Conner Jones issued a one-race Truck Series Suspension
Conner Jones was issued a one-race suspension for his on-track actions following this past weekend’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Playoff event at Homestead-Miami Speedway on October 26 as part of a triple-header weekend in South Florida.
Jones’s actions occurred on Lap 75 of 134, where he deliberately hit the rear end of Matt Mills’ No. 42 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado RST entry following an earlier altercation between both competitors. The contact from Jones got Mills loose before he veered to the right across the racetrack and hit the Turn 4 outside wall on the right side hard as Mills’ damaged truck then erupted in flames.
Mills escaped the wreckage with the aid of medical personnel and was transported to a local hospital for further evaluation. Two days later on October 28, he was released and took to social media to express his gratitude for the support he received during his recovery. He has also been medically cleared to race for this upcoming weekend’s event at Martinsville Speedway.
Jones received a two-lap penalty for the incident and finished in 25th place of the 34-truck field. Following the event, he declined to speak to the media but later apologized for his actions through a statement.
Jones, previously set to mark the 13th of 14 planned events on the Truck Series schedule during the upcoming weekend at Martinsville, will miss the race due to the suspension. However, he will return to action for next weekend’s season-finale event at Phoenix Raceway. As a result, former Truck Series champion Johnny Sauter, initially set to compete with Hattori Racing Enterprises, is will pilot Jones’ No. 66 ThorSport Racing Ford F-150 entry at Martinsville, per the qualifying order sheet.
Layne Riggs Truck Series Team Issued L1 Penalty
NASCAR also issued an L1-level penalty to the Craftsman Truck Series No. 38 Front Row Motorsports (FRM) Ford F-150 entry piloted by rookie Layne Riggs due to an improperly mounted ballast that resulted in Riggs starting at the rear of the field for the main event. Riggs would proceed to finish in 22nd place, the final truck scored a lap down, after he ran out of fuel while running in second place on the penultimate lap.
Riggs’ No. 38 FRM Ford team was also docked 10 driver/owner points as a result of the ballast penalty, and crew chief Dylan Cappello was issued a one-race suspension. Amid the points penalty, Riggs remains in 11th place in the driver’s standings.
Photo by John Knittel for SpeedwayMedia.com.
Three Xfinity Series crew chiefs fined $5,000 each
Three Xfinity Series crew chiefs were issued fines due to a single lug nut that was not secured on each of their respective entries The crew chiefs penalized include Mardy Lindley, crew chief for Playoff contender Sam Mayer and the No. 1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro team, Andy Street, crew chief for Playoff contender and race winner Austin Hill and the No. 21 Richard Childress Racing (RCR) Chevrolet Camaro team and Joe Williams, crew chief for Kyle Sieg and the No. 39 RSS Racing Ford Mustang team.
The lug nut penalty issued to RCR’s No. 21 team and the fine to Street do not affect Hill’s victory as he is already guaranteed a spot into this year’s Championship 4 round and compete for the 2024 Xfinity Series championship at Phoenix Raceway next Saturday.
NASCAR Cup Series
There were no penalties levied on any Cup Series teams following this past Sunday’s Playoff event at Homestead which was won by Playoff contender Tyler Reddick.
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck, Xfinity and Cup Series divisions return to action this upcoming weekend at Martinsville Speedway for the final Round of 8 events for all three series. The Truck division will commence the weekend on Friday, November 1, at 6 p.m. ET on FS1 while the Xfinity division will occur the following day, November 2, at 4 p.m. ET on the CW Network. The Cup division will conclude the weekend on Sunday, November 3, at 2 p.m. ET on NBC.
NASCAR released the penalty report following this past weekend’s Xfinity-Cup Series Playoff events at Las Vegas Motor Speedway that occurred between October 19-20, 2024.
In the Cup Series, John Rosselli (front-tire changer) and Kellen Mills (jackman), both of whom work in the No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota Camry XSE team piloted by Erik Jones, have been issued a two-race suspension due to a right-front wheel that detached from Jones’ car towards Lap 70 of 267 during Sunday’s event. The incident occurred during the event’s first caution period that started on Lap 62, when the wheel detached from Jones’ entry on the track entering Turn 1 after the event’s first round of pit stops and after Jones had received the free pass to cycle back on the lead lap.
Following the incident in an event that was won by Playoff contender Joey Logano, Jones would finish in 25th place, a lap down, of the 37-car field.
With the suspensions, Rosselli and Mills will not be present for the upcoming Cup Series Playoff events at Homestead-Miami Speedway and at Martinsville Speedway, respectively.
In the Xfinity Series, three crew chiefs were each fined $5,000 apiece due to their respective entries having a single lug nut unsecured during the post-race inspection process following Saturday’s event.
The crew chiefs that were penalized include Kevin Johnson, crew chief for Matt DiBenedetto and the No. 38 RSS Racing Ford Mustang team; Jonathan Toney, crew chief for Playoff contender Cole Custer and the No. 00 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang team; and Shane Whitbeck, crew chief for Jeb Burton and the No. 27 Jordan Anderson Racing Chevrolet Camaro team.
During Saturday’s Xfinity Playoff event at Vegas that was won by Playoff contender AJ Allmendinger, Custer would finish the best of the trio in eighth place while DiBenedetto and Burton ended up 16th and 24th, respectively.
The NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series’ teams return to action alongside the Craftsman Truck Series’ teams this upcoming weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the second of three Round of 8 events for each of the three series. The Truck and Xfinity divisions host a doubleheader feature on Saturday, October 26, that will commence with the Trucks at noon ET on FS1 while the Xfinity division will follow suit at 3:30 p.m. on the CW Network. The Cup Series action at Homestead will occur the following day, October 27, and air at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
In a race dominated by Kyle Larson, a late opportunity presented itself for Aric Almirola and it resulted in the Floridian veteran fending off road ringers AJ Allmendinger and Larson to win the inaugural DoorDash 250 at Sonoma Raceway on Saturday, June 10.
The 39-year-old Almirola from Tampa, Florida, led twice for 17 of 79 scheduled laps in a weekend where he was one of eight competitors pulling double-duty roles between the Xfinity and Cup Series divisions in Wine Country. Initially appearing to settle for a top-five result, a late caution period with 19 laps remaining followed by a restart with 15 laps remaining enabled Almirola to carve his way into the lead amid a scramble between Daniel Suarez and Alex Labbe.
In the proceeding laps, however, Almirola found himself being pressured by hometown hero Kyle Larson through every corner and turn. A mistake, however, by Larson, where he clipped a tire barrel in Turn 11 and briefly lost control of his steering with eight laps remaining, allowed Almirola to place a reasonable gap between himself and Larson as Allmendinger joined the battle. With Allmendinger and Larson battling for second, Almirola was able to drive away and retain the lead through the final seven laps as he claimed his first Xfinity checkered flag in six years.
With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Saturday, Kyle Larson notched his sixth career Xfinity Series pole position after posting a pole-winning lap at 91.393 mph in 78.387 seconds. Joining him on the front row was Justin Allgaier, who posted the second-best qualifying lap at 90.562 mph in 79.106 seconds.
Prior to the event, Anthony Alfredo was the only competitor to drop to the rear of the field in a backup car after wrecking his primary car during Friday’s practice session.
When the green flag waved and the race commenced, Larson rocketed away with the lead entering the first two turns. Larson would continue to lead through Turns 3 and 4 while Allgaier was trying to fend off Aric Almirola for second. As the field fanned out and jostled early for positions, Larson would cruise to lead the first lap while Almirola was up in second after overtaking Allgaier entering Turn 8.
During the second lap, Larson stabilized his advantage to a second-and-a-half over Almirola followed by Allgaier, Sheldon Creed and AJ Allmendinger while Ty Gibbs was in sixth after nearly turning Sam Mayer in Turn 7, with Mayer settling suit in seventh. Daniel Hemric was in eighth followed by John Hunter Nemechek and rookie Sammy Smith while Parker Kligerman, Alex Labbe, Austin Hill, Ross Chastain and Brett Moffitt were running in the top 15. Behind, rookie Parker Retzlaff, Daniel Suarez, rookie Chandler Smith, Josh Berry and Kyle Weatherman occupied the top 20.
As the race proceeded through the third lap, Larson extended his advantage to more than two seconds over Almirola while Allmendinger moved up to third. Allgaier, meanwhile, was being challenged by Creed for fourth while Ty Gibbs retained sixth. Larson would continue to lead by more than two seconds over Almirola as the event reached its Lap 5 mark.
Through the first 10 scheduled laps, Larson continued to lead by more than two seconds over Allmendinger while third-place Almirola trailed by more than five seconds. Allgaier and Ty Gibbs were in the top five followed by Hemric while Mayer moved up to seventh after overtaking Creed, who locked up his tires in Turn 7. Kligerman and Nemechek filled out the top 10 on the track while Sammy Smith, Austin Hill, Chastain, Brett Moffitt and Retzlaff were mired in the top 15.
Three laps later, on-track troubles occurred for a pair of RSS Racing competitors as Ryan Sieg spun in Turn 7. At the same time, teammate Joe Graf Jr. spun prior to entering the chute corner between Turns 4 and 7. In spite of both incidents, the race remained under green flag conditions as Larson continued to lead by more than two seconds over Allmendinger.
Then on Lap 18, Chastain bumped and sent Nemechek’s No. 20 Yahoo Toyota Supra for a spin in Turn 11 while both were battling with Austin Hill in the top 15. With Nemechek falling back to 18th and the race remaining under green, Larson stabilized his advantage to more than two seconds over Allmendinger.
At the conclusion of the first stage on Lap 20, Larson captured the stage victory after leading all the laps within the stage. Allmendinger trailed by more than two seconds while Almirola, Allgaier, Ty Gibbs, Hemric, Mayer, Kligerman, Creed and Sammy Smith were scored in the top 10. By then, Riley Herbst and Retzlaff had pitted under green a lap ago.
Not long after, the first caution of the event flew when Josh Berry stalled his No. 8 Tire Pros Chevrolet Camaro in between Turns 7 and 8. Prior to the caution being displayed for Berry’s issue, Nemechek, Hill and Sage Karam pitted.
During the caution period, nearly the entire field led by Larson pitted while the rest that included Hill, Nemechek, Karam and Herbst remained on the track. Following the pit stops and amid the field cycling past Berry’s car that was slowly limping onto pit road, Larson exited first followed by Allmendinger, Allgaier, Ty Gibbs, Mayer and Kligerman. Amid the pit stops, Berry returned to the track in spite of being scored two laps down following early mechanical issues to his car while Retzlaff’s car was being pushed behind the pit wall.
When the race restarted under green on Lap 25, where Hill and Nemechek occupied the front row, Hill and Nemechek dueled for the lead through the first two turns. As the field bumped and jostled for positions through the first two turns before entering Turns 3 and 4, Hill managed to pull ahead with the lead followed by Nemechek and Herbst while Larson carved his way up to fourth in front of Karam and Allmendinger. With the field continuing to fan out and jostle for positions through a series of right- and left-hand turns through Turns 7 to 10 before entering a sharp right-hand turn in Turn 11, Hill retained the lead by four-tenths of a second over a hard-charging Larson while Nemechek, Allmendinger and Herbst were scored in the top five. By then, Ty Gibbs was in sixth while Allgaier, Karam, Kligerman and Creed were scored in the top 10.
A lap later, Larson overtook Hill’s No. 21 Bennett Transportation Chevrolet Camaro entering Turn 7 to reassume the lead while Allmendinger pressured Nemechek for third. Allmendinger would then succeed and overtake Nemechek entering Turn 11 as Ty Gibbs muscled his way into the top five after overtaking Herbst’s No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang in Turn 11.
By Lap 30, Larson was leading by more than two seconds over Allmendinger while Hill fell back to third, though he trailed by more than two seconds. Ty Gibbs moved his No. 19 He Gets Us Toyota Supra into fourth after bumping and overtaking teammate Nemechek in Turn 11 while Allgaier was in sixth ahead of Herbst, Kligerman, Karam and Almirola.
At the halfway mark between Laps 39 and 40, Larson retained the lead by more than six seconds over Allmendinger and more than seven seconds over third-place Ty Gibbs while Hill and Allgaier were scored in the top five. Almirola, Nemechek, Herbst, Kligerman and Mayer trailed in the top 10 while Sammy Smith, Chandler Smith, Creed, Hemric, Custer, Brett Moffitt, Daniel Suarez, Chastain, Alex Labbe and Josh Bilicki were mired back in the top 20. By then, 35 of 38 starters were scored on the lead lap.
At the conclusion of the second stage on Lap 45, Larson remained dominant as he claimed his second consecutive stage victory of the day with an advantage of more than nine seconds. Allmendinger and Ty Gibbs followed suit in second and third while Allgaier, Hill, Almirola, Nemechek, Herbst, Kligerman and Mayer were scored in the top 10. By then, Cole Custer pitted his No. 00 Haas Automation Ford Mustang a lap earlier.
With the event proceeding under the final stage with 34 laps remaining, Allmendinger, who was engaged in a tight battle with Gibbs to retain second during the closing laps of the second stage, pitted a lap later followed by Allgaier, Mayer, Hemric and others. Larson then surrendered the lead to pit under green with 33 laps remaining followed by runner-up Gibbs, Hill, Nemechek and more competitors as Almirola cycled into the lead.
With 30 laps remaining, Almirola pitted from the lead along with Sammy Smith as Larson cycled back into the lead. By then, he was more than 10 seconds ahead of Allmendinger, who was strapped in third behind Suarez, who trailed Larson by more than four seconds despite needing a pit stop. Meanwhile, Ty Gibbs was back in fifth as he trailed by more than 14 seconds.
Two laps later, Suarez surrendered second place to pit under green as Allmendinger cycled back into second, though he trailed Larson by more than 10 seconds. In the process, Ty Gibbs moved up to third as he trailed the lead by more than 14 seconds while Allgaier and Hill were running in the top five. Following his pit stop after leading a handful of laps prior to the final 30-lap mark, Almirola was in sixth.
With less than 25 laps remaining, Larson stretched his advantage to more than 11 seconds over Allmendinger and more than 15 seconds over third-place Ty Gibbs while Allgaier and Hill retained their spots in the top five. Almirola also retained sixth while Nemechek, Mayer, Herbst and Kligerman were running in the top 10. Behind, Cole Custer was back in 11th while Chandler Smith, Sammy Smith, Creed and Brett Moffitt were running in the top 15.
Five laps later, Larson continued to extend his advantage as he now led by more than 13 seconds over Allmendinger while third-place Ty Gibbs trailed by more than 16 seconds. Meanwhile, Almirola carved his way up to fourth followed by Allgaier while Hill was back in sixth ahead of Nemechek, Kligerman, Herbst and Mayer.
A lap later, the caution flew when Jeffrey Earnhardt got loose, spun and wrecked his No. 45 ForeverLawn Chevrolet Camaro against the tire barriers in Turn 10. The incident all but erased Larson’s advantage of more than 13 seconds over Allmendinger. During the caution period, Alex Labbe and Suarez remained on the track while the rest of the lead lap field led by Larson pitted. Following the pit stops and amid mixed strategy, Larson, who opted for no fresh tires during his pit stop, exited first followed by Allmendinger, who opted for two fresh tires. Almirola followed suit in third along with Allgaier, Hill and Nemechek while Ty Gibbs exited seventh after losing four spots on pit road.
Down to the final 15 laps of the event, the race restarted under green. At the start, Labbe and Suarez dueled for the lead entering the first two turns. Suarez then slipped up the track in Turn 2, which allowed Almirola, driving the No. 28 Michael Roberts Construction Ford Mustang, to move into the lead amid the scramble. Through Turns 3 and 4, Suarez got loose again as Allmendinger and Larson quickly moved up to second and third. Behind, a series of bumps and jostles ensued within the middle of the pack from the Chute corner towards the entrances of Turns 7, 8 and 9 while Almirola continued to lead ahead of a fierce battle for second place between Allmendinger and Larson.
A lap later, Larson overtook Allmendinger for second as he began his charge on Almirola for the lead. Amid a series of late jostles and fierce battles around the circuit, trouble struck for Brandon Jones as he spun within the middle of the pack in Turn 8, but the race remained under green flag conditions. In the midst of the battles, Daniel Suarez was black-flagged for a restart violation.
With 10 laps remaining, Almirola continued to lead by three-tenths of a second over a hard-charging Larson while third-place Allmendinger trailed by more than a second. Behind, Ty Gibbs cycled his way back into fourth while Allgaier was in fifth ahead of Hill, Kligerman, Custer, Mayer and Sammy Smith.
Then with eight laps remaining, Larson, who kept putting pressure on Almirola for the lead, made the slightest of contact against a tire barrel in Turn 11, which caused him to slip wide and lose his momentum briefly as he tried to steer his No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro straight. This allowed Allmendinger to move his No. 10 Gabriel Glas Chevrolet Camaro into second while Larson fell back to third as Almirola was now leading by more than two seconds.
Down to the final five laps of the event, Almirola continued to lead by more than two seconds over Allmendinger and Larson, with Larson still trying to navigate his way around Allmendinger for second. With Ty Gibbs retaining fourth and trailing by more than five seconds, Allgaier was engaged in a fierce battle with Kligerman for fifth.
A lap later, Larson gained a run on Allmendinger and overtook him for second in Turn 7. Allmendinger, however, was able to execute a crossover move on Larson to reassume the spot while Almirola was still leading by nearly three seconds.
When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Almirola remained as the leader by less than three seconds over Allmendinger with Larson still stuck in third. With both Allmendinger and Larson unable to close the deficit throughout the 12-turn circuit, Almirola was able to smoothly cycle his way back to the finish line and claim the checkered flag for an upset victory in Northern California.
By becoming the inaugural Xfinity Series winner at Sonoma, Almirola notched his fourth career victory in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in his 104th series start, his first on a road course venue and his first since winning at Talladega Superspeedway in May 2017. He also recorded the first NASCAR career win for RSS Racing.
SONOMA, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 10: Aric Almirola, driver of the #28 Michael Roberts Construction Ford, takes the checkered flag to win the NASCAR Xfinity Series DoorDash 250 at Sonoma Raceway on June 10, 2023 in Sonoma, California. (Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images).
“This [win] is so special,” Almirola said on FS1. “It’s hard to explain. I know it’s an Xfinity win. It’s not a Cup win, but after [Circuit of the Americas], I was like, ‘Man, I really don’t think I should run any more road course races in the Xfinity car.’ I lose self-confidence going into Sunday, but I knew that this racetrack; this is one that I can run good at. I’ve run good here my whole career. I don’t know what it is about this place, but I love racing here. Just so thankful to everybody on this race team. It’s been a really tough year on the Cup side and to come out here, get a win and get to celebrate,…[my kids]’re gonna get to go to Victory Lane. That is so special. So excited to share this Victory Lane here. Man, this is awesome. I can’t wait to get to Victory Lane.”
Allmendinger, who led two laps, came home in second place as he trailed Almirola by more than a second followed by Larson, who led a race-high 53 laps compared to Almirola’s 17 but was unable to claim another victory at his home track.
“I just got too greedy,” Larson said. “If you can get your rights [tires] below the rumbles, into the paint, it’s a lot of grip. I got it good a couple of times and then, I was just tucked up behind [Almirola] and clipped the tire [barrel]. It knocked the wheel out of my hand and after that, the toe [link] was off. I was really tight in the lefts and really loose on the rights, so we couldn’t make runs at it. I hate it for [crew chief] Kevin Meendering and everybody. They deserve a win so badly with his No. 17 car. Just bummed and mad at myself.”
Ty Gibbs finished in fourth place as the top-four finishing spots were occupied by Cup Series regulars. Parker Kligerman was the highest-finishing Xfinity Series regular in fifth place while Custer, Allgaier, Austin Hill, rookie Sammy Smith and Sam Mayer finished in the top 10.
Notably, John Hunter Nemechek ended up 16th, Ross Chastain finished 18th in his 100th Xfinity career start and Suarez ended up 27th following his late penalty.
There were 10 lead changes for six different leaders. The race featured two cautions for eight laps. In total, 31 of 38 starters finished on the lead lap.
With 12 Xfinity regular-season events remaining on the schedule, John Hunter Nemechek leads the regular-season standings by four points over Austin Hill, 25 over Justin Allgaier and 59 over Cole Custer.
Results.
1. Aric Almirola, 17 laps led
2. AJ Allmendinger, two laps led
3. Kyle Larson, 53 laps led, Stage 1 & 2 winner
4. Ty Gibbs
5. Parker Kligerman
6. Cole Custer
7. Justin Allgaier
8. Austin Hill, four laps led
9. Sammy Smith
10. Sam Mayer
11. Sheldon Creed
12. Brett Moffitt
13. Daniel Hemric
14. Chandler Smith
15. Riley Herbst
16. John Hunter Nemechek
17. Jeremy Clements
18. Ross Chastain
19. Josh Bilicki
20. Kaz Grala
21. Brandon Jones
22. Kyle Weatherman
23. Ty Dillon
24. Dylan Lupton
25. Alex Labbe, two laps led
26. Jeb Burton
27. Daniel Suarez
28. Ryan Sieg
29. Brad Perez
30. Blaine Perkins
31. Joe Graf Jr.
32. Connor Mosack, one lap down
33. Josh Berry, three laps down
34. Sage Karam – OUT, Transmission
35. Josh Williams – OUT, Suspension
36. Jeffrey Earnhardt – OUT, Accident
37. Anthony Alfredo – OUT, Suspension
38. Parker Retzlaff – OUT, Transmission
The NASCAR Xfinity Series teams and competitors enter a one-week break period before returning to action at Nashville Superspeedway on June 24. The event’s air coverage is scheduled to occur at 3:30 p.m. ET on USA Network, which will launch USA’s and NBC’s coverage for the remainder of this year’s Xfinity season.
For a second consecutive season, Sonoma Raceway is in for a delightful treat as NASCAR makes its annual return to the 12-turn circuit in Sonoma, California, on June 9-11, 2023.
In a similar approach from last year, two of NASCAR’s top three national touring series will run on the same weekend in conjunction with the ARCA Menards Series West at Sonoma. Compared to a year ago, where the Craftsman Truck Series competition made its return to the circuit for the first time in 24 years, the NASCAR Xfinity Series competition will experience its first taste of the twists and turns in Wine Country this upcoming Saturday, June 10, with DoorDash returning as a title sponsor of the 250-mile event.
With the return of the highly anticipated racing weekend in Northern California, a host of NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series stars will be attempting to pull double duty efforts within all three series.
The driver who headlines the double duty role for this weekend’s Xfinity-Cup doubleheader feature is Kyle Larson. The 2021 Cup Series champion and 21-race Cup winner from Elk Grove, California, is scheduled to make his first of two starts this season in the No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro for Hendrick Motorsports. His Xfinity start will occur a day prior to climbing aboard his iconic No. 5 Valvoline Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in the Cup division.
Aside from being a hometown hero, Larson is no stranger to achieving success at Sonoma. He notched a Cup victory at the circuit in 2021 after leading a race-high 57 of 92 laps and has started on pole position in the last five consecutive Cup events at Sonoma. He has also achieved his share of success on road course venues after winning the last two Cup events at Watkins Glen International, the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course venue in October 2021 and his first Xfinity road course victory at The Glen last August.
While this weekend is set to mark his first Xfinity start of this season in HMS’ No. 17 entry, Larson has already made one start in the series in May. There, he piloted Kaulig Racing’s No. 10 Chevrolet Camaro entry to a thrilling last lap victory over John Hunter Nemechek at Darlington Raceway. With the Darlington victory being the first for him ever in NASCAR, Larson aims to achieve another accomplishment by adding a Xfinity victory at Sonoma to his racing resume.
Speaking of the No. 10 Kaulig Racing entry, AJ Allmendinger returns to pilot the entry for a second time this season. The 41-year-old veteran from Los Gatos, California, will be receiving sponsorship support from Gabriel Glas for this weekend’s Xfinity and Cup rides, where he currently drives the No. 16 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entry for Kaulig in NASCAR’s premier series.
Of his 16 career victories in the Xfinity circuit, 11 of them have occurred on road course venues, which makes Allmendinger the winningest competitor on road courses in the series. Despite winning on seven different road courses between the Xfinity and Cup levels, including his two Cup victories at Watkins Glen International and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course venue, Allmendinger has yet to achieve a win at Sonoma. In 11 previous starts at Sonoma in the Cup Series, he has led a total of 65 laps, but has only managed to finish in the top 10 twice, with his best result being seventh in 2009. He has managed to start on the front row three times between 2014-16, including on pole position in 2015. With his most recent victory in the series occurring this past March at Circuit of the Americas, Allmendinger strives to extend his road course dominance by checking off another road course venue off his bucket list.
Photo by Chad Wells for SpeedwayMedia.com.
Joining the list of double duty competitors between the Xfinity-Cup action is Ross Chastain, who drives the No. 1 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Trackhouse Racing in the Cup Series. The 30-year-old Chastain from Alva, Florida, is scheduled to drive the No. 91 Chevrolet Camaro for DGM Racing sponsored by Skip Barber Racing School, with the event set to mark his third series start of this season after competing at Auto Club Speedway in February and at Darlington in May.
In three career starts at Sonoma in the Cup Series, Chastain has notched two consecutive seventh-place results, including this past season. He was one of five Cup competitors who competed in last year’s Truck Series event at Sonoma, where he led 19 of 75 laps before finishing fourth while driving for Niece Motorsports. Chastain also has one road course victory stored in his resume, which occurred at Circuit of the Americas in March 2022 on a day where he also notched the first Cup career win for himself and Trackhouse Racing. On the Xfinity side, his best series’ result on a road course venue was at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course circuit, where he finished fourth.
Ironically, a year after making his 100th Truck career start overall at Sonoma, Chastain is also primed to achieve another milestone start in Northern California. By qualifying and taking the green flag in this Saturday’s event, he will make his 200th career start in the Xfinity circuit. Through 199 previous Xfinity starts, the Floridian has achieved two career victories, one pole, 23 top-five results, 49 top-10 results, 961 laps led and an average-finishing result of 16.7. His best points result in the series is seventh place, which occurred in 2020. During that season, he notched career-high stats in top-fives (15), top-10s (27), laps led (553), overall average-starting result (7.7) and overall average-finishing result (8.2) despite going winless and while driving for Kaulig Racing.
Veteran Aric Almirola from Tampa, Florida, is also scheduled to pull double duty efforts as he will be piloting the No. 28 Michael Roberts Construction Ford Mustang for RSS Racing on Saturday before driving the No. 10 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing on Sunday. The Xfinity event is set to mark Almirola’s 104th career start in the series and second of the season after he competed at Circuit of the Americas this past March, where he finished 24th while competing for SS-Green Light Racing.
Through 10 Cup career starts at Sonoma, Almirola has achieved two top-10 results, with his best result being eighth in June 2018. While this weekend is set to mark his first Xfinity start at Sonoma, it will mark his third different series where he has competed at the circuit. In June 2018, Almirola competed in the ARCA Menards Series West event at Sonoma for Stewart-Haas Racing, where he finished second after leading 23 of 64 laps. With his last Xfinity victory occurring at Talladega Superspeedway in May 2017 and his best road course result in the Xfinity circuit being a fifth-place run at Watkins Glen in August 2018, a first road course victory is still something Almirola continues to pursue.
Photo by Bruce Nuttleman for SpeedwayMedia.com.
Another competitor attempting to participate in double duty efforts is Ty Dillon, who will be piloting the No. 4 Chevrolet Camaro for JD Motorsports. The 31-year-old Dillon and grandson of championship-winning owner Richard Childress from Welcome, North Carolina, is coming off his recent series start at Darlington in May, where he finished 19th while driving the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Camaro.
Dillon has made a total of four Cup starts at Sonoma, with his best result being 23rd a year ago while driving for Petty GMS Motorsports. Like Almirola, he has yet to achieve a road course victory to his resume. The closest Dillon came to winning on a road course circuit was during the inaugural Truck Series event at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in September 2013, where he was leading on the final lap until he got wrecked by Chase Elliott entering the final corner. His best Xfinity result on a road course venue is third, which was achieved at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in August 2015. With his latest Xfinity victory spanning back to July 2014 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Dillon, who currently competes full time in the Cup Series and in the No. 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Spire Motorsports, aims for a momentous boost to his racing career as he fights his way back to championship-caliber form.
In a youthful career highlighted with an abundance of success and a rapid ascend to the Cup Series level, Ty Gibbs is set to experience another first to his career as he prepares to tackle Sonoma Raceway for the first time ever and twice in one weekend. The 20-year-old reigning Xfinity Series champion and grandson of championship-winning owner Joe Gibbs from Charlotte, North Carolina, will return as the driver of the No. 19 Toyota Supra sponsored by The He Get Us campaign for his third series start of this season.
While racing on Sonoma’s surface will be new for Gibbs, racing on road courses is something he is familiar with, with some of his success occurring on road course venues. He achieved his first Xfinity career victory in his series debut at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course in February 2021. He then proceeded to win at Watkins Glen in August 2021 before winning at Road America last July following a last lap battle against Kyle Larson. With 11 Xfinity victories achieved, three on road courses, in 53 series career starts, Gibbs, who earned top-five results in two Xfinity starts this season at Circuit of the Americas in March and at Charlotte in May, aims to extend his top-five streak to three and potentially, emerge victorious while continuing his pursuit of claiming this year’s Cup Rookie-of-the-Year title behind the wheel of JGR’s No. 54 Toyota TRD Camry in the Cup circuit.
Lastly on the Xfinity side, Daniel Suarez becomes the seventh Cup participant for the inaugural Xfinity event at Sonoma as he will be piloting the No. 07 Chevrolet Camaro for SS-Green Light Racing. The 2016 Xfinity Series champion from Monterrey, Mexico, enters the Sonoma weekend with high momentum after notching his first Cup Series career victory at the circuit a year ago and becoming the first Mexican-born competitor to win in NASCAR’s premier series.
While this season marks his third as a full-time Cup Series competitor in the No. 99 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Trackhouse Racing, this Saturday’s Xfinity event is set to mark Suarez’s first start in the Xfinity circuit since racing at Chicagoland Speedway in June 2018. Suarez, though, made his name made within the Xfinity circuit with 84 career starts in the series, a Rookie-of-the-Year title from 2015 and three career victories, including the 2016 championship as he became the first Latin American competitor to win a title across NASCAR’s top three national touring series. His highest Xfinity result on road courses stands at fourth place, which he achieved twice at Watkins Glen and at Road America in August 2016.
For Sonoma, Suarez returns to the circuit with vast experience. In conjunction with his five total Cup Series start, he competed in two consecutive ARCA Menards Series West events at Sonoma, where he finished 11th and fourth, respectively, in 2017 and 2018. Suarez also competed as a relief competitor for the injured Carson Hocevar and Niece Motorsports during the Truck Series’ Sonoma event a year ago, where he rallied from two laps down after relieving Hocevar early in the event to finish sixth. Given his strength of the circuit, Suarez aims for a repeat victory while pursuing his first Cup victory of the 2023 campaign.
Photo by David Myers for SpeedwayMedia.com.
A day prior to the Xfinity Series’ inaugural event at Sonoma, the ARCA Menards Series West division will make its return to the circuit for the 44th time overall as General Tire retains its right of sponsoring the 200-mile event. The lone Cup Series competitor who is entered for the event is Ryan Preece, who drives the No. 41 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing. The 32-year-old Preece from Berlin, Connecticut, will be piloting the No. 9 Ford for SHR in the ARCA West region, which will mark his second career start in the series. His lone start in the series occurred at Sonoma in June 2019, where he led a race-high 33 of 57 laps and was in position of winning until he was penalized for a late restart violation and demoted to the last competitor running on the lead lap in 20th place. A former winner across the Truck and Xfinity circuits, Preece has also made two previous starts at Sonoma in the Cup Series in 2019 and 2021, with his best result being 21st from the 2021 season. His best results on road courses within NASCAR’s top three national touring series are a pair of fourth-place runs at Watkins Glen and the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course in 2018.
For Friday’s ARCA West event at Sonoma, Preece will be competing alongside a host of Xfinity Series regulars that include Cole Custer, Riley Herbst, Parker Retzlaff, Kyle Sieg and Sammy Smith, all of whom will receive a head start to their weekend prior to their series’ debut at the Northern California circuit.
Custer, a former Cup Series Rookie-of-the-Year recipient from Ladera Ranch, California, will retain driving responsibilities of the No. 55 Ford for High Point Racing for a second consecutive week after competing in last weekend’s event at Portland International Raceway. Custer is also coming off a dramatic weekend at Portland, where he notched his first Xfinity victory of the season during an overtime shootout. Herbst, Custer’s Xfinity teammate at Stewart-Haas Racing from Las Vegas, Nevada, will also be returning to the series for a second consecutive week as he will be driving the No. 5 Jerry Pitts Racing Ford.
Photo by Patrick Sue-Chan for SpeedwayMedia.com.
Retzlaff, a Xfinity rookie competitor from Rhinelander, Wisconsin, who currently competes for Jordan Anderson Racing, will be piloting the No. 02 Young’s Motorsports Chevrolet for a second consecutive week while Kyle Sieg, a full-time Xfinity competitor for RSS Racing from Tucker, Georgia, will be assuming the No. 46 Ford for Lowden Jackson Motorsports.
Lastly, Sammy Smith, a Xfinity rookie from Johnston, Iowa, who currently competes for Joe Gibbs Racing, will be joining Hattori Racing Enterprises for a one-race effort in the No. 81 Toyota. Smith, who notched his first Xfinity career victory at Phoenix Raceway in March, has not yet competed at Sonoma throughout his youthful racing career, but he has achieved an abundance of success within the ARCA divisions, with six victories in the ARCA Menards Series, two consecutive ARCA East titles and a single ARCA West victory that occurred at Phoenix last November.
With Sonoma Raceway serving as the next scheduled event on the 2023 NASCAR schedule and with the drivers’ roster for this weekend’s events set, the weekend commences with the ARCA Menards Series West running the General Tire 200 on Friday, June 9, at 6:30 p.m. ET as the event will air live on FloRacing. The Xfinity Series’ inaugural DoorDash 250 at Sonoma will occur the following day on Saturday, June 10, at 8 p.m. ET on FS1. The Cup Series’ Toyota Save/Mart 350 will cap off the weekend as the series’ top premier competitors compete on Sunday, June 11, at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX.
Embarking on a part-time campaign for this year’s NASCAR Xfinity Series season with Joe Gibbs Racing, Myatt Snider is set to achieve a milestone start. By competing in this weekend’s Xfinity season opener at Daytona International Speedway, Snider will reach 100 career starts in the Xfinity circuit.
A native of Charlotte, North Carolina, Snider made his inaugural presence in the Xfinity Series at the start of the 2020 season when he inked a part-time deal to compete between Richard Childress Racing and RSS Racing. By then, he had achieved the 2018 Craftsman Truck Series Rookie-of-the-Year title and was coming off a full-time campaign in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series for Racing Engineering. Commencing the 2020 season in RCR’s No. 21 Chevrolet Camaro, Snider notched his first career pole for the season opener at Daytona. Despite leading 22 of the first 23 laps, he ended up in 33rd place after being involved in an on-track incident midway into the event. He then finished no higher than 10th during the following five scheduled events before notching his first top-five career result at Bristol Motor Speedway in June, where he finished fifth.
By June 2020, Snider committed to running the remainder of the Xfinity Series season on a full-time basis between RCR and RSS Racing. Beginning at Atlanta Motor Speedway in June through the season finale at Phoenix Raceway in November, he recorded a total of four top-10 results, which included a season-best fourth-place finish at Pocono Raceway in June. During the span, his best result with RSS Racing was a seventh-place result at Homestead-Miami Speedway in June. Despite missing the 2020 Xfinity Playoffs, Snider led a total of 32 laps throughout the season and notched an average-finishing result of 20.6 before finishing in 16th place in the final standings.
For the 2021 season, Snider took over RCR’s No. 2 Chevrolet Camaro on a full-time Xfinity Series basis. He commenced the season by finishing seventh at Daytona before finishing 13th during the following event at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course. Then at Homestead, Snider benefitted through two overtime restarts and a late charge from Tyler Reddick to score his first Xfinity career victory in his 36th series start. With a guaranteed spot for the 2021 Xfinity Series Playoffs based on his Homestead victory, the Charlotte native proceeded to accumulate seven additional top-10 results during the final 23 regular-season events before the Playoffs commenced. Following respective finishes of 15th, 31st and eighth during the Round of 12, his title hopes came to an end as he was one of four competitor to not transfer to the Round of 8. Nonetheless, he went on to finish no higher than 10th during the final four scheduled events before concluding the season in ninth place in the final standings. Despite leading a total of nine laps throughout the season, he notched a career-high 11 top-10 results and a career-best average-finishing result of 17.0.
In November 2021, Snider inked a deal to drive the No. 31 Chevrolet Camaro for Jordan Anderson Racing for the upcoming Xfinity season. The news came a month after RCR announced that former Truck champion Sheldon Creed would replace Snider in the No. 2 car. Snider’s first event with Jordan Anderson Racing commenced on a harrowing note when he was involved in a vicious multi-car wreck on the final lap, where his car went airborne and was shredded on the front and rear ends after catching the backstretch catchfence. Despite the incident, Snider emerged uninjured. After finishing no higher than 21st during the first five scheduled events, he collected his first top-10 result of the season after finishing sixth at Circuit of the Americas in March. Eight races later, he notched his season-best result of second place at Portland International Raceway in June. Despite recording a total of four top-10 results throughout the 26-race regular-season stretch, he did not earn a berth for the 2022 Xfinity Playoffs. He went on to finish in the top 20 in four of the final seven Playoff events before settling in 18th place in the final standings. Despite leading more laps than his previous season at 21, he concluded the season with an average-finishing result of 21.9.
The 2023 season is set to mark another new beginning for Snider, who is scheduled to compete in six Xfinity events behind the wheel of the No. 19 Toyota Supra for Joe Gibbs Racing. His first start of the season will occur in the season opener at Daytona before competing at Portland in June. He will then cap off the season by competing in four of the final five scheduled events that include the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Martinsville Speedway and the season finale at Phoenix Raceway between October and November.
Through 99 previous Xfinity starts, Snider has achieved one victory, one pole, four top-five results, 21 top-10 results, 62 laps led and an average-finishing result of 19.8.
Snider is scheduled to make his 100th NASCAR Xfinity Series career start at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, February 18, with the event’s coverage to occur at 5 p.m. ET on FS1.
Joe Graf Jr. became the latest addition to Joe Gibbs Racing’s driver lineup for the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series season.
The 24-year-old Graf from Mahwah, New Jersey, will be piloting JGR’s No. 19 “all-star” Toyota Supra entry for five Xfinity events this upcoming season, beginning at Auto Club Speedway on February 25. He will then pilot the No. 19 entry at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 4, Richmond Raceway on April 1, New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 15 and at Kansas Speedway on September 9. CoverSeal® and G-Coin® will be supporting Graf’s efforts at JGR.
The news comes after Graf Jr. will also be driving for RSS Racing for 28 Xfinity events this season, which will commence at Daytona International Speedway in February and make him a full-time competitor in the series. It also comes after the New Jersey native spent the previous season competing in all but five of 33-race Xfinity schedule between SS-Green Light Racing, RSS Racing and BJ McLeod Motorsports.
“Running five races with JGR is a fantastic opportunity for myself and for my marketing partners,” Graf Jr. said. “I think I can learn a lot from JGR and showcase my skills I’ve been growing in the series in the past three years. 2023 is shaping up to be a great year and I’m pumped to get started with the No. 19 group.”
Graf Jr. made his inaugural presence in the Xfinity Series at Richmond Raceway in June 2019, where he piloted the No. 21 Chevrolet Camaro for Richard Childress Racing as a development driver and finished 19th after starting 21st. Since then, he has recorded a total of two top-10 results and 23 top-20 results in 93 career starts. His highest-finishing result to date is an eighth-place run at Talladega Superspeedway in April 2022.
Prior to the Xfinity Series, Graf Jr. competed in two ARCA Menards Series season in 2018 and 2019. He claimed his first career victory at Berlin Raceway in August 2018.
“Joe [Graf Jr.] is committed to success, which is something we are looking for in all of our drivers,” Steve DeSouza, Executive Vice President of NXS and Development, added. “We are anticipating a solid season from the No. 19 team and Joe’s addition to the driver lineup will help that team be competitive for the owner’s championship this season.”
With Graf Jr.’s addition to JGR, he becomes the second competitor scheduled to pilot the No. 19 entry that will be led by veteran crew chief Jason Ratcliff. Ryan Truex is scheduled to pilot the car in a total of six events, though his schedule has not been determined. The remainder of the No. 19 team’s drivers and schedules have yet to be determined.
With his schedule set, Graf Jr.’s 2023 Xfinity Series season will commence at Daytona International Speedway on February 18 at 5 p.m. ET on FS1. His part-time tenure at Joe Gibbs Racing will then begin at Auto Club Speedway on February 25 at 5 p.m. ET on FS1.
Competing in his ninth full-time season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Ryan Sieg is within reach of a milestone start. By taking the green flag in this weekend’s Playoff event at Martinsville Speedway, Sieg will fulfill 300 career starts in the Xfinity circuit.
A native of Tucker, Georgia, Sieg, who spent the years 2010 through 2012 as a full-time Camping World Truck Series competitor for his family-operated RSS Racing, made his inaugural presence in the Xfinity Series at Phoenix Raceway in March 2013, where he substituted for the suspended Jeremy Clements in the No. 51 Jeremy Clements Racing Chevrolet Camaro. Starting 35th, Sieg finished 21st in his series debut. He returned for the following weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where he finished 18th, before Clements was reinstated by NASCAR. Sieg, however, ended up competing in two additional Xfinity events for RSS Racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July and at Kansas Speedway in October, where he finished 24th and 21st, respectively.
Sieg initially commenced the 2014 season with plans on competing the entire Truck Series schedule and part time in the Xfinity Series. Following the first five scheduled events, however, Sieg shifted his focus towards running the entire Xfinity schedule. By then, he had achieved a ninth-place result in the season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway in February.
His other highlight of the 2014 season was by achieving a strong third-place result at Daytona in July after drafting veteran Kasey Kahne to a photo finish victory over teammate Regan Smith during a two-lap shootout. To go along with a total of 21 top-20 results and an average-finishing result of 20.0 throughout the 33-race schedule, Sieg concluded his first full-time Xfinity season in 16th place in the final standings.
Returning for a second full-time campaign in the Xfinity Series in 2015, Sieg only achieved a single top-10 result at Kansas in October, where he finished eighth. Nonetheless, he earned two additional top-20 results compared to his rookie season (23) and improved his average-finishing result from his first season from 20.0 to 19.1 as he concluded the season in 11th place in the final standings.
In 2016, Sieg earned a total of 18 top-20 results, including his second top-five career result after finishing third at Daytona in July, throughout the 26-race regular-season stretch, which was enough for him to qualify for the inaugural Xfinity Series Playoffs. Despite finishing 16th, 19th and 10th, respectively, throughout the Playoff’s Round of 12, he was one of four competitors to be eliminated early from title contention. Despite the early elimination, he achieved three additional top-15 results during the final four scheduled events before settling in a career-best ninth place in the final standings. By then, he surpassed 100 career starts in the Xfinity Series.
In comparison to the previous Xfinity season, the 2017 season was a difficult season for Sieg. While the Georgian achieved a career-best runner-up result behind William Byron at Iowa Speedway in June, 11 additional results in the top 20 throughout the regular-season stretch were not enough for him to qualify for the Playoffs. With an average-finishing result of 20.8, he fell back to 15th place in the final standings.
Coming off another difficult season in 2018, where he piloted three different numbers for RSS Racing (Nos. 38, 39 and 93) and achieved only two top-10 results and 21 top-20 results before finishing in 16th place in the final standings, Sieg commenced the 2019 Xfinity season on a strong note by finishing fourth at Daytona in February. He then finished no lower than 16th during the following 11-scheduled events, with the Georgian earning his second top-five result of the season after finishing fifth at Richmond Raceway in April. Despite accumulating an additional seven top-20 results, three of which were top-10 finishes, during the following 15 regular-season events, he made his second career appearance in the Xfinity Series Playoffs. After being eliminated from the Playoffs following respective finishes of 12th, 30th and 10th during the Round of 12, he capped off the season with four consecutive top-13 results before finishing in 11th place in the final standings. By then, he achieved the most top-10 results in a season at 12 along with his career-best average-finishing result in a season to date at 14.6. He also surpassed 200 Xfinity career starts.
The 2020 Xfinity season generated Sieg’s best results in the circuit that commenced with a ninth-place run at Daytona followed by two consecutive top-five results after finishing third at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and fourth at Auto Club Speedway in February. After the first five scheduled events, where he finished no lower than 11th, Sieg was ranked in seventh place in the regular-season standings. Despite earning only three additional top-10 results during the final 21 regular-season events, Sieg secured a spot in the Xfinity Playoffs for the third time in his career. At the start of the Playoffs, respective finishes of fifth, second and 21st enabled the Georgian to advance from the Round of 12 to 8. He was eliminated from reaching the Championship 4 finale after recording respective results of third, 31st and 11th during the Round of 8, but he proceeded to finish in 10th place in the final standings. Despite concluding the season with one less top-10 result from the previous season at 11, he achieved a career-high seven top-five results along with 103 total laps led in a season. He also capped off the 2020 season with an average-finishing result of 15.5.
The 2021 Xfinity season marked a new beginning for Sieg and RSS Racing, with the driver and team switching manufacturers from Chevrolet to Ford. In comparison to the previous two seasons, the 2021 season was a difficult season for Sieg, who managed six top-10 results during the 26-race regular-season stretch and failed to qualify for the Playoffs. He went on to finish in 14th place in the final standings.
At the start of Sieg’s ninth campaign in the Xfinity circuit, he achieved an eighth-place result at Daytona followed by a 10th-place result at Auto Club Speedway in February. To go along with seven additional top-10 results through 25 regular-season events, Sieg remained in contention of qualifying for the Playoffs. During the regular-season finale at Bristol Motor Speedway in September, Sieg benefitted from late-race misfortunes affecting Landon Cassill and Sheldon Creed to finish 10th and claim the 12th and final berth to the 2022 Xfinity Series Playoffs, which marked his fourth presence in the postseason battle for the championship. Despite finishing no lower than ninth during the Round of 12, however, Sieg missed the cutoff to transfer to the Round of 8 by two points. With two events remaining to this year’s schedule, he is currently ranked in 11th place in the drivers’ standings after coming off back-to-back results outside of the top 30.
Through 299 previous Xfinity starts, Sieg has achieved 16 top-five results, 52 top-10 results, 195 laps led and an average-finishing result of 18.1.
Sieg is set to make his 300th Xfinity Series career start at Martinsville Speedway on Saturday, October 29, with the event’s coverage to occur at 3 p.m. ET on NBC.
RSS Racing announced its competition plans for the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series highlighted with a sponsorship extension, new and familiar technical alliances and a possible expansion towards the future.
The team was first thrilled to announce that CMR Construction & Roofing will remain as a full-time sponsor of the No. 39 RSS Racing car for the upcoming season and for driver Ryan Sieg, who will remain as the team’s full-time competitor.
The partnership between Sieg, RSS Racing and CMR started in March 2019 at Texas Motor Speedway, with the company sponsoring the team in select events before becoming a full-time primary sponsor in 2020.
“This is a huge deal for our team to have CMR Construction & Roofing return as our full-time primary sponsor for a third straight season,” Ryan Sieg said. “This shows the commitment that CMR has to RSS Racing and NASCAR. I can’t thank them enough for their loyalty and believing in me and our race team.”
The 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series season will mark Sieg’s ninth full-time season as a competitor. Since making his series debut at Phoenix Raceway in March 2013, the Tucker, Georgia, native has accumulated 14 top-five results, 39 top-10 results, 162 laps led, three Playoff appearances, an average-finishing result of 18.2 and a best points result of ninth in 2016. His best on-track result in the series is second, which occurred twice (Iowa Speedway in June 2017 and Talladega Superspeedway in October 2020).
Sieg is currently ranked in 14th place in the 2021 Xfinity Series standings, having recorded two top-five results and seven top-10 results through 31 of 33 scheduled events, including a fifth-place result in the series’ recent event at Kansas Speedway.
“We are excited to sponsor Ryan Sieg again for the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series season,” Jason White, President of Motorsports of CMR Roofing & Construction, added. “I raced alongside Ryan in the past, and the Sieg Family are wonderful people, both on and off the track. Everyone at CMR is very excited for next season.”
To go along with the sponsorship announcement, RSS Racing will be continuing its partnership with Ford Performance, fielding Ford Mustangs on the track next season, and be supplied with Roush-Yates Engines. In addition, the team will be forming a technical alliance with Stewart-Haas Racing in 2022.
“This is a huge step for our team to return with Ford Performance and Roush-Yates Engines, along with the addition of a technical alliance with Stewart-Haas Racing,” Sieg added. “I’m very excited and looking forward to next season.”
Lastly, RSS Racing unveiled plans on fielding multiple cars for the 2022 NASCAR season alongside Sieg’s No. 39 Ford Mustang. Additional details regarding the expansion will be announced at a later date.
With plans on 2022 set, Sieg and RSS Racing look to conclude the 2021 Xfinity Series season on a high note, beginning at Martinsville Speedway for the penultimate event of the season. The event is scheduled to occur on Saturday, October 30, at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN.
A significant milestone start is in the making for Brandon Brown, driver of the No. 68 Brandonbilt Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. By competing in this weekend’s event at Texas Motor Speedway, Brown will reach 100 career starts in the Xfinity circuit.
A native of Woodbridge, Virginia, Brown made his Xfinity Series debut at Richmond Raceway in September 2016. By then, he had made select NASCAR Truck Series races in the previous two seasons and he was a student at Coastal Carolina University. Driving the No. 86 Chevrolet for Brandonbilt Motorsports, his family-owned team, Brown started 26th and finished 29th in his series debut. He went on to compete at Kansas Speedway in October, where he finished 25th, and the season-finale Homestead-Miami Speedway in November, where he finished 23rd.
Brown returned for 10 Xfinity races in 2017, with his first event occurring at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March and his last occurring at Dover International Speedway in September. His best results were 17th at Dover in June and 20th at Darlington Raceway in September.
In 2018, Brown competed in seven of the 33-race schedule, where he earned two 18th-place results (Darlington in September and Texas in November) and a 19th-place result (Richmond Raceway in April).
The following season, Brown competed in all 33 Xfinity scheduled races between Brandonbilt Motorsports and RSS Racing. His best result was sixth at Daytona International Speedway in July. He also went on to earn a total of 10 top-15 results before settling in 15th place in the final standings.
Brown returned as a full-time Xfinity competitor for Brandonbilt Motorsports in 2020, where he kicked off the season with a seventh-place result at Daytona in February. He earned four top-10 results and 17 top-15 results throughout the 26-race regular-season stretch, which were enough for him to make the Xfinity Playoffs for the first time in his career.
During the Round of 12 in the Xfinity Playoffs, Brown earned results of 15th, ninth and 26th, but his title hopes came to an early end after he was eliminated from the Playoffs. Two races later, Brown rebounded by earning his first top-five career result in the series after finishing fifth at Texas in October. He went on to conclude the season in 11th place in the final standings and with a career-high six top-10 results along with a career-best average result of 16.0.
Through the first 13 races of this season, Brown has finished in the top five twice and in the top 10 seven times. During this span, he earned a career-best third-place result at Phoenix Raceway in March following a late restart and dash to the finish. He is currently ranked in 13th place in the Xfinity Series regular-season standings.
Through 99 previous Xfinity Series starts, Brown has claimed three top-five results, 14 top-10 results and an average result of 19.0.
Brown is primed to make his 100th Xfinity Series career start at Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday, June 12, which will occur at 4 p.m. ET on FS1.
With a new season of NASCAR competition a month away, RSS Racing will be changing manufacturers from Chevrolet to Ford for the 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series season. With the manufacturer change, RSS Racing will be powered by Roush Yates engines. Remaining as a full-time driver of the team’s No. 39 Ford Mustang is Ryan Sieg, who will receive full sponsorship support from CMR Construction and Roofing.
The 2021 Xfinity Series season will mark Sieg’s first full-time campaign in Fords following seven full-time seasons competing in Chevrolets. Through 2020, Sieg has made 235 career starts in the Xfinity Series while recording 12 top-five results, 32 top-10 results, 129 laps led and an average result of 18.2.
“I would like to thank Chevrolet and ECR for a great run, but it was time for something new.” Sieg stated. “We are a small family owned race team so to have this opportunity to align ourselves with Roush Yates and Ford it is truly incredible.”
Sieg and RSS Racing are coming off a career-best 2020 season, where the Tucker, Georgia, native recorded a career-best second-place result at Talladega Superspeedway in October, two stage victories, seven top-five results, 11 top-10 results, 103 laps led and an average result of 15.5. In addition, Sieg made the 2020 Xfinity Series Playoffs and went on to finish in 10th place in the final standings.
Throughout the 2020 Xfinity Series season, seven different competitors competed for RSS Racing, with Ryan Sieg competing as a full-time driver of the No. 39 Chevrolet while five others competed in the No. 93 Chevrolet (Joey Gase, Jeff Green, C.J. McLaughlin, Josh Reaume and Myatt Snider). In addition, the No. 38 RSS Racing Chevrolet was fielded for select events (Ross Chastain and Jeff Green). Of the 33-race schedule, Sieg and Myatt Snider recorded a total of 14 top-10 results for the team.
Sieg and RSS Racing will embark on their first full-time season with Ford in the 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series season opener at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, February 13, at 5 p.m. ET on FS1.
