 47 8 10 0 11 Accident
    31 1 18 Kyle Busch(i) iK9 Toyota 35 1 0 0 0 Suspension
    32 35 13 Chad Finchum MBM Motorsports Toyota 30 0 0 0 5 Brakes
    33 19 4 Ross Chastain(i) Buckle Up New York Chevrolet 19 0 0 0 0 Accident
    34 36 35 Joey Gase MBM Motorsports Toyota 9 0 0 0 3 Transmission
    35 25 38 JJ Yeley(i) RSS Racing Chevrolet 6 0 0 0 0 Overheating
    36 37 78 Vinnie Miller Pit Viper Sunglasses Chevrolet 0 0 0 0 1 Ignition
    37 7 10 AJ Allmendinger Death Wish Coffee Chevrolet 82 0 0 0 1 Running
  • Joey Logano Wins from the Pole in the Xfinity Series at Watkins Glen

    Joey Logano Wins from the Pole in the Xfinity Series at Watkins Glen

    Joey Logano drove his No. 22 Penske Ford to Victory Lane Saturday at Watkins Glen International in the Xfinity Series Zippo 200. This marked Logano’s 30th win in the series and his second Xfinity win this year.

    Logano started from the pole position today and led 31 laps. Even driving in the rain wouldn’t dampen his efforts to obtain the prize. Logano fought hard with teammate Brad Keselowski and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Ryan Preece in the closing laps, going three-wide on the last restart. Preece finished fourth and Keselowski, who spun with  2 laps to go, recovered from the spin to finish 10th.

    “That was all I had,” said Logano, “He (Keselowski) was definitely faster. I thought the tires would have been enough to be faster than him.

    “I had a good restart and got in front of him, and he dogged me. These Xfinity cars draft quite a bit down these straightaways, and it’s hard to pull away. It felt good to race each other really hard, so it’s cool to see Penske cars doing that.”

    Stage 1 would have one minor caution, however, Logano led from flag to flag becoming the stage winner. But the skies were darkening and the threat of rain was in the air.

    Stage 2 would be the most challenging stage. Rain started to fall and on Lap 31 NASCAR made the call to have the cars pit to get rain tires and wipers on. On Lap 34 Vinnie Miller lost control of his car and went hard into the tire barriers. The red flag came out so the barriers could be repaired. By the time the repairs were completed the rain had stopped and the track was starting to dry. Some of the drivers pitted to put slick tires back on, while others waited until the end of the stage. A.J. Allmendinger would win the stage.

    The final stage of the race Keselowski started in the lead but had Kyle Larson all over his bumper trying to get the spot. Logano made his way up to third and battled with Larson to get second place. Once Larson was out of the way, Logano set his sights on Keselowski in first place. The two drivers put on a great show battling each other hard but cleanly. With eight laps to go Logano took the lead and won the race. Allmendinger would bring his car home in the runner-up spot and Justin Allgaier rounded out the top three.

    Ryan Preece and Aric Almirola would round out the top five. Cole Custer, Brandon Jones, Ryan Reed, Christopher Bell and Brad Keselowski finished sixth through 10 respectively.

    Christopher Bell leads the Xfinity Series Standings with 737 points, Custer is in second with 715points followed by Daniel Hemric in third with 714 points. Elliott Sadler is in fourth with 711 points and Allgaier rounds out the top five with 700 points.

    The Xfinity Series heads next to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for the Mid-Ohio 200, on Saturday, Aug. 11.

  • Five Tracks Where Allmendinger Can Win In 2017

    Five Tracks Where Allmendinger Can Win In 2017

    A.J. Allmendinger is riding an upward trajectory into the new season, hoping to dominate the road courses where he performs best and possibly grab a win at another track along the way. His third place finish in the Daytona 500 is proof of his relevance in 2017.

    It’s been three seasons since Allmendinger scored his first career win at Watkins Glen, but the future remains bright for the 35-year-old road course ringer. Last year, he landed 26 lead lap finishes, tying 2010 for the most in his career. Also in 2016, his average finish of 17.8 was his best in five years.

    Here are a few tracks on Allmendinger’s radar:

    Watkins Glen International

    It never hurts Allmendinger’s chances that Marcos Ambrose is no longer around to add another underdog to road course competition. We’ve seen him win here, and more importantly, we’ve seen him fend off aggressive attempts at his lead in the final laps. Allmendinger has started in the Top 10 in the last six races at the Glen and has finished in the Top 10 in five of the last six. Barring any mechanical problems or wrecks, look to the top of the leaderboard to find the No. 47.

    Sonoma Raceway

    The first road course race of the season might be the best bet for an Allmendinger win. While his lone career win came at Watkins Glen, there is definitely added pressure in August going into a Watkins Glen race in need of a Chase berth.

    Sonoma has produced more “regular” driver winners than those of the “road course ringer” variety, but that’s not to say the ringers are out of the question. Unfortunately for Allmendinger, luck hasn’t always been on his side in wine country. Qualifying no worse than second in the last three races, on-track issues have tripped him into no better than 14th place at the checkers.

    Martinsville Speedway

    Outside of road courses, one track has proven to be Allmendinger’s best over the last few years, and that’s Martinsville. While finishes are strong, they still don’t necessarily reflect his ability to produce a top car capable of leading laps. He led laps last year at the half-mile paper clip and finished in the Top 10 in both races.

    His worst start in the last seven Martinsville races is 15th, and in six of those seven races, he finished no worse than 11th. Worth noting is that the 43rd-place blemish on his otherwise stellar last seven finishes was caused by an oil leak.

    Talladega Superspeedway

    JTG Daugherty Racing has seen recent improvements in resources and personnel, and even expanded to two teams for 2017, with second-year driver Chris Buescher coming onboard.

    Buescher, who won at Pocono in his rookie year, will offer Allmendinger a guaranteed drafting partner and someone with experience running up front, even if that win came under red flag conditions.

    Restrictor plate races are known for their field-leveling effect, which has materialized in underdog wins (See: David Ragan 2013). Allmendinger has run solo for his last several Talladega visits, but if he and Buescher can avoid the Big One(s), they can mount an assault on the frontrunners in the closing laps.

    Kansas Speedway

    Allmendinger scored consecutive eighth place finishes in last year’s Kansas races despite the track’s reputation to fill the Top 10 with top-tier outfits. His performance at Kansas prior to 2016 included a 27th in the fall of 2015, but that was preceded by 11th and 14th place finishes, respectively.

    The likelihood of outrunning the fastest teams for a win on a 1.5-miler is a longshot, but an improved JTG Daugherty team can take on the task. Coordinating car setups will help to capitalize on tinkering time spent during practice sessions, which could improve Allmendinger’s 24.5 average start in his seven runs with JTG Daugherty in Kansas.