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CHEVROLET NCS AT DOVER: Post-Race Report

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NASCAR CUP SERIES
DOVER MOTOR SPEEDWAY
WÜRTH 400
TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE REPORT
APRIL 28, 2024

Larson Leads Chevrolet with Runner-Up Finish at Dover Motor Speedway

· Kyle Larson led Chevrolet to the checkered-flag in the NASCAR Cup Series race at Dover Motor Speedway – scoring a runner-up finish in his No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Camaro ZL1.

· For the third consecutive race, Chevrolet earned 50 percent of the top-10 finishing positions – represented by four different Chevrolet organizations including Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson in second, Chase Elliott in fifth and Alex Bowman in eighth; Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch in fourth; and Kaulig Racing’s Daniel Hemric in ninth.

· With 28 races complete across NASCAR’s three national series this season, Chevrolet has a winning percentage of 60.7% with 17 victories (NASCAR Cup Series – six wins; NASCAR Xfinity Series – five wins; NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series – six wins).

· Five drivers from three different Chevrolet organizations collected top-10 points in both stages including Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson (5th, 1st), Alex Bowman (8th; 2nd) and Chase Elliott (9th, 5th); Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch (7th; 6th); and JTG Daugherty’s Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (10th, 9th).

· With 11 points-paying races complete, Kyle Larson and the No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Camaro ZL1 team continues to lead in the driver’s points standings – holding a 15-point advantage over second-place Martin Truex Jr.

· The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Kansas Speedway with the AdventHealth 400 on Sunday, May 5, at 3 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

 
TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10:
POS. DRIVER
2nd Kyle Larson, No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Camaro ZL1
4th Kyle Busch, No. 8 FICO Camaro ZL1
5th Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1
8th Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1
9th Daniel Hemric, No. 31 Poppy Bank Camaro ZL1

 TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE QUOTES:

Kyle Larson, No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Camaro ZL!

Finished: 2nd

WAS THERE AN AREA WHERE YOU THOUGHT YOU WERE GAINING GROUND LATE?

“Not really. It’s so easy as the leader to shut off the air to the guy behind you at a track like Dover, especially where it’s low on grip as the run progresses. I knew I was going to have an uphill battle once I lost the lead on that restart. I felt like if I had gotten the lead, I could have maintained my run like I did in the second stage and hold those guys off. It was a good day to get a lot of points and all that, but I would have loved to win obviously.”

HOW IS THE PASSING AT DOVER COMPARED TO OTHER TRACKS? IS IT MORE ENJOYABLE?

“It’s a little bit easier to pass here than some of the others. It’s just as hard to pass the leader, for sure. Like I said, it’s just so easy for them to maneuver their car and shut off the air behind him. Yeah, he (Denny Hamlin) with it. I don’t think he did anything special, but he was able to run in the middle of the racetrack and close me off on the top. If I ever pulled to the bottom, he could pull down and shut off my air. It’s just a product of the car and all that. We did what we could. I just wish I wouldn’t have given up the lead.”

Kyle Busch, No. 8 FICO Camaro ZL1

Finished: 4th

“I felt like today was a good day overall. There are still things to clean up but I’m proud of a top-five effort. It felt like if we would have restarted third, I might have been able to keep pace maybe somewhere closer to the front. But starting where I did and having to race the 10 was difficult. I hate it for our guys that we didn’t get a better finish, but the FICO Camaro was good. Just struggled a bit on the long, long run.”

Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1

Finished: 5th

“I was really happy with our car, honestly. A couple of moves here or there… I needed to just get myself a little further forward. But I’m really happy with the NAPA Chevy. We had a really solid day and it was fun. It’s always fun when you can pass your way to the front.”

IS THIS A FUN TRACK BECAUSE OF ITS PASSING CAPABILITY?

“It’s not always like that so let’s be careful. But it was today.”

Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1

Finished: 8th

In the middle stages of the race, this No. 48 car was extremely fast. Was it all just about track position there at the end?

“Yeah, I mean both front fenders are broke too from the deal on pit road, so I’m sure that didn’t help anything. We were really fast in the middle segment of the race. We were probably just a little too tight on the top. I couldn’t rotate the bottom like I wanted to, but I was too free on entry to really free the car up. I could make a lot of pace up top, but it just hurt the tires pretty bad.

All-in-all, it was an OK day for our No. 48 Ally Chevy team. Eighth-place here (at Dover Motor Speedway) is pretty bad for me, but it was still a good points day and a step in the right direction. It’s a little more consistency than we’ve seen, so hopefully we can keep plugging away at it.”

Daniel Hemric, No. 31 Poppy Bank Camaro ZL1

Finished: 9th

“It was a long day. We gave up a lot of track position early. Just probably got us too loose, in general, in practice going into the race with not really knowing what to expect out of this car. We fell back and were kind of stuck back there. The team made a great call to just keep us in the game. We stayed out a little longer there on that last green-flag cycle stop – it was kind of like an early Christmas present to us. It got us back on the lead lap.

It was just really rewarding for all of us on the No. 31 Poppy Banky Chevy team to put us inside the top-10 and be able to run there. We know our pace was there, it’s just a matter of getting track position. That’s the name of the game here. Overall, I’m proud of everyone on the No. 31 Poppy Bank Chevy team.”

Austin Dillon, No. 3 BREZTRI Camaro ZL1

Finished: 27th

“Unfortunately it was a rough day for us on the No. 3 BREZTRI Chevy team. We fought hard. I had a tire that felt like it was going down in the first stage, and we got two laps down and could never recover from it. We’ll look at what our teammate did – the No. 8 (Kyle Busch) was obviously really good. We’ll try and work off of that and come back stronger. It was a tough day, but we’ve got to go to Kansas (Speedway) and fight.”

William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1

Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident in the final stage.

Finished: 33rd

“I didn’t see much. We were rolling on the bottom and something happened up top. The No. 23 (Bubba Wallace) got spun across the track, and we were there. We had a good No. 24 Liberty University Chevy early but couldn’t get through traffic very well out front. Once we got in the back, we were terrible in traffic. We didn’t have the balance today.”

Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hungry Jack Camaro ZL1

Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident in the final stage.

Finished: 35th

“Our day was really, really good. Our No. 47 Hungry Jack Chevy was good. We were running right around the top-10 all day, which was nice. It looked like the No. 4 (Josh Berry) just cut down underneath a lapper, got us in the right-front and spun us around.

Overall, our Chevy was really, really good. We needed a run like that, but we needed to finish it off. We’ll regroup and get ready for Kansas (Speedway) next weekend.” 

 
 
 

About Chevrolet

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes – Dover Post-Race Quotes

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Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series at Dover Motor Speedway
Wurth 400 | Sunday, April 28, 2024

Ford Performance Results:
6th – Noah Gragson
7th – Ryan Blaney
14th – Josh Berry
15th – Austin Cindric
16th – Joey Logano
17th – Chris Buescher
19th – Chase Briscoe
23rd – Justin Haley
26th – Harrison Burton
29th – Kaz Grala
30th – Brad Keselowski
31st – Todd Gilliland
36th – Michael McDowell
37th – Ryan Preece

NOAH GRAGSON, No. 10 Miller Tech Ford Mustang Dark Horse – HOW DOES IT FEEL TO HAVE A SOLID RUN LIKE TODAY? “I thought we qualified really well and then we kind of fell back there the first half of the race. We got really lucky with that caution coming on the final green flag pit cycle, but the Miller Tech Mustang was good once we got some track position. It just took a little bit, but things fell our way and we were able to come home with a top 10 finish, finishing sixth. It wasn’t looking pretty there in the middle of the race, but I’m thankful things went our way and we were able to get that track position at the end.”

YOU ARE REALLY BUILDING EACH WEEK. “Yeah, definitely. We set goals throughout the week on where we want to run. We were hoping to qualify in the top 15 and then run top 16 today, so to come home sixth feel really good. A big thanks to Drew Blickensderfer and Andy Houston, our spotter, and everybody else on this number 10 team. They’ve been doing a great job with me and I’m excited for the future.”

RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Wurth Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “I still thought we had like fourth to seventh-place potential all day, so I’m proud of the effort by everybody on this team for sticking with it. I really wanted to win one for Wurth. It’s a big race for those guys and they’re a great partner for us, but we just missed out. Hopefully, we can get a redemption shot next year if they do this again, but I appreciate the effort. It was a long day. To run 400 laps around this place is tough and working on it all day, the 12 boys stuck with it so I appreciate their effort, Ford, Roush Yates, Menards and we’ll go to Kansas next week.”

YOU WERE IN THE TOP 10 ALL RACE LONG AND GOT STAGE POINTS THROUGHOUT. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR DAY? “it was a consistent day. I just wish we had a little bit more pace to compete like the leaders. We led a little bit early and then the track changed and we couldn’t really keep up with it and the better cars kind of showed their muscle when the track got slick. Overall, we hung around the top 10 all day and I thought we could have finished anywhere between fourth to eighth, so we were right in the middle and hopefully we can learn from it a little bit.”

AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 2 Menards/Quaker State Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “I’m proud to have a result that is representative. I feel like we’ve struggled to finish these deals out the last month or so, the speed that we’ve shown, so I’m proud of that. Fifteenth is solid, but we still have more progress to make. The guys called a great race. We made good adjustments and it feels nice to execute one. We just need to keep moving forward.”

JOSH BERRY, No. 4 Overstock Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “It was solid. We had a good car all day. We just needed to get a little bit more track position. We kept chipping away at it and just could never quite get into the top 10, but I thought we were gonna be really close to having a top 10 effort there. We definitely had top 10 speed, so we just have to keep chipping away at it and doing the same thing and the results will come.”

CHASE BRISCOE, No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “It was weird, . We started off pretty good and we just had on real bad run where we went from fifth to 25th and we just couldn’t find the balance. It was never where we needed it to be. It would be one way and then the next run it would be the other way. It seemed like we were always kind of chasing our tails. We also got burned by a caution and ended up 19th. I don’t know. This place has been a struggle for us for whatever reason and we’ve got to do our homework a little bit more and see what we can find.”

MICHAEL MCDOWELL, No. 34 The Pete Store Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “It was a challenging day. We fired off pretty good. We needed a little bit of adjustment, but we just miscalculated with our pit road. We thought that we could run hard into our box because we were the first box and the timing line was in the middle of our box, so we thought that there was no way you could speed. That’s what I was told, like, ‘There’s no way you can speed coming in. Come in as hard as you can.’ And I did, and we sped in that section, so I really hate that. That put us in the back and then just fighting all day to try and get back up. Once we got in the back of the pack it was really tough to pass, just like it is for everybody, but we had a good car at the start of the race. Right there, I’m not exactly sure, but it looked like a right-front hub failed, so we’ll have to dig into that and see why. Obviously, Dover is a high load, high wear and tear on parts, but we haven’t had any issues like this in the past, so we’ll just have to dig into it.”

RYAN PREECE, No. 41 Morton Buildings Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “I felt like I was on fire and I went the first 70 laps just trying to push through and then it got so bad that I couldn’t put my hands on the wheel. I was worried that an oil line or something would melt and then the whole car gets engulfed in fire and I don’t want to be trapped in there having that happen, so I pulled off. Whatever happened it was completely unnecessary and we can’t afford days like this.”

WAS IT THE FOAM? “I’m not gonna be the one to say what happened, but it wasn’t necessary. It could have been prevented.”

Felix Rosenqvist Takes Season-High Fourth For Meyer Shank Racing in Alabama

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Birmingham, Ala. (28 April 2024) – Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) has put together the best start of its eight years of NTT INDYCAR SERIES competition and isn’t showing any signs of slowing after Felix Rosenqvist (No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda) finished a strong fourth in Sunday’s Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix at Barber Motorsports Park.

Teammate Tom Blomqvist (No. 66 AutoNation / Arctic Wolf Honda) continued to make strides as he started the race a career-best 12th and came home with a 19th place finish.

The fourth place finish was the best of the young season for Rosenqvist and moved him up to fifth in the provisional INDYCAR SERIES point standings, just 13 points behind the series leader. Rosenqvist is currently the only driver in the series to finish in the top five in all of the 2024 season races thus far.

The top-10 finish also marked the first time since joining the series that MSR has started the season with three consecutive top-10 finishes and is the first time since 2021 that the team has carded three straight top-10 results.

The 90-lap race saw the field split into a pair of strategies from the drop of the green flag, with some committing to a three-stop plan that allowed them to run at full speed while others – including the two MSR cars – went with a two-stop strategy that would force drivers to conserve fuel to complete the full race distance.

Starting fifth, Rosenqvist ran with the top group of two-stoppers all day, keeping a podium finish in sight as the strategies played out. He led a lap for the second time in the year’s three races during the first cycle of stops while teammate Blomqvist, who started a career-best 12th, was able to maintain his strategy despite losing positions in the first stint.

Things appeared to be playing out in MSR’s favor in the second half of the race, but a caution flag with 35 laps to go provided an opportunity for the three-stop cars to stay out and run harder as the two-stop cars had to pit for fuel, dropping Rosenqvist back to 12th on the restart.

Rosenqvist got back into the top-five as pit stops cycled through and appeared destined for that fifth spot when the fourth and final caution of the day came out with five laps to go. The team’s tire choices throughout the day left the Swedish driver on the softer Firestone tires on the restart while fourth-placed Alex Palou – who was on the same strategy as Rosenqvist – was on the harder black-walled shoes.

Rosenqvist made that decision pay off on the Lap 89 restart as he got a good run on the No. 10 car and moved into fourth, where he would stay for the final two trips around the Barber circuit.

Blomqvist continued to tick another INDCAR event off in his Rookie season in the series. Despite dealing with balance issues during the 90-lap race, he finished on the lead lap in 19th.

MSR will have a week to the plan before heading to Indianapolis for the Month of May, which starts with the May 11 Sonsio Grand Prix on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. The Saturday race will be followed by the May 26 Indianapolis 500, which will see the team expanded to three cars as MSR minority owner Helio Castroneves attempts to win his record fifth Memorial Day Classic.

Meyer Shank Racing Driver Quotes:

Felix Rosenqvist: “P4, I’d say we’d take that any day. We didn’t feel quick initially and we had some challenges early on in the weekend, but after that we kept improving and improving. I think our strongest part of the weekend was the race. We were on a massive fuel save and pretty much everyone around us tried to do a three-stopper, so it was hard to keep everyone behind. I’m happy we stuck to that strategy because it gave us a couple of spots in the end, even if we were not on the winning strategy. We made the most out of it and a lot of points on a weekend where we weren’t the favorite.”

Tom Blomqvist: “This was a really tough race for us. I was struggling to get grip the whole race so it was difficult to handle. It’s another race under my belt and we’ll just continue to keep learning each weekend.”

ABEL Motorsports captures first INDY NXT victory at Barber

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Jacob Abel shares the championship lead as teammates Josh Mason and Yuven Sundaramoorthy battle hard on a difficult day

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (28 April 2024) – “Finally” was the word of the day for ABEL Motorsports, as driver Jacob Abel scored his first INDY NXT by Firestone victory Sunday at Barber Motorsports Park, in the second race of his third season in the series.

“Finally is right,” said Abel. “I had a few close calls last year so it was nice to finally get it done – and getting it done this early is really important for the championship.”

Abel dominated the weekend, leading every session – two practice sessions and qualifying. The wire-to-wire victory ties the Louisville, Ky. native with Nolan Siegel for the championship lead.

But for teammates Josh Mason (Maresfield, UK) and Yuven Sundaramoorthy (Oconomowoc, Wis.), the day was a bit less straightforward. Mason battled traffic and balance issues as Sundaramoorthy dealt with an early shifting issue that required several resets. Mason finished 16th and Sundaramoorthy 21st.

Abel started the race from pole position, with Mason 13th and Sundaramoorthy 16th. The first of 35 laps ran under caution to get the field into better alignment but when the green flag flew, Abel put the power down and posted a solid lead over Siegel into turn one. Mason and Sundaramoorthy took advantage of the lap one shuffling, each moving up two positions.

But on lap five, Sundaramoorthy reported a shifting issue, stopping on course to reset systems before resuming the fight. On the restart after the resulting caution, Abel got a solid jump on Siegel, but Siegel tried to make a move on lap nine, pulling alongside Abel in turn 5. Abel not only held him off, he broke away to increase his lead to nearly a second. Mason, however, made a small mistake in that same turn and fell to 17th, while Sundaramoorthy headed to pit lane for another reset and a new steering wheel, as the team explored every possible avenue to fix the issue.

By mid-race, Abel’s runway to his first win was all about laying down the laps and staying consistent, as he kept Siegel at least a half second behind as he managed the race pace as well as his push-to-pass on his way to taking took his first checkered flag in the top spot.

“That was super, super special,” said Abel. “I’m so proud of the entire ABEL Motorsports team, they’ve worked really, really hard for this – for the past three years but really, for my entire career. The core team has been with me the whole time and I’m so thankful to get them this first INDY NXT win.

“It was a good battle with Nolan. I’ve had a lot of battles with him the past couple of years – there are a bunch of drivers in the field that I trust racing that close with, though of course, you can’t say that about everyone in the field. We gave each other room, so it was fun. I’d been running a bit of an alternate line through turn 5 so when he tried the over/under, I was pretty happy because I could just go back to my regular line. After that, I just kept my head down and worked on building that gap to the end, and that’s what I did.”

For team principal Bill Abel, the pride was obviously two-fold: as a team principal knowing the validity that comes with race wins, and as a proud father, who saw all the years of work come to fruition – for his son, and his eponymous team.

“I’m super proud of the job the entire team did – not just today, but this entire season so far,” said Abel. “We tested here in November, with good results (note: Abel set the quick time in the test), and we just hoped we didn’t lose that in these four months. We haven’t been great here in the past but Jacob was confident, and the team was confident. We did it in qualifying and we did it in the race, and that lets everyone know that we’re serious about what we’re doing – we’re a race winning team and we hope to be a championship winning team.”

For teammates Mason and Sundaramoorthy, post-race meant the chance to look back on the positive takeaways, and ahead to the upcoming Mid-Ohio test – and an important doubleheader at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

“The aborted start was a bit of an issue, with all the packing up in the back,” said Mason. “It was quite messy in the back. We made up a few places on the start but I made that mistake that cost me a few positions. I struggled with balance from there, and I tried everything I could in the car to make it better, but nothing was really going my way. But at the end of the day, we finished the race and got some more valuable seat time. Looking forward to next week’s Mid-Ohio test and the race at Indy.”

“The shifting issue was unfortunate for the team,” said Sundaramoorthy. “But I still needed to find some pace, I have some more work to do on my end. I think we could have moved up a few spots but we need more pace to match Jacob – though I know the car is capable of that. We have a test at Mid-Ohio next week and we’ll come back stronger at Indy.”

ABEL Motorsports thanks partners ABEL Construction Company, Advance Ready Mix, Boyd Cat®, S Team Motorsports and OMP for their continued support.

Next up for ABEL Motorsports and the INDY NXT by Firestone will be the Indianapolis Grand Prix doubleheader at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway,May 10 and 11. The races will be streamed live in the U.S. on Peacock, while international viewers can watch via INDYCARLIVE, with INDYCAR Radio available at indycar.com and on Sirius XM.

About ABEL Motorsports: Team principal Bill Abel began racing motocross in 1972, earning numerous championship titles as he continued the family racing tradition. In 2015, ABEL Motorsports was launched, starting in the USF2000 series and building up the junior open wheel ladder. The team captured the inaugural Formula Regional Americas Championship with driver Kyle Kirkwood in 2018.

ABEL Motorsports currently competes in the INDY NXT by Firestone series, the official development series for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, led by third-generation driver Jacob Abel. The team made its INDYCAR debut in 2023 with driver RC Enerson in the Indianapolis 500. For more information visit the official team website at abelmotorsports.com.

About Abel Construction Company: ABEL Construction is one of the largest general contractors in Kentucky. They hold licenses in thirteen states and have offices in Lexington, Kentucky, Indianapolis, Indiana, with their corporate office in Louisville. Their expertise spans various areas, including general contracting, construction management, design-build, Integrated Project Delivery (IPD), and facilities maintenance.

Abel Construction has contributed to building some of the region’s most recognizable landmarks. Their projects cover diverse sectors, including automotive, healthcare, post-secondary education, commercial, food/beverage, tech, and industrial/manufacturing. They prioritize client satisfaction, focusing on efficient project delivery regardless of size or cost. Their skilled professionals utilize cutting-edge technology and software to ensure successful outcomes. abelconstruct.com/.

Abel Earns First Career Victory after Perfect Weekend

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Sunday, April 28, 2024) – The wait finally is over for Jacob Abel.

Abel led all 35 laps from pole to claim his first INDY NXT by Firestone victory Sunday in the INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park.

The win came in Abel’s 30th career start in the INDYCAR development series and was the first win for the family-owned Abel Motorsports team. His previous best result was second, three times, including in the 2024 season opener March 10 at St. Petersburg, Florida.

Abel led both practices and qualifying at Barber before completing his dream weekend with a win.

“I’m speechless, man,” Abel said. “This team has been working for this for so long now, and to finally get it done and on such a picture-perfect weekend, it’s been lights out all weekend long. It was just up to me to deliver it.

“A lot of nerves all weekend long, but I can finally say that yes, everything went right this weekend. Super happy with it.”

Abel won under caution in the No. 51 Abel Construction entry when Jamie Chadwick spun into the gravel in Turn 1 on Lap 34 and got stuck, triggering a race-ending yellow flag. Abel led Siegel’s No. 39 HMD Motorsports car by about a second when the yellow flew.

James Roe placed third in the No. 29 TopCon car of Andretti Global to earn his second career podium finish. Caio Collet was the highest-placing rookie, finishing fourth in the No. 18 HMD Motorsports car.

Louis Foster completed a stirring drive from 21st and last on the starting grid to round out the top five in the No. 26 Copart/Novara Technologies entry fielded by Andretti Global.

Siegel, who started second, ran in that position for the entire race. But he did pull side by side with Abel in Turn 5 on Lap 10 after gaining ground after a Lap 6 restart. Abel parried that move by Siegel, who fell back to .5510 of a second behind at the end of that lap.

Abel then controlled the race from that point, but it wasn’t without some anxiety.

Siegel conserved his Firestone Firehawk tires and Push to Pass and started to close in on Abel with 10 laps remaining on the 17-turn, 2.3-mile circuit. Siegel pulled his machine within .479 of a second on Lap 27, but Abel was able to expand that gap to .840 of a second by Lap 30 and held on for the win.

“Congrats to Jacob,” Siegel said. “He did a great job all weekend. Honestly, I think we were faster today. The car was fantastic. We saved everything for the last lap; we saved all our P2P (Push to Pass), saved our tires the entire race sitting there, and right as I started to go for it, that yellow came out.

“Super disappointed, but I think it’s a good day when you’re disappointed with second.”

The duel between Abel and Siegel not only was compelling for the fans watching from Barber’s manicured grounds, but it also set the stage for a potential championship battle all season. Abel and Siegel are tied atop the standings with 95 points after two races.

“Props to Nolan,” Abel said. “He kept me honest. The whole entire race, he was right there. He’s a great competitor, and I look forward to many battles like that throughout the season.”

Foster may have salvaged his championship hopes with a terrific drive from the back of the field. He barely completed any practice laps this weekend and didn’t participate in qualifying due to nagging electrical problems.

But the Andretti Global crew diagnosed and fixed the gremlins, and Foster diced through the field for a strong recovery. He is third in the standings, 30 points behind Abel and Siegel.

The next events for INDY NXT by Firestone are the Indianapolis Grand Prix doubleheader May 10-11 on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.

INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Alabama Race Results

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Results Sunday of the INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Alabama INDY NXT by Firestone event on the 2.3-mile Barber Motorsports Park, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, laps completed and reason out (if any):

  1. (1) Jacob Abel, 35, Running
  2. (2) Nolan Siegel, 35, Running
  3. (3) James Roe, 35, Running
  4. (4) Caio Collet, 35, Running
  5. (21) Louis Foster, 35, Running
  6. (9) Myles Rowe, 35, Running
  7. (6) Michael d’Orlando, 35, Running
  8. (7) Bryce Aron, 35, Running
  9. (10) Callum Hedge, 35, Running
  10. (12) Salvador de Alba Jr., 35, Running
  11. (8) Reece Gold, 35, Running
  12. (15) Jack William Miller, 35, Running
  13. (17) Christian Bogle, 35, Running
  14. (14) Jonathan Browne, 35, Running
  15. (20) Niels Koolen, 35, Running
  16. (13) Josh Mason, 35, Running
  17. (11) Josh Pierson, 35, Running
  18. (18) Nolan Allaer, 35, Running
  19. (19) Lindsay Brewer, 34, Running
  20. (5) Jamie Chadwick, 33, Running
  21. (16) Yuven Sundaramoorthy, 32, Running

Race Statistics
Winner’s average speed: 106.810 mph
Time of Race: 45:13.2293
Margin of victory: Under caution
Cautions: 2 for 3 laps
Lead changes: None
Lap Leaders:
Abel, Jacob 1 – 35

INDY NXT by Firestone Point Standings: Siegel 95, Abel 95, Foster 65, Collet 58, d’Orlando 58, Rowe 52, Roe 49, Gold 49, Browne 44, de Alba Jr. 42, Hedge 41, Bogle 37, Aron 35, Miller 30, Pierson 30, Allaer 28, Sundaramoorthy 27, Mason 27, Brewer 26, Koolen 24, Chadwick 20.

Jett Lawrence Nabs Philadelphia Supercross Win and Extends Points Lead

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Max Anstie Grabs Victory at Pennsylvania’s First-Ever 250SX Class Race

Philadelphia, Pa., (April 27, 2024) Team Honda HRC’s Jett Lawrence grabbed the Holeshot and was never challenged for the lead to win Round 15 of the 2024 Monster Energy AMA Supercross season. The victory, his seventh of the year, extends the rookie’s championship points lead to 12 with two rounds remaining.

Lincoln Financial Field hosted its first Supercross event, marking the return of the sport to Philadelphia for the first time since 1980. The 43-year gap between 450SX Class events in a city is the longest gap in the sport’s history. The 2024 event marks the first time the 250SX Class has dropped a starting gate in Pennsylvania. Photo Credit: Feld Motor Sports, Inc.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Chase Sexton put down impressive laps late in the race to claw his way up to second place inside Lincoln Financial Field. Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jason Anderson used a risky charge on an outside line going into the final corner to grab the final spot on the podium. In the Eastern Regional 250SX Class, Fire Power Honda’s Max Anstie won a thrilling, must-see Main Event that delivered intense thrills.

“There’s only really one option with the start is: get a good start and be up there. And on this track, that’s a little difficult to pass [on], it definitely helped [to get the Holeshot]. Nailed my start finally and I know we’re still focusing on each race. I mean, [the] job’s not done yet so we’re going to stay focused and make sure we execute these last two rounds.” – Jett Lawrence

“I might have found some of my speed back in that Main Event. I had some good laps, came from pretty far back and, especially on a track like this that’s really hard to pass on, I feel like I made the best of it. Yeah, we made some big [adjustments] this week on the bike, and it seemed to pay off somewhat. So we’ll go back to work, keep improving, and [we] gotta get another win before the season’s out. I think I’m starting to get back to my normal form, and we’re looking forward to these last two rounds and heading into outdoors.” – Chase Sexton

“I wish I knew. I’ve just been, you know, working hard with the team, just trying to get better, get the bike better, me be better. I had that little mid-season [period] where I wasn’t riding that good and it’s nice to be back up here. I couldn’t do it without the whole Monster Energy Kawasaki team; man, we’ve been working our butts off… I’m excited to keep going and let’s keep charging!” – Jason Anderson, when asked what made the difference recently with his improved speed.

The Eastern Regional 250SX Class held its final non-Showdown event of the season and it was one of the most exciting races the class has yet to deliver. Max Anstie fought forward for the win after exiting the first turn in fifth place. It was Anstie’s first win of the season. The series points-leader, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle, got off to a bad start and had to push forward from outside the top ten. He eventually reached second place to extend his points lead to 15 with one round left in the season, the East/West Showdown at the finale in Salt Lake City. Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Haiden Deegan stalked Vialle as they both moved through the pack throughout the race. Deegan secured a third-place finish at the checkered flag and sits second in points in the championship.

“Man, I know you Philly crowd were cheering for Seth [Hammaker, who lead early in his hometown race]… It was so loud. It was crazy. I heard the crowd going wild and then I looked back and he wasn’t there, and I don’t know what happened. But man, obviously it was an exciting race. We needed this, my whole crew: Firepower, Yarrive my boss is over [from Australia], Marty [Davalos]; we’ve had a great couple of years, and we needed this this week. They’ve had a bit of rough week so [I’m] proud to give it to ‘em. I’m happy to get this done and looking forward to the final round in Salt Lake in a couple of weeks.” – Max Anstie

“I had a bad start and I was like, ‘Alright, this is going to be tough.’ And I actually saw Haiden was just in front of me, so I was like, ‘Okay, we are together in that.’ And we actually had a really good race. We came back from almost dead last to right behind Max. And no, I kept Haiden [for] the whole race behind me [after passing him on the opening lap]; that was my goal. And we did it. It was hard, but we pushed ‘till the end and I’m really proud of my ride tonight, and I really want to thank the team for the hard work, and everyone here. Philadelphia the city is awesome, actually, and thanks to everyone here.” – Tom Vialle

“If this race right here didn’t make you a fan of Supercross I don’t know what will. That was literally heart from every rider out there ‘till the end. That was gnarly. A lot of the good guys had a bad start, man, and we came through. Dudes were taking each other out over there [gestures to sand section]. I hope Pierce [Brown] is alright; that was exactly what I did at Daytona, just a gnarly cross rut [mistake] and it throws you off… I did go out there to win and it sucks obviously [not winning], but it was a good race, coming from the back. [We showed] good speed out of me and Tom; we had fun out there. I gave him a wheel every here and there but he’s a tough opponent and I respect [him], and I respect Max, too… To go out here and win in this supercross field is a gnarly deal. But going to the last round we’re going to try our best. It’s not over ‘till it’s over. But I’m still young, I have a big career ahead of me, but you know we’re going to fight ‘til the end. I got to give glory to God, man he’s by my side all the time watching over me and pushing me every day, and also my whole team… thank you guys.” – Haiden Deegan

With only two rounds now remaining, the 2024 Monster Energy Supercross season sprints toward its climax with two rounds over the next two consecutive weekends. Round 16 hits Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado on May 4th. The event returns to the standard evening schedule and opening ceremonies commence at 4:30PM local (Mountain) time.

Every Supercross race in the 17-round season also pays points toward the SuperMotocross World Championship, which brings the heightened excitement of a post-season to the sport. The SuperMotocross League, in only its second year, totals up the Monster Energy AMA Supercross points and the AMA Pro Motocross season points. The post-season racing seeds the top 20 riders in each class, enters riders in positions 21-30 into a Last Chance Qualifier race at each post-season round, then re-sets the points to the equivalent of one Supercross event payout. Riders outside the top 30 who win a Supercross Main Event (or Triple Crown overall) or a Pro Motocross moto will also be seeded into the LCQ group of riders. Point payouts escalate over three rounds in September with the Final determining one SuperMotocross World Champion in each class.

Every race of the 28-round SuperMotocross World Championship, plus two round playoff and World Championship Final will be streamed live and available on-demand on Peacock. CNBC will air next-day encore presentations of each round, and select races will also be broadcast or streamed on NBC, USA Network, CNBC, NBCSports.com, and the NBC Sports app. Live audio coverage for each Supercross race can be found on SiriusXM Channel 85, NBC Sports Audio. International coverage is available through the SuperMotocross Video Pass (supermotocross.tv) live and on-demand, in both English and Spanish.

Nothing compares to experiencing the racing in-person, and Supercross tickets are on sale now for both remaining Monster Energy Supercross events. For ticket information and event details, as well as video highlights, race results, feature stories, and more, please go to SupercrossLIVE.com.

Monday, April 29 at 9am ET the annual Love Moto Stop Cancer Supercross auction kicks off, benefitting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Race-worn jerseys, pants, helmets, goggles, and bike plastics from the sports top racers are donated to the online auction in an effort to raise money for the fight against childhood cancer. Fans can find the link to bid at supercrosslive.com/st-jude.

Facebook: facebook.com/supercrosslive
X: twitter.com/supercrosslive
Instagram: instagram.com/supercrosslive
YouTube: youtube.com/supercrosslive
TikTok: tiktok.com/supercrossliveofficial
Official Merch: SupercrossSuperstore.com

About Feld Motor Sports:

Feld Motor Sports, Inc. is the worldwide leader in producing and presenting specialized arena and stadium-based motorsports entertainment. Properties include Monster Jam®, Monster Energy AMA Supercross, and the SuperMotocross World Championship. Feld Motor Sports, Inc. is a subsidiary of Feld Entertainment, Inc. Visit monsterjam.com, SupercrossLIVE.com, and feldentertainment.com for more information.

About Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship:

Monster Energy AMA Supercross is the most competitive and highest-profile off-road motorcycle racing championship on the planet. Founded in America and sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) since 1974. Over 17 weeks, Supercross attracts some of the largest and most impressive crowds inside the most recognizable and prestigious stadiums in North America to race in front of nearly one million live fans and broadcast to millions more worldwide. For more information, visit SupercrossLIVE.com.

About the SuperMotocross World Championship:

The SuperMotocross World Championship™ is the premier off-road motorcycle racing series that combines the technical precision of stadium racing with the all-out speed and endurance of outdoor racing. Created in 2022, the SuperMotocross World Championship combines the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship and the AMA Pro Motocross Championship into a 31-event series that culminates in a season-ending two round playoff and SuperMotocross World Championship Final. Visit SuperMotocross.com for more information.

About the American Motorcyclist Association:

Founded in 1924, the AMA is a not-for-profit member-based association whose mission is to promote the motorcycle lifestyle and protect the future of motorcycling. As the world’s largest motorcycling rights and event sanctioning organization, the AMA advocates for riders’ interests at all levels of government and sanctions thousands of competition and recreational events every year. The AMA also provides money-saving discounts on products and services for its members. Through the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in Pickerington, Ohio, the AMA honors the heroes and heritage of motorcycling. For more information, visit americanmotorcyclist.com.

Ryan Truex scores second consecutive Xfinity victory at Dover

By
Andrew Kim
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DOVER, DELAWARE - APRIL 27: Ryan Truex, driver of the #20 The Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series BetRivers 200 at Dover International Speedway on April 27, 2024 in Dover, Delaware. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images).

A year after achieving his first elusive victory across NASCAR’s top three national touring series at the Monster Mile, Ryan Truex etched himself as a two-time race winner in the NASCAR Xfinity Series level after prevailing through two overtime shootouts and a late challenge from Carson Kvapil to win the BetRivers 200 at Dover Motor Speedway on Saturday, April 27. 

The 32-year-old Truex from Mayetta, New Jersey, led the final two of 208 over-scheduled laps in an event where he started 12th and ran a consistent event, where he racked up a handful of stage points and dodged a series of late-race caution periods to line up alongside Carson Kvapil at the start of the second of two overtime shootouts. After muscling past Kvapil during the start of the second overtime shootout, Truex then took the white flag to start the final lap of the event and retained the lead just before the event’s race-ending caution flew after front-runner Justin Allgaier wrecked on the frontstretch. The incident resulted in Truex claiming the checkered flag to win at Dover for a second consecutive season and to collect his second career win in the Xfinity Series.

With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup on Friday, April 26, Brandon Jones notched his second Xfinity pole position of the 2024 season and the 10th of his career after posting a pole-winning lap at 156.683 mph in 22.950 seconds. Joining him on the front row was Riley Herbst, who clocked in the second-fastest qualifying lap at 156.781 mph in 22.962 seconds. 

Before the event, the following names that included Anthony Alfredo, Jeb Burton, Blaine Perkins, Garrett Smithley, Josh Williams and JJ Yeley dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments made to their respective entries. 

When the green flag waved and the race started, Brandon Jones motored his No. 9 Menards Chevrolet Camaro ahead with the lead from the outside lane through the first two turns. As the field behind jostled for early spots, Jones proceeded to lead the first lap as teammate Justin Allgaier overtook Riley Herbst to move into the runner-up spot as Joe Gibbs Racing’s Sheldon Creed and Chandler Smith followed suit in the top five ahead of Austin Hill, Kyle Weatherman and a side-by-side battle between Taylor Gray and rookie Jesse Love. 

On the fourth lap, the event’s first caution flew after Hailie Deegan and JJ Yeley, both of whom were racing towards the rear of the field, made contact through the frontstretch that resulted with Yeley spinning and slapping the outside wall in Turn 1 as his event came to an early end. 

As the event restarted under green on Lap 13, Allgaier launched his No. 7 Jarrett Logistics Chevrolet Camaro ahead of teammate Jones through the first two turns as he muscled ahead to assume the lead while the rest of the field jostled for early spots. Allgaier would power ahead by more than a second by the Lap 15 mark while Jones, Herbst, Creed and Hill followed suit in the top five. Meanwhile, Chandler Smith, Gray, AJ Allmendinger, Cole Custer and Love were racing in the top 10 ahead of Kyle Weatherman, Ryan Sieg, Ryan Truex, Parker Kligerman and Sammy Smith as Allgaier continued to lead by more than a second by the Lap 20 mark. 

Through the first 25 scheduled laps, Allgaier led by more than a second over teammate Jones while third-place Herbst trailed by five seconds. Creed and Hill followed suit in the top five while Chandler Smith, Gray, Custer, Allmendinger and Love were racing in the top 10 ahead of Ryan Sieg, Truex, Sammy Smith, Parker Retzlaff, Weatherman, Kligerman, Matt DiBenedetto, Sam Mayer, Carson Kvapil and Kaden Honeycut. 

Shortly after, the event’s second caution period flew after Ryan Sieg, winner of the third Dash 4 Cash bonus from last weekend at Talladega Superspeedway and who was running in the top 15, came to a stop below the track in Turn 2 after his No. 39 Sci Aps Ford Mustang went up in flames, with the driver able to quickly escape his burned car.  

During the caution period, some including Love, Parker Retzlaff and rookie Shane van Gisbergen pitted while the rest led by Allgaier remained on the track. 

With the event restarting under green on Lap 32, Allgaier retained the lead after muscling ahead on the inside lane while teammate Jones was trying to fend off Creed for the runner-up spot. Behind, Herbst trailed in fourth ahead of Hill and Custer while Chandler Smith, Gray, Allmendinger and Truex occupied the top 10.  

Just past the Lap 35 mark, Allgaier was leading by a second over teammate Jones with Creed following suit in third while Herbst and Hill battled in the top five ahead of Custer and Chandler Smith. The deficit for Creed, Custer, Herbst, Hill and Chandler Smith would increase to four seconds as Allgaier retained the lead by the Lap 40 mark. 

When the first stage period concluded on Lap 45, Allgaier captured his fourth Xfinity stage victory of the 2024 season. Teammates Jones settled in second followed by Custer, Creed and Herbst while Hill, Chandler Smith, Allmendinger, Truex and Sam Mayer were scored in the top 10.  

Under the stage break, nearly the entire lead lap field led by Allgaier pitted while the rest led by Retzlaff and Love, including those who pitted during the previous caution period, remained on the track. Towards the end of the first stage’s break period, Blaine Perkins stopped on the track in Turn 2 after his car ended up on fire. 

The second stage period started on Lap 51 as Retzlaff and Love occupied the front row. At the start, Retzlaff and Love battled dead even for the lead through the first two turns and the backstretch as Jeb Burton followed suit in third. Love would prevail and take over the top spot during the following lap while the rest of the field behind scrambled and jostled for positions by the Lap 55 mark. 

At the Lap 60 mark, Love was leading by half a second over Retzlaff followed by Custer, Jeb Burton and Hill while Creed, Herbst, Kaden Honeycutt, Chandler Smith and Allgaier were running in the top 10 as Allmendinger, Sammy Smith, Shane van Gisbergen, Truex and Jones trailed in the top 15. 

Ten laps later, Love retained the lead by nine-tenths of a second over Retzlaff as third-place Custer, who was the first competitor who exited pit road during the first stage’s break period, trailed by a second as he was racing ahead of Creed and Herbst. 

Another two laps later, Custer motored his No. 00 Haas Ford Mustang past Love’s No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet Camaro through the first two turns as he assumed the lead. Custer extended his advantage to a second over Love by the Lap 75 mark and to two seconds over Love just past the Lap 80 mark. 

When the second stage period concluded on Lap 90, Custer captured his second Xfinity stage victory of the 2024 season. Hill charged his way into the runner-up spot followed by Love, Retzlaff and Creed while Allgaier, Herbst, Chandler Smith, Sammy Smith and Truex were scored in the top 10. 

During the stage break, the lead lap field led by Custer pitted for service. Following the pit stops, Custer retained the lead after exiting pit road first followed by Hill, Allgaier, Herbst, Love, Sammy Smith, Creed, Truex, Chandler Smith and Allmendinger. 

With 102 laps remaining, the final stage commenced as Custer and Hill occupied the front row. At the start, Custer fended off Hill to retain the lead as Allgaier muscled his way past Hill for the runner-up spot. Allgaier and Hill would battle for the runner-up spot ahead of Herbst and Love while Custer led with 100 laps remaining. Not long after, Love made an unscheduled pit stop under green to address a cut left-rear tire after making contact with Ryan Truex. 

With 85 laps remaining, Custer stretched his advantage to three seconds over Allgaier while Herbst, Sammy Smith and Hill trailed in the top five ahead of Carson Kvapil, Creed, Truex, Allmendinger and Anthony Alfredo. 

Ten laps later, Custer stabilized his advantage to two seconds over Allgaier as Herbst, Sammy Smith and Hill continued to run in the top five ahead of Kvapil, Creed, Truex, Allmendinger and Chandler Smith. 

Down to the final 50 laps of the event, Custer continued to lead by six-tenths of a second over Allgaier as Herbst, Sammy Smith and Hill trailed by five seconds. Behind, Kvapil retained sixth ahead of Creed and Chandler Smith, who gained two spots, as Allmendinger and Truex trailed in the top 10 ahead of Jones, Mayer, Kligerman, Alfredo and Jeb Burton. 

Eight laps later, the caution flew due to rain reported around the venue. During the caution period, some led by Herbst pitted while the rest led by Custer, who missed the pit road entrance line and did not pit when reported to do so, remained on the track.  

With the caution period being extended due to the rain, the field led by Custer was directed to pit road with 33 laps remaining and the event was placed in a weather delay that spanned more than 12 minutes. Once the red flag period was lifted and the field returned to the track under a cautious pace, select names including Custer pitted while the rest led by Allgaier remained on the track. 

When the race restarted under green flag conditions with 28 laps remaining, Allgaier and Hill battled closely against one another for the lead through the first two turns and the backstretch until Allgaier went wide and up the track in Turn 3. This allowed Hill to muscle ahead with the lead as Kvapil moved into the runner-up spot while Allgaier was left to battle Creed and Mayer to retain third place. 

Another lap later, the caution returned after Jones, who was racing in the top 10, made contact with Allmendinger in Turn 2 that resulted in Allmendinger bumping into Jones and sending Jones for a spin towards the inside wall on the backstretch, but Jones managed to keep his car off the wall. 

The start of the following restart period with 21 laps remaining featured Hill retaining the lead ahead of Creed, Kvapil and Gray. Four laps later, however, the caution returned after Mayer, who was battling Gray for a top-five spot, got loose underneath Gray and clipped Gray which resulted in Gray slamming into the outside wall in Turn 2. 

During the start of the next restart period with 11 laps remaining, Hill and Creed battled dead even for the lead through the first two turns and the backstretch before Creed muscled ahead from the inside lane. With 10 laps remaining, however, Hill would battle back against Creed for the top spot as.  

Then with eight laps remaining, Kvapil drew himself beneath a side-by-side action between Hill and Creed through the frontstretch. This generated a three-wide action for the lead as Kvapil moved his No. 88 Chevy Truck Season Chevrolet Camaro into the lead. The caution, however, returned a lap later after Herbst got turned sideways in Turn 4, which triggered a multi-car wreck that collected Kyle Sieg, Sammy Smith, Leland Honeyman, Brennan Poole, Daniel Dye and Allgaier. The incident was enough to sent the event into overtime. 

The first overtime period did not last long as Hill got loose underneath Kvapil while battling him for the lead through the first two turns, which resulted in Hill spinning his No. 21 Nuthin Fancy Collection Chevrolet Camaro below the apron. 

The second overtime attempt generated a different outcome as Ryan Truex, who restarted alongside Kvapil on the inside lane, battled dead even with Kvapil for nearly a full lap until Truex muscled ahead with the lead through Turns 3 and 4. 

When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Truex was leading by two-tenths of a second over Kvapil as Mayer, Creed and Custer battled for third place. Not long after, the caution flew, which ended the race as Allgaier wrecked on the frontstretch. With the checkered flag being displayed alongside the caution flag, Truex was able to coast his No. 20 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota Supra back to the frontstretch victorious for a second consecutive season at the Monster Mile. 

With the victory, Truex, who previously recorded two top-10 results in four starts thus far of the season, achieved his second career win in his 95th start in the Xfinity circuit and fifth of the 2024 season. He also recorded the fifth victory of the season for both Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing as he became the third different competitor to pilot JGR’s No. 20 Toyota Supra entry to an Xfinity race victory in 2024.

“I can’t believe it,” Truex said on FS1. “Our car was just good at the end when it mattered. I was so loose all day. Shout out to Carson [Kvapil]. What an amazing run for what, his second race. I felt a little bad running him up the hill, but you’ve got to take these things when you can. I’m out of breath. I think I held my breath the last two laps. Love these fans. Love this track. Just can’t believe it.”

Meanwhile, Kvapil, a full-time CARS Late Model Stock Tour competitor for JR Motorsports and the son of former NASCAR Truck Series champion Travis Kvapil, was left with mixed reactions on pit road despite achieving a career-best runner-up result in his second Xfinity Series career start. He finished in fourth place during his first Xfinity career start at Martinsville Speedway in early April.

“It sucks, right? You get that close [to winning],” Kvapil said. “I really don’t even know what to say. I think we had a really fast Chevrolet here. JR Motorsports brought me a really good piece. I’m just really fortunate to be in the spot that I am. I’m happy that I have a shot to win a race at the end there. We had a good car. I just couldn’t really get up through the restarts really good…[Truex] just barely got us there at the end.”

Sam Mayer ended up in third place followed by Sheldon Creed and Cole Custer. AJ Allmendinger, Chandler Smith, Kyle Weatherman, Anthony Alfredo and Parker Retzlaff finished in the top 10.

For the fourth and final Dash 4 Cash bonus of the 2024 season, the honors belonged to Anthony Alfredo, who achieved his first bonus of the initiative of his career as he also collected his fifth top-10 result of the season.

There were 11 lead changes for 10 different leaders. The race featured 10 cautions for 61 laps. In addition, 20 of 38 starters finished on the lead lap. 

Following the 10th event of the 2024 Xfinity Series season, Chandler Smith leads the regular-season standings by a single point over Cole Custer, 17 over Austin Hill, 57 over rookie Jesse Love and 81 over Justin Allgaier.

Results. 

1.  Ryan Truex, two laps led

2. Carson Kvapil, 14 laps led

3. Sam Mayer

4. Sheldon Creed, three laps led

5. Cole Custer, 95 laps led, Stage 2 winner

6. AJ Allmendinger

7. Chandler Smith

8. Kyle Weatherman

9. Anthony Alfredo

10. Parker Retzlaff, three laps led

11. Jeb Burton

12. Parker Kligerman

13. Ryan Ellis

14. Jeremy Clements

15. Austin Hill, 17 laps led

16. Riley Herbst

17. Justin Allgaier, 39 laps led, Stage 1 winner

18. Shane van Gisbergen

19. Brandon Jones, 13 laps led

20. Daniel Dye

21. Leland Honeyman, one lap down

22. Brennan Poole, one lap down

23. Kaden Honeycutt, two laps down

24. Jesse Love, two laps down, 21 laps led

25. Josh Williams, two laps down

26. David Starr, two laps down

27. Kyle Sieg, two laps down, one lap led

28. Patrick Emerling, three laps down

29. Dawson Cram, three laps down

30. Garrett Smithley, six laps down

31. Hailie Deegan, eight laps down

32.  Matt DiBenedetto, 12 laps down

33. Sammy Smith – OUT, Accident

34. Taylor Gray – OUT, Accident

35. Corey Heim – OUT, Engine

36. Blaine Perkins – OUT, Electrical

37. Ryan Sieg – OUT, Engine

38. JJ Yeley – OUT, Accident

With the completion of the 2024 Xfinity Series’ Dash 4 Cash initiative, the next event on the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule is Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina, for the Crown Royal Purple Bag Project 200. The event is scheduled for May 11 and will air at 1:30 p.m. ET on FS1. 

Stewart-Haas Racing: BetRivers 200 from Dover

By
Official Release
-

STEWART-HAAS RACING
BetRivers 200

Date: April 27, 2024
Event: BetRivers 200 (Round 10 of 33)
Series: Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway (1-mile oval)
Format: 200 laps, broken into three stages (45 laps/45 laps/110 laps)
Note: Race extended eight laps past its scheduled 200-lap distance due to a green-white-checkered finish.
Race Winner: Ryan Truex of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 1 Winner: Justin Allgaier of JR Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 2 Winner: Cole Custer of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)

SHR Race Finish:

● Cole Custer (Started 11th / Finished 5th, Running, completed 208 of 208 laps)
● Riley Herbst (Started 2nd / Finished 16th, Running, completed 208 of 208 laps)

SHR Points:

● Cole Custer (2nd with 393 points, one out of first)
● Riley Herbst (6th with 303 points, 91 out of first)

SHR Notes:

● Custer earned his fifth top-five of the season and his fifth top-five in eight career NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Dover.
● Custer has not finished worse than 13th at Dover in his Xfinity Series career.
● This was Custer’s fifth straight top-10 at Dover.

● This was Custer’s eighth straight top-10. He finished second March 2 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, fifth March 9 at Phoenix Raceway, fourth March 23 at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin Texas, 10th March 30 at Richmond (Va.) Raceway, eighth April 6 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, fifth April 13 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, and 10th last Saturday at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.

● Custer finished third in Stage 1 to earn eight bonus points and won Stage 2 to earn 10 more bonus points and one playoff point.

● Custer led once for 95 laps to increase his laps-led total at Dover to 332.

● Herbst finished fifth in Stage 1 to earn six bonus points and seventh in Stage 2 to earn four more bonus points.

Race Notes:

● Ryan Truex won the BetRivers 200 under caution to score his second career NASCAR Xfinity Series victory, his first of the season, and his second at Dover.

● There were 10 caution periods for a total of 61 laps.

● Twenty of the 38 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.

● Chandler Smith remains the championship leader after Dover with a one-point advantage over second-place Cole Custer.

Sound Bites:

“Those final 50 laps were pretty frustrating with the rain and trying to make that call on pit road. In hindsight, we probably should have pitted, and I think we probably would have won. My No. 00 guys did such a great job with our Ford Mustang Dark Horse. It was definitely a dominant car, and it just shows a lot of promise for our cars moving forward. I think when we hit it right and get everything clicking, we’re lights out and it’s going to be hard to beat us. We just have to keep bringing cars like that to the track and we’ll win one soon.” –Cole Custer, driver of the No. 00 Haas Automation Ford Mustang Dark Horse

“The speed is fine, for sure. I guess the No. 7 car got back at us from last week, so it is what it is, and we’ll move on. Our No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang Dark Horse was fast all day. We should have finished third at worst, and we finished 16th. It was just a rough ending for us.” –Riley Herbst, driver of the No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule is the Darlington 200 on May 11 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. The race begins at 1:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Tasca, Ashley, Enders and Herrera Earn #2Fast2Tasty Wins At Saturday’s NHRA 4-Wide Nationals Qualifying

By
Official Release
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Justin Ashley powered his 11,000-horsepower dragster to his first #2Fast2Tasty win of the season during Saturday’s NHRA 4-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway. (CMS/HHP photo)
  • Powered by strong Friday night runs, Doug Kalitta, John Force and Greg Anderson join Gaige Herrera to earn No. 1 qualifier spots ahead of elimination Sunday at zMAX Dragway
  • Tickets for Sunday’s 44,000-horsepower showcase of speed are still available online at www.charlottemotorspeedway.com

CONCORD, NC (April 27, 2024) – With more than just No. 1 qualifying spots on the line during Saturday’s action at the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals, drivers put on yet another record-breaking showcase of speed. New this season, the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge brought a race within a race to zMAX Dragway, as the top eight drivers from the 4-Wide Nationals in Las Vegas were pitted against each other with money, playoff points and bragging rights on the line.

When the final win lights were lit, Justin Ashley (Top Fuel), Bob Tasca (Funny Car), Erica Enders (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) earned top honors in the #2Fast2Tasty Challenge. Using runs from Friday’s qualifying sessions, Doug Kalitta (Top Fuel), John Force (Funny Car) and Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) join Herrera as No. 1 qualifiers looking ahead to elimination Sunday.

‘Pissed Off’ Tasca Lays Down Record Lap

After learning that his second-round qualifying pass had been disqualified by the NHRA for running an adjusted manifold, Tasca felt vindication when his Funny Car – complete with a manifold borrowed from fellow racer Steve Torrence – ran a track-record 338.34 mph at 3.834 seconds in Saturday’s final qualifying session, earning the veteran racer the #2Fast2Tasty title.

“I was as pissed off as I’ve ever been in a race car today, and I just used that as energy,” Tasca said. “Mentally, that was my mindset. Truthfully, I wasn’t racing any of those racers up there. I was racing NHRA. I was racing for the reputation of my crew chiefs.”

The 18-time winner will look to carry Saturday’s momentum into race day on Sunday when he faces a stacked field of drivers hungry to turn on a win light of their own.

“This level of competition, it takes a perfect call from the crew chief,” Tasca said. “The crew has to do everything right; the driver has to be perfect to beat three other competitors at the highest level. It’s insane, honestly, to win one of these four-wides. It’s probably an easier race to get to the finals, but it is, without question, the most difficult race to win.”

Tasca, whose run propelled him from No. 16 to the No. 2 qualifier, will face Jim Campbell, Paul Lee and Daniel Wilkerson in the opening round of eliminations.

Ashley Outstanding in #2Fast2Tasty Final

Ashley’s 3.701-second pass at 334.32 mph was enough to hold off a #2Fast2Tasty field that included Antron Brown, Steve Torrence and Josh Hart.

“Yesterday, we fell behind a little bit,” Ashley said of Friday’s qualifying effort. “We wanted to run a little bit better, a little bit quicker. We wanted to come out here today and set a new tone for ourselves. Running that 70 was really important. It doesn’t matter whether it’s qualifying, whether it’s the Mission Foods Challenge, whether it’s race day, we want to win each and every lap down the track.”

Kalitta’s Friday night pass of 3.691 seconds held up on Saturday, relegating Ashley to the No. 3 qualifier position. He will face Tony Stewart, Dan Mercier and Doug Foley in the first round on Sunday.

Second Chance Lifts Enders to #2Fast2Tasty Win

Despite her elimination in the Pro Stock #2Fast2Tasty semi-finals, six-time World Champion Erica Enders was given a chance at redemption when she replaced Greg Anderson following his Q3 disqualification for a technical violation for bypassing a safety device.

“Never give us a second chance,” said Enders, whose 6.516-second 210-mph run secured her second #2Fast2Tasty Challenge win and subsequent bonus points of the season.

While the run earned her the #2Fast2Tasty title, Enders finished in the ninth qualifying spot overall and will face Anderson, Sienna Wildgust and Brandon Foster in the first round.

Fernando Cuadra Sr. failed to qualify for Sunday’s eliminations after announcing his retirement this week, missing the top 16 by just two-thousandths of a second.

Herrera Heats Up In Mission Foods Final

In the Pro-Stock Motorcycle category, reigning World Champion Gaige Herrera dethroned provisional No. 1 qualifier Matt Smith during the category’s final qualifying round, posting a 6.671-second run at 202 mph, simultaneously earning the zMAX Dragway elapsed-time track record and the top seed heading into Sunday.

“Yesterday, we had a malfunction on the first run that set us back, and then we ran 6.68 on the second and that was a good run,” Herrera said. “Today, I ran a 6.70 and then that 6.67 and that’s just our team learning how to fine-tune the new fuel. There was not much left on my bike. It went straight and required very little correction. Tomorrow will be a lot of fun.”

The NHRA 4-Wide Nationals builds to a thundering 44,000-horsepower crescendo on Sunday, with high-octane eliminations beginning at 12 p.m. ET.

TICKETS:

Race fans in attendance will be treated to a series of special pre-race ceremonies including driver introductions and the fan-favorite SealMaster Track Walk beginning at 11 a.m. ET. Single-day tickets for Sunday’s NHRA 4-Wide Nationals are still available online at charlottemotorspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-455-FANS (3267).

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Stay on pace with what’s happening at Charlotte Motor Speedway by following on X and Instagram or becoming a Facebook fan. Keep up with all the latest news and information with the Charlotte Motor Speedway mobile app.

Truex repeats at the Monster Mile in the BetRivers 200 NASCAR Xfinity Series Dash 4 Cash race

By
Official Release
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Ryan Truex made it two straight NASCAR Xfinity Series wins at the Monster Mile on Saturday, capturing the BetRivers 200 at his beloved home track.

Truex led just two laps – the final two – after a thrilling final stage featuring weather strategies, hard crashes and a two-overtime finish which saw him edge past Carson Kvapil on the final restart.

“I can’t believe it,” said Truex, driving the No. 20 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. “Our car was just good at the end when it matters. I felt a little bad running [Carson] up the hill.

“Thank you so much to the fans for being here. Love this track, love this crowd.”

Anthony Alfredo, driving the No. 5 Chevrolet for Our Motorsports, won the final $100,000 Dash 4 Cash bonus of the year after Jesse Love, Riley Herbst and Ryan Sieg all endured wrecked or troubled machines.

“We came in knowing we were the underdog,” Alfredo said, who finished ninth overall. “We don’t have any technical support. No team alliance. We’ve been punching above our weight. You don’t understand how small our budget is compared to these other teams.

“This is crazy to win the Dash 4 Cash and to come out with a top 10 in a place like Dover is a big deal.”

Justin Allgaier won Stage 1 while Cole Custer, who led a race-high 95 laps, captured Stage 2.

Kvapil held on for second, with Sam Mayer in third, Sheldon Creed in fourth and Custer in fifth.

Kvapil picked the top lane for the final restart and was even with Truex through three-quarters of a lap until the entrance to Turn 4.

“It sucks to get that close,” said Kvapil, who led 14 laps. “I thought we had a fast Chevrolet. I’m really fortunate to be in this situation. It seemed like the top [lane] was so dominant. He just got us there in Turn 3.”

Truex completed the 208 laps/miles with an average speed of 87.395 mph in 2 hours, 22 minutes and 48 seconds. Twenty drivers finished on the lead lap, with 10 caution periods taking up 61 laps.

The Monster Mile’s remaining race schedule this week includes:

  • Sunday, April 28: Würth 400 NASCAR Cup Series race (2 p.m., FS1, PRN, SiriusXM)

Visit DoverMotorSpeedway.com to register for the Speedway’s email list to receive updates and announcements.

The Würth 400 is the Monster Mile’s 106th NASCAR Cup Series race. 2024 marks 55 consecutive years that Dover Motor Speedway has hosted a NASCAR Cup Series event. The Monster Mile is one of only 10 tracks in the country to host 100 or more NASCAR Cup Series races.

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Keep track of all of Dover Motor Speedway’s events by following on Facebook, X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Instagram and TikTok (@MonsterMile). Keep up with all the latest information on DoverMotorSpeedway.com and our mobile app.

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