Trevor Bayne, driver of the No. 6 Performance Plus Motor Oil Ford Fusion, fought for grip throughout much of Saturday evening’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) 400-Lap event at Richmond Raceway, ultimately taking the checkered flag in the 25th position.
Following the regular season finale at Richmond, four Camry drivers are now set for the MENCS’s Playoffs to determine the 2017 champion, including regular season champion Martin Truex Jr., as well as Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Matt Kenseth.
JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Shell Pennzoil/Red Cross Ford Fusion – “We came into the weekend saying second would be a failure and we finished second, so one spot short. But, overall, I’m proud of this team. We came in here with the pressure on us and we executed the best we could. We scored some good stage points, which don’t mean anything, but it means we’re up front at least. We just came up a little bit short there at the end. I had a good restart. The last run before that we short-pitted and we lost a lot of speed that run. For whatever reason we lost all of our track position and fell out of the top five, and then just fought hard there at the end to try to make something happen. Hopefully, there was another caution. They all but brought out a caution, but overall we’ve got 10 races to go and we’ll make it exciting for everyone that’s in the Playoffs when there is a car running for the win that’s out of it. It’ll be interesting for us. That’s the end of our championship run, but it’s not the end of our season. We’ve still got a lot to race for.”
KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 TARGET CHEVROLET SS – RACE WINNER - TAKE US THROUGH THAT LAST PIT STOP AND THAT LAST RESTART THAT GOT YOU TO VICTORY LANE FOR THE FOURTH TIME THIS SEASON: “Yeah, I was surprised at how good our car was tonight. We weren’t as good at the No. 78 (Martin Truex, Jr.) which nobody really is at any race track. We kept our heads in it. Our pit crew was, oh my gosh, they were so spectacular all night. We gained spots or at least gained time on pit road. Especially that last stop, it was awesome. Can’t thank them enough, this win is all about the and this whole race team really. So, just having a blast this season. We’ve got four wins in the regular season, which is awesome, so hopefully we can go on into the Playoffs and make it through some rounds and hopefully get to Homestead if Irma doesn’t wash it away and go for a championship.”
Winning his 36th NASCAR Xfinity Series race of his career, Brad Keselowski took the No. 22 Team Penske Ford Mustang to victory lane in the Virginia 529 College Savings 250 at Richmond Raceway on Friday night.
Recap: Fans were treated to a classic NASCAR XFINITY Series battle between Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch in Friday’s night’s Virginia 529 College Savings 250 at Richmond Raceway. In the end, Keselowski was able to drive his No. 22 Fitzgerald Glider Kits Ford Mustang to Victory Lane for his 36th career series victory. After starting the race from the third position, Keselowski quickly established himself as one of the top contenders for the win as he quickly moved into second place.
Brendan Gaughan and the South Point Hotel & Casino Team Fight for Stage Points and Finish 21st at Richmond Raceway "I've always said I like to gamble, and that's what we did tonight. Shane Wilson and I needed another caution to help us gain the track position we were hoping for to finish the race. I am pumped up about leading laps at Richmond Raceway, as that's a big accomplishment for me here, and gaining stage points is what our strategy was all about. Ultimately, this South Point Hotel & Casino team gave me an awesome Chevy tonight and the pit crew was solid as well. We will go to Chicago fighting our hardest as the last race before the Playoffs begin."
BRAD KESELOWSKI, No. 22 Fitzgerald Glider Kits Ford Mustang -- TAKE US THROUGH THE FINISH OF THE RACE AND CHASING DOWN THE 18: “I just wish I could explain better than I know how. I wish I could have somebody riding with me and kind of explain what it is like and see things through my view. I guess that is the beauty of the helmet cam we are trying to put in. From my view that was one of those race wins that was extremely personally gratifying. To know you are probably not as good as someone on the short run and just try to wear them down every lap and knowing that if you can get a long run you’ve got a shot and it and we did - we got a long run and I still had to make the right moves."
Ryan Reed led the way in round one of qualifying and advanced all the way to the third and final round to start Friday evening’s race 12th at Richmond Raceway. Reed had a fast No. 16 Lilly Diabetes Ford and despite searching for forward turn was able to pit for adjustments and fresh Goodyear tires to work his way to a 12th-place finish.
Bobby Gossett (No. 44 BSI Racing) might have thought lady luck was not on his side at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park on Saturday when his provisional pole time was disallowed, but she made herself known in the race.
Daniel Hemric continued his consistent road course handiwork with a sixth-place finish on Saturday afternoon at Lime Rock Park and substantially increased his cushion on the provisional Chase cutline.
Christian Eckes notched a gritty fifth-place finish on Saturday afternoon at Lime Rock Park to advance to fourth in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS) standings.
