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Allgaier rallies from flat tire to finish third at Kentucky

SPARTA, Ky. — Justin Allgaier leaves the Bluegrass State as the points leader, but doing so required rallying from an early flat tire and falling two laps down.

Allgaier started losing pace on Lap 14 due to a tire rub on the right-front tire. The right-front went flat the following lap and he was forced onto pit road for four tires. He rejoined the race in 39th, two laps down. Per NBC, Allgaier spent 27 total laps being down two laps.

Opting to take the wave-around under the first stage break, he climbed up to 21st and took over as the first car a lap down on Lap 54. Angela Ruch’s spin in Turn 4 on Lap 75 came at the perfect time for Allgaier, as he earned his way back onto the lead lap via the lucky dog.

Ending the second stage in 11th, crew chief Jason Burdett opted for a fuel-only stop.

Allgaier restarted third on Lap 97 and fell to fifth by the time he pitted for the final time on Lap 138. When the green flag pit cycle was complete, he came out sixth.

With a strong long run car, he worked his way around Cole Custer and teammate Elliott Sadler for fourth with 20 laps to go. He spent the next 10 chipping away the gap to third, took it from Ryan Preece and brought his car home to a podium finish.

“My team at JR Motorsports obviously does a great job,” Allgaier said. “We talked about not beating ourselves in the first playoff race. You know, it was unfortunate there getting a flat tire. It wasn’t in our control. We did what we had to do and persevered through it and we did a great job on pit calls and pit stops. I thought we had a car that maybe could win the race. After the race, I told my team we might not have won the playoffs tonight but we definitely salvaged what we needed to tonight to move ourselves forward.”

Allgaier leaves Kentucky, tied with Custer, with a two-point lead over Sadler.

September 24, 2017
Allgaier Fastest in First XFINITY Practice at Bristol

BRISTOL, Tenn. — Justin Allgaier topped the chart in first NASCAR XFINITY Series practice at Bristol Motor Speedway.

The driver of the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet was the fastest with a time of 15.306 and a speed of 125.363 mph. Kyle Busch was second in his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota with a time of 15.334 and a speed of 125.134 mph. Blake Koch was third in his No. 11 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet with a time of 15.396 and a speed of 124.630 mph. Elliott Sadler was fourth in his No. 1 JRM Chevrolet with a time of 15.397 and a speed of 124.622 mph. Austin Dillon rounded out the top-five in his No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet with a time of 15.407 and a speed of 124.541 mph.

Brennan Poole, Aric Almirola, William Byron, Brandon Jones and Joey Logano rounded out the top-10.

Allgaier posted the fastest 10 consecutive lap average at a speed of 122.152 mph.

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August 17, 2017
Hot 20 – To Xfinity and Beyond, or the day Justin Allgaier thought he was Buzz Lightyear

Okay, the biggest story from Indianapolis was not Kasey Kahne’s win. It was not the fact he has received no assurances that he will keep his spot with Rick Hendrick’s stable next season. The one thing we might be assured of is that whoever sits in the No. 5 next year, it sure in hell won’t be Justin Allgaier.

Allgaier will be in the XFINITY version for the Chase this fall, but his reputation took a hit this past weekend. First, he comes into the pits riding the line between the lane and his pit stall. In doing so, Allgaier was out of position and wound up sending his jackman flying and a tire changer skipping out of danger. That was just the first act of this cartoon.

Later, he came in and once again was riding that line between being in his stall and out. They started their work, but the crew had to stop and push Allgaier’s car back to be legal. Then, before they even removed his front right, the driver saw the field coming around to lap him, so he guns it and out he goes. No warning. No lug nuts. Thankfully crew members were not left with no fingers.

No air hose, either. As Allgaier left with the air gun under the car, the hose snapped and came whipping back like a snake with a severe disorder. Then it took some time for the radio calls to him to stop went heeded. By then, the tire was pretty much off, though not completely so at least a penalty was avoided. Good news for the crew, who would have faced fines and suspension, Sadly, by this time the fender was shattered. After some repairs, he was back out but 14 laps down. Bravery was a pit crew still willing to put themselves in harm’s way.

Allgaier, his tire changer, his tire carrier, and his crew chief will all be back on Saturday in Iowa. Our hopes and prayers are with them all. Meanwhile, the Cup folks are in Pocono. It is getting to the point where points matter little. Winning one that counts does. Anyone winless in the Top 30 still has a chance to break some hearts on Sunday, while warming their own.

1. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 3 WINS (780 Pts)
Rowdy was the guy to beat last week and beat him into the fence he did.

2. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 3 WINS (564 Pts)
Did you ever hear about The Little Engine That Could? Jimmie’s could not.

3. KYLE LARSON – 2 WINS (732 Pts)
Today, I have one son in Alta, Norway, one at Niagra Falls, while Kyle was in Ohsweken.

4. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 2 WINS (601 Pts)
He remains Roger’s boy for years to come.

5. RICKY STENHOUSE JR. – 2 WINS (443 Pts)
Still has the most well known girlfriend in NASCAR, but that is not the center of conversation.

6. KEVIN HARVICK – 1 WIN (683 Pts)
Drop a Jimmy John’s sandwich 153 feet off the spotter’s stand, and you get replaced.

7. DENNY HAMLIN – 1 WIN (612 Pts)
Once a week not enough to keep his competitive fires burning? Jamie should extend an invite.

8. RYAN BLANEY – 1 WIN (516 Pts)
Leaving Wood Brothers for Penske, with Paul Menard filling this seat next season.

9. KURT BUSCH – 1 WIN (463 Pts)
If Monster returns, so will Kurt. If not, it could come down to either him or Danica at SHR.

10. RYAN NEWMAN – 1 WIN (462 Pts)
Newman remembers something similar happening a few years ago with that outfit.

11. KASEY KAHNE – 1 WIN (383 Pts)
Got his win, got his place in the Chase, but does his ride go to William Byron in 2018?

12. AUSTIN DILLON – 1 WIN (379 Pts)
Blood-lines and a win gives him job security with a three-team outfit shrinking down to two.

13. KYLE BUSCH – 673 POINTS
Reasons he has failed to win this season…#20 That damn Truex wrecked me.

14. JAMIE MCMURRAY – 599 POINTS
An athlete fights for a place in the Chase; a car driver fights for one in a McDonald’s drive-thru.

15. CHASE ELLIOTT – 588 POINTS
Feeling pretty comfortable…unless Matt, Clint, Joey, Erik, Daniel, or Junior win this summer.

16. MATT KENSETH – 566 POINTS
Time to worry.

17. CLINT BOWYER – 533 POINTS
Time to win.

18. JOEY LOGANO – 515 POINTS (1 Win)
Joey has a win and sits 13th in points. Sometimes that means nothing.

19. ERIK JONES – 440 POINTS
In the game of musical seats, he is bound for Gibbs which opens up one quality ride with FRR.

20. DANIEL SUAREZ – 434 POINTS
Probably more at home in Dorne than in Winterfell, but could soon be found beyond the Wall.

July 26, 2017
Justin Allgaier Captures XFINITY Coors Light Pole in Charlotte

CONCORD, N.C. — Justin Allgaier topped the speed charts during qualifying for the NASCAR XFINITY Series Hisense 4K TV 300 with a lap of 182.488 mph in his No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet to earn the Coors Light Pole at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

It’s his fifth career pole in 217 XFINITY Series starts, his first pole this season and his first ever at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Allgaier’s pole award is also the third for JRM, who won one with Chase Elliott in 2014 as well as a truck pole by Kasey Kahne in 2015.

Austin Dillon posted the second-fastest time in his No. 2 Rheem Chevrolet with a lap of 181.519 mph followed by Ryan Blaney in the No.12 Snap-On Ford (181.378 mph). Daniel Hemric, the fastest qualifying rookie, will start fourth (181.324 mph) in his No. 21 Chevy as Kevin Harvick rounds out the top five in the No. 41 Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford.

Cole Custer, Christopher Bell, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Reed and Tyler Reddick will start, sixth through 10th, respectively. This race will mark Bell’s debut in the XFINITY Series.

Jeff Green (No.78) and Jordan Anderson (No. 74) failed to qualify.

The Hisense 4K TV 300 will begin Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. ET and will be televised on Fox Sports 1.

Hisense 4K TV 300 Starting Lineup:

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May 27, 2017
Allgaier Fastest in Final Bristol XFINITY Practice

BRISTOL, Tenn. — Justin Allgaier topped the chart in final NASCAR XFINITY Series practice at Bristol Motor Speedway.

The driver of the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet was the fastest with a time of 15.422 and a speed of 124.420 mph. Erik Jones was second in his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota with a time of 15.509 and a speed of 123.722 mph. Kyle Larson was third in his No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet with a time of 15.525 and a speed of 123.594 mph. Ryan Blaney was fourth in his No. 22 Team Penske Ford with a time of 15.535 and a speed of 123.515 mph. Austin Dillon rounded out the top-five in his No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet with a time of 15.552 and a speed of 123.380 mph.

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April 21, 2017
Hot 20 – Martinsville will boast superb on track talent, but can FOX attract the viewers at home?

The ratings are in. They continue to sink, with anything not being raced at Daytona all down. Daytona was great, the rest were okay. There used to be a time when okay was good enough. That was when, to answer Sheryl Crow’s question, we had it bad. Today, not so much. The passion is gone, at least from a ton of fans. Even the sponsors no longer have the passion, the desire to make those NASCAR-themed spots that were, well, spot on.

What to do, what to do? The stars have been, and remain, pretty accessible to the fans. Hell, even 79-year old Richard Petty remains a fan favorite and an easy target for an autograph. On the other end of the spectrum, we have Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, Erik Jones, Trevor Bayne, and Daniel Suarez leading the way for the 20-somethings. That might bode well for the future, but what about today? If you are a gear-head, the strategy, the setups is something of a draw, but for most folks, when their car is not running well it is simply broken.

Wasn’t the racing once a lot closer? I know in the old days it was not, not when the winner was a lap or more ahead of the next guy. So, what made NASCAR the “in thing” 20 years ago? They went from southern to national, where a guy like California’s Jeff Gordon would rival the likes of Dale Earnhardt from North Carolina. That created some sparks. They had open-wheel types like Gordon, Tony Stewart, and Juan Pablo Montoya take a turn at the wheel. That caused interest. Danica Patrick arrived and that was interesting, at least for a while. Pack racing might drive the drivers nuts, but it keeps us watching. Again, Daytona was watched, the rest…not so much.

I love the documentary-styled vignettes on the broadcasts. They always cause me to stop and watch. Is there anything else exciting, such as the broadcasters, the camera angles, the whole television experience to draw us in? Not really. Even the commercials are the same as when you watch NCIS. Seen it already with Gibbs and Ducky, so I’m good. What remains exciting is the talent. It just needs to be showcased a hell of a lot better.

Now, don’t get me started on XFINITY. Thankfully, Ryan Reed and Justin Allgaier at least won two of the five races. Seventeen of the 25 Top Five positions to date have gone to Cup drivers. Nineteen-year-old William Byron has four Top Tens, but I suspect few know that, or him. That is a problem. I do not know what their ratings are. To be honest, I do not really care.

Whatever you do, you cannot blame the guys among our Hot 20. Will Larson continue to dominate? Will Elliott get his first win and move to the front of the pack? What can Keselowski do with a car not beat to crap? Can Truex continue to perform well? Will Johnson and Earnhardt continue their climb back into contention? Those are some pretty good questions. I think most are still interested in the answers.

The trouble is getting them to commit to spending a Sunday afternoon watching it all unfold, rather than to spend just a few minutes in the evening to check the post-race reports. That is like reading the last page of the book to see how the story ends, rather than submerging one’s self into the experience. The Martinsville saga this weekend will be a good one, but the book needs to be spruced up a bit to keep us engaged.

1. KYLE LARSON – 1 WIN – 243 PTS
A win, most points, but Martinsville is a challenge he would love to overcome.

2. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 1 WIN – 214 PTS
Have the living daylights beat out of your car by the fourth lap, and still finish second? Wow.

3. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 1 WIN – 205 PTS
Tires. He don’t need no fresh stinking tires. On second thought…

4. RYAN NEWMAN – 1 WIN – 123 PTS
After ending a 127 race winless streak, the new one is now up to…well…one.

5. KURT BUSCH – 1 WIN – 118 PTS
That Daytona win allows him to forget about the results of the past three events.

6. CHASE ELLIOTT – 214 PTS
The only thing separating him and the other top guys is the empty win column, and that’s it.

7. JOEY LOGANO – 174 PTS
Beat out Larson, Kyle Busch, and Erik Jones to win XFINITY. Again, what is that series for?

8. JAMIE MCMURRAY – 162 PTS
Three Top Tens in his last four races. Hey, he doesn’t want teammate Larson to feel alone.

9. RYAN BLANEY – 157 PTS
He can say whatever he wants about Junior. Mind you, guess who owns the land he lives on?

10. KEVIN HARVICK – 147 PTS
Harvick better win soon. Heck, Keelan is already wearing Larson gear.

11. CLINT BOWYER – 143 PTS
October 13, 2012. While he is happy for the moment, it has been awhile since that last win.

12. KYLE BUSCH – 136 PTS
Once upon a time, when you mentioned Kyle it meant a guy named Busch.

13. DENNY HAMLIN – 123 PTS
Virginia is for Virginians. That is the slogan going into this weekend for Hamlin.

14. KASEY KAHNE – 122 PTS
Remembering David Steele.

15. ERIK JONES – 116 PTS
Just a win away from a milkshake celebration. Hey, he still is only 20.

16. TREVOR BAYNE – 114 PTS
Anywhere in the Top 15 on Sunday would be moral victory.

17. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 109 PTS
No, Jimmie is not a god. Superman, yes. A god, no.

18. ARIC ALMIROLA – 108 PTS
Andrew Murstein has a drive to win. Richard Petty has 200 as a driver. No pressure, Aric.

19. DANIEL SUAREZ – 102 PTS
We now know why Carl Edwards retired. He just wanted to be a coach.

20. AUSTIN DILLON – 92 PTS
Where is Junior? He is the guy looming large in Dillon’s mirror.

March 29, 2017
Allgaier Triumphs at Phoenix, Wins Dash 4 Cash Prize

By Reid Spencer | NASCAR Wire Service

AVONDALE, Ariz. — Justin Allgaier popped a tire during his celebratory burnout after Saturday’s DC Solar 200 at Phoenix International Raceway.

But you can forgive the driver of the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet if he was a trifle rusty with his donuts — Allgaier hadn’t been to Victory Lane in the NASCAR XFINITY Series since August in 2012 at the road course in Montreal.

On a blistering afternoon that brought emotions to a boil at the 1-mile race track in the Sonoran Desert, Allgaier sailed away with a magnificent restart with four laps left and finished .741 seconds ahead of runner-up Ryan Blaney, who started 33rd after inspection issues kept him off the grid during qualifying earlier in the day.

“You have no idea how proud I am of you,” Allgaier radioed to his team after he crossed the finish line and broke an 80-race drought.

After climbing from the car, Allgaier began to digest what he had just accomplished, not the least of which was claiming the $100,000 bonus in the first Dash 4 Cash race of the season. The victory was Allgaier’s fourth in the series.

“Last year was tough,” Allgaier said of a winless 2016, his first year with JRM. “We had really good runs all year but we weren’t able to get to Victory Lane. This was the same group of guys we had last year, and to be able to do it here in Phoenix and win the first XFINITY Dash 4 Cash race. …

“This is a team effort. We had four really good JR Motorsports hot rods out there.”

In fact, with polesitter William Byron running fourth and series leader Elliott Sadler coming home fifth, JRM put three cars in the top five and four in the top nine (with Michael Annett finishing ninth).

With 10 laps left, contact from Cole Custer’s Ford sent Austin Dillon’s No. 2 Chevrolet hard into the outside wall, collecting Ryan Sieg’s Chevrolet in the process. After caution flew on Lap 191, Dillon rode Custer’s car into the outside wall, earning a summons to the NASCAR hauler for Dillon and crew chief Justin Alexander.

“He over-drove the corner and took us out with it,” Dillon said after exiting the infield care center.

Dillon wasn’t particularly apprehensive about the meeting with NASCAR.

“We’ll probably just have a Coke and discuss things,” he said optimistically.

Custer took full responsibility for the incident.

“It was 100 percent my fault,” said the Sunoco rookie driver. “I got in there too deep, got really loose going in and couldn’t put any wheel into it. That was pretty much it. Just all my fault, something that won’t happen again. We had a great race leading up to that.

“We didn’t start out at all how we wanted to, but by the end, we were probably a fifth to eighth-place car. I thought that was a really good sign for us. I thought we had a really good Haas Automation Ford.

It’s unfortunate I cost us and the 2 car there.”

Under the circumstances, Custer wasn’t surprised at Dillon’s retaliation.

“It definitely sucks for us points-wise, but I guess you can kind of expect that when he gets taken out,” Custer said. “I can understand how frustrated he is about it. It is what it is. I will try not to have that happen again.”

Full race results | Series standings

March 18, 2017
Kyle Busch Wins at Phoenix, as Championship 4 XFINITY Field is Set
By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service

AVONDALE, Ariz. – It was just another routine Saturday at Phoenix International Raceway for Kyle Busch.

But nothing else in the Ticket Galaxy 200 was at all ordinary.

All the drama unfolded behind Busch, as eight drivers scrambled for four positions in the NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase’s Championship 4 Round at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Busch led 190 of 200 laps on the way to his 10th NASCAR XFINITY Series victory of the season, his 10th at the one-mile track and the 86th of his career, extending his own series record.

Busch beat runner-up Austin Dillon to the finish line by 6.115 seconds. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. ran third in his first XFINITY Series start since 2013.

“It means a lot,” said Busch, who won his 170th race across NASCAR’s top three touring series. “That’s what we set out to do tonight, and we’ve been really fast here at Phoenix.

“We’ve had some great race cars and Chris Gayle (crew chief) and all these guys do such a great job each and every week preparing these things – and it’s fun to win here.”

Justin Allgaier and Daniel Suarez secured spots in the Championship 4 with respective fourth and fifth-place finishes, as did Erik Jones, who recovered from a pit road mistake on Lap 93 to finish 10th.

But the real tension waited until after the race, when Elliott Sadler sat anxiously on pit road as NASCAR officials decided whether loose lug nuts would cost Sadler, the 13th-place finisher, the services of his crew chief, Kevin Meendering, in the season finale.

NASCAR found two loose lug nuts, and that means Meendering will serve a suspension next week. Sadler did not know who his crew chief will be at Homestead – though he was lobbying, somewhat facetiously, for team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. to take over the pit box.

“The emotions of the last 30 minutes have been tough,” Sadler said. “We knew one was loose, and one was in question. Kevin’s pretty much become my best friend, and Kevin’s made me a race car driver again this year.

“We’ve saved our Darlington car – our best car – for Homestead. We’ve put all our eggs in that car. We’ve done everything right as a race team to go to Homestead with a legitimate shot of walking away a champion. Now that we know he’s going to be suspended, it’s going to be tough.”

NASCAR XFINITY Series Managing Director Wayne Auton said there was never a possibility of Sadler losing his spot in the Championship 4.

“At the end of the race, we bring all the cars down to the entrance of pit road for inspection of the wheels and the lug nuts,” Auton said. “We observed that the No. 1 car had two lug nuts not secured to the wheel. With that being said, all the teams were very much aware at the start of the Chase of the violations that could come about.

“We’ve advised the team that they’re going to be looking for a crew chief for next week and a monetary fine of about $10,000. It’s clearly in the 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series rule book.”

Blake Koch finished eighth and lost the final Championship 4 position to Sadler by four points. Joining Koch on the Chase sidelines were Ryan Reed, who finished sixth, and Brendan Gaughan and Darrell Wallace Jr., who were wrecked and eliminated before the race was 150 laps old.

Gaughan, who needed a victory to advance to Homestead, was playing fuel strategy when his right front tire went flat on the frontstretch on Lap 138. Gaughan pounded the Turn 1 wall and retired in 35th place.

“It was about to play out the way we wanted,” Gaughan said after exiting the infield care center. “Did not want to be the caution. Did not want to hit that hard – but we took a shot.”

Wallace’s grandmother had passed away during the week before the race, and the No. 6 Ford carried her name, “Granny Jan,” above the driver’s door. On Lap 148, Koch ducked to the inside off Turn 4 and knocked Wallace’s Mustang into the inside frontstretch wall.

“My grandmother was giving me the ride of my life,” Wallace said, his voice breaking with emotion. “That was the most fun I have had all year. Just circumstances took us out. It’s just hard. Thanks, Granny, I love you. We will go on to Homestead and let her ride again.”

NASCAR XFINITY Series Race – Ticket Galaxy 200
Phoenix International Raceway
Avondale, Arizona
Saturday, November 12, 2016
1. (1) Kyle Busch(i), Toyota, 200.
2. (8) Austin Dillon(i), Chevrolet, 200.
3. (13) Ricky Stenhouse Jr(i), Ford, 200.
4. (9) Justin Allgaier (C), Chevrolet, 200.
5. (6) Daniel Suarez (C), Toyota, 200.
6. (3) Ryan Reed (C), Ford, 200.
7. (22) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 200.
8. (4) Blake Koch (C), Chevrolet, 200.
9. (11) Brad Keselowski(i), Ford, 200.
10. (2) Erik Jones (C) #, Toyota, 200.
11. (14) Brennan Poole #, Chevrolet, 200.
12. (17) Aric Almirola(i), Ford, 200.
13. (10) Elliott Sadler (C), Chevrolet, 200.
14. (15) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 200.
15. (19) Justin Marks, Chevrolet, 200.
16. (20) Cole Whitt(i), Toyota, 200.
17. (24) JJ Yeley, Toyota, 199.
18. (16) Brandon Jones #, Chevrolet, 199.
19. (12) Dakoda Armstrong, Toyota, 199.
20. (21) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 199.
21. (30) Brandon Gdovic, Chevrolet, 199.
22. (26) Ryan Preece #, Chevrolet, 199.
23. (33) Alex Labbe, Chevrolet, 197.
24. (32) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 197.
25. (36) BJ McLeod #, Ford, 197.
26. (37) Brandon Hightower, Dodge, 196.
27. (35) Austin Theriault(i), Chevrolet, 196.
28. (40) Josh Bilicki, Chevrolet, 191.
29. (39) Mike Harmon, Dodge, 190.
30. (38) DJ Kennington, Ford, Engine, 165.
31. (23) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, Accident, 150.
32. (5) Darrell Wallace Jr (C), Ford, Accident, 148.
33. (18) Corey LaJoie, Toyota, Accident, 148.
34. (34) Garrett Smithley #, Chevrolet, Accident, 145.
35. (25) Brendan Gaughan (C), Chevrolet, Accident, 136.
36. (27) Ray Black Jr #, Chevrolet, Accident, 103.
37. (28) Jeff Green, Ford, Accident, 90.
38. (7) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, Accident, 54.
39. (31) Timmy Hill(i), Toyota, Brakes, 14.
40. (29) Matt DiBenedetto(i), Toyota, Vibration, 3.
Average Speed of Race Winner: 97.31 mph.
Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 03 Mins, 19 Secs. Margin of Victory: 6.115 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 6 for 39 laps.
Lead Changes: 6 among 4 drivers.

Lap Leaders: K. Busch(i) 0; E. Jones (C) # 1-3; K. Busch(i) 4-95; T. Dillon 96-100; K. Busch(i) 101-152; J. Allgaier (C) 153-154; K. Busch(i) 155-200.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): K. Busch(i) 3 times for 190 laps; T. Dillon 1 time for 5 laps; E. Jones (C) # 1 time for 3 laps; J. Allgaier (C) 1 time for 2 laps.

Top 10 in Points: D. Suarez (C) – 3,111; E. Sadler (C) – 3,102; E. Jones (C) # – 3,097; J. Allgaier (C) – 3,096; B. Koch (C) – 3,092; R. Reed (C) – 3,089; D. Wallace Jr (C) – 3,048; B. Gaughan (C) – 3,032; B. Poole # – 2,178; T. Dillon – 2,174.
November 12, 2016
The Final Word – Welcome to Indianapolis, welcome to Kyle’s world

It was the Brickyard 400, presented by Kyle Busch. He led the first lap, he led the last one and led most of the laps in between. If the focal point of a race is at the front, if the drama of a race is to see who is leading the way, this competition was pretty much done when they waved the green flag. In short, Busch kicked their combined asses to take his fourth of the season, the 38th of his career, and his second consecutive Brickyard.

Oh, Kyle also won Saturday’s junior circuit race. 38 Cup wins, 83 junior wins, 45 truck wins (albeit in a series no longer broadcast to Canada), 166 victories in all. Man, that looks impressive, until you remember that all but five of them were claimed after he became a full-time major leaguer. That’s 123 wins against minor-league opposition, almost all on the same weekends and the same tracks the big boys (and girls) ran. That begs the question, just what in the hell is the point to the XFINITY and Camping World Truck series? If the inclusion of Cup guys is to draw out fans to see the spectacle of the top dogs slumming, it sure is not working. I believe there were more folks working the various concessions than were in the grandstands at Indianapolis. It was downright embarrassing. Still, I guess there are some who do not mind being embarrassed, while at the same time the vast majority of us are allowed to do other things with our Friday and Saturday afternoons.

By the way, Daniel Suarez, Elliott Sadler, Ty Dillon, Justin Allgaier, and Erik Jones are the top five guys in the XFINITY series at present. They have a combined four wins between them in 18 events. Kyle Busch has won seven in 11 starts. Watching those who dream of moving up and those wrapping up their careers in moving down, play second fiddle every damn week to the moonlighters from the Show, is obviously no longer of interest for a vast majority of us. Good Lord. So ends my sermon. Amen.

Sunday brought us the final appearances at the venue of Tony Stewart and, as it turned out, Jeff Gordon once again. The FOX announcer suspended his brief retirement to substitute for the ailing Dale Earnhardt Jr. for a couple of races, finishing 13th while Stewart came home two spots better. The Columbus, Indiana native made one hell of a move on that opening lap to move into second. I wonder if Kyle saw it in his rear view mirror?

Due to his absence, Junior drops out of a Chase place. Kyle Larson is 11 points ahead, with even Kasey Kahne sitting a point ahead of Earnhardt, who now is 18th in the derby. Jamie McMurray got a piece of the late race troubles, winding up 19th but remains 26 points to the good in 15th place. A quartet who have drifted almost out of touch were Trevor Bayne (30th), Ryan Blaney (36th), A.J. Allmendinger (38th), and Greg Biffle (39th). Not a good day to experience bad tidings.

As a television event, it was not bad. The final dozen laps were downright exciting, as wrecks often are. Too bad it was a one horse pony show. Too bad only 50,000 folks, according to one news source, bothered to turn out to this “crown jewel” NASCAR event. Compare that to the 300,000 who took in the Indianapolis 500 in May. Just imagine how many, or few, took in Saturday’s preliminary contest.

Next Sunday, it is the triangle known as Pocono. Gordon leads the way with six career wins there, so a seventh would be a nice way to go out one more time. He was third last year. A dozen others on this weekend’s grid all have shared the winning experience there at this two-race venue. Biffle and Kahne could use another one about now.

As for Kyle Busch, he is 0 for 23 at Pocono, with a pair of runner-up finishes. He was 31st in June. I should mention that brother Kurt Busch has three wins, so if any ole Busch will do, you might be in luck. Back in June, both Chase Elliott and Matt Kenseth ran strong, but it was Kurt who led the final 32 laps for the victory.

Now, if Kurt is not your boy, I have sad news. With the XFINITY series running Saturday in Iowa, Kyle might not be running. I am truly sorry.

July 25, 2016
On old rubber, Kyle Busch continues phenomenal roll at Brickyard
By Reid Spencer

SPEEDWAY, Ind. – About the only thing Kyle Busch didn’t win on Saturday was the one prize he wasn’t eligible for.

But the driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota won everything else, capping a phenomenal day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a victory in the Lilly Diabetes 250 NASCAR XFINITY Series race—and he did so with tires that were 23 laps older than those of his pursuers.

Busch led 62 of 63 laps but had to hold off Kevin Harvick on a two-lap dash in overtime to win for the third time at the Brickyard, the seventh time in 11 starts this season and the 83rd time in his career, extending his series record.

The XFINITY race was actually the fourth competition Busch won on Saturday. First, he won the top starting spot for the Lilly Diabetes 250, the 54th pole of his career. Next, he won the pole position for Sunday’s Crown Royal 400 (3 p.m. ET on NBCSN), one of the marquee NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events of the season.

After that Busch led all 20 laps and took the checkered flag in the first heat race under the XFINITY Series’ final Dash 4 Cash event of the season.

Busch didn’t win the $100,000 Dash 4 Cash bonus, a prize available only to series regulars. That check went to Justin Allgaier, who rolled home in fifth place, the highest finisher among the four drivers who earned eligibility in the heat races.

Busch, however, has one more mountain to climb. On Sunday, he’ll attempt to complete his second straight weekend sweep at the vaunted Brickyard.

Busch held off Harvick, third-place finisher Paul Menard and fourth-place Kyle Larson even though Busch had stayed out on old rubber while those behind him pitted for new tires under the first caution on Lap 50.

“The new tires for those guys were good for them but not so good for us,” Busch said. “I just dug in deep and gave it everything I had. I knew I had to get really good restarts. On the second-to-last one (on Lap 54), I got a really good one, and then the last one (on lap 62 in overtime), it was OK.

“I got an OK one, and I saw Harvick pull out… but he never got alongside of me. I never felt him close enough that he was going to pull alongside. … It’s a pretty awesome feeling to be able to go back to Victory Lane here this year. We’re sitting on the pole tomorrow, and hopefully, we can have another sweep here.”

Busch had a lead of more than eight seconds on Lap 48 of a scheduled 60 when JGR teammate Erik Jones, the wire-to-wire winner of the second heat race, blew a right rear tire entering Turn 1 and spun, causing the afternoon’s first caution.

While Busch and series leader Daniel Suarez stayed out on old tires, the remaining eight lead-lap cars came to pit road. Busch survived the restart on lap 54, but a lap later, ay Black Jr. and Harrison Rhodes wrecked off Turn 2 to bring put the second yellow and force the overtime.

On the Lap 62 restart, Harvick pushed Larson, then ducked to the inside but was reluctant to take a bad angle into the first corner. As Harvick and Larson battled briefly for second, Busch pulled away and ultimately crossed the finish line .411 seconds ahead of Harvick’s No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet.

“I really thought I could beat him down the backstretch if I got off of (Turn) 2 well and could clear the 42 (Larson),” Harvick said. “I got to the inside and kind of hit the chip and decided to hold the line up a little bit and try to get a run, and the 42 got stuck on the outside and that ruined my plan.

“But our goal was to overachieve today, and we did that and capitalized on some situations and had a couple of good restarts and wound up second. All in all, it wasn’t a bad day.”

Just nowhere near as good as the one Busch had.

NASCAR XFINITY Series Race – Lilly Diabetes 250
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Speedway, Indiana
Saturday, July 23, 2016
1. (1) Kyle Busch(i), Toyota, 63.
2. (4) Kevin Harvick(i), Chevrolet, 63.
3. (8) Paul Menard(i), Chevrolet, 63.
4. (3) Kyle Larson(i), Chevrolet, 63.
5. (6) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 63.
6. (9) Elliott Sadler, Chevrolet, 63.
7. (7) Daniel Suarez, Toyota, 63.
8. (5) Joey Logano(i), Ford, 63.
9. (12) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 63.
10. (13) Brandon Jones #, Chevrolet, 63.
11. (10) Brennan Poole #, Chevrolet, 63.
12. (11) Jeb Burton, Ford, 63.
13. (15) Ryan Reed, Ford, 62.
14. (14) Darrell Wallace Jr, Ford, 62.
15. (17) Blake Koch, Chevrolet, 62.
16. (16) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, 62.
17. (19) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 62.
18. (18) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 62.
19. (21) JJ Yeley, Toyota, 62.
20. (20) Dakoda Armstrong, Toyota, 62.
21. (22) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 62.
22. (2) Erik Jones #, Toyota, 62.
23. (25) Garrett Smithley #, Chevrolet, 61.
24. (30) David Starr, Chevrolet, 61.
25. (27) Ryan Preece #, Chevrolet, 61.
26. (28) BJ McLeod #, Ford, 61.
27. (26) Brandon Gdovic, Chevrolet, 60.
28. (38) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 60.
29. (32) Mario Gosselin, Chevrolet, 60.
30. (34) Ryan Ellis, Chevrolet, 60.
31. (31) Stanton Barrett, Chevrolet, 59.
32. (36) Derrike Cope, Chevrolet, 58.
33. (24) Ray Black Jr #, Chevrolet, Accident, 52.
34. (29) Harrison Rhodes, Toyota, Accident, 51.
35. (33) Mike Harmon, Dodge, Too Slow, 32.
36. (23) Jeff Green, Toyota, Rear Gear, 31.
37. (35) Morgan Shepherd, Chevrolet, Handling, 17.
38. (39) Matt DiBenedetto(i), Toyota, Brakes, 13.
39. (37) Timmy Hill(i), Dodge, Vibration, 9.
40. (40) Todd Peck, Ford, Engine, 0.
Average Speed of Race Winner: 136.298 mph.

Time of Race: 01 Hrs, 09 Mins, 20 Secs. Margin of Victory: 0.411 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 2 for 10 laps.
Lead Changes: 2 among 2 drivers.
Lap Leaders: K. Busch(i) 1-27; B. Gaughan 28; K. Busch(i) 29-63.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): K. Busch(i) 2 times for 62 laps; B. Gaughan 1 time for 1 lap.

Top 10 in Points: D. Suarez – 608; E. Sadler – 594; T. Dillon – 558; J. Allgaier – 542; E. Jones # – 539; B. Gaughan – 535; B. Jones # – 520; B. Poole # – 519; D. Wallace Jr – 486; R. Reed – 433.
July 23, 2016