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How to Prepare for Your Next Motorcycle Road Trip

By
SM
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Photo by Duncan Adler on Unsplash

Going on a road trip is an excellent way to enjoy what your country has to offer, explore new places, and relax on the road. However, there are many more things you’ll need to consider when planning a tour on two wheels instead of four. 

When you go on a road trip with a motorbike, you’re much more limited with what you can bring. Nevertheless, you’ll also benefit from less packing, a smaller fuel consumption, and a higher level of thrill. 

If you’re thinking of embarking on a motorcycle road trip, you’ve come to the right place. In this blog, we’ll be sharing all our top tips and tricks to make touring the country on a bike feel like an absolute breeze. 

Go For a Maintenance Check 

First things first, before you set off on your Vietnam motorcycle tours, you will need to make sure your bike is fit to ride. This entails taking your motorcycle to the local garage for a maintenance check. Let them know how far you plan to travel so they can ensure everything is in perfect condition. 

Check the Weather 

One of the biggest drawbacks of traveling on a motorbike is the fact that you are not protected from the weather. Plus, riding a bike during adverse weather conditions is a recipe for disaster and the last thing you want is to hire a motorcycle accident lawyer. So, we recommend you check the weather before you set off each day.  

Pack Lightly 

Although you don’t have much of a choice when it comes to packing lightly, it will be in your best interest to take the bare minimum with you. Try to pack intelligently and plan your outfits accordingly. If you’re really struggling to pack everything you need, you can always opt for some added storage accessories. 

Create a Rough Route 

You’ll need to have a rough idea of where you are going and how you plan to get there. However, don’t be super precise with your planning. After all, the best thing about road trips is getting lost during the adventure. Give yourself the flexibility to stay in certain places longer and explore nearby attractions. 

Stock Up on Snacks 

Last but not least, we recommend you stock up on some snacks. Don’t pack anything that’s too heavy or bulky. Just make sure you can make some regular stops to refuel your mind and body. You’ll need plenty of energy during your road trip, so we recommend taking high-protein bars. 

At the end of the day, the most important thing when it comes to your road trip is ensuring you travel from point A to point B as safely as possible. This means ensuring you take plenty of breaks during the trip. Ideally, you should rest every two and a half hours of driving. Similarly, pay attention to the road and be wary of the weather during your drive. If you feel fatigued, just take the day off from driving and explore the area you’re in.

Larson rallies for dominant Cup victory at Homestead

By
Andrew Kim
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HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 23: Kyle Larson, driver of the #5 Valvoline Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on October 23, 2022 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images).

Kyle Larson rallied from a two-race slump that vanquished his hopes of defending his NASCAR Cup Series championship by grabbing a dominant victory in the Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday, October 23.

The 2021 Cup Series champion from Elk Grove, California, led five times for a race-high 199 of 267-scheduled laps as he also rallied from making late-race contact with Martin Truex Jr. on pit road during a late caution period that knocked Truex out of contention to fend off Ross Chastain and the field during a 17-lap dash to the finish. The victory was Larson’s first at Homestead in NASCAR’s premier series along with his third of the season. 

Mired within Larson’s dominant victory at Homestead was the 2022 Cup Series Playoffs as no Playoff competitor was able to win at Miami nor join Joey Logano with early automatic passes to the Championship 4 round. With that, three spots remain vacant approaching next weekend’s Round of 8 finale at Martinsville Speedway, which will determine the four finalists who will contend for this year’s title.

With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Saturday, Playoff competitor William Byron captured his first pole position of the 2022 season after posting a pole-winning lap at 166.389 mph in 32.454 seconds. Joining him on the front row was Playoff competitor Christopher Bell, who posted the second-best qualifying lap at 166.139 mph in 32.503 seconds.

Prior to the event, rookie Todd Gilliland and Corey LaJoie dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments made to their respective cars.

When the green flag waved and the race started, Byron pulled ahead and managed to clear Bell entering the first turn to assume full command of the field through the backstretch. As the field behind fanned out and jostled early for positions, Byron proceeded to lead the first lap. As John Hunter Nemechek, who was filling in for the suspended Bubba Wallace, challenged Bell for the runner-up spot, a three-car battle for fourth place between Ty Gibbs, Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott ensued while Ryan Blaney started to join the battle.

Through the first five scheduled laps, Byron was leading by nine-tenths of a second over teammate Larson followed by Bell, Nemechek and Elliott while Blaney, Gibbs, AJ Allmendinger, Chris Buescher and Brad Keselowski were in the top 10. Meanwhile, Tyler Reddick was in 11th ahead of Joey Logano, Ross Chastain, Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick while Martin Truex Jr., Chase Briscoe, Kyle Busch, Aric Almirola and Michael McDowell battled in the top 20 on the track.

At the Lap 10 mark, Byron retained the lead by nine-tenths of a second over teammate Larson followed by Bell and Nemechek while Allmendinger moved into fifth place over Elliott. By then, five of the remaining eight Playoff competitors were running in the top 10, minus Chastain, Hamlin and Chase Briscoe. 

Fifteen laps later, Byron continued to lead by nearly half a second over teammate Larson followed by a hard-charging Reddick. Nemechek and Allmendinger were scored in the top five while Bell, Elliott, Logano, Chastain and Blaney were running in the top 10. With six of eight Playoff competitors running in the top 10, the remaining two that included Hamlin and Briscoe were running in 13th and 20th, respectively.

Two laps later, Larson muscled his No. 5 Valvoline Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 into the lead over teammate Byron’s No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. By then, both Hendrick Motorsports competitors were more than five seconds ahead of third-place Reddick’s No. 8 3Chi Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.

Another four laps later, the first caution of the event flew when Nemechek, who was running in fourth place, got loose while running close towards the outside lane entering the backstretch and slipped sideways before spinning the No. 45 Columbia Toyota TRD Camry across the track and towards the infield before making contact with the inside wall and continuing. During the first caution period, the leaders led by Byron pitted early for tires, fuel and adjustments. Following the pit stops, Byron reassumed the lead after exiting in first place followed by teammate Larson, with Reddick, Bell and Elliott in the top five spots.

When the race restarted under green on Lap 35, Byron retained the lead over Larson, Reddick and Elliott as the field fanned out through the first two turns and through the backstretch before returning to the frontstretch. Three laps later, the battle for the lead intensified as Larson reassumed the top spot over teammate Byron while Reddick remained in third ahead of Elliott and a hard-charging Allmendinger. Meanwhile, Keselowski was in sixth ahead of Blaney, Chastain and Bell while Truex trailed behind in 10th.

By Lap 45 and with a series of on-track battles occurring around Homestead, Larson was leading by more than a second over Reddick, who prevailed in a battle against Byron for the runner-up spot, while Allmendinger was battling Elliott for fourth place. Behind, Keselowski remained in sixth ahead of Blaney, Truex, Chastain and Logano while Bell, Austin Dillon, Buescher, Gibbs, Justin Haley, Daniel Suarez, Aric Almirola, Harvick, Hamlin and Briscoe occupied the top 20 ahead of Kyle Busch, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Michael McDowell, Corey LaJoie and rookie Harrison Burton. Meanwhile, rookie Austin Cindric was in 27th, Noah Gragson was in 29th while filling in for Alex Bowman and Nemechek was mired back in 31st.

Fifteen laps later, Larson extended his advantage to more than five seconds over Reddick while Byron, Allmendinger and Truex were scored in the top five. By then, Austin Dillon was in the top 10 in seventh place behind Elliott while Keselowski, Logano and Blaney occupied the top 10 on the track. 

Another 10 laps later, Larson stabilized his advantage to more than nine seconds over runner-up Reddick and nearly 10 seconds over teammate Byron while Allmendinger and Truex battled for fourth place. Soon after, Austin Dillon started to close in on Elliott for sixth place while Playoff competitors Chastain, Hamlin, Bell and Briscoe were mired outside the top 10.

When the first stage concluded on Lap 80, Larson captured his fifth stage victory of the 2022 season with an advantage of more than eight seconds over teammate Byron, who managed to hold off Truex in the closing stages of the first stage. Reddick, who briefly fell off the pace a few laps earlier, settled in fourth ahead of teammate Austin Dillon, Allmendinger, Keselowski, Elliott, Blaney and Logano. By then, four of eight Playoff competitors were scored in the top 10 and received the first round of stage points while the remaining Playoff competitors that included Hamlin, Chastain, Bell and Briscoe were mired in 13th, 14th, 15th and 17th, respectively. In addition 29 of 36 starters were scored on the lead lap.

Under the stage break, the leaders led by Larson returned to pit road for service and Larson retained the lead after exiting pit road first followed by teammate Byron, Truex, Keselowski, Austin Dillon and Elliott.

The second stage started on Lap 87 as teammates Larson and Byron occupied the front row. At the start and as the field fanned out entering the first turn, Byron and Larson dueled for the lead and they remained dead even through the frontstretch and back to the backstretch during the following lap. Soon after, Larson cleared Byron to retain the lead as Truex initiated his challenge for the runner-up spot over Byron. Behind, Elliott was in fourth ahead of Keselowski and Blaney while Allmendinger, who endured a slow pit road during the first stage break, made his way to seventh in front of Chastain, Austin Dillon and Logano.

Through the first 100 scheduled laps, Larson was leading by more than a second over Truex, who overtook Byron two laps earlier, while Blaney and Elliott were scored in the top five ahead of Keselowski, Chastain, Austin Dillon, Logano and Allmendinger. By then, Suarez was in 11th ahead of Reddick, Harvick, Bell and Hamlin while Kyle Busch, Haley, Cindric, Stenhouse and Buescher were scored in the top 20. In addition, 30 of 36 starters were scored on the lead lap.

Fifteen laps later, Larson extended his advantage to nearly three seconds over Truex while third-place Byron, who was the highest-running Playoff competitor on the track, trailed by more than six seconds. By then, four of eight Playoff competitors were running in the top 10 while Logano, Hamlin, Bell and Briscoe were mired back in 12th, 14th, 18th and 20th.

Nearly five laps later, the first round of green flag pit stops commenced as Cindric pitted along with Cole Custer, Briscoe, Logano, Harrison Burton and a bevy of competitors. Not long after, Larson surrendered the lead to pit as he nearly made contact with Landon Cassill as Cassill got sideways while trying to pit. In the process, Larson nearly got hit by Hamlin, who was exiting his pit stall while Larson was trying to enter his. Following the pit stops, Gragson was penalized for speeding on pit road.

By Lap 125 and with nearly the entire field having made a pit stop, Bell, who had yet to pit, was leading by more than seven seconds over Nemechek followed by Larson, the first competitor on four fresh tires and fuel. Another two laps later, Larson reassumed the lead once Bell and Nemechek pitted.

At the halfway mark between Laps 133 and 134, Larson was leading by more than five seconds over Truex followed by Byron, Blaney and Keselowski while Elliott, Chastain, Suarez, Harvick and Logano were in the top 10. Allmendinger was in 11th ahead of Kyle Busch, Hamlin, Stenhouse and Cindric while Buescher, Haley, Burton, Briscoe and Bell occupied the top 20. Meanwhile, Almirola was mired in 21st followed by McDowell, Austin Dillon and Corey LaJoie, all of whom were scored on the lead lap, while Ty Gibbs was the first competitor mired a lap down in 25th. Reddick, who missed his pit box during the green flag pit stops, was strapped in 26th, Gragson was in 28th ahead of Erik Jones and Nemechek, who endured a slow pit stop to tighten a loose left-front wheel, was in 30th.

By Lap 150, Larson stabilized his advantage to more than four seconds over runner-up Truex and more than nine seconds over third-place Byron while Blaney and Keselowski were running in the top five. 

Eleven laps later, the caution flew when Playoff competitor Briscoe, who made contact with Nemechek on the frontstretch a few laps earlier, briefly got loose before getting into the outside wall hard in Turn 1 and fell off the pace with damage to the right side of his car. Briscoe’s incident was enough to terminate his day in the garage due to suspension damage to his No. 14 Magical Vacation Planner Ford Mustang as he now faces a “must-win” situation next weekend at Martinsville Speedway to maintain his championship hopes. It was also enough for the second stage scheduled on Lap 165 to conclude under caution as Larson captured his sixth stage victory of the 2022 season and completed a stage sweep of the day. Truex settled in second while Byron, Blaney, Keselowski, Elliott, Suarez, Chastain, Logano and Hamlin were scored in the top 10.

Under the stage break, the leaders led by Larson pitted and Larson retained the lead after exiting pit road first followed by Truex, Byron, Blaney and Elliott.

With 97 laps remaining, the final stage started as Larson and Truex occupied the front row. At the start, Larson and Truex dueled for the lead until Larson managed to fend off Truex and Byron to retain the lead through the backstretch as the field fanned out. Through the frontstretch, Blaney muscled his No. 12 Pennzoil/Menards Ford Mustang into third place over Hamlin, Elliott and Truex while Larson remained as the leader ahead of Byron.

Seven laps later, Larson was out in front by more than a second over Blaney, who continued to rocket his way towards the front, while Hamlin, Truex and Byron were in the top five. Meanwhile, Elliott was in sixth ahead of Suarez and Logano while Chastain and Keselowski occupied the top 10.

Another four laps later, Hamlin got loose entering Turn 1 and made contact with the wall while battling Blaney for the runner-up spot. Despite falling back to fifth, Hamlin managed to continue running straight and the race proceeded under green.

With 75 laps remaining, Larson extended his advantage to more than five seconds over Blaney followed by Truex while Elliott was running in fourth ahead of Hamlin, Logano, Suarez, Chastain, Harvick and Byron.

Then with nearly 60 laps remaining, another round of green flag pit stops commenced as Byron pitted, though he endured a slow pit stop to tighten a loose wheel, along with Logano, Blaney, Reddick, Elliott, Truex, Chastain and others. A few laps later, however, the caution returned when Blaney, who had just made a pit stop, spun on the access road while exiting pit road.

During the caution period, the remaining competitor who had yet to pit, including the leader, Larson, pitted. With 19 competitors scored on the lead lap, Truex cycled his way into the lead followed by Chastain while Larson, who was the first competitor to exit pit road, lined up in third place alongside Suarez.

When the race restarted with 51 laps remaining, Hamlin made a bold move beneath Chastain and Truex to assume the lead entering the backstretch as the field fanned out and scrambled for late positions. As Hamlin remained out in front while navigating his No. 11 FedEx Toyota TRD Camry back to the frontstretch, Chastain and Truex battled for second while Larson was trying to navigate around Keselowski for fourth. With 46 laps remaining, however, Truex, who was riding a one-year winless drought, muscled his No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota TRD Camry into the lead.

With 35 laps remaining, Truex was leading by more than a second over Chastain followed by Larson, Hamlin and Allmendinger while Keselowski, Austin Dillon, Harvick, Stenhouse and Logano were running in the top 10. By then, three of seven Playoff competitors running on the track were running in the top 10 while Bell, Elliott, Byron, and Blaney were mired back in 12th, 14th, 15th and 17th.

A few laps later, Larson rocketed by Chastain for the runner-up spot as he commenced his charge on Truex for the lead. 

With 23 laps remaining, the caution returned when Reddick slipped sideways while running towards the outside wall entering the backstretch before he spun his No. 8 3Chi Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 below the track and hit the inside wall hard as his race came to an end. During the caution period, the leaders led by Truex peeled off the track to pit. As the field approached their respective pit stalls, a bump from Larson sent Truex spinning and sliding into his pit stall as Truex came to rest in his stall backward. The issue, which forced Truex’s pit crew to service the car while the No. 19 Toyota was backward, plummeted Truex below the leaderboard as Larson, who did not sustain any damage to his No. 5 Chevrolet, rallied to exit pit road first followed by Hamlin, Chastain, Austin Dillon, Keselowski and Harvick.

Down to the final 17 laps of the event, the race proceeded under green. At the start, Larson fended off both Hamlin and Chastain to retain the lead through the first two turns. With the field jostling for later positions, Hamlin and Chastain dueled for second in front of Harvick, Allmendinger and Austin Dillon while Larson was trying to pull away with the lead.

A few laps later, a three-car battle for the runner-up spot commenced as Allmendinger overtook Hamlin for the spot followed by a hard-charging Chastain, who squeezed his No. 1 Kubota Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 into third place over Hamlin in Turn 3, as they were all within less than a second behind the leader Larson.

Down to the final 10 laps of the event, Larson was leading by three-tenths of a second over Chastain, who was being attacked by Allmendinger for the spot, as Austin Dillon moved up to fourth. Meanwhile, Hamlin was back in fifth while being closed in by Keselowski. 

Another few laps later, Chastain and Allmendinger continued to duel for the runner-up spot, with the former prevailing, while Larson extended his advantage to nearly a second.

With five laps remaining, Larson continued to lead by a second over Chastain as Allmendinger kept Chastain close within his front windshield. 

When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Larson remained as the leader by more than a second over Chastain and Allmendinger. Having no challengers closing in for a final lap, Larson was able to maintain his ground and advantage as he cycled back to the frontstretch and streaked across the finish line in first place for his third checkered flag of the 2022 season.

With his victory, Larson, who achieved his 19th Cup Series career win, secured a spot for his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 team to contend for the 2022 Cup Series owners’ championship at Phoenix Raceway in early November.

“Yeah, definitely the best run we’ve had all year long,” Larson said on NBC. “We’ve been capable of it, I feel like, many weekends. We just haven’t quite put it all together. [Crew chief] Cliff [Daniels] gave a great speech this morning and got us all ready to go and focused. [I] Did my best to keep it out of the wall. I got into the wall a few times, but I could still make speed doing that. Amazing race car. I knew that last run was gonna be short enough where I was gonna be in some sort of trouble there, but thankfully, AJ [Allmendinger] and Ross [Chastain] were racing hard behind me. Happy for our team. We get to go race for an owners’ title at Phoenix in a couple of weeks. We’re still, technically, not out of it. I know I can’t win the championship, but it means more to me to win it as a team. We’re gonna go to Phoenix and try to get another championship.”

Chastain, who rolled off the grid in 20th place, fended off Allmendinger to finish in second place for the fifth time this season and to emerge as the highest-finishing Playoff competitor of the day. With that, Chastain leaves Miami 19 points above the top-four cutline to make the Championship 4 round and approaching next weekend’s Round of 8 finale at Martinsville.

“Not the way you would have scripted it,” Chastain said. “I feel like we had a top-three or four car all day, all weekend, and a little too tight in qualifying, and come behind that with a driver that chose the complete wrong lane in [Turns] 3 and 4, against everything I’ve ever trained for and prepared for. Qualified 20th, and it took us all day long. We need to get the car turning better from qualifying into the race. We were too tight. [Crew chief] Phil Surgen and his whole team got it turning better, and pit stops were incredible again. Our guys were just, they’re just rock stars on pit road, and I’m so glad to go to battle with them.

“At the end of the day, I know we didn’t score a ton of stage points. We put ourselves in position at the end and just keep executing. I almost spun off Turn 2 in front of Daniel [Suarez], and I had my arms all crossed up and I just took a deep breath down the back, and thought, what can I control here? I can control not spinning out, so let’s go a little slower next time, and had a shot at it.”

Austin Dillon and Keselowski completed the top five on the track followed by Truex, who rallied from his late-race pit road incident with Larson that spoiled Truex’s opportunity in claiming his first victory of the season.

“It’s really hard to see through these windshields right now with the sun like that and all the stuff covering it,” Truex said. “I did see my box late for sure, so I slowed down before I turned out of the way of [Larson] there. Obviously, partly on me. I didn’t expect to get turned around. I’m glad nobody got hurt there. But overall, it’s just disappointing. To have a good day going like that and have a shot at winning and couldn’t close the deal. I hate it for my team. It’s been one of those years.”

Hamlin, Harvick, Kyle Busch and Suarez finished in the top 10. Notably, Playoff competitors Bell, Byron, Elliott, Blaney and Logano finished 11th, 12th, 14th, 17th and 18th, respectively. As a result, teammates Elliott and Byron are above the top-four cutline in the Playoff standings along with Chastain as well as Logano, who is already guaranteed a spot for the finale after winning last weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, while Hamlin, Blaney, Bell and Briscoe are left looking on the outside and with one last race to maintain their title hopes.

“Pit crew did a great job the second half,” Hamlin, who trails the cutline by five points, said. “I can’t get my car to go. I can’t get it to turn. We’re just too slow on the short runs. Something we have to work on for sure. We weren’t fast enough to really compete with those guys even when we got the lead, we were a sitting duck because I couldn’t go anywhere. Nearly crashed into [Chastain], that was exciting and just kept going. We’ve got to get stage points. We can’t be outside the top 10 the first two stages. That’s what has hurt us. We always have. We just have to go there and get it done and perform well. I think we can. We have to perform well and execute.”

Today’s event at Miami featured 11 lead changes for five different leaders. The race also featured five cautions for 30 laps.

Results.

1. Kyle Larson, 199 laps led, Stage 1 & 2 winner

2. Ross Chastain

3. AJ Allmendinger

4. Austin Dillon

5. Brad Keselowski

6. Martin Truex Jr., 28 laps led

7. Denny Hamlin, four laps led

8. Kevin Harvick

9. Kyle Busch

10. Daniel Suarez

11. Christopher Bell, four laps led

12. William Byron, 32 laps led

13. Chris Buescher

14. Chase Elliott

15. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

16. Michael McDowell

17. Ryan Blaney

18. Joey Logano

19. Austin Cindric

20. Harrison Burton

21. Aric Almirola

22. Ty Gibbs

23. Corey LaJoie

24. Cole Custer, one lap down

25. Noah Gragson, one lap down

26. Ty Dillon, one lap down

27. John Hunter Nemechek, one lap down

28. Justin Haley, one lap down

29. Landon Cassill, one lap down

30. Erik Jones, three laps down

31. Todd Gilliland, three laps down

32. JJ Yeley, four laps down

33. BJ McLeod, five laps down

34. Cody Ware, five laps down

35. Tyler Reddick – OUT, Accident

36. Chase Briscoe – OUT, Accident

*Bold indicates Playoff contenders

Playoff standings

1. Joey Logano – Advanced

2. Ross Chastain +19

3. Chase Elliott +11

4. William Byron +5

5. Denny Hamlin -5

6. Ryan Blaney -18

7. Christopher Bell -33

8. Chase Briscoe -44

Next on the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff schedule is Martinsville Speedway, where the Championship 4 field will be determined. The event is scheduled to occur on Sunday, October 30, at 2 p.m. ET on NBC.

Stewart-Haas Racing: Dixie Vodka 400 from Homestead

By
Official Release
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STEWART-HAAS RACING

Dixie Vodka 400

Date: Oct. 23, 2022
Event: Dixie Vodka 400 (Round 34 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Homestead-Miami Speedway (1.5-mile oval)
Format: 267 laps, broken into three stages (80 laps/85 laps/102 laps)
Race Winner: Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner: Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 2 Winner: Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)

SHR Race Finish:

● Kevin Harvick (Started 16th, Finished 8th / Running, completed 267 of 267 laps)

● Aric Almirola (Started 28th, Finished 21st / Running, completed 267 of 267 laps)

● Cole Custer (Started 25th, Finished 24th / Running, completed 266 of 267 laps)

● Chase Briscoe (Started 19th, Finished 36th / Accident, completed 160 of 267 laps)

SHR Points:

● Chase Briscoe (8th with 4,043 points, 44 points below Championship 4 cutoff)

● Kevin Harvick (16th with 2,064 points)

● Aric Almirola (19th with 720 points)

● Cole Custer (26th with 530 points)

Playoff Standings (with one race to go before Championship 4):

  1. Joey Logano (4,106 points) 1 win
  2. Ross Chastain (4,101 points) +19
  3. Chase Elliott (4,093 points) +11
  4. William Byron (4,087 points) +5
  5. Denny Hamlin (4,082 points) -5
  6. Ryan Blaney (4,069 points) -18
  7. Christopher Bell (4,054 points) -33
  8. Chase Briscoe (4,043 points) -44

SHR Notes:

● Harvick earned his 16th top-10 of the season and his 19th top-10 in 22 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Homestead.

● Harvick’s 19 top-10s at Homestead are the most among all NASCAR Cup Series drivers, past and present. The active Cup Series drivers closest to Harvick in top-10s at Homestead are Martin Truex Jr., and Denny Hamlin with 12 apiece. Truex finished sixth today and Hamlin came home seventh. Each still needs one more top-10 to tie the driver with the second-most top-10s at Homestead – Jeff Gordon, who has 13.

● This was Harvick’s second straight top-10 at Homestead. He finished fifth in last year’s race.

Race Notes:

● Kyle Larson won the Dixie Vodka 400 to score his 19th career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his third of the season and his first at Homestead. His margin over second-place Ross Chastain was 1.261 seconds.

● There were five caution periods for a total of 30 laps.

● Twenty-three of the 36 drivers in the Dixie Vodka 400 finished on the lead lap.

Sound Bites:

“The driver just made a mistake. I was really, really loose that run. We were really tight every other run. That green-flag run, we tried to get really free on the other side of it. I was hanging on with everything I had. It was extremely loose. It felt like I was on ice, honestly. I wasn’t even running hard, I was trying to just get to the caution. We kept getting freer. I got sideways and had the wheel all the way to the right and ended up head-on into the wall. It’s really frustrating to have it be something of my own doing. I’m better than to be crashing by myself. It’s really unfortunate. It makes our job easier next week, I guess. We don’t have to worry about points. We’ve got to go to Martinsville and win.” – Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 Magical Vacation Planner Ford Mustang

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Xfinity 500 on Sunday, Oct. 30 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. It is the penultimate race of the 10-race NASCAR Playoffs and the final race in the Round of 8. The Xfinity 500 starts at 2 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Petty GMS Race Recap: Homestead-Miami Speedway

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Official Release
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Ty Dillon, No. 42 SunseekerResorts.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

START: 30th
FINISH: 26th
POINTS: 28th

Ty Dillon Post-Race Thoughts: “We didn’t really have the speed we needed all day with our Sunseeker Resorts Camaro. In the first 15 or 20 laps, we just got so far behind and wasn’t really able to recover. It was definitely a struggle all day, and we lost some positions with the spin on the last lap too. Hopefully we will get better for the last two races.”

Erik Jones, No. 43 Morgan Law Group Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

START: 22nd
FINISH: 30th
POINTS: 18th

Erik Jones Post-Race Thoughts: “Today just wasn’t our day. I thought we found some things at the test that would help us, but we struggled all race with the handling. We’ve got some work to do for sure before we come back here next year. You’ll have weeks like this, especially as we continue to learn this car. Glad to have this one behind us and move on to next week at Martinsville with our Air Force Chevy.”

ABOUT PETTY GMS:

Petty GMS competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, operating the No. 42 Chevrolet for Ty Dillon and the No. 43 Chevrolet for Erik Jones. Founded in December 2021, Maury Gallagher, championship team owner of GMS Racing, purchased a majority interest of Richard Petty Motorsports. Inaugural NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty, known as “The King,” remains a key stakeholder of the organization. For more information, please visit www.pettygms.com.

SOCIAL MEDIA:

To keep up-to-date with the latest news, information and exclusive content, follow Petty GMS on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

RCR NCS Post Race Report: Homestead-Miami Speedway

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Official Release
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Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Huk Chevrolet Team Earn Thrilling Fourth-Place Finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway

Finish: 4th
Start: 32nd
Points: 11th

“We had a bad fast Huk Chevrolet today at Homestead-Miami Speedway. To start 32nd and finish fourth, plus rebound from a slow pit stop, is a pretty good recovery. Our Chevy was pretty tight all day, but were able to free it up and get better and better. We didn’t spend a lot of time in clean air, but I think if we would have got up there a little bit earlier we could have made some adjustments to the Huk Chevy that probably could have helped us pass the next couple of cars. At one point in the final run, I thought we were going to run the top-three cars down. We were making good lap times and gained a couple of tenths on them. At the end of the day we finished fourth. Homestead-Miami Speedway is so much fun. I love coming here.” -Austin Dillon

Tyler Reddick and the No. 8 3CHI Chevrolet Team Have Strong Showing at Homestead-Miami Speedway Before Late-Race Incident

Finish: 35th
Start: 7th
Points: 12th

“We started off our day running well in the No. 8 3CHI Chevrolet. Stage 1 was really strong for our team. We ran up front, but our Chevy was just a little too free. From there, it was pretty tough. The balance of our 3CHI Chevrolet was really tight and we couldn’t free it up enough and that was frustrating. We crashed with just a few laps left and that ended our day a little early. Tough end, but this team will rebound and hopefully have a better result at Martinsville Speedway.” -Tyler Reddick

CHEVROLET NCS: Kyle Larson Dominates at Homestead-Miami Speedway for Third Win of 2022

By
Official Release
-

NASCAR CUP SERIES
HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY
DIXIE VODKA 400
TEAM CHEVY RACE WIN QUOTE & NOTES
OCTOBER 23, 2022

KYLE LARSON DOMINATES AT HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY FOR THIRD WIN OF 2022
Camaro ZL1’s 19th NCS Win of 2022

• Kyle Larson stole the NASCAR Cup Series playoff race win, driving his No. 5 Valvoline Camaro ZL1 to a sweep of the stage wins to take the checkered flag in the Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, his third win of the 2022 season.

• Larson led Chevrolet to a sweep of the top-four finishing positions of the race, recorded by drivers from four different Chevrolet teams.

• The win is Larson’s 19th all-time win in 293 career NASCAR Cup Series starts; and his first at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

• Larson delivered Chevrolet its seventh all-time NASCAR Cup Series win at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

• With 34 NASCAR Cup Series races complete, Chevrolet extended its series-leading NCS win count to 19 this season, now matching the manufacturer’s NCS win count in 2021.

• The winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history, Chevrolet now has 833 all-time NASCAR Cup Series victories.

KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 VALVOLINE CAMARO ZL1 – Race Winner Quote

You led all but 68 laps and for the Miami fans, you finally get a win at one of your best racetracks here at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Kyle, I know this was one you wanted bad. This is sort of reminiscent of last year when you guys were so dominant; maybe the best run you’ve had all year long.

“Yeah, definitely the best run we’ve had all year long. We’ve been capable of it I feel like many weekends, we just haven’t quite put it all together. Cliff (Daniels, crew chief) gave a great speech this morning and got us all ready to go and focused, and I did my best to keep it out of the wall. I got in the wall a few times, but I could still make speed doing that.

Amazing No. 5 Valvoline Chevy. I knew that that last run was going to be short enough where I was going to be in some sort of trouble there, but thankfully AJ (Allmendinger) and Ross (Chastain) were racing hard behind me.

Huge thanks to Valvoline, Hendrickcars.com, everybody at Hendrick Motorsports, too. I think it was a good day for Chase (Elliott) and William (Byron). But yeah, happy for our team, and we get to go race for an owner’s title in Phoenix in a couple weeks.

We’re still technically not out of it. I can’t win the championship, but it means more to me to win it as a team. We’re going to go to Phoenix and try to get another championship.”

I have to ask you about the contact on pit road with Martin Truex Jr. What was your view of what happened?

“Yeah, so I was just going behind him. He had a hard left and was hard on the brakes at the same time, and I ran right in the back of him.

My team said he was late turning into his stall, but I don’t know. If it was my fault, I’m sorry. I don’t think it was.

But it’s hard to see down this pit road. I don’t know if fans and people realize; when you’ve got debris all over your windshield, the sun is shining straight in your face, it’s hard to see your stall. So hate that that happened. He was definitely the one I was going to have to beat. He was really good that last long run, too.

What a fun day. I’ve always wanted to race here during the day at Homestead where we could rip the wall. Finally have a car tough enough for me to be able to run the wall and finish the race. A lot of fun today. Hope you fans enjoyed it, and hope we can do it again in a couple of weeks.”

 

About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in 79 countries with more than 3.2 million cars and trucks sold in 2020. 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 NASCAR: Keselowski’s 5th Place Finish Leads Ford at Homestead

By
Official Release
-

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Dixie Vodka 400 Post Race | Sunday, October 23, 2022

FORD FINISHING RESULTS
5th – Brad Keselowski
8th – Kevin Harvick
13th – Chris Buescher
16th – Michael McDowell
17th – Ryan Blaney
18th – Joey Logano
19th – Austin Cindric
20th – Harrison Burton
21st – Aric Almirola
24th – Cole Custer
31st – Todd Gilliland
32nd – JJ Yeley
33rd – BJ McLeod
34th – Cody Ware
36th – Chase Briscoe

BRAD KESELOWSKI, No. 6 Violet Defense Ford Mustang (FINISHED 5th)

“We were solid all day. Great stops and the car was really solid. We weren’t in a spot to dominate the race but we were in a spot to run up front all day and that is what we did. We are starting to gel and click as a team. It is exciting for RFK and I am really happy for Violet Defense and everybody on the team. We are pushing and getting better. It was a solid day all day. I am really looking forward to Martinsville. We had a great test there just like we did here at Homestead. I really want to get a win before this year is over. If we keep building momentum like this I think we can do that.”

DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU CAN FEEL IT COMING? YOU ARE GETTING BETTER EACH WEEK: “100 percent. It just can’t come fast enough. We want it bad.”

RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Menards/Pennzoil Ford Mustang

WHAT HAPPENED WHEN YOU SPUN COMING OFF PIT ROAD? “Downshifted like a dumb ass.”

BEFORE THAT, YOU WERE FAIRLY STRONG. WHAT WAS IT LIKE TRYING TO COME BACK AFTER THAT? “We were in a decent spot running third on the green flag stop and then I just made a mistake. That is two weeks in a row I made a mistake and it cost us a good run. I couldn’t get back up through the field after that. It was an unfortunate end of the day again, due to a driver mistake again.”

DO YOU FEEL GOOD ABOUT GOING TO MARTINSVILLE AND DOING WHAT YOU NEED TO DO TO ADVANCE? “I hope so. We will go try to have a good run. I thought we had a race-winning car there last time and I just hope we have that same speed and can put ourselves in a position to win. That is what we have to do.”

JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford Mustang

“We had a good car. It was a bit of a wasted car, unfortunately. We had a really fast Shell Pennzoil Mustang. Probably not good enough to beat the 5 but good enough for second or third. We just lost too much track position anytime the caution came out or we went to pit road. We just kept losing spot after spot after spot and couldn’t settle into the top five like we needed to. It was a fast car and that is important. We just need to get a little faster on pit road.”

LOOKING AT NEXT WEEK, DO YOU NEED MOMENTUM GOING TO PHOENIX? HOW IMPORTANT IS NEXT WEEK WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE CHAMPIONSHIP? “We have momentum. We had a really fast race car. We need a good day on pit road next week. That will be really important for us and hopefully, we can do that.”

CHASE BRISCOE, No. 14 Magical Vacation Planner Ford Mustang

WHAT HAPPENED OUT THERE? “The driver just made a mistake. I was really, really loose that run. We were really tight every other run. That green-flag run we tried to get really free on the other side of it and just started taking really hard. I was hanging on with everything I had. It felt like I was on ice. Honestly, I wasn’t even running hard. I was trying to just get to the caution. We kept getting freer. I got sideways and had the wheel all the way to the right and ended up head-on into the wall. It is really frustrating to have it be something of my own doing. I am better than to be crashing by myself. It is really unfortunate. It makes our job easier next week I guess. We don’t have to worry about points. We gotta go to Martinsville and win.”

Toyota Racing – NCS Homestead-Miami Post-Race Report – 10.23.22

By
Official Release
-

THREE TOYOTA TOP-10’S IN MIAMI
Martin Truex Jr. battles back from a pit-road spin to lead Toyota

HOMESTEAD, Fla. (October 23, 2022) – Martin Truex Jr. (sixth) led Toyota with a top-10 finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday evening. Truex was leading on the final caution period when he spun off the nose of a competitor’s car entering his pit stall on pit road. Denny Hamlin (seventh) continued his strong Playoff performance with a top-10 finish. Hamlin has scored seven top-10 finishes in eight Playoff races and heads into Martinsville just five points below the Playoff cut line. Christopher Bell (11th) just missed the top-10 and faces a likely must-win in Martinsville as he is 33 points below the final Championship 4 berth.

Toyota Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Homestead-Miami Speedway
Race 34 of 36 – 400.5 miles, 267 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS

1st, Kyle Larson*
2nd, Ross Chastain*
3rd, AJ Allmendinger*
4th, Austin Dillon*
5th, Brad Keselowski*
6th, MARTIN TRUEX JR.
7th, DENNY HAMLIN
9th, KYLE BUSCH
11th, CHRISTOPHER BELL
22nd, TY GIBBS
27th, JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK

*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry TRD, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 6th

Did you feel you got spun by Kyle Larson or were you close to missing your pit box?

“It was definitely a little bit of both of that. It was really hard to see through these windshields right now with the sun like that and all the stuff covering it. I did see my box late for sure. So I slowed down before I turned out of the way of the 5 (Kyle Larson) there. Obviously, partly on me. I didn’t expect to get turned around. Glad nobody got hurt there. Overall, just disappointing. To have a good day going like that and have a shot at winning and couldn’t close the deal. Hate it for my team. It’s been one of those years. Thanks to Bass Bro, Tracker, Cabela’s, Toyota, everybody that supports us and all our fans. We’re going to keep digging and win a bunch of races once we get through this rough patch.”

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota Camry TRD, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 7th

What was your day like in the car?

“It was just slow on the short run. We got the position – the track position – we were able to get the lead there, and then get second, and we just couldn’t hold it. I just didn’t have a car that would go on the short run.”

What are your thoughts going into Martinsville?

“My thoughts are we have to get a little better on the short run. It’s going to be super important how important track position is at Martinsville. We have to qualify well. Yeah, just go and try to be better.”

CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 20 Rheem-WATTS Toyota Camry TRD, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 11th

Where is your head right now?

“I’m fine. I’m disappointed with our performance today, but at least that is in our hands. Last week, I was emotional about it because it was out of our hands, and we were performing well. Today, it was in our hands, and we just didn’t step up to the bat and do what we needed to do. That was disappointing but we will move to Martinsville – we ran well in the spring. I definitely feel better about winning there than I did at the Charlotte road course.”

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 60 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 48,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 43 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 the more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, more than a quarter of the company’s 2021 North American sales were electrified.

Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.

Gragson clinches Championship 4 spot with dominant Xfinity victory at Homestead

By
Andrew Kim
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HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 22: Noah Gragson, driver of the #9 Bass Pro Shops/TrueTimber/BRCC Chevrolet, vl the NASCAR Xfinity Series Contender Boats 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on October 22, 2022 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images).

Noah Gragson’s dream 2022 season has been elevated to another high note after the driver of the No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro clinched a Championship 4 berth with a late dominant victory in the Contender Boats 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Saturday, October 22.

The 24-year-old Gragson from Las Vegas, Nevada, led six times for a race-high 127 of 200-scheduled laps and was initially on his way to claim a dominant victory with a large advantage when a caution with 13 laps remaining due to an on-track incident briefly stalled his run. Despite the caution, Gragson’s pit crew capitalized late by giving him the final fresh of sticker tires needed for a short run with the lead. During a five-lap dash to the finish, he executed at the start to fend off his fellow Playoff rivals to score his unprecedented eighth victory of the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series season.

Above all, Gragson became the second Playoff competitor to punch his ticket into the Championship 4 round at Phoenix Raceway in November alongside teammate Josh Berry, where he will contend for his first Xfinity Series championship.

With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Friday, Trevor Bayne secured his second pole position of the 2022 season after posting a pole-winning lap at 166.667 mph in 32.400 seconds. Joining him on the front row was Playoff competitor Noah Gragson, who posted the second-best qualifying lap at 165.731 mph in 32.583 seconds.

When the green flag waved and the race started, Bayne and Gragson dueled for the lead in Turn 1 and again in Turn 3 until Bayne managed to pull ahead and lead the first lap while the field behind jostled early for positions. As Bayne retained the top spot, Gragson was being challenged early for the runner-up spot by Ty Gibbs and Daniel Hemric while Sam Mayer was in fifth.

On the third lap, the first caution of the event flew when Jeb Burton made contact with JJ Yeley and sent Yeley up the track as he squeezed Riley Herbst into the outside wall in the backstretch.

During the following restart on the seventh lap, Bayne and Gragson dueled for the lead again until Bayne pulled ahead to retain the lead. Behind, Gragson was left to battle Gibbs for second place while Mayer, who was trying to overtake Hemric for fourth place, got loose entering Turn 3. Mayer’s minor slip-up, which nearly collected Hemric, allowed Hemric to retain fourth followed by Brandon Jones, Kyle Weatherman and AJ Allmendinger while Mayer fell back to eighth in front of Austin Hill.

Through the first 10 scheduled laps, Bayne was leading ahead of teammate Gibbs, Gragson, Brandon Jones and a hard-charging Weatherman while Hemric, Allmendinger, Mayer, Hill and Chandler Smith occupied the top 10. By then, Josh Berry, a Championship 4 finalist after winning last weekend’s event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, was in 12th while teammate Justin Allgaier was back in 14th.

Thirteen laps later, Gragson battled and overtook Bayne to become the second different leader of the day. By then, Gibbs, Hill and Allmendinger were scored in the top five followed by Landon Cassill, Hemric, Weatherman, Allgaier and Berry while Mayer and Brandon Jones fell back to 11th and 12th. In addition, Sheldon Creed made an unscheduled pit stop under green after cutting a right-rear tire.

At the Lap 35 mark, Gragson retained the lead by more than four seconds over Gibbs while Cassill muscled his No. 10 Voyager Chevrolet Camaro into third place. Bayne, meanwhile, fell back to fourth in front of Hill and Allmendinger while Hemric, Mayer, Allgaier and Weatherman were running in the top 10.

Six laps later, the second caution of the event flew when Mason Massey had fallen off the pace in Turn 2 after getting into the wall. At the same time, CJ McLaughlin spun from the top to the bottom and below the apron through the backstretch as his car came to a stop. The incident was enough for the first stage scheduled on Lap 45 to conclude under caution as Gragson captured his 15th stage victory of the 2022 season. Cassill settled in second followed by Gibbs, Bayne, Allmendinger, Hill, Hemric, Mayer, Weatherman and Allgaier. By then, six of eight Playoff competitors were running in the top 10 while the remaining two which included Berry and Brandon Jones were scored in 11th and 12th, respectively.

Under the stage break, the leaders led by Gragson pitted for four fresh tires and fuel. Following the pit stops, Cassill emerged with the lead followed by Gibbs, Gragson and Hill. During the pit stops, Nick Sanchez, the 2022 ARCA Menards Series champion, missed his pit stall and had to cycle around the circuit for a second time for service.

The second stage started on Lap 50 as Cassill and Gragson occupied the front row. At the start and amid a brief stack-up towards the front, Gibbs muscled his No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota Supra into the lead until Gragson rocketed his No. 9 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet Camaro back into the lead through the backstretch and back to the frontstretch. Shortly after, a three-car battle for the lead intensified between Gragson, Gibbs and Hill while Allmendinger was in fourth ahead of Cassill, Mayer and a bevy of competitors vying for positions.

By Lap 55, Hill led a lap for himself and he retained the top spot ahead of Gragson and Gibbs while Allmendinger, Mayer, Cassill, Berry, Bayne, Allgaier and Hemric were running in the top 10. By then, all but one of eight Playoff competitors were running in the top 10 as Brandon Jones was mired in 14th.

Fifteen laps later, Hill retained the lead by a tenth of a second over Gragson followed by Allmendinger, Bayne and Gibbs while Allgaier, Mayer, Cassill, Hemric and Chandler Smith were running in the top 10. By then, Berry made an unscheduled pit stop under green after making contact with the outside wall.

Another lap later, Gragson reassumed the lead over Hill as Allmendinger started to close in on the two leaders. While Bayne and Gibbs stabilized themselves in the top five, a three-car battle for sixth place occurred between Cassill, Allgaier and Mayer. Not long after, Creed made another pit stop under green after getting into the wall and cutting a right-rear tire.

By Lap 80, Gragson was leading by more than a second over Allmendinger, who overtook Hill for the runner-up spot, while Bayne and Gibbs remained in the top five. A few laps later, Weatherman, who was having a strong run toward the front, pitted under green after making contact with the wall. Soon after, Ryan Sieg was off the pace while running in the access road with flat tires while Allgaier made a pit stop under green with a flat right-front tire.

When the second stage concluded on Lap 90, Gragson captured his 16th stage victory of the 2022 season and the second of the day. Allmendinger settled in second followed by Hill, Bayne, Mayer, Gibbs, Cassill, Hemric, Chandler Smith and Stefan Parsons. By then, five of eight Playoff competitors were scored in the top 10 while the remaining Playoff competitors that included Brandon Jones, Berry and Allgaier were scored in 11th, 19th and 24th, respectively.

Under the stage break, the leaders led by Gragson pitted and Gragson retained the lead after exiting pit road first and by a hair over Hill, Allmendinger, Bayne and Mayer.

With 104 laps remaining, the final stage started under green. At the start, Gragson and Hill dueled for the lead until Gragson cleared the field and pulled away through the backstretch followed by Bayne. During the following lap and as the field behind jostled for positions, Hill overtook Gragson through Turns 3 and 4 to take the lead while Bayne was running third place in front of a side-by-side battle between Mayer and Allmendinger. Brandon Jones soon joined the battle toward the front along with Gibbs, Hemric and Cassill.

At the halfway mark on Lap 100, Hill and Bayne battled dead even for the lead, with the latter returning to the lead, while Gragson, Allmendinger and Brandon Jones were running in the top five. Behind, Hemric, Gibbs, Mayer, Cassill and Berry scrambled within the top 10 while Chandler Smith, Herbst, Parsons, Sanchez and Parker Retzlaff were running in the top 15 ahead of Bayley Currey, Anthony Alfredo, Jeb Burton, Brennan Poole, Myatt Snider and Allgaier. 

Ten laps later, Bayne was out in front by more than a second over Hill while Allmendinger, Gragson, Berry, Cassill, Gibbs, Brandon Jones, Hemric and Chandler Smith were scored in the top 10. By then, six of eight Playoff competitors were running in the top 10 while the remaining two that included Mayer and Allgaier were in 11th and 16th.

Another 15 laps later and with a series of spots being swapped towards the front, Gragson, who overtook Hill three laps earlier and was starting to reel in on Bayne for the lead, executed a bold move beneath Bayne entering the first turn to reassume the lead. Not long after taking the lead, Gragson extended his advantage to more than a second while Bayne was starting to be challenged by Allmendinger and Hill for the runner-up spot. 

With less than 70 laps remaining, Allmendinger moved his way into the runner-up spot over Hill following a heated between Hill while Gragson continued to extend his advantage to more than four seconds. Behind, Berry was in fourth ahead of Bayne while Gibbs, Cassill, Hemric, Smith and Mayer were in the top 10.

Then with less than 65 laps remaining, Allgaier, who was running in 17th, pitted under green but endured a slow stop from his crew due to a jack issue.

With 60 laps remaining, pit stops under green commenced as Hill pitted followed by the leader Gragson, Bayne, Brandon Jones, Gibbs, Mayer and others. Following the pit stops, Bayne was penalized for speeding while entering pit road. Under the final 55 scheduled laps and with the cycle of green flag pit stops complete, Gragson cycled his way back into the lead followed by a hard-charging Hill while Allmendinger, Gibbs and Cassill were scored in the top five. 

Five laps later, Gragson’s advantage decreased to a tenth of a second over Hill, who continued to close in on Gragson despite radioing concerns about a vibration to his No. 21 United Rentals Chevrolet Camaro. Another three laps later, Hill surrendered the runner-up spot to pit under green to have the vibration issue addressed as he dropped out of the lead lap category.

Back on the track and with 45 laps remaining, Gragson was leading by more than five seconds over runner-up Allmendinger and by more than nine seconds over third-place Berry while Cassill and Gibbs were in the top five.

Two laps later, Cassill, who was running towards the top five, pitted under green for four fresh tires and fuel while Gragson retained the lead by more than six seconds over Allmendinger.

With 30 laps remaining, Gragson stabilized his advantage to more than six seconds over Allmendinger while Berry, Hemric and Gibbs were scored in the top five. By then, seven of eight Playoff competitors were scored in the top 10 while the remaining Playoff competitor, Allgaier, was in 12th. In addition, 13 competitors were scored on the lead lap.

Down to the final 20 laps of the event and with a handful of competitors making contact against one another and towards the wall, Gragson extended his advantage to nearly eight seconds over Allmendinger while third-place Berry trailed by more than eight seconds. While Hemric and Gibbs remained in the top five, Chandler Smith was up in sixth while Mayer, Hill, Allgaier and Herbst were in the top 10. 

Then with 13 laps remaining, the caution flew when Stefan Parsons spun in Turn 1 with damage to his entry. By then, Nick Sanchez had fallen off the pace below the apron with flat right-side tires after making contact with the wall earlier as his strong night towards the front was spoiled. Parsons’ incident erased Gragson’s advantage of more than eight seconds over teammate Berry.

Under caution, the leaders led by Gragson pitted and Gragson exited with the lead still in his possession followed by Allmendinger, Hemric, Gibbs and Hill.

Down to the final five laps of the event, the race restarted under green. At the start, Gragson launched away with the lead following a strong start while Allmendinger was left to fend off Gibbs for second place. Through the backstretch, however, Allmendinger and Gibbs gained ground on Gragson, who continued to lead as he returned to the frontstretch. As the laps dwindled, Gragson slightly extended his advantage to nearly half a second over Allmendinger while Gibbs kept Allmendinger close in front of him.

When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Gragson remained as the leader by half a second over Gibbs while Allmendinger was back in third. Having no late challenges mounting behind him, Gragson muscled his way back to the frontstretch under full power and streaked across the finish line for his unprecedented eighth victory of the 2022 season and to claim a second spot in the championship finale.

In addition, Gragson recorded his 13th career victory in the Xfinity Series and his first at Homestead after dominating the previous three Xfinity events in Miami before falling short of the victory. Gragson’s victory was also the 15th of the season for JR Motorsports, which marked the 73rd overall Xfinity victory for JRM, and the 23rd of the season for Chevrolet, which clinched the manufacturer’s title a week ago.

“I wanted this one so bad the last three years,” Gragson said on USA Network. “Words can’t describe how thankful I am for everybody at JR Motorsports. Unbelievable. Thank you, Bass Pro Shops. Man, I’m worn out. It takes a lot of focus to run the fence like that. Pit crew did a great job. Really grateful.”

Ty Gibbs posted his fourth runner-up result of the season and left Homestead with a 30-point advantage above the top-four cutline to transfer to the Championship 4 round while Allmendinger, who came into the event 16 points below the cutline, moved back into the cutline with a five-point advantage with his sixth third-place finish of this season.

“We were just battling our race car, I feel like, all day,” Gibbs said. “We made great adjustments and my guys never gave up. Thank you to my whole Monster Energy Toyota GR Supra No. 54 group. We’ll move on to Martinsville. I feel like that’s a place we were really fast earlier this year and probably had a shot to win at, so I’m excited to go back there. To come out with a P2 finish is, I feel like, pretty good. We’re plus 30 [in the Playoff standings], so I think that’s really strong.”

“[I’m] Really proud of everybody at Kaulig Racing,” Allmendinger said. “Our Action Industries Chevy was pretty damn good. It was probably still better than the driver. Overall, we made up a lot of points there and we at least have a shot down at Martinsville.”

Hemric and Mayer finished fourth and fifth while Bayne, Chandler Smith, Herbst, Hill and Allgaier, who rallied from an eventful run from the rear towards the front, completed the top 10 on the track.

“I’m glad [today’s] over,” Allgaier, who is five points below the cutline, said. “Our team, definitely, had some adversity tonight. The only saving grace, I think, was about a 70-lap run there. We were able to drive away from [Gragson] and keep on the lead lap or tail end of the lead lap. I felt like we definitely made good strides over the course of the day to get our BRANDT Foundation Camaro up where we needed to be. The jack [issue] hurt us the most. That green flag stop, just losing all that track position, and I just tried to push it as hard as I could to get back up there. Ultimately, it worked out. We got back on the lead lap and were able to score some points there. We’re below the cut. We’ll go [to Martinsville] and we can lay it all on the line. Five points [deficit] is nothing. We can go there and have a good weekend. We’ll lock our way into Phoenix.”   

There were 13 lead changes for seven different leaders. The race featured four cautions for 24 laps.

Results.

1. Noah Gragson, 127 laps led, Stage 1 & 2 winner

2. Ty Gibbs, one lap led

3. AJ Allmendinger, one lap led

4. Daniel Hemric

5. Sam Mayer

6. Trevor Bayne, 46 laps led

7. Chandler Smith

8. Riley Herbst

9. Austin Hill, 19 laps led

10. Justin Allgaier

11. Josh Berry, three laps led

12. Landon Cassill, three laps led

13. Bayley Currey

14. Brennan Poole

15. Brandon Jones, one lap down 

16. Parker Retzlaff, one lap down

17. Sheldon Creed, one lap down

18. Anthony Alfredo, one lap down

19. Jeb Burton, one lap down

20. Kyle Weatherman, two laps down

21. David Starr, two laps down

22. Myatt Snider, two laps down

23. Patrick Emerling, two laps down

24. Joe Graf Jr., two laps down

25. Nicholas Sanchez, two laps down

26. Jeremy Clements, three laps down

27. Kris Wright, four laps down

28. Julia Landauer, four laps down

29. Timmy Hill, five laps down

30. Josh Williams, five laps down

31. CJ McLaughlin, five laps down

32. Matt Mills, five laps down

33. Ryan Sieg, 10 laps down

34. Stefan Parsons – OUT, Accident

35. Kyle Sieg – OUT, Accident

36. BJ McLeod – OUT, Electrical

37. Mason Massey – OUT, Engine

38. JJ Yeley – OUT, Accident

*Bold indicates Playoff contenders

Playoff standings

1. Noah Gragson – Advanced

2. Josh Berry – Advanced

3. Ty Gibbs +30

4. AJ Allmendinger +5

5. Justin Allgaier -5

6. Austin Hill -7

7. Sam Mayer -28

8. Brandon Jones -38

Next on the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule is the series’ return to Martinsville Speedway, where the Championship 4 field will be determined. The event is scheduled to occur on Saturday, October 29, at 3 p.m. ET on NBC.

Toyota Racing NXS Post-Race Recap — Homestead 10.22.22

By
Official Release
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GIBBS CLAIMS RUNNER-UP FINISH AT HOMESTEAD
Chandler Smith Earns Top-10 Finish in Xfinity Series Debut

HOMESTEAD, Fla. (October 22, 2022) – Ty Gibbs claimed a second-place result in Saturday afternoon’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. For Gibbs it was his first experience at the unique South Florida speedway. With the runner-up result, Gibbs is now 30 points above the cut line heading to the penultimate race of the season at Martinsville Speedway next weekend. Toyota drivers Trevor Bayne (sixth) and Chandler Smith (seventh) also scored top-10 finishes. For Smith, it was his debut in the series racing for Sam Hunt Racing. Playoff contender and Toyota driver Brandon Jones (15th) will be in a must-win scenario at Martinsville to advance to the Championship 4 battle.

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Homestead-Miami Speedway
Race 31 of 33 – 300 miles, 200 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS

1st, Noah Gragson*
2nd, TY GIBBS
3rd, AJ Allmendinger*
4th, Daniel Hemric*
5th, Sam Mayer*
6th, TREVOR BAYNE
7th, CHANDLER SMITH
15th, BRANDON JONES
29th, TIMMY HILL
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

TY GIBBS, No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 2nd

How close were you to being able to battle Noah Gragson for the win?

“We were just battling our race car all day. We were just a little out of the track. We made great adjustments and my guys never gave up. Thank you to my whole Monster Energy Toyota GR Supra group. We’ll move on to Martinsville. I feel like that was a place we were really fast last year and probably had a shot to win at. I’m excited to go back. Thank you to Interstate Batteries and everyone at Monster – thank you for all you do and for allowing me to be there.”

How challenging was this race track with it being your first time at Homestead?

“I feel like we were just battling all day. I gave it my all here. This place is pretty tough. I feel like we were battling the car a little bit, which makes it harder. Come out with a P2 finish and we’re plus 30 so I think that’s pretty strong.”

Being 30 points to the good, how do you feel going into Martinsville?

“I feel good and I’m excited about it. We’ll go hammer down.”

BRANDON JONES, No. 19 Menards/Jeld-Wen Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 15th

Are you in a must-win scenario for Martinsville next weekend to make the Championship 4 in Phoenix?

“Probably. There were no stage points today really for us and not a great finish there. I’m assuming the majority of the guys we’re fighting finished ahead of us. This wasn’t the day we were expecting to have. Yesterday after practice, we were going to have plenty of speed and thought we could contend for the win today. I think 13th was the best we had today and that’s frustrating. There’s some things that once we got in that long green flag session there that I kind of started to hone in on, it wasn’t things that we had the tools to fix in the race. It needed to be kind of a rehaul in the setup. Surprised by the result for sure and next week is a totally different place and I feel confident there.”

After winning Martinsville in the spring, how do you feel going back there in a must-win situation?

“I think it’s going to be really good. I think we still have some momentum after today and after qualifying so good and having a good starting spot, that’s going to help with our pit selection there. Winning there gives us so much confidence coming back and being a short track, it’s not so much aero dependent and some of these things that affect the mile-and-a-halves. I see us having a really, really good day next week.”

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 60 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 48,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 43 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 the more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, more than a quarter of the company’s 2021 North American sales were electrified.

Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.

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