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Hamlin fends off teammate Truex to score dramatic overtime Cup victory at Richmond

By
Andrew Kim
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RICHMOND, VIRGINIA - MARCH 31: Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 Mavis Tires & Brakes Toyota, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway on March 31, 2024 in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images).

Denny Hamlin spoiled teammate Martin Truex Jr.’s dominant run under the lights at Richmond Raceway and in front of his home crowd by capturing a wild overtime victory in the Toyota Owners 400 on Easter Sunday, March 31. 

The three-time Daytona 500 champion from Chesterfield, Virginia, led twice for 17 of 407 over-scheduled laps in an event where he started 11th and managed through early wet-weather conditions, late pit stop strategies under green flag conditions and a methodical drive to the front.

Initially set for a third-place finish in the event’s scheduled distance, an opportunity struck for Hamlin after Kyle Larson spun off of Bubba Wallace’s front nose with two laps remaining. Following a swift service from his pit crew that enabled him to beat teammate Truex and Joey Logano off of pit road first, Hamlin then took care of business during an overtime shootout, where he fended off Truex and muscled away from him, Logano and Larson for two laps to score his second NASCAR Cup Series victory of the 2024 season.

With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Saturday, March 30, Kyle Larson secured his first Cup pole position of the 2024 season after posting a pole-winning lap at 120.332 mph in 22.438 seconds. Joining him on the front row was teammate Chase Elliott, who clocked in the second-fastest qualifying lap at 120.321 mph in 22.440 seconds. 

Prior to the event, the competitors rolled off pit road and onto the track at a cautious pace with wet-weathered tires attached due to extensive rain that lingered throughout the day and with the event deemed wet from the rain for the start of the race. This made the pit stops at the start of the event deemed non-competitive, which meant that all competitors would exit pit road in the same order following the pit stops until pit road is deemed dried. 

When the green flag waved and the event commenced following an extensive pace lap session, Larson motored his No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 ahead with the lead through the first two turns until Elliott made his move on the outside lane exiting the backstretch and through Turns 3 and 4, which allowed him to lead the first lap over Larson while Todd Gilliland and Alex Bowman battled for third place.  

As the field continued to navigate around Richmond with enough grip to their respective cars amid the wet-weather tires, Elliott retained the lead and stabilized it for nearly half a second by the fifth lap mark while Larson retained second ahead of Gilliland, Bowman and Bubba Wallace, with Ross Chastain, Joey Logano, Martin Truex Jr. and Ty Gibbs giving chase within the top 10. A lap later, however, Larson managed to cycle past teammate Elliott to assume the lead for the first time. 

Through the first 10 scheduled laps, Larson led by seven-tenths of a second over teammates Elliott and Bowman while Gilliland and Wallace followed suit in the top five. Behind, Truex, Chastain, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney and Gibbs were racing in the top 10 while Chris Buescher, Daniel Suarez, Ryan Preece, Denny Hamlin, John Hunter Nemechek, William Byron, Tyler Reddick, rookie Josh Berry, Austin Cindric and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. were running in the top 20. 

Fifteen laps later and with the track slowing drying, Larson retained the lead by a second over Wallace while Bowman, Truex and Elliott trailed in the top five. Behind, Gilliland dropped to sixth ahead of Chastain, Logano, Buescher and Preece while Hamlin and Byron were mired in 12th and 13th behind Suarez. 

Another five laps later, the event’s competition caution flew as Larson was still leading by a second over Wallace. By then, NASCAR deemed the track dry and allowed the teams to pit for slick tires. Once pit road became accessible for the field following a brief jet-drying period, the field led by Larson pitted through a non-competitive pace for the slick tires, which allowed the competitors running in their respective positions to retain their spots as Larson retained and exited pit road first ahead of Wallace, Elliott, Bowman and Chastain. 

When the event restarted under green on Lap 48 following an extensive caution period, Larson and Wallace battled dead even for the lead for a full lap as Wallace, who was running his No. 23 McDonald’s Toyota Camry XSE on the outside lane and trying to pin Larson on the bottom on the track while remaining in the driest line as far as possible, led the proceeding lap by a hair. With Wallace and Larson battling in tight quarters for the lead through and past the Lap 50 mark, Bowman followed suit in third while Truex and Gilliland trailed in the top five. Following their intense early battle, Larson managed to rocket ahead of Wallace and have the lead under his authority by Lap 53.    

Just past the Lap 60 mark, Larson, who was clocking in fast lap times on the dry tires, was ahead by three-tenths of a second over Wallace followed by Bowman, Truex and Gilliland while Elliott trailed in sixth ahead of Logano, Chastain, Suarez and Buescher.  

Three laps later, the event’s second caution period flew after Josh Berry, who caught Suarez for ninth place, bumped and sent Suarez for a smoky slide entering Turn 1 before Suarez spun his No. 99 Quaker State Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 below the track as he was dodged by oncoming traffic. Suarez’s incident was enough for the first stage period scheduled to conclude on Lap 70 to end under caution as the leader Larson captured his third Cup stage victory of the 2024 season. Wallace followed suit in second followed by Bowman, Truex and Logano while Gilliland, Elliott, Chastain, Berry and Preece were scored in the top 10. 

Under the stage break, the field led by Larson returned to pit road for service, with pit road deemed dry enough for competitive pit stops. Following the pit services, Larson retained the lead after he exited first while Wallace, Bowman, Truex, Elliott, Logano, Chastain, Berry, Preece and Gilliland followed suit. 

The second stage period started on Lap 79 as Larson and Wallace occupied the front row. At the start, Larson muscled ahead with a slight advantage over Wallace through the first two turns and the backstretch until Larson cleared him and had both lanes under his control during the following lap. With Larson leading Wallace and the field behind jostling for positions, Truex overtook Bowman for third while Logano was trying to fend off Berry and Elliott for fifth place ahead of Chastain, Gilliland and Preece.  

By Lap 90, Larson stretched his advantage to a second over Wallace followed by Truex, who trailed the lead by one-and-a-half seconds, while Berry was up to fourth place ahead of Bowman. Larson would continue to lead by more than two seconds over Wallace at the Lap 100 mark while Truex, Berry and Logano were scored in the top five. By then, Christopher Bell was scored in 10th place as he was running in front of Noah Gragson, Buescher, Tyler Reddick, Preece and Ty Gibbs as Hamlin was mired in 17th in between Brad Keselowski and William Byron, who lost a bevy of spots on pit road during the first stage break period after getting blocked by Preece in his pit stall. In addition, Kyle Busch was in 20th behind teammate Austin Dillon, Ryan Blaney was mired in 27th behind rookie Carson Hocevar and Chase Briscoe was in 30th ahead of Harrison Burton and Suarez. 

On Lap 122 and with Larson leading by six-tenths of a second over Truex, green flag pit stops commenced as Hamlin, Keselowski, Briscoe and Michael McDowell pitted along with Berry, Gibbs, Kyle Busch, Preece and Kaz Grala. Truex would pit by Lap 124 and a bevy of names including Buescher, Chastain, Reddick, Byron, Erik Jones, Daniel Hemric, Bell, Austin Dillon, Elliott, Logano, Austin Cindric and others pitted during the proceeding laps as Larson continued to lead just past the Lap 130 mark. 

Nearing the Lap 140 mark, Larson, who had yet to pit and who was being overtaken by a handful of competitors who pitted and were trying to un-lap themselves, continued to run on the track as the leader as he was ahead of runner-up Wallace by more than five seconds. Behind, Bowman was running third ahead of Gilliland while Truex, the first competitor on four fresh tires, charged his way up to fifth place. 

On Lap 150, Larson peeled off the racetrack to pit under green as Wallace cycled into the lead before Wallace pitted on Lap 152. This cycled Truex into the lead while Bowman, Berry, Logano and Bell also cycled into the top five. 

Fifteen laps later, Truex was leading by more than six seconds over both Berry and Logano while fourth-place Bell trailed by more than 10 seconds and fifth-place Buescher trailed by more than 13 seconds. Meanwhile, Keselowski, Elliott, Larson, Hamlin and Gibbs were scored in the top 10 while 16 of 36 starters were scored on the lead lap, among which included Byron, Gragson, Chastain, Reddick, Kyle Busch and Erik Jones. Meanwhile, Wallace was scored as the first competitor a lap down as he was running ahead of Preece, Blaney and Briscoe while Bowman was mired back in 23rd.  

Another four laps later, the caution flew after Kyle Busch, who was running as the final competitor in 15th place, went up the racetrack and made contact with the outside wall n between Turns 1 and 2. The caution occurred just as Wallace had overtaken Truex to cycle back on the lead lap while Erik Jones was the beneficiary of the caution period and received the free pass and cycled back on the lead lap. 

During the caution period, the lead lap field led by Truex pitted for service. Following the pit stops, Truex, who nearly made contact with Wallace as Wallace was trying to enter his pit stall, retained the lead as he exited pit road first while Logano, Berry, Bell, Buescher and Larson followed suit. Amid the pit stops, Gibbs and Preece were both penalized for speeding on pit road while Justin Haley was penalized for his crew jumping over the wall too soon. 

With the event restarting under green on Lap 177, Truex fended off Logano and Berry to retain the lead as the field fanned out through the first two turns while Blaney, who was mired in the middle of the pack, got out of the racing groove and got loose after he checked up behind Wallace and nearly got turned by teammate Cindric. With the field scattering and jostling for positions just past the Lap 185 mark, Truex retained the lead by half a second over Berry and by more than a second over third-place Logano while Larson and Hamlin followed suit in the top five. 

At the halfway mark on Lap 200, Truex continued to lead by one-and-a-half seconds over Berry followed by Logano, Larson and Hamlin while Bell, Buescher, Byron, Wallace and Reddick pursued in the top 10. Behind, Keselowski was up to 11th ahead of Gragson, Elliott, Busch and Erik Jones while Chastain, Briscoe, Gibbs, Bowman and Suarez trailed in the top 20. Gilliland, Ty Dillon and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. trailed as the final set of competitors scored on the lead lap while Harrison Burton was scored the first competitor a lap down in 24th ahead of Cindric and John Hunter Nemechek. 

Fifteen laps later, Truex stabilized his advantage to more than a second over Berry while Logano, Larson and Hamlin continued to run in the top five ahead of Bell, Buescher, Byron, Wallace and Reddick. 

When the second stage period concluded on Lap 230, Truex, who edged Bowman at the start/finish line to pin him a lap down, claimed his first Cup stage victory of the 2024 season. Berry followed suit in second along with Logano, Larson and Hamlin while Bell, Buescher, Wallace, Byron and Reddick were scored in the top 10. 

During the stage break, the lead lap field led by Truex pitted for service. Following the pit stops, Truex retained the lead after exiting first followed by Larson, Hamlin, Logano, Bell, Berry, Wallace, Byron, Keselowski and Buescher. 

With 160 laps remaining, the final stage commenced as Truex and Larson occupied the front row. At the start, Truex rocketed ahead of Larson through the first two turns to retain the lead and have both lanes to his control through the backstretch while the field behind fanned out. As Truex led the field, Larson was trying to fend off Logano and Hamlin in second place while Bell trailed in fifth ahead of Wallace, Berry and Byron. 

Twenty laps later, Truex was leading by seven-tenths of a second over Larson as Logano, Hamlin and Bell were scored in the top five while Wallace, Berry, Byron, Keselowski and Reddick trailed in the top 10, with 19 of 36 starters scored on the lead lap. 

Another 20 laps later, Truex stabilized his advantage to more than a second over Larson as Logano, Bell and Hamlin were mired in the top five. Behind, Wallace retained sixth ahead of Berry, Byron, Keselowski and Reddick while Buescher, Elliott, Noah Gragson, Ty Gibbs and Erik Jones trailed in the top 15. 

Within 115 laps remaining, green flag pit stops ensued as Keselowski pitted from ninth place. Byron, Reddick, Buescher, Elliott and Gragson would pit before the leader Truex pitted two laps later followed by Larson, Byron, Logano, Hamlin, Berry, Busch, Gibbs, Erik Jones, Gragson, Bowman, Wallace and others. Once the leader Bell pitted his No. 20 Mobil 1 Toyota Camry XSE with 106 laps remaining, teammate Truex cycled back into the lead, though he had Larson closing within his rearview mirror. 

Down to the final 100 laps of the event, Truex, who was mired in lapped traffic, was leading by three-tenths of a second over Larson while third-place Hamlin trailed by six-tenths of a second as he started to close in on the two leaders. Logano and Wallace trailed by less than four seconds in the top five while Byron, Bell, Keselowski, Buescher, and Elliott were running in the top 10. Shortly after, however, Bell was assessed a drive-through penalty for speeding during his latest pit service. 

Twenty-five laps later, Truex retained the lead by six-tenths of a second over Larson and by more than a second over third-place Hamlin. Behind, Logano and Wallace continued to run fourth and fifth, respectively, while Byron, Keselowski, Buescher, Elliott and Berry were racing in the top 10. 

With less than 70 laps remaining, another cycle of green flag pit stops commenced as Reddick pitted along with Byron, Buescher, Elliott, Keselowski and Berry, who made another cycle around the track after he missed the pit entry. Truex would pit from the lead with 65 laps remaining along with Larson, Logano, Wallace and others as Larson managed to exit pit road ahead of Truex. Four laps later, however, Truex made his move beneath Larson through the frontstretch to overtake him for position entering Turn 1. He would then overtake teammate Hamlin to un-lap himself along with Larson before Hamlin pitted from the lead with 55 laps remaining. Teammate Bell would then pit from the lead during the following lap, which completed the green flag pit cycle and allowed Truex to cycle back into the lead with 53 laps remaining. 

With 40 laps remaining, Truex extended his advantage to more than two seconds over Larson while Logano, Wallace and Hamlin were racing in the top five. Truex would stretch his advantage to more than three seconds over Logano with 30 laps remaining while Larson slipped to third as he trailed by more than four seconds while running ahead of Hamlin and Wallace. 

Down to the final 20 laps of the event, Truex, who was slowly having his lap times decrease as he continued to be mired in lapped traffic, among which included Austin Cindric and Chastain, continued to lead by more than a second over Logano’s No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse while third-place Hamlin trailed within two seconds as he started to intimidate Logano for the runner-up spot. Behind, Larson retained fourth over Wallace while Byron, Keselowski, Elliott, Berry and Buescher trailed in the top 10, with Bell mired in 11th. 

With 10 laps remaining, Truex’s advantage decreased to six-tenths of a second over Logano with teammate Hamlin trailing within a second. Despite the latter two gaining ground on Truex, Truex, who lapped Chastain, managed to keep his No. 19 Auto-Owners Insurance Toyota Camry XSE out in front. Logano, however, would narrow the deficit to four-tenths of a second behind Truex while Hamlin was starting to lose ground as he trailed by a second with five laps remaining.  

Then with two laps remaining, the caution flew and the event was sent into overtime after Wallace bumped and sent Larson, who was running fourth and got loose, for a spin through the frontstretch. During the caution period, the lead lap field led by Truex pitted for service. Following the pit stops, Hamlin managed to beat teammate Truex, who had a slow pit service, and Logano off of pit road first while Larson, Byron and Elliott followed suit in the top six. Amid the pit stops, Wallace also endured a slow pit service on the left side as he dropped out of the top 10. 

At the start of the overtime period, where teammates Hamlin and Truex occupied the front row, Truex tried to side-draft Hamlin’s No. 11 Mavis Tires & Brakes Toyota Camry XSE through the first two turns, but Hamlin, who slightly went up the track through the turns, managed to muscle ahead of Truex through Turns 3 and 4. 

When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Hamlin was leading ahead of teammate Truex, who was being pressured by Logano and Larson for the runner-up spot. With Logano acquiring the runner-up spot and trying to narrow the gap to himself and Hamlin through the backstretch, Hamlin managed to muscle ahead through Turns 3 and 4 and beat Logano by two-tenths of a second to claim his second checkered flag of the 2024 Cup Series season. 

With the victory, Hamlin notched his 53rd career win in the NASCAR Cup Series in his 657th series start, his fifth at Richmond and his first since winning at his home track in April 2022. He also joined William Byron as drivers to achieve multiple Cup victories seven events into the 2024 season while also recording the third victory of the season for both Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota.

“This is a team win, for sure,” Hamlin, who praised his pit crew, said on FOX. “This trophy needs to go to each one of these pit crew members. They just did an amazing job. They’ve been killing it all year. Man, we’ve got some good runs with [sponsor Mavis Tires & Brakes]. Such a great feeling when you know you can come in and have a pit crew like that.” 

Logano, who had finished no higher than ninth during the first six events on the schedule, notched a strong runner-up result followed by Larson and Truex, where the former rubbed and edged Truex at the finish line to claim third place moments after Truex had veered left and ran into the side of Larson through the backstretch. 

Seconds after the checkered flag, however, Truex proceeded to ram into the side of Larson and both rubbed fenders through the frontstretch before Truex then proceeded to run into the rear of teammate Hamlin as a gesture of displeasure for Hamlin running him up the racetrack in the first two turns during the overtime shootout. 

“It’s unfortunate,” Truex said. “Unfortunately, [losing] has happened here a few times over the years. We were in a great spot, had a great Auto-Owners Camry all night long and the guys did a really good job. Just got beat of the pits and then, [Hamlin] jumped the start and then just used me up in Turn 1. Definitely sucks, but good solid day. Another car capable of winning, so we’ll just have to come back next week, try to get them again.” 

“I will take a third [place finish] after what could’ve been a lot worse there on the frontstretch [when I spun],” Larson said. “I think [Truex] was just mad. He was mad that [Hamlin] used him up on the restart. That’s probably where it really started from and then, [Logano] got to his inside in [Turns] 1 and 2. I got in behind [Logano] and he just turned left across my nose, had me off the apron off of [Turn] 2 and I don’t know if he thought I piled it in there, but then he door-slammed me down the middle of the backstretch, so I figured in [Turns] 3 and 4, I was gonna use him up a little bit. I think he’s just more mad at Denny, but I was the closest one to take his anger out on. I’m guessing the replay looks the way I kind of saw it in Turns 1 and 2 and then, he’ll realize that and probably be alright.” 

Elliott came home in fifth place while Bell, Byron, Keselowski, Buescher and Reddick finished in the top 10. 

Notably, rookie Josh Berry notched his second top-12 result of the season by finishing 11th, Wallace ended up 13th, Chastain settled in 15th ahead of Ty Gibbs and Bowman, Blaney rallied to finish 19th ahead of Kyle Busch and Suarez ended up 22nd.

There were 16 lead changes for seven different leaders. The race featured five cautions for 54 laps. In addition, all 36 starters finished the event while 22 of 36 finished on the lead lap. 

Following the seventh event of the 2024 Cup Series season, Martin Truex Jr. continues to lead the regular-season standings by 14 points over Kyle Larson, 18 over Denny Hamlin, 34 over Ty Gibbs and 51 over Ryan Blaney. 

Results. 

1. Denny Hamlin, 17 laps led

2. Joey Logano 

3. Kyle Larson, 144 laps led, Stage 1 winner 

4. Martin Truex Jr., 228 laps led, Stage 2 winner 

5. Chase Elliott, five laps led 

6. Christopher Bell, nine laps led 

7. William Byron 

8. Brad Keselowski 

9. Chris Buescher 

10. Tyler Reddick  

11. Josh Berry, two laps led 

12. Noah Gragson 

13. Bubba Wallace, two laps led 

14. Erik Jones 

15. Ross Chastain 

16. Ty Gibbs 

17. Alex Bowman 

18. Chase Briscoe 

19. Ryan Blaney 

20. Kyle Busch 

21. Todd Gilliland 

22. Daniel Suarez 

23. Austin Cindric, one lap down 

24. Austin Dillon, one lap down  

25. John Hunter Nemechek, one lap down 

26. Michael McDowell, one lap down 

27. Carson Hocevar, one lap down 

28. Ryan Preece, one lap down 

29. Ty Dillon, one lap down 

30. Daniel Hemric, two laps down 

31. Kaz Grala, two laps down 

32. Justin Haley, two laps down 

33. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., two laps down 

34. Harrison Burton, two laps down 

35. Zane Smith, three laps down 

36. Corey LaJoie, three laps down 

Next on the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series schedule is Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia, for the Cook Out 400. The event is scheduled to occur next Sunday, April 7, and air at 3 p.m. ET on FS1. 

Eli Tomac Makes Historic Return to Top Step of the Podium in St. Louis

By
Official Release
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Levi Kitchen Sweeps 250SX Class Races

St. Louis Mo., (March 31, 2024) Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Eli Tomac took his first win of the season, and his first since returning from his 2023 Achilles injury, with 1-1-1 Race scores at the St. Louis Triple Crown Supercross. With the win at Round 12, Tomac became the sixth different rider to win in this highly competitive season.

The Dome at America’s Center hosted what will be the final 2024 race under a covered stadium. The soil was soft but dry for great racing at Round 12 of the 17-round season. Photo Credit: Feld Motor Sports, Inc.

Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Cooper Webb earned second overall with (5-6-2) Race finishes inside The Dome at America’s Center. With the finish Webb captured the championship-within-a-championship 3-Round Triple Crown title. In the race format that combines the finishes from three separate Races, Team Honda HRC’s Hunter Lawrence earned his career-first 450SX Class podium with (8-2-4) Race finishes. The unpredictability of the Triple Crown format showed a few new wrinkles in St. Louis with five riders getting docked positions in Race 2 due to red cross flag infractions. Also, big crash in Race 3, when Team Honda HRC’s Jett Lawrence was t-boned, caused a big change in the point standings. Cooper Webb now trails Jett Lawrence now by only eight points. In the Western Regional 250SX Class, Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Levi Kitchen was nearly picture-perfect throughout the night; he took the overall win with 1-1-1 Race wins.

“I had so many questions, and honestly doubt, in my mind that at this point [in the season] before this weekend. You know, questioning the comeback and where I was. So to do this here, to feel that way, to get those rides in all through those motos, that felt like old me. So this was so awesome… Thank you to the team for believing in me, Monster Energy Star Yamaha, everyone, so thank you St. Louis.” – Eli Tomac

“It was a crazy night. The first two [Races] didn’t go my way – the second one, especially. I was running a good spot, fell over, and just – these Triple Crowns, you never know what can happen, and that’s what the team just told me, is, ‘Don’t give up. Go in there in this last one and give it your all.’ And it worked out. You know obviously I don’t know what happened to anybody yet [in terms of crashes in Race 3], but I just know me and Eli were out front – me, him and Chase – and we were in the clear. [It] just felt great to ride. I rode really well in that last one. Eli was really clicking his laps and made the pass on Chase, which was great. And I got to second and we started clicking some good laps there at the end but, you know, a second place is good tonight. I’ll take it, especially after the first two [Races]. To win this Triple Crown championship’s all new, so it’s pretty cool. Hopefully we keep the ball rolling.” – Cooper Webb

“Man, it’s awesome. We had a little bit of an upgrade, I’d say, from the second moto to the third one with the Red Cross flag [penalty on some other riders]. But hey, I’ve been on the bad end of that deal many a time, so we’ll take it. That was a pretty good feeling. I’m bummed to not have Jett up here with me. We all saw what happened, that sucks, but yeah I’m honored to be sharing the podium with Tomac and Webb. You know, I watched these guys racing on this stage when I was still in Australia as a kid, so it’s pretty cool. We’ll take it, try and build, and we’ll try and get a really legitimized one next time we’re back [after the break].” – Hunter Lawrence

The Western Regional 250SX Class held its seventh round and Levi Kitchen followed up his previous round’s win with an impressive victory in St. Louis. Team Honda HRC’s Jo Shimoda fought his way to a second-place overall result with 2-3-3 Race finishes. Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Jordon Smith used 3-2-4 Race finishes to capture the final spot on the podium.

“That was insane. I mean, I’m pretty speechless right now. That was for Austin Forkner back home. I hope he’s healing up good. I know he’s the only other one to do that [sweep the 250SX Class Triple Crown], so yeah man, that was sick. Three good starts and then going into the last race – those lappers, I actually came together pretty bad with one right before the triple. And I if I would have missed the triple, RJ would have been right on me. So I had to send it – I still made it somehow. All in all though, man, what a day! Carrying the momentum from Seattle and I’m in a really good spot. I feel really good on the bike. Thanks to the whole Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki team, all my friends and family… This is pretty surreal so I’m going to soak this one in.” – Levi Kitchen

“Honestly that was the main thing for me [getting good starts finally]. It’s just, like, I just couldn’t do it [at previous rounds]. And then today – three good starts; still not a Holeshot or anything like that, but I think once I can get a start I know I can fight with those guys. The track was gnarly. I had a couple of sketchy moments, I think everybody did, but yeah thanks so much to my [team]. We’re getting better each week and so it’s a good confidence booster and yeah [next up is] Nashville [for the 250 West class].” – Jo Shimoda

“Last weekend was tough, man, that crash was gnarly, and throughout the week I was pretty sore. So I’m just glad to be here in front of the fans and riding the tough track again. These tracks have been really, really tough this year, and soft, and man it’s kind of survival [mode] out there at times… I’m happy to come away with the third. Congrats to Levi, he rode awesome tonight. Man, it’s hard to beat a guy that gets three holeshots, you know?… We’re going to go back and do our homework with this couple of weeks off and see if we can’t come back a little better for these last three. I’d just like to give it up to the whole team… It takes a tribe to be out here, so thank you guys, and we’ll be back next week.” – Jordon Smith, when asked about his crash at Seattle.

In the third SX Futures race, where top amateur racers compete for points toward their pro license, Monster Energy Kawasaki Team Green’s Drew Adams took back-to-back wins after his victory at the Daytona SX Futures round; Adams took the win just one day shy of his 16th birthday. Rockstar Husqvarna’s Landon Gibson finished in second place in the St. Louis single-race format event. Troy Lee Designs GASGAS’s Cole Davies took the final podium spot with a late-race pass for the position.

“Yeah, it was definitely a pretty bad start, [that’s] on me. But I just tried to work through [the pack] really good. And I got the triple on the first lap; that was probably the whole race right there. Then I just got up front and just started riding smooth, you know? I didn’t have to really do the big lines or [anything] but just stay smooth, and [make] no mistakes, and it worked out well.” – Drew Adams, when asked about his start.

The 17-round Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship takes next weekend off before resuming for the final five rounds on five consecutive weekends. Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts hosts Round 13 on Saturday, April 13th. The event will mark the return of the Eastern Regional 250SX Class for its Round 6. The SX Futures will also race in Foxborough in their fourth event before the SX Futures championship race at the final Supercross event inside Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Every Supercross race also pays points toward the 31-round SuperMotocross World Championship. The SMX post-season racing venues have recently been announced and tickets go on sale this coming Tuesday, April 2.

Every SuperMotocross round will be available to watch live on Peacock TV; each is also available on-demand to catch up or rewatch rounds of the thrilling 2024 season. Select Supercross races are also available streaming or via broadcast on NBC, USA Network, CNBC, NBCSports.com, and the NBC Sports app. Live audio coverage for each Supercross race can be heard via NBC Sports Audio on SiriusXM Channel 85. International coverage, in both English and Spanish, can be found live and on-demand through the SuperMotocross Video Pass (supermotocross.tv).

Nothing matches the excitement and all-day fun of attending a Monster Energy AMA Supercross event. Tickets are available now for the remaining rounds. To purchase tickets and for race results, video highlights, feature stories, and expert insights, please go to SupercrossLIVE.com.

Facebook: facebook.com/supercrosslive
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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.

Intenfix Review: Ways to Have Effortless Business Experience [intenfix.com]

By
SM
-

Trading procreates such a cutting-edge point of view that requires utter commitment from clients. Besides, a reliable and worthwhile money-delivering experience isolates an exchanging stage from the others. Eventually, you will have a standard assessment of the means that have been trailed by Intenfix to make the site open for negligible gadgets. Consumers can pick smaller areas with the objective that they can trade any spot across. 

These stages figure out and design a sensible and accessible working locale. This is the very thing that Intenfix fulfills and strengthens an amazing outcome. 

Site Creation:

It starts with Intenfix’s high-level specialized arrangement that adjusts to various screen sizes and headings. An especially coordinated versatile responsive trading site thus changes with various screen sizes and headings. This guarantees that the substance and worth of the site stay open and usable paying little respect to what contraption is being utilized. This is colossal on the grounds of business that cells come in various shapes and objectives.

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Intenfix’s Working Limit:

The flexible accessibility given by Intenfix works with clients who require a speedy exchange. Carriers look at their figuring out nuances, functionalize exchanges, and get huge notifications concerning the continuous business area situation whenever and any spot they need them. Since mobile phones use contact interfaces, it ensures that sharp parts and affixes are sufficiently detached. Subsequently, the site hinders incidental snaps and obliges different finger sizes.

Fast Stacking Seasons:

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Chandler Smith prevails for second Xfinity victory of 2024 at Richmond

By
Andrew Kim
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RICHMOND, VIRGINIA - MARCH 30: Chandler Smith, driver of the #81 Mobil 1 Toyota, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series ToyotaCare 250 at Richmond Raceway on March 30, 2024 in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images).

Chandler Smith’s strong start to the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series season continued into Easter weekend with a late victory in the ToyotaCare 250 at Richmond Raceway on Saturday, March 30. 

The 21-year-old Smith from Talking Rock, Georgia, led twice for 76 of 250-scheduled laps in an event where he started in fourth place and finished in the top 10 during both stage periods before he made his first appearance as the race leader with 87 laps remaining after he navigated his way past teammate Aric Almirola.

Despite restarting in 15th place after pitting during the final restart period with 68 laps remaining, Smith was able to quickly carve his way back to the front and he reassumed the top spot with 60 laps remaining. From there, he maintained a reasonable gap between himself and Almirola while leading the rest of the way en route to his second Xfinity victory of the 2024 season and his second in a row at Richmond.

With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Saturday, Parker Retzlaff notched the first pole position for himself and Jordan Anderson Racing after he posted a pole-winning lap at 120.428 mph in 22.420 seconds. Joining him on the front row was Brandon Jones, who clocked in the second-fastest qualifying lap at 119.915 mph in 22.516 seconds. 

Prior to the event, Joey Gase dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments made to his entry. 

When the green flag waved and the race started, Retzlaff rocketed ahead with the lead followed by Cole Custer, who drew alongside Retzlaff for a full lap, starting in Turn 1, and nearly took the lead from the inside lane. Retzlaff was able to use the outside lane to muscle ahead through Turns 3 and 4 as he led the first lap while the field behind jostled for early spots.  

Through the second to fifth lap mark, the field began to fan out as Retzlaff maintained a reasonable lead over both Custer and Justin Allgaier while Brandon Jones settled in fourth ahead of Chandler Smith and Corey Heim. Retzlaff would retain the lead by the Lap 10 mark by three-tenths of a second over Allgaier as Custer fell to third ahead of Chandler Smith and Jones. 

Just shy of the Lap 20 mark, the event’s first caution period flew after Ryan Vargas came to a stop on the frontstretch as his car went up in smoke, starting in Turn 4. During the event’s first caution period, some including Garrett Smithley, Patrick Emerling, Blaine Perkins and Joey Gase pitted while the rest led by Retzlaff remained on the track. 

When the event restarted on Lap 27, Retzlaff fended off both Custer and Allgaier as the field fanned out entering the first two turns. Through the backstretch, however, Custer and Retzlaff made contact, which got Retzlaff loose as Allgaier made his move on the outside lane and assumed the lead. Allgaier would retain the lead by the Lap 35 mark as Corey Heim moved into the runner-up spot while Custer, Aric Almirola, Retzlaff and Brandon Jones were running in the top six.  

By Lap 43, the event’s second caution period flew after Jones, who was running in the top six, slipped sideways entering the first two turns after his No. 9 Menards Chevrolet Camaro went up in smoke, where he then made contact with the outside wall as Ryan Sieg spun after running over Jones’ spilled fluid. The incident occurred just after Allgaier overtook Heim for the lead. During the caution period, some including AJ Allmendinger, Jeremy Clements, Shane van Gisbergen and Brennan Poole pitted while the rest led by Heim remained on the track. 

As the event restarted under green on Lap 56, Allgaier and Heim battled for the lead through the first two turns and the backstretch as Aric Almirola trailed closely in third. Allgaier would then muscle ahead of Heim by the Lap 60 mark while Almirola moved into the runner-up spot. As the battles within the field ensued between those running on fresh tires versus those on old tires, Almirola assumed the lead over Allgaier by Lap 64.  

When the first stage period concluded on Lap 75, Almirola captured his first Xfinity stage victory of the 2024 season. Poole settled in second ahead of Heim, Allgaier and Herbst while Mayer, Chandler Smith, Custer, Gray and Sammy Smith were scored in the top 10. 

Under the stage break, the lead lap field led by Almirola pitted. Following the pit stops, Almirola retained the lead after he exited pit road first followed by Allgaier, Riley Herbst, Chandler Smith, Austin Hill, Sam Mayer and Brennan Poole. 

The second stage period started on Lap 84 as Almirola and Allgaier occupied the front row. At the start, Almirola rocketed ahead with the lead from the inside lane while Allgaier, Herbst, Chandler Smith and Hill battled within the top five. Almirola would stabilize his advantage to three-tenths of a second over Herbst by the Lap 90 mark as Chandler Smith, Allgaier and Hill remained in the top five ahead of Parker Kligerman, Mayer, Cole Custer, newcomer Taylor Gray and Sam Mayer. 

On Lap 95, the caution returned after Logan Bearden hit Garrett Smithley before he spun in Turn 4. During the caution period, some including Hailie Deegan, Dawson Cram and Ryan Sieg pitted while the rest led by Almirola remained on the track. 

With the event restarting on Lap 101, Almirola fended off a brief challenge by teammate Chandler Smith past the frontstretch and through the first two turns while the field fanned out. As Kligerman scrapped the outside wall after making contact with Custer through the first two turns, Almirola retained the lead ahead of teammate Chandler Smith. Almirola would continue to lead by nearly a second by the Lap 110 mark as Allgaier, Chandler Smith and Herbst trailed in the top four followed by a side-by-side battle between Hill and Mayer. Amid the battles towards the front, Sheldon Creed was black-flagged for having smoke billow out of his car due to a right-rear brake issue. 

At the halfway mark on Lap 125, Almirola was scored the leader by more than a second over teammate Chandler Smith followed by Allgaier, Herbst and Hill while Mayer, Gray, Sammy Smith, Retzlaff and Love were running in the top 10 ahead of Heim, Custer, Kyle Weatherman, Josh Williams and Allmendinger. Meanwhile, Shane van Gisbergen was in 16th while Kligerman, Bubba Pollard, DiBenedetto and Jeb Burton occupied the top 20 spots on the track. 

Fifteen laps later, Almirola extended his advantage to more than three seconds over teammate Chandler Smith while third-place Mayer also trailed by more than three seconds. Behind, newcomer Taylor Gray trailed by more than five seconds in fourth place while Allgaier occupied fifth in front of Hill, Heim, Herbst, Retzlaff and Custer. 

When the second stage period concluded on Lap 150, Almirola captured his second consecutive Xfinity stage victory of the 2024 season. Mayer settled in second ahead of Chandler Smith, Gray and Heim while Allgaier, Hill, Retzlaff, Custer and Logan Bearden were scored in the top 10. 

During the stage break, the lead lap field led by Almirola returned to pit road for service. Following the pit stops, Almirola retained the lead after exiting pit road first followed by Mayer, Gray and Hill while Chandler Smith dropped and exited pit road in fifth place ahead of Allgaier and Custer. 

With 91 laps remaining, the final stage commenced as Almirola and Mayer occupied the front row. At the start, Almirola retained the lead over Mayer, whose left-front fender was smoking due to making contact with Heim during the second stage’s break period. With Mayer remaining on the track for the following lap, he would be overtaken by Chandler Smith while Hill, Allgaier and Custer were running in the top six. Chandler Smith would then proceed to overtake teammate Almirola for the lead with 87 laps remaining. 

With 78 laps remaining, the caution flew after Joey Gase, who was running towards the rear of the field, was punted by Dawson Cram entering the first turn, which sent Gase spinning and colliding into the outside wall, which terminated his run. Amid the incident, however, Gase expressed his displeasure to Cram by ripping out the rear bumper out of his wrecked car and tossing it at Cram during the caution period. 

During the caution period, some led by teammates Chandler Smith and Almirola pitted while others led by Allgaier remained on the track. 

With the event restarting under green with 67 laps remaining, Allgaier and Custer battled for the lead in front of Retzlaff and Herbst while Chandler Smith was trying to carve his way back to the front on fresh tires. Seven laps later, Smith reassumed the top spot after navigating his way past Allgaier and Custer. 

With 45 laps remaining, Chandler Smith was leading by nearly two seconds over teammate Almirola while Jesse Love, Heim and Allgaier were racing in the top five ahead of Hill, Gray, Herbst, Kligerman and Custer. 

Fifteen laps later, Chandler Smith retained the lead by more than a second over teammate Almirola while Heim, Love and Gray were racing in the top five. Smith would extend his advantage by more than two seconds over Almirola with 20 laps remaining. 

Down to the final 10 laps of the event, Chandler Smith continued to lead by more than three seconds over teammate Almirola while Heim, Gray and Love were running in the top five. Meanwhile, Bubba Pollard was up to sixth place while Hill, Kligerman, Sammy Smith and Allgaier were running in the top 10 as Chandler Smith stabilized his advantage by three seconds with five laps remaining. 

When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Chandler Smith remained as the leader by four seconds over teammate Almirola. As teammate Gray overtook Heim for third place, Smith was on cruise control for a final circuit as he cycled his No. 81 Mobil 1 Toyota Supra back to the frontstretch for a final time and to claim his second checkered flag of the 2024 Xfinity season. 

With the victory, Chandler Smith, who has finished in the top eight through the first six events on the 2024 schedule, notched his third Xfinity Series career win in his 42nd series start and his first since winning at Phoenix Raceway in early March. He also notched his second consecutive series victory at Richmond Raceway and he joined Austin Hill as the only competitors to repeat as race winners during the 2024 Xfinity season. 

“Never give up, never give up,” Smith said on FS1. “This car was not good, Stage 1 wasn’t good, wasn’t good in Stage 2, but we were able to do some strategy there with our Mobil 1 GR Supra and this thing was as fast as Xfinity Internet when it counted. I’m back here winning races here on a consistent basis. I think we took over the points lead again too, so I’m just blessed. I’m beyond blessed.” 

As Chandler Smith celebrated on the frontstretch and in Victory Lane, teammate Aric Almirola, who led a race-high 95 laps compared to Smith’s 76, settled in the runner-up spot in his third Xfinity start of the 2024 season. 

“We just got a little bit too loose,” Almirola said. “The run before that in Stage 2, when I took off my car was really, really good. At the end, it just felt a little tight and that last run for whatever reason, different set of tires or what, I let Chandler go, and when I started to just creep back to him, I didn’t have anything to go with. I was too loose in and I couldn’t get throttle down on exit. [I] Hate that to win both stages and feel like we had the dominant car and then to let it slip away there at the end, is disappointing. Still a fun week, this weekend, coming back to Richmond 18 years after making my first start for Coach [Gibbs]. I really wanted to put this [No. 20 He Gets Us Toyota Supra] into Victory Lane today, but it’s gonna have to wait.” 

Newcomer Taylor Gray capped off a Joe Gibbs Racing 1-2-3 finish by achieving a third-place finish in his series debut while Corey Heim and Jesse Love finished in the top five. Newcomer Bubba Pollard also delivered with a sixth-place finish in his Xfinity debut while Kilgerman, Hill, Sammy Smith and Custer finished in the top 10 on the track. 

With today’s Xfinity event at Richmond serving as a qualifying event for the first Dash 4 Cash round of the 2024 season, race winner Chandler Smith along with Aric Almirola, Jesse Love and Parker Kligerman have qualified for the first Dash 4 Cash round that will occur next Saturday at Martinsville Speedway. 

There were 14 lead changes for seven different leaders. The race featured six cautions for 51 laps. In addition, nine of 38 starters finished on the lead lap. 

Following the sixth event of the 2024 Xfinity Series season, Chandler Smith leads the regular-season standings by 10 points over Austin Hill, 41 over Cole Custer, 67 over Jesse Love, 71 over Riley Herbst and 80 over AJ Allmendinger. 

Results. 

1. Chandler Smith, 76 laps led 

2. Aric Almirola, 95 labps led, Stage 1 & 2 winner 

3. Taylor Gray 

4. Corey Heim, 15 laps led 

5. Jesse Love 

6. Bubba Pollard 

7. Parker Kligerman 

8. Austin Hill 

9. Sammy Smith 

10. Cole Custer one lap down, seven laps led 

11. Justin Allgaier, one lap down, 28 laps led 

12. Josh Williams, one lap down 

13. Riley Herbst, one lap down 

14. AJ Allmendinger, one lap down 

15. Shane van Gisbergen, one lap down 

16. Parker Retzlaff, one lap down, 27 laps led 

17. Kyle Weatherman, one lap down 

18. Matt DiBenedetto, one lap down 

19. Josh Bilicki, one lap down 

20. Leland Honeyman, one lap down 

21. Garrett Smithley, one lap down 

22. Logan Bearden, one lap down 

23. Kyle Sieg, one lap down 

24. Jeremy Clements, one lap down  

25. Dawson Cram, two laps down 

26. Jeb Burton, two laps down 

27. Ryan Ellis, two laps down 

28. Brennan Poole, two laps down 

29. Anthony Alfredo, two laps down 

30. Sam Mayer, four laps down 

31. Hailie Deegan, nine laps down 

32. Ryan Sieg, 30 laps down 

33. Blaine Perkins, 69 laps down 

34. Joey Gase – OUT, Accident 

35. Sheldon Creed – OUT, Brakes 

36. Patrick Emerling – OUT, Brakes 

37. Brandon Jones – OUT, Engine 

38. Ryan Vargas – OUT, Engine 

Next on the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule is Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia, for the DUDE Wipes 250. The event is scheduled to occur next Saturday, April 6, and air at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1. 

RCR NXS Race Recap: Richmond Raceway

By
Official Release
-

Jesse Love and the No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet Team Qualify for Dash 4 Cash by Earning Top-Five Finish at Richmond Raceway

Finish: 5th
Start: 8th
Points: 4th

“Our No. 2 Whelen team had a good day. We struggled mid-race, but all the guys on my Richard Childress Racing team kept digging to find a way to end with a decent day. We certainly did that. We tried some things, and it didn’t quite work out for us. Danny (Stockman) made a phenomenal pit call at the end to take tires which propelled us to fifth. It’s a pleasure to drive this Whelen Chevrolet and I’m grateful for everyone who supports our team. We will give it our best shot in the Dash 4 Cash next weekend at Martinsville Speedway.” -Jesse Love

Austin Hill and the No. 21 Bennett Transportation & Logistics Chevrolet Team Secure Eighth-Place Result at Richmond Raceway

Finish: 8th
Start: 16th
Points: 2nd

“Overall, I’m happy that our No. 21 Bennett Transportation & Logistics Chevrolet was able to finish inside the top-10 once again. Racing at Richmond Raceway hasn’t been our strong suit, and we still have work to do before coming back here next season. It’s a tricky track. As the rubber laid down, I gained front turn running the bottom which allowed me to catch the car in front. Once I got to his bumper though, the car got tight across the middle and I struggled overall with drive off unless I was completely out of the grey. It’s a shame to miss the Dash 4 Cash by one spot, but our Richard Childress Racing team will keep pushing to be better each week.” -Austin Hill

Stewart-Haas Racing: Richmond 250 from Richmond Raceway

By
Official Release
-

STEWART-HAAS RACING
Richmond 250
Date: March 30, 2024
Event: Richmond 250 (Round 6 of 33)
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Location: Richmond (Va.) Raceway (.75-mile oval)
Format: 250 laps, broken into three stages (75 laps/75 laps/100 laps)

Race Winner: Chandler Smith of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 1 Winner: Aric Almirola of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner: Aric Almirola of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)

SHR Race Finish:

● Cole Custer (Started 3rd / Finished 10th, Running, completed 249 of 250 laps)
● Riley Herbst (Started 14th / Finished 13th, Running, completed 249 of 250 laps)

SHR Points:

● Cole Custer (3rd with 224 points, 41 out of first)
● Riley Herbst (5th with 194 points, 71 out of first)

SHR Notes:

● Custer earned his fourth top-10 of the season and his sixth top-10 in nine career NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Richmond.
● Custer has never finished outside of the top-15 at Richmond.
● This was Custer’s fourth straight top-10 at Richmond.
● Custer finished eighth in Stage 1 to earn three bonus points and ninth in Stage 2 to earn two more bonus points.
● Custer led once for seven laps to increase his laps-led total at Richmond to 172.
● Herbst earned his fourth top-15 of the season and his fifth top-15 in seven career NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Richmond.
● Herbst has only finished outside the top-15 once at Richmond since joining SHR in 2021.
● Herbst finished sixth in Stage 1 to earn five bonus points.

Race Notes:

● Chandler Smith won the Richmond 250 to score his third career NASCAR Xfinity Series victory, his second of the season, and his second at Richmond. His margin over second-place Aric Almirola was 4.495 seconds.
● There were six caution periods for a total of 51 laps.
● Only nine of the 38 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.
● Smith leaves Richmond as the championship leader with a 10-point advantage over second-place Austin Hill.

Sound Bites:

“I felt like we definitely chased the car a little bit at the start. We were solid, and I thought we got the car pretty good that last stage. The tires just got killed somehow. Something was very strange with the tires with how you could hurt them. I didn’t even feel like I was going hard, and it just went really bad, so we were able to salvage pitting there. JT (Jonathan Toney, crew chief) used some good strategy to get us a good finish, but it was definitely a strange day overall. We’ll just have to move on to the next one. I think we had something there.” –Cole Custer, driver of the No. 00 Haas Automation Ford Mustang

“Man, it’s tough having such a strong car all day and then just fading at the end. Cautions didn’t really play out how we would’ve liked and our tires got so bad as the green flag run went on in the final stage. I wish we could’ve gotten up front with our Monster Energy Ford Mustang Dark Horse, but we just struggled to get the balance right. We started off too loose, but then got too tight. We’ll move on to Martinsville.” –Riley Herbst, driver of the No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule is the DUDE Wipes 250 on Saturday, April 6 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. The race begins at 7:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Kaulig Racing Race Recap | Richmond – ToyotaCare 250

By
Official Release
-

JOSH WILLIAMS
No. 11 Alloy Employer Services Chevrolet Camaro

  • Josh Williams qualified 27th for the ToyotaCare 250 at Richmond Raceway.
  • Williams gained four spots before the race’s first caution came out on lap 21. The No. 11 Alloy Employer Services Chevy continued rolling forward following the lap-27 restart, reaching 15th by lap 43 when the second yellow flag waved. Williams fired off from 13th with 19 to go in the stage, gaining one spot before the green-white-checkered to finish stage one in 12th.
  • Williams restarted in 16th after coming down pit road for tires and fuel during the stage break. After falling to 20th, the fourth yellow flag of the race flew, 20 laps into the second stage. The green waved again on lap 102, and the No. 11 Chevy Camaro began passing cars in the middle lane. Williams jumped past the No. 98 to move into 10th place, but the No. 14, on fresher tires, passed Williams on final lap of stage two, resulting in an 11th-place second-stage finish.
  • Williams pitted for tires and fuel under yellow and restarted in 14th with 91 laps to go. Gearing up for the long run, he dropped back to 17th, but the caution waved with 77 laps remaining. Williams stayed out under yellow and restarted in 13th on lap 184. The remaining 67 laps went caution free, and Williams took the checkered flag in 12th as the second-highest-running driver that last pitted on lap 154.

“I’m really happy we had a calm, fast race today. There was a ton of traffic to deal with, and if the cards fell right, we might’ve had a top-five day. We needed this to get moving back in the right direction.” – Josh Williams

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 16 Action Industries Chevrolet Camaro

  • AJ Allmendinger qualified seventh for the ToyotaCare 250 at Richmond Raceway.
  • Allmendinger reported early his Action Industries Chevy was lacking grip. When the caution came out on lap 21, the No. 16 had fallen back to 10th place. After the restart, Allmendinger fell back to 13th before the caution came back out on lap 44. Under caution, the team came down pit road for fuel and adjustments to help Allmendinger get off the splitter. The No. 16 restarted in 34th place and went on to finish the opening stage in 22nd.
  • Under the stage break, Allmendinger pit for tires, fuel and adjustments to help with drive off. The No. 16 restarted the second stage in 18th place and took over 16th on the first lap green. On lap 105, Allmendinger took over 14th place from his teammate in the No. 97. Allmendinger began falling back on lap 125 and ended the second stage in 20th place. The team took a big swing during the stage break making multiple adjustments to set Allmendinger up for the final stage.
  • Allmendinger restarted the third stage in 16th place. The caution came out on lap 175 and Allmendinger reported the No. 16 was more competitive after the last adjustments. The team stayed out under caution and restarted in seventh on lap 183. As the cars with fresher tires came through the field, Allmendinger fell back to 14th place by lap 229 where he went on to finish in the ToyotaCare 250 at Richmond Raceway.

“Proud of everyone on our No. 16 Action Industries Chevy for never giving up during the race today. We’re disappointed that the direction we went didn’t work, but we’re on to Martinsville.” – AJ Allmendinger  
 
SHANE van GISBERGEN
No. 97 WeatherTech Chevrolet Camaro

  • Shane van Gisbergen qualified 12th for the ToyotaCare 250 at Richmond Raceway.
  • By lap 10, Van Gisbergen settled into 17th and maintained his position until the first caution flag waved on lap 21. Staying out under the caution, the WeatherTech team restarted 17th on lap 28. The second caution flag waved on lap 44 with Van Gisbergen scored in 16th. Under the caution, the WeatherTech team hit pit road for adjustments to the No. 97 Chevrolet. Following the stop, Van Gisbergen restarted 28th on lap 56. With the latest adjustments working, Van Gisbergen worked his way through the field and ended stage one in 20th on lap 75.
  • Following a pit stop under the stage one break for four tires, fuel and adjustments, Van Gisbergen restarted stage two in 13th on lap 85. The caution flag waved once again on lap 97 with Van Gisbergen scored in 16th. Staying out, the WeatherTech team maintained their position on the lap 102 restart. Stage two remained under green flag for the duration with Van Gisbergen working his way as high as 15th during the run and ending the stage in 16th on lap 150. Under the stage two break, the WeatherTech team hit pit road for four tires, fuel and another round of adjustments. Following the stop, Van Gisbergen rejoined the field in 13th.
  • Van Gisbergen restarted the final stage in 13th on lap 160. The caution flag waved once again on lap 174 with Van Gisbergen scored in 14th. Staying out, the WeatherTech team restarted in sixth on lap 184 following various pit strategies along pit road. The rest of the stage would stay green following the restart with Van Gisbergen coming home 15th on lap 250.

“Qualifying was good today which lead into the race with us starting 12th. We were just unlucky during that last stage with the caution not falling our way. Bruce made some good adjustments through out the race and I started getting more comfortable as the race went on. I appreciate all the guys working hard on this WeatherTech team. We will go again next weekend!” – Shane van Gisbergen  
 
About Kaulig Racing

Kaulig Racing™ is a full-time multi-car NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) team, owned by award winning entrepreneur, Matt Kaulig. Established in 2016, Kaulig Racing™ has made the NXS Playoffs consecutively each season since the playoff system started and has won back-to-back regular-season championships. Before becoming a full-time NCS team, Kaulig Racing made multiple starts in the 2021 NCS season and won in its seventh-ever start with AJ Allmendinger’s victory at “The Brickyard” for the Verizon 200 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The team expanded to a two-car, full-time NCS team in 2022 and added a third, part-time entry during the 2023 season. In 2024, the team will once again field two, full-time entries in the NCS and continue to field three, full-time NXS entries. To learn more about the team, visit kauligracing.com.

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes – Custer Posts Top-10 Run in Richmond Xfinity Race

By
Official Release
-

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Xfinity Series
ToyotaCare 250 | Saturday, March 30, 2024

Ford Performance Finishing Results:
10th – Cole Custer
13th – Riley Herbst
18th – Matt DiBenedetto
23rd – Kyle Sieg
31st – Hailie Deegan
32nd – Ryan Sieg
33rd – Blaine Perkins

COLE CUSTER, No. 00 Haas Automation Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “I felt like we definitely chased the car a little bit at the start. We were solid and I thought we got the car pretty good that last stage and tires just got killed somehow. Something was very strange with the tires with how you could hurt them. I didn’t even feel like I was going hard and it just went really bad, so we were able to salvage pitting there. JG did some good strategy to get us a good finish, but it was definitely a strange day with the tires and we’ll just have to move on to the next one. I think we had something, but I’m just a little bit confused on the tires.”

A TOUGH DECISION ON WHETHER TO PIT OR NOT. WHAT WENT INTO THE DECISION TO STAY OUT? “If we could do it again, we would have pitted. We talked about it for five days coming here. It just seemed like that was not enough laps on your tires to really take that chance to not have a set at the end. The field was split on it, so that just shows how hard of a decision it was. It obviously worked out for those guys, but it can go either way on that.”

DID YOU FEEL LIKE SUPERMAN COMING THROUGH THE FIELD WHEN YOU HAD TO PIT UNDER GREEN? “That was fun. It was a lot of fun trying to go back through the field when we took tires, so that was definitely the highlight of the day, I’ll say that because I was able to just blow by everybody.”

Kyle Larson collects pole, Elliott second, for Hendrick front row at Richmond

By
Angie Campbell
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Photo by Chad Wells for S[eedwayMedia.com

Kyle Larson prevailed over teammate Chase Elliott to clinch the Busch Light Pole Award at Richmond Raceway. It’s his first Cup Series pole of the season and his 17th career pole in 338 career starts.

“Definitely helps for sure,” Larson said after qualifying. “I think the No. 1 pit stall here means a lot, yeah, happy to do that.

“Chase got real close there,” he continued, “so I was a bit nervous. But yeah, it’s an awesome day for Hendrick Motorsports.

He concluded by saying, “Good to get another pole. We’ll see if it translates into tomorrow’s race.”

Chevrolet captured the top four spots with Ross Chastain (120.059 mph) third-fastest, followed by Alex Bowman (119.861 mph). Bubba Wallace (119.819 mph) completed the top five in the No. 23 Toyota.

Todd Gilliland (119.760 mph), starting sixth, was the highest-qualifying Ford.

“It was a solid day,” Gilliland said, “but we still need to keep working on a bunch of stuff, especially kind of longer runs because everyone gets to a point where they’re not comfortable. We made good adjustments,” he said, “improved our starting spot, into the second round, I thought all of that stuff – definitely multiple positives to take from today.”

Martin Truex Jr. (119.585 mph), Ty Gibbs (119.517 mph), Austin Cindric (119.111 mph) and Joey Logano (119.069 mph) rounded out the top 10.

You can tune into the Cup Series Toyota Owners 400 at 7 p.m. ET Sunday on FOX with radio coverage provided by MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Starting Lineup:

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Toyota Racing – NXS Richmond Post-Race Report – 03.30.24

By
Official Release
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SMITH MOVES TO POINTS LEAD WITH TOYOTACARE 250 VICTORY
Second Toyota 1-4 finish in Xfinity Series history

RICHMOND, Va. (March 30, 2024) – Chandler Smith took the lead on lap 191 and led the rest of the way to win his second race of the season and second consecutive Toyota Care 250. Smith led 76 of 250 laps on his way to victory.

It was a special day for Team Toyota as GR Supra drivers finished in the top-four spots for just the second time in NASCAR Xfinity Series history (Dover 2012).

Aric Almirola finished second after leading the most laps (95 of 250) and winning both stages. In his debut, Taylor Gray finished third, while Corey Heim finished a career-best fourth for Sam Hunt Racing, after leading 15 laps – the most in a single race for the team at their home track.

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Richmond Raceway
Race 6 of 33 – 187.5 miles, 250 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, CHANDLER SMITH
2nd, ARIC ALMIROLA
3rd, TAYLOR GRAY
4th, COREY HEIM
5th, Jesse Love*
35th, SHELDON CREED
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

CHANDLER SMITH, No. 81 Mobil 1 Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 1st

What about that pit call?

“It was a great call. First of all, all glory to God – without him, I wouldn’t be where I’m at right now, with this amazing group of guys and gals back at Joe Gibbs Racing with amazing partners like Mobil 1, Toyota Racing. We wouldn’t be able to contend for wins like we are. I won my first Xfinity race here last year – in the ToyotaCare 250 and here we again, with Mobil 1 Toyota GR Supra in Mobil 1 Victory Lane. I’m really excited about that – ready to get home and celebrate one of the biggest days in history tomorrow.”

How much were you conserving those tires?

“I was riding pretty hard honestly. I went right off the rip pretty hard just to get control of the lead and set my own pace. Once I could set my own pace, I was riding pretty decently there. If a caution came out – it is what it is – it probably wouldn’t have been my time, but it was our time today and I’m going to cherish the moment.”

ARIC ALMIROLA, No. 20 He Gets Us Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 2nd

What did you lack there at the end of the race?

“We just got a little bit too loose. The run before that was stage two and my car took off and my car was really, really good. At the end, just built a little bit too tight and that last run – for whatever reason – I don’t know if it was the set of tires or what. I let Chandler (Smith) go and then when I started to just creep back to him. I didn’t have anything to go with – I was too loose in, and I couldn’t get the throttle down on exit. Hate that – to win both stage and feel like I had the dominate car and then to let it slip away there in the end is disappointing, but it was a fun weekend this weekend in Richmond, coming back 18 years from my first start with Coach (Joe Gibbs), with He Gets Us on the car on Easter weekend – it’s amazing to see what God has done in my life over the last 20 years since I got that call from Coach and J.D. Gibbs to come drive for them. I really wanted to put this thing in victory lane for them, but I’m going to have to wait.”

TAYLOR GRAY, No. 19 Place of Hope Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 3rd

How did you manage that last run of the race?

“Just being patient all day. I can’t thank all of the Joe Gibbs Racing guys enough for bring me a great A Place of Hope Toyota GR Supra. It was definitely as fast as Xfinity internet today. I made too many mistakes there throughout the race to be able to capitalize on such a fast car. I can’t thank all of my guys enough back at the shop.”

COREY HEIM, No. 26 GEARWRENCH Toyota GR Supra, Sam Hunt Racing

Finishing Position: 4th

How did you accomplish a fourth-place finish?

“A bit of a roller coaster today. I can’t say enough about this GEARWRENCH GR Supra. We had so much speed in it today. By far the best car I’ve had at Sam Hunt Racing. Props to them for bringing me a great piece. Track position was the name of the game there. We just didn’t have it there in the end. I ran the right rear off of it a bit trying to get back to the front on that last run, and I just didn’t have it. Partially falls on me. I should have been more disciplined with 70 laps left in that run, but that is part of it.”

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 65 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.

Toyota directly employs more than 63,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 45 million cars and trucks at our 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 14th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 26 electrified options.

For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.

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