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Tag: NASCAR Xfinity Series

  • Weekend Schedule for Richmond

    Weekend Schedule for Richmond

    This weekend the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and the Xfinity Series head to Richmond Raceway. It will be the second of three races in the Round of 16 Cup Series Playoffs. Kyle Busch is the defending race winner on the 0.75-mile D-shaped track.

    The Xfinity Series will begin their Playoffs with the Round of 12 at Richmond. Christopher Bell who has six regular-season victories will be back to defend his win.

    The NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series is off and will return to competition at Talladega Superspeedway Saturday, Oct. 12.

    All times are Eastern.

    Friday, September 20

    9:35-10:55 a.m. – Xfinity Series Final Practice (NBCSN)

    11:35 a.m. – 12:25 p.m. – Cup Series First Practice (NBCSN, MRN)

    1:35 – 2:25 p.m. – Cup Series Final Practice (NBCSN, MRN)

    4:35 p.m. – Xfinity Series Qualifying Impound – Single vehicle/two laps all positions (NBCSN)

    6:05 p.m. – Cup Series Qualifying impound – Single vehicle/two laps all positions (NBCSN, MRN)

    7 p.m. – Xfinity Series Driver Intros

    7:30 p.m. – Xfinity GoBowling 250 race – Stages 75/150/250 laps = 187.5 miles (NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

    Saturday, September 21

    6:50 p.m. – Cup Series Driver Intros

    7:30 p.m. – Cup Series Federated Parts 400 race – Stages 100/200/400 laps = 300 miles (NBCSN/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

    Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

  • Gray Gaulding part of successful trio in fuel mileage to finish seventh

    Gray Gaulding part of successful trio in fuel mileage to finish seventh

    LAS VEGAS, NV — In Saturday’s Rhino Pro Truck Outfitters 300 for the NASCAR Xfinity Series, it came down to a gamble on fuel mileage strategy. For three drivers who elected to stretch to the last drop, they were all successful. One driver that had the biggest statement at Las Vegas Motor Speedway was Gray Gaulding who finished seventh for SS-Green Light Racing.

    “Yeah, I saved my rear end off,” said a relieved Gaulding. “I did everything I could to make sure.”

    The relief came after extending the green flag pit window to a total of 70 laps, 74 including caution flag laps that began the final run to the checkered.

    “They said it was going to be close, but about 20 laps to go, they said ‘You’re good.’ So I thought I could pick it up a little bit, but the racer in my thought that I needed to save as much as I can, even if they say I might not need to. Luckily enough, I saved enough fuel. The calculations were dead on because I ran out right at the checkered flag. It says a lot about that call, but what a place to do it in Vegas. People roll the dice every day, and we rolled the dice to get in. We got a great finish, but didn’t get in (the Playoffs).”

    The finish became the team’s fourth top 10 of the 2019 season. The last time team owner Bobby Dotter had this many top 10 finishes in a single season was back in 1995 when he drove himself. Gaulding knew he was with an old school team that knew how to get it done the old school way.

    “It’s about the people,” Gaulding was quick to state. “Bobby Dotter is the best owner I’ve ever drove for, and he rolled the dice on me to put me in the car. Look at where they were last year with their old driver, now look where they are today. Not in the cocky or arrogant way, I feel like I’m really doing my job and doing it well, but I know it’s not from a lack of effort from my guys and everybody that works their tails off on these racecars.

    “It’s so fun, I’m having a blast.”

    In the 21-year-old driver’s first full-time season with the Xfinity Series, he missed the Playoffs by just one spot in the points. He was too far back to point his way in, so he knew he was in a tough spot, even back in February at season start. But to be as close as they were, both with points and a few surprising runs throughout the season, was a testament to the fight they have within.

    “You can always be disappointed,” he continued when asked about his thoughts on being the first car missing the Playoffs. “But the thing is; look at where we were in February. Did anyone pick us to make the Playoffs? Probably zero out of a hundred. Nobody even talked about us, thought about us, and the last three months, everybody is starting to watch us. We’re running good, we’re running up front. We almost won at Talladega.

    “At the end of the day, we weren’t supposed to but to be even in the conversation and be there, fighting for a spot, that just says a lot about where the team was last year to now. We’re just going to keep fighting and do what we do best.”

    The team’s quick growth this past year has been multiple avenues. The team’s only other top 10 finishes in recent years were by Xfinity “road ringer” Andy Lally, so the surge has been a surprise to some. Gaulding isn’t taking it for granted but celebrating when he can as they find success during the team’s growth. He can’t put his finger exactly on the reason for their success, but he again quickly pointed to his team.

    “My crew chief Patrick (Donahue) and I gel well together,” he declared showing his gratitude with their teamwork over the season. “We got that love-hate relationship. I love him like a brother. When he does something wrong, I let him know, and when I do something wrong, he lets me know. It makes for a good marriage and a good combination. He’s just got my stuff getting really good week in and week out, especially on the big tracks. We’re down on motor, we’re down on everything. So to be able to show up and to finish in the top 10 on a mile and a half with these big motors, it says a lot about our race cars and what I’m doing.”

    Despite missing the Playoffs, Gaulding is now the highest-seeded driver outside of the Playoffs. He currently has a 21 point lead over Jeremy Clements, and wants to not only say he’s the best outside of the Playoffs but show that his crew can compete against the bigger budget teams.

    “I’m going to my favorite track next weekend (Richmond),” said Gaulding excitedly. “You can count on seeing me up front. I feel like what we learned in the Spring will make it even better next week. That just says a lot about what we’re doing. We’re taking the races we went to the first race and making them better the second time. I’m pretty damn good at Richmond. Richmond is my favorite track on the schedule, along with Bristol. Any short track, I feel like I can make up the difference for the car.”

    There’s a lot of positive vibes going around the team and within the driver, but there’s uncertainty with the 2020 year. Gaulding is hopeful yet optimistic he can prove that he’s right where he belongs.

    “My goal is that I want to be here. I want to be in the same position. Obviously a lot of things have to work out, but I know I can beat these guys. If we had full ECR Engines (Earnhardt-Childress Racing) every week and we had all the tires, I think we can beat the bigger teams. I got a lot of fight in me, and my guys got a lot of fight in them.

    “I think going into next year, we’re going to see a lot of great things happening to me and my race team.”

    We’re all focused on who can spoil the Playoffs with a win to secure their seat for the next round. It’s not a bad idea to also keep an eye on a young and hungry Virginia driver to spoil the Xfinity Playoffs. It’ll be a spoiler that many didn’t predict back in February.

  • Reddick Hits the Royal Flush of Fuel Mileage to Win at Vegas

    Reddick Hits the Royal Flush of Fuel Mileage to Win at Vegas

    LAS VEGAS, NEVADA — Tyler Reddick takes the fuel mileage gamble at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to edge out the dominant Christopher Bell and wins the Rhino Pro Truck Outfitters 300 in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

    “That was nerve-wracking to say the least,” Reddick told NBCSN. “Those last three laps, I was losing fuel pressure.”

    The bold call took place during the final caution when C.J. McLaughlin crashed into the Turn 4 wall. Most of the leaders stayed out, but Reddick came to pit road to begin what would be the race-winning fuel mileage strategy. The Richard Childress Racing team recognized they didn’t have the speed to catch or pass Bell, so they played the long game and had the dice roll in their favor over the next 105 miles.

    “We came in for fuel and tires and had to save a lot,” Reddick said after a sigh of relief crossing the line under power. ”It allowed us to run some really, really fast laps there before we had on tires at the end to keep us out front. Our car was fast on the long run and that’s what we needed to get a buffer at the end.

    “We’ve had a really, really fast car here in the past. Today we didn’t have it but we got them on strategy again.”

    Reddick clinched the regular season championship part way through Stage 2 as other cars retired from the race. However with the postseason reset, Bell will take over the points lead by 11 points, leaving Reddick and pole sitter Cole Custer tied for second.

    “We ain’t done yet. We got to go to Homestead and get another trophy,” said Reddick who seemed unphased about losing the points lead after dominating the regular season.

    Bell led a race high 154 laps, but fell short by just 0.738 seconds. The gap was over 20 seconds after the final pit stops, but Reddick was able to outsmart and out-luck Bell with his strategy.

    “It’s the second time this year that we got beat by circumstances,” Bell told NBCSN. “At Iowa we put on our tires when we needed to and some guys banked on a yellow coming out later and they got it and they beat us. Today those guys did the opposite of us and they won the race. Very, very disappointing.”

    Brandon Jones, Custer and Justin Allgaier completed the top five. Las Vegas native Noah Gragson finished sixth. Gray Gaulding also gambled with his fuel and had it pay off to finish in seventh, becoming the first non-Playoff driver in the finishing order. John Hunter Nemecheck, Riley Herbst and Elliott Sadler finished in the top 10 respectively. It was Sadler’s final NASCAR race. Ryan Sieg finished in the 14th position, but was disqualified after post-race inspection found his No. 39 Lombar Bros. Gaming Chevrolet Camaro too low in both the right front and left front. He still has enough points to carry him into the postseason.

    Bell Shows Strength Early in Stage One

    As the series’ final regular season race, the points gap was larger than the other two national touring series. For those outside of the top 12, they were all too far back to point their way in, so only a win could sneak their way into the Playoffs.

    Custer started on pole, but was beat on the first lap by Bell. Custer quickly fell back to third as Justin Allgaier made his way around for the second position. Las Vegas native Gragson spun earlier in qualifying and was forced to start at the rear of the field. He quickly climbed through the field and cracked the top 15 halfway through the stage. Sadler, who was making his final NASCAR start, began the day from the eighth position and ran in the top 10 most of the stage before fading back to the 15th position.

    Bell went on the lead all the laps and win the first stage. Sadler was the first car one lap down. Landon Cassell, after a fantastic qualifying run for the ninth starting position, fell out of the race early after overheating issues.

    The field came down pit road for service, but Austin Cindric’s crew was penalized for an uncontrolled tire. He came off pit road fourth and was forced to the rear of the field.

    Dominance by Bell Was Outplayed by Reddick’s Gamble

    Bell took the restart and had a strong challenge by Allgaier before reclaiming the lead. A few cars were declared out of the race due to part failures and mechanical issues, which clinched Reddick as the regular season series champion. He looks to make a run at back-to-back championships in the Xfinity series.

    By the end of the stage, Bell led all but two laps up to this point and wins his 15th stage of the regular season.

    Drivers began to get more aggressive as they took the green flag for the final stage. Bell continued to dominate, but Allgaier and Custer stayed closer to him. On Lap 110, Tommy Joe Martins spun to bring out the caution. That brought all the leaders to pit road. Cindric had fought his way up to fourth, but with too many crew members over the pit wall and NASCAR penalized him to put him at the tail end of the field.

    The field restarted on Lap 115, and Allgaier stayed aggressive. He was able to complete the pass by the exit of Turn 2 and claim the lead, putting Bell into a fight for the second position. Bell stayed patient and was able to reclaim the lead by Lap 123. The caution flew just one lap later as McLaughlin crashed into the outside wall of Turn 4. Most lead lap cars elected to stay on the track, as they could not make it to the end on fuel without coming to pit road again, but Reddick came down pit road for fresh tires and fuel.

    When the green flag came out again for what would be the final restart of the race, Bell took over the lead but Briscoe began his late race charge. Halfway through the run, he was able to get by Custer and Allgaier and find himself in the second position. As everyone came down pit road for green flag pit stops, Briscoe speeds on the entrance of pit road, and gets a pass-through penalty.

    As the final pit stop cycle completes itself, Reddick elects to stay out to extend his fuel run to the end of the race. He was able to stretch his fuel for 70 laps (105 miles) to the end for his fifth win of the season.

    The Playoff field was also set as the regular season concludes. Bell will inherit the points lead, 51 points above the cutoff line. Custer and Reddick will tie for second with a 40 point margin. The rest of the drivers above the cutoff line include Cindric, Briscoe, Allgaier, Michael Annett and Gragson. Jones is the first car in the elimination spot, just one point out of the next round. Justin Haley, Sieg and Nemecheck sit out by two, four and five points respectively.

    The NASCAR Xfinity Series compete next at Richmond Raceway on Friday, September 20.

    Source: Racing Reference

    FinSt#DriverSponsor / OwnerCarLapsStatusLedPtsPPts
    142   Tyler ReddickTame the Beast   (Richard Childress)Chevrolet200running30545
    2220   Christopher BellRheem / Smurfit Kappa   (Joe Gibbs)Toyota200running154552
    3619   Brandon JonesJuniper Networks   (Joe Gibbs)Toyota200running0440
    4100   Cole CusterHaas Automation   (Stewart Haas Racing)Ford200running0470
    537   Justin AllgaierBrandt   (JR Motorsports)Chevrolet200running15500
    6369   Noah GragsonSwitch   (JR Motorsports)Chevrolet200running0310
    71608   Gray GauldingJT Marine   (Bobby Dotter)Chevrolet199running0300
    81323   John Hunter NemechekBerry’s Manufacturing   (Maury Gallagher)Chevrolet199running0350
    91518   Riley HerbstMonster Energy   (Joe Gibbs)Toyota199running000
    10810   Elliott SadlerNutrien Ag Solutions   (Matthew Kaulig)Chevrolet199running0270
    11798   Chase BriscoeFord Performance   (Fred Biagi)Ford199running1360
    12522   Austin CindricMoney Lion   (Roger Penske)Ford199running0360
    13111   Michael AnnettPilot / Flying J   (JR Motorsports)Chevrolet199running0270
    14228   Ryan TruexBar Harbor   (JR Motorsports)Chevrolet199running0260
    151011   Justin HaleyLeaf Filter Gutter Protection   (Matthew Kaulig)Chevrolet199running0230
    161786   Brandon BrownVero True Social   (Jerry Brown)Chevrolet198running0210
    173790   Alex LabbeMartin & Cain Warehousing   (Mario Gosselin)Chevrolet198running0200
    182936   Josh WilliamsStar Brite / Star Tron / Simcraft   (Mario Gosselin)Chevrolet198running0190
    192007   Ray Black, Jr.Isokern Fireplaces & Chimneys / Scuba Life   (Bobby Dotter)Chevrolet197running0180
    201251   Jeremy ClementsRepairableVehicles.com   (Jeremy Clements)Chevrolet197running0170
    212301   Stephen LeichtJD Motorsports   (Johnny Davis)Chevrolet197running0160
    22214   B.J. McLeodJD Motorsports   (Johnny Davis)Chevrolet196running0150
    23260   Garrett SmithleyJD Motorsports   (Johnny Davis)Chevrolet196running0140
    24245   Matt MillsJ.F. Electric   (B.J. McLeod)Chevrolet195running0130
    251861   Tommy Joe MartinsDiamond Gusset Jeans   (Carl Long)Toyota194running0120
    263052   David StarrCircle Track / Franklin’s Signs   (Jimmy Means)Chevrolet194running0110
    273899   Jairo Avila, Jr.ART General Contractor   (B.J. McLeod)Toyota193running0100
    282815   Tyler MatthewsLineTec Services   (Johnny Davis)Chevrolet191running090
    293235   Joey GaseNevada Donor Network   (Carl Long)Toyota187vibration080
    303478   Vinnie MillerPit Viper Sunglasses   (B.J. McLeod)Chevrolet186running070
    313193   C.J. McLaughlinSci Aps   (Rod Sieg)Chevrolet121crash060
    322574   Kyle Weatherman  (Mike Harmon)Chevrolet66suspension050
    332717   Joe NemechekRWR   (Rick Ware)Chevrolet56steering000
    343366   Chad FinchumLasVegas.net   (Carl Long)Toyota52suspension030
    353513   Stan MullisLasVegas.net   (Carl Long)Toyota22carburetor020
    36989   Landon CassillVisone RV   (Morgan Shepherd)Chevrolet20overheating010
    371438   J.J. YeleyRSS Racing   (Rod Sieg)Chevrolet2fuel pump010
    381939   Ryan SiegLombar Bros. Gaming   (Rod Sieg)Chevrolet199disqualified010


  • Weekend Schedule for Las Vegas

    Weekend Schedule for Las Vegas

    The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads to Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend where 16 drivers will face off against each other in Round 1 of the Playoffs. Brad Keselowski is the defending race winner.

    Las Vegas is the last chance to make the Playoffs for the Xfinity Series drivers and where the 12-driver field will be set. Ross Chastain won the event last year.

    The Gander Outdoors Truck Series will close out their first championship round and narrow their playoff field from eight to six drivers. Grant Enfinger will return to defend his 2018 win.

    Please see the complete schedule below. All times are Eastern.

    Friday, Sept. 13

    11:05 a.m.: Truck Series Final Practice – No TV

    3:35 p.m.: Xfinity Series First Practice – NBCSN/NBC Sports App

    4:35 p.m.: Cup Series First Practice – NBCSN/NBC Sports App

    5:35 p.m.: Truck Series Qualifying – Impound/Single Vehicle/One Lap All Positions – FS1

    6:35 p.m.: Xfinity Series Final Practice – NBCSN/NBC Sports App

    7:30 p.m.: Cup Series Final Practice – NBCSN/NBC Sports App

    9 p.m.: Truck Series World of Westgate Las Vegas 200 – (Stages 30/60/134 Laps = 201 Miles) FS1/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

    Saturday, Sept. 14

    2:35 p.m.: Xfinity Series Qualifying – Impound/Single Vehicle/One Lap All Positions – NBCSN/NBC Sports App

    4:05 p.m.: Cup Series Qualifying – Impound/Single Vehicle/One Lap All Positions – NBCSN/NBC Sports App/PRN

    7:30 p.m.: Xfinity Series Rhino Pro Trucks Outfitters 300 – (Stages 45/90/200 Laps = 300 Miles) NBCSN/NBC Sports App/PRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

    Sunday, Sept. 15

    7 p.m.: Cup Series South Point 400 – (Stages 80/160/267 Laps = 400.5 Miles) NBCSN/NBC Sports App/PRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

    Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

  • Brandon Jones rebounds to top-10 finish at Indy

    Brandon Jones rebounds to top-10 finish at Indy

    It was a whirlwind of a day for Brandon Jones and his No. 19 IK9 Toyota. Jones qualified on the outside pole on Saturday to give him great starting track position.

    The Joe Gibbs Racing driver was able to take the lead early, leading eight laps and winning the first stage. This would be the only the time Jones led the race. However he would remain consistent in the second stage and finished fifth.

    A big moment came for Jones on Lap 89 of 100, as the No. 22 of Austin Cindric would make contact with him sending Jones up the track in Turn 3. Jones had some damage to his No. 19 but the team was able to get back on track.

    “These guys at First Foundation and IK9 volunteers for their fight dogs, so I may have one for them after this race,” Jones said to PRN Radio. “It was just a racing deal, I held him (Cindric) fairly tight going into (Turn) 3 but also his job to control his car as well, so I’m putting it on him a little bit. All in all, Toyotas were really fast this afternoon and yesterday in practice, even qualifying we were 1-2-3.”

    Jones was able to rebound for a sixth-place finish in what would be his 12th top-10 finish of the season.

    “So that’s something to be proud of, I think our car was definitely the one to win the race. To fight back to sixth like that, I think that’s pretty impressive, so I was really proud of my guys all day today. They always stay behind me every race no matter what happens, so I wouldn’t want to be with any other team than I am right now.”

  • Allgaier comes up short going at Indy

    Allgaier comes up short going at Indy

    Justin Allgaier came oh so close of scoring two consecutive wins at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The JR Motorsports No. 7 driver qualified eighth and had a strong car all day long, finishing second.

    Allgaier remained consistent in Stage 1 and finished sixth. He was able to get out front to the lead when Stage 2 began and took the lead on Lap 53 for nine laps. He battled with the No. 2 of Tyler Reddick for several laps, changing the lead multiple times.

    Allgaier was able to get the best of Reddick, taking the lead and taking the Stage 2 win for 10 championship playoff points.

    After the stage break, the JR Motorsports driver remained out front in hopes of getting his second Indy victory. However, a new driver came to challenge him and that was All-time Xfinity win leader Kyle Busch. Like Reddick, the two would battle back and forth, hoping to get the best of one another.

    At one point, Allgaier got around Busch and led for 12 laps before the caution flew on Lap 80 to bunch the field back up again. As they always say, “cautions breed cautions” which most certainly came into play in the remaining laps.

    A late-race restart came with four laps to go, with Allgaier on the outside front row and Busch on the inside row. Busch got a better push then Allgaier did off the start. Despite staying close behind the leader, Allgaier scored a disappointing second-place finish.

    “The team deserves all the credit, JR Motorsports, Hendrick engine shop, everybody that touched these racecars,” Allgaier told PRN Radio. “You know, to come here to almost win three years in a row, almost back to back for ourselves with the 7 team says a lot about our program. Our car was so good on the long run. I knew those guys didn’t have anything for us on the long run, I knew if we could get out front we were going to be good and cautions breed cautions at the end.”

    “Unfortunately, I couldn’t catch Kyle (Busch). Kyle and all the Gibbs cars had fantastic cars all weekend. We saw it with their qualifying efforts. It’s just disappointing, I thought we were going to be there.”

    The second-place finish earned Allgaier his 10th top five of the season and his third second-place finish this season. The JR Motorsports driver sits fourth in the points standings, 138 behind leader Tyler Reddick.

  • Busch fends off Allgaier in last lap thriller

    Busch fends off Allgaier in last lap thriller

    Kyle Busch held off Justin Allgaier on the final restart with four laps to go to win Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series Indiana 250 race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This was Busch’s fourth victory of the season and his 96th of his career.

    “We just didn’t have the grip in traffic,” Busch said to PRN Radio. “The car was really really fast in a straight line. I could pass some of those guys on the straightaways, even if I botched the corners, it seemed like I could catch them back. Different situations with some of those guys. The 7 (Allgaier) was really good, really smart, played a great race. We were faster, just faster at the end to make sure we stayed in front of those guys.”

    This was Busch’s seventh and final race of the 2019 Xfinity Series season.

    “Real proud of the effort, certainly want to thank Big Machine Vodka, Big Machine Label group for being on my stuff there and partner at the racetrack this weekend. Also want to thank the fans for their support, this Combos Supra, these guys, everybody on this team did a great job. It’s cool here to win anytime at Indy, so we’ll take it.”

    Before the race, Busch qualified on the pole claiming his 66th career pole.

    There were a couple of drivers that had to go to the rear before the start of the race. Ronnie Bassett Jr., Josh Bilicki and B.J. McLeod went to the rear for unapproved adjustments and Kyle Weatherman for an engine change.

    Stages were 30/30/40 laps to make up the 100 lap race.

    Stage 1 Lap: 1- Lap 30

    Stage 1 was green for the most part, aside from a few incidents. The No. 10 of Austin Dillon came down pit road early on Lap 12 and reported no oil pressure. The issue only got worse for Dillon as the car ran out of power on the backstretch, eventually coming to a stop on the access road. This brought out the first caution of the day on Lap 16.

    Some different strategy was played out with Busch, Cole Custer, Justin Haley, Noah Gragson, Michael Annett and Chase Briscoe, all pitting under caution. Busch had to come back down pit road once again due to not having the lug nuts tight on the right front.

    Two more cautions came out before the stage ended on Lap 30. One was for the No. 52 of David Starr who had his motor expire and the other was for Ryan Sieg who spun off Turn 2 on the final lap of the stage. Another driver, Tyler Reddick had some issues on the pit stops. Reddick was served a penalty for having too many men over the wall after his stop.

    With the track position and by staying out, Brandon Jones went on to win Stage 1. Austin Cindric, Busch, Gragson, Custer, Allgaier, Christopher Bell, Haley, Briscoe and Reddick rounded out the top-10 finishers in the first stage.

    Stage 2: Lap 36 – Lap 60

    Busch and Gragson, along with a few others, stayed out under the stage break to assume the lead for the second stage.

    It didn’t take long for the caution to fly again as the No. 86 of Brandon Brown went spinning by himself in Turn 1. Two other drivers also had slight contact with each other. Bell and Gragson made minimal contact off the restart. With the contact, Bell had to come down pit road to fix the left front fender.

    On Lap 52, eight laps before the stage ended, a thrilling battle for the lead took place between Allgaier and Busch, with Allgaier eventually taking the lead from Busch. The JR Motorsports driver went on to win Stage 2 after holding off Busch. It was a sign of what was to come later.

    Busch, Reddick, Jeb Burton, Jones, Bell, Briscoe, Custer, Sieg and Gragson were the top-10 finishers for Stage 2.

    Stage 3: Lap 66 – Lap 100

    A lot of action and incidents took place in the third and final stage. Allgaier and Busch continued to battle for the lead before a caution came out on Lap 80 for the No. 23 of John Hunter Nemechek. Mostly everyone came down pit road with Haley being the only one to pit for two tires.

    The restart came with 16 to go and saw new names out front, as Bell and Reddick were fighting for the lead. However, before they could break away from the field, another yellow was seen with 11 to go as it saw Cindric making contact and spinning the No. 19 of Brandon Jones.

    This would shape up another restart with eight laps to go. On the same lap, a vicious crash took place among the leaders. Bell and Reddick took each other out and hit the wall hard off Turn 2. Despite the hard hits, both drivers walked away from the incident. With the long clean up effort, NASCAR officials threw the red flag to let track officials clean up the accident.

    Eventually, this would set up a four-lap dash to the finish. With a little bit of help from Burton, Busch got the push he needed in order to get out front of Allgaier. The two broke away from the field to fight it out.

    In the end, the All-time Xfinity Series wins leader Busch held off Allgaier for his fourth Indianapolis Xfinity Series win and the 96th of his career.

    Earlier in the year, Busch has noted he may retire if he hits the 100 win mark in the series. He’s only four away from win No. 100.

    “Yeah, hopefully, we can go five for five and we’ll make it 101, and hang our hat.”

    Busch led five times for 46 laps to score his fourth win of the season.

    There were eight cautions for 31 laps, one red flag, and 14 lead changes among seven drivers.

    With it being Busch’s last start in the Xfinity Series due to NASCAR’s restrictions on Cup drivers, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver will end his Xfinity Series season with four wins, five top-fives and top-10 finishes, two poles and an average finish of 9.4.

    Up Next: The Xfinity Series has one more race before their playoff run begins at Richmond. The series will head to Las Vegas Motor Speedway next Saturday on Sept 14.

    Official Results

    1. Kyle Busch, led 46 laps
    2. Justin Allgaier, led 24 laps, won Stage 2
    3. Noah Gragson, led one lap
    4. Jeb Burton
    5. Justin Haley
    6. Brandon Jones, led eight laps, won Stage 1
    7. Cole Custer
    8. Chase Briscoe
    9. Austin Hill
    10. Ryan Sieg
    11. Jeremy Clements
    12. Michael Annett
    13. Gray Gaulding
    14. Garrett Smithley
    15. Ronnie Bassett Jr
    16. Landon Cassill
    17. Josh Williams, led four laps
    18. Joey Gase
    19. Stefan Parsons
    20. Ray Black Jr
    21. Josh Bilicki
    22. B.J. McLeod
    23. Stephen Leicht
    24. Tommy Joe Martins
    25. Matt Mills
    26. Vinnie Miller, one lap down
    27. Austin Cindric, OUT, Engine
    28. Brandon Brown, three laps down
    29. Christopher Bell, OUT, Accident
    30. Tyler Reddick, OUT, Accident
    31. John Hunter Nemechek, OUT, Crash
    32. Mike Harmon, OUT, Electrical
    33. Chad Finchum, OUT, Transmission
    34. Austin Dillon, OUT, Fuel Pump
    35. Kyle Weatherman, OUT, Overheating
    36. Morgan Shepherd, OUT, Handling
    37. David Starr, OUT, Engine
    38. J.J. Yeley, OUT, Suspension

  • Jeb Burton gets emotional top five finish at Indy

    Jeb Burton gets emotional top five finish at Indy

    It’s not very often you get to see Jeb Burton compete in the Xfinity Series, but when he does, you can expect him to bring the best out of the car and run up front. The same was seen today at Indianapolis.

    Burton, the son of former NASCAR driver Ward and the nephew of Jeff, was back in his first start at Indy since his last one two years ago in 2017, where he finished 19th. Burton was hoping to better that finish today, but this time driving the No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevy.

    The Halifax, Virginia native was making his fifth Xfinity Series start of the 2019 season. Burton had a decent qualifying spot of 12th for the No. 8 machine. From there, he worked hard to be up front and in contention for the lead. However, at a track where track position means everything, it was difficult going in Stage 1 where Burton finished the same spot he started in which was 12th.

    Throughout the race, the team made continuous adjustments to the car hoping it would get Burton out front. At one point in Stage 2, Burton was running as high as third and was not saying a word to his team with 10 laps left in Stage 2.

    Burton remained in the top five at the end of Stage 2, where he finished fourth. When the third and final stage came, the JR Motorsports driver was reporting that he was needing more grip to help the car out.

    It wasn’t until a caution came out with seven laps to go when Burton would get his lucky break. After the extensive clean up due to an accident, Burton was lined up right behind race leader Kyle Busch. When the race went back green with four to go, Burton pushed Busch out front to the lead.

    However, despite being up front at the end, Burton had to settle for an emotional fourth-place finish.

    “It wasn’t by myself for sure, we had a good hot rod,” Burton said to PRN Radio. “Sorry, a lot of emotion man, to finish fourth at the Brickyard. We ran there all day, we didn’t get lucky and just finished there. Appreciate the State Water Heaters, LS Tractors and ALSCO. We’re going to win before it’s over with, we just gotta keep digging.”

    It was Burton’s second top-five finish of the season and the third of his career.

  • Custer declared winner at Darlington after Hamlin fails post-race inspection

    Custer declared winner at Darlington after Hamlin fails post-race inspection

    DARLINGTON, S.C. –  Denny Hamlin’s apparent victory in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 was short-lived when his Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 Toyota failed post-race inspection. NASCAR determined that the height requirements were not met stating that the left front was too low while it was too high in the right rear.

    This was the fourth time this season that a car has been disqualified following a race in the Xfinity Series but only the first time that it has involved the winner.

    Cole Custer’s Stewart-Haas Racing No. 00 Ford was declared as the winner, moving him from second to first place to claim his sixth victory this season and his first at Darlington Raceway. He is now tied with Christopher for the most wins in the series and is third in the playoff standings.

    ‘It’s a really strange feeling,” obviously, Custer said in his post-race interview. “You don’t want to win them that way, but it is what it is. We all play by the same rules. Was that the deciding factor? No, with everything, he won the race but it is what it is. We get the points. We get the money and we get everything, including the trophy so we’ll take it.”

    Tyler Reddick finished second after leading 70 laps. Ryan Blaney led 50 laps and is credited with third place with Christopher Bell and Dale Earnhardt Jr. rounding out the top five finishers.

    Earnhardt was pleased with his result in the No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet featuring a throwback paint scheme that honored his father’s first start in the premier series in 1975 at Charlotte.

    “I love this place,” said Earnhardt. You never know how good you are till you come back and try it. All these guys are elite. All these guys do this every single week, and they’re very, very talented. To think you can take a year off and come back and be good, you just never know. But we did all right!”

    Chase Briscoe, Brandon Jones, Noah Gragson, Justin Allgaier and Austin Cindric rounded out the top 10.

    There are only two races left before the Xfinity Series Playoffs begin. Reddick leads the regular-season standings by 51 points over Bell while Custer is 136 points behind in third place.

    Next week the Xfinity Series heads to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Indiana 250.

    Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

  • Earnhardt nervous but looking forward to a ‘fun weekend’

    Earnhardt nervous but looking forward to a ‘fun weekend’

    DARLINGTON, S.C. –  Dale Earnhardt Jr. was back in an Xfinity Series race car at Darlington Raceway Friday afternoon as he prepares to compete in Saturday’s Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200.

    Since his retirement from the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at the end of the 2017 season and his subsequent move to broadcasting for NBC, he has made only one other start. A little over a year ago, Earnhardt competed at Richmond Raceway, qualifying second and finishing fourth.

    Friday also marked his first public appearance since Earnhardt and his family were involved in a plane crash on August 15 at Elizabethton Municipal Airport near Bristol Motor Speedway.

    Earnhardt spoke to the media Friday and said, regarding his health, “I feel great.” He also admitted to being apprehensive about the upcoming race.

    “Really nervous about getting in the car just because I haven’t been in a car in a really long time. I did come over here a couple of months ago and ran about 15 laps when Noah (Gragson) was testing and that didn’t do anything to help my anxiety. Noah was faster than me and it just reminded me of how hard it is to drive these cars and good these guys that drive them are. And, how hot and miserable it is inside there, some of the things you kind of forget about while you’re in the booth and being a broadcaster.

    On why he chose Darlington, Earnhardt explained, “It’s a real blessing for me to be able to run at least one race a year and sort of relive my past. That’s kind of why I picked this race at Darlington because of the Throwback Weekend, such a great celebration of the history of the sport. I wanted to be more a part of that. I got to experience it from the broadcast booth last year. And, I thought, man, I get to run a race a year, why don’t I just go to Darlington and do something fun with a Throwback car and draw some awareness?’

    “It’s fun to be down in the garage, in and around the other cars and understand their stories and what they’re all about. It should be a fun weekend.”

    Earnhardt was fifth fastest in the first Xfinity Series practice and 10th in the final practice driving the No. 8 for JR Motorsports. His throwback car is a Hellmann’s Chevrolet paint scheme that was inspired by the car his father ran in his first premier series start in the 1975 World 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

    The Xfinity Series Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET Saturday on NBC.

    Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.