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Tag: NASCAR Xfinity Series

  • It’s time to go about crowning a Champion

    It’s time to go about crowning a Champion

    It has been a frantic season. Three, sometimes four races a week were the norm. Now, we are a little over two months away from crowning champions in NASCAR’s three national series. The old show started out with “they said it couldn’t be done.” Well, it was, thanks to NASCAR paying attention to the scientists and proper safeguards. They are to be applauded for that. They did it right from the beginning.

    Saturday night, there was a tremendous elimination race at Daytona. It was a good one, but it saw the retiring Jimmie Johnson, a seven-time Cup champion, be eliminated. Johnson was caught up in a problem, not of his doing, but this is common at what is known as “plate races.” The big question for fans and those in charge amounts to a question about should these plate races, where anyone can win and anyone can crash out, be an elimination race? For many, it is not. Fans love the races at Talladega and Daytona, but this writer does not think it is fair for competitors. Yes, run those tracks, but give them a race to recover. I can only think about the guy who comes in solid in the Playoffs, gets wrecked early in a “Big One” and fails to make the cut, if he had 26 second-place finishes. Yes, that is extreme but possible. Let me know what you think.

    The Cup drivers will be negotiating Darlington, Richmond, Bristol, Las Vegas, Talladega, Charlotte, Kansas, Texas, Martinsville, and Phoenix. Eliminations races will be held at Bristol, the ROVAL at Charlotte and Martinsville. The Final Four race for the championship is at Phoenix.

    Who will win? I have no idea. Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex, Jr., and Brad Keselowski have dominated, but who knows what will happen?

    The biggest surprises for me were wins by Cole Custer and the guy who beat out Johnson for the Playoffs, seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson, so you never know. Watching will be fun. My only fear is a Covid-19 outbreak. So far, so good. So, buckle up let’s see what happens.

  • Chastain to reach 350 starts across NASCAR at Darlington

    Chastain to reach 350 starts across NASCAR at Darlington

    A significant milestone is in the making for Ross Chastain, a full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series competitor for Kaulig Racing and part-time competitor in the NASCAR Cup and Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series. By the time Chastain completes this weekend’s Xfinity and Cup doubleheader events at Darlington Raceway, he will achieve 350 starts across NASCAR’s three major division series (Truck, Xfinity and Cup Series).

    A native of Alva, Florida, who grew up as a watermelon farmer for his family’s farm and started racing after watching his father hobby racing, Chastain started his career by winning in late models and Fastruck Series races. His first start within NASCAR’s three major division series occurred at Lucas Oil Raceway in July 2011, where he drove the No. 66 Chevrolet Silverado for Turn One Racing in the NASCAR Truck Series. Starting 15th, Chastain finished 10th in his series debut. He went on to compete in four additional Truck races with Turn One Racing.

    In 2012, Chastain was named a full-time competitor of the No. 08 Toyota Tundra for SS-Green Light Racing as he entered the Truck Series as a Rookie-of-the-Year contender. Throughout the 22-race season, Chastain achieved four top-10 results, a career-best third-place run at Bristol Motor Speedway in August and he concluded the season in 17th place in the final standings. He made one start in the No. 07 Chevrolet Silverado for SS-Green Light Racing at Phoenix, where he finished 33rd.

    The following season, Chastain competed in 14 Truck races with Brad Keselowski Racing and in the No. 19 Ford F-150 led by Chad Kendrick. His first start with the team was at Daytona International Speedway in February, where he finished 14th. He went on to finish 20th at Martinsville Speedway in April and ninth at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May. He achieved his first top-five result of the season at Pocono Raceway in August. Two races later at Iowa Speedway, Chastain was dominant as he started on pole position and led a race-high 116 of 212 laps, only to be overtaken by James Buescher on a late restart and settle in a career-best second place. He went on to finish third at Talladega Superspeedway in October and second at Phoenix in November following a late battle with eventual winner Erik Jones. He finished in eighth place in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway and capped off his 14-race stint at BKR with four top-five results, seven top-10 results and his first two career poles.

    In 2014, Chastain competed in his first seven NASCAR Xfinity Series races along with three Truck Series races. He competed between Viva Motorsports, Hattori Racing Enterprises and TriStar Motorsports in the Xfinity circuit, with his best result being 10th place at Kentucky Speedway in September. He competed between RBR Enterprises and Win-Tron Racing in the Truck Series, with his best result being 11th place at Homestead in November.

    For the 2015 season, Chastain was named a full-time competitor for JD Motorsports in the Xfinity Series. Making 31 starts in JDM’s No. 4 Chevrolet Camaro and two in JDM’s No. 01 Chevrolet Camaro, Chastain achieved four top-10 results and a career-best result of ninth place at Daytona in February. He concluded the season in 15th place in the final standings.

    Between 2016 and 2017, Chastain continued to drive for JD Motorsports and the No. 4 Chevrolet on a full-time basis in the Xfinity Series. Following the 2016 season, he surpassed 100 starts across NASCAR’s three major division series. He finished 15th in the final standings in 2016 and 16th in 2017. Between June and July 2017, Chastain achieved back-to-back top-10 results, which included a career-best fourth-place result at Iowa Speedway. He also made a total of eight starts in the Truck Series with Bolen Motorsports, where his best result was seventh place at Martinsville Speedway in April. In addition, he made his first two NASCAR Cup Series career starts in both Dover International Speedway races while driving for Premium Motorsports. He finished 20th in his debut at the Monster Mile in June and 38th in his second start in October.

    The 2018 season was an eventful season for Chastain, who made 34 starts in the Cup Series, 33 starts in the Xfinity Series and seven starts in the Truck Series. In the Truck circuit, he made a total of seven starts between Beaver Motorsports, Premium Motorsports and Niece Motorsports. His best result was seventh place at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in September. In the Cup circuit, he competed in 34 of 36 races with Premium Motorsports. His best results were an 18th-place result at Texas Motor Speedway in April and a 20th-place result at Las Vegas in September.

    For the first 23 Xfinity Series of the season, Chastain recorded one top-five result and six top-10 results, all while during his fourth season with JD Motorsports. Then, in September, Chastain made his first of three starts in the No. 42 DC Solar Chevrolet Camaro for Chip Ganassi Racing led by crew chief Mike Shiplett at Darlington Raceway. During the main event, Chastain started on pole position for the first time in his career, led a race-high 90 laps and won the first two stages. His strong run, however, was spoiled following a late on-track incident with Kevin Harvick as Chastain ended his race in 25th place. Competing the following race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for JD Motorsports, Chastain returned to the No. 42 team at Las Vegas in September seeking redemption. During the main event, Chastain dominated again as he won the first two stages and led a race-high 180 laps. This time, Chastain sealed the deal after beating Justin Allgaier to achieve his first career win across NASCAR’s three major division series. His first Xfinity career win, which occurred in his 132nd series start and also occurred in the regular-season finale at Vegas, was enough for the Floridian to secure a spot in the 2018 Xfinity Playoffs as he introduced his celebratory trademark by smashing a watermelon.

    During his first run in the Xfinity Playoffs, Chastain went on to finish in second place at Richmond in September, which also marked his final start with Chip Ganassi Racing. Returning to JD Motorsports, he finished 12th at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval and 13th at Dover. When the dust settled, Chastain was beaten by Matt Tifft for the final transfer spot to the Round of 8 by three points. He went on to conclude the season in a career-best 10th place in the final standings as he also achieved a career-high three top-five results, eight top-10 results and 272 laps led. Following the 2018 season, he surpassed 200 career starts across NASCAR.

    In November 2018, it was announced that Chastain would compete in the No. 42 DC Solar Chevrolet Camaro for Chip Ganassi Racing on a full-time basis for the 2019 Xfinity Series season. The announcement came a month after Chastain revealed plans to compete in the Cup Series for Premium Motorsports. However, the team ceased operations in January when DC Solar was raided by the FBI. Fortunately, Chastain was picked up by Niece Motorsports to compete in the Truck Series on a part-time basis led by crew chief Phil Gould and by JD Motorsports for 30 Xfinity races. In addition, he signed a three-race deal to pilot the No. 10 Nutrien Ag Solutions Chevrolet Camaro for Kaulig Racing.

    Competing in all three series’ openers at Daytona International Speedway, Chastain finished third in the Truck Series with Niece Motorsports, 13th in the Xfinity Series with Kaulig Racing after winning the second stage and 10th in his first Daytona 500 start with Premium Motorsports. Through the beginning of June, Chastain competed in the first 12 Xfinity races and recorded a best result of seventh place at Las Vegas in March. He also competed in the first eight Truck races with Niece Motorsports, achieving top-10 results in all of his starts and collecting his first Truck career win at Kansas Speedway in May following a late pass on Stewart Friesen. To cap off his eventful start to this season, he competed in the first 14 Cup races with Premium Motorsports.

    On June 4, Chastain declared himself a full-time Truck Series competitor to contend for points and the series title with Niece Motorsports. In order to achieve his goal of making the Playoffs, he would have to win again throughout the regular-season stretch and be scored inside the top 20 in the standings. After finishing in 10th place at Texas Motor Speedway following his announcement, Chastain achieved his second victory of the season at Iowa Speedway following a dominating performance. Following the race, however, Chastain was disqualified due to his truck failing post-race technical inspection and NASCAR awarded the win to runner-up finisher Brett Moffitt. Chastain’s disqualification from winning was a first in NASCAR since Emanuel Zervakis was disqualified from winning at North Carolina’s Wilson Speedway in April 1960 due to an oversized fuel tank.

    Chastain rebounded the following race with vengeance after scoring a late win at Gateway’s World Wide Technology Raceway and collecting a $50,000 for winning a Triple Truck Challenge race. This time, Chastain’s win at Gateway was ruled official. After finishing seventh at Chicagoland Speedway and fourth at Kentucky Speedway the following two races, Chastain made himself Playoff eligible after moving into the top 20 in the standings. The following race, he achieved his third victory of his career/season at Pocono Raceway and he entered the postseason as a title favorite. During the Playoffs, Chastain achieved three top-five results and five top-10 results as he made the Championship Round at Homestead-Miami Speedway. During the finale, however, he finished fourth at Homestead and fell short of his first NASCAR championship to Matt Crafton. Despite the final outcome, he logged in a successful season in the Truck circuit, where he recorded three wins, a pole, 10 top-five results, 19 top-10 results, an average result of 8.6 and 591 laps led before concluding the season in a career-best second place. In the end, he was named the 2019 Truck Most Popular Driver.

    Chastain’s on-track success in 2019 did not only come from the Truck Series. At Daytona in July, while piloting Kaulig Racing’s No. 16 Ellsworth Advisors Chevrolet Camaro, Chastain led a 1-2-3 finish for the team across the line as he achieved his first victory at Daytona, second of his Xfinity career and the first NASCAR win for Kaulig Racing. Despite teammate A.J. Allmendinger being disqualified from third place for failing post-race technical inspection, Chastain’s victory and teammate Justin Haley’s runner-up result were deemed official by NASCAR. He made a total of seven additional Xfinity starts since June, where he also finished in second place at Texas in November behind Christopher Bell while driving for Kaulig. Overall, he capped off the 2019 Xfinity season with a win, a pole, two top-five results and eight top-10 results between JD Motorsports and Kaulig Racing.

    On the Cup side, Chastain made 35 starts in the No. 15 Chevrolet for Premium Motorsports. His best results were a 10th-place result at the Daytona 500 in February and a 12th-place result at Talladega Superspeedway in October.

    In total, Chastain made 77 starts across NASCAR’s three major division series in 2019. Early into the season, he broke Kyle Busch’s record in competing in the most consecutive races across all three series to start a season. Following the 2019 season, he surpassed 300 career starts across NASCAR.

    Three months after winning at Daytona, Chastain was named a full-time competitor of the No. 10 Nutrien Ag Solutions Chevrolet Camaro for Kaulig Racing led by crew chief Bruce Schlicker for the 2020 Xfinity Series season. Prior to the 2020 season, he also planned to compete in select Truck Series races with Niece Motorsports and in the No. 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE sponsored by AdventHealth in the Cup Series for the Daytona 500 and the Coca-Cola 600. His No. 77 ride was under a partnership between Spire Motorsports and Chip Ganassi Racing.

    Chastain started the 2020 season by finishing in eighth place in the Truck opener at Daytona with Niece Motorsports. For the Xfinity opener, however, he initially failed to qualify for the event, along with teammate A.J. Allmendinger, due to mechanical issues. Nonetheless, he was able to compete when veteran Jeff Green relinquished his seat at RSS Racing. Chastain went on to finish 22nd in the Xfinity opener. For the Daytona 500, he made a late charge to the front until he was involved in a multi-car accident and settled in 25th place.

    Through September 2, Chastain has made eight starts in the Truck Series with Niece Motorsports and has recorded one top-five result and five top-10 results. He has also made seven Cup starts between Spire Motorsports and Roush Fenway Racing, where he served as an interim competitor for the injured Ryan Newman. His best results in the series include a 16th-place run at Daytona in August and a pair of 17th-place results at Auto Club Speedway in March and at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July.

    Through the first 22 Xfinity Series races of this season and as a full-time competitor, Chastain has recorded one stage win, two Dash 4 Cash $100,000 bonuses, nine top-five results and 19 top-10 results. He is currently in third place in the Xfinity regular-season standings and is 420 points above the top-12 cutline to make the Playoffs and with four regular-season races remaining. Thus far, his average result is 8.8.

    While Chastain is set to compete in this weekend’s Xfinity and Cup races at Darlington, he will also be sporting a special white, red, blue and gold paint scheme to his No. 77 Spire Motorsports/Dirty Mo Media Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE on the Cup side while paying tribute to the late NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt and his 1976 Hy-Gain Chevy.

    Catch Chastain’s milestone start on Sunday, September 6, at Darlington Raceway for the Cook Out Southern 500, which will occur at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

  • Annett to reach 400 starts across NASCAR at Darlington

    Annett to reach 400 starts across NASCAR at Darlington

    A significant milestone is in the making for Michael Annett, driver of the No. 1 Chevrolet Camaro for JR Motorsports in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. When Annett takes the green flag this weekend at Darlington Raceway, he will achieve 400 starts across NASCAR’s three major division series (Truck, Xfinity and Cup Series).

    A native of Des Moines, Iowa, who achieved two ARCA career victories from 2007 and 2008, Annett made his debut within NASCAR’s top three division series at the Milwaukee Mile in June 2008, where he piloted the No. 22 Toyota Tundra for Bill Davis Racing in the NASCAR Truck Series. He finished in sixth place in his series debut and two races later, he earned a career-best runner-up result at Kentucky Speedway. He made a total of eight starts in the Truck Series in 2008 (seven with Bill Davis Racing and one with Germain Racing). He also made his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November, where he drove the No. 03 Toyota for Germain Racing and finished 36th.

    In 2009, Annett campaigned on a full-time basis in the Xfinity Series as a rookie candidate and in the No. 15 Toyota Camry led by crew chief Bruce Cook for Germain Racing. Throughout his rookie season, Annett achieved four top-10 results (best result of sixth place at Auto Club Speedway in October) and he concluded the season in 10th place in the final standings. He remained with Germain Racing for the 2010 Xfinity season, where he achieved two top-10 results and concluded the season in 13th place in the final standings and with crew chief Ryan “Rudy” Fugle.

    In 2011, Annett moved to Rusty Wallace Racing to pilot the No. 62 Toyota Camry with primary sponsorship from Pilot Flying J and led by crew chief Rick Viers in the Xfinity Series. For the first 13 races of the season, he finished no higher than 13th place. For five of the next six races, however, he achieved five top-10 results. He nearly won at Daytona International Speedway in July after taking the lead on the final lap with two corners remaining. He, however, lost the draft with teammate Steve Wallace and settled in sixth place. For the final 15 races of the season, he achieved two additional top-10 results and he concluded the season in ninth place in the final standings. By then, he surpassed 100 career starts across NASCAR’s three major division series.

    For the 2012 season and after Rusty Wallace Racing ceased operations due to lack of sponsorship, Annett made the move to Richard Petty Motorsports to drive the No. 43 Ford Mustang sponsored by Pilot Flying J and led by crew chief Philippe Lopez. Annett had a successful run in the series, where he achieved his first six top-five career results, led by a pair of third-place results at Daytona International Speedway in July and at Dover International Speedway in September. He also earned a total of 17 top-10 results and he claimed the Dash 4 Cash $100,000 bonus at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July following a sixth-place result. When the season concluded, he ended up with a career-best fifth place in the final standings.

    Annett started off the 2013 Xfinity season on a rough note, when he was involved in a late multi-car accident in the season opener at Daytona and had dislocated and fractured his sternum. Missing the first eight races of the season and while Aric Almirola and Reed Sorenson filled in for Annett, he returned at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May, where he finished 17th. For the remainder of the season, he achieved one top-five result and a total of four top-10 results before he concluded the season in 15th place in the final standings.

    Following a five-year run in the Xfinity Series, Annett moved up to the NASCAR Cup Series in 2014 and he entered the series as a rookie candidate in the No. 7 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet SS for Tommy Baldwin Racing led by veteran Kevin “Bono” Manion. Making his series debut at the Daytona 500, Annett was involved in a late multi-car wreck and finished in 37th place. Throughout the 36-race stretch, Annett only achieved four top-20 results and he concluded the season in 33rd place in the final standings. He also competed in the NASCAR Truck Series race at Eldora Speedway for NTS Motorsports, where he raced his way into the main event following a final qualifying race and finished 25th. By then, he surpassed 200 career starts across NASCAR.

    The following season, Annett remained in the Cup Series, but he made the move to HScott Motorsports to pilot the team’s second car, the No. 46 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet SS, led by crew chief Jay Guy. Annett achieved a career-best result of 13th place in the Daytona 500. The following week, however, Annett initially failed to qualify for the upcoming race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Nonetheless, Annett still got to race at Atlanta when Brian Scott relinquished his seat, the No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet SS, since Annett was competing for Cup points. Driving under the Hillman-Circle Sport LLC banner, Annett finished 29th. The remaining 34 races of the season, however, was a disappointing one as Annett finished no higher than 23rd place and he concluded the season in 36th place in the final standings. He also failed to qualify at Talladega Superspeedway in October.

    Returning for a third season in the Cup circuit with Hscott Motorsports in 2016, Annett’s best result throughout the 36-race schedule was 20th, which occurred at Daytona in July. At Bristol Motor Speedway in August, Justin Allgaier filled in as an interim competitor when Annett suffered from flu-like symptoms. Prior to the season concluding, Annett declared himself a free agent for the 2017 season.

    After three seasons in the Cup Series, Annett scaled back down to the Xfinity Series for the 2017 season and joined forces with JR Motorsports to pilot the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro sponsored by Pilot Flying J, TMC Transportation and Allstate Parts & Service Group, and led by crew chief Jason Stockert. Annett started the season with a 14th-place run at Daytona followed by a 15th-place run at Atlanta. Two races later, he achieved his first top-10 result of the season at Phoenix (ninth place). Through the first 22 races of the season, Annett recorded a total of five top-10 results. At Road America in August, Annett achieved a career-best runner-up result behind Jeremy Clements. Following his result, Annett dedicated his run to Adam Wright, a mechanic at JR Motorsports who died in a car accident a week prior to Road America. Annett went on to make the 2017 Xfinity Series Playoffs before he was eliminated from title contention at Charlotte Motor Speedway in October. He wrapped up the season in ninth place in the final standings and with seven top-10 results. By then, he surpassed 300 career starts across NASCAR.

    Returning for a second full-time season with JRM in 2018, Annett struggled with on-track consistency. For the first 21 races of the season, he finished no higher than 11th. A week later, he recorded his first top-10 result at Bristol in August. By then, he was paired with new crew chief Travis Mack. He only achieved one additional top-10 result (10th place at Darlington Raceway) throughout the regular-season stretch while he also recorded five DNFs. Following the regular-season finale at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in September, Annett failed to make the Playoffs. He went on to conclude the season in 14th place in the final standings.

    For the 2019 Xfinity season, Annett remained at JRM, but assumed driving responsibilities of the No. 1 Chevrolet Camaro with crew chief Travis Mack remaining with Annett. To start the season and with American Heart Association co-sponsoring the No. 1 car along with Pilot Flying J, Annett responded back to all of his past struggles throughout his career by winning the season opener at Daytona and achieving his first victory across NASCAR’s three major series in his 230th Xfinity career start. The victory guaranteed Annett’s No. 1 team a spot in the Playoffs. His early success did not stop there as he recorded a total of five top-five results and 15 top-10 results throughout the 26-race regular-season stretch. He also achieved his first career pole at Talladega in April. During the Playoffs, Annett earned finishes of ninth, 15th and sixth in the first round, spanning three races, to advance to the Round of 8. He finished fourth, 11th and ninth in the second round, but he failed to transfer to the Championship Round at Homestead. He concluded the season with an 11th-place run at Homestead and a ninth-place result in the final standings. Though he fell short of the 2019 Xfinity title, Annett achieved a career-high six top-five results, 19 top-10 results and 94 laps led throughout the season.

    This season, his fourth consecutive season with JRM, Annett started off the season with an 11th-place run at Daytona and after being involved in a multi-car accident on the final lap. Through the first 22 races of this season, he has recorded three top-five results and 13 top-10 results, and he is in eighth place in the regular-season standings. He has also started on pole position for three consecutive races in the summer (Texas, Kansas and Road America) by virtue of a random draw amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

    In addition to making his ninth Xfinity career start at Darlington this weekend and while he continues to secure one of 12 spots for this year’s Xfinity Playoffs, Annett is set to sport a special Oreo scheme to his No. 1 Chevrolet Camaro that his boss and former NASCAR star Dale Earnhardt Jr. drove to an Xfinity win at Daytona in February 2002.

    Catch Annett’s milestone start at Darlington Raceway on Saturday, September 5, at 12:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

  • NASCAR Xfinity Series Power Rankings – Daytona II

    NASCAR Xfinity Series Power Rankings – Daytona II

    The NASCAR Xfinity Series visited the famed Daytona International Speedway Friday night for an unusual August outing, a race normally held in July for the last several years. 

    And as always, the superspeedway race did not disappoint. The Wawa 250 was a caution filled race with 28% of the race ran under yellow and only 8% under green. Nonetheless, despite the numerous yellows, a frantic finish broke out on the last lap when Kaulig Racing teammates Ross Chastain and A.J. Allmendinger collided with each other, as Chastain went to make a move for the win. Unfortunately for the two drivers, they were left disappointed with finishes of sixth and 15th, respectively after running up front for the majority of the race. 

    Even though Kaulig’s Racing plan did not work out to their liking, one of their drivers, Justin Haley was the fortunate one to break through and dodge the melee on the last lap, with the Indiana native taking home his second victory of the 2020 Xfinity Series season. The victory marked his first since Talladega back in June. 

    However, there were a few more notables from Friday night’s race at Daytona International Speedway, and we’ll take a look at them in this week’s Xfinity Series Power Rankings. 

    1. Chase Briscoe – Briscoe was strong throughout the 100 laps but not strong enough for the win. He tried to make something work in the final 30 laps and hoped to get his Ford Performance teammate, Austin Cindric, to work alongside him. However, with the power and dominance of three Kaulig Racing cars in front of him, Briscoe couldn’t make anything happen. As the race neared its end, he actually ended up stuck between A.J. Allmendinger, Chastain, and Haley, leaving him helpless. Though when all was said and done, Briscoe earned a third-place finish (stage finishes of fifth in Stage 1 and eighth in Stage 2), his 13th top-five of the year.

      Previous Week Ranking – First
    2. Riley Herbst – The Las Vegas native had to start in the back and serve a pass-thru penalty for an improperly mounted ballast found during inspection. Thankfully for Herbst, luck fell in his favor as Daytona is 2.5 miles in length and he didn’t lose a lap while serving his penalty. Herbst had a solid night placing sixth in both stages, not only gaining points but dodging multiple wrecks. Ultimately, He rebounded to a fourth-place finish after starting in the back. The finish marked his third top-five of the year. Despite the rebound, Herbst will be docked 10 driver points for the ballast infraction. 

      Previous Week Ranking – Fifth
    3. Austin Cindric – An unfortunate circumstance found Cindric caught up in the last lap wreck coming out of Turn 4. The Team Penske driver was in contention to win but received damage from the Allmendinger and Chastain incident. Even though the incident might have done him in, Cindric was running strong all night through the first two stages, finishing third and ninth, respectively,  as he was up there trying to work with Briscoe for a potential Ford manufacturer win. But as it normally goes at superspeedways, plans don’t usually don’t work out for the most part. However, Cindric brought his No. 22 Odyssey Battery Ford to an eighth-place finish.

      Previous Week Ranking – Third
    4. Justin Haley – This is an obvious one, but for good reason since he won Friday night’s race. Haley hasn’t had the best finishes over the last few weeks (38th on the Daytona Road Course, 12th in Race 2 at Dover), but he got redemption at the superspeedway by leading nine laps en route to his second career win. Using Kaulig’s team strategy of working together with all three cars, Haley won the opening stage and finished third in Stage 2, right behind his other two teammates. At this point, Haley sits fifth in the point standings and if the Kaulig team can keep the momentum going through the last half of the season, Haley could be a dark horse in the championship.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
    5. Harrison Burton – A quiet fifth-place run in the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing camp of Harrison Burton. Burton stayed out of trouble and did what he needed to do in order to finish the race. In fact, the 19-year-old was among the few that brought home a clean race car when the checkered flag flew. As far as stages go for Burton, he finished 12th in Stage 1 and seventh in Stage 2.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked 

    Fell Out 

    1. Justin Allgaier – After scoring the Dover win the week prior, Allgaier looked to carry that momentum to Daytona, and was seeking another victory to solidify his championship chances. Unfortunately, the Illinois native got caught up in a wreck twice, one on Lap 41 and the other caused by himself, when a tire went flat in Turns 3 and 4 at Lap 47. One positive notable in Allgaier’s race was the eighth-place finish in Stage 1.

      Previous Week Ranking – Second
    2. Noah Gragson – Just 24 hours before the Wawa 250, Noah Gragson signed a contract extension with JR Motorsports to drive the No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet for the 2021 Xfinity Series season. After getting that out of the way, he had high hopes of coming to Daytona after winning here in February. Unfortunately, after placing seventh in Stage 1, Gragson was involved in the Lap 41 incident and credited with a 31st place outing. Certainly not a good night for JR Motorsports, who had all but one driver (Michael Annett who finished seventh) crash out, including Gragson, Allgaier, and Daniel Hemric.

      Previous Week Ranking – Fourth
  • 2020 Xfinity Series Playoff outlook after Daytona

    2020 Xfinity Series Playoff outlook after Daytona

    The 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series regular-season stretch is winding down with four races remaining until the fifth annual Xfinity Playoffs commences. Following an eventful and wild conclusion to the Xfinity Series recent race at Daytona International Speedway on August 28, the battle for the final five vacant spots to the postseason continues to intensify entering the month of September.

    With his second series victory of this season and of his career, Justin Haley joins Chase Briscoe, Austin Cindric, Noah Gragson, rookie Harrison Burton and Brandon Jones as multi-winners throughout the first 22 races of this year’s Xfinity Series regular-season stretch. They, along with Justin Allgaier, remain the only competitors to be guaranteed a spot in the postseason based on winning throughout the regular season.

    The competitor who continues to emerge as the highest competitor in the standings based on points is Ross Chastain. For a moment, it appeared that Chastain had a race-winning strategy established on the final lap to clinch his spot in the Playoffs. Instead, it ended with contact with his Kaulig Racing teammate and race leader A.J. Allmendinger that knocked both out of contention entering the tri-oval. With a wrecked race car, Chastain was able to limp across the line in sixth place, though the result left him dejected. Nonetheless, with his 19th top-10 result, the Floridian moved from fourth to third in the regular-season standings and is 420 points above the top-12 cutline, leaving him a large cushion to make his second postseason appearance in the Xfinity Series.

    Next is Michael Annett, who is also coming off a strong result at Daytona. After running towards the front for the majority of the race and working with his JR Motorsports’ teammates, Annett was in race-winning position in between the Kaulig Racing competitors until he was collected in a last lap accident. Despite the damage, Annett was able to limp across the line in seventh place for his 13th top-10 result of this season. With the result and the stage points he collected, the Iowa native is 223 points above the cutline as he attempts to make his third appearance in the Playoffs.

    For rookie Riley Herbst, it was an up-and-down day at Daytona that started on a low note, when he and his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota team were hit with a pre-race inspection fraction due to an improperly mounted ballast. As a result, Herbst was docked 10 driver/owner points and raced at Daytona last weekend without his car chief. In addition, he started at the rear of the field and was assessed a drive-through penalty down pit road at the start. Despite the penalty, Herbst was able to rally his way back to the front to collect a bevy of stage points between the first two stages and dodge a multi-car accident on the final lap to finish in fourth place in front of teammate Harrison Burton. With his third top-five result of his rookie season and including the 10-point penalty, the Las Vegas native is still 142 points above the cutline in his bid to make his first Xfinity Playoffs as a title contender.

    Next is Ryan Sieg, who came into Daytona with an 88-point cushion above the cutline and with an opportunity to race his way into the Playoffs with a victory at one of his strongest tracks (finishing in the top five at Daytona on three occasions). Following a 23rd-place result at Daytona while finishing four laps behind the leaders, however, the points cushion decreased to 68 for the Georgia native, who recorded his seventh result outside the top 20 this season and as he continues to chase his third appearance in the postseason as a title contender.

    Finally, Brandon Brown continues to hold sole possession of the 12th and final spot to the Playoffs. For Brown, it was a rough outcome at a track deemed an opportunity for him to grab his first win and lock himself into the postseason battle. Though he finished in the top five in the first stage and collected a handful of stage points, his strong run ended when he was involved in a multi-car wreck on Lap 40 during the second stage. Trying to rally from his first incident, he was unable to avoid another multi-car wreck just shy of the halfway mark. Following his second incident, he was unable to continue and meet the minimum pace with a damaged race car as he settled in 26th place. Despite the result, Brown is 32 points above the cutline in his bid to make his first postseason appearance as a title contender.

    The top-two competitors who continue to trail Brown and the final spot inside the top-12 cutline in points are Jeremy Clements and Myatt Snider. Like Brown, both competitors emerged with disappointing outcomes at one of their best tracks to grab an upset win and make the Playoffs.

    For Clements, his pursuit for a win ended just shy of the halfway mark when he was involved in a multi-car wreck that involved Justin Allgaier and Brown. Finishing in 20th place and two laps behind the leaders, Clements only lost a point due to finishing six spots ahead of Brown as he trails him by 32 points in his bid to make his second postseason appearance as a title contender.

    For Snider, who started on pole position until he was eliminated in a multi-car wreck at Daytona in February, he was swept up in both multi-car wrecks just shy of the halfway mark of Friday night’s race at the superspeedway venue. Though he finished in 19th place for his 14th top-20 result of his rookie Xfinity season, he is still trailing the cutline by 58 points and in his bid to make his first Xfinity Playoffs as a title contender.

    Other competitors who continue to trail the top-12 cutline in the regular-season standings by 86 or more points include Josh Williams, rookie Jesse Little, Tommy Joe Martins, B.J. McLeod and rookie Joe Graf Jr.

    The battle for the final spots to the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs will continue at Darlington Raceway on September 5, which will occur at 12:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

  • Haley notches a thrilling win at Daytona

    Haley notches a thrilling win at Daytona

    At the start of the final lap of the Wawa 250 Powered by Coca-Cola at Daytona International Speedway, all three Kaulig Racing competitors led by A.J. Allmendinger and followed by Ross Chastain and Justin Haley were running at the front with an opportunity to win. When the checkered flag flew, two Kaulig competitors made contact and wrecked while the third competitor, Haley, escaped the carnage on the final lap to win at Daytona.

    The victory was Haley’s second of his Xfinity Series career, second of this season after winning his first Xfinity career race at Talladega Superspeedway in June and the fifth NASCAR win overall for Kaulig Racing.

    The starting lineup was based on three statistical categories: current owner points standings, the results from a previous Xfinity race and the fastest lap from a previous Xfinity race. With that, Chase Briscoe, coming off his victory at Dover International Speedway in part of a doubleheader weekend, started on pole position and was joined on the front row with Ross Chastain. 

    Rookie Riley Herbst was the only competitor to drop to the rear of the field due to an improperly mounted ballast discovered from his No. 18 Monster Energy Toyota Supra during the pre-race technical inspection, resulting in his car chief being ejected. In addition, he was assessed a pass-through penalty at the start of the race. Ryan Sieg, Josh Williams and Tim Viens retained their starting spots, but they all lost a pit stall selection for next weekend’s series race at Darlington Raceway due to multiple pre-race technical failures.

    When the green flag waved and the race started, Briscoe received a push from Austin Cindric at the start to jump to an early lead. The top-eight competitors led by Briscoe ran in a single-file lane following by a bevy of competitors racing in double lanes for one lap around the superspeedway venue as Briscoe led the first lap.

    The following lap, with Briscoe still leading, Cindric settled in second followed by Kaulig Racing’s Ross Chastain and Justin Haley while Joe Gibbs Racing’s Brandon Jones and Harrison Burton were running inside the top six. Anthony Alfredo was in seventh place ahead of Brandon Brown, Alex Labbe and Brett Moffitt while JR Motorsports’ four-car lineup led by Noah Gragson and including Justin Allgaier, Daniel Hemric and Michael Annett were running inside the top 16.

    By the fifth lap, Briscoe was still leading Cindric, Chastain and a bevy of cars racing in a single-file lane followed by a scattered pack racing in two lanes. Trailing the lead pack by more than 34 seconds was Herbst following his opening lap penalty.

    Shortly after, the first caution of the race flew when rookie Joe Graf Jr. spun across the tri-oval/frontstretch, made contact with the outside wall and damaged his car following contact with Jeffrey Earnhardt as Caesar Bacarella also sustained damage. Following his incident, Graf was limping his No. 08 Bucked Up Chevrolet Camaro back to pit road when the right-rear tire on his car shredded and left a multitude of debris scattered across Turn 2. The shredded right-rear tire and the damage to the right side of Graf’s car also left his car beyond repairable to continue.

    Following the incident, NASCAR declared the caution involving Graf, Earnhardt and Bacarella as the competition caution originally planned on the 10th lap. Under caution, few like Moffitt, Earnhardt, A.J. Allmendinger, Chad Finchum, Ryan Sieg and Herbst pitted while the rest led by Briscoe remained on track.

    When the race restarted under green on Lap 11, Briscoe jumped ahead on the outside lane and moved in front of Cindric’s No. 22 Odyssey Battery Ford Mustang on the inside lane to retain the lead through Turn 1. Entering Turn 2, however, Haley made a charge on the outside lane and started to battle with Cindric for the runner-up spot. 

    A lap later, just as Haley started to mount a challenge on Briscoe and Cindric for the lead, a rough start became worse for Bacarella as he wrecked on the backstretch and sustained heavy damage to the front nose of his No. 90 Alpha Prime/Maxim Chevrolet, thus brining out the second caution of the race. In addition, John Jackson was slowly limping back to pit road.

    Under caution, some like teammates Gragson, Hemric, Allgaier and Annett along with Moffitt, Allmendinger and Sieg pitted while the rest led by Briscoe remained on the track.

    The race restarted under green on Lap 17, and Briscoe jumped ahead and moved in front of Cindric with the lead again. In Turn 1, Burton mounted a challenge on the outside lane as he and Briscoe battled dead even for the lead. When the field returned to the tri-oval, Briscoe and his No. 98 Ford Performance Racing School Ford Mustang were ahead by a nose over Burton and his No. 20 Dex Imaging Toyota Supra with the entire pack running close behind the leaders.

    Two laps later, on Lap 20, Briscoe, who has led every lap thus far, was still ahead with the lead and in front of Cindric, Haley, Chastain, Alfredo and Brown. Not long after, Gragson, fresh off a one-year contract extension with JR Motorsports, started to move into the top five on the outside lane with his three teammates (Allgaier, Hemric and Annett) tucked behind. 

    On Lap 23, Haley emerged with the lead followed by teammate Chastain and Alfredo while Briscoe fell back to fourth place alongside Brown. 

    While the battling for the lead continued to intensify, the caution returned a lap later for an accident in Turn 1 involving Earnhardt, teammate B.J. McLeod and Kody Vanderwal, who came to rest below the Turn 1 infield grass with the hood raised above his No. 52 The Swag Spot Chevrolet. 

    Under caution, some like Alfredo, Labbe, rookie Jesse Little, Myatt Snider, Josh Williams, Timmy Hill, Sieg and Allmendinger pitted while the rest led by teammates Haley and Chastain remained on track.

    For the conclusion of the first stage, the field restarted under green for a one-lap shootout. At the start, Haley and his No. 11 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet Camaro jumped ahead and moved in front of teammate Chastain on the inside lane while retaining the lead. In addition, he pulled away in Turn 1 before Cindric and Chastain came charging along with the pack through Turns 2 and 3. Despite the run, Haley was able to fend off the field to win the first stage on Lap 30 and for his third stage victory of the season. Chastain settled in second place followed by Cindric, Brown and Briscoe while Herbst, Gragson, Allgaier, Jones and Hemric were scored in the top 10.

    Under the stage break, the majority of the leaders pitted and Chastain emerged with the lead ahead of Briscoe and Haley. Following the pit stops, however, a number of competitors led by Hill, Labbe, Allmendinger, Williams, Moffitt, Sieg and Snider remained on track to occupy the top-seven positions.

    The second stage started on Lap 34 with Hill leading as Allmendinger quickly made his way to second place. Back in seventh place in Turn 2 while also gaining a draft back to the front was Chastain with teammate Haley and Cindric also making their move back to the front. With the competitors running close to one another in a pack, Allmendinger made his way into the lead followed by teammates Chastain and Haley on Lap 36.

    On Lap 40, with Allmendinger continuing to lead teammates Chastain and Haley followed by Cindric, the caution flew when contact from Briscoe and Jones, who was turning across the nose of Briscoe’s No. 98 Ford in Turn 3, resulted in Jones being spinning sideways as a multi-car erupted in Turn 4. The accident involved all four competitors from JR Motorsports (Gragson, Hemric, Allgaier and Annett) along with Moffitt, Labbe, Brown, Alfredo, Snider, Colby Howard and Tommy Joe Martins. 

    When the race restarted on Lap 45, Allmendinger retained the lead on the inside lane followed by Cindric and Chastain. Shortly after, the caution returned for a multi-car wreck in Turn 3 when Allgaier, who was trying to continue after being involved in the first multi-car wreck, spun after cutting a tire and triggered another multi-car wreck that involved Labbe, Joey Gase, Snider, Brown and Jeremy Clements. Following the wreck, the race was red-flagged for more than 11 minutes while the safety workers cleaned up the carnage area in Turn 3.

    When the race resumed under cautious pace and under green near the 50th lap, Allmendinger and Cindric battled for the lead through Turns 1 and 2. By then, Brown retired in the garage. Allmendinger, nonetheless, was able to retain the lead with his teammates Chastain and Haley tucked right behind. Meanwhile, Cindric dropped out of the top five after receiving no drafting help on the outside lane. 

    At the halfway mark, Lap 50, Allmendinger and his No. 16 Ellsworth Advisors Chevrolet Camaro were still leading teammates Chastain and Haley followed by Herbst and Burton. A few laps later, the caution returned due to debris on the backstretch. Under caution, some like Chastain, Allmendinger, Haley and Hemric pitted while others led by teammates Herbst and Burton remained on track.

    With five laps remaining in the second stage, Herbst moved in front of teammate Burton to emerge with the lead. Behind, Cindric, Allmendinger and Chastain wasted no time carving their way back to the front. The following lap, Gray Gaulding and his No. 07 Walk-Ons.com Chevrolet Camaro owned by Bobby Dotter started to challenge Herbst for the lead with Allmendinger behind.

    With three laps remaining in the stage, Gaulding emerged with the lead while Allmendinger started to challenge Herbst for second place on the outside lane. On the final lap of the stage, with his Kaulig Racing teammates tucked behind him, Allmendinger was able to pass Gaulding on the backstretch and hold on to win the stage for his second stage victory of the season and the fourth of his career. Teammate Chastain muscled his way to second place followed by teammate Haley, Gaulding and Annett. Herbst, Burton, Briscoe, Cindric and Sieg settled in the top 10. By then, 25 competitors were running on the lead lap. In addition, names like Justin Allgaier, Noah Gragson, Brett Moffitt and Brandon Brown were out of the race.

    Under the stage break, some like teammates Allmendinger, Chastain, Haley and Sieg remained on track while the rest led by Gaulding, Cindric and Briscoe pitted.

    With less than 40 laps remaining, the final stage commenced under green and Allmendinger moved in front of teammates Chastain and Haley to retain the lead. While Allmendinger and Chastain managed to clear the field, Haley was locked in a battle for third place with Sieg. Not long after, Sieg was black-flagged due to having a rear bumper cover loose on his No. 39 CMRroofing.com Chevrolet. 

    Remaining on track for three laps, Sieg made the turn to pit road to have the bumper cover addressed. At the same time, Hemric was also black-flagged to have a rear bumper replaced and addressed on his No. 8 Poppy Bank Chevrolet. Following his stop, however, Hemric was assessed a drive-through penalty on pit road for having too many crew members over the wall during his service.

    With 30 laps remaining and with the laps continuing to wind down, Allmendinger and his No. 16 Ellsworth Advisors Chevrolet Camaro continued to lead a 10-car breakaway running in a single-file lane. Teammates Chastain and Haley were in second and third followed by Briscoe, Josh Williams and Cindric. Annett, the lone JR Motorsports competitors in the top 10, was in seventh followed by Herbst, Burton and Gaulding.

    Five laps later, Allmendinger was still ahead of a 10-car breakaway followed by teammates Chastain and Haley while rookie Jesse Little, running in 11th place and leading the next wave of cars, was trailing by nine seconds. Another five laps later, with 20 laps remaining, Allmendinger continued to lead teammates Chastain and Haley, though all three Kaulig Racing Chevrolets were in question about having enough fuel to complete the race to its distance compared to their challengers behind them.

    Under 15 laps remaining, the top-10 competitors led by Allmendinger were separated by nearly four seconds while the 11th-place car led by Little was trailing by 20 seconds. Five laps later and with 10 laps remaining, the following competitors of Cindric, Briscoe, Annett and Herbst overtook Haley for position while Allmendinger and Chastain continued to lead. By then, 16 competitors were running on the lead lap and the top-nine competitors were ahead of 10th-place Williams by nearly 10 seconds.

    With five laps remaining and the top-nine competitors at the front still settling in a single-file line, nose to nose and bumper to bumper, Allmendinger was leading teammate Chastain while Cindric and Briscoe were behind.

    With two laps remaining, entering Turn 1, Chastain and Briscoe attempted to pull beneath Allmendinger for the lead, but Allmendinger kept his car ahead of the pack after blocking the run. Chastain and his No. 10 Nutrien Ag Solutions Chevrolet Camaro remained in second while Briscoe fell back to seventh. 

    When the final lap of the race started, Allmendinger was still leading and blocking Chastain, Cindric and Haley. Entering Turn 3, Chastain gained a run through Turn 2 and he attempted to make a move beneath Allmendinger for the lead and the win. Chastain ended up giving his teammate a bump in the turn that turned Allmendinger sideways as he spun with a multi-car wreck erupting that collected Chastain, Annett and Cindric. 

    In the midst of the wreck, Haley dodged the carnage involving his teammates and came out on top as he was able to cruise across the finish line to grab a thrilling victory at Daytona.

    The victory was Haley’s second at Daytona after he won his first NASCAR Cup Series race at Daytona last July in a rain-shortened race while driving for Spire Motorsports. Including his three NASCAR Truck Series career victories in 2018, Haley has won six races across NASCAR’s three major division series. In addition, Haley’s last three victories across NASCAR have occurred on superspeedway venues.

    “An amazing effort by Kaulig Racing,” Haley said on the frontstretch on NBCSN. “Obviously, I hate that A.J. and Ross got together there. As you guys at home can see, [team owner] Matt Kaulig, [team president] Chris Rice, we built a team and a family. We all work as one. Extremely proud of this LeafFilter Gutter Protection crew. [I] Can’t believe it. Two superspeedway wins in a row. Gotta say something for [spotter] Kevin Hamlin on the booth, too. Just a little lucky there. We got shoved out and I was a little frustrated, but that’s why you never give up. These things are so unpredictable. An incredible effort today. We swept everything [stages and race win]. Extremely proud of everyone.”

    Haley’s victory at Daytona was also redemption from the Xfinity Series race at Daytona in July 2018, where Haley, driving for GMS Racing, made a bold three-wide pass for the win on Kyle Larson and Elliott Sadler entering the tri-oval for the win. While he was able to clear both competitors and streak across the finish line in first place, he completed his pass with his left-side tires crossing beneath the double yellow line zone. As a result, Haley was disqualified and demoted back to the last car on the lead lap while Larson was awarded the win.

    “[I] Parked it right here on the double yellow line [area] where I went down too low about two years ago in a Xfinity race,” Haley added. “A little humor there.”

    Behind Haley, Gray Gaulding tied his career-best result of second place in his 43rd series start followed by Briscoe, Herbst and Burton. Chastain, Annett and Cindric limped across the line in sixth, seventh and eighth while Williams and Little finished in the top 10. Allmendinger, who was unable to limp his car back to the finish line, ended his race in 15th place.

    Following the race, Allmendinger made the mandatory post-race trip to the infield care center. Both Kaulig Racing teammates, at the end, expressed no ill will towards one another with Chastain defending his move and attempt to win to lock himself into the Xfinity Playoffs.

    “Hopefully, we get some good ratings on that one,” Chastain said on pit road on NBCSN. “Terrible to run into your teammate like that. It must be my fault, though. It’s unfortunate, we did everything right all night. Man, we just got to win. This No. 10 car, Nutrien Ag Solutions. [I] Did everything right to be the best teammate I could. I haven’t always been. Last lap, I don’t back down and I’m gonna go for it. If I wasn’t there, if I watch the replay, but he got turned, so it wasn’t completely into the bumper. I hate it, man! It’s not gonna help me moving forward. It doesn’t matter how many races each of us run. We’re supposed to go for the win. Team rules the last 10 laps, and we all stayed committed. I hated that Justin got shoved out there with 10 or five [laps] to go. Coming to the checkered, what am I supposed to do? Just finish second? Not this guy.”

    “It’s the way it is,” Allmendinger added in the infield care center on NBCSN. “We’re proud of everybody at Kaulig Racing for building really fast Chevys. [I] Wanted to do everything I could to get that Ellsworth Advisors Chevy in Victory Lane. I try to take care of my teammates, but it is what it is. It’s for the win. Ross is going for the championship and going for a win there. I saw him get low and I thought he’d, maybe, take care of me a little bit, considering I was there. He’s going for the win. It is what it is. It’s just disappointing. We were gonna have another 1-2-3 Kaulig finish at Daytona. It’s part of life, it’s racing. More importantly, congrats to my little bro, Justin Haley, and at least getting a Kaulig Racing Chevy in Victory Lane. That’s the most important thing. We’re bringing more trophies home for Matt Kaulig and that’s all that matters. He’s going for the win. I get it.”

    There were nine lead changes for seven different leaders. The race featured eight cautions for 28 laps.

    With his top-10 result, Cindric continues to lead the regular-season series standings by 58 points over Briscoe.

    Results.

    1. Justin Haley, nine laps led, Stage 1 winner

    2. Gray Gaulding, two laps led

    3. Chase Briscoe, 22 laps led

    4. Riley Herbst, four laps led

    5. Harrison Burton

    6. Ross Chastain, one lap led

    7. Michael Annett

    8. Austin Cindric

    9. Josh Williams

    10. Jesse Little

    11. Vinnie Miller

    12. Colby Howard

    13. Brandon Jones

    14. Tommy Joe Martins

    15. A.J. Allmendinger – OUT, Accident, 58 laps led, Stage 2 winner

    16. Matt Mills, one lap down

    17. Mike Harmon, one lap down

    18. Tim Viens, one lap down

    19. Myatt Snider, one lap down

    20. Jeremy Clements, two laps down

    21. Anthony Alfredo, two laps down

    22. Timmy Hill, three laps down, four laps led

    23. Ryan Sieg, four laps down

    24. Daniel Hemric, eight laps down

    25. Chad Finchum – OUT, Engine

    26. Brandon Brown – OUT, Dvp

    27. Brett Moffitt – OUT, Accident

    28. Joey Gase – OUT, Dvp

    29. Justin Allgaier – OUT, Accident

    30. Alex Labbe – OUT, Accident

    31. Noah Gragson – OUT, Accident

    32. B.J. McLeod – OUT, Accident

    33. Jeffrey Earnhardt – OUT, Accident

    34. Kody Vanderwal – OUT, Accident

    35. John Jackson – OUT, Handling

    36. Caesar Bacarella – OUT, Accident

    37. Joe Graf Jr. – OUT, Accident.

    The NASCAR Xfinity Series will run its next scheduled race at Darlington Raceway on September 5 at 12:30 p.m. ET on NBC. 

  • Weekend schedule for Daytona and Gateway

    Weekend schedule for Daytona and Gateway

    This weekend the NASCAR Cup Series and the Xfinity Series head to Daytona International Speedway in Florida while the Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series and the ARCA Menards Series travel to World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway in Illinois.

    The Cup Series race at Daytona will serve as the regular season finale with the start of the postseason Playoffs set to begin on Sept. 6 at Darlington Raceway.

    There are 13 drivers who have already earned a spot in the Cup Series 16-driver Playoff field. They include Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Martin Truex Jr., Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott, Aric Almirola, Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, Alex Bowman, Austin Dillon and Cole Custer.

    All times are Eastern.

    Friday, August 28, 2020

    7:30 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series Wawa 250 Powered by Coca-Cola at Daytona (Stages 30/60/100 Laps = 250 Miles) NBCSN/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

    Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020

    11:30 a.m.: ARCA Menards Series final practice at Gateway – No TV

    6:15 p.m.: ARCA Menards Series Dutch Boy 150 at Gateway (120 Laps, 150 Miles) TrackPass/MRN

    7:30 p.m.: Cup Series Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona NBC/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Stages 50/100/160 Laps = 400 Miles) Pole: Kevin Harvick

    Sunday, Aug. 30, 2020

    Noon: Truck Series CarShield 200 Presented by CK Power at Gateway (Stages 55/110/160 Laps = 200 Miles) FS1/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

  • Newman to make 750th start across NASCAR at Daytona

    Newman to make 750th start across NASCAR at Daytona

    A significant milestone is in the making for veteran Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 6 Ford Mustang for Roush Fenway Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series, as he battles for a spot in this year’s Playoffs. When the green flag waves in the upcoming Cup race at Daytona International Speedway, Newman will achieve 750 starts across NASCAR’s three major division series (Truck, Xfinity and Cup Series).

    A native of South Bend, Indiana, who started his racing career in the United Midget Auto Racing Association and the All-American Midget Series before moving to USAC, Newman achieved three ARCA victories while driving for team owner Roger Penske in 2000 before he made his first NASCAR start at Phoenix in the Cup Series in November 2000. Driving the No. 02 Alltel Ford for Penske led by crew chief Matt Borland, Newman started 10th and finished 41st due to an engine failure.

    In 2001, while Newman was pursuing his B.S. degree in engineering at Purdue University, he competed in 15 Xfinity Series events and seven Cup Series events for Penske. In the Xfinity side, he achieved his first career win at Michigan International Speedway in August. He also earned six poles, two top-five results, eight top-10 results and an average result of 12.6. In the Cup side, he achieved his first career pole for the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte’s Lowe’s Motor Speedway in May. Despite a strong start, where he led the first 10 laps, he wrecked in Turn 3 the following lap and retired in last place of the 43-car field. Overall, he earned two top-five results, including a career-best runner-up finish at Kansas Speedway in September behind Jeff Gordon, in seven Cup starts.

    In 2002, Newman graduated to a full-time driving role for Penske and in the No. 12 Alltel Ford for Penske led by Borland. Through the first 11 races, Newman earned a pole and four top-10 results, including a second-place finish at Richmond in May. The following race, which was The Winston (All-Star Race) at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, Newman was one of two competitors to transfer to the main event from The Winston Open after winning the No Bull 5 Sprint. In a five-lap shootout in the main event, Newman held off Dale Earnhardt Jr. to win The Winston and a total of $750,000. He became the first Cup competitor to win The Winston after transferring from the Open since Michael Waltrip made the last accomplishment in 1996 and the first to do so from the No Bull 5 Sprint. From the Coca-Cola 600 in May through Richmond in September, Newman earned 11 top-10 results and four runner-up finishes. The following race at New Hampshire, Newman achieved his first Cup career win in his 35th series start. For the final nine races of the 2002 season, Newman earned five six top-10 results and three poles before he concluded the season in sixth place in the final standings. In the end, Newman emerged as the Rookie-of-the-Year recipient over Jimmie Johnson with 14 top-five results and 22 top-10 results. His six poles were the most achieved by a rookie competitor.

    Newman started off the 2003 season on a rough note by flipping in the Daytona 500 in February following contact with Ken Schrader. It took until Texas Motor Speedway in April for Newman to achieve his first victory of the season and the second of his Cup career. The 2003 Cup season was an up-and-down season for the Indiana native. The pros to the season were the driver of the No. 12 Alltel/Penske Dodge achieving a season-high eight victories (winning at tracks like Dover, Chicagoland, Pocono, Michigan, Richmond and Kansas), 17 top-five results and 22 top-10 results. In addition, Newman earned a season-high 11 poles and was nicknamed “The Rocket Man” for his strong qualifying efforts and pole awards. The downside to Newman’s sophomore season was that he earned seven DNFs, including his flip at Daytona and after triggering a vicious 27-car wreck in the early laps at Talladega in April when he blew a tire in the middle of the pack, made hard contact against the Turn 1 outside wall and nearly flipped. He went on to conclude the season in sixth place in the final standings.

    Throughout the 2004 NASCAR Cup Series season, Newman won two races (Michigan in June and Dover in September) and recorded nine poles. He also earned 11 top-five results and 14 top-10 results as he was one of 10 competitors to make the inaugural postseason battle in the Cup Series. He concluded the season in seventh-place in the final standings. Prior to the conclusion of the 2004 season, Newman surpassed 100 starts across NASCAR’s three major division series.

    In 2005, Newman remained as a full-time competitor of the No. 12 Alltel/Penske Dodge in the Cup Series while he also competed in nine Xfinity Series races in the No. 39 Alltel/Penske Dodge. Throughout the 2005 Cup season, he won only one race (New Hampshire in September) and he earned eight poles, eight top-five results and 16 top-10 results. In addition, he made the Playoffs and concluded the season in sixth place in the final standings for the third time in his career. In nine Xfinity starts, he won six races, including the season finale at Homestead while also winning at Watkins Glen, Michigan, Bristol, Dover and Charlotte.

    In 2006, Newman remained as a full-time competitor of the No. 12 Alltel/Penske Dodge in the Cup Series while he also competed in six Xfinity races in the No. 39 Mobil 1/Alltel/Penske Dodge. The 2006 Cup season was a down season for the Indiana native, who went winless and only earned two poles, two top-five results and seven top-10 results. In addition, he missed the Playoffs and concluded the season in 18th place in the final standings. His best result in the Xfinity Series was a runner-up finish at Auto Club Speedway in February. Following 2006, Newman surpassed 200 starts across NASCAR’s three major division series.

    Throughout the 2007 Cup season, Newman achieved five poles, seven top-five results and 15 top-10 results before he concluded the Cup season in 13th place. He also made eight Xfinity starts, where he earned two top-five results and three top-10 results. In 2008, Newman received a draft from teammate Kurt Busch to pass Tony Stewart on the final lap and win the 50th running of the Daytona 500. The victory was Newman’s 13th of his Cup career, it snapped his winless drought dating back to September 2005 and it was the first Daytona 500 win for team owner Roger Penske. Despite winning the 500, Newman only achieved one more top-five results, one pole and a total of eight top-10 results before he concluded the season in 17th place in the final standings. Throughout the season, he made two Xfinity starts (Watkins Glen in the No. 22 FitzBradshaw Racing and at Homestead in the No. 33 Chevrolet for Kevin Harvick Inc.). He also made his NASCAR Truck Series debut at Atlanta Motor Speedway in October while driving the No. 2 Chevrolet Silverado for KHI, which he won following a late battle with NASCAR Hall of Famer Ron Hornaday Jr. To August 2020, Newman is one of 33 competitors to achieve a win across NASCAR’s three major division series. Following 2008, he also surpassed 300 starts across NASCAR’s three major division series.

    Midway into the 2008 season, Newman announced his departure from Penske to drive for the newly formed Stewart-Haas Racing in 2009. Driving the No. 39 U.S. Army/Haas Automation Chevrolet for SHR with support from crew chief Tony Gibson, Newman finished 36th in his first start with SHR. Though he did not record a victory, the 26-race regular-season stretch was a consistent run for Newman as he achieved 12 top-10 results and made the 2009 Playoffs along with teammate/owner Tony Stewart, which marked his first appearance in the Playoffs since 2005. At Talladega in October, he was involved in a harrowing accident in the closing laps when he was sent airborne and landed upside down on Kevin Harvick’s hood before he slid across and down the banking on his roof and flipped once before he came to rest on his roof. He was able to emerged uninjured. For the final 10 races, he earned three more top-10 results and concluded the season in ninth place in the final standings. Throughout the 2009 season, he made 10 Xfinity starts between the No. 33 Chevrolet for Kevin Harvick Inc., the No. 5 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports and the No. 1 Chevrolet for Phoenix Racing. His best run was at Talladega in April, where he started on pole and was in prime position of winning before he was edged by David Ragan at the finish line. He also made two Truck starts in the No. 2 Chevrolet for Kevin Harvick Inc. as he finished in fourth place in both races.

    Through the first six races of the 2010 Cup season, Newman finished no higher than fourth place. The following race at Phoenix, Newman, sporting the Tornados Ruiz Foods colors on his car and racing on two fresh tires on a two-lap shootout, overtook Jeff Gordon for the lead and held off Gordon to win as he achieved his first victory since the 2008 Daytona 500 and his first with Stewart-Haas Racing. He also recorded the first victory for veteran crew chief Tony Gibson. Though he missed the Playoffs and concluded the season in 15th place in the final standings, Newman and the No. 39 Chevrolet team achieved 12 additional top-10 results and a pole. He also made 12 Xfinity starts, all with Phoenix Racing, and he earned seven top-10 results.

    Throughout the 26-race regular-season stretch of the 2011 Cup season, Newman won one race (New Hampshire in July) and earned 13 top-10 results as he made the Playoffs for the fourth time in his career. For the remaining 10 races of the season in the Playoffs, Newman recorded four additional top-10 results and concluded the season in 10th place in the final standings while Tony Stewart went on to win his third Cup championship. Newman also competed in one Xfinity event and one Truck event throughout 2011, both with Turner Motorsports. Following 2011, he surpassed 400 starts.

    After finishing in the top 10 in two of the first five Cup races in 2012, Newman, sporting the Outback Steakhouse colors on his No. 39 SHR Chevrolet, made a late pass for the at Martinsville Speedway in April following a restart collision that knocked out Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Clint Bowyer, and he went on to win following a late battle with A.J. Allmendinger. Throughout the season, he earned six top-five results and 14 top-10 results before he concluded the season in 14th place in the standings while missing the Playoffs for the second time in the last four seasons. He also made one Xfinity start at Texas in November with Turner Motorsports, where he finished 19th.

    For the first 19 races of the 2013 Cup season, Newman earned eight top-10 results. The following race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, his home track, he started off the weekend by achieving his 50th Cup career pole. On race day, he and crew chief Matt Borland opted for a two-tire pit stop in the closing laps to beat Jimmie Johnson and achieve his first victory of the season at Indianapolis in front of a home crowd. For the next five Cup races, Newman earned two additional top-five results. At Richmond in September, he took the lead late in the race and was in position of claiming a second victory and qualifying for the Playoffs when Clint Bowyer spun late in the race. Following an ensuing pit stop, where Newman exited in fifth place, he made his way up to third place, but he missed the Playoffs in a tiebreaker with Martin Truex Jr., Bowyer’s teammate. A few days later, however, Newman replaced Truex in the Playoffs along with Jeff Gordon after NASCAR determined that Bowyer’s spin was intentional in an effort for Truex to make the Playoffs and place two Michael Waltrip Racing cars in the postseason. He went on to achieve six additional top-10 results before he concluded the season in 11th place in the final standings. He also competed in the inaugural Truck Series race at Eldora Speedway, where he finished in third place. Following 2013, Newman surpassed 500 starts.

    After five seasons with Stewart-Haas Racing, Newman joined forces with Richard Childress Racing to drive the No. 31 Caterpillar/Quicken Loans Chevrolet SS led by crew chief Luke Lambert in 2014 while SHR expanded to a four-car operation as Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch joined the organization. He finished 22nd in his first start with RCR in the Daytona 500 and went on to achieve nine top-10 results throughout the 26-race regular-season stretch to make the Playoffs. For the first eight races in the Playoffs, he earned five top-10 results. At Phoenix in November, Newman made a heroic bump and last lap pass on rookie Kyle Larson to finish in 11th place and earn a spot in the Championship Round at Homestead. At Homestead, he finished second on track and in the final standings to race winner and the champion Kevin Harvick. Overall, he earned five top-five results and 16 top-10 results in his first season with RCR and the runner-up result in the standings was his best in his 13th full-time season in the Cup Series.

    Throughout the 2015 and 2016 Cup seasons, Newman earned seven top-five results and 25 top-10 results while achieving a best points result of 11th place in 2015. He also made one Truck start at Kansas in May in the No. 8 NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet, where he finished second. Following 2016, Newman surpassed 600 starts. In 2017, following the first three races, Newman and crew chief Luke Lambert gambled in the closing laps by remaining on track on old tires with the lead. In a two-lap shootout, Newman held off Larson to win his first Cup race since the 2013 Brickyard 400 and his first with RCR. He concluded the 2017 season with a total of seven top-five results, 13 top-10 results and a 16th-place result in the final standings along with his Phoenix win.

    After five seasons with Richard Childress Racing and coming off a disappointing 2018 season, where he only earned nine top-10 results and concluded the season in 17th place in the final standings, Newman moved to Roush Fenway Racing to pilot the iconic No. 6 Ford Mustang in the 2019 Cup Series season led by crew chief Scott Graves. Newman finished 14th in his first race with RFR in the Daytona 500 and he earned nine top-10 results throughout the 26-race regular-season stretch to make the Playoffs. Following finishes of 10th, fifth and 32nd in the first round (three races) of the Playoffs, he was eliminated from title contention. He went on to earn three additional top-10 results and conclude the season in 15th place in the final standings. Following 2019, Newman surpassed 700 starts across NASCAR’s three major division series.

    This season, Newman started off 19th full-time season in the Cup Series on a harrowing note. He was in prime position of winning his second Daytona 500 entering the frontstretch until a bump from Blaney turned Newman’s No. 6 Ford across the track and into the outside wall, where he flipped upside down and was hit on the driver’s side by an oncoming Corey LaJoie. The impact launched Newman into the air and across the finish line in ninth place before he came to rest on his roof with oil leaking and flames bursting out of his car. Following the accident, Newman was transported to a local hospital in Florida, where he sustained serious but non life-threatening injuries. Nearly two days after his accident, Newman walked out of the hospital while holding the hands of his daughters. With Newman recovering from a head injury, Ross Chastain drove Newman’s No. 6 car in three races.

    In May, when NASCAR returned to on-track racing in the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Newman was medically cleared to return to racing. He achieved a pair of top-15 results in his first two races back since his injuries at Darlington Raceway. He went on to earn six additional top-15 results in 22 starts through the first 25 Cup races of this season. He is currently ranked in 25th place in the regular-season standings, 245 points below the top-16 cutline, and is in a “must-win” scenario to make the 2020 Cup Playoffs.

    Catch Newman’s milestone start and final bid to make the 2020 Cup Playoffs at Daytona on Saturday, August 29, at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

  • Kaulig Racing to surpass 200 combined NASCAR Xfinity starts at Daytona

    Kaulig Racing to surpass 200 combined NASCAR Xfinity starts at Daytona

    For Kaulig Racing, Daytona International Speedway has and will always remain a special place for the team with many significant meanings. The team made its Cup and Xfinity Series debuts at Daytona, the team recorded three stage victories last season at Daytona and the team achieved its first top-10 result at Daytona. In addition, the 2.5-mile superspeedway venue in Daytona Beach, Florida, has always been a competitive place for the team in having their cars running towards the front. Above all, Daytona will always be known as the track where the team achieved its first career win and trophy in NASCAR last July. Now, at the same track where the team achieved its first of four current victories, Kaulig Racing is set to surpass a significant milestone start in their fifth season of NASCAR racing. When the team’s three-car lineup takes the green flag in this weekend’s race at Daytona under the lights, Kaulig Racing will surpass 200 starts in NASCAR.

    Prior to the 2016 season, Matt Kaulig, owner of LeafFilter Gutter Protection, decided to field a single-car team in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Kaulig Racing, while forming an alliance with Richard Childress Racing. In addition, Matt Kaulig hired Blake Koch as driver of the team’s No. 11 Chevrolet Camaro sponsored by LeafFilter Gutter Protection while veteran Chris Rice also joined the team to serve as general manager and crew chief. In Kaulig’s first NASCAR race at Daytona International Speedway in February, Koch achieved a ninth-place result after starting ninth. He finished no higher than 12th the following six races before he finished eighth at Richmond Raceway in April. Throughout the regular season, Koch earned 15 top-15 results and was one of 12 Xfinity competitors to make the inaugural Xfinity Playoffs. After finishing 11th, 14th and 12th through the first round of the Playoffs (three races), Koch was one of eight competitors to advance to the second round. He achieved results of ninth, 14th and eighth in the second round, but he failed to advance to the Championship Round at Homestead-Miami Speedway by a narrow margin. He proceeded to finish 20th in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway and he capped off Kaulig Racing’s first season in NASCAR competition with five top-10 results and in a successful seventh place in the final standings.

    Koch remained as driver of the No. 11 LeafFilter/Kaulig Racing Chevrolet for the 2017 Xfinity Series season. He started the season with a 15th-place result in the season opener at Daytona followed by a 40th-place result at Atlanta due to being involved in an early accident. From Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March through Richmond in April, he went on to earn five top-15 results. At Talladega Superspeedway in May, Koch earned his first career pole and the first for Kaulig Racing. He ended his race in 31st place, however, after being involved in a multi-car wreck prior to the start of the final stage. From Charlotte Motor Speedway in May through Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July, Koch finished no higher than 13th before he achieved an eighth-place result the following race at Iowa Speedway. For the final seven races of the regular season, he earned six top-15 results and made his second consecutive appearance in the Xfinity Playoffs as a title contender. Throughout the regular season, he also achieved two stage wins (Daytona in July and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in August). Compared to last season, however, Koch was eliminated from title contention following the first round (three races), where he finished 17th, 19th and 25th. He was able to achieve a sixth-place result in the penultimate event of the season at Phoenix in November before he finished 16th at the finale at Homestead. Overall, he concluded the season with five top-10 results and an 11th-place result in the final standings.

    In 2018, following the departure of Koch, Ryan Truex, who had also departed from Hattori Racing Enterprises following the 2017 NASCAR Truck Series season, was named as a full-time driver of the No. 11 Bar Harbor/Sea Watch International/Phantom Fireworks/LeafFilter Chevrolet led by Chris Rice. Truex started the season on a high note by finishing in seventh place in the season opener at Daytona and after having a late shot in winning the race. He went on to achieve seven consecutive top-15 results through Richmond Raceway in April and was ranked in seventh place in the regular-season standings. After finishing 38th the following race at Talladega due to being involved in an early accident, Truex and the No. 11 Chevrolet team finished in the top 15 from Dover International Speedway in May through Iowa Speedway in July. At the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in August, Truex recorded the first top-five result for Kaulig Racing after finishing fifth. At Indianapolis Motor Speedway in September, Kaulig fielded a newly formed second operation, the No. 10 Chevrolet Camaro, driven by the 2018 Daytona 500 Austin Dillon. Starting 32nd, Dillon finished eighth. Following Las Vegas Motor Speedway in September, Truex had earned three more top-15 results and he qualified for the Xfinity Playoffs based on points. During the first round (three races) of the Playoffs, however, Truex earned finishes of 11th, 16th and 10th, and was one of four competitors who was eliminated from title contention. Following the finale at Homestead, where Truex capped off the season with a 15th-place result, 11 top-10 results in total and a 12th-place result in the final standings, Kaulig Racing achieved 100 starts in NASCAR (all coming in the Xfinity Series).

    For the 2019 Xfinity Series season, Kaulig Racing parted ways with Truex and brought along Winamac, Indiana’s Justin Haley as a full-time driver of the No. 11 LeafFilter Chevrolet Camaro led by veteran crew chief Nick Harrison. In addition, Kaulig fielded the No. 10 Chevrolet Camaro on a part-time basis and the ride was shared between Ross Chastain, Austin Dillon, Elliott Sadler and A.J. Allmendinger. In addition, Nutrien Ag Solutions joined the team as a key partner alongside LeafFilter. During the season opener at Daytona, Haley and Chastain each won a stage before they finished 17th and 13th respectively. For the first 15 Xfinity races of the season, Haley recorded 11 top-10 results with a best finish of fifth place at Charlotte in May. In addition, Austin Dillon drove the No. 10 Chevrolet in three races while earning a best result of fourth place at Las Vegas in March. Chastain made two additional starts in the No. 10 car, earning a best result of eighth place at Chicagoland Speedway in June, and Sadler competed at Richmond, his home track, in April, where he finished 12th.

    For the next scheduled race at Daytona in July, Kaulig Racing fielded three cars, with Haley in the No. 11 LeafFilter Chevrolet, Allmendinger making his first of select starts in the No. 10 Cornerstone Produce Group Chevrolet and Chastain in the team’s newly formed No. 16 Ellsworth Advisors Chevrolet. Throughout the race, all three Kaulig cars were dominant as Chastain won the first stage while Allmendinger won the second. On the final lap, with Chastain and Haley running first and second approaching the finish line, Allmendinger made his way up to third place and all three Kaulig teammates streaked across the line to record the first NASCAR career win for the team as Chastain achieved his second series win at the World Center of Racing. The victory at Daytona came in Kaulig Racing’s 115th career race fielding race cars with a simple objective: win and deliver trophies for the team. Though Allmendinger was disqualified and stripped from his stage points and third-place result due to failing post-race technical inspection, the first- and second-place results for Chastain and Haley remained in effect.

    Following the victory, however, tragedy hit the team two races later. A day after the Xfinity event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in July, Nick Harrison, Haley’s crew chief, died at age 37 due to suffering from multiple health issues. For the remainder of the season, new crew chiefs that included Alex Yontz, Lennie Chandler and Byron Daley filled in atop Kaulig Racing’s pit boxes and to lead its competitors on the track with Chris Rice also assisting the team’s efforts.

    For the remainder of the 2019 Xfinity season, Haley recorded eight additional top-10 results as he made the Playoffs before being eliminated following the first round and concluding the season in 12th place in the final standings. Allmendinger made four additional starts with Kaulig Racing, all coming in road course events in the No. 10 Chevrolet, where he recorded the second career win for the team and his first series victory since 2013 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval in October. Chastain made two additional starts in Kaulig Racing’s No. 10 car towards the conclusion of the season, where he finished 10th at Kansas in October and second at Texas in November. Austin Dillon made an additional start at Indianapolis in September, where he finished 34th due to fuel pump issues. Finally, Sadler made his second start of the season along with his 855th and final NASCAR career start at Las Vegas in September, where he finished 10th.

    For this season, 2020, Kaulig Racing fielded two full-time operations and one part-time operation in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Chastain was named as full-time competitor of the No. 10 Nutrien Ag Solutions Chevrolet Camaro led by crew chief Bruce Schlicker, Haley remained as a full-time competitor of the No. 11 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet Camaro led by crew chief Alex Yontz and Allmendinger was named a part-time competitor of the No. 16 Chevrolet Camaro sponsored by Ellsworth Advisors. In addition, Kaulig fielded the No. 16 Fraternal Order of Eagles Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE driven by Haley and led by Billy Scott throughout Daytona Speedweeks in an effort of making this year’s 62nd running of the Daytona 500.

    During the qualifying session on February 9 that determined the front row for the 500 and starting lineups for the Bluegreen Vacations Duel events on February 13, Haley was one of the two fastest non-chartered competitors along with veteran Brendan Gaughan to be guaranteed a starting spot for the Daytona 500 based on qualifying speed as he accomplished Matt Kaulig’s dream of competing in the Daytona 500 in the Cup Series. Starting in 33rd place in the 500, Haley rallied from being involved in a late incident to finish in 13th place.

    In the Xfinity Series, Kaulig Racing started off the year 2020 on a low note as Haley was the lone Kaulig competitor to compete in the season opener at Daytona, where he finished sixth. Chastain and Allmendinger, however, had mechanical issues to their respective Chevrolet Camaros and both recorded the slowest lap times that prevented them in making the 40-car field. Chastain was able to compete at Daytona in RSS Racing’s No. 38 Chevrolet Camaro when veteran Jeff Green relinquished his seat to allow Chastain to gain early points towards his full-time slate this season. Allmendinger, however, was unable to make the field in time for the race. Despite the slow start, Haley and Chastain went on to record top-10 results in the following four series races.

    Through the first seven races of the 2020 season, Haley and Chastain each achieved a total of five top-10 results. Allmendinger made his first series start at Bristol in June, where he rallied from a spin to finish 10th. At Atlanta Motor Speedway in June, with Kaulig Racing fielding three cars, Allmendinger won in the No. 16 Chevrolet after leading the final 37 laps and holding off Noah Gragson. The victory was Allmendinger’s fourth of his Xfinity Series career, first on an oval-shaped track and the third career win for Kaulig Racing. Two races later at Homestead, Allmendinger claimed the Dash 4 Cash $100,000 bonus following a fourth-place run. The following race at Talladega, Haley received a draft from teammates Chastain and Allmendinger on the final lap to pass Jeb Burton and achieve his first Xfinity career victory in his 47th series start. To August 2020, Haley is one of 33 competitors to achieve a win across NASCAR’s three major division series as he also recorded the first win for sponsor LeafFilter. While Kaulig Racing achieved its second victory of the season and fourth overall, the team was also victorious as Chastain, who finished in second place, claimed the Dash 4 Cash $100,000 bonus. Chastain would go on to win his second Dash 4 Cash bonus of the season at Pocono Raceway the following week after finishing second again.

    Through 21 Xfinity races this season, following a Dover doubleheader, Haley has achieved a win along with six top-five results and 13 top-10 results as he is also guaranteed a spot in this year’s Xfinity Playoffs based off of his victory at Talladega. Though he has no victories recorded thus far, Chastain has achieved nine top-five results and 18 top-10 results as he is ranked in fourth place in the regular-season standings and is 388 points above the top-12 cutline to make the Playoffs. Allmendinger has made seven starts this season and has achieved one victory at Atlanta, five top-five results and seven top-10 results. He is scheduled to make two more Xfinity starts this season.

    All three competitors are scheduled to compete in the upcoming Xfinity Series race at Daytona and surpass start No. 200 for a team that is in its early stages towards success in NASCAR.

    Catch Kaulig Racing’s milestone start at Daytona on Friday, August 28, at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

  • NASCAR Xfinity Series Power Rankings – Dover

    NASCAR Xfinity Series Power Rankings – Dover

    Dover International Speedway held two NASCAR Xfinity Series races this past weekend for a doubleheader weekend, with both races making up the originally postponed Spring and Fall events.

    Justin Allgaier ended up snapping a winless streak dating back to Phoenix of 2019 and with one of his best races of the season to date. Meanwhile, Chase Briscoe continued his hunt for eight wins that he set out at the beginning of the year, winning the Sunday event for his sixth victory of the year.

    But where did everyone else wind up?

    Here’s a look at this week’s Power Rankings following the Dover doubleheader.

    1. Chase Briscoe – After a forgettable Daytona Road Course race, Briscoe bounced back this weekend by placing 10th in Saturday’s race and leading 107 laps in Sunday’s race en route to victory. The Indiana native also won the second stage in Sunday’s race and gained substantial bonus points. Briscoe is solidly in the Playoffs and could very easily reach eight victories before the season is said and done.

      Previous Week Ranking – Fifth
    2. Justin Allgaier – It’s been a whirlwind of a season for Allgaier, who has been up and down throughout the year with five DNFs. However, Allgaier had a solid weekend at the “Monster Mile” by winning Saturday’s race (finishing third in Stage 1 and winning Stage 2). In addition, he led 120 of 200 laps, the most out of any driver in the race. When Sunday rolled around, Allgaier looked to continue his winning ways. He managed stage finishes of second twice, led 19 laps, and ultimately gained his 12th top-10 finish of the season, finishing seventh. It was a bounce-back weekend for the JR Motorsports driver.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
    3. Austin Cindric – A pair of top-five finishes for the No. 22 Penske team, finishing second and third respectively in both races. Cindric led a combined 50 laps, won Stage 1 in Saturday’s race, and managed stage finishes in the top-10 for Sunday. Despite his winning streak being broken this weekend, Cindric is still riding high after a mid-season momentum. After the Dover races, Cindric has earned 15 top-five finishes.

      Previous Week Ranking – First
    4. Noah Gragson – A respectable weekend in the No. 9 JR Motorsports camp, finishing fourth in Saturday’s race and sixth in the Sunday outing. The Las Vegas native was able to lead a combined effort of 38 laps. Gragson sits third in the points standings, 97 points behind championship points leader Cindric. Gragson could easily be a dark horse favorite for the championship if he continues to have consistent finishes. However, once the Playoffs begin consistent finishes won’t be enough to advance into the next rounds. Gragson will have to start winning again if he wants to be in the Championship Round at Phoenix.

      Previous Week Ranking – Second
    5. Riley Herbst – Herbst had an uneventful but consistent weekend with finishes of sixth and ninth. No laps were led but he brought home a clean No. 18 Monster Energy Toyota Camry for his 12th top-10 of the season. It was a much needed finish after a few weeks of bad luck.

      Previous Week Ranking – Fourth

    Fell Out

    1. Brandon Jones – It was a mixed bag of results for Brandon Jones following the Dover weekend. Jones wound up 16th in Saturday’s outing but bounced back to a fourth-place finish in Sunday’s race. Despite quality stage finishes in Saturday’s race, Jones could only place seventh on Sunday.

      Previous Week Ranking – Third