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  • Allgaier cruises to a dominant Xfinity Series victory at Nashville

    Allgaier cruises to a dominant Xfinity Series victory at Nashville

    Justin Allgaier outlasted the warm humidity surrounding the state of Tennessee by scoring a dominant NASCAR Xfinity Series win in the Tennessee Lottery 250 at Nashville Superspeedway on Saturday, June 25.

    The 36-year-old Allgaier from Riverton, Illinois, led five times for a race-high 134 of 188 laps, including the final 40. He swept both stages en route to his second Xfinity victory of the 2022 season and his first at Nashville after beating runner-up Trevor Bayne by four-and-a-half seconds.

    With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring Saturday, Riley Herbst started on pole position for the second time in his career after posting a pole-winning lap at 156.665 mph in 30.562 seconds. Joining him on the front row was AJ Allmendinger, winner of the previous Xfinity event at Portland International Raceway who posted a qualifying lap at 156.200 mph in 30.653 seconds.

    Prior to the event, Tyler Reddick started at the rear of the field due to an engine change. Natalie Decker also dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments made to her car.

    When the green flag waved and the race started, Herbst and Allmendinger dueled early for the lead through the first two turns until Allmendinger gained the advantage on the outside lane in Turn 3 to take the lead as he led the first lap. Behind, the field fanned out and jostled for positions through the frontstretch as Allmendinger stabilized his early advantage over Herbst.

    By the fifth lap, Allmendinger was leading by nearly eight-tenths of a second over Herbst followed by Trevor Bayne, rookie Austin Hill and Justin Allgaier while Jeb Burton, Josh Berry, Daniel Hemric, Noah Gragson and Brandon Jones were in the top 10.

    At the Lap 10 mark, Allmendinger continued to lead by a second over Herbst while Allgaier continued his march to the front as he battled Bayne for third place. Behind, Hill remained in fifth while Gragson, Brandon Jones and Ty Gibbs battled for ninth.

    Five laps later, Allgaier muscled his No, 7 Hellmann’s Chevrolet Camaro to the runner-up spot after he overtook Herbst’s No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang. Another four laps later, Allgaier emerged as the second leader of the event after he overtook Allmendinger’s No. 16 Nutrien Ag Solutions Chevrolet Camaro for the top spot. 

    Through the first 35 laps of the event, Allgaier extended his advantage to more than four seconds over both Allmendinger and Herbst as Hill and Bayne joined the battle in the top five. Meanwhile, Berry was in sixth while Jeb Burton, Ty Gibbs, Brandon Jones and Hemric were in the top 10. Sam Mayer was in 11th ahead of teammate Noah Gragson, Landon Cassill, Ryan Preece and Jeffrey Earnhardt while rookie Sheldon Creed, Brett Moffitt, Ryan Sieg, Brandon Brown and Kyle Weatherman were in the top 20.

    When the first stage concluded on Lap 45, Allgaier, who continued to extend his advantage to six seconds, captured his fourth stage victory of the 2022 Xfinity season. Bayne made his way into the runner-up spot followed by Herbst, Allmendinger, Hill, Berry, Gibbs, Brandon Jones, Mayer and Gragson.

    Under the stage break, the field led by Allgaier pitted as Allgaier exited with the lead followed by teammate Berry, Brandon Jones, Allmendinger, Gibbs and Hill. Following the pit stops, Kaulig Racing’s Allmendinger, Cassill and Hemric were penalized for speeding on pit road along with Sheldon Creed and Kyle Sieg. Jeb Burton was also penalized due to an equipment interference while Bayne endured a slow pit stop due to Herbst hitting Bayne’s crew member.

    The second stage started on Lap 52 as teammates Allgaier and Berry occupied the front row. At the start and with the field fanning out, Allgaier rocketed away with the lead while Gibbs battled Berry for the runner-up spot. Behind, teammate Mayer along with Brandon Jones, Herbst and Hill battled towards the front as Allgaier checked away from the field.

    By Lap 60, Allgaier was leading by seven-tenths of a second over Gibbs followed by Mayer, Herbst and Hill while Berry, Gragson, Bayne, Brandon Jones and Ryan Preece were running in the top 10. By then, Allmendinger was mired in 13th, Tyler Reddick was up in 16th and Hemric was back in 22nd.

    At the Lap 75 mark, Allgaier extended his advantage to nearly one-and-a-half seconds over Gibbs while Mayer, Herbst and Bayne remained in the top five. Meanwhile, Hill was back in 10th while Preece made his way up to eighth. Allmendinger could only make his way back up to 11th while Hemric was mired in 17th ahead of teammate Landon Cassill.

    When the second stage concluded on Lap 90, Allgaier claimed his fifth stage victory of this season and swept both stages of the event in Nashville after beating Gibbs by more than two seconds. Gibbs settled in second followed by Mayer, Herbst, Bayne, Gragson, Berry, Brandon Jones, Preece and Hill.

    Under the stage break, the leaders led by Allgaier returned to pit road as Gibbs edged Allgaier to emerge with the lead followed by Bayne, Gragson, Herbst and Mayer. Following the pit stops, Mayer and Anthony Alfredo were penalized for speeding on pit road.

    With 92 laps remaining, the final stage commenced. At the start, Allgaier and Gibbs dueled for the lead through the backstretch until Allgaier retained the lead approaching Turn 4. Behind, Bayne and Hill battled for third in front of a flurry of competitors led by Brandon Jones. 

    Back at the front, Gibbs reignited his battle for the lead against Allgaier as he swapped the top spot with the JR Motorsports veteran before he assumed the lead with 89 laps remaining. Allgaier, however, fought back during the following lap as the battle between him and Gibbs continued to ignite. Behind, Bayne trailed by eight-tenths of a second while Brandon Jones, Hill and Allmendinger, who rallied from his early pit road speeding penalty, battled for spots in the top five.

    With 83 laps remaining, the caution flew when Berry slipped sideways and spun off the front nose of Preece through the backstretch. During the caution period, some like Ryan Sieg, Brandon Brown, Alfredo and Berry pitted while the rest led by Allgaier remained on the track.

    Four laps later, the race proceeded under green, At the start, Allgaier gained another strong start to retain the lead while Joe Gibbs Racing’s Bayne and Ty Gibbs battled for the runner-up spot. Behind, Hill was in fourth ahead of Hemric, who recovered from his early pit road speeding penalty, while a three-wide action occurred between Gragson, Creed and Jeb Burton.

    Then with 72 laps remaining, the caution returned when Jeffrey Earnhardt made contact while battling Creed as he spun off of Turn 4 while being dodged by the field. During the caution period, a majority of the field led by Allgaier pitted while the rest led by Allmendinger remained on the track. Following the pit stops, Preece and Bayne were penalized for equipment interference.

    With 66 laps remaining, the race restarted under green as Allmendinger and Brandon Jones occupied the front row. At the start, Allmendinger took off with the lead followed by Jones and Gragson as the field fanned out. 

    Then during the following lap, the caution flew when Jeb Burton made contact and turned Creed sideways into the outside wall in Turn 1 as Joe Graf Jr. was also involved.

    When the race restarted under green with 58 laps remaining, Allmendinger fended Brandon Jones to retain the lead as Allgaier bolted his way towards the front on four fresh tires. Meanwhile, Gragson remained in third ahead of Hemric and Gibbs while Cassill, Mayer, Ryan Sieg and Tyler Reddick were in the top 10. Shortly after, Myatt Snider spun behind the leaders, but the race proceeded under green.

    Four laps later, the battle for the lead between Brandon Jones and Allmendinger ignited as Jones made his move beneath Allmendinger’s No. 16 Chevrolet through the turns. The former, however, was able to fend off the challenges entering the straightaways as Gragson joined the battle. Meanwhile, Allgaier battled and overtook Gibbs for fourth place.

    With less than 50 laps remaining, Allmendinger stabilized his advantage to nearly half a second over Brandon Jones while third-place Gragson trailed by nearly seven-tenths of a second. Allgaier and Gibbs remained in the top five followed by Mayer while Hemric, Herbst, Bayne, Hill and Cassill battled within the top 10.

    Then with 42 laps remaining, contact ensued between rivals Gibbs and Mayer as Mayer got into the left-rear quarter panel of Gibbs’ No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota Supra entering Turn 4 while both were battling in the top five. With Gibbs sideways, he made contact with Mayer’s No. 1 Huck’s Market Chevrolet Camaro and both competitors bumped and rubbed fenders before both managed to continue running straight as the race proceeded under green. The contact placed Mayer in fifth while Gibbs fell back to eighth behind Herbst.

    Back at the front, Allgaier reassumed the lead with 37 laps remaining after tracking and overtaking Allmendinger on four fresh tires while Brandon Jones and Gragson settled in third and fourth.

    With 30 laps remaining, the battle for the runner-up spot ensued as Gragson overtook Brandon Jones before he issued his challenge on Allmendinger. With Allgaier checking out and leading by nearly four seconds, Bayne, who rallied from his late pit road penalty, made his way into the top five as he then overtook teammate Brandon Jones for fourth place.

    Down to the final 20 laps of the event, Allgaier continued to lead by more than three seconds over Bayne, who made his way into the runner-up spot, while Gragson, Herbst and Brandon Jones were in the top five. Shortly after, however, Gragson, who had not pitted since the conclusion of the second stage, pitted for four fresh tires and fuel. Brandon Jones would soon pit along with Allmendinger, Hemric and Cassill.

    With 10 laps remaining, Allgaier remained as the leader by more than nearly four seconds over Bayne while Herbst, Gibbs and Mayer were up in the top five. By then, Preece was in sixth followed by Hill, Jeffrey Earnhardt, Ryan Sieg and Brett Moffitt.

    When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Allgaier stabilized his advantage to four seconds over Bayne. Having a clear racetrack in front of him with a dominant race car, Allgaier was able to cycle his way back to the finish line and claim his second checkered flag of the 2022 Xfinity season.

    With his second victory of the season and first at Nashville, Allgaier recorded his 18th career win in the Xfinity Series, his 15th driving for JR Motorsports, as he became the fifth multi-winner of this year’s Xfinity season.

    “What a heck of a race,” Allgaier said on USA Network. “I’ve been coming here a long time and love this racetrack, and have been trying to go to Victory Lane so bad and haven’t been able to do it. Today was for the dirt racers, though, ‘cause it was slick, it was hot. We were sliding around. Just proud of this team, everybody at JR Motorsports, the Hendrick engine shop…These black marks [burnouts], they never get old. That’s the best race car I’ve ever had. This series is just so much fun right now. Man, that was a good race. ”

    Bayne, a native of Knoxville, Tennessee, came home in the runner-up spot for his third top-five result in his fifth series start of the season while Herbst, Ty Gibbs and Mayer finished in the top five.

    “I think I’ve learned a lot of perspective in the last three years,” Bayne said. “I’m still frustrated and upset right now with second because we had a winning car. I felt like I did everything I could to do today. We drove to second three times and just kept getting ourself in pit road with [Herbst] clipping our guys. Nothing my guys can do about that, but then, we had a tire get away, went all the way to the back on that last run and drove to second. Catching Allgaier, my buddy Gator, congrats to him. Proud of him, happy for him, but I wanted that guitar really bad. The thing is I’m thankful to be here, thankful to have the opportunity to drive these cars. You can see how pink I am. That’s pushing hard those last 20 laps…It’s all we could do, man. We just got to clean it up. If you’re gonna win, you got to be perfect.”

    “Our Ford Mustang was really good,” Herbst said. “We got the pole and we wanted to lead some laps. Unfortunately, we didn’t lead any laps. We got quite a bit of stage points, which we needed. It’s just a really good day for everybody at Stewart-Haas Racing and myself included. I’m proud of all these guys on the No. 98 team. Just keep doing these runs and we’ll eventually get there. Just keep knocking on the door. Eventually, it will open.”

    Preece, winner of Friday night’s Truck Series event at Nashville, ended up in sixth place while Jeffrey Earnhardt, Hill, Ryan Sieg and Moffitt completed the top 10. 

    Notably, Gragson, Brandon Jones, Allmendinger, Hemric and Cassill finished 13th, 14th, 16th, 17th and 18th following their late pit stops.

    There were 13 lead changes for five different leaders. The race featured five cautions for 27 laps.

    With 11 races remaining in the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series regular-season stretch, AJ Allmendinger leads the regular-season standings by 25 points over Ty Gibbs, 32 over Justin Allgaier, 42 over Noah Gragson and 75 over Josh Berry.

    Ty Gibbs, Noah Gragson, Justin Allgaier, Josh Berry, AJ Allmendinger, Brandon Jones and rookie Austin Hill are currently guaranteed spots for the 2022 Xfinity Playoffs based on winning once throughout the regular season stretch while Sam Mayer, Riley Herbst, Daniel Hemric, Landon Cassill and Ryan Sieg occupy the remaining vacant spots to the Playoffs based on points. Anthony Alfredo trails the top-12 cutline to the Playoffs by 69 points, Brett Moffitt trails by 72, Brandon Brown trails by 74, Jeb Burton trails by 93, Sheldon Creed trails by 100, Myatt Snider trails by 116, Alex Labbe trails by 141 and Jeremy Clements trails by 160.

    Results.

    1. Justin Allgaier, 134 laps led, Stage 1 & 2 winner

    2. Trevor Bayne

    3. Riley Herbst

    4. Ty Gibbs, four laps led

    5. Sam Mayer

    6. Ryan Preece

    7. Jeffrey Earnhardt

    8. Austin Hill

    9. Ryan Sieg

    10. Brett Moffitt

    11. Brandon Brown

    12. Parker Retzlaff

    13. Noah Gragson, one lap down

    14. Brandon Jones, one lap down, one lap led

    15. Stefan Parsons, one lap won

    16. AJ Allmendinger, one lap down, 48 laps led

    17. Daniel Hemric, one lap down

    18. Landon Cassill, one lap down

    19. Ryan Vargas, one lap down

    20. Anthony Alfredo, one lap down

    21. Tyler Reddick, two laps down

    22. Jeremy Clements, two laps down

    23. Alex Labbe, two laps down

    24. Ryan Ellis, three laps down

    25. Kyle Sieg, three laps down

    26. Patrick Emerling, three laps down

    27. Myatt Snider, three laps down

    28. BJ McLeod, three laps down

    29. Josh Berry, four łaps down

    30. Dillon Bassett, six laps down

    31. Bayley Currey, seven laps down

    32. Natalie Decker, seven laps down

    33. JJ Yeley, 31 laps down

    34. Josh Williams – OUT, Electrical

    35. Jeb Burton – OUT, Accident

    36. Sheldon Creed – OUT, Accident

    37. Joe Graf Jr. – OUT, Accident

    38. Kyle Weatherman – OUT, Power

    Next on the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule is the series’ 13th consecutive, annual visit to Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, which will occur on Saturday, July 2, at 2:30 p.m. ET on USA Network.

  • Sammy Smith joins Joe Gibbs Racing for eight-race Xfinity deal in 2022

    Sammy Smith joins Joe Gibbs Racing for eight-race Xfinity deal in 2022

    Joe Gibbs Racing announced the addition of Sammy Smith to its NASCAR Xfinity Series program for eight events this season, beginning in July.

    The 18-year-old Smith from Johnston, Iowa, will be making his Xfinity Series debut in JGR’s No. 18 Toyota Supra at Road America (July 2). His other starts will occur at Pocono Raceway (July 23), Michigan International Speedway (August 6), Watkins Glen International (August 20), Kansas Speedway (September 10), Bristol Motor Speedway (September 16), Martinsville Speedway (October 29) and at Phoenix Raceway (November 5). Veteran Jason Ratcliff will be serving as Smith’s crew chief while Pilot Flying J, TMC, Allstate Peterbilt Group, Renda Group and Sinclair Tractors will all be serving as sponsors for Smith throughout his Xfinity campaign.

    “I’m excited for the opportunity to run the No. 18 Toyota GR Supra for Joe Gibbs Racing,” Smith said. “Making the jump to this level is huge for me and my career, and I’m thankful for all of my partners and supporters that have helped me get here.”

    Smith, whose racing career began at age 8 through go-karts before moving up to legends cars and late models, is the reigning champion of the ARCA Menards Series East, having won three events and winning the both the drivers’ title and the Rookie-of-the-Year title while competing for Joe Gibbs Racing. He is currently competing in his second full-time season in the series for Kyle Busch Motorsports, where he has racked up three wins through the first four scheduled events and leads the drivers’ standings by nine points over David Gilliland Racing’s Taylor Gray. His next scheduled ARCA Menards Series East event is this weekend at Iowa Speedway, which will be a combined event between the ARCA Menards Series and the ARCA Menards Series East and occur on June 11.

    “Sammy has impressed at every level of his racing career,” Steve DeSouza, Executive Vice President/Xfinity Series for Joe Gibbs Racing, said. “We believe Sammy will continue to excel and look forward to supporting him as he expands his 2022 schedule to include eight races in the Xfinity Series with the Joe Gibbs Racing No.18 team led by crew chief Jason Ratcliff.”

    With Smith’s Xfinity debut set, he will also become the seventh different competitor to pilot Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 18 Toyota Supra that has been piloted by Trevor Bayne, Drew Dollar, Connor Mosack, John Hunter Nemechek, Ryan Truex and Bubba Wallace through the first 14 scheduled Xfinity events. The No. 18 team led by Ratcliff sits in 12th place in the 2022 Xfinity owners’ standings on the strength of three top-five results and six top-10 results.

    The Xfinity Series is currently entering a two-week break and wil return to action at Nashville Superspeedway on June 27 with Bayne set to compete in the event in JGR’s No. 18 entry.

    Sammy Smith’s debut in the NASCAR Xfinity Series is set to occur at Road America on July 2 with the event’s coverage to occur at 2:30 p.n. ET on USA Network.

  • Allmendinger survives to win the inaugural Xfinity Series event at Portland

    Allmendinger survives to win the inaugural Xfinity Series event at Portland

    From last place to Victory Lane, AJ Allmendinger persevered over a four-lap shootout and a battle with Myatt Snider to win the inaugural Pacific Office Automation 147 at Portland International Raceway on Saturday, June 4.

    The 40-year-old Allmendinger from Los Gatos, California, led twice for a total of six of 75 laps and rallied from going off the course and making an unscheduled pit stop to clean his grille, where he eventually lost a lap to the leaders and went off course a few more times throughout the event, to methodically carve his way back to the front and place himself in late contention for the win while a majority of the field endured a series of on-track carnages around the 12-turn circuit amid wet conditions. Then during a four-lap restart to the finish, Allmendinger battled, bumped and overtook Snider to take the lead as he went on to grab the wildest victory of his racing career.

    Following a rain-shortened on-track qualifying session on Friday, Anthony Alfredo notched his first career pole position after notching a pole-winning lap at 93.229 mph in 76.071 seconds. Joining him on the front row was rookie Austin Hill, who clocked in a qualifying lap at 92.973 mph in 76.280 seconds.

    Prior to the event, the following competitors that included Ryan Vargas, Josh Berry, AJ Allmendinger, Myatt Snider, Darren Dilley, Ryan Sieg and Mason Filippi dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments to their respective cars. In addition, Noah Gragson started at the rear of the field after wrecking his primary car during Friday’s practice session along with Josh Williams, who missed the driver introductions.

    When the green flag waved and the race started amid wet conditions, Daniel Hemric made a three-wide move on both Alfredo and Hill to assume the lead through the first two turns. Through the first two turns, however, Alfredo and Hill missed the turn and went off the course while Sam Mayer was turned and spun as the field stacked up. As the field continued to run under green, AJ Allmendinger, who went off the course while coming to the green flag and got grass over his grille, made an unscheduled pit stop.

    Following the completion of the first lap and through the 12-turn circuit amid the wet conditions, Creed, who overtook Alfredo for the lead, led the first lap followed by Gibbs and Hemric while Alfredo and Hill were in the top five. Connor Mosack, who was making his Xfinity Series debut in Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 18 Toyota Supra, was in sixth followed by Brett Moffitt, Riley Herbst, Jeremy Clements and Justin Allgaier.

    During the second lap, Gibbs, who battled Creed throughout the circuit, moved into the lead, where he went on to lead the lap, while Hemric, Hill and Moffitt were in the top five. By then, Allmendinger went off the course in Turn 5 as he lost more ground to the leaders.

    Two laps later, Justin Allgaier spun and went off the course in Turn 5 while running in the top 10, though the race continued to run under green.

    By the fifth lap, Gibbs continued to lead by nearly four seconds over Creed followed by Hill, Moffitt and Hemric while Connor Mosack. Riley Herbst, Jeb Burton, Alfredo and Parker Chase were scored in the top 10.

    Through the first 10 scheduled laps, Gibbs remained out in front by more than 12 seconds over Creed followed by Hill, Moffitt and Mosack. By then, Allmendinger was lapped by the field in 32nd place. In addition, Noah Gragson went off the course in Turn 5 while running in the top 15.

    Three laps later, the first caution of the event flew due to Mayer slowing on the track as he sustained front-end damage after running into the rear of Alex Labbe due to Labbe reducing his pace while trying to avoid a spinning Brandon Jones. The damage was enough to end Mayer’s event on pit road and with a damaged race car.

    When the race restarted on Lap 16, Gibbs rubbed and fended off Creed and Hill to retain the lead through the first two turns. As the field made their way back to the start/finish line, Gibbs was ahead by two seconds over Creed followed by Hill, Moffitt and Riley Herbst while Mosack, Hemric, Cassill, Jeb Burton and Alex Labbe were in the top 10.

    During the following lap, Creed went off course and spun in Turn 4 as he dropped out of the top 10 while Hill, Herbst, Connor Mosack and Hemric moved up the leaderboard behind Gibbs.

    At the Lap 20 mark, Gibbs extended his advantage to more than 10 seconds over Hill while Herbst, Mosack and Hemric remained in the top five. By then, Brandon Jones and Gragson missed the chicane and served a brief “stop and go” penalty on the course before continuing under green.

    When the first stage concluded on Lap 25, Gibbs claimed his third stage victory of the 2022 Xfinity season. Hill settled in second followed by Mosack, Hemric, Moffitt, Alex Labbe, Gragson, Cassill, Brandon Jones and Justin Allgaier. By then, the on-track carnages under the slick conditions continued as Allgaier, Riley Herbst and Allmendinger had slipped off the course earlier.

    During the stage break, the competitors pitted and the crew members were given three minutes to service the cars with the competitors maintaining their positions from the first stage.

    The second stage started on Lap 26 as Gibbs retained the lead ahead of Hill, Mosack and the field. Through Turns 3 and 4, however, chaos ensued when Riley Herbst got turned by Creed as he was then hit by Gray Gaulding. With Matt Jackal and Darren Dilley also involved, the caution returned.

    When the race proceeded under green on Lap 31, Gibbs maintained the lead ahead of Hill and Connor Mosack as the field made their way through the first two turns before entering Turns 3 and 4. During the following lap, Hill missed the chicane while running in third place. In the process, Clements went off the course in Turn 4 while Ryan Sieg spun on the course. 

    As the on-track carnage continued with Labbe, Hemric and Moffitt all going off the course in their separate incidents, the caution flew due to mud between Turns 11 and 12 on Lap 39. At the same time, Jesse Iwuji was parked for two laps in his pit stall after turning the leader Gibbs on the track.

    When the race proceeded under green on Lap 43, another stack-up towards the front resulted with Brandon Jones getting hit and spinning in Turn 1 while Gragson challenged and overtook Gibbs to lead. Then in Turn 5, Gibbs bumped into, and turned, Gragson’s No. 9 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet Camaro in Turn 5 as Creed took the lead. Shortly after, however, Creed and Gibbs got together in Turn 12 and spun while battling for the lead as the No. 44 Alpha Prime Racing Chevrolet Camaro piloted by road-course ringer Andy Lally emerged with the lead. 

    By Lap 45, Clements spun in Turn 11 and Moffitt spun while running in the runner-up spot as Lally continued to lead. Two laps later, however, Myatt Snider moved into the lead over Lally. In the midst of the battle for the lead, Allmendinger and Jeb Burton each went off the course.

    When the second stage concluded on Lap 50, Snider claimed his first Xfinity stage victory of the season. Lally settled in second followed by Hill, Cassill, Berry, Alfredo, Allgaier, Allmendinger, Creed and Jade Buford.

    Following another intermission, the final stage started with 23 laps remaining. At the start and as the field fanned out through the first three turns, Snider maintained the lead ahead of Lally while Cassill, Hill and Alfredo were in the top five. It did not take long, however, for the caution to return due to debris spotted in Turn 1. 

    Three laps later, the race restarted under green as Snider retained the lead ahead of Lally, Cassill and Allmendinger. Through the first turn, however, a number of competitors that included Creed, Jeb Burton, Labbe, Hemric, Brandon Jones and Spencer Pumpelly all spun and wrecked despite the race proceeding under green. In the midst of the carnage, the caution returned due to fluid on the course. During the caution period, Creed, whose No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet Camaro sustained heavy front nose damage, made an obscene gesture towards Jade Buford to express his displeasure over being bumped and turned by Buford during the previous restart.

    Down to the final 13 laps of the event, the race restarted under green. At the start, Snider overshot the first turn as Allmendinger assumed command followed by Allgaier before Snider fought back entering Turn 3. Behind, Moffitt got turned sideways through Turns 3 and 4 as Mosack, Spencer Pumpelly, Bayley Currey and pole-sitter Anthony Alfredo were all sent sideways with damage to their respective cars. The caution soon followed due to the carnage between Turns 3 and 4. By then, the rain was also slowly returning near the circuit. 

    Under the caution period, nearly the entire field led by Allmendinger pitted for rain tires while Jade Buford and JJ Yeley remained on the track.

    Down to the final seven laps of the event, the race restarted under green. At the start and as the field fanned out to multiple lanes, Allgaier, Cassill and Lally spun with Gibbs and Stefan Parsons sustaining damage while Snider and Allmendinger dueled for the lead. Just as Snider fended off Allmendinger to retain the lead, the caution flew yet again due to debris on the course. By then, the rain had dissipated.

    With four laps remaining, the race restarted under green. At the start, Snider fended off Allmendinger to lead through the first three turns as the field jostled for positions. Not long after, however, Allmendinger, who was in last place prior to the first lap, emerged with the top spot with Berry, Hill and Hemric in the top five. Behind, Ryan Sieg spun while the race continued to run under green flag conditions.

    During the following lap, Allmendinger was ahead by seven-tenths of a second over Snider followed by Berry, Hill and Hemric while Yeley, Gibbs, Allgaier, Brandon Jones and Gragson were in the top 10.

    When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Allmendinger continued to lead by a second-and-a-half over Snider. With Snider unable to narrow the deficit between himself and the leader, Allmendinger navigated his way through the 12-turn circuit smoothly and cycled his way back to the finish line to grab the first checkered flag and conquer the first Xfinity event in Portland, Oregon.

    With the victory, Allmendinger notched his third consecutive road course victory in the Xfinity circuit, his eighth overall in the series, his second of the season after winning at Circuit of the Americas in March and the 12th of his career in his 74th series start. He also became the fourth Xfinity Series regular to achieve multiple victories in 2022.

    “Oh my god,” Allmendinger, who is pulling double-duty service for Kaulig Racing and is set to compete in Sunday’s Cup Series event at Gateway, said on FS1. “All the men and women at Kaulig Racing deserve that. I was awful. I cannot believe I crashed before we went green. I was off the race track, I think, four times. [I] Made all kinds of mistakes, was all over the place. Just proud of everybody on this Nutrien Ag Solutions Chevy.

    “I was melting down in the car, honestly, making so many mistakes, trying so hard. I put so much pressure on myself at these races because I know what everybody expects. I know what I expect out of myself more importantly, but god, what a win. It might be one of the craziest wins I’ve ever had. Most mistakes ever to win a race, for sure, but all the fans at Portland for staying out here. This place is packed. Sixteen years ago, I won, this month, my first Champ Car race and it’s surreal that I get to do this…In these conditions, I knew that if I could get to the lead, I could kind of dictate it. I was fighting hard there, but Myatt [Snider] did a great job. He’s always fast on these road courses. Fun racing, just insanity, but thank everybody at Chevy that allows us to do this. Thank you, everybody.”

    Snider notched his first top-five result of the season by finishing in second place followed by Austin Hill while Berry and Allgaier finished in the top five.

    “I think, just AJ’s experience [beat me],” Snider said. “I could tell he was setting up those exits better than I was. Everywhere else, we were neck-to-neck. To me, that’s good hard racing. It’s not like he dumped me for no reason or spun me out or anything. He just got into me a little bit and all those restarts were extremely rough. For him to just kind of rub my door a little bit, that’s racing to me. It’s what this Xfinity Series is all about. It’s so cool to be disappointed with second. The team that’s only a year and a half old and to get a stage win, it’s the first stage win, probably, first top three [finish] with this car. Just can’t say enough about the boys from Jordan Anderson Racing. It’s a great day to be disappointed with second, but still disappointed.”

    Hemric, Gibbs, Yeley, Gragson and Alex Labbe completed the top 10 on the track.

    There were eight lead changes for six different leaders. The race featured nine cautions for 26 laps. A total of 21 of the 38 starters finished on the lead lap in the first Xfinity event at Portland.

    With 12 races remaining of the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series regular-season stretch, AJ Allmendinger leads the regular-season standings by 43 points over Ty Gibbs, 44 over Noah Gragson and 64 over Josh Berry and Justin Allgaier.

    Ty Gibbs, AJ Allmendinger, Noah Gragson, Josh Berry, Justin Allgaier, Brandon Jones and rookie Austin Hill are currently guaranteed spots for the 2022 Xfinity Playoffs based on winning once throughout the regular season stretch while Sam Mayer, Daniel Hemric, Landon Cassill, Riley Herbst and Ryan Sieg occupy the remaining vacant spots to the Playoffs based on points. Anthony Alfredo trails the top-12 cutline by 58 points, Jeb Burton trails by 67, Brett Moffit trails by 71, Brandon Brown trails by 72 and Sheldon Creed trails by 73.

    Results.

    1. AJ Allmendinger, six laps led

    2. Myatt Snider, 19 laps led, Stage 2 winner

    3. Austin Hill

    4. Josh Berry

    5. Justin Allgaier

    6. Daniel Hemric

    7. Ty Gibbs, 42 laps led, Stage 1 winner

    8. JJ Yeley

    9. Noah Gragson

    10. Alex Labbe

    11. Brandon Jones

    12. Brandon Brown

    13. Scott Heckert

    14. Jade Buford, four laps led

    15. Landon Cassill

    16. Ryan Sieg

    17. Andy Lally, three laps led

    18. Matt Jaskol

    19. Patrick Emerling

    20. Brett Moffitt

    21. Joe Graf Jr.

    22. Josh Williams, one lap down

    23. Ryan Vargas, two laps down

    24. Stefan Parsons, two laps down

    25. Mason Filippi, three laps down

    26. Jesse Iwuji, four laps down

    27. Parker Chase – OUT, Accident

    28. Connor Mosack – OUT, Accident

    29. Spencer Pumpelly – OUT, Accident

    30. Bayley Currey – OUT, Accident

    31. Anthony Alfredo – OUT, Accident

    32. Sheldon Creed – OUT, one lap led

    33. Jeb Burton – OUT, Accident

    34. Jeremy Clements – OUT, Accident

    35. Riley Herbst – OUT, Accident

    36. Gray Gaulding – OUT, Accident

    37. Darren Dilley – OUT, Accident

    38. Sam Mayer – OUT, Accident

    The 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series season will be taking a two-week break period before returning to action at Nashville Superspeedway on June 25. The event is scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m. ET on USA Network, which will mark the network’s debut airing NASCAR Xfinity events.

  • Weekend schedule for Gateway and Portland

    Weekend schedule for Gateway and Portland

    This weekend the NASCAR Cup Series will make its debut at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway before a sold-out crowd. The Camping World Truck Series will join them for the series’ 22nd race at the 1.25-mile paved oval.

    There are only five open spots available for the 2022 Cup Series Playoffs. Denny Hamlin, William Byron and Ross Chastain are the only drivers with multiple wins in the series, with two victories each.

    The Xfinity Series will travel to Portland International Raceway, a 1.97-mile paved road course, for the first time, and NASCAR has instituted new caution and pit road procedures for this race as seen below.*

    There have been 19 different Truck Series race winners at Gateway. But only one former winner, John Hunter Nemechek (2017), is entered in Saturday’s Toyota 200.

    All times are Eastern.

    Friday, June 3
    Portland:
    1:05 p.m.: Xfinity Series Practice – All Entries – No TV
    8:05 p.m.: Xfinity Series Qualifying (Impound) (Groups A & B) (Multi-Vehicle, Two Rounds) FS1
    Gateway:
    5:05 p.m.: Cup Series Practice – Gateway – FS1/MRN/SiriusXM
    6:05 p.m.: Truck Series Practice – Gateway – FS1
    6:35 p.m.: Truck Series Qualifying – Gateway – FS1
    Saturday, June 4
    Gateway:
    11 a.m.: Cup Series Qualifying (Impound) (Groups A & B) (Single Vehicle, 1 Lap, 2 Rounds) FS1/MRN/SiriusXM
    1:30 p.m.: Truck Series ‘Toyota 200’ race
    Stages end on 35/70/160 (160 Laps=200 Miles)
    FS1/MRN/SiriusXM
    The Purse: $696,198
    Portland:
    2:30 p.m.: ARCA Menards Series West Practice/Qualifying – No TV
    4:30 p.m.: Xfinity Series ‘Pacific Office Automation 147’ race
    Stages end on 25/50/75 (75 Laps = 147.75 Miles)
    The Purse: $1,258,443
    FS1/MRN/SiriusXM
    7:30 p.m.: ARCA Menards Series West Portland 100 (57 Laps, 112.29 Miles) FloRacing/MRN

    Sunday, June 5
    Gateway:
    3:30 p.m. Cup Series ‘Enjoy Illinois 300 Presented by TicketSmarter’ race
    Stages end on 45/140/240 (240 Laps = 300 Miles)
    The Purse: $7,013,085
    FS1/MRN/SiriusXM

    *General Procedure Rules for Xfinity Series at Portland

    • The field will be frozen at the time of caution
    • All caution periods will be Quickie Yellows (when Pit Road has opened, ALL cars may pit)
    • Fuel may only be added during the stage breaks
    • Tires may be changed at any time during the event

    Stage Break Pit Stops

    • Stage breaks will consist of a THREE-minute break
      • NASCAR Officials will announce the start of the THREE-minute break after the last vehicle has stopped in their pit stall
      • No crew members on pit road until all cars are stopped and NASCAR has announced the start of the break
    • Fuel may not be added and tires may not be changed at the same time
      • Tires must be changed first, then fuel may be added
    • The lap in which pit road is open during the stage breaks will not count
    • Teams that elect not to pit will stop behind the caution vehicle until the conclusion of the break

    Green Flag Pit Stop

    • Green flag pit stops, where tires are changed, must not be completed faster than the minimum time allotted from yellow line to yellow line:  60 seconds minimum
    • In the event of flat tire(s) under green flag:  If the tire(s) are visually flat when the vehicle enters pit road, the team may elect to change the flat tire(s) only and not be subject to the minimum time on pit road

    Restart Lineup (During stage breaks and all caution periods)

    • Lead lap Cars that did not pit (Using Freeze the Field at Time of Caution)
    • Lead lap Cars that pitted (Using Freeze the Field at Time of Caution)
    • Lap(s) down Cars that did not pit (Using Freeze the Field at Time of Caution)
    • Lap(s) down Cars that pitted (Using Freeze the Field at Time of Caution)
    • Free Pass, Wave Around, and Penalty Cars (Using Freeze the Field at Time of Caution)

    Pit Stop Penalties

    • Restart Tail End:
    • Servicing the vehicle before the THREE-minute break has started
    • Servicing the vehicle after the THREE-minute break has ended
    • Vehicles not in the correct restart position when the one to go is given at Turn 8
    • Pass-Through:
      • Not meeting the green flag minimum time limit on pit road

    Pit Crew/Pit Equipment

    • The Pit Crew Members will consist of:
      • Road crew roster positions
      • Five (5) Crew Members to service and fuel the vehicle (excluding the stage breaks)
      • One (1) Driver Assist Crew Member to clean the windshield and assist the driver
    • All pit crew safety equipment is required during any pit stops (excluding the stage breaks)
    • Any compressed air-driven pneumatic pit gun or battery-operated electric pit gun may be used.
  • Berry prevails in battle with teammate Allgaier for Xfinity win at Charlotte

    Berry prevails in battle with teammate Allgaier for Xfinity win at Charlotte

    In a dominant run by JR Motorsports on home turf, Josh Berry prevailed after a late battle with teammate Justin Allgaier before cruising to win the Alsco Uniforms 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 28.

    The 31-year-old Berry from Hendersonville, Tennessee, led five times for a race-high 89 of 200 laps, including the final 23 after intimidating and battling Allgaier for the top spot two laps earlier. Following those two intense laps of battling with his JR Motorsports teammate, Berry gained a huge advantage.

    It enabled him to snatch the lead for good and drive away for the win when Allgaier got into the wall and eventually pitted under green due to a flat tire. Having an advantage of three-quarters of a mile over Ty Gibbs for the final 23 laps of the event, Berry proceeded to capture his second NASCAR Xfinity Series victory of the season.

    On-track qualifying to determine the starting lineup occurred on Friday and rookie Sam Mayer notched his first Xfinity career pole after recording a pole-winning lap at 179.892 mph in 30.018 seconds. Joining him on the front row was teammate Justin Allgaier, who posted a fast qualifying lap at 178.571 mph in 30.240 seconds.

    Prior to the event, names like Ryan Vargas, Trevor Bayne, Brandon Jones, Jeffrey Earnhardt, Ty Gibbs and Joe Graf Jr. dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments to their respective cars. In addition, Riley Herbst dropped to the rear of the field as he started the event in a backup car.

    When the green flag waved and the race started, Mayer took off with an early advantage while Ryan Preece battled and overtook Allgaier for the runner-up spot as the field made their way through the backstretch and back to the frontstretch.

    Following the first lap, which was led by Mayer, Preece battled and overtook Mayer through the frontstretch during the following lap to assume the lead while JR Motorsports’ Noah Gragson, Allgaier and Mayer fanned out while battling for the runner-up spot. 

    Two laps later, Gragson battled against teammates Allgaier and Mayer for the runner-up spot and muscled his No. 9 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet Camaro to the front as Preece and Allgaier fought for the runner-up spot. Behind, Mayer was overtaken by teammate Josh Berry for fourth place.

    Through the first 10 scheduled laps, Gragson was leading by seven-tenths of a second over Preece followed by Berry, Allgaier and Mayer while AJ Allmendinger, Daniel Hemric, Landon Cassill, Austin Dillon and Jeb Burton were in the top 10. Brett Moffitt was in 11th followed by rookie Sheldon Creed, Brandon Jones, Ty Gibbs, rookie Austin Hill, Stefan Parsons, Ryan Sieg, Trevor Bayne, JJ Yeley and Jeremy Clements while Riley Herbst was in 22nd. By then, Brandon Brown had made an unscheduled pit stop under green to address a flat right-front tire.

    Five laps later, the first caution of the event flew when Brandon Jones slipped sideways and spun below the banking in Turn 1 as he came back across the track while being dodged by the field. 

    Another four laps later, the race resumed under green. At the start, Gragson rocketed to the lead followed by teammates Berry, Mayer and Allgaier while Preece slipped back to fifth through Turns 2 and 3. Not long after, however, the caution returned when Timmy Hill slipped sideways and spun against the outside wall in Turn 3.

    When the race proceeded under green on Lap 25, Gragson retained the lead while Mayer, who slid up the track through Turn 1, was left battling teammate Berry for the runner-up spot in front of teammate Allgaier. Behind, Allmendinger made his move on Preece for fifth place before Preece regained his momentum and challenged Allgaier for fourth place. 

    By Lap 30, Gragson was leading by nearly six-tenths of a second over teammate Berry while teammate Allgaier trailed by more than a second in third place. Preece was in fourth ahead of Allmendinger and Mayer while Hemric, Moffitt, Ty Gibbs and Trevor Bayne were in the top 10. By then, Jeb Burton made an unscheduled pit stop to address a flat right-front tire.

    Just then, the third caution of the event flew when Brandon Brown got loose and spun below the apron in Turn 3.

    When the race restarted under green on Lap 35, Josh Berry used the outside lane to his advantage as he assumed the lead while Gragson was left battling teammate Allgaier and Allmendinger for the runner-up spot. Behind, Daniel Hemric muscled his way into the top five ahead of Mayer, Preece and Moffitt while Joe Gibbs Racing’s Ty Gibbs and Bayne were in the top 10.

    Through the first 40 scheduled laps, Berry extended his advantage to more than a second over teammate Allgaier while teammate Gragson trailed by two seconds in third place. Kaulig Racing’s Allmendinger and Hemric were in the top five followed by Mayer, Moffitt, Preece, Gibbs and Brandon Jones while Bayne, Creed, Ryan Sieg, Hill and Riley Herbst were in the top 15.

    Shortly after, the caution flew due to a multi-car wreck on the frontstretch that involved Myatt Snider, Kyle Weatherman and Jeffrey Earnhardt. The caution was enough for the first stage, scheduled for Lap 45, to conclude under the yellow flag as Berry captured his fourth stage victory of the season. Teammates Allgaier and Gragson settled in second and third followed by Allmendinger, Hemric, Mayer, Preece, Ty Gibbs, Brandon Jones and Moffitt. During the caution period, Landon Cassill, who was in 16th, lost power on the backstretch and needed assistance back to his pit stall while his crew went to work to diagnose a fuel pump issue to his No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet Camaro.

    Under the stage break, the leaders led by Berry pitted and Allgaier exited with the lead followed by Berry, Brandon Jones, Mayer, Hemric and Allmendinger. During the pit stops, Gragson’s pit crew popped the hood up on the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro to address a potential mechanical issue.

    The second stage started on Lap 49 as teammates Allgaier and Berry occupied the front row. At the start, Allgaier retained the lead after receiving a push from teammate Mayer while teammates Berry and Mayer battled behind for the runner-up spot in front of Allmendinger and Brandon Jones.

    Through the following lap, Berry challenged Allgaier for the lead on the inside lane through Turns 3 and 4, but Allgaier managed to use the outside lane to fight back through the frontstretch. Then, as Berry tried to clear Allgaier in Turn 1, he slipped up the track and Allgaier used the crossover move on the inside lane to reassume the lead as teammate Mayer joined the battle. 

    By Lap 60, Allgaier continued to lead by eight-tenths of a second over teammate Berry while Mayer trailed by more than a second in third place. Allmendinger and Brandon Jones were in the top five ahead of Hemric, Gibbs, Bayne, Preece and Creed while Herbst, Sieg, Moffitt, Hill, Austin Dillon, Snider, Clements, Anthony Alfredo, Jeb Burton and Bayley Currey were in the top 20.

    Nearly 15 laps later, the caution flew when Jeb Burton got loose and spun from the top to the bottom lane in Turn 1. By then, Allgaier led by nearly a second over teammate Berry while Mayer, Allmendinger and Brandon Jones remained in the top five. 

    When the race restarted under green on Lap 78, the front-runners fanned out as Allgaier just managed to stay ahead of Mayer and Allmendinger while Berry slipped back to fifth. 

    During the following lap, Brandon Jones slipped sideways again through Turns 3 and 4 while running in the top five, but he managed to keep his No. 19 Menards Toyota Supra straight and running despite losing a bevy of spots as the race proceeded under green.

    Back at the front, Allgaier was ahead by nearly nine-tenths of a second over Mayer while Berry worked his way back to third place ahead of Allmendinger and Bayne.

    When the second stage concluded on Lap 90 amid the on-track actions and battles ensuing around the track, Allgaier captured his third stage victory of the season. Berry worked his way back into the runner-up spot followed by Mayer, Bayne, Preece, Allmendinger, Ty Gibbs, Creed, Hemric and Moffitt.

    Under the stage break, the leaders led by Allgaier returned to pit road for adjustments and Berry reassumed the lead after exiting with the top spot followed by Bayne, Mayer, Allgaier, Creed and Preece. During the pit stops, Allgaier lost three spots due to an issue with changing the left-front tire on his No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro. Following the pit stops, Creed was penalized for an uncontrolled tire violation while Josh Williams was penalized for speeding on pit road. In addition, Nicholas Sanchez was penalized for removing the jack out of his pit box while Joe Graf Jr. was penalized for a safety violation.

    With 101 laps remaining, the final stage commenced. At the start, Berry and Bayne dueled for the lead for a full lap as Berry emerged ahead to lead the halfway mark on Lap 100.

    During the following lap, Berry cleared the field to retain the lead while Preece muscled his way into the runner-up spot. Behind, Allgaier and Bayne battled for third place while Mayer was in fifth ahead of Allmendinger.

    Then with 97 laps remaining, the caution flew when Riley Herbst blew a right-front tire and scrapped his No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang against the outside wall in Turn 3.

    With 91 laps remaining, the race restarted under green as Berry and Preece occupied the front row. At the start, Berry and Preece battled for the lead until Preece managed to pull his No. 5 Hunt Brother’s Pizza Ford Mustang ahead in Turn 3. Behind, however, the caution returned again due to another multi-car wreck that involved Austin Dillon, Ryan Sieg, Anthony Alfredo, Stefan Parsons and Joe Graf Jr. 

    Following an extensive caution period, the race restarted under green with 81 laps remaining, At the start, Berry battled and fended off Preece to lead while Allgaier moved into the runner-up spot ahead of Preece. Behind, Mayer was in fourth ahead of Bayne, Hill, Allmendinger, Gibbs, Hemric and Brandon Jones.

    With 70 laps remaining, Berry was leading by nearly seven-tenths of a second over teammate Allgaier while third-place Preece trailed by nearly three seconds. Mayer was in fourth ahead of Bayne while Hill, Gibbs, Brandon Jones, Gragson and Hemric occupied the top 10. In the midst of the on-track action, Allmendinger pitted under green to address a flat tire and lost two laps in the process.

    Ten laps later, Berry continued to lead by more than a second over Allgaier while Mayer was in third place, trailing by more than seven seconds. Behind, Bayne passed Preece to move into fourth while Gibbs was in sixth. Gragson, meanwhile, was up to eighth in between Brandon Jones and Hill while Hemric was in 10th ahead of Creed.

    Another 10 laps later, Berry led the field by three-tenths of a second over Allgaier who was methodically closing in on him. Behind, Mayer and Bayne remained in third and fourth while Ty Gibbs overtook Preece to move into the top five. Soon after, Brandon Jones rallied his way into sixth place while Preece fell back to seventh. By then, 17 of 38 starters were scored on the lead lap.

    A few laps later, Creed pitted his No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet Camaro. He was soon followed by Clements, Josh Williams, Bailey Currey, Preece, Hemric and Bayne as a cycle of green-flag pit stops ensued. During the pit stops, Bayne and Austin Hill were both penalized for speeding on pit road. 

    Nearing the final 40 laps, teammates Berry and Allgaier pitted from the top-two spots as Gragson, who still had to make a pit stop, emerged out in front. Once Gragson pitted with 38 laps remaining, Allgaier cycled his way into the lead by a narrow margin over teammate Berry while third-place Preece trailed by nine seconds.

    With 30 laps remaining, Allgaier retained the lead by nearly four-tenths of a second over teammate Berry while third-place Preece trailed the two leaders by more than 11 seconds. Meanwhile, Gibbs and Mayer were in the top five while Brandon Jones, Gragson, Hemric, Garrett Smithley and Creed were in the top 10.

    Then with 25 laps remaining, teammates Allgaier and Berry duked it out for the lead through the frontstretch. As Berry made a move on the inside lane and slid up the track in Turn 1, Allgaier pulled a crossover move beneath Berry through the backstretch. They nearly made contact against one another through Turn 3 before Allgaier pulled ahead in Turn 4. Just then, Allgaier made contact with the outside wall in Turn 1. This allowed Berry, who had repeatedly pressured Allgaier for the lead, to surge ahead to the top spot, though Allgaier kept his teammate within his sights. 

    Under the final 20 laps, Berry stabilized his advantage to more than two-tenths of a second over teammate Allgaier while Preece, who trailed by more than 16 seconds, was under pressure by Ty Gibbs for third place.

    Nearing the final 15 laps, the battle for the lead ignited once again between teammates Berry and Allgaier amid lapped traffic as Allgaier tried to issue another challenge for the lead. Then shortly after, Allgaier made contact with the wall in Turn 1. He then made contact with the wall again in Turn 3 as he cut a tire and was forced to pit under green. 

    Down to the final 10 laps of the event, Berry was out in front by more than 16 seconds over Ty Gibbs while Mayer, Preece and Gragson occupied the top five. Hemric was the last competitor scored on the lead lap in sixth place while Creed was the first competitor a lap down in seventh place. Allgaier, meanwhile, was back in eighth place, a lap down, while Bayne and Myatt Snider were in the top 10.

    With five laps remaining, Berry stabilized his advantage to more than 16 seconds over Gibbs.

    When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Berry remained as the leader by nearly 17 seconds over Gibbs. Having a huge lead to his advantage, Berry easily cycled his way back to the frontstretch and went on to claim his second checkered flag of the season.

    With the victory, Berry notched his first win at Charlotte Motor Speedway, his second Xfinity Series victory of the season and the fourth win of his career in his 42nd series start. The victory was also a first at Charlotte in the Xfinity Series for JR Motorsports as Berry became the third multi-winner of this year’s Xfinity season.

    Photo by Ted Seminara for SpeedwayMedia.com.

    “Man, it’s so amazing,” Berry, who led a race-high 89 of 200, said on FS1. “This car was so good. [Crew chief] Mike [Bumgarner] and this whole group have worked so hard. We’ve been getting better every week. I think the sky’s the limits as we continue to learn about each other and keep getting better. I’m so happy for Harrison’s USA. This is their home track…Just truly so amazing. Dale [Earnhardt] Jr. and Kelley [Earnhardt Miller], LW [Miller], thank you, all of you, for what you do. That was a battle with Justin [Allgaier]. It always is with us. We always just seem to run good at the same places and always have to race each other, but he slipped up in [Turn] 1. I got loose too. I was following off him and he got loose. I got loose, too. Man, it all worked out.”

    Finishing in second place and 18 seconds behind Berry was Ty Gibbs, who won the spring Xfinity Charlotte event a year ago, while Mayer, Gragson and Preece finished in the top five.

    Hemric came home in sixth place and as the final competitor on the lead lap while Allgaier, Creed, Bayne and Snider finished in the top 10 amid a lapped behind.

    “[I’m] Just proud of our team,” Allgaier, who led 63 laps, said. “After the first contact into the wall, I kind of felt like maybe the right rear [tire] was going soft and ultimately, it ended up going down. I got the fence again and had to pit under green, so just disappointing, but congrats to Josh and this whole JR Motorsports team. It’s nice to have the momentum we’ve got right now. We’re gonna keep riding that high.”

    There were 12 lead changes for five different leaders. The race featured eight cautions for 44 laps.

    With the first half of the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series regular-season stretch complete, AJ Allmendinger leads the standings by 33 points over Noah Gragson, 40 over Ty Gibbs, 58 over Justin Allgaier and 60 over Josh Berry.

    AJ Allmendinger, Noah Gragson, Ty Gibbs, Justin Allgaier, Josh Berry, Brandon Jones and rookie Austin Hill are currently guaranteed spots for the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs based on winning at least once throughout the regular-season stretch. Sam Mayer, Riley Herbst, Daniel Hemric, Landon Cassill and Ryan Sieg occupy the remaining vacant spots in the Playoffs as winless competitors. Anthony Alfredo trails the cutline by 48 points, Jeb Burton trails by 50, rookie Sheldon Creed trails by 59, Brett Moffitt trails by 73, Brandon Browns trails by 76, Myatt Snider trails by 122 and Jeremy Clements trails by 129.

    Results.

    1. Josh Berry, 89 laps led, Stage 1 winner

    2. Ty Gibbs

    3. Sam Mayer, two laps led

    4. Noah Gragson, 36 laps led

    5. Ryan Preece, 10 laps led

    6. Daniel Hemric

    7. Justin Allgaier, one lap down, 63 laps led, Stage 2 winner

    8. Sheldon Creed, one lap down

    9. Trevor Bayne, one lap down

    10. Myatt Snider, one lap down

    11. Brett Moffitt, one lap down

    12. Jeb Burton, one lap down

    13. Ryan Ellis, one lap down

    14. Austin Hill, one lap down

    15. Bayley Currey, two laps down

    16. Brandon Jones, two laps down

    17. Brandon Brown, two laps down

    18. JJ Yeley, two laps down

    19. AJ Allmendinger, two laps down

    20. Matt Mills, two laps down 

    21.  Garrett Smithley, three laps down

    22. Jeremy Clements, three laps down

    23. CJ McLaughlin, four laps down

    24. Shane Lee, four laps down

    25. Riley Herbst, four laps down

    26. Ryan Vargas, 13 laps down

    27. Josh Williams – OUT, Suspension

    28. Nicholas Sanchez – OUT, Ignition

    29. Landon Cassill, 69 laps down

    30. Stefan Parsons, – OUT, Accident

    31. Austin Dillon – OUT, Accident

    32. Ryan Sieg – OUT, Accident

    33. Anthony Alfredo – OUT, Accident

    34. Joe Graf Jr. – OUT, Accident

    35. Brennan Poole – OUT, Brakes

    36. Kyle Weatherman – OUT, Accident

    37. Jeffrey Earnhardt – OUT, Accident

    38. Timmy Hill – OUT, Accident

    Next on the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series season is the series’ inaugural visit to Portland International Raceway in Portland, Oregon. The event is scheduled to occur on Saturday, June 4, at 4:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Weekend schedule for Charlotte

    Weekend schedule for Charlotte

    NASCAR heads to Charlotte Motor Speedway on Memorial Day weekend for the 63rd running of the Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 Sunday evening.

    The racing action begins Friday when the ARCA Menards Series and the Camping World Truck Series take to the track and continue Saturday with the Xfinity Series Alsco Uniforms 300.

    The weekend is also an opportunity for NASCAR to honor and remember those who have served or are now serving in our military with the NASCAR Salutes program that concludes with the 600 Miles of Remembrance.

    This year NASCAR is also debuting the NASCAR Salutes Wall of Honor mural that will allow fans to write messages on magnets that will be added to the mural to create a mosaic that will be donated to a military base.

    All times are Eastern.

    Friday, May 27

    Noon-ARCA Practice & Qualifying (no TV)
    1:30 p.m.: Truck Series Practice – FS1
    2 p.m.: Truck Series Qualifying – FS1
    3:30 p.m.: Xfinity Series Practice – FS1
    4 p.m.: Xfinity Series Qualifying – FS1

    6 p.m.: ARCA Dutch Boy 150 (100 laps) – FS1/MRN

    8:30 p.m.: Truck Series North Carolina Education Lottery 200 – FS1/MRN/Sirius XM
    Distance: 201 miles (134 Laps)
    Stage 1 ends on Lap 30, Stage 2 ends on Lap 60, Final Stage ends on Lap 134
    The Purse: $676,097

    Saturday, May 28

    1 p.m.: -Xfinity Series Alsco Uniforms 300 – FS1/PRN/SiriusXM
    Distance: 300 miles (200 Laps)
    Stage 1 ends on Lap 45, Stage 2 ends on Lap 90, Final Stage ends on Lap 200
    The Purse: $1,284,615

    7 p.m.: Cup Series Practice – FS1
    7:45 p.m.: Cup Series Qualifying – FS1

    Sunday, May 29
    6 p.m.: Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 – FOX/PRN/Sirius XM
    Distance: 600 miles (400 laps)
    Stage 1 ends Lap 100, Stage 2 ends Lap 200, Stage 3 Ends Lap 300, Final Stage ends on Lap 400
    The Purse: $8,919,032

  • Weekend schedule for Texas

    Weekend schedule for Texas

    NASCAR heads to Texas Motor Speedway for a full weekend of racing culminating with the Cup Series All-Star Race Sunday evening.

    The Camping World Truck Series will headline the on-track action Friday night followed by the Xfinity Series race Saturday afternoon.

    There have been 37 previous All-Star races with 25 different winners. Kevin Harvick (2007, 2015) and Kyle Larson (2019, 2021) lead all active drivers with two wins each. Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano have won the exhibition race once.

    The Xfinity Series has produced seven different winners so far this season. Ty Gibbs, Noah Gragson, AJ Allmendinger, Justin Allgaier, Josh Berry, Brandon Jones and Austin Hill have secured a spot in the Playoffs with 15 races left in the regular season. There are only five open spots remaining before the Playoffs begin.

    Camping World Truck Series drivers Zane Smith (three wins), Chandler Smith, Ben Rhodes and John Hunter Nemechek have locked themselves into the Playoffs. There are eight races remaining in the regular season and six open Playoff spots.

    All times are Eastern.

    All-Star Race Format

    Friday, May 20

    4 p.m.: Truck Series Practice (All Entries) – FS1

    4:30 p.m.: Truck Series Qualifying – FS1

    6 p.m.: Xfinity Series Practice – FS1

    6:30 p.m.: Xfinity Series Qualifying – FS1

    8:30 p.m.: Truck Series SpeedyCash.com 220
    Distance: 220.5 miles (147 Laps)
    Stages 35/70/147 Laps = 220.5 Miles
    FS1/MRN/ SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

    Saturday, May 21

    1:30 p.m.: Xfinity Series SRS Distribution 250 race
    Distance: 250.5 miles (167 Laps)
    Stages 40/80/167 Laps = 250.5 Miles)
    FS1/PRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

    7 p.m.: Cup Series Practice (Combined Open and All-Star) FS1/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

    7:35 p.m.: Qualifying (Open) FS1/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

    7:55 p.m.: Qualifying (All-Star) FS1/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

    8:25 p.m.:  Qualifying – Elimination bracket with mandatory pit stop (All-Star) FS1/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

    Sunday, May 22

    5:30 p.m.: All-Star Open (20/20/10 Laps) FS1/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

    8 p.m.: All-Star Race (25/25/25/50 Laps) FS1/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

  • Justin Allgaier finds Lady Luck at Darlington and breaks one-year winless streak

    Justin Allgaier finds Lady Luck at Darlington and breaks one-year winless streak

    Justin Allgaier returned to victory lane at Darlington Raceway Saturday afternoon in his JR Motorsports No. 7 Chevrolet and ended a 34-race winless drought.

    Coincidentally, the last Xfinity Series trophy he raised was also at the track known as Too Tough to Tame, where Allgaier, apparently, is the exception to the rule.

    It doesn’t hurt to be part of a winning team either. JRM has won the last three races in the series with Noah Gragson victorious at Talladega Superspeedway and Josh Berry at Dover Motor Speedway.

    Allgaier led 76 laps of the Mahindra ROXOR 200 and grabbed his fourth top-five finish this year but gave much of the credit to his No. 7 crew who kept him in contention all day with fast pit stops.

    “This team right here — the pit stops today were killing it,” he said. “They were awesome. This Hellman‘s Camaro was so fast. Just a testament to the 7 guys, but everybody at JR Motorsports — they‘ve been working so hard. It‘s showing with our finishes, not just our 7 team, but all of us.

    “We‘ve been doing this way too long, and you know how great it feels to get back to Victory Lane.

    “And by the way, it was awesome racing my teammates. That was probably the coolest part, racing my teammates all day, so hats off to those guys.”

    His teammate, Gragson won the first two stages and led 45 laps during the race for his eighth top-five result of the season.

    “A 1-2 finish for our company, that was great,” Gragson said. “We had great points today. Two stage wins and a second place. I wanted that win. I was ripping the top. I went on a bike ride this morning with Justin Allgaier, right at sunrise. He said, ‘Man, I’m going to run the bottom,’ and I knew he was going to run the bottom.

    Photo by Ted Seminara

    “We ran at the fence all day. He got the win. Hopefully, we’re selling T-shirts out on the concourse for ripping the top. I don’t know if anyone was higher than us, and there’s barely a scrape on the right side.”

    Riley Herbst finished third, John Hunter Nemechek was fourth and JRM driver, Sam Mayer, rounded out the top five. Landon Cassill, Brandon Jones, AJ Allmendinger, Austin Hill and Daniel Hemric finished sixth – 10th respectively.

    Up Next: May 21 at Texas Motor Speedway for the Texas 250 at 1:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Kerry Tharp and Darlington Raceway ready to welcome fans with open arms

    Kerry Tharp and Darlington Raceway ready to welcome fans with open arms

    While Kerry Tharp’s official title is President of Darlington Raceway, ringmaster of the traveling show we call NASCAR might be a more apt description, especially during a Throwback weekend.

    From coordinating numerous activities including an 80’s Dance Party, food, music, track trivia, prizes and a Throwback Parade to dealing with the aftermath of an aberrant rain and hail storm, Tharp and his staff are behind the scenes making certain that the show will go on.

    Anytime you’re present for a Throwback event at Darlington you can expect to see NASCAR Hall of Famers and veteran drivers and the upcoming weekend is no exception. Richard Petty will wave the green flag as the honorary starter for the Cup Series Goodyear 400 at Darlington. Petty, Bobby Labonte and Bill Elliott will then share their expertise with the FOX Sports broadcast team of Mike Joy and Clint Bowyer during the race. Petty will join them during Stage 1, Labonte will take over for Stage 2 and Elliott will be in the booth for the final stage.

    “I think it’s pretty cool that they’re adding those guys up in the booth,” Tharp said, “because I think each of them is all from a different era and I think each of them will provide their own unique perspective on the race and on the weekend.”

    There will also be some unique pre-race activities.

    On Friday before the Camping World Truck Series race, Ron Hornaday Jr. will complete a parade lap in a 1975 Ford Bronco and on Saturday Randy LaJoie will pilot a 1966 Mustang Shelby before the Xfinity Series event. Prior to the Cup Series race Sunday afternoon, Hall of Fame inductee Red Farmer will take a spin around the track in a Wood Brothers Racing car that Neil Bonnet drove.

    Another highlight, Tharp said, will feature “one of the team owners, Justin Marks, (Trackhouse Racing) who is going to drive the No. 33 Skoal Bandit car that Harry Gant drove here at Darlington. That will allow fans to get a real good visual of Throwback cars.”

    Darlington Raceway, known as the track Too Tough to Tame, is one of the most unique and challenging venues on the NASCAR circuit. Add the new Next Gen car into the mix and it’s difficult to predict who will end up in victory lane.

    Tharp believes that the racing might be even better than what we’ve seen in the past.

    “I think it’s going to be better,” he said. “When we had the tire test here, the people from Goodyear were very encouraged about the tire wear. Darlington is famous for the tires falling off, so I think you’re gonna see that on Sunday in the Cup Series and I think the new car is going to be challenging for the drivers to maneuver.

    “I’m not very good at predicting who will win but I will say that Joe Gibbs Racing has certainly had great history here at Darlington with Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. all winning here multiple times. I think you’re probably going to have to go through that team in order to get a win here.

    “But you take a look and see how successful Hendrick has been this year and also some of the first-time winners, whether it be Ross Chastain, Chase Briscoe, or even Austin Cindric and I think you could see a first-time winner here. I think anything could happen.”

    Winning races is always the goal for the drivers and teams but for Tharp, it’s all about the fans and ensuring that they have a memorable experience.

    “Just being able to see the fans enjoying themselves whether it be in the campgrounds or the stands, we missed that for about 2 1/2 years with the pandemic,” he said. “I’m looking forward with a lot of anticipation to seeing that again.”

    It hit home for Tharp during the pandemic as NASCAR ran races without fans in attendance.

    “The race that we had in May of 2020 when we brought back live racing and sports back to this country. There hadn’t been any live sports in about 8 or 9 weeks and we were the first to bring it back. There were no fans in the stands and that was very, very different.

    “I can remember Kevin Harvick won that race and he got out of his car after his burnout. He got out and usually, there are a lot of cheers and even a lot of boos, but there was nothing.

    “It was dead silent.

    “I’ll never forget that. And I think that’s why you never take your fan base for granted.”

  • Weekend Schedule for Darlington Raceway

    Weekend Schedule for Darlington Raceway

    This week NASCAR travels to Darlington Raceway for the fan-favorite Throwback Weekend featuring special paint schemes and activities that pay tribute to NASCAR tradition.

    Hall of Fame members Richard Petty, Bobby Labonte and Bill Elliott will help set the mood and share their expertise as they join the FOX Sports broadcast team during the Cup Series Goodyear 400.

    Petty will join Mike Joy and Clint Bowyer during Stage 1, followed by Labonte during Stage 2 while Elliott will be in the booth for the final stage.

    Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin leads all active drivers with four wins at the 1.366-mile, Too Tough to Tame, track. Martin Truex Jr. is the defending race winner.

    Justin Allgaier won the Xfinity Series race at Darlington last year and is hoping to repeat and claim his first victory of 2022.

    The Camping World Truck Series is back on the schedule after a couple of weeks off. It will be the series 10th race at Darlington. Ben Rhodes (2020) and Todd Bodine (2010) are the only active drivers on the entry list for Darlington that have won at the track.

    Throwback Paint Schemes

    All times are Eastern.

    Friday, May 6

    3 p.m.: Truck Series Practice/All Entries – FS1

    3:30 p.m.: Truck Series Qualifying (Impound) Single Vehicle/1 Lap/All Entries – FS1

    5 p.m.: Xfinity Series Practice/All Entries – FS1

    5:30 p.m.: Xfinity Series Qualifying (Impound) Single Vehicle/1 Lap/All Entries – FS1

    7:30 p.m.: Truck Series Dead on Tools 200
    Distance: 200.1 miles (147 Laps)
    Stage 1 ends on Lap 45, Stage 2 ends on Lap 90, Final Stage ends on Lap 147
    FS1/MSN/SiriusXM
    The Purse: $712,347

    Saturday, May 7

    10:30 a.m.: Cup Series Practice – Groups A & B – FS1/MSN/SiriusXM

    11:05 a.m.: Cup Series Qualifying (Impound) (Groups A & B) Single Vehicle/1 Lap/2 Rounds – FS1/MSN/SiriusXM

    1:30 p.m.: Xfinity Series Mahindra ROXOR 200
    Distance: 200.1 miles (147 Laps)
    Stage 1 ends on Lap 45, Stage 2 ends on Lap 90, Final Stage ends on Lap 147
    FS1/MSN/SiriusXM
    The Purse: $1,273,583

    Sunday, May

    3:30 p.m.: Cup Series Goodyear 400
    Distance: 400.2 miles (293 laps)
    Stage 1 ends on Lap 90, Stage 2 ends on Lap 185, Final Stage ends on Lap 293
    FS1/MSN/SiriusXM
    The Purse: $7,292,599