It was a misty afternoon as the NASCAR Xfinity Series took to the track for the Rinnai 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, but for Christopher Bell, it was all smiles.
Bell in his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Supra dominated the race. Bell won all three stages and led the most laps leading 142 out of 163. A late caution bunched the field up as the green flag flew with three laps to go and drivers trying to get the top spot, but Bell was just too strong today.
“Man, I’m very thankful and very fortunate to drive this Rheem Supra,” Bell said, “It’s the first Supra in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, that means a lot to me to be able to become their first driver to win this.” Bell then added, “The Supra is awesome, it looks great and it’s fast too. It’s a lot of fun and I’m just honored to be here.”
Stage 1 and Stage 2 both ran caution free, with Bell sweeping both stages. Cole Custer who started on the pole in his No. 00 Jacob Companies Ford Mustang came up just a little short but still had a great run.
The final stage of the race saw Brandon Jones get the jump off pit road in first place, however, a speeding penalty sent him to the rear of the field giving Tyler Reddick the top spot. It took Bell about 11 laps to retake the lead and it was game over. A late caution for the spinning car of John Hunter Nemechek saw the field bunch up for a late-race shootout but it wouldn’t deter Bell who took the checkered flag in first place. Custer would end up in the runner up spot.
“That was a fun race. I thought the end was pretty good. I thought I might get it for a second. We just didn’t have enough there and Bell kind of took my line there in the last lap. It is a great start to the year in our first race with the Jacob Companies Mustang. We got a new crew chief and it was huge for us to start the year strong. I feel like we will be a threat all year,” commented Custer after the race.
Justin Allgaier in his No.7 JR Motorsports Chevy also had a good run today finishing in third.
“Hats off to the guys at JR Motorsports. We had great pit stops all day. We were able to charge our way back through there and at the end, I thought we had the ticket.” Allgaier stated. “I was going to go to the middle on the last restart. I thought I could get that momentum but unfortunately, I let Cole (Custer) get by me. Still all in all a great day and a great start to the season.”
Jones and Reddick would round out the top five. Jeffrey Earnhardt, in his No. 18 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, is having his best season ever coming home in his career best finish with sixth place. He continues to become a fan favorite in the series.
Ryan Preece, Justin Haley, Noah Gragson, and Austin Cindric finished seventh through 10th, respectively.
Bell leads the Xfinity Series standings with 99 points, Jones is in second with 95 points, in third is Allgaier with 81 points, fourth is Reddick with 76 points and Custer rounds out the top 10, also with 76 points.
The Xfinity Series heads next to Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday, March 2.
Following Michael Annett’s long-overdue win in Saturday’s NASCAR Racing Experience 300 at Daytona, many fans and NASCAR peers took issue with the show the Xfinity Series put together, calling it lackluster and boring.
It’s easy to see why many of those who watched the race were upset, since there wasn’t constant three-wide racing, a huge crash, and leaders only leading for a lap at a time (if that is the benchmark for great racing these days). But in terms of numbers, the race actually put together a solid show for the fans and the racing world. Four cautions for 19 laps (the two extra being for debris and a single-car spin, respectively). 13 lead changes among nine drivers. A .278-second margin of victory. To top it all off, a perennial underdog became a first-time winner.
On the flawed side of things, it makes sense why people would be upset at the late laps of the race, with the majority of the leaders waiting until the very end to make a (failed) move for position while otherwise running single-file. So many times, fans and drivers are robbed by the single-file run to the finish at Daytona and Talladega, many times ending in an anti-climatic trip to Victory Lane by a winner who was otherwise unchallenged.
Despite all that, though, there were multiple attempts by drivers to go for it and gain position. Guys like Noah Gragson, Tyler Reddick, Chase Briscoe, Christopher Bell, Chase Elliott, and Jeffrey Earnhardt were all pulling their weight and trying to make a go for the lead. But with the nature of the draft and the single-file racing the most they could accomplish was a leap-frogging run to the front. On that note it can’t be said that they didn’t make an effort to race and put on a good show, especially in comparison to absolute flops like the 2014 Xfinity season opener or the 2003 edition of this race, which featured a whopping two lead changes.
If anything, it’s become difficult to differentiate between a good, solid race and a reeeaaalllyyy great race. To some, every Daytona race needs to have no fewer than 38 lead changes, three multi-car accidents, and the leader needs to be wrecked at least a half-mile before the checkered flag. But that doesn’t mean the 2019 edition of this race was without fun or suspense. Every driver drove a solid, clean race, and with 28 drivers on the lead lap at the checkered, it could have been anyone’s race. The driver who led the most laps didn’t exactly dominate – he inherited the lead late in the going and managed to hang on to it through excellent defensive driving. There was the suspense of whether or not he could seal the deal and score his first win. There was even a touch of weird; Brad Keselowski was forced to retire from the race when his roof hatch flew off of the car.
The fans and NASCAR contemporaries are going to have their own opinions as to what constitutes an excellent NASCAR race and what counts as a NASCAR flop. That said, Saturday’s race was a solid, fun event. It wasn’t excellent, but it’d be close-minded to say the race was a flop.
In his
debut with Joe Gibbs Racing Jeffrey Earnhardt made his presence known leading
the first 29 laps in the NASCAR Racing
Experience 300 and capturing a top-15 finish.
He qualified second for the Xfinity
Series race but inherited the lead when polesitter Tyler Reddick was penalized
for changing a tire during qualifying which sent him to the rear of the field
for the start of the race.
Earnhardt proved to be a contender throughout the race, finishing fourth in Stage 1 and fifth in Stage 2. During the closing laps, however, he struggled with drafting and with his car’s handling, eventually having to settle for a 15th place finish. It was his fourth series top-15 in 67 starts.
The 29 laps led was a career high for Earnhardt but it only left him wanting more.
“We didn’t
lead enough,” he said. “We didn’t lead the last one and that’s the
most important one.”
“We
made adjustments because I felt like I was complaining about it being too free
and we ended up getting it too tight there and we just struggled a little bit
after that. Man, I was getting my butt kicked on everyone side drafting. Just
lack of experience. I’ll get better at it. This was the first time to actually
get to race upfront like that. It was a lot of fun. I think all three of us
(Joe) Gibbs (Racing) cars showed a lot of strength. They made big improvements
in the offseason. I think we’ll be really good for the rest of the
superspeedways. Just lacked a little bit on my part today.”
And
although he was happy to give his sponsors some television air time while he
was leading laps, Earnhardt is determined to continue his progression in the
sport.
“It was
nice. I’m not going to lie. It’s always good when you can get your sponsor a
lot of air time leading the race. It’s never good when you get them air time
wrecking. I can’t thank iK9, Xtreme Concepts and all of the guys. All of the guys
at Gibbs. They really have welcomed me with open arms. Toyota and all of the
support that they’ve given me already.
“Hopefully, we continue to grow this program and grow myself as a driver. We won’t let them get away from us anymore.”
Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.
Jeffrey Earnhardt to
drive No. 81 Toyota in both series
DAYTONA
BEACH, Fla., (Feb. 14, 2019) — Xtreme Concepts Inc., a worldwide leader in
turnkey security solutions, is augmenting its existing sponsorship of Joe Gibbs
Racing (JGR) by forming an alliance with the team that will see Xtreme Concepts
Racing (XCI Racing) field its own racecars in two Monster Energy NASCAR Cup
Series races and five NASCAR Xfinity Series races in 2019.
Jeffrey
Earnhardt will drive XCI Racing’s No. 81 Toyota in both series, with the team’s
debut coming March 30 in the Xfinity Series race at Texas Motor Speedway in
Fort Worth. The event will serve as a precursor to XCI Racing’s NASCAR Cup Series
debut when it unloads for the April 28 race at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.
XCI
Racing will return to the Xfinity Series June 29 at Chicagoland Speedway in
Joliet, Illinois, July 5 at Daytona International Speedway, Aug. 16 at Bristol
(Tenn.) Motor Speedway and Aug. 31 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. XCI Racing
will finish its maiden season Oct. 13 in the NASCAR Cup Series race at
Talladega.
“We
are taking a very deliberate and methodical approach to becoming a NASCAR
team,” said Landon Ash, founder of Birmingham, Alabama-based Xtreme
Concepts and owner of XCI Racing.
“Having
a technical alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing makes the learning curve a little
less steep and allows us to field competitive racecars right out of the gate.
“Our
ultimate goal is to become a fulltime team in the NASCAR Cup Series. We’ll take
what we learn this season and apply it to next season. We plan to grow
incrementally, and our alliance with JGR will be a key component of that
growth.
“As
we build the competition side of our race team, we’re also building a strong
marketing platform for our brands, most notably iK9, a comprehensive canine
solutions provider for detection and service dogs. iK9 will be the lead brand
on the No. 81 Toyota in both series. Jeffrey Earnhardt has been an excellent representative
for Xtreme Concepts and iK9, and through this endeavor with Joe Gibbs Racing,
we plan to grow together.”
JGR
is one of the premier organizations in NASCAR with four NASCAR Cup Series
teams, three Xfinity Series teams and a driver development program. Its depth
of resources will allow XCI Racing to run competitively and build for the
future.
“JGR
prides itself on delivering performance, not just for us, but for our
partners,” said Coy Gibbs, Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer, JGR.
“Having a new team in XCI Racing is great for our sport, and all of us at
JGR are committed to ensuring its success.”
The
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, the NASCAR Xfinity Series and the NASCAR
Gander Outdoors Truck Series head to Daytona International Speedway this
weekend to kick off the 2019 season.
Please
check below for the complete weekend schedule.
All
times are Eastern.
Thursday, Feb.
14
2:35 p.m.: Truck
Series first practice – FS2
4:35 p.m.: Truck
Series final practice – FS2
7 p.m.: Cup Series Duel
1 (60 laps, 150 miles) – FS1
9
p.m.: Cup Series Duel 2 (60 laps, 150 miles) – FS1
Friday, Feb. 15
12:05 p.m.: Xfinity
Series first practice – FS1
1:05 p.m.: Cup Series third practice – FS1
2:05 p.m.: Xfinity Series final practice –
FS1
3:05 p.m.: Cup Series fourth practice – FS1
4:40 p.m.: Truck Series qualifying – FS1
7:30 p.m. Truck Series NextEra Energy 250 race
(100 laps, 250 miles) – FS1
DARLINGTON, SOUTH CAROLINA (Jan. 31, 2019) – Darlington Raceway and NASCAR announced that the NASCAR XFINITY Series Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 race, scheduled for Saturday, August 31, 2019, will start at 4 p.m. ET.
The Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 will air live on NBC. The event will also be broadcast on the Motor Racing Network, as well as SiriusXM Channel 90.
Brad Keselowski won last year’s race en route to sweeping the weekend for Team Penske.
“Our NASCAR XFINITY Series Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 race has proven to be an exciting event that provides our fans with a high level of competition and entertainment on Saturday of race weekend,” said Kerry Tharp, track president. “It’s great that the race will be back on NBC and we look forward to crowning another race champion on Aug. 31.”
Darlington Raceway’s award-winning throwback campaign is The Official Throwback Weekend of NASCAR featuring the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bojangles’ Southern 500® on Sunday, Sept. 1, 2019. The NASCAR XFINITY Series Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 will race on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2019. Tickets can be purchased now by calling 866-459-7223 or visiting DarlingtonRaceway.com.
HOMESTEAD, Fla – Cole Custer will have a chance to hold the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship trophy on Saturday afternoon if he does the same thing he did last year at Homestead at this very time. Which is just win. It might sound easy for Custer, but he is not overlooking this year’s race.
Custer’s only win of the season came at Texas Motor Speedway two weeks ago. Overall it has been a solid season for the driver from California, but some will argue that in order to win the championship, you’re going to have to win the race at Homestead.
“We have good notes to rely on and stuff like that, but Tyler Reddick and Christopher Bell came here and tested, so they’ve got to be a lot better than they were last year also,” Custer said.
Statistically and for himself, he feels that the mile and a half tracks are a strength for him and his team. After scoring 13 top-fives during the season there is confidence that they’re going to be fast on Saturday afternoon.
“Mile-and-a-halves have just always been our strong suit it seems like, so do we have a ton of confidence, I think everybody is going to be fast, but I think we’ll be right there with everybody. I think it’s a track we can compete at and win,” Custer stated.
Staying focused is something that can also give Custer an advantage. It’s been a long week of preparation for him and his team.
“I think there’s no reason why we can’t. I’ve watched a lot of film and a lot of old races, just trying to get an idea of every situation that I’m going to be put in and what to do in it and I’m pretty confident that I know what my plan is and that’s it’s good, but now it’s just me executing it. We’ve also looked at a lot of old races with our cars and stuff that’s changed, and I think we have a good idea of how to unload for this weekend,” Custer said.
Custer is trying to give his boss Tony Stewart two championships this weekend and looking for Stewart-Haas Racing’s first Xfinity Series title. It is not going to be an easy task especially with the other three competitors hungry for the championship.
Bell is a driver that is getting most of the attention especially after overcoming elimination last week and winning at ISM Raceway in Phoenix. People should not overlook Custer though, he could take home the Xfinity Championship by winning Homestead once again.
The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series will all be winding up at Homestead-Miami with the Championship 4 races in each series. Check out the full schedule for Ford Championship weekend below, which is subject to change.
Note: All times are ET
FRIDAY, November 16
8:35-9:25 a.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series first practice, No TV (Follow live)
10:05-10:55 a.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series final practice, No TV (Follow live)
1-2:20 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series first practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN1) (Follow live)
2:35-3:25 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series first practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN App) (Follow live)
3:45 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series qualifying, FS1 (Follow live)
5:05-5:55 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series final practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN App) (Follow live)
6:10 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Busch Pole Qualifying, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN App) (Follow live)
8 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Ford EcoBoost 200, FS1 (134 laps, 201 miles) (Follow live)
PRESS PASS (Watch live)
11 a.m.: Championship 4 Team Owner Media Availability: Walt Czarnecki (Team Penske), Joe Garone (Furniture Row Racing), Joe Gibbs (Joe Gibbs Racing) and Tony Stewart (Stewart-Haas Racing)
3:45 p.m.: Elliott Sadler
7:15 p.m.: Championship 4 Post-Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying
9:45 p.m.: Post-NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race
SATURDAY, November 17 11:35-12:25 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series second practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN4) (Follow live)
12:35 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series qualifying, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN App) (Follow live)
2-2:50 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series final practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN1, 4) (Follow live)
3:30 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series Ford EcoBoost 300, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (200 laps, 300 miles) (Canada: TSN1, 4) (Follow live)
PRESS PASS (Watch live) 11 a.m.: Manufacturers Media Availability: Jim Campbell (Chevrolet), Mark Rushbrook (Ford) and Ed Laukes (Toyota)
6 p.m.: Post-NASCAR Xfinity Series race
SUNDAY, November 18
3 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400, NBC/NBC Sports App (267 laps, 400.5 miles) (Canada: TSN3) (Follow live)
PRESS PASS (Watch live) 11 a.m.: NASCAR President Steve Phelps
5:45 p.m.: Post-Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race
Christopher Bell fought his way into the Championship 4 finale, winning the Whelen Trusted to Perform 200 at ISM Raceway in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Cole Custer, Tyler Reddick and Daniel Hemric will join him for the 2018 Xfinity Championship at Homestead Miami Speedway.
“We’re going to Homestead baby!” Bell exclaimed over the radio in celebration with his team.
Bell started the day by failing inspection three times during qualifying. According to the NASCAR rule book, the No. 20 Gamestop Toyota would lose their car chief and be forced to start in the rear. They did not get a qualifying time set, and started 38th for the race. However, they did not give up and took the lead just past halfway through the race, easily becoming the car to beat. It was Bell’s seventh win in his rookie season, a new Xfinity Series record.
“Man, that’s never sounded sweeter before in my life,” Bell said with a feeling of relief on the frontstretch in front of all the fans. “I’ll be honest, after Kansas and Texas, I accepted that we weren’t going to be able to get there [to the Championship 4]. I knew this thing was fast. It feels good to give Gamestop a win.”
The early parts of the race saw Justin Allgaier winning both stages, but a late-race collision with John Hunter Nemechek forced his team to make repairs, blocking the brake ducts. Later in the final run, Allgaier’s right front caught fire and he lost a lap, and eventually, his spot in the Championship 4.
”Disappointment,” Allgaier shared. “At the end of the day we did everything right this year. We had a great season. Today we did everything right at the beginning part of the race. That was probably the most frustrating part. We led a lot of laps. We won both stages. All things considered, it was going to be a great day. Ultimately at the end, getting ourselves in that bad position, getting caught up in that little of a crash and losing brakes. At that point it was survival, gain as many points as we can gain.”
Elliott Sadler, Austin Cindric and Matt Tifft were the others eliminated from the Playoffs for the Xfinity Series.
Field Fights for Every Spot in Stage 1
John Hunter Nemechek and Cole Custer battle for position in the Whelen Trusted to Perform 200 at ISM Raceway. Photo by Rachel Schuoler for Speedway Media.
As the field took the green flag, they were put under yellow for the third race in a row. Akinori Ogata in the No. 66 Toyota lost a deck lid and spun before the field could complete a lap. The team for the Japanese rookie was able to make repairs and continue in the race.
On the restart, Justin Allgaier and Ryan Preece were able to get by the outside rows and put themselves into the second and third positions respectively. Further along in the run, Preece’s car fell off pace with the leaders, but Allgaier was able to get by about 30 laps into the race.
With about five laps to go, Elliott Sadler made slight contact with the No. 40 Toyota of Chad Finchum. There was no visible tire smoke or rub, but Sadler did lose a few spots. While his teammate Allgaier would go on to win the stage, Sadler would be the only Playoff driver to finish outside of the top-10 and not collect any stage points.
Sadler would spend a lot of time on pit road as his team made repairs. He would stay on the lead lap. Austin Cindric beat Allgaier and Nemechek off pit road to claim the lead starting the second stage. Matt Tifft was caught speeding on pit road, and Brandon Jones was penalized for an uncontrolled tire violation. Both drivers had to restart at the rear.
Allgaier Makes a Statement, Sweeps Both Stages
On the restart, Cindric chose the outside. As we saw in most cases during yesterday’s NASCAR Camping World Truck series, the inside was the preferred line with the extra room of the dogleg and the least risk going into Turn 1 fighting a 3-wide move. Allgaier was able to get by easily and reclaim the lead. He would lead all the laps and take the win in the second stage in a yellow-free stage.
However, it was not uneventful. With a handful of laps left, Bell was attempting to pass Cindric when the two made slight contact multiple times. The last bit of contact was coming out of Turn 2. Bell was not happy, shaking his fist out the window net at Cindric, and said over the radio to his team, “I so wanted to wreck him!”
During pit stops, Allgaier lost four positions as Nemechek reclaimed the lead.
Championship Hopes Flip in Final Stage
Bell clawed his way to the front and with 100 laps to go, claimed the top spot. Allgaier made a few adjustments on pit road to make his car a little faster, but lost track position and ran in the fourth position at this time.
During the run before their potential last pit stop, Cindric drove hard into Turn 1 but slid up in Turn 2, colliding into Allgaier. It was the second time Cindric collided into a Playoff drive. Allgaier held his hand out the window net, palm up, but was able to stay focused and drive forward to get around Nemechek for the third position. Cindric lost his fifth position to Matt Tifft, fighting his way back to the front after a pit road speeding penalty after Stage 1. By this time, the bottom four drivers were now in a must-win situation, so nerves and aggression were starting to get the best of some of those drivers.
With about 65 laps to go, Tyler Hill in the No. 13 spun right in front of a few championship drivers, but no other cars were collected. The yellow flag was displayed, and everyone came down pit road for what may be the final time. Bell won the battle off pit road and all Playoff contenders were in the top 11 at this point.
Tifft fought his way up into the second position on the restart, but a few laps into the run, there were two separate incidents. Ty Majeski spun in Turn 3 to officially bring out the yellow, but Nemechek got loose on the exit of Turn 4. Tyler Reddick inadvertently helped spin out Nemechek with slight contact, but the heaviest contact actually corrected his car when he dove to the inside and hit Allgaier, causing massive damage to the right front fenders. During the yellow, Allgaier came to pit road and his crew made repairs, and surprisingly, it did not affect the handling.
The field took the restart, and Allgaier was able to climb back up into the top-10. Tifft and Bell were both in must-win scenarios, and with both drivers running up front for the potential win, that forced Allgaier to start considering a must-win situation to ensure a chance for the championship at Homestead. With about 48 laps to go, the No. 8 Chevrolet of Tommy Joe Martins went up in smoke to bring out the yellow. He would retire from the race, as no front runners elected to visit pit road.
The Xfinity Series drivers would see yet another restart where most of the field panned out through the dogleg to fight for as many positions as possible. With some contact and beating and banging, Bell emerged as the leader with a hungry and hard-chargin Tifft.
With about 25 laps remaining, Allgaier had a fire in the right-front corner as he lost brakes, making his championship hopes go up in smoke. There was no damage to the tire, so he was able to continue without visiting pit road, but was much slower having no brakes in the right front. No other incidents occurred in the closing laps, as Bell secured his spot for the Championship 4 at Homestead.
The final championship race will be held at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Coverage for the Ford EcoBoost 300 begins at 3:30pm ET on Saturday, November 17.
NASCAR Xfinity Series Race Unofficial Race Results for the 20Th Annual Whelen Trusted To Perform 200 – Saturday, November 10, 2018 ISM Raceway – Avondale, AZ – 1 Mile Paved
John Hunter Nemechek claims his first career pole in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at ISM Raceway, setting a time of 26.970 seconds at 133.482 mph.
Nemechek edged Cole Custer by 17-thousandths of a second, as both drivers were the only two to run in the 26-second bracket. Austin Cindric, Justin Allgaier and Ryan Preece completed the top-five.
“It feels good,” Nemechek told NBCSN. “We came here with the mindset to try and qualify on the pole. We unloaded not really good yesterday so we only got to do one mock (qualifying) run and it wasn’t that great.”
Most of the other Playoff drivers will start in the top-10. Elliott Sadler qualified in sixth, Daniel Hemric in eighth and Matt Tifft in 10th. Tyler Reddick had a slip in the second round, preventing him from putting down a fast enough lap to get into the final round. He will start 14th. The biggest news with those in the championship hunt was Christopher Bell failing inspection three times. He will start 38th.
Round one had about half of the Playoff contenders waiting until the last few minutes before turning a lap. Austin Cindric was fastest and most Playoff contenders held top-15 lap times. All but one made it through to the second round. Christopher Bell and Ty Majeski failed inspection three times, so they will start at the rear of the field. Neither was able to turn a lap, along with Josh Bilicki.
“Well the good thing is (Miami) doesn’t decide on where we start, it decides on where we finish,” Bell told NBCSN. “We got 200 laps, which is an eternity, especially from what I grew up doing in sprint car racing. Got a bunch of pit stops in there and a fast car to make it up. We’ll be fine.”
Bell also shared that this was the same car that won both times at Richmond Raceway.
“This is probably the fastest car we’ve brought to the race track all year-long compared to the field,” Bell said.
In round two, one more Playoff contender was eliminated. Tyler Reddick car got loose in Turn 4, which hurt his first and second attempts at improving his qualifying time. He will start 14th in the afternoon’s event. John Hunter Nemechek was fastest over Cole Custer, as the two were the only drivers to run just one lap in qualifying.
For the final round, the remaining Playoff drivers hold top-10 starts, and despite some last second laps by Cindric, Nemecheck was the one holding the top starting position, ahead of Custer, Cindric, Allgaier and Preece. Coverage for the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at ISM Raceway will begin at 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday afternoon on NBC.
Starting Line Up
ISM Raceway
20th Annual Whelen Trusted To Perform 200
