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Hemric earns first NASCAR Xfinity Series win and championship at Phoenix

By
Andrew Kim
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Photo by David Myers for SpeedwayMedia.com.

In a racing career highlighted with numerous heartbreaks and “what-ifs” moments, Daniel Hemric defied the odds and silenced his doubters by capturing two firsts following the 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway on Saturday, November 6: first win and first championship.

Following an overtime finish for the ages, Hemric, a 30-year-old native from Kannapolis, North Carolina, dueled and rubbed fenders against the reigning series champion Austin Cindric on the final lap and final corner to come out on top by a fender and achieve both his first elusive NASCAR Xfinity Series race win and the 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship.

The championship occurred in Hemric’s 208th NASCAR national touring series start (120th in the Xfinity Series) and following 10 runner-up results in the Xfinity circuit while competing for three different teams, including this season with Joe Gibbs Racing.

Qualifying occurred on Saturday, November 6, to determine the starting lineup and Austin Cindric, the reigning series champion, started on pole position after posting a pole-winning lap at 131.902 mph. John Hunter Nemechek, piloting the No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Supra, qualified alongside Cindric on the front row. 

With Cindric starting as the highest of four Xfinity competitors vying for this year’s title, Daniel Hemric started fourth, Noah Gragson qualified sixth and AJ Allmendinger lined up in 12th.

Prior to the event, Harrison Burton dropped to the rear of the field due to multiple inspection failures. JJ Yeley also started at the rear of the field in a backup car after spinning in practice along with David Starr, who dropped back due to unapproved adjustments to his car.

When the green flag waved and the race commenced, Cindric and Nemechek dueled for the lead through the dogleg, the frontstretch and for a full lap before Nemechek was able to power through and lead the first lap. 

As the field fanned out and jostled early for positions, Cindric was in second behind Nemechek followed by Hemric, Justin Allgaier, Brandon Jones and Gragson. Allmendinger, meanwhile, was in the top 12. 

Through the first 10 laps of the finale, Nemechek was leading by nearly four-tenths of a second over Cindric, who was the highest-running title contender on the track. Hemric settled in third followed by Allgaier, Gragson, Haley, Brandon Jones, Riley Herbst, Allmendinger and Michael Annett. Jeb Burton was in 11th, Sam Mayer was in 13th ahead of Myatt Snider and Ryan Sieg, Brandon Brown was in 16th and Harrison Burton was battling for a top-20 spot. 

Ten laps later, Cindric made a strong move beneath Nemechek through the frontstretch and the dogleg to take the lead for the first time, though Nemechek kept Cindric’s No. 22 CarShop Ford Mustang within his sights. Hemric remained in third place on the track ahead of Allgaier, Gragson settled in fifth and Allmendinger was mired in 10th behind Annett. 

Another 10 laps later, Cindric, who navigated his way through lapped traffic, continued to lead by more than seven-tenths of a second over Nemechek’s No. 54 Mobil 1 Toyota Supra. Hemric stabilized himself in third place, but his No. 18 Poppy Bank Toyota Supra trailed the two leaders by nearly two seconds as he also had Allgaier closing in for position. Gragson continued to run in fifth while Allmendinger was up in ninth.

When the first stage concluded on Lap 45, Cindric received the early upper hand in his bid to defend his series title as he captured his season-high 13th stage victory of the season. Behind, Hemric edged teammate Nemechek to settle in second followed by Allgaier, Gragson, Brandon Jones, Allmendinger, Annett, Herbst and Haley.

Under the stage break, the leaders pitted for adjustments and Hemric emerged with the lead following a stellar work from his pit crew that enabled him to exit pit road with the top spot. Cindric exited in second followed by Jones, Gragson, Allgaier, Nemechek and Allmendinger.

The second stage started on Lap 52 as Hemric and Gragson occupied the front row followed by Jones, Cindric, Allmendinger and Allgaier. At the start, Hemric rocketed away with the lead as the field fanned out to multiple lanes through the frontstretch and the dogleg. 

The following lap, Cindric muscled his way back to second as Allgaier challenged teammate Gragson for third along with Nemechek.

Nearing the Lap 60 mark, the caution flew due to an on-track incident and long spin for Jeffrey Earnhardt on the backstretch as the incident also involved Joe Graf Jr. and Kyle Weatherman. At the time of caution, Hemric was leading by nearly three-tenths of a second over Cindric. In addition, Allgaier and Nemechek, both of whom were battling for third place, had made on-track contact twice towards the frontstretch in front of Gragson while Allmendinger was in sixth ahead of teammate Justin Haley.

On Lap 65, the race restarted under green as Hemric and Allgaier occupied the front row. At the start, Hemric and Allgaier dueled for the lead as the field again fanned out through the frontstretch. Through the backstretch, however, Hemric was able to clear Allgaier to retain the top spot until Nemechek, who gained a strong run entering the frontstretch, muscled his way back to the top spot the following lap.

With Nemechek leading teammate Hemric, Allgaier retained third ahead of Cindric while Allmendinger and Gragson battled for fifth. 

Through the first 75 laps of the event, Nemechek was leading by nearly a second over teammate Hemric and Cindric. Teammates Allgaier and Gragson were in the top five followed by Allmendinger, Haley, Jeb Burton, Annett and Harrison Burton, who methodically worked his way from the rear of the field. 

Five laps later, Nemechek extended his advantage to more than a second while Hemric and Cindric challenged one another for the runner-up spot and for the championship lead.

With four laps remaining in the second stage, Hemric, who managed to cut his deficit to Nemechek amid lapped traffic, overtook teammate Nemechek entering the frontstretch to reassume the lead. 

When the second stage concluded on Lap 90, Hemric echoed his challenge for his first NASCAR national touring series title against his fellow competitors by capturing his 10th stage victory of the season. Cindric managed to overtake Nemechek to move into second followed by Allgaier, Gragson, Allmendinger, Haley, Harrison Burton, Annett and Herbst.

Under the stage break, the leaders returned to pit road and Hemric retained the lead following another strong service from his crew followed by Cindric, Nemechek, Allgaier, Allmendinger and Harrison Burton while Gragson, who dodged an uncontrolled tire pit road penalty, dropped to 10th.

With 103 laps remaining, the final stage started under green. At the start, the field fanned out to multiple lanes through the frontstretch and through the first turn. Amid the start, Hemric retained the lead ahead of Cindric, Nemechek, Allmendinger, Harrison Burton and Allgaier. 

The following lap, the caution returned due to a hard accident involving Joe Graf Jr. in Turn 1 after making contact with Sage Karam.

Under the final 93 laps of the finale, the field restarted under green. At the start and with the field again fanning out through the frontstretch, Hemric dueled and managed to fend off Nemechek to retain the lead ahead of a steaming pack of cars. 

During the following lap, however, the caution returned when Sage Karam made contact with Matt Mills, which sent Mills into the Turn 1 outside wall and with right-side damage.

Under caution, Gragson pitted his No. 9 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet Camaro for a chassis adjustment while the rest led by Hemric remained on the track.

With 87 laps remaining, the race restarted under green. At the start, Hemric retained the lead by a narrow margin over Cindric and Nemechek as Harrison Burton made his way up to fourth ahead of Allgaier. 

Two laps later, Cindric made a bold move beneath Hemric entering the frontstretch and nearly slid in front of Hemric’s No. 18 Toyota to take the lead. Behind, Harrison Burton challenged Nemechek and Allgaier for third while Allmendinger was battling teammate Haley and Annett for sixth.

With approximately 75 laps remaining, the caution returned due to possible fluid on the track when the No. 99 Chevrolet Camaro driven by Stefan Parsons erupted in flames past the start/finish line as he parked his car on the dogleg in the frontstretch. At the time of the caution, Cindric was leading by a reasonable margin over Hemric, Nemechek, Allgaier and Harrison Burton.

Under caution, the leaders returned to pit road and Cindric retained the lead following a strong service from his pit crew ahead of Nemechek, Allgaier, Allmendinger and Hemric.

With 66 laps remaining, the race restarted under green as Cindric and Allgaier occupied the front row. At the start, Allgaier pulled ahead on the inside lane in front of Cindric and the field.

Not long after, the caution returned when Jade Buford spun in Turn 2. Then, Allgaier, the leader, was penalized for dropping below the apron and the yellow line prior to crossing the start/finish line during the previous restart. Allgaier’s penalty moved Cindric back to the lead ahead of Hemric. In the midst of the restart, Gragson, who restarted 13th, was up to seventh.

Down to the final 60 laps of the finale, the field restarted under green as Cindric and Nemechek occupied the front row. At the start, Cindric retained the lead while Hemric moved up to second after Allmendinger made contact with Nemechek entering the first turn. Behind, Gragson challenged Harrison Burton and Allmendinger for fourth as Jeb Burton joined the party. 

Ten laps later, Cindric continued to lead by more than a second over Nemechek and Hemric, both of whom were battling for the runner-up spot before the former prevailed. Gragson was in fifth behind Harrison Burton while Allmendinger was in sixth.

With 40 laps remaining, Cindric stabilized his advantage to more than a second over Nemechek while third-place Hemric kept the two leaders within his sights as close as possible. Behind, Gragson was up in fourth ahead of Harrison Burton while Allmendinger was mired back in sixth, trailing the lead by more than five seconds.

Under the final 30 laps of the finale, Cindric increased his advantage to nearly two seconds over Nemechek. Hemric trailed by more than two seconds while Gragson and Allmendinger remained in fourth and sixth.

Down to the final 24 laps of the finale, Hemric’s charge for the championship began as he overtook teammate Nemechek for second place. By then, Cindric continued to lead amid lapped traffic, but was only approximately two seconds ahead.

Then with 19 laps remaining, the caution flew when Allmendinger, who was in sixth and trying to pit under green amid vibration issues, spun his No. 16 Hyperice Chevrolet Camaro below the Turn 2 apron and near the pit road entrance. The caution all but erased Cindric’s advantage over Hemric, Nemechek and the field.

Under caution, the leaders pitted and Cindric retained the lead following another stellar service from his pit crew. Hemric exited in second followed by Gragson, Harrison Burton, Nemechek and Haley.

Down to the final 13 laps of the finale, the field restarted under green. At the start and with the field fanning out through the dogleg, Cindric dueled against Hemric while Gragson challenged behind. Through the first two turns and the backstretch, Cindric, who had Gragson trailing behind him, managed to fend off Hemric on the outside lane to retain the lead back to the frontstretch and past the start/finish line. Just then, the caution flew when Jeb Burton, who was in a three-wide battle, spun following contact with Sheldon Creed in Turn 3, which drew the caution as Burton continued without sustaining any serious damage.

With eight laps remaining, the field restarted under green. At the start and with the field again fanning out through the dogleg, Hemric dueled against Cindric trough the first two turns followed by Gragson, but Cindric managed to clear Hemric through the backstretch. 

The following lap, Gragson, who tried to narrow the gap between himself and his two title rivals, slid up and hit the Turn 1 outside wall. Though he continued to run under power, he was losing spots on the track and losing ground towards his championship bid. Meanwhile, Hemric started to launch an attack beneath Cindric for the lead through Turns 3 and 4.

Just then, the caution returned when Buford and Josh Williams wrecked in Turn 3. The wreck was enough to send the finale into overtime.

In overtime, Cindric and Hemric again dueled for the lead through the first two turns ahead of the field. Remaining side-by-side through the backstretch, Hemric wiggled slightly underneath Cindric entering Turn 3 and barely clipped Cindric, but both continued running straight approach the frontstretch. 

When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Cindric was still leading by a narrow margin over Hemric as Harrison Burton tried to spoil the battle. 

Entering the first turn, Cindric had Hemric cleared for the top spot. Hemric then tried to draw himself alongside Cindric entering the backstretch, but Cindric fought back on the outside lane and Hemric chose to settle behind Cindric through the straightaway. Then on the final corner, Hemric sent his No. 18 Toyota as hard as he could to the inside lane and managed to move Cindric up the track entering Turn 4. As both competitors dueled and rubbed fenders coming to the finish line, Hemric managed to pull ahead and beat Cindric by 0.030 seconds to win the race and the championship. 

With his accomplishment, Hemric became the 31st different competitor to achieve an Xfinity Series championship, the third to do so while driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, the third to do so while driving a Toyota and the 170th different competitor to win an Xfinity race. In addition to becoming the sixth first-time Xfinity winner of 2021, Hemric became the first competitor to record a first career race win and series championship in the same event. The win and the championship occurred in Hemric’s final ride with Joe Gibbs Racing as he will be moving to Kaulig Racing and attempt to defend his series title in 2022.

The Xfinity championship was also the first for veteran crew chief Dave Rogers, who kept Hemric poised and composed to attack late for the win and the title.

Ironically, Hemric and his No. 18 JGR Toyota team rallied from an early scare to the weekend, where his primary hauler that was transporting his car broke down while commuting to Phoenix and had to be transported on an alternate hauler. The hauler was able to arrive with the car as Hemric was able to hit the track for the series’ lone Xfinity practice session on Friday, November 5.

Upon claiming his championship flag and performing a long victorious burnout, Hemric capped off his long-awaited first win in NASCAR by performing a victorious backflip in front of his crew and the Phoenix fans.

Photo by Ron Olds for SpeedwayMedia.com.

“[I] Lost my breath! Unbelievable!” Hemric said on NBCSN. “These guys right here, they’ve been asking me all year, ‘How bad do you want it?’ I gave [the win] away here [at Phoenix] in the spring. [I] Felt like we had to give one up last week to get here. We were not going to be denied. Thank you, Dave Rogers, Bill and Cindy Gallaher, everyone at Poppy Bank, Lou Gallaher, Jr., I’m talking to you. Man, they took a chance on me. 2015, some form or fashion. They stuck with me through times. They probably shouldn’t have, to be honest with you. How about those race fans? That backflip good enough for you? I’ve been waiting a long damn time to do that. Thank you Joe Gibbs, everyone at [Toyota Racing Development], Toyota…Everyone here that makes this program what it is. I know I’ve given up a lot. People doubted me. I’ll do it all over again for a night like this. I’m blacked out. Just knew I had to be the first one to the [finish] line…This is what it’s all about. Winning at the second-highest level in all of motorsports. What an honor. Unbelievable! I’ll do it all over again. I’ll take all the heartbreaks again to live this right here. That’s the greatest feeling in the world.”

While on the championship stage and hoisting the trophy, Hemric took a moment to evoke a powerful message about perseverance and emerging victorious amid the struggles in life.

“[This championship] ain’t for all those kids about racing trying to get to a level,” Hemric said. “It’s about people in life. It’s about coming from nothing and making yourself all that you work for. That’s what it’s all about. This is the American dream. I’m living a history of it, living proof of it. Un-be-lievable.”

Cindric, who was trying to become the eighth different competitor to achieve back-to-back Xfinity titles, settled in second place in a season highlighted with five victories and his last in the series as a full-time competitor, where he will be moving up to the NASCAR Cup Series to pilot the No. 2 Ford Mustang for Team Penske in 2022. Despite the result, Cindric, who managed to wrap up the sixth Xfinity Series owner’s title for team owner Roger Penske, kept his head high over the late battle for the driver’s title.

“If everyone in the stands enjoyed it, it’s good racing,” Cindric said. “I’m very appreciative of the opportunity to race on such a big stage, the opportunity to race for Roger Penske, to represent Ford Performance, our companies and all of our sponsors that have helped us this season. It would’ve been awesome to finish this out. I felt like we had a dominant race car. I felt like we did everything right. Come up a little short. Sometimes, it’s like that way. Unfortunately, at the end of both seasonal championships [regular and season] this year, I’m getting moved out of the way and doored, but that’s hard racing. That’s why everyone enjoys watching this series. It’s because there’s a lot on the line. Thankful for the opportunity and pissed to be second for like the third week in a row.”‘

Gragson, meanwhile, never recovered following his late contact into the wall and slipped back to 12th place in the final running order, which left him in a career-best third-place result in the final standings and in a season where he captured three victories. During his post-race interview, Gragson gave props to his crew chief Dave Elenz, who will be moving up to the NASCAR Cup Series in 2022, while the driver will be remaining as a full-time competitor for JR Motorsports for the upcoming season.

“Just disappointed,” Gragson said. “I’m not really sure what happened there on that second-to-last restart. I got just sideways off into [Turn] 1, like there’s oil down or something. I’m kind of mind-blown on what happened. [I] Hit the wall there running third. We rebounded really well, I thought, from pit road, mistake early on in the race. Everybody just dug deep, kept working hard. A lot of big adjustments. We didn’t have the car nearly where we wanted it to be all weekend, practice, qualifying. Those guys, they beat us tonight. Just not enough this weekend. We didn’t bring out best car. Just thankful, really thankful. We’ll go on next year.”

Like Gragson, Allmendinger, who struggled with pace throughout the finale, could not recover from his late spin and ended the season in 14th place on the track and with a career-best fourth-place result in the final standings. Despite the late misfortune during the finale, Allmendinger praised his team, Kaulig Racing, for the season-long performance that included five victories and the 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series regular season championship. Like Hemric and Gragson, Allmendinger will be remaining in the Xfinity circuit with Kaulig in 2022.

“I just probably need to be a little better here [at Phoenix] as well to kind of lead us in a better direction,” Allmendinger said. “That’s part of growth here at Kaulig Racing. Of course, you’d like to have at least contended for [the championship]. Then I thought at worst, we’re gonna finish fifth or sixth. Then, the wheel was coming off on the right rear. I apologized to Austin [Cindric] because I think he had the race probably won. I don’t want to be a part of the storyline like that. I’d like to have been a better storyline, but part of the growth. Definitely not what we wanted today, tonight. We’ll come back strong. Thanks to all the men and women at Kaulig Racing, [owner] Matt Kaulig, [team president] Chris Rice for making this such a dream season. We kept making the Hyperice Chevy just a little bit better, but never really had the speed we needed to go run with [Cindric] or [Hemric]…We’ll come do this again next year.”

Harrison Burton, who made his final start with Joe Gibbs Racing before moving up to the Cup circuit to drive for the Wood Brothers Racing team, finished third on the track followed by Riley Herbst and Justin Haley. John Hunter Nemechek, Brandon Jones, Brett Moffitt, Justin Allgaier and Sheldon Creed completed the top 10 in the final running order.

Michael Annett finished 11th in his 436th and final NASCAR national touring series start before retiring from full-time competition.

Despite not competing in the Xfinity finale, Ty Gibbs earned the 2021 Xfinity Series Rookie-of-the-Year title in a season where he won his first four career races in 18 starts.

The 2021 Xfinity finale was the final race aired on NBCSN as USA Network will covering the majority of NASCAR Xfinity and Cup events during the second half of the 2022 season.

There were 16 lead changes for five different leaders. The race featured 10 cautions for 61 laps.

Results.

1. Daniel Hemric, 48 laps led, Stage 2 winner

2. Austin Cindric, 113 laps, Stage 1 winner

3. Harrison Burton

4. Riley Herbst

5. Justin Haley

6. John Hunter Nemechek, 39 laps led

7. Brandon Jones

8. Brett Moffitt

9. Justin Allgaier

10. Sheldon Creed

11. Michael Annett, one lap led

12. Noah Gragson, three laps led

13. Sam Mayer

14. AJ Allmendinger

15. Dylan Lupton

16. Blaine Perkins

17. Ryan Sieg

18. Jeremy Clements

19. Myatt Snider

20. Brandon Brown

21. David Starr

22. JJ Yeley

23. Jeb Burton

24. Tommy Joe Martins

25. Sage Karaam

26. Kyle Weatherman

27. Kyle Sieg

28. Ryan Vargas

29. Matt Mills

30. Alex Labbe, two laps down

31. Bayley Currey, four laps down

32. Josh Williams – OUT, Accident

33. Jade Buford – OUT, Accident

34. Stefan Parsons – OUT, Engine

35. Joe Graf Jr. – OUT, Accident

36. Jeffrey Earnhardt – OUT, Accident

Bold indicates championship finale contenders.

Final standings.

1. Daniel Hemric

2. Austin Cindric

3. Noah Gragson

4. AJ Allmendinger

5. Justin Allgaier

6. Justin Haley

7. Brandon Jones

8. Harrison Burton

9. Myatt Snider

10. Jeb Burton

11. Riley Herbst

12. Jeremy Clements

The NASCAR Xfinity Series’ teams and competitors enters its off-season period before returning to action at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, February 19, to commence the 2022 season. The event is scheduled to start at 5 p.m. ET on FS1.

Jesse Love Earns Second Straight ARCA Menards Series Championship with Toyota

By
Official Release
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AVONDALE, Ariz. (November 6, 2021) – Camry driver Jesse Love earned his second consecutive ARCA Menards Series West Championship with a 14th-place finish at Phoenix Raceway on Saturday afternoon. The championship marks the fifth ARCA West title for a Toyota driver in the past six seasons.

For the 16-year-old California native, it is his second consecutive championship in his second full-time season in the series. Love, who set the NASCAR record as the youngest champion in history last season, drove to two wins at Irwindale Speedway in California. He scored four top-fives and six top-10 finishes in nine starts this season. Love also earned his first national ARCA Menards Series victory in Salem, Indiana, in October.

“We could not be more excited to celebrate another championship with Jesse,” said Paul Doleshal, Group Manager, Motorsports and Assets, Toyota Motor North America (TMNA). “He has constantly delivered on the racetrack since becoming a part of the Toyota family and we are thrilled to watch him continue to grow and win races with the TRD driver development program.”

Love drives the No. 16 Toyota Camry for Bill McAnally Racing (BMR). Love is the fifth driver to win the ARCA West title with BMR and Toyota. The list that includes Eric Holmes (2008 and 2010), Chris Eggleston (2015), Todd Gilliland (2016 and 2017) and current Toyota Truck Series driver Derek Kraus (2019).

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2021 FR Americas Champion Kyffin Simpson wins Race 2 at COTA

By
Official Release
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AUSTIN, Texas (November 6, 2021) – Kyffin Simpson confirmed the 2021 title for the Formula Regional Americas Championship Powered by Honda during yesterday’s opening race of the weekend, but it took until this morning for him to really celebrate. Simpson, 17, climbed atop the podium after winning the second race of the weekend at Circuit of The Americas (COTA).

Simpson started the race from the pole position after recording the fastest lap of the race in yesterday’s opening round. However, Ernie Francis Jr., who finished on the podium in Race 1, worked his way around Simpson on lap 1. Simpson fought back in his No. 21 TJ Speed Motorsports / Simpson Race Products / GoPro / Spy Optic Ligier JS F3 and was able to retake the lead by lap 4. From there, it was smooth sailing for Simpson who drove away from the field on his Hankook Tires to collect his sixth win of the 2021 season.

“It was an awesome race,” said Simpson. “We didn’t have the greatest start, Ernie pulled away, but after the first lap, we had an amazing pace for the rest of the race and caught back up to him and drove away from everyone else. I was able to take it easy towards the end and save tires. It was just a perfect race.”

Varun Choksey, driver of the No. 19 TJ Speed Motorsports ADR / Melonseed Ligier JS F3 had a solid start moving from sixth to fourth on the first lap. Choksey kept the momentum going through laps 3 and 4, ultimately moving up to the second position on the fourth lap. From there, Choksey held his pace for the remainder of the race and secured his fifth podium of the season.

“Logan [Cusson] and I had a good battle, but he made a small mistake that allowed me to get through,” Choksey said following the race. “We had a bit of good fortune with Ernie going off, but we also had a really good start and just took it home from there. Pretty happy with that.”

Nick Persing was a wildcard for the podium of Race 2 after starting 12th on the grid. The American moved up to eighth on lap 1 and had a steady progression throughout the rest of the race to finally end up in third on lap 12, joining Choksey and Simpson on the podium at COTA. It was Persing’s best finish of the season, and his first podium.

“I didn’t expect to be here from 12th to say the least,” said Persing, driver of the No. 29 Velocity Racing Development Ligier JS F3. “I love COTA; it’s a good track with its hard braking zones. I managed to put it together today. Yesterday, we struggled with some setup issues, but we worked on it overnight, did a debrief and got everything figured out, and then I went and drove it.”

FR Americas returns to the track for Round 18, their final race of the 2021 season, at 2:35 p.m. CT on Saturday afternoon.

Full Results: https://www.framericas.com/pages/2021-austin-speedtour-results

About Formula Regional Americas Championship & Formula 4 United States Championship, Powered by Honda:

The FIA-certified Formula 4 United States Championship & Formula Regional Americas Championship are designed as entry-level open-wheel racing series offering young talent the opportunity to demonstrate their skills on an international platform while keeping affordability and safety as key elements. The Championships align with the global FIA development ladder philosophy of using common components to provide a cost-efficient, reliable and powerful racing structure as drivers ascend through the levels on their way to U.S. or global racing success.

Gravel, Davenport, Yankowski Kick Off NGK NTK World of Outlaws World Finals In Style

By
Official Release
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November 05, 2021: at The Dirt Track at Charlotte in Concord, North Carolina. (HHP/Chris Owens)
  • David Gravel (World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars), Jonathan Davenport (World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models) and Alex Yankowski (Super DIRTcar Big-Block Modifieds) won Friday’s feature races in the NGK NTK World of Outlaws World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte
  • Fans can buy tickets and pit passes to Saturday’s finale to the NGK NTK World of Outlaws World Finals by visiting https://www.charlottemotorspeedway.com/

CONCORD, N.C. (Nov. 5, 2021) – While David Gravel didn’t win the war this season, he claimed another important battle on Friday night. Out of championship contention, Gravel nonetheless continued his dominance at The Dirt Track at Charlotte by winning the 30-lap feature for the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars on the penultimate night of the NGK NTK World of Outlaws World Finals.

Gravel has won four of the last five feature races at The Dirt Track and will go for the weekend sweep on Saturday. Gates open at 12 p.m. ET, with Opening Ceremonies at 1 p.m.

Jonathan Davenport and teenager Alex Yankowski joined Gravel as winners on Friday night. Davenport won the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models feature, while Yankowski, 17, earned his first career win in the Super DIRTcar Big-Block Modifieds.

Gravel, who led every lap and won the DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash to earn the pole for the 30-lap sprint car feature, took the lead for good after dueling slide jobs with Brian Brown with 12 laps to go.

“Feels really good to get a win,” Gravel said. “I didn’t seal up second place in points and wanted to do good tonight and seal it up. I think we did that tonight. So, we go into tomorrow to just have some fun and try and get another one.”

Gravel and the rest of the Outlaw sprint car field chased Logan Schuchart for the first half of the race, but Schuchart had a flat left-rear tire after a restart and lost the lead.

“It was just all track positioning,” Gravel said. “I think if I got the lead on Logan, I don’t think he would’ve passed me. It was just all about where you were at and being in the right place at the right time. Luckily, we were there.

“Brownie kept throwing sliders on me. I was running as hard as I could trying to clear him, and finally I was able to clear him. I had to run a torrid pace for those last 12 laps, and it took a damn long time. I got up to lapped traffic sooner than I wanted to. I saw there were seven to go. And I’m like, ‘Man, I have to try something here.’ It started cleaning up off the cushion, almost like it was taking rubber a little bit, so I moved down, and it worked out.”

Brown ended up losing second to Kerry Madsen off Turn 4 on the final lap. Madsen recovered from an incident on the second lap to rally through the field.

“Can’t complain,” Madsen said. “I messed up pretty bad on the second lap. We were back at 10th at one stage, and fortunately those last couple double-file restarts helped me out. I needed really clean air to keep my car locked down. The last five laps, I started pushing really hard, and it came to me. That’s racing, and I’m pretty happy with P2.”

Brown finished third, with Carson Macedo fourth and Donny Schatz fifth. Brad Sweet, who clinched the 2021 championship by qualifying Friday, finished eighth.

“Maybe I conceded second to Kerry, maybe chasing a little bit of rubber a lane off the top and thinking I might have something for David,” Brown said. “He got a little balled up off (Turn) 4 one time and let me get a little bit of a run. I was almost laying to try and snooker him and probably should have ran a little bit harder and see what I could do.”

Davenport earned his ninth career Outlaw Late Models victory by passing 2021 series champion Brandon Sheppard with 19 laps to go and pulling away to a four-second win. Sheppard was second with Dennis Erb Jr. third.

“(The car) was really good,” Davenport said. “I thought I was a little bit better than Brandon when he was behind the 7 car (of Ricky Weiss), but I knew he had a little bit of dirty air and I could run a lane lower than he could. Once (Brown) he got into the lead, I thought, ‘Oh, crap, he’s going to be in clean air.’ But we got to lapped cars and it slowed him up a little bit. It gave me just enough where I could get a run on him.”

Yankowski took advantage of a late caution to erase a deficit to Larry Wight and then passed Wight with nine laps to go to take the Super DIRTcar Big-Block Modifieds win. Wight was second, with Mat Williamson third. Series champion Matt Sheppard finished 15th.

Yankowski was the fastest qualifier and won one of the four heat races.

“It was just one of those days, it just seemed like everything went our way,” Yankowski said. “I don’t know if I could ever have a day like that again. We’ve got a great group of guys. This was awesome.”

The other heat-race winners were Brett Hearn, Mike Trautschold and Peter Britten.

Brown, Madsen, Spencer Bayston and Kasey Kahne were the heat-race winners in sprint cars. Gravel earned his series-leading 19th quick time of the season with a lap of 12.579 seconds.

In Late Models, Tim McCreadie, Davenport, Sheppard and Ricky Weiss won the heat races, with McCreadie earning the 19th fast qualifier of his career.

TICKETS:
Fans can renew their tickets and lock in their seats for next year’s World of Outlaws World Finals on-site this weekend or by visiting www.charlottemotorspeedway.com.

FOLLOW US:
Keep track of all of Charlotte Motor Speedway’s attractions and events by following on Twitter and Instagram or become a Facebook fan. Keep up with all the latest news and information with the Charlotte Motor Speedway mobile app.

Erik Jones Revs Up Reading with Phoenix-Area Students

By
Official Release
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AVONDALE, Ariz., (Nov. 5, 2021) – Erik Jones brought new meaning to the phrase “read the room” Friday morning at Estrella Vista STEM Academy for Engineering. The NASCAR Cup Series driver whose charitable foundation, the Erik Jones Foundation, champions childhood reading, turned pages with students before turning laps around nearby Phoenix Raceway.

Jones read Dragons Love Tacos by the author/illustrator team of Adam Rubin and Daniel Salmieri to each of the school’s third-grade classes. Every student walked away with a copy of the book, and the school’s library was gifted with 10 more books, all thanks to a collaboration between Jones’ eponymous foundation and Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education and media company.

Jones then participated in a question-and-answer session with fifth-grade students before departing for the racetrack, where the 25-year-old racer from Byron, Michigan, will drive the iconic No. 43 Chevrolet Camaro for Richard Petty Motorsports in the season-ending NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix.

“We’re still in the very early stages of building our foundation, but today was a proud moment because the Erik Jones Foundation is now an official Scholastic Literacy Partner,” said Jones, who launched his foundation back in August before his home race at Michigan International Speedway. “I’m passionate about reading. It’s a great escape, but it also makes you smarter. The more you read, the more you learn, and the best part about all of it is that once you have it, no one can ever take it away. It’s yours, and you can apply it to whatever you want to do in life.”

Jones’ appearance at the Estrella Vista STEM Academy for Engineering was done in collaboration with Valley of the Sun United Way, which supports community causes that ensure children and their families have a safe place to live with every opportunity to succeed in school, life and work.

“Our goal is to increase third-grade reading proficiency by 25 percent before 2016, and there’s no better way to do that than by showing students tangible reasons why reading is so important,” said Dr. Melissa Boydston, Vice President of Community Development and Engagement for Education, Valley of the Sun United Way. “Erik Jones is walking and talking proof of how reading helped make his dream of driving racecars for a living a reality. The kids got to see him and hear from him, and seeing is believing. Erik’s time at the school today really made an impact, and the work he is doing with his foundation is incredibly valuable. When we reach our goal, we can thank the Erik Jones Foundation for its help.”

Friday’s school visit was an extension of Jones’ #READwithErik series, which began last spring when COVID-19 forced NASCAR to take a 10-week break and schools transitioned to remote learning. Jones saw an opportunity to share his passion for reading, and the first #READwithErik event took place on April 21, 2020 when he sat down in front of a camera and read Dr. Seuss’ iconic Oh, The Places You’ll Go via his Facebook page. Since its debut, #READwithErik has featured 38 books with more than 200,000 views.

“COVID made life tough for everyone, but kids especially. They couldn’t go to school and see their friends, and normal things like getting together at the cafeteria table all of a sudden just went away. I wanted to do something to try and make that a little bit better, and that’s how our virtual reading circle came together,” said Jones.

“It was back at Michigan when we launched our foundation that I was able to do our first in-person reading. It was at a campground just outside the racetrack. Today was only our second in-person reading, but our first in a school. It was awesome. In-person is so much better than virtual. It was real and we got to interact with kids. It was a great way for me to kick off my race weekend and I’d like to think the kids enjoyed doing something a little bit different from their regular school day.”

Dr. Boydston agreed, citing the impact of COVID-19 on children’s reading skills.

“Results of the most recent state English language arts assessment confirm the implications of the pandemic on third grade reading proficiency,” Boydston said. “Less than half of Arizona’s third-grade readers passed the assessment, with our youngest students experiencing significant unfinished learning. That’s why opportunities like this, having Erik Jones ignite children’s passion for reading, is so very important. We know that reading books aloud to children stimulates their imagination. It expands their understanding of the world and helps develop their language and listening skills.”

Supporting the Erik Jones Foundation and initiatives like the one at Estrella Vista STEM Academy for Engineering is easy during the upcoming season of giving. When shopping online, choose smile.amazon.com. Simply designate the Erik Jones Foundation as your charity of choice and Amazon will donate a portion of the sale from your purchases to the Foundation.

About the Erik Jones Foundation:

The Erik Jones Foundation changes lives by igniting children’s passion for reading, encouraging early cancer detection and care, and promoting animal welfare. Those wishing to make tax-deductible contributions to the Erik Jones Foundation can do so via the following address or online at www.ErikJonesRacing/Foundation.

Erik Jones Foundation

370 E. Maple Road, 4th Floor

Birmingham, Michigan 48009

About Valley of the Sun United Way:

Valley of the Sun United Way envisions a community where every child, family and individual is healthy, has a safe place to live, and has every opportunity to succeed in school, in life and in work. As we work with our community, corporate and nonprofit partners to implement MC2026, our five-year plan for Mighty Change, we will put all of our efforts toward reaching bold goals for Maricopa County in Health, Housing and Homelessness, Education and Workforce Development. We invite you to join us. www.vsuw.org

About Scholastic:

For more than 100 years, Scholastic Corporation (NASDAQ: SCHL) has been encouraging the personal and intellectual growth of all children, beginning with literacy. Having earned a reputation as a trusted partner to educators and families, Scholastic is the world’s largest publisher and distributor of children’s books, a leading provider of literacy curriculum, professional services, and classroom magazines, and a producer of educational and entertaining children’s media. The Company creates and distributes bestselling books and e-books, print and technology-based learning programs for pre-K to grade 12, and other products and services that support children’s learning and literacy, both in school and at home. With 15 international operations and exports to 165 countries, Scholastic makes quality, affordable books available to all children around the world through school-based book clubs and book fairs, classroom libraries, school and public libraries, retail, and online. Learn more at www.scholastic.com.

SILVERADO POWERS ZANE SMITH TO CHAMPIONSHIP RUNNER-UP

By
Official Release
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AVONDALE, ARIZONA - NOVEMBER 05: Zane Smith, driver of the #21 MRC Construction Chevrolet, practices for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix Raceway on November 05, 2021 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

AVONDALE, Ariz. (November 5, 2021) – Zane Smith, driver of the No. 21 MRC Construction Silverado, is the 2021 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) championship runner-up following his fifth-place finish in the season-ending Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix Raceway.

Smith, by reaching the Championship 4 for the second consecutive year, was looking to join Johnny Sauter (2016) and Sheldon Creed (2020) as GMS drivers to earn a championship in the NASCAR Truck Series.

“I just needed for my truck to turn,” said Smith. “We struggled with that since we unloaded. But still an insane year, really. We were eight laps away from winning the championship. I’ve had so much support from Maury Gallagher, Mike Beam, MRC Construction, RTA gigFAST INTERNET; all the people that have helped me get to this point. Team Chevy – I almost got Chevy another one. I tried using all my tools from my side of things, but just couldn’t get the truck to turn and we fought that all night.”

The 22-year-old 2020 Sunoco Rookie of the Year has piloted his Chevy Silverado to victory lane three times in 46 career starts; and has captured 11 top-five and 28 top-10 finishes.

Chevrolet returns to competition in the NASCAR Truck Series with the NextEra Energy 250 season-opener at Daytona International Speedway on Friday, February 18, 2022.

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.

Toyota Racing – NCWTS Phoenix Post-Race Report – 11.05.21

By
Official Release
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RHODES EARNS FIRST TITLE
Ben Rhodes wins Truck Series championship with a third-place finish, Chandler Smith scores victory

PHOENIX (November 5, 2021) – Ben Rhodes finished third and earned his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship at Phoenix Raceway on Friday evening. It is the fourth championship for ThorSport Racing. Rhodes is the seventh different Truck Series champion for Toyota and ninth driver’s championship overall.

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Phoenix Raceway
Race 22 of 22 – 150 Laps, 150 Miles

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, CHANDLER SMITH
2nd, STEWART FRIESEN
3rd, BEN RHODES
4th, Sheldon Creed*
5th, Zane Smith*
6th, CHRISTIAN ECKES
7th, JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
10th, AUSTIN HILL
11th, JOHNNY SAUTER
12th, MATT CRAFTON
15th, DEREK KRAUS
18th, DREW DOLLAR
22nd, WILL RODGERS
27th, CHRIS HACKER
28th, DANNY BOHN
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

CHANDLER SMITH, No. 18 Safelite AutoGlass Toyota Tundra, Kyle Busch Motorsports

Finishing Position: 1st

The other Kyle Busch Motorsports team in Victory Lane with Chandler Smith. Second win of the year for Chandler as well as Rookie of the Year. How was your race?

“Yeah, for sure, first and foremost, All Glory to the Man Upstairs, without him, none of this would be possible. I wouldn’t have all these awesome relationships with all these guys, my racing family. This is my family. Also, he’s blessed me with a great family and being around great people and being able to come out to Phoenix Raceway in front of these fans tonight and be able to compete in high tier equipment. I’m just really blessed right now. Can’t thank Safelite, Toyota Racing, Danny (Stockman), KBM, Kyle (Busch), everybody that goes down the line to make this happen.”

BEN RHODES, No. 99 Bombardier LearJet 75 Toyota Tundra, ThorSport Racing

Finishing Position: 3rd

You see the emotion out of Ben Rhodes. Ben, you started the season with a win at Daytona and you finish the season winning the Championship at Phoenix. You sir are the Camping World Truck Series Champion.

“That was the hardest last 40 laps I think I have ever driven in my life. I was doing things to the race car I probably shouldn’t have been doing, it was dumb, but I had everything to lose. And we brought it home and won it. I don’t even know what to say. This is crazy. Bookends for the season, I am so proud of my ThorSport Racing group. This wasn’t like a vision we had, right, everyone wants to win it, but you just don’t know, it’s so hard. I just can’t thank Duke and Rhonda (Thorson) enough. They are the reason I’m here tonight, Bombardier, Toyota, Menards, WileyX, we have so many people that help us, I can’t even talk right now I’m so excited.“

JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK, No. 4 Pye-Barker Fire & Safety Toyota Tundra, Kyle Busch Motorsports

Finishing Position: 7th

It’s amazing John Hunter Nemecheck finished seventh given everything you went through tonight. I know you were short on the championship and that’s what mattered. Can you bring me through everything you had to battle out there tonight?

“Yeah, I got run in to the first corner, got in to the fence, somebody else ran in to us on the left side and this thing is killed pretty much, but had a left front tire go flat, went down two laps, got both of our laps back, but just needed more laps I guess. After all, felt we had the best truck tonight Playoff wise for sure. Drove from pretty much last to seventh there and running down Ben (Rhodes) and Zane (Smith) for the championship, just not enough. That’s what’s frustrating. A huge shout out to all of our partners. I’m disappointed, frustrated. Thank you Pye-Barker Fire Alarm Services, Toyota, Kyle (Busch), everyone. Thankful for the opportunity. We came here to win races this year, we succeeded, came up short of the championship. I’ll be #BackForMore next year.”

MATT CRAFTON, No. 88 Ideal Door/Menards Toyota Tundra, ThorSport Racing

Finishing Position: 12th

What were you fighting tonight?

“We really fought free off all night. Really free off, center off. Never really could get ahold of it for whatever reason. I’m excited for Ben (Rhodes), Duke and Rhonda (Thorson), everybody over there. This Menards Toyota Tundra – we qualified well, I mean, decent. I was really worried about that because every time we qualify decent here, we don’t race good. All-in-all, regroup, head to Daytona – go to 2022.”

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. and North America for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands. During that time, Toyota has created a tremendous value chain as our teams have contributed to world-class design, engineering, and assembly of more than 40 million cars and trucks in North America, where we have 14 manufacturing plants, 15 including our joint venture in Alabama (10 in the U.S.), and directly employ more than 47,000 people (over 36,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.) sold nearly 2.8 million cars and trucks (nearly 2.4 million in the U.S.) in 2019.

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.

Ben Rhodes Wins First NASCAR Truck Series Championship

By
Official Release
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AVONDALE, ARIZONA - NOVEMBER 05: Ben Rhodes, driver of the #99 Bombardier LearJet 75 Chevrolet, practices for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix Raceway on November 05, 2021 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

Earns Toyota’s Ninth Truck Series Driver’s Title

AVONDALE, Ariz. (November 5, 2021) – Tundra driver Ben Rhodes won his first career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) championship on Friday night with a third-place finish at Phoenix Raceway. Rhodes’ championship marks the ninth Truck Series driver title for Toyota.

TOYOTA FAST FACTS

• Rhodes won two races, claimed eight top-five results and 16 top-10 finishes over 22 races to claim the 2021 NCWTS Driver’s Championship.

• The title is Rhodes’ first NASCAR championship in his sixth full-time season competing in the Truck Series and the third year racing a Tundra for ThorSport Racing.

• Rhodes won Toyota’s 200th NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at the Daytona International Speedway road course on February 19, 2021

• It is the fourth driver’s championship for ThorSport Racing (Matt Crafton – 2013, 2014, 2019).

• The 24-year-old Louisville, Kentucky native is the seventh Tundra racer to capture a driver’s championship. In addition to Rhodes, Brett Moffitt (2018), Christopher Bell (2017), Erik Jones (2015), Matt Crafton (2013 and 2014), Todd Bodine (2006, 2010) and Johnny Benson (2008) have also captured Truck Series titles for Toyota.

• Toyota also clinched its series-high 12th NCWTS Manufacturer’s Championship (2006-2010, 2013-2017, 2019, 2021) earlier this season at Martinsville Speedway with Tundra drivers winning 15 races during the 2021 season. Toyota has scored a total of 213 victories since joining NCWTS competition in 2004.

TOYOTA QUOTES

BEN RHODES, No. 99 Toyota Tundra, ThorSport Racing

“That was the hardest last 40 laps I think I have ever driven in my life. I was doing things to the race car I probably shouldn’t have been doing, it was dumb, but I had everything to lose. And we brought it home and won it. I don’t even know what to say. This is crazy. Bookends for the season, I am so proud of my ThorSport Racing group. This wasn’t like a vision we had, right, everyone wants to win it, but you just don’t know, it’s so hard. I just can’t thank Duke and Rhonda (Thorson) enough. They are the reason I’m here tonight, Bombardier, Toyota, Menards, WileyX, we have so many people that help us, I can’t even talk right now I’m so excited.“

PAUL DOLESHAL, group manager, motorsports and asset management, Toyota Motor North America

“To see Ben’s excitement in winning his first career NASCAR championship has been really special. We couldn’t be more thrilled to a part of this championship journey for Ben and help add his name to a remarkable list of Tundra drivers who have won Truck Series championships. Additionally, we are excited to celebrate this title with everyone at ThorSport Racing after their return to the Toyota family this season. Congratulations to Ben, Duke & Rhonda Thorson and all of ThorSport Racing on this accomplishment.”

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 1,800 dealerships.

Toyota has created a tremendous value chain and directly employs more than 47,000 in North America. The company has contributed world-class design, engineering, and assembly of more than 40 million cars and trucks at our 14 manufacturing plants, 15 including our joint venture in Alabama that begins production in 2021.

Through its 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.

Chandler Smith wins race, Rhodes captures Truck Series title at Phoenix

By
Briar Starr
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Photo by David Myers for SpeedwayMedia.com.

Phoenix Raceway was the site of the Championship 4 race for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for the second straight year. John Hunter Nemechek, Zane Smith, Matt Crafton, and Ben Rhodes each had a shot at the title. Three of them were looking for their first Truck Series title.

Out of those four, Ben Rhodes was able to capture the Truck Series championship for the first time in his career in only 141 starts. The Kentucky native made the winning move by passing Zane Smith with eight laps to go and never looked back to claim the 2021 Truck Series championship.

“I wouldn’t even be here today if it wasn’t for Duke and Rhonda (Thorson, ThorSport team owners),” Rhodes said. “They gave me my opportunity in this sport. They were my very first full-time national team that I raced for and I’ve been with them ever since. They’re so amazing and I can’t even begin to thank them enough. This has just been a ride of a lifetime. I hope it’s not over. I want to keep going now. This is amazing.”

While there was a Championship 4 race out on the track, there was also a race winner to be decided as well. Chandler Smith qualified on the pole with qualifying back for the first time this year. Stages of 45/45/60 laps made up the 150 lap event.

One of the Championship 4 contenders, Nemechek, got in the wall early on Lap 1. As a result of the contact with the wall, his left-front tire went down and he lost two laps in the process after bringing the truck to pit road. The first yellow flew shortly thereafter on Lap 11 for the No. 45 of Lawless Alan who crashed on the frontstretch. The caution allowed Nemechek to gain one of his laps back.

Despite Smith starting on the pole, the Georgia native lost the lead to the No. 2 of Sheldon Creed but was able to grab the lead back with 10 laps left in the stage and collect the first stage win. Rhodes finished fifth, Crafton seventh, Zane Smith ninth and Nemechek was 30th, 1 lap down.

During Stage 2, there were no cautions and it was a relatively calm stage. There was one newsworthy item though as Sheldon Creed clinched the most laps led of the season on Lap 80 and won the $50,000 bonus from Marcus Lemonis of Camping World. Even though Creed dominated the stage, the California native was passed again for the stage win, this time on the last lap of the stage when Smith made the move on the start/finish line. Rhodes was third, Zane Smith sixth, Crafton eighth and Nemechek finished 27th, still one lap down.

The final stage began with 51 laps to go but didn’t stay green for long. The fourth and final yellow flag flew on Lap 102 for the No. 12 of Tate Fogleman who stalled on the track. The caution allowed Nemechek to regain his lap and get back in contention for the title.

Following the restart with 45 to go, Zane Smith passed Rhodes for third and became the highest-ranked Championship 4 driver. As for Nemechek, the North Carolina native continued his rally up toward the front and got as high as ninth with 10 laps to go. Nemechek’s run stalled out to seventh and Zane Smith looked comfortable in fourth. Unfortunately for Smith, he was passed by Rhodes with eight to go and fell to runner-up in the Championship 4. Rhodes, however, ended the season with the championship title after opening the season up with two victories at Daytona.

Chandler Smith passed Creed for the lead and the eventual race win with 17 laps to go for his second win of the 2021 season. The Georgia native also won the Rookie of the Year title as well.

Photo by David Myers for SpeedwayMedia.com

“Overall, we unloaded today and got out on the track really good,” Chandler Smith said about the win. “Our Safelite Toyota Tundra topped off P2 right off the bat and was really comfortable, but was here in 2019, kind of thought the same thing and had a little experience under my belt and good news to base off of.”

“We didn’t get a mock run in and I told my crew chief Danny Stockman how many numbers freer we needed to be from the end of practice to qualifying. We were solid in qualifying and that gave us a good adjustment to where we needed to be tonight.”

Zane Smith finished fifth and fell short once again for the second consecutive year.

“It’s been a wild of a year,” Zane Smith said. “I don’t know which one hurt more, last year or this one. We fired off good, honestly too good, and just got way too tight. We tried everything from inside the truck and all the tools I had and didn’t really help. Couldn’t hold them off.”

There were four cautions for 25 laps and 12 lead changes among three different leaders. Smith led six times for 39 laps en route to victory.

Championship 4 Results:

(3rd) Ben Rhodes, 2021 Truck Series Champion
(5th) Zane Smith
(7th) John Hunter Nemechek
(12th) Matt Crafton

Stage 1: Chandler Smith, Creed, Gilliland, Friesen, Rhodes, Hocevar, Crafton, Eckes, Zane Smith, Kraus

Stage 2: C. Smith, Creed, Rhodes, Friesen, Gilliland, Z. Smith, Hocevar, Crafton, Enfinger, Eckes

Official Race Results of the Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix Raceway:

  1. Chandler Smith, won both stages, led 39 laps
  2. Stewart Friesen, led five laps
  3. Ben Rhodes
  4. Sheldon Creed, led 106 laps
  5. Zane Smith
  6. Christian Eckes
  7. John Hunter Nemechek
  8. Todd Gilliland
  9. Carson Hocevar
  10. Austin Hill
  11. Johnny Sauter
  12. Matt Crafton
  13. Grant Enfinger
  14. Tyler Ankrum
  15. Derek Kraus
  16. Chase Purdy
  17. Hailie Deegan
  18. Drew Dollar
  19. Ryan Truex
  20. Jack Wood
  21. Dean Thompson, 1 lap down
  22. Will Rodgers, 1 lap down
  23. Jordan Anderson, 1 lap down
  24. Willie Allen, 1 lap down
  25. Ty Dillon, 1 lap down
  26. Austin Wayne Self, 3 laps down
  27. Chris Hacker, 3 laps down
  28. Danny Bohn, 3 laps down
  29. Taylor Gray, 4 laps down
  30. Cory Roper, 4 laps down
  31. Spencer Boyd, 4 laps down
  32. Kris Wright, 7 laps down
  33. Tyler Hill, OUT, Alternator
  34. Tate Fogleman, OUT, Electrical
  35. Tanner Gray, OUT, Rear Gear
  36. Lawless Alan, OUT, Crash

Up Next: With the 2021 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season now complete, teams will start prepping for the 2022 season that begins February 18, 2022, at Daytona International Speedway. It will air live on Fox Sports 1 and MRN Radio at 7:30 p.m.

World of Outlaws World Finals Adds Fourth Day Of Mud-Slinging Excitement for 2022

By
Official Release
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The top three series in dirt racing will finish the 2022 season with three straight nights of feature racing at The Dirt Track at Charlotte after officials announced an additional day of racing for next season's schedule. (CMS/HHP photo)
  • The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars, the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models and the Super DIRTcar Big-Block Modified Series will cap their season and crown champions after four full days of racing for the first time ever at The Dirt Track at Charlotte
  • Fans can renew their tickets, including pit passes, to the World of Outlaws World Finals on-site this weekend or online at charlottemotorspeedway.com

CONCORD, N.C. (Nov. 5, 2021) – Buckle up, race fans: the World of Outlaws World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte promises to deliver the biggest show ever when the best wheelmen in dirt racing’s top three series return in 2022. On the penultimate night of racing this season, officials announced a fourth day of mud-slinging action will be added when the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars, the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models and the Super DIRTcar Big-Block Modified Series converge on Charlotte Nov. 2-5, 2022, in a season finale for the ages.

“Next season marks the 15th anniversary of World Finals and we wanted to do something big to mark the occasion for the fans who travel from across the country and around the world to make this event truly special,” said Greg Walter, executive vice president and general manager at Charlotte Motor Speedway. “What better way to say ‘thanks’ than giving them more of what they love – an extra night of dirt-flying fun as drivers battle for a coveted World Finals trophy and season-ending championship.”

The expanded show will kick off with qualifying on Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2022, followed by three consecutive nights of action-packed feature racing, culminating in the crowing of season champions for all three divisions.

“Each year we’ve looked at ways to increase the excitement to the fans during World Finals week,” said World of Outlaws CEO Brian Carter. “Since the beginning of the event in 2007 we’ve brought the Super DIRTcar Series to join the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars and Late Models, we’ve had unprecedented fan access, we’ve created the signature three division four-wide, we’ve added pre-event shows with drivers, concerts, parades and now adding another day to the event will only give us more opportunity to enhance the experience for the fans. We can’t wait for a four-day World Finals in 2022 and beyond.”

Complete schedules and details will be announced at a later date.

TICKETS:

Fans can renew their tickets and lock in their seats for next year’s World of Outlaws World Finals on-site this weekend or by visiting www.charlottemotorspeedway.com.

FOLLOW US:

Keep track of all of Charlotte Motor Speedway’s attractions and events by following on Twitter and Instagram or become a Facebook fan. Keep up with all the latest news and information with the Charlotte Motor Speedway mobile app.

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