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  • Michael McDowell to make 500th Cup start at Martinsville

    Michael McDowell to make 500th Cup start at Martinsville

    With the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season down to its final two races on the schedule, Michael McDowell is primed to achieve a milestone start. By competing in this weekend’s Cup Playoff event at Martinsville Speedway, the driver of the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford Mustang Dark Horse will make career start No. 500 in NASCAR’s premier series.

    A native of Glendale, Arizona, McDowell, who grew up competing in BMX bicycles before transcending to go-karts, open wheels and the Grand-Am Series, where he claimed the Star Mazda championship in 2004, made his inaugural presence as a Cup Series competitor at Martinsville Speedway in April 2008. By then, he had made four career starts in the Xfinity Series and one in the Craftsman Truck Series. Driving the No. 00 Toyota Camry for Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR), McDowell started 34th and finished 26th in his series debut after cutting a tire in the closing laps.

    The following weekend at Texas Motor Speedway, McDowell was involved in a harrowing accident while qualifying for the event, where he slipped sideways after breaking a right-front sway bar and veered head-on into the outside wall in Turn 1 at full speed. The impact was enough for McDowell’s No. 00 Toyota to roll over on its roof, which it briefly slid and spun upside down towards the outside wall before the car tumbled seven times towards the bottom of the track and came to rest right-side up. Following the wild ride, McDowell managed to escape uninjured and he would proceed to finish 33rd in the main event while racing in a backup car.

    Following his first two Cup career starts, McDowell would make 18 additional starts in the No. 00 MWR Toyota over the next 21 races of the 2008 season, which started at Phoenix Raceway in April before concluding at Dover Motor Speedway in September as he was then released by the organization. During the span, McDowell achieved a season-best 20th-place result at Richmond Raceway in September. Combined with his first two starts of the 2008 season, he notched a total of 12 top-30 results and recorded an average-finishing result of 30.2.

    In 2009, McDowell made a total of eight Cup starts, all of which occurred in the closing stretches of the season. Driving the No. 36 Chevrolet Impala for Tommy Baldwin Racing in eight of the remaining 11 events on the schedule, he recorded an average-finishing result of 40.3 and a season-best 38th-place run at Dover in September despite retiring due to braking issues. He then competed in 24 events in 2010 between Prism Motorsports and Whitney Motorsports. After finishing in 14th place during the first of two Daytona Duel events, he qualified for the 52nd running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway in February, where he would record a season-best 33rd-place result.

    During the 2011 season, McDowell competed in all but two of the 36-race Cup schedule. Thirty-one of his starts occurred with HP Racing, where he recorded a season-best 30th-place finish at Sonoma Raceway in June. His lone other start occurred in the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota entry at Texas in November, where he filled in for veteran Kyle Busch after Busch was suspended for the remainder of the Texas weekend due to intentionally wrecking four-time Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday Jr. during the Truck race earlier in the weekend. Despite starting the event in 17th place, McDowell settled in 33rd place, four laps down.

    Over the next two seasons, McDowell primarily competed for Phil Parsons Racing in the Cup Series. During the 2012 season, where he surpassed 100 Cup career starts, he competed in all but three of the 36-race schedule and recorded a season-best 23rd-place finish at Bristol Motor Speedway in August. He then notched his first top-10 career result by finishing in ninth place during the 65th running of the Daytona 500 in February 2013 and he would also record a 15th-place run at Talladega Superspeedway in October. Throughout the 2013 season, he also made a single start with Front Row Motorsports at Watkins Glen International in August and with HScott Motorsports at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in September.

    From 2014 to 2017, McDowell made a total of 102 Cup starts with Leavine Family Racing, where he spent the latter season as a full-time competitor. Throughout the four-year span, the Arizona native recorded a total of four top-10 results, 10 laps led and his first top-five career result, which occurred at Daytona in July 2017 by finishing fourth. He also finished in the top 20 a total of 28 times and qualified for the Daytona 500 three times. After cracking the top-30 mark in the final standings in 2016, McDowell settled in 26th place in the final standings in 2017. By then, he boosted his average finishing result up to 22.3 and had surpassed 200 Cup career starts.

    The 2018 Cup Series season generated a new beginning for McDowell, who joined forces with Front Row Motorsports to pilot the No. 34 Ford entry as a full-time competitor. Despite recording a ninth-place finish during the 60th running of the Daytona 500, he would tally a total of nine top-20 results for the remainder of the season and tie his previous-best result in the standings in 26th place with an average-finishing result of 24.5. He then commenced the 2019 season by finishing fifth during the 61st running of the Daytona 500 and proceeded to record nine additional top-20 results for the remainder of the season before dropping to 27th place in the final standings and with an average-finishing result of 24.2. By then, he surpassed 300 Cup career starts.

    Then after concluding the 2020 Cup season with a total of four top-10 results and a 23rd-place finish in the final standings, McDowell commenced the 2021 season on a high note by winning the 63rd running of the Daytona 500 after dodging a final lap multi-car accident to escape with the victory with two turns remaining. The victory made McDowell the 40th competitor overall to win the 500 and the eighth to claim a first Cup victory in the Great American Race, with the event marking his 358th career start in NASCAR’s premier series. With the victory, the Arizona native became the 196th competitor overall to win in the Cup Series and he earned a guaranteed spot into the 2021 Cup Series Playoffs as he also delivered the first 500 victory for Front Row Motorsports.

    Following his Daytona 500 victory, McDowell finished in the top eight during his next two Cup starts. He would proceed to finish third at Talladega in April and seventh during the series’ inaugural event at Circuit of the Americas in May for the remainder of the 26-race regular-season stretch before he entered the Playoffs for the first time as a title contender. After finishing no higher than 24th during the Round of 16, however, McDowell’s 2021 title hopes came to an early end as he was one of four Playoff contenders to be eliminated from the title hunt. With four finishes in the top 17 to cap off the season, McDowell settled in 16th place in the final standings. By then, he boosted his average finishing result to 20.5.

    The 2022 Cup Series season generated McDowell’s best result in top 10s, where he tallied a total of 12, including two top-five results as he notched a pair of season-best third-place finishes at Sonoma in June and at Talladega in October. Despite concluding the season winless and missing the Playoffs, McDowell, who settled in 23rd place in the final standings, recorded a career-best average-finishing result of 16.7. By then, he surpassed 400 Cup career starts.

    The following season, McDowell finished in the top 20 six times during the first nine scheduled events. Despite finishing no higher than 22nd during his next five starts, he rallied by finishing in the top 10 four times over his next five. By Michigan International Speedway in August, McDowell was battling for a Playoff spot by points. Then at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course in August, he led a race-high 54 of 82-scheduled laps, including the final 30, en route to his second Cup career victory as he also raced his way into the Playoffs for a second time. After capping off the regular-season stretch by finishing as high as 13th over his next two starts, McDowell’s Playoff hopes came to an early end following respective finishes of 32nd, 26th and sixth throughout the Round of 16. Finishing as high as ninth during the final seven events on the schedule, McDowell proceeded to finish a career-best 15th place in the final standings. Despite achieving four fewer top-10 results from his previous season at eight, he led 97 laps throughout the 2023 season and notched an average-finishing result of 19.0.

    This season, which marks his seventh driving on a full-time basis for Front Row Motorsports, McDowell ended up in 36th place during the 66th running of the Daytona 500 despite starting on the front row. He then notched his first Cup career pole position during the following weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where he led 27 laps and rallied from being involved in an on-track incident towards the pit road entrance to finish eighth. Throughout the 26-race regular-season stretch, McDowell recorded a total of four Cup poles, which occurred at Talladega in April, World Wide Technology Raceway in June and at Daytona in August. Amid the qualification success, he notched a strong runner-up result at Sonoma in June, two top-five results and six top-10 results. The results, however, were not enough for him to make the 2024 Cup Playoffs. Nonetheless, he has since achieved two additional poles, the first at Atlanta in September and the other at Talladega in early October, and a seventh-place result, which occurred at Watkins Glen International in September, throughout eight of 10 Playoff events. With a current average-finishing result of 20.7, McDowell is ranked in 22nd place in the driver’s standings. The 2024 Cup Series season is set to mark the Arizona native’s final one with Front Row Motorsports as he is set to join Spire Motorsports in 2025.

    Through 499 previous Cup starts, McDowell has achieved two victories, six poles, 11 top-five results, 44 top-10 results, 534 laps led and an average-finishing result of 26.9.

    Michael McDowell is scheduled to make his 500th Cup Series career start at Martinsville Speedway for the Xfinity 500. The event is scheduled to occur on Sunday, November 3, and air at 2 p.m. ET on NBC.

  • Blake Harris to call 100th Cup event as crew chief at Martinsville

    Blake Harris to call 100th Cup event as crew chief at Martinsville

    In his third full-time season as a crew chief in the NASCAR Cup Series division, Blake Harris, who currently works atop the pit box of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 team piloted by Alex Bowman, is scheduled to achieve a milestone feat. By participating in this weekend’s Cup Playoff event at Martinsville Speedway, Harris will call his 100th event as a crew chief in NASCAR’s premier series.

    A native of Maypearl, Texas, Harris, who grew up as a racer competing in go-karts and stock car touring series before transitioning to a mechanical phase in racing, first worked for Evernham Motorsports in the engine and chassis departments, beginning in 2006. Four years later, he joined forces with Furniture Row Racing and worked his way up to be a car chief. Working with notable competitors that included Kurt Busch and Martin Truex Jr., Harris was a part of the first Cup Series championship for both Truex and Furniture Row Racing in 2017.

    After Furniture Row Racing ceased operations following the 2018 season, Harris followed Truex to Joe Gibbs Racing, where he worked as the car chief for Truex’s No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry team. A year later, the Texan made his debut as a Cup Series crew chief for Truex at Texas Motor Speedway in October 2020, where he filled in for crew chief James Small after Small was ejected before the event and fined $35,000 due to NASCAR confiscating Truex’s rear spoiler during the event’s pre-race inspection process. During the main event, Truex finished in second place behind teammate Kyle Busch.

    In January 2022, Harris was named crew chief for veteran Michael McDowell and the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford Mustang team for the upcoming Cup Series season. Commencing the season with a seventh-place result during the 65th running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway, Harris and McDowell recorded two third-place results (Sonoma Raceway in June and Talladega Superspeedway in October) and seven top-10 results in 32 races. During the season, Harris was fined $100,000 and issued a four-race suspension due to McDowell’s No. 34 team being levied an L2 penalty for violating the body and overall vehicle assembly rules involving modifications of a single source supplied part from Pocono Raceway in July. With the duo missing the 2022 Cup Series Playoffs, Harris and McDowell proceeded to settle in 23rd place in the final drivers’ standings.

    A month before the 2022 season’s conclusion, Harris transitioned to Hendrick Motorsports to serve as the crew chief of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 team piloted by Alex Bowman. In their first event together, Harris navigated Bowman to his third Daytona 500 career pole, where Bowman would proceed to finish in fifth place during the main event. Despite notching three consecutive top-nine results over the following three races, Harris would then be suspended for the following four races from late March through early April. The Texan’s suspension was due to Hendrick Motorsports being hit with a severe penalty both in points and fines due to the team’s hood louvers being confiscated from all four entries during the Phoenix weekend. The suspensions also affected Hendrick’s three crew chiefs that included Cliff Daniels, Rudy Fugle and Alan Gustafson.

    Despite returning by mid-April and working the following two races with Bowman driving the No. 48 Chevrolet, Harris would then spend the next four races, including the non-points All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway, working with Josh Berry as Bowman was recovering from a sprint car accident at West Burlington, Iowa, in late April. During the four-race stretch with Berry, Harris navigated the No. 48 team to a victory in the non-points All-Star Open at North Wilkesboro Speedway that enabled them to transfer into the All-Star Race. Despite Bowman returning for the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May, he and Harris recorded only two top-six runs for the remaining 13 regular-season events on the schedule as they missed the 2023 Cup Playoffs. With two additional top-10 results recorded for the final 10 races on the schedule, Harris and Bowman concluded their first campaign in 20th place in the final drivers’ standings.

    Harris and Bowman commenced the 2024 Cup season on a strong note by finishing in second place in the 66th running of the Daytona 500 after being edged by teammate William Byron at the moment of caution on the final lap. They would proceed to record an additional three top-five results and a total of nine top-10 results over their next 18 starts.

    Then during the series’ second annual event at the Chicago Street Course, Harris achieved his first Cup Series career victory as a crew chief when Bowman capitalized on a late pit strategy to lead the final eight of 58-shortened laps and muscle away from the field during a late-race countdown to snap an 80-race winless drought and secure a guaranteed spot into the 2024 Cup Series Playoffs. After capping off the final six races of the regular-season stretch with an additional top-five run, the duo of Harris and Bowman would achieve respective results of fifth, 18th and ninth throughout the Playoff’s Round of 16 that enabled them to transfer into the Round of 12. They then transferred into the Round of 8 with respective finishes of sixth, 16th and 18th throughout the Round of 12.

    Following the Round of 12 finale at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course (Roval), however, Harris, Bowman and the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team were disqualified from continuing in the Playoffs as title contenders due to Bowman’s entry being deemed too light and not meeting the minimum weight specifications during the event’s post-race inspection process. Since the Roval, Bowman has achieved two consecutive top-seven results and is currently ranked in ninth place in the driver’s standings with two races remaining of the 2024 season.

    Through 99 previous Cup events, Blake Harris has achieved one victory, two poles, 14 top-five results, and 38 top-10 results while working with four different competitors.

    Blake Harris is scheduled to call his 100th Cup Series event as a crew chief at Martinsville Speedway for the Xfinity 500. The event is scheduled to occur on Sunday, November 3, and air at 2 p.m. ET on NBC.

  • William Sawalich Joins Joe Gibbs Racing for 2025 Xfinity Series

    William Sawalich Joins Joe Gibbs Racing for 2025 Xfinity Series

    William Sawalich will be a full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series competitor for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) in 2025.

    Sawalich will pilot the No. 18 Toyota Supra at Daytona International Speedway on February 15, 2025. The 18-year-old racer from Eden Prairie, Minnesota will have sponsorship support from Starkey and SoundGear.

    The news comes a month after Sawalich achieved his second consecutive ARCA Menards Series East championship. He won three of the series eight-scheduled events, including the season-finale event at Bristol Motor Speedway. His win at Bristol enabled him to lock up the title by 12 points over Connor Zilisch. Sawalich will also make his Xfinity Series debut this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway, driving JGR’s No. 19 “all-star” Toyota entry.

    ”I am honored to be driving the No. 18 full-time in the Xfinity Series next year,” Sawalich said. ”It has been really cool to drive for Joe Gibbs Racing, and I feel like I have developed so much as a driver over the past two years. I still have a lot to learn, especially with moving to a new series, so I am looking forward to taking this next step in racing.”

    Sawalich grew up competing in midget cars before transcending from legends cars to late models and the CARS Tour. He is the 2023 All-American 400 winner and won the 2022 SCCA Trans-Am TA2 ProAm Series championship and rookie titles.

    In 2023, Sawalich joined Joe Gibbs Racing on a full-time basis in the ARCA Menards Series East. He will also compete in select events between the ARCA Menards Series and ARCA West division. After winning the season-opening event at Five Flags Speedway, he won half of the season’s eight scheduled events. He wrapped up his first ARCA East title by 58 points over Luke Fenhaus. Sawalich has 13 victories in the ARCA Menards Series between two part-time seasons in 2023 and 2024. Sawalich recorded three victories in the ARCA West division to coincide with his seven victories in the ARCA East division.

    In 2023 Sawalich made his debut in the Craftsman Truck Series at Martinsville Speedway in the No. 1 Toyota TRICON Garage. Sawalich started 22nd and finished an impressive ninth place during his debut. He recorded an additional two top-10 results, including a career-best sixth-place result at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park in August, during his next five starts of the season. Returning for a 10-race Truck schedule in 2024. Sawalich made seven starts in the 2024 season. His best result was 11th place at Bristol in September. During his most recent series start at Talladega Superspeedway, he notched his first career pole. Sawalich will also compete in the final three Truck events of the 2024 season with TRICON, beginning this upcoming Saturday at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

    Following his Xfinity debut at Homestead, Sawalich will drive JGR’s No. 19 Toyota entry for two events at Martinsville Speedway and Phoenix Raceway. He will become the 10th competitor overall to drive the No. 19 JGR and record three top-five results and six top-10 results through 30 scheduled starts this season.

    Sawalich will contend for both the series rookie and the driver’s title during the 2025 season. He will compete alongside Joe Gibbs Racing’s two other full-time competitors which include Taylor Gray and Brandon Jones. JGR announced Gray as a full-time Xfinity competitor five days ago. Brandon Jones will return to JGR following a two-year absence.

    “We are thrilled to announce William’s promotion to the next stage of his racing career with us, Steve de Souza, Executive Vice President of Xfinity Series and Development at JGR, said. “His outstanding record of victories and development over the past two years shows he’s ready for the Xfinity Series. We’re confident he’ll remain a strong contender for wins as he takes on this new challenge in 2025.”

    Additional partners and the crew chief for Sawalich’s No. 18 team in 2025 will be announced at a later date.

    Sawalich will make his 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series debut Saturday at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the Credit One NASCAR Amex Credit 300.

  • Taylor Gray inks full-time Xfinity deal with Joe Gibbs Racing in 2025

    Taylor Gray inks full-time Xfinity deal with Joe Gibbs Racing in 2025

    Taylor Gray will be ascending to the NASCAR Xfinity Series division on a full-time basis with Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) in 2025.

    The news comes as the 19-year-old Gray from Artesia, New Mexico, has spent this season competing on a full-time basis in the Craftsman Truck Series for TRICON Garage, where he is one of eight competitors still contending for the title in this year’s Playoffs, and on a part-time basis in the Xfinity Series for JGR.

    For the 2025 Xfinity season, Gray will be piloting the No. 54 Toyota entry that will be led by Tyler Allen, who is currently in his first full-time season as a NASCAR crew chief between JGR’s Nos. 19 and 20 teams. Through 29 of 33 scheduled events, Allen has led the No. 20 team to seven victories between four competitors as the team remains in contention for the 2024 Xfinity owner’s championship. Allen has also worked with Gray for four events this season, where their current best result is a fifth-place run at Pocono Raceway this past July.

    “I am very thankful for this opportunity,” Gray said in a released statement. “I feel like I have learned a lot in the races I have ran this year, and we can build on that next season. Being able to work with [crew chief] Tyler [Allen] and these guys for a few races has been a great head start on next season and getting that chemistry going, so I’m really excited about what we can do running together full-time.”

    Gray, a nine-time race winner across the ARCA Menards Series’ platforms, made his Xfinity Series debut at Richmond Raceway this past April, where he notched an impressive third-place result while driving JGR’s No. 19 Toyota entry. He would proceed to compete in 11 additional events, where he earned an additional top-five result, an eighth-place run at Michigan International Speedway in August and four additional results in the top 15 during the span. The New Mexico native is scheduled to make his 13th Xfinity start of the 2024 season this upcoming Saturday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

    In addition to his part-time Xfinity campaign, Gray has made a total of 53 starts in the Truck Series, to date. During the 53-race campaign, he has recorded 10 top-five results, 19 top-10 results, 28 laps led and an average-finishing result of 15.1. This season, Gray made the 2024 Truck Series Playoffs on the strength of five top-five results and nine top-10 results throughout the series’ 16 regular-season events. After transferring from the Playoff’s Round of 10 to 8, he recently tied his career-best result in the series by finishing in second place at Talladega Superspeedway. With the result, Gray is ranked in sixth place in the Playoff standings and is 13 points below the top-four cutline to make the Championship 4 round with two Round of 8 events remaining.

    “We’re looking forward to adding Taylor to our lineup full-time next year,” Steve de Souza, executive vice president of Xfinity Series and development for JGR, added. “Taylor’s strong season in the Truck Series, along with his performance with us on the Xfinity side, have been impressive. With Taylor in the Xfinity car every week in 2025, we expect that trend to continue, and we’re looking forward to him competing for wins and the championship.”

    Gray’s addition to JGR completes the organization’s second piece of its Xfinity Series lineup in 2025 as Brandon Jones was announced to be returning to JGR on a full-time in 2025 this past September.

    Additional partners for Gray’s entry along with the rest of JGR’s Xfinity Series lineup for the upcoming season remain to be determined.

    With his 2025 plans set, Taylor Gray’s next NASCAR Xfinity Series start of the 2024 season is set to occur this upcoming Saturday, October 19, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the Ambetter Health 302 that will air at 7 p.m. ET on the CW Network. Gray’s 2024 Truck Series Playoff run is also set to continue on October 26 at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the second Round of 8 event.

  • Sheldon Creed to make 100th Xfinity start at Las Vegas

    Sheldon Creed to make 100th Xfinity start at Las Vegas

    With four races remaining on the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule, Sheldon Creed is scheduled to achieve a milestone start. By competing in this weekend’s Xfinity Playoff event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Supra will make his 100th career start in the Xfinity circuit.

    A native of Alpine, California, Creed made his inaugural presence in the Xfinity Series at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in August 2017. By then, he had achieved back-to-back Stadium Super Truck championships (2016-17) and transitioned to stock car racing following his early success in SST and off-road competition. He had also made select starts within the ARCA Menards Series East and West divisions for MDM Motorsports and Jefferson Pitts Racing. Driving the No. 01 Chevrolet for JD Motorsports, Creed started 32nd and finished 34th in his Xfinity debut. He would return two races later at Road America, where he ended up in 38th place following an early vibration issue.

    From 2019 to 2021, Creed, who won the 2018 ARCA Menards Series championship, competed on a full-time basis in the Craftsman Truck Series for GMS Racing, where he won the 2020 series’ championship, accumulated eight victories and made the Playoffs during the 2020 and 2021 seasons. During the three-year span, he made two starts in the Xfinity Series. The first occurred at Daytona International Speedway in July 2019, where he drove the No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro for JR Motorsports and ended up in 34th place after being involved in two separate multi-car wrecks. He then competed for BJ McLeod Motorsports during the 2021 finale at Phoenix Raceway, where he collected his first top-10 career finish by finishing in 10th place.

    In 2022, Creed graduated to the Xfinity Series on a full-time basis, where he replaced Myatt Snider as the driver of the No. 2 Chevrolet Camaro for Richard Childress Racing (RCR). Finishing sixth in his first start with RCR at Daytona in February, the Californian recorded nine top-10 results through 24 regular-season events as he spent the majority of the stretch mired outside of the top-12 cutline to make the 2022 Xfinity Series Playoffs. At Darlington Raceway in September, Creed attempted to pull a “video game” move on the final lap by scraping his No. 2 Chevrolet against the outside wall at full speed, but his momentum got stalled entering the frontstretch, which allowed Noah Gragson to overtake him for the victory as Creed, who had been battling Gragson and Kyle Larson for the victory, settled in a career-best runner-up result. After finishing 11th and 37th during the final two regular-season events on the schedule, he was unable to mount his way into the Playoffs. Recording another runner-up result at Martinsville Speedway in October along with a total of three top-10 results throughout the seven-race Playoff stretch, Creed ended up in 14th place in the final standings. Overall, he recorded four top-five results, 13 top-10 results, 155 laps led and an average-finishing result of 17.5 throughout his first full-time Xfinity campaign.

    Returning for a second full-time Xfinity campaign with RCR in 2023, Creed finished 34th and 23rd in the season’s first two events before notching five top-10 results, including a runner-up result at Talladega Superspeedway in April, during the next 10 events on the schedule. At Portland International Raceway in June, he notched his first career pole position and led a race-high 47 laps before ending in seventh place despite being spun by John Hunter Nemechek prior to the second stage’s conclusion and getting shuffled while battling for the lead amid a two-lap shootout. Despite finishing no higher than eighth during his next nine starts, Creed then recorded back-to-back runner-up results while contending for the victory. The first runner-up result occurred at Watkins Glen International in August after he assumed the lead during an overtime shootout before losing the lead to Sam Mayer after slipping out of the racing groove before the final lap. The second occurred at Daytona after he was edged by Justin Allgaier by 0.005 seconds. Concluding the regular-season stretch with an eighth- and third-place finish in two races, Creed earned a spot into the Xfinity Series Playoffs for the first time in his career.

    After finishing no lower than 11th throughout the Round of 12, he was able to earn the eighth and final transfer spot into the Round of 8 by two points over Daniel Hemric and four over Parker Kligerman. Then coming off a 15th- and 26th-place finish during the first two Round of 8 events, Creed placed himself in another opportunity to claim his first series victory during the Round of 8 finale at Martinsville Speedway. During an overtime shootout, however, Creed, who bumped and rubbed fenders with teammate Austin Hill on the final lap and entering the final two turns, managed to take the lead from Hill in Turn 3 before he locked up the tires and briefly fell off the pace, which resulted with Hill ramming into the rear of Creed’s No. 2 entry as Hill was involved in a last-lap multi-car wreck. Amid the carnage, Creed was then edged at the finish line by Allgaier by 0.032 seconds, which marked his sixth runner-up result in the Xfinity circuit, as both Creed and Hill were unable to transfer into the Championship 4 round. Despite receiving harsh comments and criticisms from Hill and the RCR organization, Creed proceeded to finish in the runner-up spot for a seventh time during the finale at Phoenix in November, which resulted in the Californian settling in seventh place in the final standings. By then, Creed had earned three additional top-five finishes and two additional top-10 results compared to the 2022 season. He had also led 35 extra laps from the previous season and improved his average finishing result from 17.5 to 13.5.

    After announcing his departure from Richard Childress Racing a month before the 2023 season’s conclusion, Creed was announced as the driver of the No. 18 Toyota Supra for Joe Gibbs Racing for the 2024 Xfinity season in December. He commenced his first season with team owner Joe Gibbs by finishing in second place behind former teammate Hill. Despite enduring a winless stretch throughout the 26-race regular-season stretch, the Californian notched two poles, a total of six runner-up results, 13 top-five results and 17 top-10 results, which were enough for him to make the 2024 Playoffs. Despite finishing fifth and fourth, respectively, during the first two events of the Round of 12, Creed was involved in a multi-car wreck just shy of the Round of 12’s finale at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course. While trying to finish the event, Creed’s car stalled on the course and he retired in 35th place. As a result, he fell short of transferring into the Round of 8 by seven points.

    As Creed continues his pursuit for his first elusive victory in the Xfinity Series for the remaining four races on this year’s schedule, he is set to join Haas Factory Team, an organization rebranded from Stewart-Haas Racing, in 2025.

    Through 99 previous Xfinity starts, Creed has achieved three poles, 26 top-five results, 48 top-10 results, 453 laps led and an average-finishing result of 15.1. To date, he holds the record for the most number of runner-up results without an Xfinity victory at 13. Currently, Creed’s 2024 stats in top fives (15), top 10s (19) and average-finishing result (12.3) are his best as he is also scored in 10th place in the standings.

    Sheldon Creed is scheduled to make his 100th Xfinity Series career start at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the Ambetter Health 302. The event is scheduled to occur this upcoming Saturday, October 19, and air at 7 p.m. ET on the CW Network.

  • NASCAR reveals penalty report following Xfinity-Cup features at Charlotte Roval

    NASCAR reveals penalty report following Xfinity-Cup features at Charlotte Roval

    NASCAR released the penalty report following this past weekend’s Xfinity-Cup Series events at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course that occurred between October 12-13, 2024.

    In the Cup Series, Joshua Thomas (front-tire changer) and Nick Covey (jackman), both of whom work in the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 team piloted by Austin Dillon, have been issued a two-race suspension due to a left-front wheel that detached from Dillon’s car on Lap 80 of 109 during Sunday’s event. The incident occurred after Dillon had made a green-flag pit stop and left his pit box despite the tire changer unable to tighten the left-front tire’s single lug nut before the car departed. Dillon would proceed to finish in 32nd place at Charlotte in an event that determined the Playoff’s Round of 8 field and was won by Playoff contender Kyle Larson.

    With the suspensions, Thomas and Covey will not be present for the upcoming Cup Series Playoff events at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and at Homestead-Miami Speedway, respectively.

    In the Xfinity Series, four crew chiefs were each fined $5,000 apiece due to their respective entries having a single lug nut unsecured during the post-race inspection process following Saturday’s event that also determined the series’ Round of 8 field and was won by Playoff contender Sam Mayer.

    The crew chiefs that were penalized include Philip Bell, crew chief for Sammy Smith and the No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet team; Jeff Meendering, crew chief for Chandler Smith and the No. 81 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota team; James Pohlman, crew chief for Justin Allgaier and the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet team; and Andy Street, crew chief for Austin Hill and the No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet team.

    Ironically, each of the crew chiefs’ respective competitors represent half of the current eight Playoff contenders who remain in championship contention as the series transitions to the Round of 8 that begins this upcoming weekend at Las Vegas.

    Tuesday’s penalty report comes a day after Hendrick Motorsports opted to not appeal the disqualification of Alex Bowman from the Round of 8 due to Bowman’s No. 48 Chevrolet entry not meeting the minimum weight requirements following Sunday’s event, where Bowman had initially transferred after finishing in 18th place and winning the event’s second stage period.

    Bowman’s disqualification allowed Joey Logano, who initially missed the Round of 8 cutline by four points, to claim the round’s final transfer berth.

    Photo by John Knittel for SpeedwayMedia.com.

    The NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series’ teams return to action this upcoming weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where the Playoff’s Round of 8 also commences for both series. The Xfinity’s Round of 8 event at Vegas will occur on Saturday, October 19, and air at 7 p.m. ET on the CW Network. The Cup’s Round of 8 event will follow suit on Sunday, October 20, and air at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

  • Aric Almirola rallies for second Xfinity victory of 2024 at Kansas

    Aric Almirola rallies for second Xfinity victory of 2024 at Kansas

    Aric Almirola commenced the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs by spoiling the opening race with a resurgent victory in the Kansas Lottery 30 at Kansas Speedway on Saturday, September 28, leaving a bevy of Playoff contenders left with bruised feelings and an early axe to grind toward one another.

    The 40-year-old Almirola from Tampa, Florida, led twice for 16 of 200-scheduled laps in an event where he started sixth and generated race-winning pace in the early portions of the race as he won the first stage period. Then, after settling in second place after the second stage period, Almirola’s event nearly went south when he pitted under green with less than 80 laps remaining due to scraping the outside wall entering the backstretch that cut his right-rear tire.

    With a late-race caution flying with under 60 laps remaining due to a wheel rolling onto the frontstretch’s grass during a late cycle of green-flag pit stops, Almirola was able to methodically carve his way back to the front. Starting from the final restart period with 49 laps remaining, he overtook Playoff contender Cole Custer for the lead with three laps remaining. From there, Almirola was able to drive away from Custer and cruise to his second Xfinity Series victory of the 2024 season.

    With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Saturday, Brandon Jones notched his third Xfinity pole position of the 2024 season with a pole-winning lap at 175.553 mph in 30.760 seconds. Joining him on the front row was Playoff contender Chandler Smith, who clocked in his best qualifying lap at 175.291 mph in 30.806 seconds.

    Prior to the event, the following drivers, including Logan Bearden, Jeb Burton, Matt DiBenedetto, Brad Perez and Dawson Cram dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments made to their respective entries. Leland Honeyman also dropped to the rear of the field for an engine change.

    When the green flag waved and the race started, Chandler Smith jumped ahead with an early advantage from the inside lane as he led Brandon Jones and the field through the first two turns and the backstretch. With nearly the entire field running in two packed lanes, Smith muscled ahead and led the first lap as Connor Zilisch managed to keep his car running straight after he slid sideways through Turns 3 and 4 from fourth place.

    Over the next four laps, Chandler Smith proceeded to lead as Jones, Playoff contender Cole Custer, Aric Almirola, Playoff contender Justin Allgaier and Playoff contender Jesse Love followed suit in the top six while Zilisch dropped to seventh. By then, Jeremy Clements was penalized for a restart violation, when he changed lanes before reaching the start/finish line to begin the race, as Zilisch continued to lose spots while being overtaken by Taylor Gray and Playoff contender Parker Kligerman.

    Then on the sixth lap, the event’s first caution flew when Playoff contender Sammy Smith spun by himself on the backstretch after he got tagged into the frontstretch outside wall by Playoff contender AJ Allmendinger the lap prior. During the caution period, select names including Playoff contender Shane van Gisbergen, Dawson Cram, Joey Gase, Ryan Vargas, Patrick Emerling and Sammy Smith pitted while the rest, led by Chandler Smith, remained on the track.

    The start of the following restart on Lap 11 featured a duel between Jones and Chandler Smith before teammate Aric Almirola shoved Smith back out in front from the inside lane entering the first two turns. Smith then proceeded to clear Jones through the backstretch as both Almirola and Custer challenged Jones for the runner-up spot. With Jones fending off Custer and Almirola for the runner-up spot, Chandler Smith proceeded to lead through the Lap 15 mark.

    Through the first 20 scheduled laps, Chandler Smith was leading by a second over Jones as Custer, Almirola and Taylor Gray were racing in the top five. Behind, Playoff contenders Justin Allgaier, Sam Mayer, Austin Hill, Parker Kligerman and Sheldon Creed were scored in the top 10 as Playoff contenders Riley Herbst and Jesse Love followed suit in the top 12. Meanwhile, Chandler Smith added another second to his advantage and led by two seconds at the Lap 25 mark. By then, Custer and Almirola had navigated their way to second and third on the track while Jones fell to fourth in front of Gray.

    At the Lap 30 mark, Chandler Smith maintained his early advantage by a second over Almirola, with Custer, Jones and Gray scored in the top five. With Playoff contenders Mayer, Allgaier, Hill, Creed, Herbst and Kligerman racing in the top 11, Love was back in 13th place, AJ Allmendinger was mired in 15th place, van Gisbergen was down in 26th place and Sammy Smith was trapped in 28th place.

    Seven laps later, Almirola got to teammate Chandler Smith’s left-rear quarter panel and got him loose, then drag-raced him through the frontstretch to assume the lead for the first time. With the clean air to his advantage, Almirola proceeded to lead by more than a second over Smith by Lap 40 with Custer, Jones and Mayer racing in the top five.

    Then on the final lap of the first stage period, the caution flew after Taylor Gray lost an engine and dropped oil across the frontstretch. The caution for Gray was enough for the first stage period scheduled to conclude on Lap 45 to officially conclude under caution as Almirola cruised to his fourth Xfinity stage victory of the 2024 season. Teammate Chandler Smith followed suit in second along with Custer, Jones and Mayer while Creed, Hill, Allgaier, Herbst and Kligerman were scored in the top 10. By then, Playoff contenders Allmendinger, Love, van Gisbergen and Sammy Smith were mired in 13th, 16th, 23rd and 28th, respectively.

    Under the stage break, the lead lap field led by Almirola peeled off the racetrack to pit for service. Following the pit stops, Custer exited first with the lead, followed by Hill, Mayer, Creed, Chandler Smith and Jones while Almirola lost six spots amid a slow pit service and ended up exiting pit road in seventh place. Amid the pit stops, Allmendinger was penalized for an uncontrolled tire violation while JJ Yeley was also penalized for a safety violation. Jones then pitted again from sixth to tighten loose lug nuts

    The second stage period started on Lap 53 as Custer and Hill occupied the front row. Custer gained a strong start from the outside lane to transition back to the inside lane in front of Hill entering the first two turns. As the field behind fanned out, Custer proceeded to lead the following lap while Mayer and Chandler Smith overtook Hill for second and third, respectively. As Smith and Hill dueled for third, Riley Herbst and Sheldon Creed battled for fifth in front of Almirola while Daniel Dye nearly spun after he made contact with Anthony Alfredo. Amid the early battles, Custer proceeded to lead by half a second just past the Lap 55 mark.

    By Lap 60, Custer retained the lead by a second over Chandler Smith as Mayer, Herbst and Hill remained in the top five ahead of Creed, Allgaier, Almirola, Kligerman and Zilisch. Behind, Love and Allmendinger were mired back in 18th and 20th, respectively, while van Gisbergen and Sammy Smith were back in 25th and 28th, respectively. In addition, Jones was in 15th behind Matt DiBenedetto, Parker Retzlaff, Ryan Sieg and Corey Heim.

    Three laps later, the caution returned due to Brad Perez falling off the pace below the backstretch’s apron and coming to a stop in Turn 3. During the caution period, select names including Love, van Gisbergen and Sammy Smith, who cycled back onto the lead lap, pitted while the rest, led by Custer, remained on the track.

    The beginning of the next restart period on Lap 69 did not last long as Playoff contender Justin Allgaier got hit by Sheldon Creed entering the backstretch, sending Allgaier sliding and making head-on contact with the inside wall. During the incident, Custer, who received a strong shove from Chandler Smith during the previous restart’s start, maintained the lead over Mayer, Chandler Smith, Almirola and Hill.

    At the beginning of the next restart period on Lap 75, Mayer and Custer dueled for the lead through the frontstretch. Then as Chandler Smith tried to make a move beneath Custer, Almirola launched a three-wide battle for the runner-up spot through the first two turns as Mayer surged ahead with the lead entering the backstretch. As Mayer led the field through the backstretch, more trouble struck for Allgaier, who blew a tire, hit the outside wall and retired from further competition. Amid his wreck that took an early hit in his Playoff bid, the race remained under green flag conditions as Mayer proceeded to lead the next four laps while Almirola overtook Custer for the runner-up spot.

    At the Lap 80 mark, Mayer retained the lead by half a second over Almirola as Custer, Chandler Smith and Zilisch were racing in the top five. Mayer would slightly extend his advantage to eight-tenths of a second over Almirola by Lap 85.

    When the second stage period concluded on Lap 90, Mayer fended off Almirola to capture his second Xfinity stage victory of the 2024 season. Almirola retained second while trailing Mayer at the start/finish line by three-tenths of a second while Custer, Chandler Smith and Zilisch were in the top five. “Behind, Hill made contact with Herbst entering the frontstretch and sent Herbst spinning through the frontstretch’s grass while Hill proceeded to finish sixth ahead of Creed, Jones, DiBenedetto and Ryan Sieg. Amid his spin, Herbst ended up in 16th place and joined Love, Kligerman, Allmendinger, van Gisbergen and Sammy Smith as Playoff contenders who did not record and stage points after the second stage period.

    Under the stage break, the lead lap field, led by Mayer, pitted. Following the pit stops, Chandler Smith exited pit road first ahead of Custer, Almirola and Creed while Mayer dropped four spots. Not long after, Almirola pitted for a second time to have the lug nuts tightened.

    With 103 laps remaining, the final stage commenced under green as Chandler Smith and Custer occupied the front row. At the start, Smith received a strong push from teammate Creed from the outside lane to rocket ahead and maintain the lead from Custer through the first two turns. With the field fanning out and jostling for late spots, Smith proceeded to lead at the event’s scheduled halfway distance on Lap 100.

    With 90 laps remaining, Chandler Smith was leading by a second over Custer with Zilisch, Creed and Hill scored in the top five on the track. Behind, Jones, Ryan Sieg, Mayer, Allmendinger and Corey Heim were racing in the top 10 as Almirola was mired in 11th place ahead of Heim, Josh Williams, Love, Kligerman, Herbst and Retzlaff. Meanwhile, van Gisbergen was back in 21st and Sammy Smith was mired in the 29th.

    Ten laps later, Chandler Smith continued to lead by eight-tenths of a second over Custer while Zilisch, Creed and Hill remained in the top five. Smith would proceed to lead by four-tenths of a second over Custer with 70 laps remaining. By then, Corey Heim pitted under green after he got loose through the first two turns and smacked the outside wall in front of Kligerman eight laps earlier. Almirola hit the outside wall entering the backstretch after marching his way back into the top 10 and pitted to change a flat right-rear tire nearly five laps earlier.

    Then with 64 laps remaining, Custer, who spent the last several laps closing in and stalking Chandler Smith, used the inside lane from Turns 3 and 4 to muscle ahead of Smith and assume the lead. By then, Ryan Sieg pitted from the top 10 under green. As Herbst and Kligerman battled for ninth place behind Allmendinger, Custer maintained the lead by eight-tenths of a second over Chandler Smith as Hill pitted from the top five with 60 laps remaining.

    With 59 laps remaining, Playoff contenders Mayer, Allmendinger and Herbst pitted along with Patrick Emerling and Zilisch before Kligerman, Parker Retzlaff, Chandler Smith and Creed pitted during the following lap. The leader Custer then pitted with 57 laps remaining before the caution flew due to a tire rolling out of Parker Retzlaff’s pit box and onto the frontstretch’s grass. By then, 15 competitors were scored on the lead lap, including Custer as he had exited pit road and returned to the track without being lapped, as Jones had cycled into the lead followed by Josh Williams. During the caution period, some of the drivers, led by Jones, pitted while the rest, led by Custer and including Chandler Smith, Hill and Creed, remained on the track.

    With the race restarting under green with 49 laps remaining, Custer rocketed ahead from the outside lane and he maintained the lead from Hill and Chandler Smith while Almirola rocketed his way back up into the top five. As the field fanned out towards the top-10 mark, Custer proceeded to lead the following lap as Smith was up to second place ahead of Hill. Behind, Almirola barely slid in front of Zilisch entering the frontstretch to snatch fourth place before the latter fought back. While Zilisch and Almirola proceeded to battle for fourth place, Chandler Smith started to close in on Custer for the lead.

    Then with 45 laps remaining, a heated side-by-side battle for the lead ignited between Custer and Chandler Smith that started with both dueling for the lead through the backstretch as they remained dead even through the frontstretch. Chandler Smith would prevail and return to the lead for the following lap while Custer followed suit in second.

    Down to the final 30 laps of the event, Chandler Smith retained the lead by seven-tenths of a second over Custer as Almirola, Zilisch and Jones were scored in the top five. Behind, Hill dropped to sixth ahead of Creed, Love, Williams and Alfredo while Mayer, Herbst, van Gisbergen, DiBenedetto and Ryan Sieg were mired in the top 15 ahead of Allmendinger and Kligerman as Sammy Smith was back in 22nd place.

    Five laps later, Chandler Smith’s advantage decreased to two-tenths of a second over Custer while Almirola, who was faster compared to the top-two competitors, trailed the lead from third place by two seconds. As Custer cut the deficit to a tenth of a second, he could not execute the final move to overtake Chandler Smith as the latter continued to lead while third-place Almirola cut his deficit to a second as he trailed both Chandler Smith and Custer by a second with 20 laps remaining.

    Then with 18 laps remaining, Custer launched a side-by-side battle with Chandler Smith through the frontstretch, but he still could not execute the pass on Smith for the lead entering Turns 1 and 2. With Custer still trailing Chandler Smith for the lead, their early side-by-side battle allowed Almirola to close in to within eight-tenths of a second for the following lap. Custer then drove his car towards the outside wall through Turns 1 and 2 to regain ground on Smith with 16 laps remaining, but he remained behind Smith as Almirola trailed by a second in third place during the following lap.

    Down to the final 10 laps of the event, Custer, who nearly got squeezed into the outside wall by Chandler Smith, used the outside lane amid a huge run gained towards the outside wall from Turns 3 and 4 to duel with Chandler Smith through the frontstretch. This time, he was able to rocket past Smith and assume the lead. As Custer rocketed away with the lead, Almirola, who had caught both Custer and Smith on the track, overtook Smith for the runner-up spot exiting the backstretch as he set his sights on Custer, who maintained a reasonable advantage, for the lead.

    With five laps remaining, Custer, who was trying to weave his way through lapped traffic, maintained the lead by two-tenths of a second over a hard-charging Almirola while Chandler Smith trailed in third place by three seconds. A lap later, however, Almirola gained a run beneath Custer through the frontstretch and he proceeded to snatch the lead entering the first two turns with three laps remaining as Custer was unable to respond with a crossover move.

    When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Almirola remained in the lead by nearly half a second over Custer. With Custer unable to regain ground to mount a final lap charge and reclaim the lead, Almirola was able to smoothly cycle his way around the Kansas circuit for a final time before he returned to the frontstretch and claimed the checkered flag by six-tenths of a second over Custer.

    With the victory, Almirola, who will contest in the remaining six Playoff events in Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 20 Toyota entry, notched his sixth career win in the Xfinity Series, his second of the season amid eight starts and his first at Kansas, a venue where he was involved in a harrowing accident during a 2017 Cup Series event that left him with a compression fracture to his T5 vertebra. The Kansas victory was the 10th of the season for both Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota, eight of which have been achieved from the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing entry as the entry earned an automatic pass into the Playoff’s Round of 8 for the owners’ championship battle.

    “[I had to be] Really patient,” Almirola, who described his final overtake on Cole Custer, said on CW Network. “I, obviously, wasn’t patient earlier in the race. I’m wore out. That was a hard day at the office, especially for a guy who’s been sitting on the couch. I knew we had such a great He Gets Us Toyota GR Supra. I was able to get by everybody on the long run and I just pushed too hard there when we had the issue on pit road and I got into the fence and cut the right-rear tire down. I knew I had to put my head down and got to work after that. We got lucky to get the caution when we did and then, we were out of tires, so the fact that [the race] went green there to the end and then, that’s where we were strong. We were really strong on the long run. It just worked out.”

    Meanwhile, as Almirola proceeded to celebrate in Victory Lane, Cole Custer and Chandler Smith, both of whom ended up second and third in the final running order, engaged in a brief post-race conversation on pit road. Custer, who was displeased with being raced hard and nearly getting squeezed into the outside wall by Smith, approached Smith, vocally expressed his displeasure and gestured a wave at Smith before walking away and not hearing Smith’s stance.

    “[Chandler Smith] killed us,” Custer, who leads the Playoff standings by points said, said. “He definitely burned our stuff up [while I was] trying to get by him. It really made me mad when he put us in the fence on that restart. He’s gonna pay the consequences and I’m gonna race him like he races me. I think we could have gone back-to-back [in wins] pretty easily if things fall the right way, but we’ll move on to Talladega. I’m sure points-wise, we’re pretty good, so just got to keep chugging along.”

    “I definitely understand [Custer’s] position,” Smith, who sits in second place behind Custer in the Playoff standings, said. “Last week, I was racing behind somebody for 80 laps and couldn’t find a way around him because we were running the same lane. Obviously, our car was really dominant on the short run. [I] Was able to build up a little bit of a gap and had to come up with a game plan of when [Custer] gets to me, what do I got to do because last time, I just kept running my lane and he just blew my doors off. This is for the race win, this is for advancing into the next round [of the Playoffs] and this is also the guy I’m racing for the championship. I’ve got to be a little more aggressive in a sense of just taking his air away, kind of Cup racing, Truck racing style. Just trying to do the best for my team. [Custer]’s got a very, very valid statement, I understand, but I also wouldn’t change what I did because I was giving myself the best shot to win.”

    Custer and Chandler Smith were not the only pair of Playoff contenders to exchange words on pit road following the 2024 Xfinity Series Playoff opener. In addition, Austin Hill and Riley Herbst, both of whom finished seventh and 10th on the track, exchanged words, where Hill apologized for turning Herbst at the conclusion of the second stage period, while AJ Allmendinger and Sammy Smith, both of whom ended up 17th and 22nd on the track, exchanged words as Smith expressed his displeasure for nearly getting turned and having his car damaged by Allmendinger in the opening laps.

    Meanwhile, Connor Zilisch came home in fourth place for his second consecutive top-five result in just his second Xfinity career start while Sheldon Creed finished fifth. Pole-sitter Brandon Jones settled in sixth place in front of Hill while Playoff rookies Shane van Gisbergen and Jesse Love rallied to finish eighth and ninth in front of Herbst.

    There were 14 lead changes for five different leaders. The race featured six cautions for 33 laps. In addition, 16 of 38 starters finished on the lead lap.

    Results.

    1. Aric Almirola, 16 laps led, Stage 1 winner

    2. Cole Custer, 48 laps led

    3. Chandler Smith, 114 laps led

    4. Connor Zilisch

    5. Sheldon Creed

    6. Brandon Jones, four laps led

    7. Austin Hill

    8. Shane van Gisbergen

    9. Jesse Love

    10. Riley Herbst

    11. Josh Williams

    12. Parker Kligerman

    13. Sam Mayer, 18 laps led, Stage 2 winner

    14. Matt DiBenedetto

    15. Anthony Alfredo

    16. Ryan Sieg

    17. AJ Allmendinger, one lap down

    18. Brennan Poole, one lap down

    19. Ryan Ellis, one lap down

    20. JJ Yeley, one lap down

    21. Parker Retzlaff, one lap down

    22. Sammy Smith, one lap down

    23. Jeb Burton, two laps down

    24. Kyle Sieg, two laps down

    25. Leland Honeyman, two laps down

    26. Kyle Weatherman, three laps down

    27. Jeremy Clements, three laps down

    28. Blaine Perkins, three laps down

    29. Ryan Vargas, four laps down

    30. Patrick Emerling, four laps down

    31. Corey Heim, five laps down

    32. Joey Gase, six laps down

    33. Logan Bearden, 10 laps down

    34. Daniel Dye, 11 laps down

    35. Dawson Cram – OUT, Fuel Pressure

    36. Justin Allgaier – OUT, Accident

    37. Brad Perez – OUT, Oil Pump

    38. Taylor Gray – OUT, Engine

    *Bold indicates Playoff competitors

    Playoff standings

    1. Cole Custer +41

    2. Chandler Smith +36

    3. Austin Hill +26

    4. Sam Mayer +13

    5. Sheldon Creed +10

    6. Shane van Gisbergen +8

    7. Jesse Love +3

    8. Riley Herbst +1

    9. Justin Allgaier -1

    10. AJ Allmendinger -13

    11. Parker Kligerman -15

    12. Sammy Smith -23

    The second Round of 12 event in the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs is set to occur at Talladega Superspeedway for the United Rentals 250. The event is scheduled to occur next Saturday, October 5, and air at 4 p.m. ET on the CW Network.

  • Briscoe, Hamlin and Suarez claim final Round of 12 berths in 2024 Cup Playoffs

    Briscoe, Hamlin and Suarez claim final Round of 12 berths in 2024 Cup Playoffs

    Chase Briscoe, Denny Hamlin and Daniel Suarez maintained their 2024 NASCAR Cup Series championship hopes for another three weeks as the trio capped off the Round of 16 finale at Bristol Motor Speedway for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race with on-track results that enabled them all to transfer into the Playoff’s Round of 12 on Saturday, September 21.

    For Briscoe, who raced his way into the 2024 Cup Series Playoffs overall after winning the regular-season finale at Darlington Raceway, the Playoffs commenced on a rough note for the Mitchell, Indiana, native after he was involved in a harrowing accident by T-boning into Playoff contender Kyle Larson on Lap 55 of 260 during the Playoff’s opener at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

    Strapped with a 21-point deficit with a 38th-place result from Atlanta, Briscoe redeemed himself during the following Playoff event at Watkins Glen International as he dodged a series of on-track carnages that affected a bevy of Playoff contenders to finish in sixth place. The top-10 run enabled him to boost his way up above the top-12 cutline and with a six-point advantage entering the Round of 16 finale at Bristol.

    Once Briscoe took the green flag from fifth place at Bristol, he proceeded to rack up a total of seven stage points with a pair of top-10 runs recorded during both stage periods. Briscoe’s strong night of racing within the top-10 mark then hit a minor roadblock during the final caution period that started with 172 laps remaining when he dropped to within the top-15 mark amid a slow pit service from his No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford team.

    From the start of the final restart period with 163 laps remaining, Briscoe made up the lost ground by racing his way back into the top 10. Keeping his car intact for the remainder of the event, Briscoe steered his No. 14 Ford without a rearview camera to an eighth-place result, which was enough for him to claim the 12th and final transfer spot into the Playoff’s Round of 12 by 11 points.

    With his accomplishment, Briscoe, who also transferred past the Round of 12 and as high as up to the Round of 8 during his first Playoff bid in 2022, continues to set his sights on making the Championship 4 round and contending for a Cup Series championship for Stewart-Haas Racing, with the organization set to be rebranded to Haas Factory Team and downsized to a single entry for the 2025 season while Briscoe prepares to transition to Joe Gibbs Racing.

    “Honestly, [the race] wasn’t really stressful,” Briscoe said after the race on USA Network. “Even when we had that bad pit stop, we came out 13th or 14th and I felt like I could drive [the car] back up there. Overall, a great night for us. Hopefully, people will start taking us [seriously]. I truthfully feel like we can battle for the championship, so hopefully, tonight proved that. [I] Hate that we had to dig ourselves out of a hole after Atlanta, but hopefully, we can go on to Kansas and start this next round strong. I feel like we can beat anybody on any given day when we put it together from start to finish.”

    After initially being placed under a microscope with back-to-back finishes outside the top 20 that nearly had his championship hopes of the 2024 season diminished, Denny Hamlin responded by finishing fourth at Bristol and racing his way into the Round of 12 by 15 points.

    Taking the green flag from eighth place and with a six-point deficit to start the Bristol event, Hamlin took care of business for the first half of the event by racking up a total of 13 stage points with finishes of eighth and third, respectively, during the first two rounds.

    Restarting inside the top-five mark at the start of the final stage period with 240 laps remaining, Hamlin kept his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota racing towards the front like he had been throughout the first half of the event. Despite being overtaken by his 23XI Racing competitor Bubba Wallace for third place in the closing laps, Hamlin would retain a fourth place on the track as he leaped his way back inside the top-12 cutline and maintained his title hopes with an automatic pass to the Round of 12.

    With his accomplishment, Hamlin, who is in his 19th consecutive season in the Cup Series level, transferred into the Round of 12 for the 10th time in his career. In a season where he notched three regular-season victories, he now sets his sights forward and in pursuit of a first elusive Cup Series championship.

    Photo by Patrick Sue-Chan for SpeedwayMedia.com.

    “My aspiration was to win [the race],” Hamlin said. “It looked like [Larson] was better than all of us. Solid car. I thought we were really good towards the middle stages and then there at the end, [I] just got too loose and couldn’t hang on to what we had there. Overall, top-five day. Good stage points. Kind of in the mix. Just not really as good as what we’ve been here in the last couple of times, but overall, thank this whole FedEx Toyota team for giving me something I can move on with. It’s all offense from this point forward.”

    Lastly, Daniel Suarez was left feeling like a sole survivor after utilizing a 36-point advantage he had before Bristol to transfer his way into the Round of 12 by a mere 11 points amid a struggling event that was capped off with a 30th-place run.

    Suarez, who finished second and 13th, respectively, throughout the Round of 16’s first two events, rolled off the starting grid in 35th place and proceeded to spend the first half of the event both inside and outside of the top-30 mark on the track. By then, he was lapped twice by the leader Larson and was unable to recover to score any stage points during the event’s two stage periods, but he remained within contention of claiming a final berth into the Round of 12.  

    Despite cycling his way back to gain one of his lost laps earlier, Suarez would fall four laps behind Larson. During the closing laps, however, he battled Ty Gibbs, who was trying to overthrow Suarez in the Playoff standings and prevented him from overtaking him as Gibbs needed more spots from the top-10 mark to gain more points on Suarez. With Gibbs fading in the closing laps and eventually dropping to 15th place when the checkered flag flew, Suarez, who dropped to 31st place and was flirting between being scored outside and inside the Playoff cutline, was able to remain inside the cutline.

    With the battle for his title hopes continuing into the Round of 12, Suarez, who also transferred as high as into the Round of 12 during his first Playoff run in 2022, expressed his relief on capping off his long weekend and event with a griding duel to fend off Ty Gibbs for a Playoff transfer spot. He also emphasized and recognized the strong Playoff start generated by him and his No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet team that enabled them to not lose any additional points.

    Photo by Patrick Sue-Chan for SpeedwayMedia.com.

    “[Tonight] was a struggle,” Suarez said. “Since yesterday when we unloaded the car for first practice, we just didn’t have the speed. With the short amount of practice, qualifying and going through the race, if you don’t have the speed out of the trailer, it’s very, very difficult to bring [the car] back to speed. We made it better, but it wasn’t good enough. We were running 30th, 28th, 32nd all night long and that was all we had. Luckily, we had a great [run at] Atlanta, decent [finish] at Watkins Glen after a broken wheel. We were able to build a [points] cushion and we definitely used every single point out of that cushion. I can only control so much. I can only control what the No. 99 can do and everything else is out of my hands. I wasn’t fast enough to run away from [Gibbs], so I had to play games to be able to affect him as much as possible in a clean way. Luckily, it worked out good. We have to relax a little bit and focus on the next round.”

    With the Round of 16 in the rearview mirror, Chase Briscoe, Denny Hamlin and Daniel Suarez join Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson, Alex Bowman, Chase Elliott, Austin Cindric, Ryan Blaney, Tyler Reddick, William Byron and Joey Logano as 12 competitors to square off against one another throughout the Playoff’s Round of 12 as all continue their pursuit for the 2024 Cup Series championship.

    The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff’s Round of 12 is scheduled to commence next Sunday, September 29, at Kansas Speedway for the Hollywood Casino 400 which will air at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network.

  • Ty Gibbs, Martin Truex Jr. fall short of transferring into Playoff’s Round of 12

    Ty Gibbs, Martin Truex Jr. fall short of transferring into Playoff’s Round of 12

    The 2024 Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday, September 21, delivered mixed emotions from the Joe Gibbs Racing camp. As Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin raced their way into the Playoff’s Round of 12, teammates Ty Gibbs and Martin Truex Jr. were the first two competitors left on the outside looking in as their championship hopes of the season evaporated.

    After finishing 17th and 22nd, respectively, during the Round of 16’s first two events, Gibbs, who came into Bristol with a six-point advantage and clinging onto the final transfer spot to the Round of 12, was in position to transfer into the next round as he spent a majority of the first stage period racing within the top-10 mark.

    Then, despite racking up three stage points by finishing eighth after the first stage period, Gibbs’ Playoff run hit a roadblock due to the Charlotte native speeding on pit road and being sent to the rear of the field. Despite dropping below the cutline in the Playoff standings and spending a majority of the second stage period being mired outside the top-20 mark, Gibbs remained within striking contention as he proceeded to cap off the second stage period in 18th place.

    Throughout the final stage period, Gibbs would methodically carve his way from the top-20 mark to racing inside the top-10. As the laps dwindled amid a long green-flag run to the finish, however, Gibbs’ handling started to give in, which dropped the driver of the No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota out of the top 10 mark. When the checkered flag flew, Gibbs crossed the finish line in 15th place, one lap down, and was the first competitor to be left outside of the top-12 cutline in the Playoff standings by 11 points.

    The early exit from the Playoffs left Gibbs disappointed as this season marks his first time qualifying for a Cup Series Playoffs, where he made the postseason on the strengths of seven top-five results and 11 top-10 results throughout the 26-race regular-season stretch. Having notched the 2023 Cup Series Rookie-of-the-Year title, Gibbs now has seven races remaining on the 2024 schedule to notch his first career victory in NASCAR’s premier series.

    “It was just unfortunate there,” Gibbs said on USA Network. “I felt like we were really good [in] practice and qualifying. [I was] Just a little bit too loose tonight. [The car] fired off too tight. Just unfortunate. Speeding penalty’s on me. My fault. Proud of these [No. 54] guys, all the effort they’ve given me and we’ll keep hammering down.”

    Like Gibbs, teammate Martin Truex Jr. was also hampered with a pit road speeding penalty, the latter of which occurred late in the event, that cost him an opportunity to transfer past the Playoff’s Round of 16.

    Truex, who came into Bristol 14 points below the cutline after finishing 35th and 20th, respectively, throughout the Round of 16, had a strong performance being generated on the track. With finishes of fourth and second in both stage periods and accumulating 16 stage points, he was in a prime position of both racing his way into the next Playoff round and contending for the victory.

    Then during a late caution period before the final restart period with 130 laps remaining, Truex’s strong night of racing within the top five evaporated as he was penalized for speeding on pit road after he initially exited pit road in second place behind Kyle Larson. After restarting towards the tail end of the field following his pit road penalty, Truex never recovered as he would eventually be lapped by Larson. Ultimately, he would proceed to finish in 24th place and as the 14th competitor scored a lap down, which was enough to make him the second competitor in line to be eliminated from the Playoffs and missing it by 21 points.

    The disappointment of not transferring into the Round of 12 was apparent on Truex’s face, with the competitor accepting the blame for the late error that cost him and his No. 19 Toyota team a spot into the next Playoff round. The disappointment was also apparent as the 2017 Cup Series champion will not contend for a second title in his 19th and final full-time season competing in NASCAR’s premier series. Like Gibbs, Truex, whose last Cup victory occurred at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in July 2023, has seven races remaining on this year’s schedule to claim at least one race victory in his final full-time campaign.

    Photo by Patrick Sue-Chan for SpeedwayMedia.com.

    “It’s really tough when it’s 0.09 miles per hour that screws your whole chance at a good season up,” Truex said. “I don’t know how that happened. It’s on me. Obviously, it’s my mistake. [The No. 19 team] said that we were gonna have to run second or third there to have a chance [of advancing] and I don’t know if we could’ve done it, but it would’ve been nice to see. Just really sad for my guys. They work so hard. We had a really strong car tonight. We got a lot of stage points. We did what we needed to do there. [I] Hate that I screwed it up. It would’ve been fun to have a fighting chance. From here, we’ll just go on and try to race hard and hopefully get back to Victory Lane before it’s all said and done.”

    Overall, Ty Gibbs and Martin Truex Jr. join Brad Keselowski and Harrison Burton as the first four set of competitors to be eliminated from the 2024 Cup Series Playoffs following the Round of 16.

    With their championship hopes of the season diminished, the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season for both Ty Gibbs and Martin Truex Jr. continues with the next scheduled event at Kansas Speedway for the Hollywood Casino 400. The event is scheduled to occur next Sunday, September 29, and air at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network.

  • Ryan Truex to make 100th Xfinity start at Bristol

    Ryan Truex to make 100th Xfinity start at Bristol

    Ryan Truex is set to achieve a milestone start in his ninth season with at least one start in the NACAR Xfinity Series division. By taking the green flag in this weekend’s event at Bristol Motor Speedway, the part-time competitor for Joe Gibbs Racing will make his 100th career start in the Xfinity circuit.

    A native of Mayetta, New Jersey, Truex made his inaugural presence in the Xfinity Series at World Wide Technology Raceway in July 2010. By then, he had achieved the 2009 ARCA Menards Series East championship and was still contending in the series full-time to defend his title. Driving the No. 00 Toyota Camry for Diamond Waltrip Racing, Truex started 19th and finished 28th in his Xfinity debut after being involved in a single-car incident with nearly 20 laps remaining.

    Following his Xfinity debut, Truex would make six additional starts in the Xfinity circuit throughout the remaining 16 events on the schedule. During the schedule, he split driving duties between Diamond-Waltrip Racing’s Nos. 00 and 99 Toyota entries. Within the six-race stretch, Truex notched a season-best 12th-place finish at Michigan International Speedway in August. He also recorded two 15th-place results at Kansas Speedway and at Gateway in October.

    The following season, Truex, who had claimed his second consecutive ARCA East title in 2010 and was initially attempting to campaign for the 2011 Xfinity Rookie-of-the-Year title with Pastrana-Waltrip Racing, ended up competing in 10 of the 14-scheduled events with the team, where he piloted the No. 99 entry to eight top-20 results, including an eighth-place run at Richmond Raceway in late April. Then after finishing 20th at Chicagoland Speedway in June, he was released by Pastrana-Waltrip Racing due to a lack of sponsorship.

    Three months later, he returned at Atlanta Motor Speedway behind the wheel of Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 20 Toyota Camry, where he finished 11th before notching a strong fourth-place result at Richmond during the following event. He would proceed to finish 13th, eighth and 10th, respectively, during his next three starts with the Gibbs organization before making a brief return to Diamond-Waltrip Racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway in October, where he ended up in 34th place after being involved in an accident during the second half of the event. Truex’s 17th and final Xfinity start of the season occurred at Phoenix Raceway in November with Joe Gibbs Racing, where he ended up in eighth place. In total, Truex notched a total of five top-10 results throughout his 17-race schedule.

    The 2012 Xfinity season was an eventful one for Truex, who made a total of 11 Xfinity starts in five entries between three organizations. He commenced the season by making his first series start at Daytona International Speedway with Tommy Baldwin Racing in February, where he ended up in 31st place after being involved in a late multi-car wreck. He then finished in the top 11 in two starts with Joe Gibbs Racing and ended up in 32nd place with RAB Racing at Texas Motor Speedway in April during his next three series starts.

    Then at Dover Motor Speedway in June, Truex, who started on the pole for the first time in his career and had led 43 of 200 laps, was within striking distance of achieving his first Xfinity career victory. However, he was pinned behind the lapped competitors of Jamie Dick and Brad Teague, allowing teammate Joey Logano to quickly narrow the deficit and overtake Truex with five laps remaining, thus resulting in the latter settling in a career-best runner-up result. Making six additional starts in the remaining 19 events on the schedule between Joe Gibbs Racing and RAB Racing, Truex racked up two additional top-10 results before the season’s conclusion.

    After qualifying the No. 9 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford Mustang entry for Marcos Ambrose at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in August 2013 while being a development competitor for the Petty organization, Truex, who did not compete in a single Xfinity event during the 2013 and 2014 seasons, returned to the Xfinity circuit for four events in 2015. Driving the No. 98 Ford Mustang for Biagi-DenBeste Racing, he managed to secure a season-best 17th-place result at Charlotte Motor Speedway in October.

    In 2018, Truex inked a full-time ride in the Xfinity circuit for the first time in his career as he joined forces to pilot Kaulig Racing’s No. 11 Chevrolet Camaro entry. He commenced the season by finishing seventh at Daytona after contending for the victory amid five overtime shootouts before finishing in the top 15 during his next seven starts. Despite ending up in 38th place at Talladega in May after being involved in an early multi-car wreck, the New Jersey native proceeded to finish in the top 10 during his next 10 events before notching his first top-five result of the season at Mid-Ohio in August.

    Despite finishing no higher than eighth during the final four regular-season events on the schedule, he managed to secure a spot in the 2018 Xfinity Series Playoffs. After finishing 11th, 16th and 10th, respectively, throughout the Round of 12, he was eliminated from title contention. Managing three top-15 runs during the final four events on the schedule, Truex settled in 12th place in the final driver’s standings. Overall, he racked up a total of 11 top-10 results, 26 top-15 results and an average-finishing result of 14.0 in his first full-time campaign in the Xfinity Series.

    After losing his Kaulig Racing ride to Justin Haley following the 2018 season, Truex inked a part-time Xfinity campaign with JR Motorsports for the 2019 season. He commenced his part-time campaign on a strong note by finishing in the runner-up spot for the second time in his career at Phoenix Raceway in March behind Kyle Busch. He proceeded to finish eighth at Kentucky Speedway and seventh at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in July before settling in 14th at Las Vegas in September and 10th at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course in October. He then ended up in 38th place in his sixth and final Xfinity start of the season at Kansas Speedway in October following an early retirement due to an engine issue.

    Three years later, Truex returned to the Xfinity Series for another part-time campaign, this time for the season opener at Daytona with Sam Hunt Racing before returning to Joe Gibbs Racing for a five-race campaign in the No. 18 Toyota Supra. He commenced the season by finishing 12th at Daytona with SHR before ending up in 30th place at Las Vegas Motor Speedway after being involved in a late accident during his first start of the season with Gibbs. He would then proceed to finish seventh at Martinsville Speedway in April, 30th at Darlington Raceway in May and sixth at Texas Motor Speedway in June before capping off the season with a strong third-place run at Atlanta Motor Speedway in July.

    This past season, Truex achieved a breakthrough moment in his eventful career that started when he returned for a six-race campaign with Joe Gibbs Racing and in the team’s No. 19 Toyota Supra entry. He commenced his part-time campaign by finishing in the runner-up spot for the third time in his career at Phoenix in March before notching a third-place result at Atlanta the following weekend after avoiding a final lap accident.

    Then after finishing within the top 20 during his next two starts at Martinsville and Talladega, Truex achieved his first elusive career victory both in the Xfinity Series and across NASCAR’s top three national touring series at Dover in April. The victory occurred in an event where he led a race-high 124 of 200 laps, swept both stages and beat runner-up Josh Berry by more than four seconds. He also got to cherish the victory with his older brother and former Cup Series champion, Martin Truex Jr. Ryan Truex would then end up in 35th place in his sixth and final Xfinity start of the season at Darlington after being swept up in an early multi-car wreck.

    Returning for a third consecutive part-time Xfinity campaign with Joe Gibbs Racing in 2024, both in the organization’s Nos. 19 and 20 Toyota Supra entries, Truex commenced the season by finishing 21st at Daytona after getting collected in a final lap incident. He would proceed to finish ninth during the following weekend at Atlanta before finishing seventh and 34th, respectively, during his next two starts in April. 

    Then in the series’ return at Dover in late April, Truex persevered through two overtime attempts, including the last one as he muscled away from newcomer Carson Kvapil, to snatch his second Xfinity career win and his second in a row at the Monster Mile, this time while driving the No. 20 Toyota entry. Despite finishing no higher than 19th during his next two starts, the New Jersey native then elevated his racing status to a new height by scoring his third series victory at Daytona after fending off the field during an overtime attempt and claiming the checkered flag under caution. As a result, he notched the first Xfinity victory for both Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota at Daytona since Matt Kenseth made the last accomplishment in July 2013. During Truex’s recent Xfinity start at Atlanta, he finished 10th.

    Truex’s upcoming Xfinity Series start at Bristol Motor Speedway is set to mark his 10th start of the 2024 season and eighth in the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing entry, which is set to contend for this year’s Xfinity owners’ championship on the strength of seven victories, two of which were made by Truex, and 17 top-10 results through 25 events. Meanwhile, Truex’s plans for the 2025 season remain to be determined despite his continuous goal to return to full-time NASCAR competition and contend for more victories and a championship.

    Through 99 career starts in the Xfinity Series, Truex has achieved three victories, one pole, 10 top-five results, 35 top-10 results, 222 laps led and an average-finishing result of 15.6.

    Ryan Truex is scheduled to make his 100th Xfinity Series career start at Bristol Motor Speedway for the Food City 300. The event is scheduled to occur this upcoming Friday, September 20, and air at 7:30 p.m. ET on the CW Network.