Testing SpeedwayMedia.com

Tag: Darlington Raceway

  • Sheldon Creed wins Truck Series race in thrilling finish at Darlington

    Sheldon Creed wins Truck Series race in thrilling finish at Darlington

    Sheldon Creed maneuvered through several late-race cautions to claim his first Camping World Truck Series victory of the year at Darlington Raceway Friday night. His No. 2 GMS Racing Chevrolet featured a Throwback paint scheme honoring the late Jason Leffler.

    It was his sixth career Truck Series win and his fourth top-10 finish this season. Creed also won the Triple Truck Challenge presented by Womply, earning a $50,000 bonus.

    The pivotal moment of the race came on Lap 119 when John Hunter Nemechek and Corey Heim got turned into each other after contact from behind, collecting at least 17 cars in the chain reaction that followed. A red flag was thrown to clear the track and apply speedy dry to absorb the fluids.

    On the final restart, it came down to a battle between Rhodes and Creed.

    “It feels great,” Creed said after the win. “Didn’t have the best truck there, for sure. Firing off, I was really tight. Then I was wrecking loose there, just doing everything I could. I was really aggressive on restarts; that’s what it takes. We’ve been struggling, but we keep chipping away at it. We’re getting better trucks the last couple weeks. All I ask for are trucks I can race with.”

    His victory ended Toyota’s dominance of seven wins this year and disrupted Kyle Busch Motorsports’ five-race winning streak.

    Ben Rhodes led 34 laps during the race in his No. 99 ThorSport Racing Toyota but after two flat tires and a penalty, was able to work his way back to the front and rallied to a second-place finish.  

    “I saw going into the corner we were going to push low,” Rhodes said, “so I tried to work our way back up to give us some line so we could be side by side coming off of (Turn) 2, but got really loose. Luckily, we saved it, but it was an up-and-down night. I had a lot of fun.

    “We set ourselves up for the end there with our Bombardier Tundra to go for a long run — with like low pressures, and then lo and behold, red flags and caution after caution after caution. So what do you do, right? He had seven-lap newer tires, some help on the restarts, and I guess conditions were perfect for him, but I’m not going to pout about it. I’m driving a race car. I’m happy.”

    Carson Hocevar was the highest finishing rookie after a third-place result in his first race at Darlington Raceway. Matt Crafton and Grant Enfinger rounded out the top five.

    Johnny Sauter, Timmy Hill, Nemechek, Austin Wayne Self and Jordan Anderson finished sixth-10th, respectively.

    Todd Gilliland won Stage 1 but finished 15th after being caught up in the incident on Lap 119. Nemechek, who led a race-high 65 laps and won Stage 2, recovered to finish eighth.

    There were 12 cautions for 66 laps during the race. The final incident, however, occurred after Creed had taken the white flag, so no flag was thrown and Creed was announced as the winner.

    There were no issues in post-race inspection.

    Nemechek leads the standings with 368 points followed by Rhodes (-46), Creed (-82), Austin Hill (-93) and Matt Crafton (-121).

    The Camping World Truck Series will be off next weekend and will return on May 22 to compete at Circuit of the Americas at 1 p.m. on FS1.

    Official Results – Camping World Truck Series LiftKits4Less.com 200:

    1. Sheldon Creed
    2. Ben Rhodes
    3. Carson Hocevar
    4. Matt Crafton
    5. Johnny Sauter
    6. Grant Enfinger
    7. Timmy Hill
    8. John Hunter Nemechek
    9. Austin Wayne Self
    10. Jordan Anderson
    11. Ryan Truex
    12. Ryan Reed
    13. Austin Hill
    14. Tyler Ankrum
    15. Todd Gilliland
    16. Zane Smith
    17. Erik Darnell
    18. Danny Bohn
    19. Timothy Peters
    20. Hailie Deegan
    21. Bayley Currey
    22. Spencer Boyd
    23. Corey Heim
    24. Jennifer Jo Cobb
    25. Stewart Friesen
    26. Parker Kligerman
    27. Chandler Smith
    28. David Gilliland
    29. Spencer Davis
    30. Tate Fogleman
    31. Dawson Cram
    32. BJ McLeod
    33. Tanner Gray
    34. Akinori Ogata
    35. Derek Kraus
    36. Chase Purdy
    37. Norm Benning
    38. Codie Rohrbaugh
    39. Kris Wright
    40. Cory Ropera

  • Darlington Throwback Weekend will be ‘a walk down memory lane’

    Darlington Throwback Weekend will be ‘a walk down memory lane’

    As soon as I drive through Darlington Raceway’s Turn 3 tunnel, I feel like I’ve stepped back in time and entered another era. The walls feature a collage of the track’s historic moments through the decades and the legends that have conquered the unforgiving surface of the track “Too Tough to Tame.”

    As the 1.66-mile track prepares to host the Throwback Weekend with all three national series competing, track President Kerry Tharp promises a weekend reminiscent of days gone by with special guests, activities and surprises.

    I asked him what will put the biggest smile on his face when he steps outside and looks around on race day.

    “I want the fans to enjoy it,” he said. “They can take a walk down memory lane and relive some great moments in the sport.”

    The decision was made to move the Throwback Weekend to the May event because, Tharp said, “We wanted it to stand on its own.”

    Along with the Throwback paint schemes, fans can enjoy a variety of events that will add to the nostalgic atmosphere.

    The Darlington Raceway Stock Car Museum and National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame will re-open after being closed since last spring due to the pandemic. It’s a must see for NASCAR history buffs and will be open on Friday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

    The track will also have several merchandise trailers on site, there will be cardboard cutouts of past and current drivers that fans can take pictures with, and if you look up, Tharp said, “We’ll have the Goodyear Blimp; I can’t even remember the last time I saw it overhead.”

    “You’ll see heroes and Hall of Famers this weekend,” Tharp added.

    Greg Biffle, a three-time Darlington race winner, will drive parade laps before the start of the Camping World Truck Series race Friday night. Saturday afternoon before the Xfinity Series Steakhouse Elite 200, Dale Earnhardt Jr. will take his father’s restored No. 8 Chevrolet Nova for a few laps around the track.

    On Mother’s Day NASCAR and Darlington Raceway will hand out carnations to the first 1,000 mothers who enter the track for the Cup Series Goodyear 400. Mothers who are accompanied by their children will have an opportunity to take a photo together to commemorate the special day.

    Look for more announcements from Darlington Raceway throughout the week on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. And, don’t forget to visit the Darlington Raceway Virtual Fan Zone to vote for your favorite paint scheme.

    Tickets for all races are still available.

  • Ty Gibbs’ full 2021 Xfinity schedule revealed

    Ty Gibbs’ full 2021 Xfinity schedule revealed

    Coming off an historic debut and victory at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course, Ty Gibbs will return for an additional 14 NASCAR Xfinity Series races throughout the 2021 season for Joe Gibbs Racing.

    The 18-year-old grandson of NASCAR Hall of Famer and team owner, Joe Gibbs, from Charlotte, North Carolina, will make his second career start in the Xfinity circuit at Phoenix Raceway on March 13.

    He will then compete at Martinsville Speedway on April 9 followed by Darlington Raceway on May 8, Dover International Speedway on May 15, Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 29, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on June 5, Pocono Raceway on June 27, Road America on July 3, Watkins Glen International on August 7, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course on August 14, Michigan International Speedway on August 21 and at Richmond Raceway on September 11. During the 2021 Xfinity Series Playoffs, he will also compete at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval on October 9 and at Kansas Speedway on October 23.

    JGR took to social media to reveal the announcement and Ty Gibbs’ schedule.

    With Gibbs’ full part-time Xfinity schedule revealed, he will also continue to pilot Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 54 Toyota Supra led by crew chief Chris Gayle.

    Gibbs made his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut last weekend at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course, where he led 14 laps and outlasted the field through two overtime attempts to record his first victory across NASCAR’s top three national touring series. By winning at Daytona in his debut, he became the sixth competitor to win in their series debut but the first to do so without a prior Cup start. He also became the 165 different competitor to record an Xfinity Series win and the 18th to do so while driving for his grandfather’s organization.

    In addition to a part-time Xfinity schedule, Gibbs currently competes as a full-time competitor in the ARCA Menards Series for JGR and in the No. 18 Toyota Camry led by crew chief Mark McFarland.

    With Gibbs’ next event on the schedule at Phoenix in March, Ty Dillon will return for the following two NASCAR Xfinity Series races with JGR at Homestead-Miami Speedway on February 27 and at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 6.

  • NASCAR Xfinity Series Power Rankings – Darlington

    NASCAR Xfinity Series Power Rankings – Darlington

    The NASCAR Xfinity Series visited Darlington Raceway Saturday afternoon on Labor Day weekend for race No. 23 of the 2020 Xfinity Series season. 

    All eyes were on Ross Chastain and the No. 10 Kaulig Racing entry, after the incident the week before at Daytona when he made contact with his teammate A.J. Allmendinger in the final turn of the final lap.

    It was almost a repeat story at Darlington but this time it was just hard racing and two veterans going for the victory. Inside 20 laps to go, Denny Hamlin, who makes one Xfinity Series start a year, and Chastain, were racing each other for the top spot. Both drivers were beating and banging off one another, and not one letting the other get ahead. It seemed as though no one could contend with these two with no other driver in sight. 

    However, Hamlin and Chastain made contact with each other with about two laps to go. Due to the contact, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Brandon Jones was able to go right on by and pick up his third victory of the season. When the battle was said and done, Chastain held on to finish second, while Hamlin limped his damaged No. 54 Sports Clips machine home to a sixth-place finish. 

    With the thrilling battle over in what was quite possibly the best Xfinity Series race to date, there are now three races left before the Playoffs start. And with three races left, many had a solid outing at Darlington and hope to carry that momentum to the Richmond doubleheader this weekend. 

    Here are this week’s Power Rankings following the Sports Clips Haircuts 200 at Darlington Raceway. 

    1. Ryan Sieg – Sieg avoided what could have been a disastrous day at Darlington. It started early on Lap 3 when the Georgia native got involved in an accident on the backstretch after trying to avoid it. But he had nowhere to go and received some damage to the No. 39 RSS Racing Chevy. Despite the incident, Sieg worked the entire race to put his team back in position for a top-five finish. However, when Hamlin and Chastain were battling with each other, Sieg, at one point, was in the third position. Had both of those drivers wrecked, Sieg could have capitalized and brought home his second career win. Sieg remained in the third position and gained his fourth top-five of the year.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
    2. Chase Briscoe – Looking for his seventh win of the year and that magic goal of eight wins this season, the Indiana native would, unfortunately, spin while leading the race. Up until that point, Briscoe had led most of the laps with 55, and placed fourth and third respectively in both stages. Even with the help of the late-race caution, Briscoe narrowly missed out on the top 10 by finishing 11th. Still, it was a disappointing finish after what could have been another victory for the No. 98 camp.

      Previous Week Ranking – First
    3. Harrison Burton – It was a sixth-place finish for Burton after earning a Stage 2 finish of fifth. Burton was quiet for most of the day but was in contention for the win if a late-race caution had occurred. The late-race caution did fly with 21 to go, but Burton was still mired in mid-pack. Nonetheless, Burton continued his strong 2020 season by picking up his 16th top-10 of the year.

      Previous Week Ranking – Fifth
    4. Brandon Jones – It only took two laps for Brandon Jones to get the victory in Saturday’s race. But before taking the lead after the Hamlin/Chastain battle, Jones had a consistent race throughout the 147- lap event. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver placed sixth in Stage 1 and second in Stage 2. The victory marked Jones’s third of the season and his first since Kansas in July. The 2020 season has been up and down for Jones, who has three wins, eight top five’s and 12 top-10 finishes, along with five DNFs. If Jones can keep the top five and 10 finishes going, and of course the victories, he’ll be an easy pick for the Xfinity Series championship.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
    5. Ross Chastain – Chastain had the race in his hands inside not only 20 laps to go, but also five to go. However, a hard-charging Denny Hamlin kept Chastain from stretching out the lead and running away with the victory. Unfortunately, after leading 43 laps, Chastain once again came one spot short of gaining his first victory of the season and ending his one-year plus winless streak in the Xfinity Series. His last victory was in July at Daytona last year. With the help of finishing second in Stage 1 and fourth in Stage 2, Chastain has now clinched a spot in the 2020 Xfinity Series Playoffs.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked 

    Fell Out 

    1. Riley Herbst – Herbst placed in the fourth position and overall had a quiet day without making too much noise, which sometimes is a good thing. He is still winless through 23 races and will need a win in the regular season or a win in the Playoffs if Herbst wants to be a threat for the championship.

      Previous Week Ranking – Second
    2. Austin Cindric – It has been a whirlwind of a week for Austin Cindric’s No. 22 Team Penske entry and it all started on social media. Twitter began to light up Wednesday night when race fans quickly assumed Cindric was out of a ride after what looked like his merchandise was pulled from every website, including the NASCAR.com website. Though Cindric posted a video the day after and cleared the air. He let everyone know that he is still racing with Penske through the end of the year and that they were only temporarily sold out of merchandise. Switching to the race, Cindric disappointingly finished 12th after being strong early in the stages, where he finished third and seventh, respectively.

      Previous Week Ranking – Third
    3. Justin Haley – One week after his Daytona victory, Justin Haley was looking forward to carrying that race winning momentum to Darlington on Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately for Haley, his race was pretty much forgettable after he made slight contact with Justin Allgaier off Turn 4, which gave Haley right-front damage on his No. 11 Chevrolet. Ultimately, the damage ruined a good race car and the Indiana native could only manage a 13th place result after leading seven laps. In addition, Haley did not earn any stage points for his efforts. Certainly, a forgettable Darlington outing following his big Daytona victory just a week ago.

      Previous Week Ranking – Fourth 
  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Darlington

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Darlington

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Kevin Harvick: Harvick took the win at Darlington after inheriting the lead when Chase Elliott and Martin Truex, Jr. hit the wall battling for the lead late.

    “If this were the Olympics,” Harvick said, “I would have won the gold, while Eliott and Truex would have shared the silver, for handing me that win on a platter of such.”

    2. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin finished 13th at Darlington.

    “I missed getting into the pits late in the race,” Hamlin said, “and that cost me. I missed the left into the pits. Several other drivers made mistakes at Darlington. So I guess as far as making mistakes goes, it was ‘my turn.’”

    3. Chase Elliott: Elliott finished 20th in the Cook Out Southern 500.

    “Martin Truex Jr. tried to pass me for the lead and wasn’t clear,” Elliott said. “The result? We both hit the wall and lost our chances to win. So, in our tangle, there were no winners.”

    4. Joey Logano: Logano finished third at Darlington, posting his seventh top-5 of the season

    “It was ‘throwback’ weekend at Darlington,” Logano said. “Mine honored Bobby Allison. His brother Donnie will be honored whenever NASCAR has a ‘throw punch‘ weekend.”

    5. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski hit the wall in Stage 1 and fell a lap down before recovering to post an 11th at Darlington.

    “When you make a mistake at Darlington,” Keselowski said, “the wall makes you pay for it. Now, if Corey LaJoie hits the wall with his ‘Trump 2020’ car, the wall makes Mexico pay for it.”

    6. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex swept Stages 1 and 2, but fell from contention after initiating contact while trying to pass Chase Elliott with 15 laps to go. Truex finished 22nd.

    “I take full responsibility,” Truex said. “I said as much on Twitter, where my new Twitter handle is ‘@fault.’”

    7. Ryan Blaney: Blaney suffered a flat rear tire early in Stage 2, and the ensuing pit stop left him a lap down. Unable to recover, he finished 24th.

    “Even before that,” Blaney said, “I was docked 10 points and sent to the back of the field for improperly mounted ballast. That’s a pretty stiff punishment, and is also known as being ‘heavily penalized.’”

    8. William Byron: Byron finished fifth at Darlington, just ahead of Handrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman.

    “I just signed a two-year contract extension with Hendrick Motorsports,” Byron said. “I signed on the dotted line, while also making sure I didn’t sign below the yellow line.”

    9. Kyle Busch: Busch finished seventh at Darlington and is 10th in the points standings.

    “I’m the guy most people might be overlooking to win the championship,” Busch said. “My odds in Vegas to win the title are pretty slim. So, as far as oddsmakers go, ‘no one likes me to win.’ Remove the ‘to win’ part of that phrase, and you have another true statement.”

    10. Aric Almirola: Almirola finished ninth in the Cook Out Southern 500 and is now 12th in the point standings.

    “I’m sitting right on the playoff bubble,” Almirola said. “My Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Kevin Harvick doesn’t have to worry about that. In fact, he’s thinking not about the ‘playoff bubble,’ but the ‘playoff bubbly.’”

  • Almirola and Bowyer post top-10 results in Playoff opener at Darlington

    Almirola and Bowyer post top-10 results in Playoff opener at Darlington

    While Kevin Harvick celebrated another momentous victory of this season in the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on September 6 and punched his ticket to the second round of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, teammates Aric Almirola and Clint Bowyer battled back from early struggles to their respective cars and persevered through a long night of racing to record top-10 results, thus opening the Playoffs on a decent note.

    For Almirola, who started in 10th place, he started the race on a strong note as he kept his No. 10 Go Bowling Ford Mustang within the top 10, running as high as seventh place. Throughout the run, however, Almirola began battling loose-handling conditions as he lost track position and he was also involved in an incident past the Lap 80 mark involving Playoff contender Brad Keselowski, who cut a tire and drew out a caution due to debris. At the end of the first stage, he was scored in 18th place.

    Restarting inside the top 20 at the start of the second stage, Almirola was able to work his way back into the top 15 and following adjustments to his car, he nearly cracked the top 10 before he settled in 11th place following the second stage. For the remainder of the run in the final stage, Almirola was able to work his way back into the top 10 on the track following a stellar pit stop from his crew and gaining track position. He was scored in seventh place prior to a late restart before he settled in ninth place when he crossed the finish line.

    The top-10 result was Almirola’s 15th of the season and despite scoring no stage points throughout the race, he holds sole possession of the 12th and final transfer spot above the top-12 cutline in a tie-breaker over teammate Clint Bowyer, who finished right behind him.

    “I think the downforce package has been a little bit different, for sure,” Almirola said in a post-race conference call. “I enjoy slipping and sliding around. Tires still seemed like they mattered, for sure. I think tires were a second-and-a-half to two seconds faster, so I’m excited about Richmond — going back to a short track package with low downforce and that’s been a good place for us, so I’m looking forward to there and Bristol and we’ll go from there…As far as Darlington compared to Las Vegas, I felt like I ran about the same as I would have at Las Vegas. I’ve been about a sixth to tenth place car at both places and that’s about what we ran tonight. We got in a little bit of a hole early in the race with some left-rear quarter panel damage that we had to fix on pit road and really put us in a spot to where we couldn’t capitalize on stage points, so that hurt us a little bit just not scoring any stage points, but we were able to battle back from that and get back to the top 10, which is where we felt like we were capable of running. I felt like we were a seventh to tenth place car and we finished ninth.”

    For Bowyer, who started ninth, he was scored back in 10th place on the track when the competition caution flew on Lap 25. Though he had a car capable of running inside the top 10 and was able to work his way up to eighth place, he dropped back to 12th place, where he finished following the first stage. During the early run, he also had an on-track altercation with Kyle Busch, where both competitors made contact with one another for two consecutive laps and ended with Bowyer getting bumped by Kyle before he was passed for position in the top 10. Restarting inside the top 15 for the second stage, Bowyer received adjustments to his car throughout the run to improve the handling, which he was able to carve his way back into the top 10 and finish ninth when the second stage ended. As a result, he collected a couple of stage points.

    Restarting in 11th place to start the final stage, Bowyer continued to methodically work his way towards the front as he worked his way up as high as sixth place on the track with his pit crew delivering strong service to his No. 14 PEAK Ford Mustang. With 66 laps remaining, however, he pitted to have a flat right-rear tire addressed. Though he returned to the track on fresh tires and was poised to gain more track position, a caution with less than 50 laps remaining due to debris evaporated Bowyer’s progress and chances of making a late rally for the win. Instead, he restarted inside the top 15 with approximately 40 laps remaining and made his way up to 10th place when the checkered flag flew and he crossed the finish line.

    The top-10 result was Bowyer’s eighth of the season as he is ranked in 13th place in the Playoff standings and is tied with teammate Aric Almirola for the 12th and final transfer spot while being below the top-12 cutline.

    “I certainly was hoping for more,” Bowyer said in a post-race conference call. “Frustrated to be honest with you. I have to go back and look at the race to see what happened with the debris. By the time that they picked it up I’d say it was way off the race track, so that kind of set us up to not have a not very good day. That put us in a hole. We were gonna be in the single digits for sure there, looking pretty good, but just had a lot of trouble. Right-rear — threw the rubber off the right-rear and had to pit there. It could have been catastrophic. At the end the left-rear was about to fall off of it, so we’ve got to clean some things up. I told you going into this we’ve got to put 10 races together. We’ve got to put whole races together. We can’t make these mistakes. If we can clean those up, we’re going to some good tracks for us — for us all, Aric, Kevin and all of us, we enjoy these short tracks. We’ve got a good short track program, so looking forward to what’s to come.”

    Photo by Ted Seminara for SpeedwayMedia.com.

    Following the race, however, disaster struck for Bowyer, when NASCAR discovered that his No. 14 Ford had two lug nuts not safely secured on his race car during post-race inspection. A similar discovery was made to Kyle Busch’s No. 18 M&M’s/Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry. As a result, both competitors will compete next weekend’s Playoff race at Richmond without their respective crew chiefs. Bowyer will have veteran Greg Zipadelli, Stewart-Haas Racing’s competition director, as an interim crew chief on a one-race basis next weekend.

    Teammates Almirola and Bowyer, along with their fellow Cup contenders, will return for the next NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race at Richmond Raceway on Saturday, September 12, at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

  • Johnson records top-20 run in final start at Darlington

    Johnson records top-20 run in final start at Darlington

    For the majority of Sunday night’s Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, Jimmie Johnson drove like a legend as a non-title contender and down to his final 10 races as a full-time NASCAR Cup Series competitor. Despite recording top-five runs in both stages and having a car to contend for a possible victory, contact with fellow competitor Denny Hamlin and being shuffled towards the middle of the pack in the closing laps left the seven-time champion and his No. 48 Ally Chevrolet team with an 18th-place run in the final running order.

    Starting in 22nd place while sporting a special blue, white, red and black scheme to his No. 48 Chevrolet and paying tribute to Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt (two of three seven-time champions in NASCAR), Johnson wasted no time making his way to the front. Five laps into the event, Johnson was scored in 15th place and he continued to march towards the front. Following the competition caution on Lap 25 and the ensuing restart past the Lap 30 mark, Johnson made his way into the top 10. Battling teammates and Playoff contenders William Byron and Alex Bowman for position (both of whom sported special Jimmie Johnson throwback schemes), Johnson was scored in the top five by Lap 60. Following a caution past the Lap 80 mark due to debris, his pursuit to the front continued on the ensuing restart when he moved up to third place and then passed teammate Chase Elliott for second place on the track. Unable to catch leader Martin Truex Jr., Johnson settled in second place in the first stage on Lap 115.

    Following a slow pit stop under the stage break, Johnson was shuffled back to eighth place for the start of the second stage. Nonetheless, when the racing resumed under green, he methodically worked his way back towards the front. Racing as high as third place in the stage when he cycled through a green flag pit stop and gained a handful of track position, he settled in fifth place when the second stage concluded on Lap 230.

    Starting in eighth place for the final stage, Johnson raced as high as fourth place before he dropped and settled inside the top 10. His race, however, went away with less than 50 laps remaining and during a cycle of green flag pit stops. After completing his stop and cycling his way back on the track, he made contact with Denny Hamlin, who struggled and missed the pit road entrance. The incident dropped Johnson and his No. 48 team back within the top 20. Trying to charge his way back towards the front, he ended up getting shuffled back to 18th place when the checkered flag flew.

    In the end, Johnson emerged as the second highest-finishing non-title contender on the track in his 24th and final run at Darlington, a track where he won three times during his 19-year career run in NASCAR.

    Johnson, along with his fellow competitors, will return for the next Cup event at Richmond Raceway on Saturday, September 12, at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

  • 2020 Xfinity Playoff outlook after Darlington

    2020 Xfinity Playoff outlook after Darlington

    It all comes down to the final three NASCAR Xfinity Series races through the upcoming two weekends until the 2020 Xfinity Playoff field is set.

    With this year’s series regular season reaching its conclusion, the time for the competitors on the outside of the cutline and vying for the final spots to the 12-car postseason field is running out while those currently inside the cutline on points have stabilized themselves into the postseason battle for the title.

    Following a thrilling finish to last Saturday’s Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 at Darlington Raceway on September 5, Brandon Jones joins Chase Briscoe and Austin Cindric as the lone Xfinity competitors to achieve three or more victories through the first 23 races of the regular-season stretch as the Atlanta native also collected his fourth career series win.

    They, along with Noah Gragson, Justin Haley, rookie Harrison Burton and Justin Allgaier, remain the only competitors to be guaranteed a spot in this year’s Playoffs based on winning throughout the regular season.

    For Ross Chastain, Saturday’s race at Darlington produced a good and bad news outcome. The bad news for Chastain was that he fell short of claiming his first victory of the season following a late battle with Cup veteran Denny Hamlin, where he made contact with Hamlin approaching the final lap and limped home in second place and after leading in the closing laps. The good news for Chastain and his No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet team is that with his career-high 10th top-five result (fourth runner-up result in 2020), the Floridian is guaranteed a spot in the Playoffs based on points as he will make his second series postseason appearance as a title contender. In addition, Chastain’s result places both Kaulig Racing competitors into the Playoffs.

    Like Chastain, the Darlington event produced strong outcomes for Michael Annett, rookie Riley Herbst and Ryan Sieg, all of whom recorded top-10 results, are 120 points or more above the top-12 cutline and have an opportunity to secure their spots for the postseason following next weekend’s doubleheader events at Richmond Raceway.

    Despite starting and finishing in 17th place while rallying from being involved in a multi-car wreck past the opening two laps, Brandon Brown extended his cushion with the 12th and final spot to the Playoffs by 45 points over Jeremy Clements, who finished 32nd due to electrical issues, and 51 over rookie Myatt Snider, who finished 10th and rallied from a three-race stretch of finishing outside the top 15.

    Other competitors who continue to trail the cutline by 84 or more points include Josh Williams, rookie Jesse Little, B.J. McLeod, Tommy Joe Martins and rookie Joe Graf Jr.

    The battle for the final spots to this year’s NASCAR XFINITY Series Playoffs will continue next weekend at Richmond Raceway for a doubleheader series weekend. The first Richmond race will occur on Friday, September 11, at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN while the second Richmond race will occur on Saturday, September 12, at 2 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

  • NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series Power Ranking – Darlington

    NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series Power Ranking – Darlington

    The last time the NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series visited Darlington Raceway was 2011, nine-years ago. And the last driver to win the Truck race prior to Sunday was former Cup Series star Kasey Kahne, who piloted the No. 18 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota to victory lane that day. 

    Fast forward to nine years later and the Truck Series returned to Darlington amid the COVID-19 pandemic and state restrictions. The Darlington event was supposed to be the annual Canadian Tire Motorsports Park race. But, with strict travel restrictions to other countries or continents, NASCAR decided to return to Darlington to replace the CTMP event. 

    Speaking of returns, Ben Rhodes returned to victory lane this past Sunday after taking advantage of an overtime restart and fending off rookie Derek Kraus to snap a winless drought. The victory marked the first time in two years since Kentucky where Rhodes collected a race-winning checkered flag. 

    While some fans may look at the victory as a fluke due to race leaders Sheldon Creed and Brett Moffitt electing to come to pit road prior to the final restart, Rhodes had a consistent day in his No. 99 Tenda Ford F-150.  

    We’ll take a look at Rhodes’s day and others in this week’s Power Rankings following the Truck Series race at Darlington. 

    1. Ben Rhodes – The victory was finally a weight lifted off of Rhodes shoulders, who has had an up and down season through the mid portions of the schedule. Leading up to Sunday’s victory, Rhodes had six top fives and 10 top 10s. By scoring the victory, he upped his average finish to a solid 9.1 and has a spot in the Playoffs. In both stages, Rhodes finished fourth before leading four laps en route to victory. If Rhodes can continue this momentum throughout the Playoffs, he easily could be a dark horse or championship favorite.

      Previous Week Ranking – Fifth
    2. Sheldon Creed – It was what could have been for Creed had he not elected to come down pit road for fresh tires. Though the No. 2 team really didn’t have any choice as his tires were eaten up, and the team elected to pit. Once Creed was mired in the back of the field, the spots he lost prior to the restart were too much to make up in a short amount of time. While finishing 18th may not look like a great outing, the Californian dominated the majority of the race by leading 82 laps and winning Stage 2. Had it not been for pitting with two to go, or for the late yellow, Creed easily could have ended up in victory lane.

      Previous Week Ranking – Third
    3. Brett Moffitt – Like Creed, Moffitt had a great shot of challenging his teammate for the win late or finishing in the runner up spot, if the caution hadn’t come out late in the race. Unlike Creed, Moffitt was one of the few that could rebound in just two laps to a 10th place finish, earning him his 10th top 10 of the season. Excluding the finish, Moffitt won Stage 1 and placed second in Stage 2. In addition, the Iowa native led 63 laps.

      Previous Week Ranking – Second
    4. Austin Hill – It was a good day for Austin Hill, all things considered, after finishing in the third position. The Georgian was runner up in Stage 1 and wound up third in Stage 2. There were a few moments throughout the race when Hill contended for the victory but ultimately, third place was all Hill could do in his No. 16 Hattori Racing Enterprises Toyota. The top-five finish was his eighth of the season.

      Previous Week Ranking – Fourth
    5. Todd Gilliland – From first to seventh in a week for Todd Gilliland, who finished seventh after 152 laps in an overtime finish. He didn’t score any points during Stage 1 but the Front Row Motorsports driver did gain points in Stage 2 by finishing ninth. Gilliland currently sits 10th in the last playoff spot. If he has a good race on Thursday and a new driver does not win a race, Gilliland would be a part of the 2020 Truck Series Playoffs.

      Previous Week Ranking – First 
  • Four Takeaways from the NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series Race at Darlington

    Four Takeaways from the NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series Race at Darlington

    Darlington Raceway marked race No. 15 of the 2020 Truck Series season. The race certainly had some storylines, both going into and coming out of the event. 

    It looked as though GMS Racing was once again going to dominate with drivers Sheldon Creed and Brett Moffitt. But a late yellow and a pit stop took these two drivers out of contention for the win. After that, Ben Rhodes found an opportunity after staying out to assume the race lead. Eventually, the Kentucky native brought home the No. 99 Ford to victory lane, giving ThorSport Racing their second win of the year. 

    While Rhodes enjoyed victory lane once again after a two-year drought. There was somewhat of a Roush reunion with drivers Trevor Bayne, Greg Biffle, and David Ragan all returning to the cockpit for their one-off start. Biffle finished the highest of the bunch with a 19th place effort. 

    However, there were some other interesting stories that you may have missed. We’ll analyze them in this week’s Four Takeaways following the Truck Series race at Darlington. 

    1. Matt Noyce Gains First Win – After 49 starts in the Truck Series, crew chief Matt Noyce finally picked himself up a victory with assistance from Rhodes. The first time Noyce and Rhodes worked with each other was at Daytona last year. Since then, the duo has enjoyed some success, scoring solid finishes. Their first second-place finish together came at Martinsville last year. Before Sunday afternoon, the duo had three second-place finishes. Now that Rhodes has a win in the bank and is locked in the Playoffs, we will have to see if the driver and crew chief combination can continue to work well together and advance through the rounds.
    2. Kyle Busch Motorsports Sees Successful Day – Both Kyle Busch Motorsports drivers. Christian Eckes and Raphael Lessard, had quiet outings finishing fifth and sixth, respectively, in the running order. At times, it looked as though the Canadian Lessard was going to have a chance to win and potentially finish ahead of his teammate Eckes. He ran as high as third in some portions of the race but after the checkers flew, it was Eckes who placed one spot higher than Lessard after the 152-lap event. Nonetheless, it was a good outing for the KBM team, especially for Eckes, as he was able to clinch a playoff spot due to his result on Sunday.
    3. Timmy Hill Scores Top 10 Finish – Timmy Hill, in his dad’s inspired throwback No. 56 machine, enjoyed his third career top-10 outing following the Darlington race. It’s rare these days to see a small team finish inside the top 10 while competing against the larger teams. But Hill continues to work hard with limited resources and brought home a ninth-place finish after leading two laps. The top 10 result marked his first since Martinsville of last year, where he finished fifth. His other top 10 finish came seven years ago at Talladega, where Hill claimed sixth place.
    4. Johnny Sauter in a Must-Win Situation – The Darlington return for veteran Johnny Sauter wasn’t one to remember. Engines woes made it a forgettable race for the Wisconsin native as he was unable to finish and was credited with 31st place. Now, with just one race to go before the Playoffs start, Sauter, like many others outside the 10th position, is in a must-win situation in order to be a part of the playoff grid. Though only one driver can win you have to make it into the Playoffs to contend.