Testing SpeedwayMedia.com

Tag: Riley Herbst

  • 2020 Xfinity Series Playoff outlook after Texas

    2020 Xfinity Series Playoff outlook after Texas

    The NASCAR Xfinity Series recent race, Saturday’s My Bariatric Solutions 300 at Texas Motor Speedway, featured another repeat winner this season in an unexpected outcome, where it took approximately an hour after the race concluded for the official race winner to be declared. The battle for the final spots to the Playoffs, however, continued to tighten up with several key contenders struggling in the Lone Star state.

    With his third consecutive Xfinity Series victory of the season, Austin Cindric and the No. 22 Team Penske Ford Mustang team are establishing themselves as a potential championship threat for this season. Cindric’s victory was awarded to him following post-race technical inspection, when initial winner Kyle Busch was disqualified. With his third consecutive win, which was last made in the series in 2018 from Christopher Bell, Cindric joins Chase Briscoe as the only Xfinity competitors that have won three or more races this season. Both Ford competitors also remain as two of six drivers currently guaranteed a spot in the Playoffs by virtue of a regular-season win(s), a list that include Justin Haley, Brandon Jones, Noah Gragson and rookie Harrison Burton, who rallied from a five-race stretch of finishing no higher than 12th to post a top-five result.

    With six of 12 spots to the Playoffs still vacant, Ross Chastain retains one of the spots as the highest-winless competitor this season. A ninth-place result, to go along with a handful of stage points, and his 14th top-10 result has Chastain and the No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet team 297 points above the cutline while the Floridian attempts to make his second series postseason appearance.

    For Justin Allgaier, the majority of Saturday’s race at the Lone Star state had Allgaier and his No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet team scored as the leader. After leading a race-high 98 laps and winning both stages, it appeared that Allgaier would record his first victory of the season. His race-winning hopes, however, were dashed when he was penalized for a blend-rule violation in the final stage. Nonetheless, he was able to race his way back to a third-place result for his fourth top-five result, which keeps the Illinois veteran 228 points above the top-12 cutline.

    Teammate Michael Annett also had a decent run at Texas, where he collected stage points from both stages and settled in fifth when the checkered flag flew. With his third top-five result and his fifth consecutive top-10 result in recent weeks, Annett is 164 points above the cutline to make the Playoffs for the second consecutive year.

    While it was a good race for some, it was not the case for rookie Riley Herbst. Coming off two strong results at the Kentucky Speedway doubleheader, Herbst’s run was cut short early on the fourth lap when he was battling Gragson and made contact with the Turn 4 outside wall, an incident that would end his run in the garage. With a 36th-place result, the Las Vegas rookie and his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota team went from 69 points above the top-12 cutline to 60.

    Following an up-and-down doubleheader at Kentucky, Ryan Sieg’s race at Texas concluded midway due to suspension issues. The Tucker, Georgia, native and his No. 39 RSS Racing Chevrolet team remain inside the cutline by 58 points despite posting their seventh result outside the top 20.

    With last week’s doubleheader at Kentucky produced up-and-down results for Brandon Brown, Saturday’s run at Texas was a run that stabilized his position within the top 12. A 10th-place result, his fourth of the season, allowed the Woodbridge, Virginia, native to retain the 12th and final spot to the Playoffs by 31 points while he aims to make his first postseason appearance.

    If there is a competitor making recent strides and gaining ground towards the cutline to the Playoffs, it is Jeremy Clements and his family owned team based in Spartanburg, South Carolina. With an 11th-place result, his ninth top-15 finish of the season and fifth in a row, Clements trails Brown for the final Playoff spot by 31 points in his quest to qualify for his second postseason, first since 2017.

    Coming into Texas Motor Speedway and being 14 points below the cutline, Myatt Snider received an opportunity to race his way back into the top-12 cutline on the strength of eight top-15 results in his rookie Xfinity Series season. The Charlotte native, however, was involved in an early incident and could not recover as he settled in 34th place. In losing a spot in the standings to Clements along with a handful of points, Snider trails the cutline by 38 points.

    Other competitors who remain in contention for the Playoffs include rookie Jesse Little, Alex Labbe, Josh Williams, B.J. McLeod, rookie Joe Graf Jr., Chad Finchum and Vinnie Miller.

    The NASCAR Xfinity Series will run its next scheduled race of the season at Kansas Speedway on July 25, which will air at 5 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

  • 2020 Xfinity Series Playoff outlook after Kentucky

    2020 Xfinity Series Playoff outlook after Kentucky

    For the second time this season, the NASCAR Xfinity Series ran a doubleheader feature on two consecutive dates, this week being at Kentucky Speedway. When both races were complete, the series featured a new winner to this season as Austin Cindric rallied from a season highlighted with near misses to win his first two races of 2020.

    For Cindric and his No. 22 Team Penske Ford Mustang team, it all started on Thursday, July 9, when he outlasted fellow competitor Chase Briscoe through a handful of late restarts and cautions to record his elusive first victory of this year’s Xfinity season and his first on an oval-shaped circuit. Then, he came roaring back on Friday, July 10, with a dominating victory, leading more than half of the 200-scheduled laps and the final 43, to win his second consecutive race in a similar fashion to his first two career victories in August 2019 between Watkins Glen International and at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. 

    Cindric’s breakthrough win at the Bluegrass State, now, guarantees six regulars into the 2020 Playoffs, a list that include points leader Chase Briscoe, Noah Gragson, rookie Harrison Burton, Justin Haley and Brandon Jones. The second half of the 12-car Playoff field remains to be determined with the Playoffs within sight, though not scheduled.

    With solid third- and fourth-place finishes at Kentucky, Ross Chastain and his No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet Camaro team are the highest of those above the cutline with no recorded victories through the first 15 races of this season. The results, nonetheless, have Chastain with six top-five results and 276 points above the cutline.

    Behind, Justin Allgaier rallied from a harrowing last-lap accident in the first Kentucky event that sent him to the hospital to post a strong fifth-place result the following day. While he, too, continues to pursue his first win of the year and since November 2019 at Phoenix, Allgaier and his No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro team are 184 points above the cutline.

    The two Kentucky races produced strong results for Michael Annett and rookie Riley Herbst. For Annett, it started with a fifth-place result on Thursday and he came back the following race to finish eighth. The results kept Annett and his No. 1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro team 136 points above the cutline. For Herbst, a pair of top-10 results were much needed for the Las Vegas rookie, who has had an up-and-down season prior to Kentucky. It all started on Thursday, where Herbst made a late charge to finish in the runner-up spot, which tied his best result in the series since finishing second to teammate Harrison Burton at Auto Club Speedway on Leap Day. For Friday, Herbst was in position for another strong run when he was hampered with a late pit road speeding penalty. His 10th-place result was not only the eighth of this season, but it was also enough to keep him and his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Supra team 69 points above the cutline.

    That leaves Ryan Sieg and Brandon Brown in sole possession of the final two spots to the Playoffs. For Sieg, it was an up-and-down week that started with a ninth-place result on Thursday. The ninth-place result marked his first top-10 result since Darlington Raceway in May followed by eight consecutive results of results outside the top 10, finishing no higher than 12th during the eight previous races and despite winning two stages in two consecutive races at Homestead-Miami Speedway in June. Everything, however, changed the following Kentucky race on Friday, when suspension issues and a 35th-place result has Sieg and his No. 39 RSS Racing Chevrolet Camaro team just 57 above the cutline. For Brown, finishes of 27th and 13th have him 14 points above the top-12 cutline.

    The first trailing outside the cutline is Myatt Snider, who finished 15th on Thursday but 31st the following race at Kentucky after a crash. With a full season under his belt between RSS Racing and Richard Childress Racing, Snider remains in contention and within sight of the top-12 cutline by 14 points. Behind, Jeremy Clements recorded strong results in both Kentucky races, where he finished 12th on Thursday and came back to finish 11th on Friday after leading the first 11 laps. The top-10 results in both Kentucky races have the South Carolina native trailing the top-12 cutline by 30 points and with an opportunity to reach his second career Playoffs since 2017. The top-10 results at the Bluegrass State have tallied Clements’ top-15 results of 2020 to nine as his average result of 18.1 through the first 15 Xfinity races is his personal best. In addition, through the first 15 races, Clements has led a total of 12 laps, which ties his most laps led in a season, (2011 and 2017), with an opportunity to surpass the mark and establish a new record of laps led in a season.

    Among those still pursuing the cutline include Alex Labbe, rookie Jesse Little, Josh Williams, B.J. McLeod, rookie Joe Graf Jr. and Vinnie Miller.

    The NASCAR Xfinity Series will return for its upcoming race at Texas Motor Speedway on July 18, which will air at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

  • Herbst, Chastain, Briscoe score top-five results in first Kentucky race

    Herbst, Chastain, Briscoe score top-five results in first Kentucky race

    It was a banner night for Austin Cindric, who was able to claim his first elusive NASCAR Xfinity Series win of the season in Thursday night’s Shady Rays 200 at Kentucky Speedway. It was also a banner night for rookie Riley Herbst, Ross Chastain and Chase Briscoe, all of whom emerged with strong top-five results following an eventful race as part of a series doubleheader week at the Bluegrass State.

    For Riley Herbst, who came into Kentucky following an up-and-down stretch in his rookie Xfinity season, he started in 23rd based on a random draw. After avoiding a wreck at the start of the race that eliminated his teammate Brandon Jones, Herbst was able to work his way to 12th by the competition caution on Lap 15. While his other teammate/rookie Harrison Burton ran towards the front, Herbst kept his No. 18 Monster Energy Toyota Supra towards the top 10 as he finished the first stage in 11th despite struggling with grip. Throughout the second stage, Herbst moved into the top five and was able to finish fifth and collect valuable stage points towards the Playoffs. For the majority of the final stage and the second half of the race, Herbst remained inside the top 10 while keeping his car intact. Following a series of late cautions and late restarts, including an overtime restart following teammate Burton’s spin, Herbst moved into the runner-up spot after Chase Briscoe got loose while battling Cindric for the lead and the win. Ultimately, a caution for a multi-car wreck on the final lap ended Herbst’s shot for a late charge as he crossed the line in the runner-up spot. The runner-up spot, however, tied Herbst’s career-best finish in the series and it marked his seventh top-10 result of the season and his first top-five result since he finished second at Auto Club Speedway in February. With the result, Herbst remained in 11th in the regular-season standings, but is 42 points above the top-12 cutline to the Playoffs.

    “We did a good job all day,” Herbst said. “We, probably, ran fourth all day, over-adjusted the car there at the end, got a little bit too tight, but all in all, we’ve had speed all year. We just haven’t been able to capitalize, probably mostly on my part in the final stages of these races, so once we start capitalizing, we’ll start getting good finishes like this. So, it was good.”

    For Ross Chastain, Thursday’s Xfinity race presented one of two opportunities for the Floridian to record his first series win of the season. Starting in the runner-up spot by virtue of a random draw, he avoided a two-car wreck at the start of the race and made a brief challenge for the lead on Noah Gragson on the outside lane, only to loose grip on the outside lane. By the competition caution, he was back in fifth and was able to record a fourth-place result in the first stage. Throughout the second stage, Chastain kept his No. 10 Chevy Accessories/Kaulig Racing Chevrolet Camaro inside the top five as he finished in fourth again. After running well inside the top 10 for the start of the final stage, Chastain was hit with a pit road speeding penalty following a pit stop and was sent to the rear of the field when the race restarted with less than 40 laps remaining. At the front, teammate Justin Haley assumed command after opting for a two-tire pit stop. Nearly ten laps later, Chastain was involved in an incident with Brett Moffitt in Turn 4, which drew another caution. Through two additional cautions and three restarts, including an overtime attempt, Chastain was able to rally to settle in third on the final lap when the caution flew. When the checkered flag was displayed, Chastain raced across the finish line in third, four spots ahead of teammate Haley. With his career-high 12th top-10 result, Chastain is fourth in the regular-season standings and is 252 points above the top-12 cutline.

    “The record book will show a good night, starting up front, fourth in both stages and a third-place finish,” Chastain said. “Me speeding on pit road to start the final stage is not how you win races in NASCAR and overdriving the entry to Turn 3 and taking out Brett [Moffitt] there. I hate that [for] the No. 02 group. I’ve raced with Brett quite a bit. We’ve had our fair share of run-ins and I hate that I gave him another reason not to like me. So, I’ll take some time to try and make that better. But, I just overdrove it and got loose and took him out. [I] Can’t thank everybody on Kaulig Racing, Chevy Accessories, everybody at Team Chevy for giving us this opportunity, [team owner] Matt Kaulig, Nutrien Ag Solutions. It, definitely, was tough. We fired off in the race and I thought we had like the wrong tires on the car. We were not very good and [crew chief] Bruce Schlicker kept telling me that he was gonna make it better, and he did. By the end, now, I think that we have a car to go race tomorrow for the win, race [Briscoe], [Cindric], [Allgaier], those guys, [Haley]. But, we didn’t have it to start tonight and we’re gonna make some small changes unlike Homestead and be better tomorrow night.”

    If there was an Xfinity Series competitor who came into Kentucky seeking more momentum following recent victories at Pocono and Indianapolis, it was Chase Briscoe, who reunited with regular crew chief Richard Boswell following a four-race stretch with interim crew chief/veteran Greg Zipadelli. Starting seventh on a random draw, Briscoe worked his way to fifth by the competition caution, but brought his No. 98 Ford Performance Racing School/Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang to pit road for four fresh tires, fuel and a big chassis adjustment. Restarting near the end of the lead lap field, Briscoe made his way up to 16th when the first stage concluded. Under the stage’s break, Briscoe remained on track to inherit the lead. The following restart, however, Briscoe was overtaken by Noah Gragson for the lead, but he remained within a tight three-car battle for the lead that included Austin Cindric. When the second stage concluded, Briscoe settled in third. For the remainder of the final stage, Briscoe kept himself battling towards the front and challenging Cindric for the lead. Following a series of late restarts and cautions, including an overtime attempt, Briscoe was lined up on the front row and on the inside lane beneath Cindric. Entering Turn 1, however, Briscoe got loose and lost his momentum to Cindric as he was also overtaken by two more competitors. When the caution flew on the final lap and the race concluded, Briscoe was scored in fourth while Cindric emerged victorious. Though he came short in claiming his sixth series win of the season, he collected his eighth top-five result and continues to lead the regular-season standings by 16 points over Gragson.

    “Yeah, I just got loose,” Briscoe said. “The restart before that, I almost cleared Austin and then, he got back around me. There at the end, that last restart, I went down there and same thing. I thought I was gonna be able to clear him. I just got too loose and about wrecked the thing. I don’t know if I just made the right rear [tire] mad or what. I was just, literally, wrecking on both ends after that. So, I felt like this was our worst car of the year as far as balance and speed goes. We were still able to, at least, be in the hunt. We’ll go onto tomorrow. I felt like Kentucky and Texas are our two worst mile and a halfs, and those are the next two [scheduled races]. So, we’ll try to build on it, just try to learn a little bit and get better.”

    Herbst, Chastain and Briscoe along with their fellow NASCAR Xfinity Series competitors will return for the second series race of the week at Kentucky Speedway on July 10, which will air at 8 p.m. on FS1.

  • Cindric notches first win of 2020 at Kentucky Speedway

    Cindric notches first win of 2020 at Kentucky Speedway

    In an overtime shootout, Austin Cindric scored his first elusive NASCAR Xfinity Series win of the season in the Shady Rays 200 at Kentucky Speedway, the first of a series doubleheader at the Bluegrass State, after powering away from Chase Briscoe and stabilizing a half-second lead over rookie Riley Herbst at the moment of caution due to a last-lap multi-car wreck. The victory was Cindric’s third of his Xfinity Series career and his first on an oval-shaped track after collecting his first two series victories in back-to-back races in August 2019 at Watkins Glen International and the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

    The starting lineup was based on a random draw. Noah Gragson drew the pole position and was joined on the front row with Ross Chastain. The No. 90 DGM Racing Chevrolet team driven by Ronnie Bassett Jr. failed pre-race inspection twice, which cost the team the pit selection for next weekend’s race, but the driver and the team retained their 22nd-starting spot for the first Kentucky race. Mason Massey and Bayley Currey, however, dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments.

    While the field rolled off of pit road for the pace laps, rookie Anthony Alfredo remained on pit road as his crew addressed a steering issue to the No. 21 Alsco/Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Camaro. Because it was a safety issue being addressed, Alfredo was allowed to retain his 11th-starting spot.

    When the green flag waved and the race started, Gragson shot to an early lead on the bottom lane. In Turn 1, however, Jeb Burton slipped on the bottom, spun and was T-boned by Brandon Jones as the rear tires of Burton’s No. 8 Rocky Boots/JR Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro briefly came off the ground following the contact. The first caution of the race was immediately displayed. Burton was able to continue the race following repairs to the rear end, but multiple laps behind, while Jones retired. This marked the second time in the last three Xfinity Series races where Jones was eliminated prior to the first lap due to an accident.

    When the race restarted on the eighth lap, Chastain made a brief challenge for the lead on the outside lane through Turns 1 and 2, but Gragson was able to retain it on the bottom in Turn 3. While Gragson was leading, Austin Cindric, who was in pursuit of his first win of 2020, moved into second after passing Chastain. Michael Annett, rookie Harrison Burton and Chase Briscoe would also overtake Chastain for positions in the top five. Gragson was able to retain the lead when the competition caution flew on the 15th lap. 

    Under the competition caution, some like Briscoe, Brandon Brown, rookie Joe Graf Jr., rookie Kody Vanderwal, Tommy Joe Martins and Matt Mills pitted for early adjustments while the rest remained on track.

    The race restarted on Lap 20 and Gragson retained the lead, though he was being pressured by Cindric. Both competitors drove away with a one-second advantage over third-place Burton, who was followed by Chastain and Alfredo, who rallied from his early steering issues. While the racing progressed, Allgaier, who was running in sixth, slipped underneath Alfredo, but he was able to prevent his car from spinning, though Annett and Justin Haley each gained a position.

    In the closing laps of the stage, Burton gained ground and moved into second while Cindric was left in a tight battle with Chastain and Alfredo for position. They did not have anything for Gragson as the driver of the No. 9 Switch/JR Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro was able to win the first stage on Lap 30, thus collecting his sixth stage win of the season. Burton settled in second followed by Cindric, Chastain and Alfredo. Annett, Haley, Allgaier, Ryan Sieg and Brett Moffitt rounded out the top 10 in the first stage.

    Under the stage break, the leaders pitted and Gragson exited first followed by Burton, Cindric, Chastain and Alfredo. Briscoe remained on track and took over the lead. Following the pit stops, however, Burton was sent to the rear of the field due to an uncontrolled tire violation.

    The second stage commenced on Lap 38 and Gragson was able to clear Briscoe for the lead on the bottom lane in Turn 1. By Lap 40, the top-three competitors of Gragson, Briscoe and Cindric were ahead by more than a second over Chastain while rookie Riley Herbst, who started 23rd, was in fifth after overtaking Brown. Behind, Allgaier and Haley were back in 10th and 11th while Alfredo had fallen back to 12th. 

    Ten laps later, the trio of Gragson, Briscoe and Cindric were still ahead by four seconds over Chastain, nearly five over Herbst and more than eight over Annett. At the front, Gragson was leading by half a second over Briscoe, who had Cindric running near his rear bumper and was reporting a vibration to his No. 98 Ford Performance Racing School/Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang. With the leaders starting to approach lapped traffic, Allgaier was in seventh while Alfredo was in 10th ahead of Haley. 

    On Lap 54, Cindric threaded his way between the lapped car of Kyle Weatherman and Briscoe to move into the runner-up spot. Though Cindric was starting to narrow his deficit to Gragson, he ran out of time to challenge for the lead as Gragson was able to win the second stage on Lap 60 and claim his seventh stage victory of 2020. Cindric settled in second, more than a second behind, followed by Briscoe, who was more than five seconds behind. Chastain and Herbst settled in the top five while Allgaier, Annett, Sieg, Brown and Alfredo were scored in the top 10.

    Under the stage break, the leaders pitted and Gragson retained the lead after exiting pit road first. Briscoe moved up to second followed by Herbst, Cindric, Chastain and Allgaier.

    The final stage started at the halfway mark of the 134-lap race, and Gragson retained the lead following a strong start on the outside lane in Turn 1. Cindric moved his way back to second followed by Briscoe, Herbst and Allgaier while Chastain fell to sixth and in the clutches of Annett and Burton for position.

    With 60 laps remaining, Gragson was ahead by a tenth of a second over Cindric and both were ahead of Briscoe, Herbst and Allgaier by more than a second. Behind, Chastain trailed by four seconds while battling a number of cars, including Burton. Ten laps later, Gragson was still ahead by around a tenth of a second over Cindric. Briscoe was in third while Allgaier was in fourth. Herbst was back in fifth and ahead of teammate Burton while Chastain, Annett, Alfredo and Sieg were in the top 10.

    Four laps later, the caution returned when Brown, who came into the first Kentucky race clinging on to the 12th and final spot in the standings to the Playoffs, spun through Turns 3 and 4 and made contact with the outside wall following contact from Haley, thus sustaining heavy damage to the rear end. Under caution, the leaders pitted and Haley exited first after having two tires changed on his car. Clements exited second after also changing two tires while Gragson, the first on four fresh tires, was in third. Following the stops, Chastain was sent to the rear of the field due to speeding on pit road.

    With less than 40 laps remaining, the race restarted and Haley maintained the lead on the outside lane followed by Cindric. The following lap, Cindric moved into the lead, Haley was pressured by Briscoe for second and Gragson had fallen back to eighth. Burton moved up into fourth followed by teammates Annett and Allgaier with Herbst also behind. Six laps later, Cindric was ahead by nearly two seconds over Haley, who was still pressured by Briscoe for the runner-up spot. Burton, Annett, Allgaier and Herbst followed suit while Gragson was stuck in eighth.

    Under 30 laps remaining, the caution returned following a late incident involving Moffitt and Chastain. Four laps later, the race restarted and Haley, who spun his tires but received a push from Briscoe, cleared Cindric for the lead on the inside lane. In Turn 2, Cindric gained a huge run to reassume the lead and Briscoe and Burton moved up while Haley was left in fourth ahead of Allgaier. 

    Ten laps later, with 20 to go, Cindric was ahead by a second over Briscoe while Burton was trailing by two seconds. Behind, Allgaier moved into fourth after prevailing over a battle with Haley while Gragson was stuck in sixth. With the race dwindling to its final laps, Cindric stretched his lead by more than two seconds over Briscoe, who was struggling for grip. Burton was still in third followed by Allgaier while teammate Gragson was able to race his way back into the top five after passing Haley. Shortly after, the caution returned for a wreck involving Colby Howard in Turn 1.

    When the race restarted with nine laps remaining, Cindric and Briscoe battled against one another for the lead as Gragson went three wide to move into third ahead of Burton and Allgaier. A lap later, Cindric cleared Briscoe for the lead and was slowly starting to stabilize his lead by half a second over a steaming pack of cars. With four laps remaining, however, the caution returned when Burton, who had fallen back into the top 10, slid sideways following contact with Annett in a cloud of smoke across the Turn 3 outside wall before he spun his car below the apron. He was able to continue without sustaining any damage.

    Following Burton’s late spin, the race was sent into overtime. When the green flag waved, Cindric and Briscoe, again, battled dead even for the lead through Turn 1 when Briscoe got loose underneath Cindric’s No. 22 Team Penske/Snap-On Ford Mustang. Briscoe’s slip allowed Cindric to clear and set sail with the lead in Turn 2 while Herbst and Chastain moved into second and third. Behind, Gragson made contact with teammate Allgaier, which sent Allgaier’s No. 7 BRANDT/JR Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro slipping sideways across Turns 1 and 2 as he lost a multitude of positions. 

    On the final lap, with the field behind continuing to scramble for late positions, Cindric was ahead by half a second over Herbst and Chastain while Briscoe fell back to fourth and was locked in a battle with Annett, Alfredo and Haley. As Cindric entered Turn 3, the caution flew following a multi-car wreck that started when Allgaier got loose in Turn 2 and slipped into Bassett Jr., who spun and made hard contact against the inside wall as all four wheels of Bassett’s No. 90 Chevrolet came off the ground. Timmy Hill and Vanderwal were also involved in the wreck. With the race concluding under caution, Cindric was able to cruise across the finish line to win the race. 

    With the victory, Cindric became the sixth full-time Xfinity competitor to be guaranteed a spot in the Playoffs by virtue of a regular-season win and he became the 17th competitor to win an Xfinity race at Kentucky. He also recorded the first Xfinity victory of the season for Team Penske and the sixth for the Ford nameplate.

    “I don’t care what shape the track is, if it’s dirt, oval! I don’t care!” Cindric exclaimed. “I’m just happy that this Snap-On Ford Mustang’s in Victory Lane. We’ve come so close all year. These guys have given me so many awesome race-winning cars with Snap-On celebrating their 100th anniversary with their Makers and Fixers program. It’s awesome to have them on the car. I’m pumped. This is awesome. I’d love to be able to come back and do another performance like that tomorrow night, but all the credit to my guys for getting me here. I love [Briscoe], but he’s won enough! Those restarts were a lot tougher than I was thinking they would be. Obviously, you never got out of the gas till he got loose like he should’ve, but I’m just so happy. Thank you to Roger [Penske], thank you to everyone on the team for believing in me. I believe this is a championship team and this is the start of many wins for this season. I’m so happy that it came here.”

    Behind Cindric, Herbst tied his career-best finish of the series with a runner-up result while Chastain rebounded from his late incident with Moffitt to finish third. Briscoe settled in fourth while Annett settled in fifth for his second top-five result of the season. Alfredo finished sixth while Haley, Kyle Weatherman, Sieg and Moffitt concluded the race in the top 10.

    Gragson, who led a race-high 87 laps, fell all the way back to 11th, Burton settled in 17th and Allgaier ended his night in 20th and on a wrecker after failing to complete the final lap. Myatt Snider finished 15th and based on the top-15 finishers from Thursday’s race being inverted for the start of Friday’s Xfinity race, second of the week, he will start on the pole and will be joined on the front row with rookie Jesse Little, who finished 14th on Thursday.

    Following his last-lap accident, Allgaier was taken to a local hospital for further evaluation.

    There were six lead changes for four different leaders. The race featured nine cautions for 40 laps.

    With his fourth-place result, Briscoe maintained the lead in the Xfinity Series regular-season standings by 16 points over Gragson, 45 over Cindric and 48 over Chastain.

    Results:

    1. Austin Cindric, 41 laps led

    2. Riley Herbst

    3. Ross Chastain

    4. Chase Briscoe, five laps led

    5. Michael Annett

    6. Anthony Alfredo

    7. Justin Haley, three laps led

    8. Kyle Weatherman

    9. Ryan Sieg

    10. Brett Moffitt

    11. Noah Gragson, 87 laps led, Stage 1 and 2 winner

    12. Jeremy Clements

    13. Joe Graf Jr.

    14. Jesse Little

    15. Myatt Snider

    16. Chad Finchum

    17. Harrison Burton

    18. B.J. McLeod

    19. Ronnie Bassett Jr. – OUT, Accident

    20. Justin Allgaier – OUT, Accident

    21. Timmy Hill – OUT, Accident

    22. Bayley Currey, one lap down

    23. Vinnie Miller, two laps down

    24. Alex Labbe, two laps down

    25. Kody Vanderwal, two laps down

    26. Josh Williams, three laps down

    27. Brandon Brown, four laps down

    28. Mason Massey, six laps down

    29. Jeffrey Earnhardt – OUT, Suspension

    30. Matt Mills, 14 laps down

    31. Garrett Smithley – OUT, Brakes

    32. Colby Howard – OUT, Accident

    33. Tommy Joe Martins – OUT, Rear gear

    34. Jeb Burton – OUT, Accident

    35. Stephen Leicht – OUT, Electrical

    36. Brandon Jones – OUT, Accident

    The NASCAR Xfinity Series will return for its second race of the week at Kentucky Speedway on July 10, which will air at 8 p.m. on FS1. 

  • NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings – Talladega

    NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings – Talladega

    The NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series (America’s favorite racing series) returned on track this past weekend at Talladega Superspeedway. Prior to Saturday’s event, it was well over a month ago that we last saw the Truck Series on track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. 

    They began the Round of 6 in the Playoffs with six drivers who still have their championship hopes alive. It wasn’t the Talladega race we were expecting, but nonetheless, it was a great race.

    Let’s take a look at who made the Power Rankings list this week following the Sugarland Shine 250. 

    1. Brett Moffitt – It was a challenging race for Moffitt and his No. 24 GMS Racing team who was once penalized for locking bumpers with his technical teammate Stewart Friesen. Moffitt questioned the penalty on the radio and especially in his post-race comments. He was able to get back on the lead lap with a late caution and after leading seven laps and despite being penalized, Moffitt rebounded to a top-five finish. It was probably not the finish he wanted after being strong early but to escape Talladega with a clean truck and a top-five finish was a job well done.

    Previous Week Ranking – Fourth

    2. Austin Hill – Hill had a competitive truck, for the most part, finishing seventh in Stage 1 and leading two laps. The Hattori Racing driver was expected to run well after breaking through at Daytona back in February with a win. Even though Hill did not win at Talladega, he had a solid finish of sixth. He also avoided any trouble keeping his Playoff championship hopes alive heading into the two final races of the round at Martinsville and ISM Raceway.

    Previous Week Ranking – Second

    3. Stewart Friesen – Like Moffitt, Friesen had to overcome adversity throughout certain parts of the race. He was penalized twice, once for locking bumpers and then for speeding on pit road during the final round of green-flag pit stops. But Friesen caught a few lucky breaks. In what could have been a disastrous day, the Halmar Racing driver quietly rebounded to a fifth-place finish. He also finished fifth in Stage 1 and won the second stage.

    Previous Week Ranking – Not ranked

    4. Riley Herbst – Despite the post-race controversy, Herbst grabbed a third-place finish in his first Superspeedway start in a truck. The Kyle Busch Motorsports driver did his job and finished the race and also had a stage finish of sixth in Stage 1. Not bad for his first Talladega start.

    Previous Week Ranking- Not Ranked

    5. Todd Gilliland – Overlooked in this whole race was Todd Gilliland and his No. 4 Kyle Busch Motorsports team who finished second after starting sixth. Gilliland was quiet for the majority of the race until the last few laps where he found himself in contention to win. He led seven laps and had finishes of ninth in both stages. Hopefully, this is a confidence booster for Gilliland who has faced criticism for much of the year.

    Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked

    Fell Out 

    Ross Chastain – Yes, Chastain had a strong truck and quite possibly the best truck. However, a blocking move took the Florida native out of the race on Lap 89 and ruined any chance of a great finish. Chastain now finds himself last in the Playoffs standings, just two points behind the cut line. Two points isn’t much but it could make all the difference in the world when the standings are set for the Championship 4.

    Previous Week Ranking – First

    Sheldon Creed- Creed showed glimpses of having a fast truck but could never really stay out in front. Possibly overshadowed in his performance was leading 20 laps and winning the first stage. In the end, however, the GMS driver could not maintain the lead but did earn a ninth-place finish.

    Previous Week Ranking – Third

    Brennan Poole – A rear-end issue took Poole out of the race on Lap 81 and resulted in a disappointing 26th place finish. It has been a difficult season for Poole and the No. 30 team who have yet to finish a Superspeedway race. 

  • Riley Herbst and Brandon Lynn round out top 3 ARCA finishers at Talladega

    Riley Herbst and Brandon Lynn round out top 3 ARCA finishers at Talladega

    Riley Herbst didn’t have much luck in last season’s ARCA race at Talladega Superspeedway after wrecking late in the race, but he turned things around this year, finishing second in Friday’s race.

    However, if you think second is a good day for a driver, you would be wrong. They are always left wanting more and Herbst certainly could have won the race if given the right opportunity.

    “Ah man, I don’t know,” Herbst told FOX Sports 1. “Second just sucks really really bad! But I can’t thank everyone at Monster Energy enough, Joe Gibbs Racing for providing me a really fast Toyota Camry.”

    “I thought we had a run there at the end, but Todd’s (Gilliland) car was really fast. You know, all we could come home with was second.”

    Despite the race being unusual for ARCA, Herbst is pleased with the result.

    “Yeah you know, I was kind of happy with that too,” Herbst continued in his FOX Sports 1 interview. “This race is 76 laps long and you got to get to the end of the race, so I didn’t want everyone to wreck at the beginning and drag out 80 laps of caution or whatever. So I was happy we got to race for a little bit, but it sucks single file for the fans. All in all, second is a good day for the 18 in the points.”

    For Brandon Lynn and Venturini Motorsports, they were looking for better after finishing seventh in last year’s race, especially considering the fact that the Venturinis’ have not won at Talladega.

    It looked liked the feat could have got crossed off the list early on, as Lynn and the No. 20 team sat on the pole which gave Venturini Motorsports their fourth consecutive pole of the year.

    Lynn ran up front for most of the day but never made too much noise. He had a shot at the end, however, but could not make anything happen.

    After all was said and done, the Venturini crew still found themselves winless but came home third improving on last year’s finish.

    “Yeah, I think we had a great car,” Lynn said to FOX Sports 1. “We were hoping to get a run there at the end, but it didn’t happen. You know, we ended up where we were at. We’ll take it. I can’t thank these Venturini guys enough for putting together such a great car this weekend. Hopefully, we can get some stuff together to run more races for the rest of the year.”

    Despite finishing third, Lynn describes how tough it was to make a pass in the end.

    “Yeah, it’s tough,” Lynn said. “You just got to feel it out and hopefully you keep the car close to you, and not let him get too far back. You want to get that run together on the cars in front of you. So, we did what we could and it just didn’t pan out in the end.”

  • Four Takeaways from NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Gateway

    Four Takeaways from NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Gateway

    The 10th race of the 2018 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series took place this past weekend at Gateway Motorsports Park.

    While there were a couple of surprises in the top-10, the same team that has been dominant for most of the season, wound up in victory lane, but this time with a different driver.

    Here are my final four thoughts from the Villa Lighting Delivers the Eaton 200, before the Truck Series heads to Chicagoland Friday night.

    1. Justin Haley Scores First Career Win – Haley, who has been strong all year, finally earned his first career win and locked himself into the postseason Playoffs. While he was somewhat of a surprise winner, the No. 24 team had four top fives and six top-10 finishes before his first season. They were close to winning earlier this season, but just needed to find the right opportunity to strike and that’s what happened in Saturday night’s race. It’ll be interesting to see what the No. 24 GMS Racing team does in order to compete with teammate Johnny Sauter for the rest of the year.
    2. Noah Gragson Close Once Again – Same song, second verse for the No. 18 driver, Noah Gragson. After earning his first win of the season last month at Kansas, Gragson has been close many times to earning multiple victories but has fallen short so far. He had the truck to beat Saturday night, leading 63 times, but late race cautions hurt the team’s chances at winning and they had to settle for a disappointing 10th place. It’s only a matter of time before the team breaks out and start earning multiple victories.
    3. Zane Smith, Riley Herbst, Jesse Little, Chad Finley Have Career Nights – Smith, Herbst, and Finley, all ARCA series regulars, had a solid night at Gateway. Smith and Herbst who made their Truck Series debut, did a spectacular job, finishing fifth and eighth. Finley hasn’t competed in a Truck Series race since 2015 and finished sixth. Jesse Little was able to earn his fourth top-10 finish of the year. A great night for all the young stars involved.
    4. Question Marks Still A Concern For Hattori Racing – After earning two wins this season at Atlanta and Iowa, it sure seemed like the No. 16 team would be a challenger for the Truck Series championship postseason. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case for Moffitt and Hattori Racing, at least for now. The No. 16 driver stated in Friday’s media availability that they were still unsure what their plans were past this weekend. And that still holds true. If Moffitt misses the race this weekend, he will not be able to get a waiver in order to compete postseason, because you have to compete in all the races. However, with today’s power of social media and the NASCAR fan base, they have been reaching out to companies all across the United States to sponsor the team in order to continue. While this would be great, it goes to show how unfortunate this is and how it’s tough to secure full-time sponsorship in the Truck Series.