Tag: Ty Gibbs

  • Ty Gibbs subbing for Kurt Busch at Indianapolis

    Ty Gibbs subbing for Kurt Busch at Indianapolis

    Three days after experiencing his first start in NASCAR’s premier series in a substitute role for a former Cup Series champion, Ty Gibbs will retain his role for a second consecutive week after it was announced that he will be filling in for Kurt Busch and the No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota TRD Camry for this weekend’s event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course.

    The announcement comes as Busch has not received medical clearance to return to racing. He continues to recover from concussion-like symptoms stemming from a hard wreck during last weekend’s qualifying session at Pocono Raceway that prevented him from competing in the main event at the Tricky Triangle. Though he is set to be absent for a second consecutive week, Busch, who won at Kansas Speedway in May and is in contention to qualify for the 2022 Cup Series Playoffs, has received a medical waiver from NASCAR to remain eligible for the Playoffs that is set to commence in September.

    Both Busch and 23XI Racing took to social media to unveil the news regarding Busch’s health status and plans for Indianapolis.

    Gibbs also took to social media to address the news for this weekend at Indianapolis.

    This weekend’s event at Indianapolis will mark Gibbs’ second career start in the Cup Series. Last weekend at Pocono, he rallied from starting at the rear of the field to initially finish in 18th place in his Cup debut before being promoted to 16th place when his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch were disqualified from finishing first and second due to a failed post-race inspection.

    Gibbs, the reigning ARCA Menards Series champion and the grandson of team owner Joe Gibbs from Charlotte, North Carolina, currently competes as a full-time Xfinity Series competitor in the No. 54 Toyota Supra for Joe Gibbs Racing. Through the first 19-scheduled events, he has achieved four victories and 11 top-10 results, including a runner-up result from last weekend’s Xfinity event at Pocono. He currently sits in third place in the Xfinity regular-season standings and trails the points lead by 22 points.

    Gibbs will also be making his second and third career starts at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for his Xfinity-Cup double-duty role this weekend. He made his first start at Indy a year ago in the Xfinity circuit, where he earned stage points during both stage segments before setting in 19th place of the 36-car field.

    Gibbs’ second career start in the NASCAR Cup Series is set to occur at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course on Sunday, July 31, with the event’s coverage to occur at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

  • Elliott awarded Cup Series victory at Pocono; Hamlin, Kyle Busch DQ’d following post-race inspection

    Elliott awarded Cup Series victory at Pocono; Hamlin, Kyle Busch DQ’d following post-race inspection

    In a late turn of events, Chase Elliott was declared the winner of the M&M’s Fan Appreciation 400 at Pocono Raceway on Sunday, July 24, after NASCAR disqualified the initial results of race winner Denny Hamlin and runner-up finisher Kyle Busch.

    The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion from Dawsonville, Georgia, initially came home in third place behind Joe Gibbs Racing’s Hamlin and Busch. Two hours after Hamlin claimed the checkered flag on the track, however, the news of the disqualification involving Hamlin and Busch following the post-race inspection process was announced. This prompted NASCAR to award Elliott, who currently leads the regular-season standings, his fourth victory of the 2022 Cup season.

    With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Saturday, Denny Hamlin claimed his third pole position of the season after his No. 11 FedEx Toyota TRD Camry posted a pole-winning lap at 169.991 mph in 52.944 seconds. Joining him on the front row was teammate Kyle Busch, whose No. 18 M&M’s Toyota TRD Camry clocked in a fast qualifying lap at 169.498 mph in 53.098 seconds.

    On Saturday, NASCAR assessed L1 penalties to Petty GMS Motorsports’ two entries piloted by Ty Dillon and Erik Jones after both were found to have violated NASCAR’s Rule Book pertaining to the Rocker Box Assemblies. As a result, both entires were docked 35 driver/owner points and their crew chiefs, Jerame Donley and Dave Elenz were suspended for Sunday’s event. With the team electing not to appeal the penalty, Joey Cohen served as Dillon’s interim crew chief while Danny Efland served as Jones’ interim crew chief.

    Prior to the event, William Byron, Ross Chastain, Justin Haley, Erik Jones and Cody Ware dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments made to their respective cars. In addition, the No. 45 23XI Racing entry normally piloted by Kurt Busch dropped to the rear of the field due to a back-up car and for a driver change as Xfinity Series competitor Ty Gibbs took over the ride. Gibbs filled in for Busch, who was not medically cleared to compete following his wreck during qualifying on Saturday.

    When the green flag waved and the race started, Hamlin rocketed toward the front with an early advantage exiting the frontstretch, but Kyle Busch gained a huge run through the first turn and grabbed the lead. Then, entering the Long Pond straightaway, Hamlin scrubbed the outside wall as he was overtaken by Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson and Ryan Blaney. As the field fanned out through the Tricky Triangle’s three turns, Busch led the first lap as the field returned to the frontstretch. By then, Hamlin was back in fifth.

    Through the first five scheduled laps, Kyle Busch was leading by two-and-a-half seconds over Chase Elliott followed by Larson, Hamlin and Blaney while Chris Buescher, Daniel Suarez, Martin Truex Jr., Bubba Wallace and Alex Bowman were in the top 10.

    During the following lap, the first caution flew when rookie Austin Cindric slipped sideways and spun in Turn 3 as he barely tapped the inside wall toward the frontstretch and flat-spotted the tires on his No. 2 Keystone Ford Mustang. During the extensive caution period, Joey Logano, Justin Haley, Bubba Wallace, William Byron, Kevin Harvick, rookie Todd Gilliland, Aric Almirola, rookie Harrison Burton, Michael McDowell, Cole Custer, Josh Bilicki and JJ Yeley pitted while the rest, led by Kyle Busch, remained on the track.

    When the race restarted under green on Lap 12, Kyle Busch launched ahead on the outside lane, but he then went wide entering the first turn and lost both the lead and his momentum. With Busch losing the top spot and a bevy of spots, a three-wide battle for the lead occurred between Larson, Elliott and Hamlin through the Long Pond straightaway before Larson assumed the top spot with a strong move on the outside lane through the Tunnel Curve.

    By Lap 15, Larson was leading by more than six-tenths of a second over teammate Elliott followed by Hamlin, Blaney and Suarez while Bubba Wallace, Kyle Busch, Christopher Bell, Chris Buescher and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. were in the top 10. Ross Chastain was in 11th followed by Tyler Reddick, Alex Bowman, Martin Truex Jr. and Erik Jones while Corey LaJoie, Michael McDowell, Austin Dillon, William Byron and rookie Harrison Burton were in the top 20. Meanwhile, Kevin Harvick was mired in 23rd behind teammate Chase Briscoe, Aric Almirola was in 25th in front of Logano, Brad Keselowski was in 29th and newcomer Ty Gibbs was in 33rd.

    At the Lap 20 mark, Larson continued to lead by nearly four-tenths over teammate Elliott while Hamlin, Blaney and Suarez were in the top five. Behind, Kyle Busch started to challenge Suarez for sixth place while Wallace, Bell, Buescher and Chastain were in the top 10. Shortly after, Austin Dillon pitted under green as part of a strategic move.

    By Lap 27, Bubba Wallace, Bell, Buescher, Chastain, Tyler Reddick, Alex Bowman and Stenhouse pitted under green. Just as they all peeled off the track to pit, the caution flew when Aric Almirola got loose and spun his No. 10 Haas Automation Ford Mustang in Turn 3 as he flat-spotted his tires. Almirola’s spin was enough for NASCAR to conclude the first stage scheduled for Lap 30 to conclude under caution and Larson claimed his third stage victory of the 2022 Cup season. Teammate Elliott settled in second followed by Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Suarez, Blaney, Erik Jones, Byron, Martin Truex Jr. and Harvick.

    Under the stage break, Burton, Logano, BJ McLeod, Cody Ware, Bell, Chastain, Wallace, Buescher, Gilliland, Stenhouse, Austin Dillon, Reddick and Custer remained on the track while the rest, led by Larson, pitted.

    The second stage started on Lap 34 as Burton and Logano occupied the front row. At the start, the field fanned out to multiple lanes approaching the first turn as Bell, who restarted behind Burton, challenged Burton for the lead. When the field returned to the start/finish line, Bell assumed the lead while Wallace overtook Bell for the runner-up spot. By then, Logano was back in sixth as Kyle Busch and Chastain were in the top five.

    During the following lap and as the field continued to scramble for positions, the caution returned when Josh Bilicki suffered a flat tire, spun and wrecked in Turn 1.

    As the race proceeded under green on Lap 40, the field fanned out to multiple lanes again approaching the first turn as Bell’s No. 20 Rheem Toyota TRD Camry retained the top spot ahead of Harrison Burton’s No. 21 Motorcraft Ford Mustang and Wallace’s No. 23 DoorDash Toyota TRD Camry. Not long after, however, the caution returned when Hamlin, who was running in 18th, got loose and spun his No. 11 FedEx Toyota TRD Camry past the Tunnel Curve in Turn 2 as he was dodged by the field. During the caution period, some drivers, including Austin Dillon, pitted, while the rest, led by Bell, remained on the track.

    As the race restarted under green on Lap 44 and with the field fanning out, Bell retained the top spot on the outside lane while Wallace and Kyle Busch battled for the runner-up spot. Just as the field made its way through the first turn and entering the Long Pond straightaway, the caution flew when Corey LaJoie got loose underneath Michael McDowell. This caused McDowell to slip and slap the outside wall while LaJoie pounded the wall and came to a rest sideways and with damage to his car. During the caution period, Erik Jones, Stenhouse, Haley, McDowell, Noah Gragson, Cody Ware and McLeod pitted while the rest, led by Bell, remained on the track.

    When the race restarted under green on Lap 48, Kyle Busch’s No. 18 M&M’s Toyota TRD Camry received a push from Ross Chastain’s No. 1 Worldwide Express Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 to the lead ahead of teammate Bell as the field spread out through the Long Pond straightaway and entering the Tunnel Curve.

    By Lap 55, Kyle Busch was leading by more than a second over teammate Bell followed by Wallace, Larson and Byron while Truex, Chastain, Reddick, Bowman and Blaney were in the top 10. Burton was back in 11th ahead of Suarez, Buescher, Elliott and Harvick while Logano, Hamlin, Erik Jones, Briscoe and Almirola were in the top 20. By then, Logano pitted under green.

    Two laps later, Wallace and Burton pitted under green while Kyle Busch extended his advantage to more than two seconds over teammate Bell and more than three seconds over third-place Larson. Bowman would also pit his No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 under green.

    Just past the Lap 60 mark, Byron and Harvick also pitted under green along with Bell, Larson, Suarez and Elliott as Kyle Busch remained the leader by more than six seconds over teammate Truex and nearly seven over Chastain.

    On Lap 65, Kyle Busch surrendered the lead to pit under green followed by Buescher as Truex assumed the lead. By then, Chastain had also pitted. Another two laps later, Truex surrendered the lead to pit along with Almirola as Blaney cycled to the lead. By then, Reddick had completed his pit stop.

    Through Lap 75, Erik Jones, who overtook Blaney for the lead two laps earlier, was leading by six-tenths of a second over Hamlin followed by Blaney Austin Dillon and Ty Dillon while Stenhouse, Brad Keselowski, McDowell, Kyle Busch and LaJoie were in the top 10.

    At the halfway mark on Lap 80, Erik Jones continued to lead by eight-tenths of a second over Hamlin followed by Blaney, Austin Dillon and Stenhouse while Kyle Busch, McDowell, LaJoie, Gilliland and Larson were in the top 10. Shortly after, Blaney, who led seven laps, pitted under green.

    Two laps later, the caution flew when Ty Dillon, who had just made a pit stop under green, spun past the Tunnel Curve in Turn 2. During the caution period, Wallace and Blaney remained on the track while the rest of the field, led by Erik Jones, pitted. 

    With seven laps remaining in the second stage, the event proceeded under green. At the start, Wallace received a push from Kyle Busch on the outside lane to emerge with the lead followed by Busch while Blaney fell back to third in front of Erik Jones, Hamlin, Chastain, Larson, Suarez and Byron. Through the Tunnel Curve, Busch quickly cycled his way back to the lead as Blaney also overtook Wallace for the runner-up spot. Not long after, Chastain, Erik Jones and Hamlin all overtook Wallace for spots in the top five as Kyle Bush ran away from the field.

    With three laps remaining in the second stage, Wallace, who was falling below the leaderboard on old tires, pitted under green as Kyle Busch was out in front by nearly a second over Chastain. Meanwhile, Blaney and Erik Jones battled for third in front of Hamlin.

    When the second stage concluded on Lap 95, Kyle Busch clinched his second stage victory of the 2022 season. Chastain settled in second followed by Blaney, Erik Jones, Hamlin, Harvick, Byron, Suarez, Elliott and Larson.

    Under the stage break, some of the drivers, led by Buescher, pitted while the rest, led by Kyle Busch, remained on the track.

    With 60 laps remaining, the final stage started as Kyle Busch and Chastain occupied the front row. At the start, Kyle Busch retained the lead ahead of Chastain while Hamlin made a bold three-wide move on Blaney and Erik Jones through the Long Pond straightaway and entering the Tunnel Curve to move into third place. Shortly after, Byron rocketed his No. 24 Raptor Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 into fourth place as Jones and Blaney fell back to fifth and sixth in front of Harvick and Bell.

    Ten laps later, Kyle Busch retained the lead by three-tenths of a second over Chastain while Hamlin, Byron, Bell, Harvick, Erik Jones, Suarez, Elliott and Larson were in the top 10. A few laps earlier, Blaney pitted under green after his No. 12 Menards Ford Mustang sustained a flat left-rear tire.

    Nearing the final 40 laps, names like Chris Buescher, Reddick, Stenhouse, Harvick and Austin Dillon pitted under green while Kyle Busch held a narrow advantage over Chastain. Soon after, Elliott pitted along with Suarez, Truex, Larson, Byron, Erik Jones and Aric Almirola. Following the pit stops, Byron was penalized for equipment interference.

    With 37 laps remaining, Kyle Busch surrendered the lead to Chastain as he pitted under green along with teammate Bell and Bowman. During the following lap, Chastain pitted under green as Hamlin cycled to the lead.

    Two laps later, Buescher spun in Turn 3, but the race continued under green as the leader, Hamlin, pitted under green. Once the rest of the field, including Logano and Wallace, pitted, Chastain cycled to the lead ahead of Kyle Busch and Hamlin.

    Down to the final 30 laps of the event, Chastain was leading by nearly a second over rival Hamlin while third-place Kyle Busch trailed by one-and-a-half seconds. 

    Then seven laps later, the caution flew when Blaney got loose in Turn 3, spun and pounded the inside wall head-on. During the caution period, names like Gilliland, Austin Dillon, Keselowski, Bowman, Chase Briscoe, Byron, Haley, Ty Dillon, Gragson and Stenhouse pitted while the rest led by Chastain remained on the track.

    With 19 laps remaining, the race restarted under green. At the start, Chastain and Hamlin dueled for the lead entering the first turn. Then through the first turn, Hamlin, who was still irritated over his share of run-ins with Chastain throughout the season and vowed payback, moved up the track and edged Chastain into the outside wall, causing him to pound the wall. While Hamlin ran away with the lead, Chastain, who lost his momentum, was then hit by Harvick’s No. 4 Busch Light Apple Ford Mustang and Bell scraped the outside wall as Chastain spun and clipped the inside wall. The wreck spoiled Chastain’s opportunity to win along with Harvick’s opportunity to grab a win and keep his Playoff hopes alive. 

    When the race proceeded under green with 13 laps remaining, Hamlin retained the lead with a strong start on the outside lane followed by teammate Kyle Busch while Elliott was in third followed by Bell and Reddick. Behind, Suarez was in sixth followed by McDowell, Truex, Larson and Erik Jones.

    With 10 laps remaining, Hamlin continued to lead by nearly eight-tenths of a second over teammate Kyle Busch followed by Elliott and Reddick while Suarez and Bell battled fiercely for fifth in front of McDowell, Truex and Larson. By then, Wallace rallied his way into 10th place.

    Down to the final five laps of the event, Hamlin remained the leader by seven-tenths of a second over teammate Kyle Busch followed by Elliott, Reddick and Suarez.

    When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Hamlin led by nearly nine-tenths of a second over teammate Kyle Busch. Despite enduring a bumpy road to victory from start to finish, Hamlin was able to smoothly navigate his way around the Tricky Triangle’s turns and straightaways for a final time as he beat Busch by nearly a second to grab what would have been his third victory of the 2022 season and a record-achieving seventh victory at Pocono.

    “It’s the team,” Hamlin, who shared a victorious moment with his daughter, Taylor, on the frontstretch, said on USA Network. “They just were able to come back with a great strategy there to get us back upfront from the mistake I made. I just wanted to be a local short-track racer in Virginia. That’s all I really cared about. I was able to get a great break from [the late] J.D. Gibbs. That’s why I’m driving the No. 11 for Joe Gibbs Racing. It feels good to win here at Pocono.”

    Following the event, however, NASCAR disqualified the first and second-place cars of race winner Hamlin and runner-up, Kyle Busch, due to their cars failing the post-race inspection process. NASCAR later stated that an issue with the front fascia was found on both cars, which prompted the sanctioning body to strip the results of both Joe Gibbs Racing competitors.

    With Hamlin and Busch disqualified, Chase Elliott, who initially finished in third place, was awarded the victory. As a result, Elliott notched his fourth victory of the year, becoming the first four-time winner of this season. It was his first at Pocono and his 17th career win in NASCAR’s premier series. This also marks the first time this season that an initial Cup winner was disqualified due to an issue stemming from the post-race inspection process.

    “Yeah, unfortunately, we were doing our post-race inspections, which we do,” Brad Moran, NASCAR Cup Series managing director, said following the announcement. “There were some issues discovered that affect aero of the vehicle. The part was the front fascia. There really was no reason why there was some material that was somewhere it shouldn’t have been, and that does basically come down to a DQ. It is a penalty, both for the 11 of Denny Hamlin and the 18 of Kyle Busch have been DQed. Their vehicles are being loaded in the NASCAR hauler and they’re going to go back to the R&D Center [in Concord, North Carolina].”

    Joe Gibbs Racing has been given until 12 p.m. ET Monday to file an appeal.

    Tyler Reddick was promoted to second place while Suarez, Bell and Larson finished in the top five. McDowell, Truex, Wallace, Erik Jones and Austin Dillon completed the top 10. Notably, Ty Gibbs finished 16th in his Cup debut.

    There were 15 lead changes for 10 different leaders. The race featured nine cautions for 37 laps.

    With five regular season races remaining this season, Chase Elliott continues to lead the regular season standings by 105 points over Ross Chastain. 

    Chase Elliott, Ross Chastain, Joey Logano, William Byron, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, Kyle Busch, Alex Bowman, Daniel Suarez, Tyler Reddick, rookie Austin Cindric, Chase Briscoe and Kurt Busch are currently guaranteed spots for the 2022 Cup Series Playoffs based on winning at least once throughout the regular-season stretch. Ryan Blaney and Martin Truex Jr. are above the top-16 cutline based on points. Kevin Harvick trails the top-16 cutline by 83 points, Aric Almirola by 140, Erik Jones by 182, Austin Dillon by 206, Michael McDowell by 207, Bubba Wallace by 236, Justin Haley by 247, Chris Buescher by 266, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. by 287 and Cole Custer trails by 301.

    Results.

    1. Chase Elliott

    2. Tyler Reddick

    3. Daniel Suarez

    4. Christopher Bell, 14 laps led

    5. Kyle Larson, 18 laps led, Stage 1 winner

    6. Michael McDowell

    7. Martin Truex Jr., two laps led

    8. Bubba Wallace, four laps led

    9. Erik Jones, 11 laps led

    10. Austin Dillon

    11. Alex Bowman

    12. William Byron

    13. Aric Almirola

    14. Brad Keselowski

    15. Chase Briscoe

    16. Ty Gibbs

    17. Cole Custer

    18. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

    19. Corey LaJoie

    20. Joey Logano

    21. Justin Haley

    22. Ty Dillon

    23. Harrison Burton, four laps down

    24. Noah Gragson

    25. Todd Gilliland

    26. Cody Ware

    27. Kevin Harvick

    28. JJ Yeley, one lap down

    29. Chris Buescher, two laps down

    30. BJ McLeod, two laps down

    31. Austin Cindric, six laps down

    32. Ross Chastain – OUT, Accident 16 laps led, Stage 2 winner (*Awarded after Kyle Busch’s disqualification)

    33. Ryan Blaney – OUT, Accident, seven laps led

    34. Josh Bilicki – OUT, Accident

    35. Denny Hamlin – Disqualified, 21 laps led

    36. Kyle Busch – Disqualified, 63 laps led

    Next on the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the series’ second annual event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course, which will also mark the series’ fourth road course event of this season. The event is scheduled to occur on Sunday, July 31, at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

  • Gragson outduels Gibbs for third Xfinity victory of 2022 at Pocono

    Gragson outduels Gibbs for third Xfinity victory of 2022 at Pocono

    A week after having a top-five result at New Hampshire Motor Speedway stripped due to a failed post-race inspection to his car, Noah Gragson rebounded with vengeance after fending off Ty Gibbs to win the Explore the Pocono Mountains 225 at Pocono Raceway on Saturday, July 23.

    The 24-year-old Gragson from Las Vegas, Nevada, led three times for a race-high 43 of 90-scheduled, including the final 21, as he overtook teammate Josh Berry for the top spot. From there, he fended off a hard-charging Gibbs, including a final lap side-by-side duel with Gibbs through the Long Pond straightaway, to retain the top spot and claim his third victory of the 2022 Xfinity Series season by more than two-tenths of a second.

    With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Saturday, Justin Allgaier, winner of last weekend’s Xfinity event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, started on pole position after clocking in a pole-winning lap at 168.669 mph in 53.359 seconds. Joining him on the front row was Ty Gibbs, who posted a fast qualifying lap at 168.319 mph in 53.470 seconds.

    When the green flag waved and the race started, Allgaier and Gibbs dueled for the top spot entering the first turn as Allgaier managed to fend off Gibbs and Brandon Jones to lead the field through the Long Pond straightaway. Behind, newcomer Sammy Smith and AJ Allmendinger dueled for fifth ahead of Josh Berry and Richard Childress Racing’s rookies Sheldon Creed and Austin Hill.

    During the following lap, the first caution flew when Rajah Caruth made contact with Alex Labbe entering the frontstretch as both were sent spinning and colliding against the inside wall. Despite the hard accident, both competitors emerge uninjured from their wrecked race cars.

    When the event restarted under green on the sixth lap, Allgaier rocketed his No. 7 Hellmann’s Chevrolet Camaro with the lead on the outside lane as he fended off Gibbs’ No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota Supra. Shortly after, Brandon Jones overtook teammate Gibbs for the runner-up spot followed by Allmendinger and Creed as Gibbs was stuck n a side-by-side battle with Hill on the inside lane with no momentum. 

    Through the first 10 scheduled laps, Allgaier was leading by more than a second over Brandon Jones’ No. 19 Menards Toyota Supra followed by Allmendinger, Creed and Gibbs while Hill, Noah Gragson, Berry, Daniel Hemric and Sammy Smith were in the top 10. Riley Herbst was in 11th ahead of Santino Ferrucci, Cole Custer, Landon Cassill and Ryan Sieg while Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Brett Moffitt, Myatt Snider, Sam Mayer and Anthony Alfredo were in the top 20.

    When the first stage concluded on Lap 20, Allgaier captured his sixth stage victory of the season as he was leading by more than a second over Brandon Jones. Allmendinger settled in third followed by Gibbs, Creed, Berry, Gragson, Sammy Smith, Hemric and Hill.

    Under the stage break, Anthony Alfredo remained on the track while the rest led by Allgaier pitted. During the pit stops, Allgaier dropped out of the top five due to a slow pit stop and an issue with his jack as Brandon Jones was the first competitor to exit off of pit road.

    The second stage started on Lap 25 as Alfredo and Brandon Jones occupied the front row. At the start, Alfredo took off with the top spot followed by a hard-charging Gragson as Gragson assumed the lead through the Long Pond straightaway. As the field, which was fanned out, returned to the start/finish line, Gragson was out in front ahead of Gibbs, Berry, Brandon Jones and Creed while Allgaier was mired in ninth in between Hemric and Sammy Smith.

    By Lap 35, Gragson’s No. 9 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet Camaro was out in front by four-tenths of a second over Gibbs’ No. 54 entry while Brandon Jones, Creed and Berry were in the top five. Allgaier was back in sixth while battling teammate Berry as Allmendinger, Hemric, Landon Cassill and Hill occupied the top 10. Meanwhile, Sam Mayer, who had pitted a few laps earlier due to suffering a flat tire, was back in 36th and off the lead lap from the leaders.

    When the second stage concluded on Lap 40, Gragson notched his seventh stage victory of the season while Gibbs fended off teammate Brandon Jones for the runner-up spot. Creed, Berry, Allgaier, Allmendinger, Cassill, Hemric and Hill were scored in the top 10 at the stage’s conclusion.

    Under the stage break, names like Hill and Myatt Snider remained on the track while the rest led by Gragson pitted as Gragson was the first competitor to exit off of pit road.

    With 45 laps remaining, the final stage started as the event reached its halfway mark. At the start and as Myatt Snider took his car to pit road with a flat right-rear tire, Hill and Gragson dueled for the lead before Gragson rocketed with the lead on the inside lane as Hill was being challenged by Brandon Jones and Gibbs for the runner-up spot.

    Then as the field made their way back to the frontstretch, the caution flew when Santino Ferrucci got sideways entering the frontstretch and triggered a multi-car wreck as he was hit hard by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Then as Stenhouse’s wrecked No. 48 Big Machine Racing Chevrolet Camaro slid towards the inside wall, he was hit by an oncoming Jeb Burton, who was running towards the inside wall to avoid the incident as Burton was sent upside down as his No. 27 Our Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro slid across the frontstretch before coming to a rest just past the start/finish line while the car remained on its roof. Other competitors that were involved in the wreck included Jeremy Clements and Ronnie Bassett Jr. Despite the incident, all competitors, including Burton, emerged uninjured as the event was red-flagged for more than eight minutes.

    When the red flag lifted and the race proceeded under green with 40 laps remaining, Gibbs powered his No. 54 entry to the lead followed by Creed’s No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet Camaro as Brandon Jones battled Gragson for third place. Through the Tunnel Curve, Gragson held on for third place as Hemric challenged Jones for fourth place.

    Two laps later, the caution returned when Sammy Smith got loose underneath Cassill in Turn 1 and backed his No. 18 Pilot Flying J Toyota Supra into the outside wall with significant damage. During the caution period, the field led by Gibbs pitted and Gibbs exited with the top spot followed by Berry, Allgaier, Alfredo and Creed, all of whom opted for only fuel to their respective cars, while most of the field opted for two tires. During the pit stops, Creed nearly made contact with David Starr and Stefan Parsons while trying to exit his pit stall. Following the pit stops, Allgaier was penalized for speeding on pit road. 

    With 34 laps remaining, the race restarted under green as Riley Herbst and Brett Moffitt, both of whom remained on the track, occupied the front row. At the start, Herbst took off with the lead and Berry carved his way into the runner-up spot as the field fanned out through the Long Pond straightaway.

    Four laps later, Berry rocketed his No. 8 Tire Pros Chevrolet Camaro to the top of the leaderboard over Herbst’s No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang as Creed and Gragson duked for third place in front of Gibbs. 

    Another nine laps later, Gragson, who had stalked and intimidated teammate Berry for the lead, seized an opportunity and returned to the lead while Gibbs remained in third place. By then, Brandon Jones had made a pit stop under green due to a flat right-rear tire to his car. Shortly after, Gibbs muscled his way into the runner-up spot after he overtook Berry.

    With 15 laps remaining, Gragson was leading by four-tenths of a second over Gibbs followed by Berry, Allmendinger and Creed while Hill, Mayer, Allgaier, Herbst and Hemric occupied the top 10. Meanwhile, Cassill was in 11th ahead of Cole Custer, Brandon Brown, Ryan Sieg and Myatt Snider while Brett Moffitt, Anthony Alfredo, Kyle Weatherman, Josh Williams and Sage Karam were in the top 20.

    Down to the final 10 laps of the event, Gragson continued to lead by nearly four-tenths of a second over Gibbs. Berry remained in third, trailing by nearly four seconds, while Allmendinger and Creed settled in the top five. Filling out the top 10 were Hill, Sam Mayer, Allgaier, Hemric and Cassill while Herbst fell back to 11th.

    Then with six laps remaining and with the leaders making their way through lapped traffic, Gragson and Gibbs dueled for the lead through the frontstretch, but Gragson managed to retain the top spot. Both competitors went at it for the lead during the following lap, but Gibbs could not seal the deal as Gragson remained as the leader. 

    When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Gragson remained as the leader by a tenth of a second ahead of Gibbs, who was setting up for a final lap challenge for the victory. Entering the Long Pond straightaway, Gibbs then gained a huge run and managed to pull himself alongside Gragson’s No. 9 entry as both went side-by-side and made little contact. Through the Tunnel Curve, hover, Gragson managed to pull ahead on the outside lane while Gibbs nearly got loose on the inside lane. With Gibbs unable to launch another attack for the win, Gragson cycled his way back to the frontstretch and cross the finish line to win by nearly three-tenths of a second over Gibbs.

    With the victory, Gragson earned his eighth NASCAR Xfinity Series career victory, his third of the season and his first since winning at Talladega Superspeedway in April. He also recorded the eighth Xfinity victory of the season for JR Motorsports and he became the third Xfinity regular to achieve three-plus victories throughout the season.

    “That was probably the best I’ve ever driven there,” Gragson said on USA Network. “Man, I’m worn out. It really wasn’t that long of a race. Just working my ass off there to keep [Gibbs] back. He’s pretty fast. [Crew chief] Luke Lambert and the rest of this 50th anniversary Bass Pro Shops, Black Rifle Coffee, True Timber team did an unbelievable job with coming down pit road there, putting four tires on. Man, I had to work for it. It was tough. Just getting tight, tight, tight. I didn’t think with 15 [laps] to go, I didn’t think I could hold him off. We just keep digging. This team is unbelievable. I’m fired up. Our third win of the year. It’s a dream come true and it doesn’t get any better than in front of you badass race fans out here. I wanna thank you, guys, for coming out, baby!”

    Ty Gibbs settled in the runner-up spot for the second time of this season and for a second consecutive season at Pocono while Berry, Allmendinger and Creed finished in the top five.

    “It definitely hurt us being on a tire advantage, but also so surprised to be able to hang with [Gragson] when he was on rights,” Gibbs said. “Great car, just didn’t put it together. I wanna say that was, I feel like, on my part. I just made some mistakes, but we’ll come back at it next weekend. I just put myself in a bad position there, but I always love racing out here. Congratulations to [Gragson]. We both went in [the Tunnel Curve] side-by-side. I just lost my side force and got loose under him, but that’s racing. I put myself in that position, but I feel like I definitely have to look back and see what other options I had. Thank you to everybody that’s a part of this deal. I had a great time”

    There were nine lead changes for eight different leaders. The race featured five cautions for 18 laps.

    With seven races remaining in the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series regular-season stretch, AJ Allmendinger continues to lead the regular-season standings by 16 points over Justin Allgaier, 22 over Ty Gibbs, 87 over Josh Berry and 90 over Noah Gragson.

    Ty Gibbs, Justin Allgaier, AJ Allmendinger, Noah Gragson, Josh Berry, rookie Austin Hill and Brandon Jones are currently guaranteed spots for the 2022 Xfinity Playoffs based on winning once throughout the regular season stretch while Sam Mayer, Riley Herbst, Daniel Hemric, Ryan Sieg and Landon Cassill occupy the remaining vacant spots to the Playoffs based on points. Sheldon Creed trails the top-12 cutline to make the Playoffs by 47 points, Brandon Brown trails by 66, Anthony Alfredo trails by 77, Brett Moffitt trails by 89, Jeb Burton trails by 123, Myatt Snider trails by 144, Jeremy Clements trails by 146, Myatt Snider and Alex Labbe trails by 171.

    Results.

    1. Noah Gragson, 43 laps led, Stage 2 winner

    2. Ty Gibbs, three laps led

    3. Josh Berry, nine laps led

    4. AJ Allmendinger

    5. Sheldon Creed

    6. Sam Mayer

    7. Justin Allgaier, 22 laps led, Stage 1 winner

    8. Austin Hill, four laps led

    9. Daniel Hemric

    10. Cole Custer

    11. Landon Cassill

    12. Riley Herbst, four laps led

    13. Brandon Brown

    14. Myatt Snider

    15. Ryan Sieg

    16. Anthony Alfredo, three laps led

    17. Brandon Jones

    18. Brett Moffitt, two laps led

    19. Kyle Weatherman

    20. Sage Karam

    21. Josh Williams

    22. Kyle Sieg

    23. Stefan Parsons

    24. Mason Massey

    25. Ryan Vargas, one lap down

    26. Bayley Currey, one lap down

    27. David Starr, one lap down

    28. JJ Yeley, one lap down

    29. Patrick Emerling, one lap down

    30. Timmy Hill, one lap down

    31. Sammy Smith – OUT, Accident

    32. Jeremy Clements – OUT, Accident

    33. Jeb Burton – OUT, Accident

    34. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – OUT, Accident

    35. Santino Ferrucci – OUT, Accident

    36. Ronnie Bassett Jr. – OUT

    37. Alex Labbe – OUT, Accident

    38. Rajah Caruth – OUT, Accident

    Next on the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule is the series’ lone event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course as part of a NASCAR and IndyCar doubleheader feature. The event is scheduled to occur on Saturday, July 30, at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

  • Allgaier surges to late Xfinity Series victory at New Hampshire

    Allgaier surges to late Xfinity Series victory at New Hampshire

    Justin Allgaier survived a series of late cautions and carnage and stormed to the front during the final 50 laps, pulling away during a 21-lap dash to the finish to win the Crayon 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Saturday, July 16.

    The 36-year-old veteran from Riverton, Illinois, led twice for 47 of 200 laps, including the final 19, as he withstood a late battle against Landon Cassill before beating Trevor Bayne by nearly four seconds for his third NASCAR Xfinity Series victory of the 2022 season. Ironically, Allgaier rallied from being involved in an early incident involving newcomer Julia Landauer, where the driver of the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro sustained right-front fender damage, to preserve his tires and charge to his late victory.

    With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Friday, Josh Berry initially qualified on pole position after posting a pole-qualifying lap at 127.163 mph in 29.952 seconds. He, however, dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments to his car after he slapped the outside wall in Turn 2 during his qualifying session. With that, Daniel Hemric, who clocked in a fast qualifying lap at 126.930 mph in 30.007 seconds led the field to the start. Joining him on the front row was Justin Allgaier, who posted his best qualifying lap at 126.829 mph in 30.031 seconds.

    Prior to the event, names like Akinori Ogata, Alex Labbe, Howie Disavino III, Joe Graf Jr. and David Starr joined Berry at the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments to their respective cars. Jeremy Clements also dropped to the rear of the field for a tire change along with JJ Yeley, who changed an engine.

    When the green flag waved and the race started amid a stacked start from the field, Hemric managed to clear the field entering the first two turns as he went on to lead the first lap while Ty Gibbs challenged and overtook Allgaier for the runner-up spot. Shortly after, Allgaier was locked in a three-wide battle with Trevor Bayne and Landon Cassill for position as Bayne moved up to third while the field behind jostled early for positions. Meanwhile, Brandon Jones, who was up in sixth, got shuffled back to 11th.

    Then on the fifth lap, Gibbs, who attempted to make a move on Hemric for the lead entering Turn 3, got loose as his No. 54 He Gets Us Toyota Supra made slight contact against Hemric’s No. 11 AG1 Chevrolet Camaro. This allowed Bayne to move his No. 18 Devotion Nutrition Toyota Supra into the lead while Hemric and Gibbs recovered and settled in second and fourth.

    Through the first 10 scheduled laps, Bayne was leading by nearly a second over both Hemric and Gibbs while Allgaier and William Byron occupied the top five. Cassill was in sixth ahead of teammate AJ Allmendinger, Noah Gragson, Sam Mayer and Ryan Sieg while Riley Herbst, Brandon Jones, rookie Sheldon Creed, Brett Moffitt, Derek Griffith, rookie Austin Hill, Ty Dillon, Anthony Alfredo, Brandon Brown and Myatt Snider were in the top 20. Meanwhile, Josh Berry was mired in 27th behind Alex Labbe.

    Ten laps later, Bayne’s advantage decreased to two-tenths of a second as teammate Gibbs caught and started to challenge Bayne for the lead. Behind, Allgaier was in third place, trailing the leaders by more than two seconds, while Byron was up in fourth ahead of Hemric, Cassill and Allmendinger.

    Then another two laps later, Gibbs challenged and overtook teammate Bayne for the lead entering the first turn.

    Just past the Lap 30 mark, an initial two-car battle for the lead between teammates Gibbs and Bayne became a four-car battle as JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier and William Byron joined the battle, with Allgaier overtaking Bayne for the runner-up spot as he pursued Gibbs for the lead.

    Then on Lap 35, the first caution flew when Allgaier, who was trying to pursue Gibbs for the lead while also trying to both fend off teammate Byron and overtake the lapped car of newcomer Julia Landauer, made contact and turned Landauer on the frontstretch as she backed her No. 45 Garage XYZ Chevrolet Camaro against the inside wall while Allgaier proceeded despite sustaining right-front fender damage. 

    During the caution period, names like Ryan Sieg, Anthony Alfredo, Brandon Brown, Myatt Snider, Jeremy Clements, Bailey Currey, Mason Massey, JJ Yeley and Joe Graf Jr. remained on the track while the rest of the field led by Gibbs pitted. During the pit stops, Byron lost several spots on pit road after he got blocked by Creed in front of his pit stall.

    With four laps remaining in the first stage, the event restarted under green. At the start, Sieg took off with the lead followed by Brown and Alfredo as the field stacked up and fanned out through the first two turns between the competitors with fresh tires and those with none. 

    When the first stage concluded on Lap 45, Sieg managed to fend off a hard-charging Gibbs to claim his first stage victory of the season. Allmendinger and Byron managed to carve their way up to third and fourth while Brown edged Bayne to conclude the first stage in fifth. Rounding out the top 10 were Alfredo, Cassill, Gragson and Hemric. By then, Berry was up in 13th.

    Under the stage break, some led by Sieg pitted while the rest led by Gibbs remained on the track.

    The second stage started on Lap 52 as Gibbs and AJ Allmendinger occupied the front row. At the start, Gibbs launched ahead on the outside lane with the lead while Byron challenged and overtook Allmendinger for the runner-up spot through the backstretch. With Byron succeeding in his brief battle against Allmendinger, Bayne challenged Cassill for fourth place as Hemric, Gragson, Allgaier, Creed, Riley Herbst and Berry battled for spots in the top 10.

    Through the first 60 scheduled laps, Gibbs was leading by nine-tenths of a second over Byron while Allmendinger, Cassill and Bayne occupied the top five. Hemric was in sixth ahead of Herbst, Gragson, Creed and Berry while Allgaier, Ty Dillon, Hill, Sieg, Brandon Jones, Mayer, Jeb Burton, Brown, Alex Labbe and Myatt Snider were in the top 20.

    At the Lap 75 mark, Gibbs continued to lead by more than a second over Byron while Cassill was up in third ahead of teammate Allmendinger and Bayne. Meanwhile, Allgaier was mired back in ninth behind teammates Gragson and Berry.

    Six laps later and with the leaders mired in lapped traffic, Byron moved his No. 88 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro into the lead over Gibbs. Cassill, Allmendinger and Bayne remained in the top five while Gragson started to pressure Hemric for sixth place.

    When the second stage concluded on Lap 90, Byron captured the stage victory by nearly three seconds over Cassill while Gibbs, Allmendinger, Bayne, Hemric, Allgaier, Berry, Herbst and Sieg were scored in the top 10. Just as the stage concluded, Gragson, who was battling Hemric for sixth place, got bumped and turned by Hemric entering Turn 3 as he spun and dropped to 17th.

    Under the stage break, the leaders led by Byron pitted and Byron retained the lead followed by Cassill, Allmendinger, Hemric, Berry and Bayne. During the pit stops, Gibbs lost a few laps to the leaders due to a mechanical issue with his car.

    With 103 laps remaining, the final stage started as Byron and Cassill occupied the front row. During the start, however, the caution quickly returned for a two-car wreck involving Matt Mills and Julia Landauer in Turn 1. The wreck was enough to terminate Landauer’s Xfinity debut in the garage and with a wrecked race car.

    Six laps later, the race proceeded under green. At the start, Byron briefly retained the lead until he went wide and fell off the pace due to suffering a flat tire. With Byron pitting under green and losing a lap to the leaders, Cassill moved into the lead followed by teammate Allmendinger, Berry, Allgaier and Hemric while Creed, Ty Dillon, Bayne, Gragson and Herbst were in the top 10.

    Shortly after, the caution returned when Hemric lost a left-rear tire, spun and wrecked hard against the Turn 3 outside wall as his strong run came to an end.

    With 89 laps remaining, the race restarted under green as Berry, who started at the rear of the field despite recording the pole, assumed the lead over Cassill while Creed battled and overtook Allmendinger for third place in front of Gragson. Behind, Ty Dillon and Allgaier battled for sixth ahead of Bayne, Sieg and Herbst.

    Then with 85 laps remaining, the caution flew when Derek Griffith spun in Turn 4. During the caution period, some like Austin Hill pitted while the rest led by Berry remained on the track.

    With 79 laps remaining, the event proceeded under green. At the start and as the field stacked up when Ty Dillon missed a shift, Berry and Cassill duked dead even for the lead as Gragson muscled his way into third place ahead of Allmendinger and Creed. During the following lap, Cassill cleared Berry to take the lead while Gragson challenged teammate Berry for the top spot. 

    Then with 76 laps remaining, the caution returned when Creed tapped and spun Berry’s No. 8 Tire Pros Chevrolet Camaro in the backstretch. Berry’s incident, which occurred in the middle of the backstretch, ignited a chain reaction, a stack-up and a multi-car wreck involving Mayer, Brandon Jones, Herbst, Myatt Snider, Sieg and Jeb Burton, who lifted Sieg’s rear tires off the ground as he briefly went into the air before coming back down as Burton’s front nose was left demolished. The wreck was enough for the event to be red-flagged for more than seven minutes.

    When the red flag lifted and the field proceeded at a cautious pace, names like Brandon Brown, Alfredo, Kyle Weatherman, Labbe, Austin Hill, Brandon Jones and Bayley Currey remained on the track while the rest led by Cassill pitted. 

    Following an extensive caution period, the event proceeded under green with 63 laps remaining. At the start, Brown rocketed with the lead as the field fanned out through the first two turns. Then through the backstretch, Creed, who was racing on fresh tires, pulled a bold four-wide move on teammate Hill, Labbe and Alfredo to assume the runner-up spot as Alfredo got loose and smacked the outside wall in Turn 3. With the race remaining under green, Creed moved his No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet Camaro into the lead during the following lap as Cassill cycled his way into third place. 

    With 58 laps remaining, Allmendinger and Labbe made contact against one another as Allmendinger, who received miscommunication from his spotter, sent Labbe into the outside wall on the frontstretch. In the midst of the carnage, Brandon Jones, who was trying to avoid the incident, was hit by Brett Moffitt as his No. 19 Menards Toyota Supra spun and pounded the inside wall head-on as his event came to an end, and with the caution returning.

    With nearly 50 laps remaining, the event restarted under green as Creed and Cassill battled for the lead. Behind, Allgaier utilized the outside lane to muscle his No. 7 BRANDT Chevrolet Camaro into third place through the backstretch. During the following lap, Cassill cleared Creed to assume the lead while Allgaier rocketed into the runner-up spot. Behind, teammates Hill and Creed battled for third in front of Byron, who recovered from falling a lap behind in the early laps of the final stage.

    Then with 48 laps remaining, Allgaier peaked ahead as he took the lead despite having Cassill close to his rear bumper. While Allgaier and Cassill battled for the lead, Creed and Byron duked for third while Gragson and Bayne overtook Hill for fifth and sixth.

    With 40 laps remaining, Allgaier was leading by six-tenths of a second over Cassill while Byron, Bayne and Creed were scored in the top five. Gragson settled in sixth ahead of Hill while Moffitt, Ty Dillon and Brandon Brown occupied the top 10. 

    Shortly after, disaster struck again for Byron, who fell off the pace while running in third place and pitted under green for a second time due to a mechanical issue with his No. 88 entry. In comparison to his previous issue at the start of the final stage, this issue cost Byron multiple laps and the opportunity to win.

    Down to the final 30 laps of the event, Allgaier continued to lead by four-tenths of a second over Cassill while Bayne trailed in third place by more than three seconds. Meanwhile, Creed and Gragson battled for fourth while Hill, Ty Dillon, Moffitt, Brown and Bayley Currey were scored in the top 10.

    Then with 26 laps remaining, the caution flew when smoke billowed out of the No. 13 entry piloted by Akinori Ogata entering the backstretch as the Japanese competitor limped his car back to the garage.

    Down to the final 21 laps of the event, the race proceeded under green. At the start, Allgaier and Cassill battled for the lead through the first two turns until Cassill utilized the inside lane to his advantage as he moved his No. 10 Carnomaly Chevrolet Camaro back into the lead. With the field jostling for late positions, Cassill and Allgaier battled for the lead once again as both Gragson and Bayne settled in third and fourth.

    Then with 18 laps remaining, Allgaier reassumed the lead through the backstretch. As Cassill tried to draw himself alongside Allgaier through the following two turns, Gragson issued his challenge on Cassill for the runner-up spot with Bayne settling in fourth. Meanwhile, Brandon Brown, racing on four fresh tires, overtook Creed to move into the top five.

    With less than 15 laps remaining, Allgaier was ahead by eight-tenths of a second over Cassill followed by a three-car battle for third place between Bayne, Gragson and Brown.

    Down to the final 10 laps of the event, Allgaier extended his advantage to more than a second over Cassill, who had Bayne close in on him for the runner-up spot. Meanwhile, Gragson and Brown battled for fourth while Creed, Ty Dillon, Hill, Clements and Kyle Weatherman were in the top 10.

    With five laps remaining, Allgaier remained as the leader by more than two seconds over both Cassill and Bayne, with both competitors dueling hard for the runner-up spot in front of Gragson.

    When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Allgaier was leading by more than four seconds over Bayne, who withstood his late, furious battle against Cassill. Having a clear race track in front of him while preserving his tires to perfection, Allgaier was able to cruise his way back to the frontstretch as he captured his third checkered flag of the season.

    With the victory, Allgaier achieved his first victory at the Magic Mile as he became the second Xfinity regular to achieve three-plus victories this season along with recording his 19th career win in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. In addition, Allgaier’s victory at New Hampshire snapped a six-year winning streak for Toyota at the Magic Mile with Chevrolet achieving its first win at New Hampshire since 2007 and it was the eighth of the season for JR Motorsports.

    “We finished second last year to [a Toyota driver],” Allgaier said on USA Network. “I told these guys [that] I really wanted to win here. This place has been so much fun over the years. First of all, it’s my wife’s birthday today. If I came here with my wife on her birthday, the best way to do it is to take home a trophy to her. Just proud of our team. I didn’t do a good job early on in the race. I apologize to Julia [Landauer] and the No. 45 team. I got into her. I still don’t know what happened, but I just feel bad no matter the case was. [I] Just felt like all day, I wasn’t doing a good job and the guys kept me calm with great pit stops all day. [Spotter] Eddie D’Hondt’s awesome up on the spotter stand. Just really proud of this team. God’s good and you fans, thank you for coming out. This place never disappoints. Love coming to New Hampshire.”

    Finishing in the runner-up spot for the second time of the year and to Allgaier was Bayne, who also posted his fourth top-five result in his part-time campaign with Joe Gibbs Racing. Bayne’s next scheduled Xfinity event is at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in October.

    “First of all, I never knew what it was like to be frustrated with second place so much,” Bayne said. “Now, watching Dale’s [Earnhardt Jr.] car out there, the No. 7 gets smaller in my windshield two races in a row, has not been fun. We got to figure out how to beat these guys, how to win races. I know we’re close, but what did I need? I think it was just short-run speed. To fight back to finish second was a good day, but I really wanted to see my kids hold a lobster in Victory Lane. I don’t know what it’s gonna take. Thankful to be here. Thankful for Devotion [Nutrition] for allowing me to [race]. I wanna do it more. That’s for sure.”

    Cassill, who led 17 laps, settled in third place for his fourth top-five result of the season while Gragson and Brown finished in the top five.

    “[This run] just says a lot [about this team],” Cassill said. “I’m really proud of these guys. We worked really hard in the sim and they made a lot of improvements on this car. Fast as Xfinity Internet, right? I just didn’t have any right-rear tire left for Justin [Allgaier] at the end there. [I] Gave it all I had on that restart, but I just can’t thank Kaulig Racing enough for having me in their car. We’ll get that win soon.”

    Following the event, however, Cassill and Gragson were disqualified from their top-five results after their respective cars were found to be low during the post-race inspection process. With that, Brown was promoted to third place followed by Jeremy Clements and Creed. Completing the top 10 were Ty Dillon, Hill, Weatherman, Mason Massey and Bayley Currey.

    There were 15 lead changes for 10 different leaders. The race featured nine cautions for 56 laps.

    With eight races remaining in the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series regular-season stretch, AJ Allmendinger continues to lead the regular season standings by 16 points over Justin Allgaier, 28 over Ty Gibbs, 87 over Josh Berry and 99 over Noah Gragson.

    Ty Gibbs, Justin Allgaier, AJ Allmendinger, Noah Gragson, Josh Berry, rookie Austin Hill and Brandon Jones are currently guaranteed spots for the 2022 Xfinity Playoffs based on winning once throughout the regular season stretch while Sam Mayer, Riley Herbst, Daniel Hemric, Ryan Sieg and Landon Cassill occupy the remaining vacant spots to the Playoffs based on points. Brandon Brown trails the top-12 cutline to make the Playoffs by 61 points, rookie Sheldon Creed trails by 63, Anthony Alfredo trails by 69, Brett Moffitt trails by 79, Jeb Burton trails by 98, Jeremy Clements trails by 122, Myatt Snider trails by 138 and Alex Labbe trails by 143 points.

    Results:

    1. Justin Allgaier, 47 laps led

    2. Trevor Bayne, 17 laps led

    3. Brandon Brown, 12 laps led

    4. Jeremy Clements

    5. Sheldon Creed, 10 laps led

    6. Ty Dillon

    7. Austin Hill

    8. Kyle Weatherman

    9. Mason Massey

    10. Bayley Currey

    11. David Starr

    12. Joe Graf Jr.

    13. CJ McLaughlin

    14. Brett Moffitt

    15. Sam Mayer

    16. Patrick Emerling 

    17. Howie Disavino III

    18. Derek Griffith

    19. Ryan Vargas

    20. AJ Allmendinger

    21. Ty Gibbs, four laps down, 49 laps led

    22. Matt Mills, eight laps down

    23. JJ Yeley, 10 laps down

    24. Josh Williams – OUT, Electrical

    25. Akinori Ogata – OUT, Engine

    26. William Byron – OUT, Electrical, 22 laps led, Stage 2 winner

    27. Alex Labbe – OUT, Accident

    28. Brandon Jones – OUT, Accident

    29. Anthony Alfredo – OUT, Accident

    30. Riley Herbst – OUT, Accident

    31. Josh Berry – OUT, Accident, 11 laps led

    32. Ryan Sieg – OUT, Accident, 10 laps led, Stage 1 winner

    33. Jeb Burton – OUT, Accident

    34. Myatt Snider – OUT, Accident

    35. Daniel Hemric – OUT, Accident, five laps led

    36. Julia Landauer – OUT, Accident

    37. Landon Cassill – Disqualified, 17 laps led

    38. Noah Gragson – Disqualified

    Next on the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule is the series’ lone visit of the season to Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. The event is scheduled to occur on Saturday, July 23, at 5 p.m. ET on USA Network.

  • Austin Hill claims second Xfinity Series career victory at Atlanta

    Austin Hill claims second Xfinity Series career victory at Atlanta

    For rookie Austin Hill, there is no place like home after the 28-year-old native from Winston, Georgia, earned a dominant victory in the Alsco Uniforms 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, his home track, on Saturday, July 9.

    Hill, who led four times for a race-high 73 of 163 and overcame radio issues prior to the start, overtook Ryan Truex for the lead with 62 laps remaining. From there, he maintained the lead in front of a steaming pack of competitors running toward the front, including moves from the outside to inside lane to stall late runs from Josh Berry and Daniel, to claim his second NASCAR Xfinity Series career victory and second of this season in front of his home crowd.

    With on-track qualifying initially scheduled for Saturday canceled due to rain, the starting lineup was determined by a metric formula used to make the qualifying order in reverse, with the winner of last weekend’s event at Road America having the lowest number. As a result, Ty Gibbs, who won last weekend at Road America and won at Atlanta earlier in March, was awarded the pole position. Joining him on the front row was Josh Berry.

    When the green flag waved and the race started, Gibbs and Berry dueled for the lead in front of the field fanning out and racing in a tight pack. Once the field returned to the start/finish line, Berry utilized the inside lane to his advantage as he led the first lap. Behind, AJ Allmendinger and Gibbs dueled for the runner-up spot in front of Noah Gragson, Brandon Jones, rookie Austin Hill and Sam Mayer. 

    Shortly after, the first caution of the event flew when Jesse Iwuji, who was running towards the rear of the field, got loose near the outside wall entering Turn 4 and spun as his car came to rest near the pit road entrance.

    When the event restarted under green on the sixth lap, Allmendinger received a draft from Gragson to challenge and overtake Berry for the lead as Gragson got loose entering Turn 3 and fell back to sixth while Mayer and Hill quickly overtook him entering and exiting the frontstretch.

    Through the first 10 scheduled laps, Allmendinger held a narrow advantage ahead of Berry and Gibbs while Mayer, Hill, Gragson, Justin Allgaier, Jeb Burton, Jeremy Clements and Daniel Hemric were in the top 10. Two laps later, the caution returned when rookie Sheldon Creed got loose and spun his No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet Camaro in the backstretch, though he managed to keep his spinning car off the course and not sustain any damage.

    Another three laps later, the race proceeded under green as Allmendinger and Berry dueled for the lead. Through the backstretch, the outside lane gained the advantage as Allmendinger pulled ahead followed by Gibbs and Hill while Berry was back in fifth alongside teammate Gragson.

    At the Lap 20 mark, Allmendinger remained as the leader in a five-car breakaway ahead of Hill, Gragson, Gibbs and Berry. Two laps later, however, Hill made his move to the lead through the backstretch as he was followed by Gibbs, who attempted but could not overtake Allmendinger for the runner-up spot. Another four laps later, though, Allmendinger reassumed the lead after executing his move entering the frontstretch. He was soon pursued by Berry, Gibbs, Gragson, Hemric and Brandon Brown while Hill fell back to seventh.

    Just past the Lap 30 mark, Allmendinger remained as the leader ahead of a seven-car breakaway followed by Berry, Gibbs, Gragson, Brandon Brown, Hemric and Hill. Meanwhile, Brandon Jones was in eighth while Clements and Jeffrey Earnhardt were in the top 10.

    Under the final five laps of the first stage and with the leaders navigating their way through lapped traffic that included Natalie Decker, Berry and Allmendinger swapped the lead as the front-runners were jumbled up in tight, close-quarters racing.

    When the first stage concluded on Lap 40, Berry managed to fend off the pack as he claimed his fifth stage victory of the season. Gibbs edged Allmendinger for the runner-up spot followed by Brandon Brown and Gragson while Hemric, Hill, Allgaier, Brandon Jones and Myatt Snider.

    Under the stage break, the leaders led by Berry pitted as Brandon Jones utilized a two-tire pit stop to his advantage as he assumed the lead followed by Gragson, Hemric, Tyler Reddick and Hill, all of whom elected for two fresh tires. During the pit stops, Allmendinger exited pit road in eighth place after his No. 16 Action Industries Chevrolet Camaro was being blocked by Gibbs’ No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota Supra while Berry had to back his No. 8 Harrison’s USA Chevrolet Camaro back to his pit stall due to a left-rear wheel that was discovered to not be tight and secured while he was attempting to leave his stall. In addition, Hemric and Ryan Sieg were penalized for speeding while exiting pit road.

    The second stage started on Lap 46 as Creed and Brandon Jones occupied the front row. At the start, Creed managed to pull ahead on the outside lane to assume the lead followed by Gragson and Reddick while Brandon Jones was losing ground towards the front while stuck on the inside lane and without any drafting support.

    Two laps later, Reddick gained a huge run from the backstretch to move his No. 48 Big Machine Spiked Coolers Chevrolet Camaro to the lead from Creed while Gragson got shuffled back to 10th. In the midst of the battles, Allmendinger made an unscheduled pit stop for two right-side tires after he made contact with the wall.

    Back on track, Reddick was scored as the leader at the Lap 50 mark followed by Creed, Hill, Brandon Brown and Brandon Jones while Mayer, Allgaier, Clements, Gragson and Ryan Truex were scored in the top 10.

    Through the first 60 laps, Reddick continued to lead a five-car breakaway from the field followed by Creed, Hill, Brandon Brown and Brandon Jones while Allgaier, Mayer, Truex, Gragson and Riley Herbst were in the top 10.

    Eight laps later, Creed made his move in Turn 1 as he reassumed the lead ahead of Reddick, Hill and Brown while the front-runners started to approach Allmendinger, who was on the verge of losing a lap to the leaders. By then, Matt Mills pitted with light smoke coming out of his car.

    When the second stage concluded on Lap 80, Hill executed a final lap pass on teammate Creed entering the first turn to wheel his No. 21 Bennett Transportation and Logistics Chevrolet Camaro to his first stage victory of the season. Teammate Creed settled in second followed by Brandon Brown, Reddick and Allgaier while Brandon Jones, Gibbs, Truex, Landon Cassill and Jeffrey Earnhardt were scored in the top 10.

    Under the stage break, the leaders led by Hill returned to pit road and Reddick exited with the top spot followed by Hill, Brandon Brown, Gibbs and Jeffrey Earnhardt. Following the pit stops, however, Reddick was sent to the rear of the field for speeding on pit road, thus giving the lead back to Hill. In addition, Jeremy Clements was penalized for pitting outside of his pit box.

    With 77 laps remaining, the final stage commenced under green as Hill and Gibbs occupied the front row. At the start, Gibbs received a push from Riley Herbst’s No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang to assume the lead ahead of Hill as the field stacked up in close-quarters racing. During the following lap, the caution flew when Brandon Jones got loose towards the outside wall in Turn 4 and slipped sideways as he made contact with Hemric’s No. 11 AG1 Chevrolet Camaro while Allgaier sustained minor damage to his No. 7 BRANDT Chevrolet Camaro. Amid his spin, Jones managed to straighten his car and proceed without sliding down pit road nor sustaining any significant damage to his No. 19 Menards Toyota Supra.

    At the start of another restart with 71 laps remaining, the Monster Energy competitors of Gibbs and Herbst made contact through Turn 1 as Gibbs slapped the outside wall twice before he pitted under green for fresh right-side tires and repairs to his No. 54 Toyota. In the midst of the carnage up towards the front, Ryan Truex, who was making his fifth start of the season with Joe Gibbs Racing, assumed the lead in his No. 18 Auto-Owners Insurance Toyota Supra followed by Hill, Hemric, Brown and Jeffrey Earnhardt while Herbst continued in the top 10.

    With 62 laps remaining, Hill reassumed the lead as Truex managed to settle in second in front of Hemric, Earnhardt and Mayer. By then, Gibbs took his car to the garage as his hopes of sweeping Atlanta evaporated.

    Then with 56 laps remaining, the caution flew when Mayer, who was trying to force his way in front of Earnhardt, made contact with Earnhardt in the backstretch before he was sent sideways and hard against the outside wall as his race came to an end.

    During the caution period, some like Brandon Brown pitted while the rest led by Hill remained on the track.

    With 48 laps remaining, the race proceeded under green as teammates Hill and Creed occupied the front row. At the start, Hill received a strong push from Berry to clear the field with the lead as he was pursued by Berry, Ryan Truex, Hemric and Ryan Sieg while Creed was left on the inside lane and mired in sixth alongside Reddick.

    Four laps later, Brandon Brown made contact with the outside wall after he blew a right-front tire, but the race proceeded under green as Brown limped back to his pit stall and eventually retired in the garage.

    Back on the track and with 40 laps remaining, Hill remained as the leader of a long pack of competitors while Berry, Truex, Hemric, Sieg, Reddick, Creed, Gragson, Cassill and Allgaier were in the top 10. Meanwhile, Allmendinger, who received the free pass to cycle back on the lead lap during the previous caution, was in 17th behind Kyle Sieg.

    Down to the final 30 laps of the event, Hill continued to lead in front of a 10-car breakaway from the field that included Berry, Truex, Hemric, Gragson, Reddick, Cassill, Allgaier, Ryan Sieg and Anthony Alfredo. Meanwhile, Herbst, Creed and Brandon Jones were in the top 15 while Allmendinger was mired in 16th. 

    With 20 laps remaining, the top-eight competitors pulled away from the field as Hill remained as the leader followed by Berry, Truex, Hemric, Reddick, Gragson, Cassill and Allgaier.

    Down to the final 10 laps of the event and with the top-eight competitors pulling away from the field, Hill retained the lead ahead of Berry, Truex, Hemric and Reddick while Gragson, Cassill and Allgaier kept the front-runners within their sights. Meanwhile, ninth-place Ryan Sieg trailed the top-eight leaders by more than four seconds and Herbst was in 10th while Allmendinger, Brandon Jones and Creed were mired in the top 15.

    With five laps remaining, the top-eight front-runners continued to run in a single-file line as Hill remained as the leader.

    When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Hill maintained his spot as the leader ahead of Berry, Truex, Hemric and Reddick. Then in Turn 1, Hemric launched his charge to the front as he overtook Truex. While trying to overtake Berry for the runner-up spot, he could not gain any additional drafting help as he was left to battle with Berry, Truex, Reddick and Gragson for spots in the top five. This allowed Hill to pull away and maintain both lanes to his advantage as he cycled his way back to the frontstretch and claim his second checkered flag of his career and of the season.

    By claiming his second career win in the Xfinity Series, Hill became the sixth competitor to achieve multiple victories in this year’s Xfinity season as he also recorded the 88th Xfinity career win for Richard Childress Racing that was coming off a Cup Series victory with Tyler Reddick last weekend at Road America.

    “Look at this crowd,” Hill said on USA Network. “Thank y’all for coming out! I love the fans. What a car. [Richard Childress Racing] has been working hard their ever-loving tales off. To bring some really fast Chevy Camaros. Our Bennett Transportation and Logistics Chevy Camaro was a rocket ship all day. We had an issue right when we rolled off of pit road. The team couldn’t hear me; we had to do hand gestures on the side of the car to make adjustments. [Crew chief] Andy [Street] and the guys did a heck of a job. First [pit] stop, I put my hand out the door, which meant that I was loose and he made an awesome adjustment, didn’t make an adjustment the rest of the race.

    “I knew we had a really good car. We were able to just keep [the field] close enough to me where they could never get a big enough run on me on entry or exit. We just won it at Atlanta. That’s so special. I’ve been trying to win here for a long time. [I] Finished second here three times in a row: twice in a Truck and then earlier in the spring here. It’s been owing me one and finally, we got one in Georgia, where I grew up and was raised about an hour down the road in Douglasville. This is gonna be so special. I can’t wait to party, see my wife and kids, they’re here, and all my family members. This is gonna be a special one.” 

    “[Winning] Never gets old,” Richard Childress, owner of Richard Childress Racing, added. “I think we’ve really worked hard to get our cars better. Everyone has. Our engines are better, our cars are better. Our drivers are on it and we’re gonna make a run for that championship, for sure. [Hill]’s really, really impressed me. Solid. Nothing shakes him up. No matter how close you’re on his bumper, what’s happening to him or whatever he don’t get shook. That’s what it takes. I knew another driver like that. He did pretty well, too.”

    Behind, Josh Berry came home in the runner-up spot for his eighth top-five result of the season while Ryan Truex recorded his first top-five result of the season after finishing in third place. 

    “The top [lane] was super good,” Berry said. “That would’ve been really hard to complete that pass ‘cause it seemed like whenever you jumped down to the bottom [lane], the car behind you would just push you away. You couldn’t stay connected enough to build a run. All in all, it was a really good day for our Harrison’s USA Chevrolet. The guys did a good job. We had a bad pit stop there, but they rebounded, got me back up front and got a second place. Stage win’s a good day, and we’ll go on to Loudon.”

    “This place is crazy with this [racing] package,” Truex said. “I’m just thankful to be in this car again. This wasn’t on my schedule and [Joe Gibbs Racing], Toyota Racing, Auto-Owners [Insurance] stepped up. To have them on the car with all the success Martin’s [Truex Jr.] had and everything they’ve done for him is really special for me. I was trying to back up and get a run from [Hemric]. I just didn’t have anything for these guys. It seemed like the top few [competitors] in front of us were just, I don’t know if they were more trimmed out, but I could just never get that run I needed. Just kind of had to hang out the top. I was hoping they’d have a big jumble in [Turns] 3 and 4 and I was just gonna run the top, just keep in wide open. It didn’t work out, but just thankful to be here and hopefully, I’ll be back for more.”

    Reddick settled in fourth while Hemric, who was in position of claiming his first victory of the season, fell back to fifth. Gragson, Allgaier, Cassill, Herbst and Allmendinger completed the top 10 on the track.

    There were 17 lead changes for seven different leaders. The race featured six cautions for 28 laps.

    With nine races remaining in the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series regular-season stretch, AJ Allmendinger continues to lead the regular-season standings by 29 points over Ty Gibbs, 30 over Justin Allgaier, 64 over Josh Berry and 67 over Noah Gragson.

    Ty Gibbs, AJ Allmendinger, Justin Allgaier, Josh Berry, Noah Gragson, rookie Austin Hill and Brandon Jones are currently guaranteed spots for the 2022 Xfinity Playoffs based on winning once throughout the regular season stretch while Sam Mayer, Riley Herbst, Daniel Hemric, Ryan Sieg and Landon Cassill occupy the remaining vacant spots to the Playoffs based on points. Anthony Alfredo trails the top-12 cutline to the Playoffs by 80 points, rookie Sheldon Creed trails by 95, Brandon Brown trails by 100, Brett Moffitt and Jeb Burton trail by 101, Myatt Snider trails by 140, Alex Labbe trails by 152 and Jeremy Clements trails by 154.

    Results.

    1. Austin Hill, 73 laps led, Stage 2 winner

    2. Josh Berry, 13 laps led, Stage 1 winner

    3. Ryan Truex, eight laps led

    4. Tyler Reddick, 21 laps led

    5. Daniel Hemric

    6. Noah Gragson

    7. Justin Allgaier

    8. Landon Cassill

    9. Riley Herbst

    10. AJ Allmendinger

    11. Brandon Jones

    12. Sheldon Creed, 16 laps led

    13. Jeb Burton

    14. Anthony Alfredo

    15. Ryan Sieg

    16. Kyle Sieg

    17. Jeremy Clements

    18. Myatt Snider

    19. Jeffrey Earnhardt

    20. Brett Moffitt

    21. Ryan Vargas

    22. David Starr

    23. Alex Labbe, one lap down

    24. Mason Massey, one lap down

    25. Josh Williams, one lap down

    26. Joey Gase, two laps down

    27. Natalie Decker, two laps down

    28. Caesar Bacarella, two laps down

    29. Bayley Currey, two laps down

    30. Joe Graf Jr., two laps down

    31. Brennan Poole, four laps down

    32. Jesse Iwuji, six laps down

    33. Brandon Brown – OUT, Accident

    34. Sam Mayer – OUT, Accident

    35. Ty Gibbs – OUT, Accident, seven laps led

    36. JJ Yeley – OUT, Fuel pump

    37. Matt Mills – OUT, Engine

    38. Sage Karam – OUT, Engine

    Next on the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule is the series’ lone visit of the season to New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire. The event is scheduled to occur on Saturday, July 16, at 2:30 p.m. ET on USA Network.

  • Ty Gibbs executes final lap pass on Larson for fourth Xfinity victory of 2022 at Road America

    Ty Gibbs executes final lap pass on Larson for fourth Xfinity victory of 2022 at Road America

    In a NASCAR Xfinity Series event dominated by the return of Kyle Larson, Ty Gibbs capitalized in overtime with a final lap pass on Larson to win the 13th annual running of the Henry 180 at Road America on Saturday, July 2.

    The 19-year-old Gibbs from Charlotte, North Carolina, led three times for five of 48 over-scheduled laps as he overtook Larson, who led a race-high 31, at the start of the final lap. Once he captured the lead, Gibbs then managed to fend off late repeated challenges from the reigning Cup Series champion through the 14-turn circuit before he pulled away up the final straightaway and to the finish line for his fourth checkered flag of the 2022 Xfinity season.

    With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Friday, Kyle Larson, who made his return to the Xfinity Series following a three-year absence, started on pole position after claiming the top starting spot with a pole-winning lap at 108.495 mph in 134.318 seconds. Joining him on the front row was Ty Gibbs, who clocked in a qualifying lap at 107.922 mph in 135.031 seconds.

    Prior to the event, names like Bayley Currey, Justin Allgaier, Josh Berry, Landon Cassill, AJ Allmendinger, John Hunter Nemechek, Jeb Burton, Myatt Snider and Patrick Gallagher dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments to their respective cars. Jesse Iwuji also dropped to the rear of the field due to a driver change after he replaced Kyle Weatherman.

    When the green flag waved and the race started, Larson rocketed away from the field as he led through the first turn while Gibbs retained second ahead of Cole Custer, Riley Herbst, Sam Mayer and the field. With the field making their way through the 14-turn circuit and back to the start/finish line, Larson led the first lap by three-tenths of a second over Gibbs followed by Custer, Herbst and rookie Sheldon Creed while Noah Gragson, Tyler Reddick, Mayer, Jeremy Clements and Josh Bilicki were in the top 10.

    Through the second lap of the event, Larson retained the lead by two-tenths of a second over Gibbs, who continued to pressure Larson for the lead, while Custer, Herbst, Creed, Reddick, Gragson, Mayer, Clements and Bilicki remained in the top 10. Behind, Brandon Jones was in 11th followed by rookie Austin Hill, newcomer Sammy Smith, Sage Karam, Brett Moffitt, Alex Labbe, Anthony Alfredo, Justin Allgaier, Daniel Hemric and AJ Allmendinger.

    Three laps later, Larson extended his advantage to more than a second while Gibbs and Custer battled for the runner-up spot ahead of Herbst and Creed.

    By the sixth lap, Landon Cassill spun and went off the course in Turn 12 after he made contact with Ty Dillon, though the event remained under green. 

    Between Laps 7 and 8, the first round of green-flag pit stops commenced as John Hunter Nemechek pitted along with Reddick, Creed, Sammy Smith, Ryan Sieg, Preston Pardus and Brandon Brown. Not long after, the first caution of the event flew when Brett Moffitt over-drove Turn 5 and got his car stuck in the sand trap in Turn 5. At the same time, Alfredo and Andy Lally made contact with one another and spun in Turn 6.

    The pair of incidents involving Moffitt, Alfredo and Lally were enough for the first stage scheduled on Lap 10 to conclude under caution as Larson captured the stage victory. Gibbs settled in second followed by Custer, Herbst, Brandon Jones, Gragson, Mayer, Clements, Allmendinger and Bilicki.

    Under the stage break, some led by Larson pitted while the rest led by Gibbs remained on the track. During the pit stops, Chris Dyson and Bayley Currey have assessed penalties for having a crew member jump over the wall too soon while Lally spun while trying to enter his pit box.

    The second stage started on Lap 12 as teammates Gibbs and Brandon Jones occupied the front row. At the start, Gibbs took off with the lead while Allmendinger overtook Jones for the runner-up spot through the first two turns. Then through a straightaway between Turns 3 and 4, Allmendinger drew himself alongside Gibbs in a bid for the lead before he succeeded in entering Turn 6. As Allmendinger retained the lead when he returned to the start/finish line, Gibbs remained in second followed by teammate Jones, Hemric and Berry while Creed, John Hunter Nemechek, Myatt Snider, Larson and Mayer occupied the top 10. 

    Then during the following lap, Allmendinger went briefly wide in Turn 5, which allowed Gibbs to draw himself even alongside Allmendinger as he reassumed the lead in Turn 6. Jones, meanwhile, remained in third ahead of Hemric as the field behind jostled for positions.

    By Lap 15, Gibbs was leading by more than a second over Allmendinger before he was overtaken by a hard-charging Larson. Then in Turn 5, Mayer ran over the curbs and made contact against the wall entering Turn 5 as he briefly went off the course and into the sand trap before he limped back to pit road with right-front damage. By then, Alfredo overshot the first turn as he suffered a flat left-front tire.

    Once Larson dueled and made his way back to the lead over Gibbs on Lap 16, Gibbs made his first pit stop of the day during the following lap followed by Allmendinger, Myatt Snider, Brandon Jones, Cassill, Hemric, Hill and Patrick Gallagher. By then, Joe Graf Jr. was slowly limping his way around the circuit with a flat right-rear tire. 

    When the second stage concluded on Lap 20, Larson captured his second stage victory of the day. Creed settled in second followed by Custer, Nemechek, Justin Allgaier, Sammy Smith, Herbst, Clements, Gragson and Alex Labbe. 

    Under the stage break, some led by Nemechek pitted while the rest led by Larson remained on the track. 

    With 22 laps remaining, the final stage commenced under green. At the start, Larson fended off Creed to retain the lead at the start while Creed and Custer battled for the runner-up spot. Behind, Allgaier retained fourth ahead of Herbst, Gragson and the field. 

    Then during the following lap, the caution flew when Gragson, who was rubbing fenders with Sage Karam entering the straightaway in Turn 4, veered dead right into Karam as both spun beneath the Sargento bridge. With both spinning in the middle of the circuit and kicking up dust on the circuit, a multi-car pileup ignited with Cassill, Snider, Moffitt, Bayley Currey, Andy Lally, Hemric, Nemechek, Josh Bilicki, Reddick, Clements and Brandon Brown sustaining damage and piling into the carnage. The incident was one that left Karam furious toward Gragson.

    During the caution period and while the on-track safety workers continued to clear the carnage, few like Justin Allgaier, Ryan Sieg, Patrick Gallagher, Lally, Creed and Sammy Smith remained on the track while the rest led by Larson pitted. During the pit stops, Herbst, who also pitted, received a safety violation penalty. In addition, Allmendinger was penalized for speeding on pit road.

    When the race proceeded under green with 17 laps remaining, Allgaier was able to pull ahead of Clements to retain the lead entering the first two turns while Larson fanned out and muscled his way into third place. Shortly after, Clements overtook Allgaier to take over the top spot entering the straightaway near Turn 4 before he was quickly overtaken by Larson entering Turn 5. Behind, Custer made his move into the runner-up spot as the field jostled for positions. 

    Then through Turns 12 to 14, Custer dueled and overtook Larson to lead a lap for himself. He then managed to retain the top spot by a narrow margin while Gibbs attempted to close in on the two leaders. By then, Allgaier pitted under green.

    With less than 15 laps remaining, Custer extended his advantage to more than a second over Larson, who had Gibbs challenging him for the runner-up spot. Behind, Austin Hill was in fourth followed by Clements while Brandon Jones, Labbe, Creed, Miguel Paludo and Gragson were in the top 10. Meanwhile, Allmendinger was in 11th followed by Ryan Sieg, Preston Padres, Jeb Burton and Herbst while Bilicki, Sammy Smith, Lally, Josh Berry and Mayer were in the top 20.

    Down to the final 11 laps of the event, driver Chris Dyson spun and smacked against the wall in Turn 12 as he came back across the track and nearly collected Mayer with the caution flying. By then, Custer was leading by more than a second over Larson and Gibbs while Hill, Brandon Jones, Clements, Labbe, Paludo, Creed and Gragson occupied the top 10.

    During the caution period, all but Ryan Sieg and Andy Lally pitted as Larson exited pit road first followed by Gibbs and Hill. During the pit stops, Custer endured a slow pit stop and hit Preston Pardus. In addition, Gragson and Patrick Gallagher were penalized for speeding on pit road while Clements was penalized for an uncontrolled tire violation.

    With nine laps remaining, the race restarted under green. At the start, Sieg held the lead for a brief moment before Larson rocketed his way back to the lead as the field fanned out through the first three turns. Behind, Custer briefly went off course as he was mired back in fifth.

    When the field returned to the start/finish line, Larson was ahead by more than two seconds over Gibbs while Berry, Hill and Custer were in the top five. Meanwhile, Creed, who was in the top 10, started to have smoke pouring out of his No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet Camaro. Soon after, Sammy Smith spun and Paludo’s hood flew when he sustained damage. Despite the incident, the event remained under green while Larson checked away from the field.

    Down to the final five laps of the event, Larson continued to lead by nearly two seconds over Gibbs while third-place Custer trailed by four-and-a-half seconds. Hill and Berry occupied the top five followed by Allgaier, Brandon Jones, Herbst, Allmendinger and Sammy Smith. Behind, Ryan Sieg was back in 11th followed by Sam Mayer, Clements, Preston Pardus, Gragson, Bilicki, Jeb Burton, Currey, Lally and Labbe were in the top 20.

    Then with two laps remaining, the caution flew when Custer, who was running in third place while dealing with a break issue, made hard contact against the wall in Turn 5 as his car came to rest off the course in the fifth turn while the driver emerged uninjured. Custer’s incident was enough to send the event into overtime.

    At the start of the first overtime attempt, Larson and Gibbs dueled for the lead entering the first turn and through the following two turns until he managed to fend off Gibbs on the inside lane entering the straightaway through Turns 4 and 5. As the field scrambled for positions, Larson managed to retain the top spot ahead of Gibbs and Hill through the turns.

    When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Larson remained as the leader by a narrow margin over Gibbs, who had Larson within his sight as he issued his challenge for the lead. Then in Turn 3, Larson slipped and went wide as Gibbs, who bumped Larson earlier in Turn 2, assumed the lead in his No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota Supra. Larson then tried to close in for the lead in Turn 5, but Gibbs managed to retain the lead through Turns 6 and 7. With time running out as Gibbs remained in the lead through Turns 8 to 11, Larson then tried to make his move on the outside lane in Turn 12, but he could not make the move in his No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro stick as Gibbs remained as the leader. Through the final turn, Turn 14, Larson then made a final bid for the lead, but it was not enough as Gibbs managed to pull away through the uphill straightaway and capture the Road America victory by more than eight-tenths of a second over Larson.

    Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images.

    The victory marked Gibbs’ fourth of this year’s Xfinity Series season and the eighth of his career as he became the 13th different competitor to win an Xfinity event at Road America. Ironically, this marked Gibbs’ third time winning an Xfinity event following a last-lap pass as he recorded the 190th Xfinity career win for Joe Gibbs Racing.

    “I don’t know [how I beat Larson],” Gibbs said on USA Network. “I just wanna say all glory to Jesus Christ. Thank you to my team and Monster Energy. I had a fun time racing with Kyle. I thought it was gonna get a little rough there, but he’s such a great competitor. He’s a good person. We played golf the other day, so I wanna tell him thanks for the golf lessons. I still suck. Thank you so much. This is just awesome. I can’t believe it. This is just wonderful.” 

    “I felt like we were a little bit faster in the first half of the track,” Gibbs added. “The last two sectors I felt like we were not as fast, but I fee like, right now, I just need to earn respect back and that’s what I’m doing. Just gotta learn and not make mistakes. It’s cool to race against the Cup Series guys, so hopefully, that says something, but thankful to where I am at.”

    Larson, whose final Xfinity Series start and victory occurred at Bristol Motor Speedway in August 2018, settled in the runner-up spot following a dominant run in Hendrick Motorsports’ return to the series. He is slated to compete in the upcoming Xfinity events at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 16 followed by Darlington Raceway on September 3 for JR Motorsports.

    “[Gibbs] did a really good job,” Larson said. “It really started with my final corner coming to the white [flag]. I didn’t get through there very good. [I] Got a little bit tight and missed my apex, and was late back to the throttle. He had a run on me down the frontstretch, so obviously, kind of had to protect the inside [lane]. He just got my angles messed up for those two corners, so he did a really good job executing and I didn’t. Bummer, but really fun race there all race long…Fun and congrats to Ty. That was really impressive. He ran me clean and I was gonna run him clean. Just didn’t work out for me.”

    Berry survived the late chaos to come home in third place while Austin Hill and Brandon Jones finished in the top five. Allmendinger, Herbst, Gragson, Clements and Ryan Sieg completed the top 10.

    There were nine lead changes for six different leaders. The race featured five cautions for 12 laps.

    With 10 races remaining in the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series regular-season stretch, AJ Allmendinger continues to lead the regular-season standings by nine points over Ty Gibbs, 34 over Justin Allgaier, 39 over Noah Gragson and 74 over Josh Berry.

    Ty Gibbs, Noah Gragson, Justin Allgaier, Josh Berry, AJ Allmendinger, Brandon Jones and rookie Austin Hill are currently guaranteed spots for the 2022 Xfinity Playoffs based on winning once throughout the regular season stretch while Sam Mayer, Riley Herbst, Daniel Hemric, Riley Herbst and Landon Cassill occupy the remaining vacant spots to the Playoffs based on points. Currently, Anthony Alfredo trails the top-12 cutline to the Playoffs by 72 points, Brett Moffitt trails by 87, Brandon Brown trails by 88, Jeb Burton trails by 94, Sheldon Creed trails by 98, Myatt Snider trails by 129, Alex Labbe trails by 135 and Jeremy Clements trails by 143.

    Results.

    1. Ty Gibbs, five laps led

    2. Kyle Larson, 31 laps led, Stage 1 & 2 winner

    3. Josh Berry

    4. Austin Hill

    5. Brandon Jones

    6. AJ Allmendinger, one lap led

    7. Riley Herbst

    8. Noah Gragson

    9. Jeremy Clements

    10. Ryan Sieg, two laps led

    11. Preston Pardus

    12. Justin Allgaier, three laps led

    13. Josh Bilicki

    14. Andy Lally

    15. Alex Labbe

    16. Bayley Currey

    17. Josh Williams

    18. John Hunter Nemechek

    19. Patrick Gallagher 

    20. Sam Mayer

    21. Jeb Burton

    22. Jesse Iwuji

    23. Anthony Alfredo, one lap down

    24. Sammy Smith – OUT, Engine

    25. Cole Custer – OUT, Accident, six laps led

    26. Miguel Paludo – OUT, Accident

    27. Sheldon Creed – OUT, Engine

    28. Chris Dyson – OUT, Accident 

    29. Daniel Hemric – OUT, Accident

    30. Tyler Reddick – OUT, Accident

    31. Sage Karam – OUT, Accident

    32. Landon Cassill – OUT, Accident

    33. Myatt Snider – OUT, Accident

    34. Brandon Brown – OUT, Accident

    35. Brett Moffitt – OUT, Accident

    36. Joe Graf Jr. – OUT, Brakes

    37. Ty Dillon – OUT, Header

    38. Will Rodgers – OUT, Suspension

    Next on the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule is the series’ second visit of the season at the reconfigured Atlanta Motor Speedway. The event is scheduled to occur on Saturday, July 9, at 5 p.m. ET on USA Network.

  • Allgaier cruises to a dominant Xfinity Series victory at Nashville

    Allgaier cruises to a dominant Xfinity Series victory at Nashville

    Justin Allgaier outlasted the warm humidity surrounding the state of Tennessee by scoring a dominant NASCAR Xfinity Series win in the Tennessee Lottery 250 at Nashville Superspeedway on Saturday, June 25.

    The 36-year-old Allgaier from Riverton, Illinois, led five times for a race-high 134 of 188 laps, including the final 40. He swept both stages en route to his second Xfinity victory of the 2022 season and his first at Nashville after beating runner-up Trevor Bayne by four-and-a-half seconds.

    With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring Saturday, Riley Herbst started on pole position for the second time in his career after posting a pole-winning lap at 156.665 mph in 30.562 seconds. Joining him on the front row was AJ Allmendinger, winner of the previous Xfinity event at Portland International Raceway who posted a qualifying lap at 156.200 mph in 30.653 seconds.

    Prior to the event, Tyler Reddick started at the rear of the field due to an engine change. Natalie Decker also dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments made to her car.

    When the green flag waved and the race started, Herbst and Allmendinger dueled early for the lead through the first two turns until Allmendinger gained the advantage on the outside lane in Turn 3 to take the lead as he led the first lap. Behind, the field fanned out and jostled for positions through the frontstretch as Allmendinger stabilized his early advantage over Herbst.

    By the fifth lap, Allmendinger was leading by nearly eight-tenths of a second over Herbst followed by Trevor Bayne, rookie Austin Hill and Justin Allgaier while Jeb Burton, Josh Berry, Daniel Hemric, Noah Gragson and Brandon Jones were in the top 10.

    At the Lap 10 mark, Allmendinger continued to lead by a second over Herbst while Allgaier continued his march to the front as he battled Bayne for third place. Behind, Hill remained in fifth while Gragson, Brandon Jones and Ty Gibbs battled for ninth.

    Five laps later, Allgaier muscled his No, 7 Hellmann’s Chevrolet Camaro to the runner-up spot after he overtook Herbst’s No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang. Another four laps later, Allgaier emerged as the second leader of the event after he overtook Allmendinger’s No. 16 Nutrien Ag Solutions Chevrolet Camaro for the top spot. 

    Through the first 35 laps of the event, Allgaier extended his advantage to more than four seconds over both Allmendinger and Herbst as Hill and Bayne joined the battle in the top five. Meanwhile, Berry was in sixth while Jeb Burton, Ty Gibbs, Brandon Jones and Hemric were in the top 10. Sam Mayer was in 11th ahead of teammate Noah Gragson, Landon Cassill, Ryan Preece and Jeffrey Earnhardt while rookie Sheldon Creed, Brett Moffitt, Ryan Sieg, Brandon Brown and Kyle Weatherman were in the top 20.

    When the first stage concluded on Lap 45, Allgaier, who continued to extend his advantage to six seconds, captured his fourth stage victory of the 2022 Xfinity season. Bayne made his way into the runner-up spot followed by Herbst, Allmendinger, Hill, Berry, Gibbs, Brandon Jones, Mayer and Gragson.

    Under the stage break, the field led by Allgaier pitted as Allgaier exited with the lead followed by teammate Berry, Brandon Jones, Allmendinger, Gibbs and Hill. Following the pit stops, Kaulig Racing’s Allmendinger, Cassill and Hemric were penalized for speeding on pit road along with Sheldon Creed and Kyle Sieg. Jeb Burton was also penalized due to an equipment interference while Bayne endured a slow pit stop due to Herbst hitting Bayne’s crew member.

    The second stage started on Lap 52 as teammates Allgaier and Berry occupied the front row. At the start and with the field fanning out, Allgaier rocketed away with the lead while Gibbs battled Berry for the runner-up spot. Behind, teammate Mayer along with Brandon Jones, Herbst and Hill battled towards the front as Allgaier checked away from the field.

    By Lap 60, Allgaier was leading by seven-tenths of a second over Gibbs followed by Mayer, Herbst and Hill while Berry, Gragson, Bayne, Brandon Jones and Ryan Preece were running in the top 10. By then, Allmendinger was mired in 13th, Tyler Reddick was up in 16th and Hemric was back in 22nd.

    At the Lap 75 mark, Allgaier extended his advantage to nearly one-and-a-half seconds over Gibbs while Mayer, Herbst and Bayne remained in the top five. Meanwhile, Hill was back in 10th while Preece made his way up to eighth. Allmendinger could only make his way back up to 11th while Hemric was mired in 17th ahead of teammate Landon Cassill.

    When the second stage concluded on Lap 90, Allgaier claimed his fifth stage victory of this season and swept both stages of the event in Nashville after beating Gibbs by more than two seconds. Gibbs settled in second followed by Mayer, Herbst, Bayne, Gragson, Berry, Brandon Jones, Preece and Hill.

    Under the stage break, the leaders led by Allgaier returned to pit road as Gibbs edged Allgaier to emerge with the lead followed by Bayne, Gragson, Herbst and Mayer. Following the pit stops, Mayer and Anthony Alfredo were penalized for speeding on pit road.

    With 92 laps remaining, the final stage commenced. At the start, Allgaier and Gibbs dueled for the lead through the backstretch until Allgaier retained the lead approaching Turn 4. Behind, Bayne and Hill battled for third in front of a flurry of competitors led by Brandon Jones. 

    Back at the front, Gibbs reignited his battle for the lead against Allgaier as he swapped the top spot with the JR Motorsports veteran before he assumed the lead with 89 laps remaining. Allgaier, however, fought back during the following lap as the battle between him and Gibbs continued to ignite. Behind, Bayne trailed by eight-tenths of a second while Brandon Jones, Hill and Allmendinger, who rallied from his early pit road speeding penalty, battled for spots in the top five.

    With 83 laps remaining, the caution flew when Berry slipped sideways and spun off the front nose of Preece through the backstretch. During the caution period, some like Ryan Sieg, Brandon Brown, Alfredo and Berry pitted while the rest led by Allgaier remained on the track.

    Four laps later, the race proceeded under green, At the start, Allgaier gained another strong start to retain the lead while Joe Gibbs Racing’s Bayne and Ty Gibbs battled for the runner-up spot. Behind, Hill was in fourth ahead of Hemric, who recovered from his early pit road speeding penalty, while a three-wide action occurred between Gragson, Creed and Jeb Burton.

    Then with 72 laps remaining, the caution returned when Jeffrey Earnhardt made contact while battling Creed as he spun off of Turn 4 while being dodged by the field. During the caution period, a majority of the field led by Allgaier pitted while the rest led by Allmendinger remained on the track. Following the pit stops, Preece and Bayne were penalized for equipment interference.

    With 66 laps remaining, the race restarted under green as Allmendinger and Brandon Jones occupied the front row. At the start, Allmendinger took off with the lead followed by Jones and Gragson as the field fanned out. 

    Then during the following lap, the caution flew when Jeb Burton made contact and turned Creed sideways into the outside wall in Turn 1 as Joe Graf Jr. was also involved.

    When the race restarted under green with 58 laps remaining, Allmendinger fended Brandon Jones to retain the lead as Allgaier bolted his way towards the front on four fresh tires. Meanwhile, Gragson remained in third ahead of Hemric and Gibbs while Cassill, Mayer, Ryan Sieg and Tyler Reddick were in the top 10. Shortly after, Myatt Snider spun behind the leaders, but the race proceeded under green.

    Four laps later, the battle for the lead between Brandon Jones and Allmendinger ignited as Jones made his move beneath Allmendinger’s No. 16 Chevrolet through the turns. The former, however, was able to fend off the challenges entering the straightaways as Gragson joined the battle. Meanwhile, Allgaier battled and overtook Gibbs for fourth place.

    With less than 50 laps remaining, Allmendinger stabilized his advantage to nearly half a second over Brandon Jones while third-place Gragson trailed by nearly seven-tenths of a second. Allgaier and Gibbs remained in the top five followed by Mayer while Hemric, Herbst, Bayne, Hill and Cassill battled within the top 10.

    Then with 42 laps remaining, contact ensued between rivals Gibbs and Mayer as Mayer got into the left-rear quarter panel of Gibbs’ No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota Supra entering Turn 4 while both were battling in the top five. With Gibbs sideways, he made contact with Mayer’s No. 1 Huck’s Market Chevrolet Camaro and both competitors bumped and rubbed fenders before both managed to continue running straight as the race proceeded under green. The contact placed Mayer in fifth while Gibbs fell back to eighth behind Herbst.

    Back at the front, Allgaier reassumed the lead with 37 laps remaining after tracking and overtaking Allmendinger on four fresh tires while Brandon Jones and Gragson settled in third and fourth.

    With 30 laps remaining, the battle for the runner-up spot ensued as Gragson overtook Brandon Jones before he issued his challenge on Allmendinger. With Allgaier checking out and leading by nearly four seconds, Bayne, who rallied from his late pit road penalty, made his way into the top five as he then overtook teammate Brandon Jones for fourth place.

    Down to the final 20 laps of the event, Allgaier continued to lead by more than three seconds over Bayne, who made his way into the runner-up spot, while Gragson, Herbst and Brandon Jones were in the top five. Shortly after, however, Gragson, who had not pitted since the conclusion of the second stage, pitted for four fresh tires and fuel. Brandon Jones would soon pit along with Allmendinger, Hemric and Cassill.

    With 10 laps remaining, Allgaier remained as the leader by more than nearly four seconds over Bayne while Herbst, Gibbs and Mayer were up in the top five. By then, Preece was in sixth followed by Hill, Jeffrey Earnhardt, Ryan Sieg and Brett Moffitt.

    When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Allgaier stabilized his advantage to four seconds over Bayne. Having a clear racetrack in front of him with a dominant race car, Allgaier was able to cycle his way back to the finish line and claim his second checkered flag of the 2022 Xfinity season.

    With his second victory of the season and first at Nashville, Allgaier recorded his 18th career win in the Xfinity Series, his 15th driving for JR Motorsports, as he became the fifth multi-winner of this year’s Xfinity season.

    “What a heck of a race,” Allgaier said on USA Network. “I’ve been coming here a long time and love this racetrack, and have been trying to go to Victory Lane so bad and haven’t been able to do it. Today was for the dirt racers, though, ‘cause it was slick, it was hot. We were sliding around. Just proud of this team, everybody at JR Motorsports, the Hendrick engine shop…These black marks [burnouts], they never get old. That’s the best race car I’ve ever had. This series is just so much fun right now. Man, that was a good race. ”

    Bayne, a native of Knoxville, Tennessee, came home in the runner-up spot for his third top-five result in his fifth series start of the season while Herbst, Ty Gibbs and Mayer finished in the top five.

    “I think I’ve learned a lot of perspective in the last three years,” Bayne said. “I’m still frustrated and upset right now with second because we had a winning car. I felt like I did everything I could to do today. We drove to second three times and just kept getting ourself in pit road with [Herbst] clipping our guys. Nothing my guys can do about that, but then, we had a tire get away, went all the way to the back on that last run and drove to second. Catching Allgaier, my buddy Gator, congrats to him. Proud of him, happy for him, but I wanted that guitar really bad. The thing is I’m thankful to be here, thankful to have the opportunity to drive these cars. You can see how pink I am. That’s pushing hard those last 20 laps…It’s all we could do, man. We just got to clean it up. If you’re gonna win, you got to be perfect.”

    “Our Ford Mustang was really good,” Herbst said. “We got the pole and we wanted to lead some laps. Unfortunately, we didn’t lead any laps. We got quite a bit of stage points, which we needed. It’s just a really good day for everybody at Stewart-Haas Racing and myself included. I’m proud of all these guys on the No. 98 team. Just keep doing these runs and we’ll eventually get there. Just keep knocking on the door. Eventually, it will open.”

    Preece, winner of Friday night’s Truck Series event at Nashville, ended up in sixth place while Jeffrey Earnhardt, Hill, Ryan Sieg and Moffitt completed the top 10. 

    Notably, Gragson, Brandon Jones, Allmendinger, Hemric and Cassill finished 13th, 14th, 16th, 17th and 18th following their late pit stops.

    There were 13 lead changes for five different leaders. The race featured five cautions for 27 laps.

    With 11 races remaining in the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series regular-season stretch, AJ Allmendinger leads the regular-season standings by 25 points over Ty Gibbs, 32 over Justin Allgaier, 42 over Noah Gragson and 75 over Josh Berry.

    Ty Gibbs, Noah Gragson, Justin Allgaier, Josh Berry, AJ Allmendinger, Brandon Jones and rookie Austin Hill are currently guaranteed spots for the 2022 Xfinity Playoffs based on winning once throughout the regular season stretch while Sam Mayer, Riley Herbst, Daniel Hemric, Landon Cassill and Ryan Sieg occupy the remaining vacant spots to the Playoffs based on points. Anthony Alfredo trails the top-12 cutline to the Playoffs by 69 points, Brett Moffitt trails by 72, Brandon Brown trails by 74, Jeb Burton trails by 93, Sheldon Creed trails by 100, Myatt Snider trails by 116, Alex Labbe trails by 141 and Jeremy Clements trails by 160.

    Results.

    1. Justin Allgaier, 134 laps led, Stage 1 & 2 winner

    2. Trevor Bayne

    3. Riley Herbst

    4. Ty Gibbs, four laps led

    5. Sam Mayer

    6. Ryan Preece

    7. Jeffrey Earnhardt

    8. Austin Hill

    9. Ryan Sieg

    10. Brett Moffitt

    11. Brandon Brown

    12. Parker Retzlaff

    13. Noah Gragson, one lap down

    14. Brandon Jones, one lap down, one lap led

    15. Stefan Parsons, one lap won

    16. AJ Allmendinger, one lap down, 48 laps led

    17. Daniel Hemric, one lap down

    18. Landon Cassill, one lap down

    19. Ryan Vargas, one lap down

    20. Anthony Alfredo, one lap down

    21. Tyler Reddick, two laps down

    22. Jeremy Clements, two laps down

    23. Alex Labbe, two laps down

    24. Ryan Ellis, three laps down

    25. Kyle Sieg, three laps down

    26. Patrick Emerling, three laps down

    27. Myatt Snider, three laps down

    28. BJ McLeod, three laps down

    29. Josh Berry, four łaps down

    30. Dillon Bassett, six laps down

    31. Bayley Currey, seven laps down

    32. Natalie Decker, seven laps down

    33. JJ Yeley, 31 laps down

    34. Josh Williams – OUT, Electrical

    35. Jeb Burton – OUT, Accident

    36. Sheldon Creed – OUT, Accident

    37. Joe Graf Jr. – OUT, Accident

    38. Kyle Weatherman – OUT, Power

    Next on the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule is the series’ 13th consecutive, annual visit to Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, which will occur on Saturday, July 2, at 2:30 p.m. ET on USA Network.

  • Allmendinger survives to win the inaugural Xfinity Series event at Portland

    Allmendinger survives to win the inaugural Xfinity Series event at Portland

    From last place to Victory Lane, AJ Allmendinger persevered over a four-lap shootout and a battle with Myatt Snider to win the inaugural Pacific Office Automation 147 at Portland International Raceway on Saturday, June 4.

    The 40-year-old Allmendinger from Los Gatos, California, led twice for a total of six of 75 laps and rallied from going off the course and making an unscheduled pit stop to clean his grille, where he eventually lost a lap to the leaders and went off course a few more times throughout the event, to methodically carve his way back to the front and place himself in late contention for the win while a majority of the field endured a series of on-track carnages around the 12-turn circuit amid wet conditions. Then during a four-lap restart to the finish, Allmendinger battled, bumped and overtook Snider to take the lead as he went on to grab the wildest victory of his racing career.

    Following a rain-shortened on-track qualifying session on Friday, Anthony Alfredo notched his first career pole position after notching a pole-winning lap at 93.229 mph in 76.071 seconds. Joining him on the front row was rookie Austin Hill, who clocked in a qualifying lap at 92.973 mph in 76.280 seconds.

    Prior to the event, the following competitors that included Ryan Vargas, Josh Berry, AJ Allmendinger, Myatt Snider, Darren Dilley, Ryan Sieg and Mason Filippi dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments to their respective cars. In addition, Noah Gragson started at the rear of the field after wrecking his primary car during Friday’s practice session along with Josh Williams, who missed the driver introductions.

    When the green flag waved and the race started amid wet conditions, Daniel Hemric made a three-wide move on both Alfredo and Hill to assume the lead through the first two turns. Through the first two turns, however, Alfredo and Hill missed the turn and went off the course while Sam Mayer was turned and spun as the field stacked up. As the field continued to run under green, AJ Allmendinger, who went off the course while coming to the green flag and got grass over his grille, made an unscheduled pit stop.

    Following the completion of the first lap and through the 12-turn circuit amid the wet conditions, Creed, who overtook Alfredo for the lead, led the first lap followed by Gibbs and Hemric while Alfredo and Hill were in the top five. Connor Mosack, who was making his Xfinity Series debut in Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 18 Toyota Supra, was in sixth followed by Brett Moffitt, Riley Herbst, Jeremy Clements and Justin Allgaier.

    During the second lap, Gibbs, who battled Creed throughout the circuit, moved into the lead, where he went on to lead the lap, while Hemric, Hill and Moffitt were in the top five. By then, Allmendinger went off the course in Turn 5 as he lost more ground to the leaders.

    Two laps later, Justin Allgaier spun and went off the course in Turn 5 while running in the top 10, though the race continued to run under green.

    By the fifth lap, Gibbs continued to lead by nearly four seconds over Creed followed by Hill, Moffitt and Hemric while Connor Mosack. Riley Herbst, Jeb Burton, Alfredo and Parker Chase were scored in the top 10.

    Through the first 10 scheduled laps, Gibbs remained out in front by more than 12 seconds over Creed followed by Hill, Moffitt and Mosack. By then, Allmendinger was lapped by the field in 32nd place. In addition, Noah Gragson went off the course in Turn 5 while running in the top 15.

    Three laps later, the first caution of the event flew due to Mayer slowing on the track as he sustained front-end damage after running into the rear of Alex Labbe due to Labbe reducing his pace while trying to avoid a spinning Brandon Jones. The damage was enough to end Mayer’s event on pit road and with a damaged race car.

    When the race restarted on Lap 16, Gibbs rubbed and fended off Creed and Hill to retain the lead through the first two turns. As the field made their way back to the start/finish line, Gibbs was ahead by two seconds over Creed followed by Hill, Moffitt and Riley Herbst while Mosack, Hemric, Cassill, Jeb Burton and Alex Labbe were in the top 10.

    During the following lap, Creed went off course and spun in Turn 4 as he dropped out of the top 10 while Hill, Herbst, Connor Mosack and Hemric moved up the leaderboard behind Gibbs.

    At the Lap 20 mark, Gibbs extended his advantage to more than 10 seconds over Hill while Herbst, Mosack and Hemric remained in the top five. By then, Brandon Jones and Gragson missed the chicane and served a brief “stop and go” penalty on the course before continuing under green.

    When the first stage concluded on Lap 25, Gibbs claimed his third stage victory of the 2022 Xfinity season. Hill settled in second followed by Mosack, Hemric, Moffitt, Alex Labbe, Gragson, Cassill, Brandon Jones and Justin Allgaier. By then, the on-track carnages under the slick conditions continued as Allgaier, Riley Herbst and Allmendinger had slipped off the course earlier.

    During the stage break, the competitors pitted and the crew members were given three minutes to service the cars with the competitors maintaining their positions from the first stage.

    The second stage started on Lap 26 as Gibbs retained the lead ahead of Hill, Mosack and the field. Through Turns 3 and 4, however, chaos ensued when Riley Herbst got turned by Creed as he was then hit by Gray Gaulding. With Matt Jackal and Darren Dilley also involved, the caution returned.

    When the race proceeded under green on Lap 31, Gibbs maintained the lead ahead of Hill and Connor Mosack as the field made their way through the first two turns before entering Turns 3 and 4. During the following lap, Hill missed the chicane while running in third place. In the process, Clements went off the course in Turn 4 while Ryan Sieg spun on the course. 

    As the on-track carnage continued with Labbe, Hemric and Moffitt all going off the course in their separate incidents, the caution flew due to mud between Turns 11 and 12 on Lap 39. At the same time, Jesse Iwuji was parked for two laps in his pit stall after turning the leader Gibbs on the track.

    When the race proceeded under green on Lap 43, another stack-up towards the front resulted with Brandon Jones getting hit and spinning in Turn 1 while Gragson challenged and overtook Gibbs to lead. Then in Turn 5, Gibbs bumped into, and turned, Gragson’s No. 9 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet Camaro in Turn 5 as Creed took the lead. Shortly after, however, Creed and Gibbs got together in Turn 12 and spun while battling for the lead as the No. 44 Alpha Prime Racing Chevrolet Camaro piloted by road-course ringer Andy Lally emerged with the lead. 

    By Lap 45, Clements spun in Turn 11 and Moffitt spun while running in the runner-up spot as Lally continued to lead. Two laps later, however, Myatt Snider moved into the lead over Lally. In the midst of the battle for the lead, Allmendinger and Jeb Burton each went off the course.

    When the second stage concluded on Lap 50, Snider claimed his first Xfinity stage victory of the season. Lally settled in second followed by Hill, Cassill, Berry, Alfredo, Allgaier, Allmendinger, Creed and Jade Buford.

    Following another intermission, the final stage started with 23 laps remaining. At the start and as the field fanned out through the first three turns, Snider maintained the lead ahead of Lally while Cassill, Hill and Alfredo were in the top five. It did not take long, however, for the caution to return due to debris spotted in Turn 1. 

    Three laps later, the race restarted under green as Snider retained the lead ahead of Lally, Cassill and Allmendinger. Through the first turn, however, a number of competitors that included Creed, Jeb Burton, Labbe, Hemric, Brandon Jones and Spencer Pumpelly all spun and wrecked despite the race proceeding under green. In the midst of the carnage, the caution returned due to fluid on the course. During the caution period, Creed, whose No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet Camaro sustained heavy front nose damage, made an obscene gesture towards Jade Buford to express his displeasure over being bumped and turned by Buford during the previous restart.

    Down to the final 13 laps of the event, the race restarted under green. At the start, Snider overshot the first turn as Allmendinger assumed command followed by Allgaier before Snider fought back entering Turn 3. Behind, Moffitt got turned sideways through Turns 3 and 4 as Mosack, Spencer Pumpelly, Bayley Currey and pole-sitter Anthony Alfredo were all sent sideways with damage to their respective cars. The caution soon followed due to the carnage between Turns 3 and 4. By then, the rain was also slowly returning near the circuit. 

    Under the caution period, nearly the entire field led by Allmendinger pitted for rain tires while Jade Buford and JJ Yeley remained on the track.

    Down to the final seven laps of the event, the race restarted under green. At the start and as the field fanned out to multiple lanes, Allgaier, Cassill and Lally spun with Gibbs and Stefan Parsons sustaining damage while Snider and Allmendinger dueled for the lead. Just as Snider fended off Allmendinger to retain the lead, the caution flew yet again due to debris on the course. By then, the rain had dissipated.

    With four laps remaining, the race restarted under green. At the start, Snider fended off Allmendinger to lead through the first three turns as the field jostled for positions. Not long after, however, Allmendinger, who was in last place prior to the first lap, emerged with the top spot with Berry, Hill and Hemric in the top five. Behind, Ryan Sieg spun while the race continued to run under green flag conditions.

    During the following lap, Allmendinger was ahead by seven-tenths of a second over Snider followed by Berry, Hill and Hemric while Yeley, Gibbs, Allgaier, Brandon Jones and Gragson were in the top 10.

    When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Allmendinger continued to lead by a second-and-a-half over Snider. With Snider unable to narrow the deficit between himself and the leader, Allmendinger navigated his way through the 12-turn circuit smoothly and cycled his way back to the finish line to grab the first checkered flag and conquer the first Xfinity event in Portland, Oregon.

    With the victory, Allmendinger notched his third consecutive road course victory in the Xfinity circuit, his eighth overall in the series, his second of the season after winning at Circuit of the Americas in March and the 12th of his career in his 74th series start. He also became the fourth Xfinity Series regular to achieve multiple victories in 2022.

    “Oh my god,” Allmendinger, who is pulling double-duty service for Kaulig Racing and is set to compete in Sunday’s Cup Series event at Gateway, said on FS1. “All the men and women at Kaulig Racing deserve that. I was awful. I cannot believe I crashed before we went green. I was off the race track, I think, four times. [I] Made all kinds of mistakes, was all over the place. Just proud of everybody on this Nutrien Ag Solutions Chevy.

    “I was melting down in the car, honestly, making so many mistakes, trying so hard. I put so much pressure on myself at these races because I know what everybody expects. I know what I expect out of myself more importantly, but god, what a win. It might be one of the craziest wins I’ve ever had. Most mistakes ever to win a race, for sure, but all the fans at Portland for staying out here. This place is packed. Sixteen years ago, I won, this month, my first Champ Car race and it’s surreal that I get to do this…In these conditions, I knew that if I could get to the lead, I could kind of dictate it. I was fighting hard there, but Myatt [Snider] did a great job. He’s always fast on these road courses. Fun racing, just insanity, but thank everybody at Chevy that allows us to do this. Thank you, everybody.”

    Snider notched his first top-five result of the season by finishing in second place followed by Austin Hill while Berry and Allgaier finished in the top five.

    “I think, just AJ’s experience [beat me],” Snider said. “I could tell he was setting up those exits better than I was. Everywhere else, we were neck-to-neck. To me, that’s good hard racing. It’s not like he dumped me for no reason or spun me out or anything. He just got into me a little bit and all those restarts were extremely rough. For him to just kind of rub my door a little bit, that’s racing to me. It’s what this Xfinity Series is all about. It’s so cool to be disappointed with second. The team that’s only a year and a half old and to get a stage win, it’s the first stage win, probably, first top three [finish] with this car. Just can’t say enough about the boys from Jordan Anderson Racing. It’s a great day to be disappointed with second, but still disappointed.”

    Hemric, Gibbs, Yeley, Gragson and Alex Labbe completed the top 10 on the track.

    There were eight lead changes for six different leaders. The race featured nine cautions for 26 laps. A total of 21 of the 38 starters finished on the lead lap in the first Xfinity event at Portland.

    With 12 races remaining of the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series regular-season stretch, AJ Allmendinger leads the regular-season standings by 43 points over Ty Gibbs, 44 over Noah Gragson and 64 over Josh Berry and Justin Allgaier.

    Ty Gibbs, AJ Allmendinger, Noah Gragson, Josh Berry, Justin Allgaier, Brandon Jones and rookie Austin Hill are currently guaranteed spots for the 2022 Xfinity Playoffs based on winning once throughout the regular season stretch while Sam Mayer, Daniel Hemric, Landon Cassill, Riley Herbst and Ryan Sieg occupy the remaining vacant spots to the Playoffs based on points. Anthony Alfredo trails the top-12 cutline by 58 points, Jeb Burton trails by 67, Brett Moffit trails by 71, Brandon Brown trails by 72 and Sheldon Creed trails by 73.

    Results.

    1. AJ Allmendinger, six laps led

    2. Myatt Snider, 19 laps led, Stage 2 winner

    3. Austin Hill

    4. Josh Berry

    5. Justin Allgaier

    6. Daniel Hemric

    7. Ty Gibbs, 42 laps led, Stage 1 winner

    8. JJ Yeley

    9. Noah Gragson

    10. Alex Labbe

    11. Brandon Jones

    12. Brandon Brown

    13. Scott Heckert

    14. Jade Buford, four laps led

    15. Landon Cassill

    16. Ryan Sieg

    17. Andy Lally, three laps led

    18. Matt Jaskol

    19. Patrick Emerling

    20. Brett Moffitt

    21. Joe Graf Jr.

    22. Josh Williams, one lap down

    23. Ryan Vargas, two laps down

    24. Stefan Parsons, two laps down

    25. Mason Filippi, three laps down

    26. Jesse Iwuji, four laps down

    27. Parker Chase – OUT, Accident

    28. Connor Mosack – OUT, Accident

    29. Spencer Pumpelly – OUT, Accident

    30. Bayley Currey – OUT, Accident

    31. Anthony Alfredo – OUT, Accident

    32. Sheldon Creed – OUT, one lap led

    33. Jeb Burton – OUT, Accident

    34. Jeremy Clements – OUT, Accident

    35. Riley Herbst – OUT, Accident

    36. Gray Gaulding – OUT, Accident

    37. Darren Dilley – OUT, Accident

    38. Sam Mayer – OUT, Accident

    The 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series season will be taking a two-week break period before returning to action at Nashville Superspeedway on June 25. The event is scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m. ET on USA Network, which will mark the network’s debut airing NASCAR Xfinity events.

  • Berry prevails in battle with teammate Allgaier for Xfinity win at Charlotte

    Berry prevails in battle with teammate Allgaier for Xfinity win at Charlotte

    In a dominant run by JR Motorsports on home turf, Josh Berry prevailed after a late battle with teammate Justin Allgaier before cruising to win the Alsco Uniforms 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 28.

    The 31-year-old Berry from Hendersonville, Tennessee, led five times for a race-high 89 of 200 laps, including the final 23 after intimidating and battling Allgaier for the top spot two laps earlier. Following those two intense laps of battling with his JR Motorsports teammate, Berry gained a huge advantage.

    It enabled him to snatch the lead for good and drive away for the win when Allgaier got into the wall and eventually pitted under green due to a flat tire. Having an advantage of three-quarters of a mile over Ty Gibbs for the final 23 laps of the event, Berry proceeded to capture his second NASCAR Xfinity Series victory of the season.

    On-track qualifying to determine the starting lineup occurred on Friday and rookie Sam Mayer notched his first Xfinity career pole after recording a pole-winning lap at 179.892 mph in 30.018 seconds. Joining him on the front row was teammate Justin Allgaier, who posted a fast qualifying lap at 178.571 mph in 30.240 seconds.

    Prior to the event, names like Ryan Vargas, Trevor Bayne, Brandon Jones, Jeffrey Earnhardt, Ty Gibbs and Joe Graf Jr. dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments to their respective cars. In addition, Riley Herbst dropped to the rear of the field as he started the event in a backup car.

    When the green flag waved and the race started, Mayer took off with an early advantage while Ryan Preece battled and overtook Allgaier for the runner-up spot as the field made their way through the backstretch and back to the frontstretch.

    Following the first lap, which was led by Mayer, Preece battled and overtook Mayer through the frontstretch during the following lap to assume the lead while JR Motorsports’ Noah Gragson, Allgaier and Mayer fanned out while battling for the runner-up spot. 

    Two laps later, Gragson battled against teammates Allgaier and Mayer for the runner-up spot and muscled his No. 9 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet Camaro to the front as Preece and Allgaier fought for the runner-up spot. Behind, Mayer was overtaken by teammate Josh Berry for fourth place.

    Through the first 10 scheduled laps, Gragson was leading by seven-tenths of a second over Preece followed by Berry, Allgaier and Mayer while AJ Allmendinger, Daniel Hemric, Landon Cassill, Austin Dillon and Jeb Burton were in the top 10. Brett Moffitt was in 11th followed by rookie Sheldon Creed, Brandon Jones, Ty Gibbs, rookie Austin Hill, Stefan Parsons, Ryan Sieg, Trevor Bayne, JJ Yeley and Jeremy Clements while Riley Herbst was in 22nd. By then, Brandon Brown had made an unscheduled pit stop under green to address a flat right-front tire.

    Five laps later, the first caution of the event flew when Brandon Jones slipped sideways and spun below the banking in Turn 1 as he came back across the track while being dodged by the field. 

    Another four laps later, the race resumed under green. At the start, Gragson rocketed to the lead followed by teammates Berry, Mayer and Allgaier while Preece slipped back to fifth through Turns 2 and 3. Not long after, however, the caution returned when Timmy Hill slipped sideways and spun against the outside wall in Turn 3.

    When the race proceeded under green on Lap 25, Gragson retained the lead while Mayer, who slid up the track through Turn 1, was left battling teammate Berry for the runner-up spot in front of teammate Allgaier. Behind, Allmendinger made his move on Preece for fifth place before Preece regained his momentum and challenged Allgaier for fourth place. 

    By Lap 30, Gragson was leading by nearly six-tenths of a second over teammate Berry while teammate Allgaier trailed by more than a second in third place. Preece was in fourth ahead of Allmendinger and Mayer while Hemric, Moffitt, Ty Gibbs and Trevor Bayne were in the top 10. By then, Jeb Burton made an unscheduled pit stop to address a flat right-front tire.

    Just then, the third caution of the event flew when Brandon Brown got loose and spun below the apron in Turn 3.

    When the race restarted under green on Lap 35, Josh Berry used the outside lane to his advantage as he assumed the lead while Gragson was left battling teammate Allgaier and Allmendinger for the runner-up spot. Behind, Daniel Hemric muscled his way into the top five ahead of Mayer, Preece and Moffitt while Joe Gibbs Racing’s Ty Gibbs and Bayne were in the top 10.

    Through the first 40 scheduled laps, Berry extended his advantage to more than a second over teammate Allgaier while teammate Gragson trailed by two seconds in third place. Kaulig Racing’s Allmendinger and Hemric were in the top five followed by Mayer, Moffitt, Preece, Gibbs and Brandon Jones while Bayne, Creed, Ryan Sieg, Hill and Riley Herbst were in the top 15.

    Shortly after, the caution flew due to a multi-car wreck on the frontstretch that involved Myatt Snider, Kyle Weatherman and Jeffrey Earnhardt. The caution was enough for the first stage, scheduled for Lap 45, to conclude under the yellow flag as Berry captured his fourth stage victory of the season. Teammates Allgaier and Gragson settled in second and third followed by Allmendinger, Hemric, Mayer, Preece, Ty Gibbs, Brandon Jones and Moffitt. During the caution period, Landon Cassill, who was in 16th, lost power on the backstretch and needed assistance back to his pit stall while his crew went to work to diagnose a fuel pump issue to his No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet Camaro.

    Under the stage break, the leaders led by Berry pitted and Allgaier exited with the lead followed by Berry, Brandon Jones, Mayer, Hemric and Allmendinger. During the pit stops, Gragson’s pit crew popped the hood up on the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro to address a potential mechanical issue.

    The second stage started on Lap 49 as teammates Allgaier and Berry occupied the front row. At the start, Allgaier retained the lead after receiving a push from teammate Mayer while teammates Berry and Mayer battled behind for the runner-up spot in front of Allmendinger and Brandon Jones.

    Through the following lap, Berry challenged Allgaier for the lead on the inside lane through Turns 3 and 4, but Allgaier managed to use the outside lane to fight back through the frontstretch. Then, as Berry tried to clear Allgaier in Turn 1, he slipped up the track and Allgaier used the crossover move on the inside lane to reassume the lead as teammate Mayer joined the battle. 

    By Lap 60, Allgaier continued to lead by eight-tenths of a second over teammate Berry while Mayer trailed by more than a second in third place. Allmendinger and Brandon Jones were in the top five ahead of Hemric, Gibbs, Bayne, Preece and Creed while Herbst, Sieg, Moffitt, Hill, Austin Dillon, Snider, Clements, Anthony Alfredo, Jeb Burton and Bayley Currey were in the top 20.

    Nearly 15 laps later, the caution flew when Jeb Burton got loose and spun from the top to the bottom lane in Turn 1. By then, Allgaier led by nearly a second over teammate Berry while Mayer, Allmendinger and Brandon Jones remained in the top five. 

    When the race restarted under green on Lap 78, the front-runners fanned out as Allgaier just managed to stay ahead of Mayer and Allmendinger while Berry slipped back to fifth. 

    During the following lap, Brandon Jones slipped sideways again through Turns 3 and 4 while running in the top five, but he managed to keep his No. 19 Menards Toyota Supra straight and running despite losing a bevy of spots as the race proceeded under green.

    Back at the front, Allgaier was ahead by nearly nine-tenths of a second over Mayer while Berry worked his way back to third place ahead of Allmendinger and Bayne.

    When the second stage concluded on Lap 90 amid the on-track actions and battles ensuing around the track, Allgaier captured his third stage victory of the season. Berry worked his way back into the runner-up spot followed by Mayer, Bayne, Preece, Allmendinger, Ty Gibbs, Creed, Hemric and Moffitt.

    Under the stage break, the leaders led by Allgaier returned to pit road for adjustments and Berry reassumed the lead after exiting with the top spot followed by Bayne, Mayer, Allgaier, Creed and Preece. During the pit stops, Allgaier lost three spots due to an issue with changing the left-front tire on his No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro. Following the pit stops, Creed was penalized for an uncontrolled tire violation while Josh Williams was penalized for speeding on pit road. In addition, Nicholas Sanchez was penalized for removing the jack out of his pit box while Joe Graf Jr. was penalized for a safety violation.

    With 101 laps remaining, the final stage commenced. At the start, Berry and Bayne dueled for the lead for a full lap as Berry emerged ahead to lead the halfway mark on Lap 100.

    During the following lap, Berry cleared the field to retain the lead while Preece muscled his way into the runner-up spot. Behind, Allgaier and Bayne battled for third place while Mayer was in fifth ahead of Allmendinger.

    Then with 97 laps remaining, the caution flew when Riley Herbst blew a right-front tire and scrapped his No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang against the outside wall in Turn 3.

    With 91 laps remaining, the race restarted under green as Berry and Preece occupied the front row. At the start, Berry and Preece battled for the lead until Preece managed to pull his No. 5 Hunt Brother’s Pizza Ford Mustang ahead in Turn 3. Behind, however, the caution returned again due to another multi-car wreck that involved Austin Dillon, Ryan Sieg, Anthony Alfredo, Stefan Parsons and Joe Graf Jr. 

    Following an extensive caution period, the race restarted under green with 81 laps remaining, At the start, Berry battled and fended off Preece to lead while Allgaier moved into the runner-up spot ahead of Preece. Behind, Mayer was in fourth ahead of Bayne, Hill, Allmendinger, Gibbs, Hemric and Brandon Jones.

    With 70 laps remaining, Berry was leading by nearly seven-tenths of a second over teammate Allgaier while third-place Preece trailed by nearly three seconds. Mayer was in fourth ahead of Bayne while Hill, Gibbs, Brandon Jones, Gragson and Hemric occupied the top 10. In the midst of the on-track action, Allmendinger pitted under green to address a flat tire and lost two laps in the process.

    Ten laps later, Berry continued to lead by more than a second over Allgaier while Mayer was in third place, trailing by more than seven seconds. Behind, Bayne passed Preece to move into fourth while Gibbs was in sixth. Gragson, meanwhile, was up to eighth in between Brandon Jones and Hill while Hemric was in 10th ahead of Creed.

    Another 10 laps later, Berry led the field by three-tenths of a second over Allgaier who was methodically closing in on him. Behind, Mayer and Bayne remained in third and fourth while Ty Gibbs overtook Preece to move into the top five. Soon after, Brandon Jones rallied his way into sixth place while Preece fell back to seventh. By then, 17 of 38 starters were scored on the lead lap.

    A few laps later, Creed pitted his No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet Camaro. He was soon followed by Clements, Josh Williams, Bailey Currey, Preece, Hemric and Bayne as a cycle of green-flag pit stops ensued. During the pit stops, Bayne and Austin Hill were both penalized for speeding on pit road. 

    Nearing the final 40 laps, teammates Berry and Allgaier pitted from the top-two spots as Gragson, who still had to make a pit stop, emerged out in front. Once Gragson pitted with 38 laps remaining, Allgaier cycled his way into the lead by a narrow margin over teammate Berry while third-place Preece trailed by nine seconds.

    With 30 laps remaining, Allgaier retained the lead by nearly four-tenths of a second over teammate Berry while third-place Preece trailed the two leaders by more than 11 seconds. Meanwhile, Gibbs and Mayer were in the top five while Brandon Jones, Gragson, Hemric, Garrett Smithley and Creed were in the top 10.

    Then with 25 laps remaining, teammates Allgaier and Berry duked it out for the lead through the frontstretch. As Berry made a move on the inside lane and slid up the track in Turn 1, Allgaier pulled a crossover move beneath Berry through the backstretch. They nearly made contact against one another through Turn 3 before Allgaier pulled ahead in Turn 4. Just then, Allgaier made contact with the outside wall in Turn 1. This allowed Berry, who had repeatedly pressured Allgaier for the lead, to surge ahead to the top spot, though Allgaier kept his teammate within his sights. 

    Under the final 20 laps, Berry stabilized his advantage to more than two-tenths of a second over teammate Allgaier while Preece, who trailed by more than 16 seconds, was under pressure by Ty Gibbs for third place.

    Nearing the final 15 laps, the battle for the lead ignited once again between teammates Berry and Allgaier amid lapped traffic as Allgaier tried to issue another challenge for the lead. Then shortly after, Allgaier made contact with the wall in Turn 1. He then made contact with the wall again in Turn 3 as he cut a tire and was forced to pit under green. 

    Down to the final 10 laps of the event, Berry was out in front by more than 16 seconds over Ty Gibbs while Mayer, Preece and Gragson occupied the top five. Hemric was the last competitor scored on the lead lap in sixth place while Creed was the first competitor a lap down in seventh place. Allgaier, meanwhile, was back in eighth place, a lap down, while Bayne and Myatt Snider were in the top 10.

    With five laps remaining, Berry stabilized his advantage to more than 16 seconds over Gibbs.

    When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Berry remained as the leader by nearly 17 seconds over Gibbs. Having a huge lead to his advantage, Berry easily cycled his way back to the frontstretch and went on to claim his second checkered flag of the season.

    With the victory, Berry notched his first win at Charlotte Motor Speedway, his second Xfinity Series victory of the season and the fourth win of his career in his 42nd series start. The victory was also a first at Charlotte in the Xfinity Series for JR Motorsports as Berry became the third multi-winner of this year’s Xfinity season.

    Photo by Ted Seminara for SpeedwayMedia.com.

    “Man, it’s so amazing,” Berry, who led a race-high 89 of 200, said on FS1. “This car was so good. [Crew chief] Mike [Bumgarner] and this whole group have worked so hard. We’ve been getting better every week. I think the sky’s the limits as we continue to learn about each other and keep getting better. I’m so happy for Harrison’s USA. This is their home track…Just truly so amazing. Dale [Earnhardt] Jr. and Kelley [Earnhardt Miller], LW [Miller], thank you, all of you, for what you do. That was a battle with Justin [Allgaier]. It always is with us. We always just seem to run good at the same places and always have to race each other, but he slipped up in [Turn] 1. I got loose too. I was following off him and he got loose. I got loose, too. Man, it all worked out.”

    Finishing in second place and 18 seconds behind Berry was Ty Gibbs, who won the spring Xfinity Charlotte event a year ago, while Mayer, Gragson and Preece finished in the top five.

    Hemric came home in sixth place and as the final competitor on the lead lap while Allgaier, Creed, Bayne and Snider finished in the top 10 amid a lapped behind.

    “[I’m] Just proud of our team,” Allgaier, who led 63 laps, said. “After the first contact into the wall, I kind of felt like maybe the right rear [tire] was going soft and ultimately, it ended up going down. I got the fence again and had to pit under green, so just disappointing, but congrats to Josh and this whole JR Motorsports team. It’s nice to have the momentum we’ve got right now. We’re gonna keep riding that high.”

    There were 12 lead changes for five different leaders. The race featured eight cautions for 44 laps.

    With the first half of the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series regular-season stretch complete, AJ Allmendinger leads the standings by 33 points over Noah Gragson, 40 over Ty Gibbs, 58 over Justin Allgaier and 60 over Josh Berry.

    AJ Allmendinger, Noah Gragson, Ty Gibbs, Justin Allgaier, Josh Berry, Brandon Jones and rookie Austin Hill are currently guaranteed spots for the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs based on winning at least once throughout the regular-season stretch. Sam Mayer, Riley Herbst, Daniel Hemric, Landon Cassill and Ryan Sieg occupy the remaining vacant spots in the Playoffs as winless competitors. Anthony Alfredo trails the cutline by 48 points, Jeb Burton trails by 50, rookie Sheldon Creed trails by 59, Brett Moffitt trails by 73, Brandon Browns trails by 76, Myatt Snider trails by 122 and Jeremy Clements trails by 129.

    Results.

    1. Josh Berry, 89 laps led, Stage 1 winner

    2. Ty Gibbs

    3. Sam Mayer, two laps led

    4. Noah Gragson, 36 laps led

    5. Ryan Preece, 10 laps led

    6. Daniel Hemric

    7. Justin Allgaier, one lap down, 63 laps led, Stage 2 winner

    8. Sheldon Creed, one lap down

    9. Trevor Bayne, one lap down

    10. Myatt Snider, one lap down

    11. Brett Moffitt, one lap down

    12. Jeb Burton, one lap down

    13. Ryan Ellis, one lap down

    14. Austin Hill, one lap down

    15. Bayley Currey, two laps down

    16. Brandon Jones, two laps down

    17. Brandon Brown, two laps down

    18. JJ Yeley, two laps down

    19. AJ Allmendinger, two laps down

    20. Matt Mills, two laps down 

    21.  Garrett Smithley, three laps down

    22. Jeremy Clements, three laps down

    23. CJ McLaughlin, four laps down

    24. Shane Lee, four laps down

    25. Riley Herbst, four laps down

    26. Ryan Vargas, 13 laps down

    27. Josh Williams – OUT, Suspension

    28. Nicholas Sanchez – OUT, Ignition

    29. Landon Cassill, 69 laps down

    30. Stefan Parsons, – OUT, Accident

    31. Austin Dillon – OUT, Accident

    32. Ryan Sieg – OUT, Accident

    33. Anthony Alfredo – OUT, Accident

    34. Joe Graf Jr. – OUT, Accident

    35. Brennan Poole – OUT, Brakes

    36. Kyle Weatherman – OUT, Accident

    37. Jeffrey Earnhardt – OUT, Accident

    38. Timmy Hill – OUT, Accident

    Next on the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series season is the series’ inaugural visit to Portland International Raceway in Portland, Oregon. The event is scheduled to occur on Saturday, June 4, at 4:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Gragson survives triple-overtime attempts for first Xfinity victory at Talladega

    Gragson survives triple-overtime attempts for first Xfinity victory at Talladega

    Noah Gragson outlasted the carnage and the competition through three overtime attempts to etch his name as a winner at Talladega Superspeedway after fending off Jeffrey Earnhardt on the final lap to win the Ag-Pro 300 on Saturday, April 23.

    The 23-year-old Gragson from Las Vegas, Nevada, led twice for seven of 124 over-scheduled laps and was able to both grab the lead and maintain it ahead of AJ Allmendinger and the field during the third of three overtime attempts after teammate Justin Allgaier ran out of fuel and fell out of contention. From there, Gragson fended off a hard-charging Jeffrey Earnhardt to streak to his second victory of the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series season.

    With on-track qualifying occurring on Friday, Jeffrey Earnhardt, who was piloting the iconic No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro for Richard Childress Racing on a one-race deal while having support from legendary crew chief and current FOX NASCAR analyst, Larry McReynolds, started on pole position for the first time in his career after posting a pole-winning lap at 182.560 mph in 52.454 seconds. Joining him on the front row was teammate and Xfinity rookie Austin Hill, who posted a fast lap at 182.351 mph in 52.514 seconds.

    Prior to the event, Matt Mills, Brandon Jones, Ryan Ellis, Caesar Bacarella, Shane Lee, Riley Herbst and David Starr dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments to their respective machines.

    When the green flag waved and the race started, Earnhardt quickly moved his No. 3 ForeverLawn Chevrolet Camaro to the outside lane in front of teammates Hill and Sheldon Creed while Ty Gibbs was the lead competitor on the inside lane. Through Turns 3 and 4, however, Gibbs managed to muscle his No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota Supra to the lead as the field stacked up and started to fan out to multiple lanes through the tri-oval. 

    Through the first lap, Gibbs was leading ahead of Earnhardt while Landon Cassill and Hill battled for third place. Behind, a three-wide battle ensued between Creed, Daniel Hemric and Ryan Sieg.

    By the fifth lap, Earnhardt moved into the lead for the first time followed by his Richard Childress Racing teammates Hill and Creed.

    Five laps later, the first caution of the even flew when Ryan Ellis lost a left-rear tire and spun in Turn 2. Under caution, the entire field pitted as names like Anthony Alfredo, Ryan Vargas, Chandler Smith, JJ Yeley. Jeremy Clements, Mason Massey, Noah Gragson, Brandon Brown, Sam Mayer, Shane Lee and Alex Labbe took only fuel on their stops. The rest of the competitors elected for fresh tires.

    On Lap 14, the race proceeded under green. At the start, teammates Hill and Earnhardt dueled for the lead as Hill had teammate Creed pushing him while Earnhardt had Cassill drafting him through Turn 2 and the backstretch. Then entering Turns 3 and 4, Hill moved his No. 21 Bennett Transp. and Logistics Chevrolet Camaro from the outside to the inside lane and managed to muscle ahead of teammate Creed to retain the lead.

    With five laps remaining in the first stage, Creed drew himself in a side-by-side battle against teammate Hill for the lead through the tri-oval before Hill managed to pull in front of Creed’s No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet Camaro to retain the lead. A few laps later, however, Josh Berry managed to gain a run through the inside lane to lead a lap for himself. 

    When the first stage concluded on Lap 25, Berry, who managed to clear Hill and pull away from the field the lap prior, claimed his second stage victory of the season. Gibbs settled in second followed by AJ Allmendinger, Cassill, Hill, Justin Allgaier, Noah Gragson, Anthony Alfredo, Sam Mayer and Brett Moffitt.

    Under the stage break, some led by Berry pitted while the rest including Alfredo, Brandon Brown, JJ Yeley, Mason Massey and Alex Labbe remained on the track.

    The second stage started on Lap 30 as Alfredo and Brown occupied the front row. At the start, the field fanned out to three lanes through the backstretch as Yeley made his way to the front followed by Gragson, Mayer, Alfredo and Brandon Jones while Massey drifted towards the back.

    By Lap 35 and with the field still fanned out through three lanes and in a tight pack, Gragson’s No. 9 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet Camaro was leading ahead of Brett Moffitt, Berry, Brandon Jones and Alfredo.

    Five laps later, Hill, who reassumed the lead on Lap 39, was back out in front ahead of Alfredo, Brown, Gragson, Mayer, Jeb Burton, Brandon Jones, Massey, Earnhardt and Allgaier.

    At the Lap 45 mark, all but one of the 38 starters, Josh Williams, were separated by six-and-a-half seconds as Mayer was out in front in a side-by-side battle against teammate Allgaier while Brandon Jones, Hill, Drew Dollar, Gibbs, Earnhardt, Creed, Jeb Burton and Alfredo were scored in the top 10.

    Three laps later, the caution flew for a multi-car wreck that started when Massey lost a tire, shot up the track and bumped against Berry’s No. 8 PUBG Mobile Chevrolet Camaro entering Turn 2 before spinning through the infield, clipping Yeley and pounding the inside wall as his car briefly came off the ground before coming to a rest with a wrecked car. In the midst of Massey’s hard wreck, Berry and Yeley also collided and wrecked with Moffitt and newcomer Chandler Smith getting collected. 

    The incident concluded the second stage scheduled on Lap 50 under caution as Allgaier claimed his first stage victory of the season. Teammate Mayer settled in second followed by Hill, Brandon Jones, Gibbs, Dollar, Brown, Jeffrey Earnhardt, Myatt Snider and Jeb Burton.

    Under the stage break, the field pitted. During the pit stops, Hill, Mayer, Gibbs, Snider, Jeb Burton, Herbst, Ryan Sieg, Herbst, Kaz Grala, Jeremy Clements and Gray Gaulding pitted for two tires while the rest of the field opted for four fresh tires. In addition, Brandon Jones was penalized for not remaining in a single file line with the field while entering pit road.

    With 59 laps remaining, the final stage started as Hill and Mayer occupied the front row. At the start, Hill received a big push from Gibbs to retain the lead ahead of Mayer and the competitors running in the outside lane. When the field returned to the start/finish line and as the field fanned out to multiple lanes, Hill was leading ahead of Gibbs, Creed, Herbst and Allgaier with the top-five competitors breaking away from the side-by-side action while Mayer and Ryan Sieg battled for sixth place.

    At the halfway mark between Laps 56 and 57, Hill continued to lead ahead of Gibbs, Creed, Herbst, Allgaier, Ryan Sieg, AJ Allmendinger, Alfredo, Cassill and Hemric.

    With 45 laps remaining, the caution flew due to a rear bumper cover from Berry’s car being reported on the backstretch. At the moment of the caution, Hill remained the leader ahead of Gibbs, Creed, Allgaier and Gragson. During the caution period, the field returned to pit road for tires and fuel except for Ryan Sieg.

    With 42 laps remaining, the race restarted under green. At the start, Hill received a strong push from Gragson to move into the lead. When the field returned to the start/finish line, Hill retained the lead ahead of Gragson, Gibbs, Creed and Herbst. 

    Under the final 40 laps, Hill was placed on defense mode as he worked to fend off Gibbs on the outside lane and Gragson on the inside lane amid the tight pack running towards the front. 

    Then with 36 laps remaining, Gibbs, who went wide and lost touch with the leaders, made contact with Daniel Hemric through the backstretch before he veered sideways and made contact with teammates Brandon Jones and Drew Dollar along with David Starr, Sieg and Ellis before pounding the inside wall as his strong afternoon came to an end.

    With 32 laps remaining, the race restarted under green. At the start, teammates Hill and Creed dueled for the lead as Hill had Gragson drafting him while Herbst tucked in behind Creed on the outside lane before Creed managed to stabilize himself into the runner-up spot on the inside lane through Turns 3 and 4. Soon after, Allmendinger moved up to fourth place followed by a side-by-side battle against Cassill and Herbst.

    Under the final 30 laps of the event, the front-runners settled in a long single-file line as Hill was leading teammate Creed, Gragson, Allmendinger, Cassill and Snider. Not long after, Mayer started to formulate a line on the outside lane as he tried to challenge Snider for the sixth spot.

    Down to the final 20 laps of the event and with the field fanning out to double lanes while in a tight pack, Hill was placed back on defense mode from the bottom to the inside lane as he retained the lead ahead of Allmendinger, Allgaier, Herbst, Creed, Mayer, Gragson, Alex Labbe, Moffitt and Cassill.

    Then with 16 laps remaining and as the intensity towards the front pack continued to brew, the caution flew when Matt Mills hit the Turn 1 wall after blowing a right-front tire as he shredded debris across the track. 

    With 12 laps remaining, the race proceeded under green. At the start, Hill and Allmendinger battled dead-even for the lead through the first two turns as Allmendinger had Mayer drafting him while Hill had support from Allgaier. With the field locked in a side-by-side battle, Hill managed to clear the field through Turns 3 and 4 and he went to work to defend the lead through both lanes.

    During the following lap, Mayer made a bold three-wide move on Allmendinger to move him out of the way in his bid to the front as Ryan Sieg and Jeb Burton also charged to the front. Meanwhile, Hill retained the top spot ahead of Allgaier. 

    Then with nine laps remaining, the caution returned due to a heavy multi-car wreck in Turn 1 that involved Brandon Jones, Snider, Drew Dollar, Joe Graf Jr., Brandon Brown, Kaz Grala and Ryan Vargas.

    Down to the final four laps of the event, the race restarted under green. At the start, Hill and Allgaier dueled for the lead with Jeb Burton pushing Hill while Allgaier had teammate Mayer and Allmendinger drafting him. Then through the backstretch, Mayer got loose off the front nose of Allmendinger and veered into Hill as both competitors were sent sideways into the inside wall with Mayer suffering heavy front nose damage and Hill, who led a race-high 67 laps, sustained left-side damage. In the midst of the incident, Allgaier emerged with the lead followed by Allmendinger, Creed, Jeb Burton and Cassill as the field was sent into overtime. 

    At the start of the first overtime attempt, Allgaier and Allmendinger dueled for the lead through Turns 1 and 2 before Allmendinger emerged with the lead through the backstretch ahead of Allgaier and Jeb Burton. Then, the event was sent into a second overtime attempt due to a hard incident in Turn 3 that involved Creed and Caesar Bacarella.

    During the second overtime attempt, Allgaier and Allmendinger dueled until Allgaier broke free from the pack with the lead through the backstretch. Then the event was sent into a third overtime attempt when Clements ran out of fuel as his car came to a stop below the apron between Turns 1 and 2.

    At the start of the third overtime attempt, Allgaier, who restarted on the front row and on the outside lane, ran out of fuel and pulled his car out of line while teammate Gragson, who received a strong start, rocketed to the lead ahead of Allmendinger, Ryan Sieg and the field. 

    When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Gragson was leading ahead of Allmendinger, Sieg, Jeb Burton, Jeffrey Earnhardt and the field. In Turn 1, Sieg nearly got turned off the front nose of Jeb Burton, but he managed to straighten his car and proceed forward without wrecking. This allowed Earnhardt to gain a run on Allmendinger for the runner-up spot as Herbst, Moffitt and Cassill made their move to the front. 

    Then in Turns 3 and 4, Allmendinger and Herbst rubbed fenders, which allowed Earnhardt to make a bold three-wide move to move into second place as he tried to challenge Gragson for the win. With Earnhardt unable to gain a draft from the field to overtake Gragson for the top spot, Gragson was able to stabilize himself through both lanes and streak across the finish line in first place with the victory by 0.131 seconds over Earnhardt.

    The victory was the seventh of Gragson’s Xfinity Series career and the second superspeedway victory for him after he won at Daytona International Speedway in February 2020. He also became the second Xfinity Series regular to achieve multiple victories this season alongside Ty Gibbs. 

    “Our 50th anniversary Bass Pro Shops Chevy Camaro was awesome,” Gragson said on FS1. “This JR Motorsports team, they never quit. Thanks to everybody back at JR Motorsports. The Fab shop. Everybody that helps get all four [JR Motorsports] cars to the race track. We had four really fast cars. [Crew chief] Luke Lambert and the rest of this Bass Pro Shops team. They called one hell of a race. It came down to fuel strategy. There’s one point where I was like, ‘Man, I can’t get up there.’ We just don’t have the car fast enough, but we never quit. That’s the most important thing…I’ve got to run in the Cup race [on Sunday], but the Talladega Boulevard looks a lot more enchanting right now and inviting, so I might have to go out there and then throw some beads. We’ll go have some fun tonight, baby.”

    While Gragson celebrated with the fans on the frontstretch, Jeffrey Earnhardt was left with smiles on pit road as he notched a career-best second-place result in his 136th start in the Xfinity circuit and at a track instilled with a rich legacy towards the Earnhardt name, most notably towards Jeffrey’s late grandfather, Dale Earnhardt Sr., and uncle, Dale Earnhardt Jr. 

    “[I needed] Just a push there at the end,” Earnhardt said. “Everyone spreads apart and it’s really hard to build a run by yourself without someone at the back. Unfortunately, our teammates got wiped out early. Man, I’m living a dream here. I’m so thankful to get this opportunity. So thankful for everyone to allow me to come do this…[Richard Childress Racing] for building this amazing race car. We were fast all weekend long. We just fell a little short there and I hate it, but congrats to Noah. He’s good at plate races. Fell up a little bit short, but hopefully, this will lead to a lot more to come in the future and we’ll be able to come back and give’em a run for their money. Just very thankful to even be here. I’ll forever be grateful for this opportunity.”

    Meanwhile, Allmendinger Came home in third place and captured the third Dash 4 Cash $100,000 bonus, which was his second of this season.

    “This place makes me shake,” Allmendinger said. “That last lap, I thought I wrecked at least seven times. The first thing, just to get out with a clean race car, finish in the top five was a big deal, but to win another Xfinity Dash 4 Cash [bonus]. Comcast, Xfinity, thank you so much for what you do. For allowing us to go for a hundred grand in these four races. To win two of them is a big deal…We get to do it again at Dover.”

    Teammate Landon Cassill and Ryan Sieg finished in the top five as they will join Gragson and Allmendinger to battle for the fourth and final Dash 4 Cash bonus next weekend at Dover Motor Speedway. Alfredo, Herbst, Joe Graf Jr., Snider and Brett Moffitt finished in the top 10. 

    There were 25 lead changes for 14 different leaders. The race featured 10 cautions for 39 laps.

    With his third-place result, AJ Allmendinger continues to lead the regular-season standings by 40 points over Noah Gragson and 45 over Ty Gibbs.

    Results.

    1. Noah Gragson, seven laps led

    2. Jeffrey Earnhardt, 10 laps led

    3. AJ Allmendinger, six laps led

    4. Landon Cassill

    5. Ryan Sieg

    6. Anthony Alfredo, three laps led

    7. Riley Herbst

    8. Joe Graf Jr.

    9. Myatt Snider

    10. Brett Moffitt

    11. Josh Berry, five laps led, Stage 1 winner

    12. Alex Labbe

    13. Drew Dollar, one lap led

    14. Shane Lee

    15. Jeb Burton

    16. Joey Gase

    17. Bayley Currey

    18. Kyle Sieg

    19. Josh Williams

    20. Ryan Vargas

    21. Gray Gaulding, one lap led

    22. Justin Allgaier – OUT, Fuel pressure, 13 laps led, Stage 2 winner

    23. Jeremy Clements, two laps down

    24. Sheldon Creed – OUT, Accident, one lap led

    25. Caesar Bacarella – OUT, Accident

    26. Brandon Jones – OUT, Dvp

    27. Austin Hill – OUT, Accident, 67 laps led

    28. Sam Mayer – OUT, Accident, two laps led

    29. Kaz Grala – OUT, Accident

    30. Brandon Brown – OUT, Accident, one lap led

    31. Matt Mills – OUT, Accident

    32. Ryan Ellis – OUT, Dvp

    33. David Starr – OUT, Dvp, one lap led

    34. Daniel Hemric – OUT, Dvp

    35. Ty Gibbs – OUT, Accident, five laps led

    36. JJ Yeley – OUT, Dvp, two laps led

    37. Mason Massey – OUT, Accident

    38. Chandler Smith – OUT, Accident

    Next on the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule is the series’ lone event at Dover Motor Speedway in Dover, Delaware, where the fourth and final Xfinity Dash 4 Cash initiative will occur. The event is scheduled to occur on Saturday, April 30, at 1:30 p.m. ET on FS1.