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Tag: NASCAR Xfinity Series

  • Ty Gibbs grabs his first win of the season at Las Vegas

    Ty Gibbs grabs his first win of the season at Las Vegas

    Ty Gibbs claimed his first NASCAR Xfinity victory of the season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Saturday night in the Alsco Uniforms 300. It was an exhilarating race that included 11 cautions plus a 42-minute red flag for rain and a bit of snow.

    The 19-year-old grandson of NASCAR Hall of Famer and team owner, Joe Gibbs, took the lead on the final restart in his No. 54 Toyota and led the final six laps to score the win. The race ended under caution on the final lap freezing the field and sending Gibbs to victory lane.

    His win, however, was not without controversy.

    On Lap 4, Gibbs made contact with Ryan Sieg bringing out a caution as Sieg’s No. 39 Ford hit the outside wall. Sieg was upset after the incident and hinted at possible retaliation.

    “It’s tough, but it is what it is,’’ Sieg said. “He’s definitely going to have to learn his lesson, you know what I mean.’’

    When the race restarted, Sieg pulled up beside Gibbs and it looked as though he was going to take the opportunity to show his displeasure. Instead, Sieg spun out and the cars of Sheldon Creed and Brett Moffitt were caught up in the aftermath. Sieg went to the garage and was finished for the day but Creed and Moffitt recovered with top-10 finishes.

    During his interview after the race, Gibbs apologized, saying, “I want to apologize to the 39 (Sieg) for the contact I made, it wasn’t my best decision and I’m sorry to the whole group, Ryan’s family they work so hard.

    “I want to say thank you to Justin Allgaier for my push, too,’’ he continued. “I had a fun time racing with the JR (Motorsports) cars, too, so hopefully we can keep it going and win some more races.”

    JR Motorsports’ Noah Gragson had the dominant car for most of the race, winning both Stage 1 and 2, and was in the lead on the final restart. But Gibbs was able to pull ahead with help from Justin Allgaier who was lined up behind him and Gragson had to settle for second place. It was Gragson’s third top-five finish of the year and he leaves Las Vegas first in the driver standings by 17 points over Gibbs.

    “I just kind of got beat at our own game there. Restarts just came up short,’’ Gragson said after the race. “Just needed to be better. Congrats to them and we’ll keep working hard. Thankful to this team led by Luke Lambert and we’ll come back stronger next week. Obviously, I wanted to be in Victory Lane, but it could be a hell of a lot worse.”

    Daniel Hemric, Josh Berry and Allgaier finished third to fifth, respectively, as Landon Cassill, Sheldon Creed, Brett Moffitt, AJ Allmendinger and Brandon Jones rounded out the top-10 at Las Vegas.

    There were 17 lead changes among nine drivers during the Alsco Uniforms 300 and 11 cautions for 65 laps.

    Next up for the Xfinity Series is the United Rentals 200 at Phoenix Raceway on March 12.

  • Weekend schedule for Las Vegas

    Weekend schedule for Las Vegas

    All three NASCAR national series will compete at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend.

    Kyle Larson hopes to make it two in a row after his Cup Series victory last week at Auto Club Speedway. AJ Allmendinger is leading the way in the Xfinity Series driver standings and the defending race winner and the Camping World Truck Series returns to the track after a week off from competition.

    The Cup Series practice sessions will be handled differently at Las Vegas to give the drivers and teams extra time on the track. The full field will practice for about 35 minutes instead of being split into two groups as we will see at most ovals this year.

    Single car, single-lap qualifying will immediately follow practice and cars will be split into two groups. The top five drivers from each group will advance to a second round of single-car, single-lap qualifying to determine who will win the pole position.

    Press Pass Live will be available throughout the weekend.

    All times are Eastern.

    Friday, March 4

    Camping World Truck Series

    4:30 p.m.: Practice – All Entries – FS1
    5 p.m.: Qualifying (Impound) Single Vehicle: 1 Lap/1 Round/All Entries – FS1
    9 p.m.: Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200 race
    Stages: 30/60/134 Laps = 201 Miles
    Purse: $699,491
    FS1/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    2021 Race Winner: John Hunter Nemechek

    Xfinity Series

    6:30 p.m.: Practice – All Entries – FS1
    7 p.m.: Qualifying (Impound) Single Vehicle: 1 Lap/1 Round/All Entries – FS1

    Saturday, March 5

    Cup Series

    1:30 p.m.: Practice (Groups A and B Combined)
    FS2/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    2:05 Qualifying (Impound) Groups A & B – Single Vehicle, 1 Lap, 2 Rounds – FS1

    Xfinity Series

    4:30 p.m.: Alsco Uniforms 300 race
    Stages: 45/90/200 Laps = 300 Miles
    The Purse: $1,676,079
    FS1/PRN/TSN2/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    2021 Race Winner: AJ Allmendinger

    Sunday, March 6

    Cup Series

    3:30 p.m.: Cup Series Pennzoil 400 race
    Stages 80/165/267 Laps = 400.5 Miles
    Purse: $8,483,997
    FOX/PRN/TSN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    2021 Race Winner: Kyle Larson

  • Trevor Bayne begins comeback effort with top-five at Auto Club Speedway

    Trevor Bayne begins comeback effort with top-five at Auto Club Speedway

    Trevor Bayne finished third Saturday in the Xfinity Series Production Alliance 300 at Auto Club Speedway. It was the first of seven Xfinity Series races currently scheduled with Joe Gibbs Racing and the beginning of a new opportunity.

    With sponsor Devotion Nutrition on the No 18 Toyota, his focus is on running competitively in an effort to renew his career in NASCAR. He started the race strong with a dominant car and won the first stage but lost momentum after a slow pit stop, eventually working his way back toward the front for a top-five.

    After winning the 2011 Daytona 500 with Wood Brothers Racing in only his second Cup Series start, it looked as though Bayne’s future in NASCAR was secure. In 2015, he signed with Jack Roush to run full-time in the Cup Series.  But, after four years, Bayne’s performance fell short of Roush’s expectations and his contract was not renewed after the 2018 season.

    His current alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing is a dream come true for Bayne.

    “I don’t know what comes of this,” Bayne continued. “I don’t know if I end up back in a Cup car full-time or an Xfinity car contending for championships. That’s what I would love to see happen, but I feel like, in seven races, I need to go win three to five races if I’m going to have a shot at a comeback. That’s my goal. That’s what I told Jason Ratcliff (crew chief). We’ve got seven – let’s go win five. Maybe it only takes one or two, I don’t know, but to have a shot in the 18 car, that’s my goal.”

    Bayne’s third-place finish at Auto Club was not the win he was looking for but it was an impressive performance and a confirmation of his commitment to making the most of this second chance

    “I got to race for wins today. Didn’t get it done, unfortunately, but I’m not going to get greedy with our first one back. We won the first stage, had a pit stop that got us behind and it just drove different in traffic. Once I got back to the front, it was pretty racy – really just too tight to have a shot to run with the 07 (Cole Custer). He could get through the corner really good, but I’m back in a race car, battling for wins. I was talking with Noah (Gragson) about which lane I ran in (turns) one and two there. To me, second or third don’t matter, I’ve got to win races, so I tried to go below the 07, didn’t work out, but super pumped to be here with Devotion, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing.”

    While his future in NASCAR may be uncertain, Bayne’s passion and desire to succeed are unshakable. His next race will be at Phoenix Raceway on March 12 and the goal remains the same.

    “It really feels like one of the best opportunities I’ve ever had outside of getting in that Wood Brothers car in Daytona. To me, this feels like the reset,” Bayne said. “I need to go win three to five races if I’m going to have a shot at a comeback.”

  • Custer grabs a dominant Xfinity win at Fontana

    Custer grabs a dominant Xfinity win at Fontana

    Cole Custer rallied from two slow pit stops and through three overtime restarts to score a dominant win in the Production Alliance 300 at Auto Club Speedway on Saturday, February 26.

    The 24-year-old native from Ladera Ranch, California, led five times for a race-high 80 of 165 laps to beat Noah Gragson by half a second in his first of select NASCAR Xfinity Series starts this season with SS-Green Light Racing, which achieved their first career victory in NASCAR.

    Qualifying on Saturday determined the starting lineup for the event. AJ Allmendinger, coming off his runner-up result at Daytona International Speedway, started on pole position after posting a pole-winning lap at 179.829 mph. He was joined on the front row with Cole Custer, who qualified with a fast lap at 179.793 mph.

    Prior to the event, Jeffrey Earnhardt, Jeb Burton, Jesse Iwuji, Joey Gase, Tommy Joe Martins and Josh Williams dropped to the rear for unapproved adjustments. Kyle Sieg also dropped to the rear of the field due to an engine change along with Joe Graf Jr. due to a driver change after he replaced Timmy Hill.

    When the green flag waved and the race commenced, Allmendinger and Custer battled dead even ahead of the field before the former cleared the latter through the backstretch and went on to lead the first lap. 

    During the following lap, Allmendinger continued to fend off early challenges from Custer to retain the top spot. Behind, Austin Hill, coming off his first Xfinity career victory at Daytona, made an unscheduled pit stop after sustaining right-side damage to his No. 21 Bennett Transportation and Logistics Chevrolet Camaro due to contact with Josh Berry through the backstretch. 

    By the fifth lap, Allmendinger and Custer continued to battle for the lead followed by Trevor Bayne, Noah Gragson and Brandon Jones. Ryan Sieg was in sixth ahead of Daniel Hemric, Ty Gibbs, Josh Berry and Justin Allgaier. 

    A lap later, the first caution flew when flames erupted out of the No. 10 Carnomoly Chevrolet Camaro piloted by Landon Cassill, who was running in 11th place. Cassill, though, was able to park his car below the apron in Turn 1 as he exited his flaming car. 

    Following an extensive cleanup, the race restarted on Lap 13. During the following lap, Trevor Bayne, making his first of select starts in Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 18 Devotion Nutrition Toyota Supra, flexed his muscles as he moved into the lead followed by Allmendinger, Custer and the field.

    On Lap 19, the caution returned when Mason Massey cut a left-front tire and shredded debris in Turn 2.

    When the race restarted on Lap 24 and as the field fanned out, Noah Gragson peaked ahead with the lead followed by Bayne, Custer and the field. When the field returned to the frontstretch, however, Bayne retained the lead followed by Custer, Gragson, Gibbs and Allmendinger.

    By Lap 30, Bayne was leading by a tenth of a second over Custer. Gragson was in third followed by teammate Justin Allgaier and Gibbs while Allmendinger, Hemric, Berry, Sieg and Sam Mayer were in the top 10.

    In the closing laps of the first stage, Custer started to close in and challenge Bayne for the top spot while Gragson was trailing by more than two seconds. 

    When the first stage concluded on Lap 35, Bayne, making his first start in NASCAR in two years, claimed his first career stage victory. Custer settled in second while Allgaier overtook teammate Gragson in Turn 3 after Gragson scraped the wall to settle in third. Gibbs, Allmendinger, Berry, Sieg, Hemric and Mayer rounded out the top 10.

    Under the stage break, the field pitted and Hemric utilized the first pit box to his advantage to move into the lead. Gibbs followed in second along with Gragson, Berry, Allgaier and Custer while Bayne dropped to 10th following a slow pit stop. During the pit stop, Ryan Sieg missed his pit box and had to return to pit road for service.

    The second stage started on Lap 42 as Hemric and Gibbs occupied the front row. At the start, Gibbs challenged Hemric for the top spot through the backstretch while Gragson, Custer and Allgaier battled ahead of the field that was fanning out. Then in Turn 4, Gibbs, who battled dead even with Hemric, bumped against Hemric’s No. 11 Poppy Bank Chevrolet Camaro before he spun wildly across the frontstretch and through the infield grass, all while sustaining no significant damage to his No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota Supra.

    On Lap 48, the race restarted under green as Hemric and Gragson occupied the front row. At the start, Hemric retained the top spot until Custer stormed back to the lead during the following lap. With Hemric back in second, Gragson challenged for second ahead of Brandon Jones, Allgaier and Berry.

    By Lap 50, Custer was leading by a second ahead of Gragson while Hemric, Brandon Jones and Allgaier were in the top five. Allmendinger was in sixth ahead of Berry, rookie Sheldon Creed, Riley Herbst and Sam Mayer. Behind, Bayley Curry pitted under green after sustaining a flat right-rear tire.

    Five laps later, Custer stabilized his advantage to more than a second over Gragson while third-place Allgaier trailed by more than three seconds. 

    Another lap later, Brandon Jones, who was running in sixth place, spun his No. 19 Menards Toyota Supra in Turn 4.

    When the field restarted under green on Lap 60, the field battled through two lanes entering the first turn before fanning out to multiple lanes entering the backstretch. In the midst of the battles, Custer retained the lead and Gragson was in second ahead of teammate Allgaier, Allmendinger, Hemric, Berry and Mayer.

    Five laps later, Custer remained as the leader by a second and a half over Allgaier while Gragson, Allmendinger and Hemric were in the top five. 

    When the second stage concluded on Lap 70, Custer claimed his 17th career stage victory. Meanwhile, Brandon Jones, who made a late charge on fresh tires following his spin, settled in second followed by Allgaier, Gragson, Gibbs, Hemric, Allmendinger, Mayer, Berry and Riley Herbst.

    Under the stage break, the leaders returned to pit road and Brandon Jones exited with the lead followed by Allgaier, Gragson, Berry and Hemric while Custer, who endured a slow pit stop, dropped to eighth.

    With 74 laps remaining, the final stage started under green. At the start, Jones powered ahead with a brief advantage on the outside lane as the field fanned out entering the first two turns. When the field returned to the frontstretch, Custer, who restarted eighth, used a fast race car to his advantage by barreling his way back to the lead as Gragson challenged Brandon Jones for the runner-up spot.

    With less than 70 laps remaining, Allmendinger pitted under green to address a potential loose wheel to his No. 16 Nutrien Ag Solutions Chevrolet Camaro as he lost a lap to the leaders.

    Back on the track, Custer was leading by more than a second over Gragson. Brandon Jones was in third, trailing by more than two seconds, while Allgaier was in fourth. Meanwhile, Gibbs, who rallied from his early spin, was in fifth ahead of Hemric, Trevor Bayne, Berry, Mayer and Creed.

    Ten laps later, Custer extended his advantage to more than two seconds over Gragson while Allgaier, Brandon Jones and Gibbs were in the top five. Behind was Hemric, who had Berry, Bayne, Creed and Mayer battling behind him.

    Another 10 laps later, Custer’s advantage narrowed to less than two seconds as he continued to lead ahead of Gragson while Allgaier, Jones and Hemric were in the top five. Gibbs, Berry, Bayne, Creed and Herbst were scored in the top 10.

    With 48 laps remaining, Brandon Brown spun in Turn 2 as he drew the caution. Under caution, the field pitted and Justin Allgaier exited with the top spot followed by Jones, Gragson, Berry and Herbst. Meanwhile, Custer, who endured another slow pit stop, fell back to seventh.

    With 42 laps remaining, the race restarted under green. At the start, Allgaier retained the top spot through the first two turns as the field jostled for positions. Not long after, Gragson muscled to the lead while Allgaier was back in second ahead of Berry and a hard-charging Custer.

    Down to the final 35 laps of the event, JR Motorsports’ competitors occupied four of the top-five spots as Gragson was leading by more than a second over teammate Berry while teammate Allgaier trailed by more than two seconds. Custer was back in fourth while Mayer, the fourth JRM competitor, was in fifth.

    Then with 27 laps remaining, the caution flew when Jade Buford wrecked in Turn 2 after getting loose before being hit by Creed. Under caution, some led by Gragson pitted while Gibbs and Anthony Alfredo remained on the track. During the pit stops, Gragson slid through his pit box and ran over his air hose as he exited pit road out of the top 10 while Allgaier was the first competitor on fresh tires and fuel to exit pit road.

    With 22 laps remaining, the race restarted under green. At the start and with the field fanning out to multiple lanes, Allgaier reassumed the lead through Turn 1 while Bayne moved into second along with Berry.

    During the following lap, a five-car battle for the lead ensued as Allgaier led ahead of Bayne, Gragson, Berry and Custer. Soon after, Gragson muscled his way back to the lead. Not long after, Custer moved into second. By then, Myatt Snider fell off the pace after he lost an engine to his car.

    Back on the track, Gragson continued to lead, but he had Custer narrowing the advantage to less than three-tenths of a second. 

    Then with 15 laps remaining, Custer stormed back to the lead beneath Gragson.

    Just then, the caution flew with 10 laps remaining due to debris in Turn 1 as Mason Massey lost a left-front tire. At the time of caution, Custer had extended his advantage to more than a second over Gragson, more than two seconds over Josh Berry, more than three seconds over Bayne and more than four seconds over Allgaier.

    With six laps remaining, the race restarted under green. At the start, Gragson mounted a brief challenge on Custer before the latter cleared the field through the backstretch. Behind, Bayne challenged Gragson for the runner-up spot as Custer started to pull away.

    During the following lap, the caution returned due to an incident involving Creed and Brett Moffitt in Turn 1.

    With the field set to overtime, Custer and Gragson occupied the front row as the race resumed to green flag conditions. At the start, Custer, who spun the tires, managed to retain the lead ahead of Bayne and Gragson as the field fanned out to multiple lanes. Then in Turn 1, Hemric made contact with Brandon Jones as Jones spun across the track and dodged by the oncoming field. The incident, however, sent the race into another overtime attempt.

    At the start of the second overtime attempt, Custer received a strong start to retain the lead as the field fanned out. Then entering Turn 4, a multi-car wreck struck that involved Creed, Stefan Parsons and Brandon Jones, who spun down to the infield and collided against the sand barriers near the pit road entrance, which destroyed the barriers in a sandstorm. The incident occurred before Custer could start the final lap of the event as the race was sent into third overtime attempt.

    Prior to the overtime attempt, the red flag was displayed for 23 minutes for repairs towards the pit road entrance. When the red flag was lifted and the third overtime attempt commenced under green, Custer received another strong start to retain the lead while Gragson and Bayne moved up to second and third followed by Alfredo, who restarted on the front row. 

    When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Custer was leading by nearly four-tenths of a second over Gragson and the field. With a fast race car, Custer was able to circumnavigate his way around the circuit for a final time and cycle back to the finish line to grab the victory.

    With the victory, Custer claimed his 10th Xfinity Series career win in his 106th series start, his second at Fontana and his first since winning at Dover Motor Speedway in September 2019.

    “Man, it was just an awesome car,” Custer said on FS1. “That [car] was just a rocket ship all day. I can’t thank [owner] Bobby Dotter enough, everybody who was involved on this car. It was just unreal how fast we were. Production Alliance Group, this is awesome, it’s [Dotter’s] race. It’s the Production Alliance Group 300 and we got him to Victory Lane. It’s awesome to win at home, so [I] can’t wait for tomorrow. ”

    Gragson settled in second place while Bayne notched a strong third-place result in his first Xfinity start in six years. 

    “We had the lead there and then came down pit road, slid through the pit box and then, had a really good restart from 11th, got back up to the lead in like a lap or two,” Gragson said. “I felt like the Bass Pro Shops Camaro was really close all day. Just struggled with the cloud cover and the temperature change, being too loose or too tight. Hats off to all the guys on the No. 07 car and Cole Custer. He was really fast today. We finished third last weekend, finished second here this weekend. Hopefully, [we] got some good points. This is not one of my good tracks, so I’ll take a second-place finish…Came up short today, but hey, top threes through the start of two races this season, I’ll take it.

    Josh Berry grabbed his first top-five result of the season by finishing fourth and Anthony Alfredo made the late decision to remain on old tires work to perfection as he finished in fifth place.

    Mayer, Allmendinger, Allgaier, Herbst and Ryan Sieg finished in the top 10.

    There were 19 lead changes for eight different leaders. The race featured 12 cautions for 58 laps.

    After rallying for a top-10 result, Allmendinger continues to lead the regular-season standings by a single point over Gragson, three over Allgaier and 19 over Herbst, Ryan Sieg and Gibbs.

    Results.

    1. Cole Custer, 80 laps led, Stage 2 winner

    2. Noah Gragson, 25 laps led

    3. Trevor Bayne, 24 laps led, Stage 1 winner

    4. Josh Berry

    5. Anthony Alfredo

    6. Sam Mayer

    7. AJ Allmendinger, 13 laps led

    8. Justin Allgaier, seven laps led

    9. Riley Herbst

    10. Ryan Sieg

    11. Brandon Brown

    12. Daniel Hemric, 10 laps led

    13. Ty Gibbs, three laps led

    14. Jeb Burton

    15. Joe Graf Jr.

    16. Kyle Weatherman

    17. Jeremy Clements

    18. Kyle Sieg

    19. Brett Moffitt

    20. Joey Gase

    21. Josh Williams

    22. JJ Yeley

    23. Matt Mills

    24. Alex Labbe

    25. Kaz Grala, two laps down

    26. Myatt Snider, two laps down

    27. Austin Hill, three laps down

    28. Mason Massey, three laps down

    29. Jeffrey Earnhardt, four laps down

    30. Stefan Parsons – OUT, Accident

    31. Tommy Joe Martins, seven laps down

    32. Sheldon Creed – OUT, Accident

    33. Brandon Jones – OUT, Accident, three laps led

    34. Bayley Currey, 11 laps down

    35. Ryan Vargas – OUT, Accident

    36. Jesse Iwuji, 34 laps down

    37. Jade Buford – OUT, Accident

    38. Landon Cassill – OUT, Engine

    The 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series season proceeds with its second of a three-race West Coast swing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, which will occur on Saturday, March 5, at 4:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Weekend schedule for Auto Club Speedway  

    Weekend schedule for Auto Club Speedway  

    The NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series travel to Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, CA this weekend for the second race of the 2022 season. It will be the first trip back to the track since 2020. The Camping World Truck Series is off and will return to completion on Friday, March 4.

    This year NASCAR has established a different procedure for practice and qualifying. At Auto Club Speedway, and on most ovals this year, the teams will be split into two groups.

    The groups will be based on the finishing order (odd/even) from the week’s previous race with one 15-minute practice for each group. Single-car, single-lap qualifying will follow immediately after the practice sessions. The top five drivers from each group will advance to the second round of qualifying to compete for the pole with a single-car, single-lap run.

    You can watch Press Pass live Saturday for drivers Chase Briscoe and Aric Almirola at 12:30 p.m. ET, Kevin Harvick at 12:45 p.m. ET, Kyle Larson at 1 p.m. ET and Kyle Busch at 1:15 p.m. ET. Press Pass will also be available for post-Cup qualifying, post-Xfinity race, and post-Cup race.

    All times are Eastern.

    Saturday, February 26

    Noon: Xfinity Series Practice
    12:30 p.m.: Xfinity Series Qualifying
    2 p.m.: Cup Series Practice
    2:35 p.m.: Cup Series Qualifying
    5 p.m.: Xfinity Series Production Alliance 300
    Distance: 300 miles (150 Laps)
    Stage 1 ends on Lap 35, Stage 2 ends on Lap 70, Final Stage ends on Lap 150
    FS1/MRN/ SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    Purse: $1,618,853
    2020 Race Winner: Harrison Burton

    Sunday, February 27

    3:30 p.m.: NASCAR Cup Series WISE Power 400
    Distance: 400 miles (200 laps)
    Stage 1 ends on Lap 65, Stage 2 ends on Lap 130, Final Stage ends on Lap 200
    FOX/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    Purse: $8,035,061
    2020 Race Winner: Alex Bowman

  • Ryan Truex rejoins Joe Gibbs Racing for a four-race Xfinity deal in 2022

    Ryan Truex rejoins Joe Gibbs Racing for a four-race Xfinity deal in 2022

    Ryan Truex will be adding more NASCAR Xfinity Series events to his 2022 racing schedule after it was announced that he will be reuniting with Joe Gibbs Racing and drive the No. 18 Toyota Supra in a four-race Xfinity deal.

    Truex, a two-time ARCA Menards Series East champion and brother of the 2017 Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr., will be making his first start in JGR’s No. 18 Toyota at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 5. He will then return to compete at Martinsville Speedway on April 8, Darlington Raceway on May 7 and at Texas Motor Speedway on May 21.

    The announcement comes as Truex is coming off a 12th-place result at Daytona International Speedway in his first of select starts for Sam Hunt Racing.

    “I’m honored to compete in the No. 18 Toyota GR Supra with Joe Gibbs Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series this season,” Truex said. “Having the opportunity to get  behind the wheel of a Joe Gibbs Racing entry is an absolute dream come true. Even better, Toyota is sponsoring my inaugural race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway next weekend. I can’t thank them and Joe Gibbs Racing enough for making this happen.”

    Prior to this season, Truex’s latest competition in the Xfinity Series occurred in 2019, where he made six starts for JR Motorsports. Since making his Xfinity debut in 2010, Truex has made 79 career starts in the Xfinity circuit, 12 occurring with Joe Gibbs Racing. During the 79-race schedule, he earned a pole, four top-five results and 24 top-10 results. His best result in the series are a pair of runner-up finishes: the first at Dover Motor Speedway in June 2012 and the second at Phoenix Raceway in March 2019. 

    Through 2022, he has also made 73 career starts in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and 26 career starts in the NASCAR Cup Series. 

    Truex is the third competitor to be confirmed to pilot Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 18 Toyota entry throughout this year’s Xfinity Series season. Drew Dollar made his first of four scheduled starts at Daytona International Speedway, where he finished 36th, while Trevor Bayne is scheduled to make his first of seven starts this upcoming weekend at Auto Club Speedway on Saturday, February 26.

    Truex is scheduled to make his first Xfinity Series start with Joe Gibbs Racing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 5 with coverage to occur at 4:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Clements set for 200th Xfinity Series career start at Fontana

    Clements set for 200th Xfinity Series career start at Fontana

    With a new season of NASCAR Xfinity Series competition underway, Jeremy Clements is within striking distance of a a milestone start in his 12th full-time season in the Xfinity circuit. By taking the green flag in this weekend’s event at Auto Club Speedway, the driver of the No. 51 Jeremy Clements Racing Chevrolet Camaro will make his 400th career start in the Xfinity Series. 

    A native of Spartanburg, South Carolina, Clements, who grew up competing in go-karts before moving up to the Modified and Stock Series, the Late Model division and the ARCA Racing Series, made his Xfinity debut at Pike Peaks International Raceway in July 2003. By then, he was coming off a Late Model division season where he achieved nine victories and the championship at Cherokee Speedway. Driving the No. 71 Chevrolet for Young Racing, Clements started 35th and finished 31st in his debut following an early accident.

    Four years later, Clements returned to the Xfinity Series and competed in the final five events of the schedule in the No. 36 Chevrolet for McGill Motorsports. His best result during the five-race span was 23rd at Charlotte Motor Speedway in October 2007.

    Throughout the 2008 and 2009 racing seasons, Clements made select Xfinity starts in his family-owned team, Jeremy Clements Motorsports, while practicing and qualifying cars for Joe Gibbs Racing, notably at Kentucky Speedway in 2008 and at Iowa Speedway in 2009. Late in the 2009 season, Clements competed in six races in the No. 0 Chevrolet for JD Motorsports, where he earned a best result of 12th at Auto Club Speedway in October.

    Clements started the 2010 Xfinity Series season with plans of competing in the opening three races in the No. 0 Chevrolet for JD Motorsports. After failing to qualify for the season opener at Daytona, Clements scaled back and made select starts in the No. 04 Chevrolet for JD Motorsports. Throughout the 2010 season and the 35-race schedule, he made 16 starts and failed to qualify for seven races. At Gateway in October 2010, Clements notched his first top-10 career result (10th place).

    The following season, Clements competed on a full-time basis with his family-owned team, Jeremy Clements Racing, and sporting the No. 51 alongside his car. He recorded nine top-20 results with a best finish of 14th in September. Clements returned for another full-time racing role in 2012 for his family-owned team. Clements’ best results in 2012 were a pair of 10th-place finishes at Dover Motor Speedway in June and at Indianapolis. Following the 2012 season, where he finished in 14th place in the final standings, Clements surpassed 100 career starts in the Xfinity Series.

    Clements started the 2013 season by finishing 33rd in the season opener at Daytona. Not long after, however, he was suspended from competition indefinitely for using a racial slur during a live interview. Missing the next two events, where Ryan Sieg drove Clements’ No. 51 car, Clements returned the following race at Bristol Motor Speedway in March and competed the rest of the 33-race schedule. His best results were a ninth-place finish at Talladega Superspeedway in May and a 10th-place finish during the inaugural race at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course as he settled in 16th place in the final standings.

    From 2014 to 2016, Clements remained as a full-time Xfinity Series competitor for his family-owned team and he notched a total of six top-10 results between the three seasons. His best runs were a fourth-place finish at Talladega in April 2016, a sixth-place result at Road America in June 2014 and a sixth-place result at Bristol in August 2016. His best points result between the three seasons was 14th in 2015. By then, he surpassed 200 Xfinity career starts.

    For the first 22 races of the 2017 Xfinity Series season, Clements had recorded only one top-10 result, which was a seventh-place result at Iowa Speedway in June. The following race at Road America was where Clements rose to the occasion and shined under the spotlight as he battled rookie Matt Tifft for the win in the the final laps. On the final turn on the penultimate lap, Clements, who gained a big run to draw himself alongside Tifft, got loose and collided into Tifft as both spun through the turn. With no caution falling and both competitor not sustaining any significant damage to their respective machines, Clements was able to quickly straighten his No. 51 Chevrolet Camaro, take the lead and bolt away, where he methodically navigated around the circuit for one final lap to achieve his first NASCAR win in his 256th career start. The victory was enough for Clements and his family organization to clinch a spot for the 2017 Xfinity Series Playoffs and contend for his first NASCAR national touring series championship. For the remainder of the season, however, he finished no higher than 16th and settled in a career-best 12th place in the final standings after having his title hopes come to an end following the Playoff’s Round of 12 in October.

    Between 2018 and 2019, Clements achieved a total of six top-10 results and a season-best result of fourth place at Bristol in August 2019, but he missed the Playoffs during both seasons with his best points result being 14th in 2019. By then, he surpassed 300 career starts.

    After notching five top-10 results, a season-best on-track result of third place at Pocono in June and a 13th-place result in the 2020 Xfinity final standings, Clements commenced the 2021 season with a 22nd-place result at Daytona. He was able to return to the Xfinity Playoffs on a strength of seven top-10 results throughout the 26-race regular-season stretch, with his best result being sixth place at Darlington Raceway in May. After his 2021 hopes diminished due to respective finishes of 39th, 24th and 12th during the first round of the Playoffs, he went on to match his career-best result in the final standings of 12th place.

    Through 199 previous Xfinity starts, Clements has achieved one victory, four top-five results, 32 top-10 results, 83 laps led and an average-finishing result of 21.0. He is coming off a 37th-place result at Daytona to commence the 2022 Xfinity Series season.

    Clements is bound to make his 200th career start in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Auto Club Speedway, which will occur on Saturday, February 26, at 5 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Austin Hill scores first Xfinity Series career win at Daytona

    Austin Hill scores first Xfinity Series career win at Daytona

    In his first event as a full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series competitor, Austin Hill overtook AJ Allmendinger at the moment of caution due to a harrowing multi-car wreck to win the season-opening Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. 300 at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, February 19, and claim his first Xfinity Series career victory in his 16th series start.

    The 27-year-old Hill from Winston, Georgia, led four times for a total of 23 of the 120-scheduled laps as he made a bold move beneath Allmendinger to emerge out in front and claim the victory in his first event driving the No. 21 Chevrolet Camaro for Richard Childress Racing.

    The starting lineup was determined through a qualifying session earlier in the day. Daniel Hemric, the reigning Xfinity Series champion, started on pole position after posting a pole-winning lap at 182.849 mph. Joining him on the front row was Austin Hill, an Xfinity rookie candidate who qualified with a lap at 182.423 mph. 

    Ronnie Bassett Jr., Natalie Decker, Gray Gaulding, Alex Labbe, Mason Massey, Stefan Parsons, Harrison Rhodes, David Starr and Tim Viens failed to qualify into the 38-car field.

    Prior to the event, Shane Lee, Sam Mayer and Ryan Truex started at the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments to their respective machines.

    When the green flag waved and the race commenced, Hemric jumped with an early lead through the first two turns and through the backstraightaway. With the field fanning out to double lanes in the early stages of the event, Hemric led the first lap before he moved to the outside lane to block Sheldon Creed. At the same time, Jade Buford challenged Hemric for the lead, but was unable to clear Hemric as he retained the lead through the following lap.

    Then in Turn 1, Hill pulled his No. 21 Bennett Transportation/United Rentals Chevrolet Camaro beneath Hemric’s No. 11 Athletic Greens Chevrolet as he challenged for the lead. While Hill had teammate Creed behind him, Hemric received drafting support from his new teammate Landon Cassill. 

    Through the first five laps of the event, Hemric and Hill continued to duel for the lead followed by Sheldon Creed, Cassill, Buford, Riley Herbst, Brett Moffitt, Josh Berry, Drew Dollar, Brandon Jones and the field. By then, Anthony Alfredo was black-flagged and was forced to pit to replace a right-side window that fell out of his car.

    Five laps later, Hill was out in front ahead of Hemric, Cassill, Herbst and Gragson. By then, Creed was back in 12th ahead of Brandon Jones. In addition, Ty Gibbs was in 16th and AJ Allmendinger was in 20th.

    On Lap 13, the first caution of the event flew when Drew Dollar got loose in front of Jade Buford entering the backstraightaway and shot his No. 18 Lynx Capital Toyota Supra back across the track into the path of Jeremy Clements as both competitors made hard contact against the outside wall. Behind, Sam Mayer spun, but continued. Under caution, some like Noah Gragson, Justin Allgaier and Allmendinger pitted while the rest led by Hemric remained on the track. Following the pit stops, Gragson was penalized for an uncontrolled tire violation.

    When the race restarted under green on Lap 19, Hemric, who restarted with the lead, retained the top spot for a full lap as the field jostled behind for positions. 

    By Lap 25 and with the field fanning out to three lanes through close-quarters racing, Hemric continued to lead ahead of Hill, Herbst, Ty Gibbs and Berry while Allmendinger, Cassill, Allgaier, Brandon Brown and Myatt Snider were in the top 10. By then, Gragson was in 12th behind Brandon Jones, Buford and Mayer were in 14th and 15th and Creed was in 19th in between Brett Moffitt and Kyle Weatherman.

    Then on the final lap of the first stage 1, Hill mounted a challenge on Kaulig Racing’s Hemric and Allmendinger for the first stage victory. Entering Turn 3, Hill briefly got by Allmendinger, but the latter fought back entering the frontstretch. Allmendinger, however, was unable to formulate a charge for the stage victory over his new Kaulig Racing teammate as Hemric claimed the first stage victory on Lap 30. Allmendinger settled in second followed by Herbst, Hill, Gragson, Gibbs, Allgaier, Ryan Sieg, Brandon Brown and Mayer.

    Under the stage break, nearly the entire field led by Hemric pitted and Brown exited first after electing to not have his tires changed. Mayer and Jeb Burton also pitted for only fuel, some like Hill and Gragson pitted for two fresh tires and others like Hemric pitted for four fresh tires. Back on the track, few like Joe Graf Jr. and Ryan Vargas remained on the track. Prior to the restart, Vargas pitted while Graf remained on the track.

    The second stage started on Lap 36 as Graf and Brown occupied the front row. At the start, both competitors dueled for the lead before Brown pulled ahead entering the backstraightaway while Graf slipped out of the top five. 

    By Lap 40, Brown was out in front of a long line of competitors running towards the outside wall while Gragson, Hill, Gibbs and Ryan Sieg were in the top five. Allgaier, Josh Berry, Buford, Herbst and Creed were in the top 10 while Snider, Hemric, Brandon Jones, Allmendinger and Landon Cassill were in the top 15. Graf was back in 16th ahead of Brett Moffitt, rookie Jesse Iwuji, Shane Lee, Josh Bilicki and Jeb Burton while Mayer was in 23rd.

    Ten laps later on Lap 50, Gragson was out in front of the field after he muscled his No. 9 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet Camaro into the lead during the previous lap. By then, Ryan Sieg was in second ahead of Hill and Kaulig Racing’s Hemric and Allmendinger. 

    Soon after and as the field began to fan out to multiple lanes towards the front, Hemric and Allmendinger moved up to second and third as Gragson retained the lead. By then, Gibbs emerged in the top five as he formed a second line of competitors running on the inside lane ahead of Hill.

    Through the closing laps of the second stage, the field settled in a long single file line towards the outside wall as Gragson led Hemric, Allmendinger, Brown, Sieg and the field. By then, Gibbs had drifted out of the top 15. 

    Then on the final lap of the second stage, Hemric and Gragson made contact while battling for the lead entering Turns 1 and 2, which sent Gragson nearly sideways before he slipped up the track and out of the draft as the former returned to the lead ahead of Sieg and Mayer. With the field unable to gain a draft for a final mount, Hemric was able to claim the second stage victory on Lap 60, which marked the halfway mark of the event. Sieg settled in second ahead of Mayer, Allmendinger, Allgaier, Brown, Gibbs, Berry, Jones and Herbst while Gragson, who managed to preserve his car from wrecking, fell back to 14th.

    Under the stage break, the field returned to pit road and Hemric retained the lead ahead of teammate Allmendinger following a two-tire pit service. Jones, Gibbs and Gragson exited pit road in the top five. During the pit stops, Jesse Iwuji dropped to the rear of the field due to an uncontrolled tire violation along with Jeb Burton, who had a crew member jump over his pit stall too early. In addition, Allgaier pitted for a second time to address missing lug nuts on his No, 7 BRANDT Chevrolet Camaro.

    With 54 laps remaining, the final stage started under green. At the start, Hemric jumped ahead and pulled in front of teammate Allmendinger to retain the lead while Gibbs mounted a challenge for the lead on the outside lane with drafting help from Sheldon Creed.

    By the next scheduled lap, Gibbs led a lap for himself before Hemric fought back on the inside lane.

    With 50 laps remaining, Hemric was laeding ahead of teammate Allmendinger, Gibbs, Creed and Cassill.

    Four laps later, Kaulig Racing’s Hemric, Allmendinger and Cassill pitted under green. During the following lap, a next wave of competitors, including Mayer, Buford, Creed, Gragson and Hill pitted, but Mayer spun prior to reaching the pit road entrance. Despite the spin, Mayer was able to straighten his car into his pit stall as the race proceeded under green, but he returned not long after for a new bumper cover.

    Down to the final 40 laps of the event and with most of the field having made a pit stop, Josh Bilicki was leading ahead of Matt Mills, Ryan Vargas, Bayley Currey and Josh Williams, all of whom needed to pit, while Shane Lee, CJ McLaughlin, Hill, Gragson and Allmendinger were in the top 10. Cassill, Hemric and Gibbs were in 11th, 12th and 13th ahead of Creed and Brandon Jones.

    Four laps later, the caution returned due to Mayer’s bumper replacement coming off of his car in Turn 4. Under caution, some led by Bilicki pitted while the rest led by Austin Hill remained on the track. Among those who pitted included Hemric, who had all four tires on his car changed due to concerns of flat-spotting his tires.

    With 29 laps remaining, the race restarted under green. At the start, Hill and Gragson dueled for the lead before Hill received a push from Allmendinger on the inside lane to retain the lead for a full lap. 

    Shortly after, the caution flew when the No. 38 Ford Mustang piloted by CJ McLaughlin got loose entering the frontstretch and came back across the middle of the track, which triggered a multi-car wreck that collected Moffitt, Jeffrey Earnhardt, Iwuji, Lee, Tommy Joe Martins, Joey Gase, Josh Williams, Kyle Weatherman and Hemric.

    With 23 laps remaining, the race proceeded under green. At the start, Hill muscled with an early advantage before he moved up the track entering Turns 1 and 2. This allowed Allmendinger to storm to the lead with drafting help from new teammate Landon Cassill.

    Down to the final 20 laps of the event, Allmendinger continued to lead ahead of teammate Cassill and Hill while Gibbs, Gragson, Jones, Herbst, Allgaier, Buford and Jeb Burton were in the top 10. 

    Three laps later, Hill cleared Allmendinger to control both lanes with the lead as he had drafting help from Gragson and Riley Herbst. 

    With less than 15 laps remaining, Allmendinger returned to the lead as Allgaier charged his way to the front ahead of Hill. Allgaier, however, slipped back into the top 10 as Hill led a parade of competitors running towards the outside lane behind Allmendinger’s No. 16 Nutrien Ag Solutions Chevrolet Camaro.

    Down to the final 10 laps of the event, Allmendinger remained as the leader followed by Hill, Gragson, Herbst and Creed, who was back in the top five. Snider, Buford, Bilicki, Brown and Allgaier were in the top 10 ahead of Cassill, Jeb Burton, Anthony Alfredo, Gibbs and Sieg.

    With five laps remaining and the top-25 competitors separated by five seconds, Allmendinger led ahead of Hill, Gragson, Herbst and Creed. 

    Then with two laps remaining, Gragson made his move to the front on the inside lane and drew himself alongside Allmendinger as the field fanned out to two lanes and close quarters racing. 

    When the white flag waved and the final lap commenced, Allmendinger continued to lead ahead of Hill, Gragson and the field. Then on the backstraightaway, Hill, who had drafting help from Herbst, made a crossover move beneath Allmendinger to challenge him for the lead. Behind, a multi-car wreck ensued that started when Myatt Snider got bumped and turned off the front bumper of Anthony Alfredo, which he was then hit by a pack of oncoming cars as his car was sent airborne and caught the catchfence while upside down before landing back on the track right-side up and in a shower of sparks with the front and rear ends of the car shredded off. Among those involved in the wreck included Matt Mills, Buford, Martins, Jeb Burton, Cassill and Gibbs.

    The wreck forced NASCAR to declare the event official and conclude under caution. At the moment of caution, Austin Hill was ruled the winner after emerging out in front of Allmendinger.

    The victory made Hill the 171st overall competitor to achieve a win in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and the 18th to do so while driving for Richard Childress Racing as RCR achieved their first Xfinity victory at Daytona International Speedway since July 2015. This also marked the first time since RCR’s No. 21 car won an Xfinity event since Kevin Harvick made the last accomplishment at Texas Motor Speedway in November 2007.

    In addition, Hill achieved his second NASCAR national touring series victory at Daytona, the track where he achieved his first Camping World Truck Series in 2019, and he became the first Xfinity Series competitor to score a first career victory at Daytona since Noah Gragson made the last accomplishment in 2020.

    “Me and [spotter] Derek Kneeland worked really well tonight,” Hill said on FS1. “I was learning all night. I kept telling him, ‘Hey, I’m putting that in the bank, I’m putting that in the bank. I’m just putting that in the memory bank to remember for late in the race.’ We timed [the pass] perfectly. Obviously, that caution came out, but we had a heck of a run, so who knows what would’ve happened there. I was able to drag back, [Herbst] gave me a heck of a push, we were able to get by [Allmendinger]. This is so crazy. [I] Won [Daytona] back in 2019 with a new team. Now we’re with RCR, first race with them, we were able to get the job done. Our United Rentals Chevrolet was just as fast as Xfinity Internet. Man, I’m speechless. [Crew chief] Andy Street, [team owner] Richard Childress, just all these guys back at RCR for believing in me. It’s been a fun off-season and now we get to go race for a championship.”

    Despite enduring a wild ride on the final lap, Snider emerged uninjured from his battered No. 31 TaxSlayer Chevrolet Camaro and made the mandatory trip to the infield car center, where he was evaluated and released.

    Allmendinger settled in second place while Gragson, Herbst and Allgaier completed the top five on the track. Creed, Alfredo, Ryan Sieg, Josh Bilicki and Brandon Brown finished in the top 10.

    There were 18 lead changes for nine different leaders. The race featured six cautions for 28 laps.

    Following the first event of the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, Allmendinger leads the regular season standings by four points over Hill, nine over Herbst and Allgaier, 10 over Sieg and 11 over Gragson.

    Results.

    1. Austin Hill, 23 laps led

    2. AJ Allmendinger, 18 laps led

    3. Noah Gragson, 12 laps led

    4. Riley Herbst

    5. Justin Allgaier

    6. Sheldon Creed

    7. Anthony Alfredo

    8. Ryan Sieg

    9. Josh Bilicki, 10 laps led

    10. Brandon Brown, 12 laps led

    11. Ty Gibbs, three laps led

    12. Ryan Truex

    13. JJ Yeley

    14. Landon Cassill

    15. Jeffrey Earnhardt

    16. Josh Berry, one lap led

    17. Brandon Jones

    18. Ryan Vargas

    19. Jeb Burton

    20. Bayley Currey

    21. Kyle Sieg

    22. Myatt Snider – OUT, Accident

    23. Jade Buford – OUT, Accident

    24. Tommy Joe Martins – OUT, Accident

    25. Matt Mills – OUT, Accident

    26. Joey Gase, one lap down

    27. Jesse Iwuji, two laps down

    28. Daniel Hemric, four laps down, 38 laps led, Stage 1 & 2 winner

    29. Joe Graf Jr., 10 laps down, three laps led

    30. Sam Mayer, 15 laps down

    31. Josh Williams – OUT, Accident

    32. Kyle Weatherman – OUT, Accident

    33. Shane Lee – OUT, Accident

    34. Brett Moffitt – OUT, Accident

    35. CJ McLaughlin – OUT, Accident

    36. Drew Dollar – OUT, Accident

    37. Jeremy Clements – OUT, Accident

    38. Caesar Bacarella – OUT, Engine

    Next on the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule is the series’ return to Auto Club Speedway, which also commences a three-week West Coast swing for the series. The event is scheduled to occur on Saturday, March 26, at 5 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Ty Gibbs named full-time Xfinity Series competitor for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2022

    Ty Gibbs named full-time Xfinity Series competitor for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2022

    With the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series season three days away from commencing, Joe Gibbs Racing unveiled the news that had been amplifying from months by announcing that Ty Gibbs will driving for the organization on a full-time basis in the Xfinity circuit.

    The 19-year-old grandson of Joe Gibbs, team owner of Joe Gibbs Racing and a NASCAR Hall of Famer, from Charlotte, North Carolina, will be piloting the No. 54 Toyota Supra, beginning at Daytona International Speedway, in his quest to contend for his first Xfinity Series driver’s championship and defend JGR’s title following the 2021 championship-winning season with Daniel Hemric, who is now competing for Kaulig Racing. Veteran Chris Gayle, who led the No. 54 JGR Toyota team to 11 victories and a runner-up result in the 2021 Xfinity Series’ owners’ standings while working with seven different competitors, will be returning to JGR to serve as Gibbs’ crew chief.

    “I’m excited to get going on the 2022 season,” Gibbs, who will make his first NASCAR national touring series start at Daytona, said in a team statement. “Monster Energy will sponsor the majority of the races, including the first one at Daytona and it’s great to have Interstate Batteries and Sport Clips on board. Chris Gayle and the crew guys from the 54 were great last year and hopefully we can have even more success this year.”

    Gibbs is coming off a sensational season to date, where he competed in 18 of the 33-race Xfinity schedule. Making his debut at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course in February, he claimed his first career win and became the sixth different competitor to achieve a victory in an Xfinity debut. He backed it up with victories at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May, Watkins Glen International in August and at Kansas Speedway in October. To go along with a pole at Road America in July, a total of nine top-five results and 10 top-10 results, Gibbs claimed the 2021 Xfinity Series’ Rookie-of-the-Year title.

    Photo by Simon Scoggins for SpeedwayMedia.com.

    Gibbs is also coming off a championship-winning season in the ARCA Menards Series, where he drove the No. 18 JGR Toyota Camry to 10 victories, 11 poles and top-10 results in all but one of the 20-race ARCA schedule as he wrapped up his first ARCA title by 37 points over Corey Heim. He also achieved four victories in the ARCA Menards Series East region and two in the ARCA Menards Series West region.

    Gibbs’ announcement completes Joe Gibbs Racing’s three-car roster for the 2022 Xfinity Series season as Ty Gibbs and Brandon Jones will both contend as full-time JGR Xfinity competitors. Trevor Bayne and Drew Dollar are scheduled to make select starts in JGR’s No. 18 Toyota Supra that will be driven by multiple competitors for the entire season, beginning at Daytona.

    Ty Gibbs is scheduled to embark in his first full-time campaign in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, February 19, with coverage to occur at 5 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Taylor Moyer to call 100th Xfinity Series event as crew chief at Daytona

    Taylor Moyer to call 100th Xfinity Series event as crew chief at Daytona

    A significant milestone achievement is in the making for Taylor Moyer, crew chief for rookie Sam Mayer and the No. 1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro team for the upcoming NASCAR Xfinity Series season. By participating in this weekend’s season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway, Moyer will call his 100th Xfinity career event as a crew chief. 

    Moyer, a native of Shoreham, Vermont, who graduated with a mechanical engineering degree from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and worked as a race engineer for Kasey Kahne and William Byron at Hendrick Motorsports, assumed the role as crew chief for JR Motorsports’ No. 8 “all-star” Chevrolet Camaro entry prior to the 2019 Xfinity Series season. The ride was shared between Chase Elliott, Ryan Preece, Zane Smith, Ryan Truex, Jeb Burton, Brett Moffitt, Sheldon Creed, Regan Smith and Dale Earnhardt Jr. 

    Commencing the 2019 Xfinity Series season with a 10th-place result at Daytona International Speedway in February with Elliott, Moyer led the No. 8 JRM Chevrolet team to seven top-five results, 23 top-10 results and a 10th-place result in the final Xfinity owner’s standings. The team’s best on-track result during the season was a runner-up result posted by Ryan Truex at Phoenix Raceway in March.

    For the 2020 season, Moyer remained as the crew chief for JRM’s No. 8 “all-star” entry that was shared between Burton, Daniel Hemric and Earnhardt Jr. The team commenced the season with two consecutive results outside of the top 20 due to wrecks, but rallied during the following event at Auto Club Speedway as Hemric finished seventh. Three races later, Hemric posted a runner-up result at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May. The team would achieve two additional runner-up results throughout the season (one by Jeb Burton at Richmond Raceway in September and another by Hemric at Kansas Speedway in October) along with a total of 11 top-five results, 19 top-10 results, 68 laps led and a ninth-place result in the final Xfinity owner’s standings.

    The following season (2021) marked Moyer’s third consecutive season as an Xfinity crew chief for the No. 8 JRM Chevrolet team that was split between Josh Berry, Miguel Paludo, Sam Mayer and Earnhardt Jr. After finishing no higher than seventh place twice during the opening six scheduled events, Moyer achieved his first NASCAR victory as a crew chief after the No. 8 Chevrolet piloted by Berry won at Martinsville Speedway in April. The victory was also the first for Berry and the No. 8 JRM team as the team was placed in contention to compete for the 2021 Xfinity owner’s championship. For the rest of the season, however, the No. 8 team only achieved four additional top-five results and a total of 13 top-10 results before settling in 12th place in the final owner’s standings.

    The 2022 Xfinity Series season is set to mark Moyer’s fourth full-time season as a crew chief for JRM, but the first season where he will be paired with a full-time competitor as Sam Mayer, a two-time ARCA Menards Series East champion who drove the No. 8 JRM Chevrolet in 17 events and earned six top-10 results in 2021, prepares to embark in his first full-time Xfinity campaign in the No. 1 JRM Chevrolet Camaro.

    Through 99 previous Xfinity starts, Moyer has achieved one victory, 23 top-five results and 55 top-10 results while working with 13 different competitors.

    Moyer is scheduled to call his 100th Xfinity Series event as a crew chief for the 2022 season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, February 19, with coverage to start at 5 p.m. ET on FS1.