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DiBenedetto survives Daytona, qualifies for first Cup Playoffs

By
Andrew Kim
-
Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images.

While William Byron raced his way into the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs after claiming a thrilling first career win in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway on August 29, there was another competitor who was left beaming following the race. That competitor was Matt DiBenedetto, driver of the No. 21 Ford Mustang for the legendary Wood Brothers Racing Ford team, after the Grass Valley, California, native made the 2020 Cup Series Playoff field following an eventful 12th-place run at Daytona.

Starting 15th, DiBenedetto came into Daytona with a nine-point cushion above the top-16 cutline and battling names like Clint Bowyer, William Byron and Jimmie Johnson for one of three open spots to the Playoffs.

DiBenedetto did not finish in the top 10 following the first stage (50 laps), but he was able to record a seventh-place result following the second stage (100 laps) and collect a handful of stage points for himself and for the Wood Brothers Racing team. By then, he was still ahead of Byron and Johnson in the points standings. Throughout the final stage of the race, while DiBenedetto was racing around his Ford teammates and towards the lead pack, he was able to dodge two multi-car wrecks, including the second one with two laps remaining that occurred right in front of him, to nurse the No. 21 Menards/Dutch Boy Ford Mustang across the line in 12th place. In the end, DiBenedetto claimed a spot in the postseason after he finished five spots ahead of Johnson (17th place) while Byron also secured a spot after winning.

Even after climbing out of his car with his mask on, his grin could be seen as he accomplished his goal of making his first NASCAR Cup Playoffs as a title contender in his sixth season in NASCAR’s premier series and first driving the iconic No. 21 car for the Wood Brothers Racing team.

“We made it!” DiBenedetto exclaimed on NBC. “I don’t care how we did it. I wasn’t, obviously, super thrilled with the finish. We couldn’t get going there on the restart. I don’t care. My goal was to come in here and make it. We had some really good competitors. Obviously, Jimmie [Johnson] and Willy B. [William Byron]. Congrats to him on his first win. Man, I wanted this so bad for this team, for Menards, Dutch Boy, Motorcraft, Quicklane and the Wood Brothers! Man, driving for the Wood Brothers. It’s something special. We’ll celebrate tomorrow and have a good day. It’s gonna be time to get to work, but I’m so glad we made the Playoffs. This team deserves this. I’m mentally tired after that one.”

The result left DiBenedetto both jubilated and emotional following a six-year voyage and journey to his first Cup postseason appearance as a title contender, from starting his Cup career with BK Racing before competing in two seasons with Go Fas Racing. Then came last season, where DiBenedetto had a career year while driving for Leavine Family Racing that included an opportunity to win at Bristol Motor Speedway in August, only to have the win taken away by Denny Hamlin in the closing laps. Fearing that his racing career was in jeopardy following his loss at Bristol and with no racing plans originally established for 2020, he was given an opportunity to drive the No. 21 Ford for the Wood Brothers Racing team and take the next step up in his racing career.

Since the Daytona 500 in February through the regular-season finale at Daytona, DiBenedetto was able to record seven top-10 results and notch enough consistent runs inside the top 20, including the regular-season finale, to make the Playoffs based on points. DiBenedetto’s accomplishment marks the second time the Wood Brothers Racing team will be part of the NASCAR Cup Playoffs. In addition, DiBenedetto joins Cole Custer as the lone newcomers of this year’s Cup Playoffs.

Even throughout the race at Daytona, DiBenedetto had to fend off the stress of competing for a postseason berth against some of NASCAR’s elite while also navigating his way to the finish at Daytona International Speedway in one piece.

“That was the most stressful situation inside a race car I’ve even been in my life hands down,” DiBenedetto added. “I’ve never been in a situation like that. It’s unreal that it came down to the three of us and racing like right next to each other at Daytona where it shuffles around like crazy. I was calm going into the week and I really have to thank my career path for grooming me for this type of situation ’cause it’s been a tough fight and it makes me so appreciate of these situations. I was calm, but my wife wasn’t. My wife, Taylor, I know she is crying happy at home…I held it together and just had to deal with it the best in the car.”

DiBenedetto’s first run as a title contender in this year’s NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs will begin on Sunday, September 6, at Darlington Raceway for the Cook Out Southern 500 at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

Byron scores first Cup career win at Daytona; 2020 Cup Playoff field is set

By
Andrew Kim
-
Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images.

Dropping the hammer and refusing to lift out of the throttle at the right timing and in a last-stretch effort to keep his championship hopes alive, William Byron raced his way into the 2020 NASCAR Cup Playoffs after forcing his way into the lead with two laps remaining and holding off the field in overtime to score his first Cup career win in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway under the lights on August 29. The victory was Byron’s first in his 98th career start in NASCAR’s premier series as he became the 11th Cup competitor to clinch a spot into the Playoffs by winning a regular-season race.

The starting lineup was based on three statistical categories: current owner points standings, the results from a previous Cup race and the fastest lap from a previous Cup race. With that, Kevin Harvick, coming off his victory in the second of a Dover International Speedway doubleheader last weekend and who is the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series regular-season champion, started on pole position and was joined on the front row with Martin Truex Jr. Austin Dillon dropped to the rear of the field due to failing pre-race technical inspection twice along with Clint Bowyer due to unapproved adjustments.

When the green flag waved and the race started, the field battled two by two for a full circuit until Truex was able to move in front of Harvick and lead the first lap. The following lap, Harvick gained a push from Brad Keselowski in Turn 2 and was able to come back around to lead the second lap by a nose over Truex’s No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry.

Approaching the third lap, William Byron made a move on the outside lane with drafting help from teammate Alex Bowman and started to challenge Harvick for the lead through the tri-oval and in Turn 1 with sparks flying beneath Byron’s No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE. 

On the fifth lap, Harvick was still leading, but the outside lane led by Byron gained a huge run entering Turns 1 and 2. Though the inside lane led by Harvick gained a run through Turns 3 and 4, Byron was able to lead a lap for himself on the sixth lap. 

Through the early stages of the race and the opening 10 laps, the competitors running on the outside lane would gain an advantage through Turns 1 and 2, but the competitors on the inside lane would gain an advantage through Turns 3, 4 and the tri-oval, which kept the field dead even against one another while racing two to three wide approaching and past the start/finish line.

By Lap 10, Byron, racing on the outside lane, was back in the lead as he held a narrow advantage over teammate Bowman, rookie Cole Custer, Erik Jones and rookie Tyler Reddick all on the outside lane while Harvick was in sixth place and the first car running on the inside lane. In addition, J.J. Yeley was slowly limping his car back to pit road. Three laps later, Harvick dropped below the yellow line in Turn 2 and surrendered track position towards the front to tuck behind Ryan Newman’s No. 6 Guaranteed Rate Ford Mustang in 24th place to have debris removed from the grille of his No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang.

Back at the front on Lap 14, Byron and the No. 24 car were still leading ahead of teammate Bowman, Custer, Jones, Reddick, Kyle Busch and rookie John Hunter Nemechek all on the outside lane with Keselowski leading a pack of cars on the inside lane.

For the next six laps, Byron was able to remain ahead of a bevy of competitors in a single-file line through the competition caution flew on Lap 20. By then, Jones and Reddick were in fourth and fifth behind Custer while names like Daniel Suarez, Nemechek, rookie Christopher and Michael McDowell were in the top 10. Jimmie Johnson was in 11th ahead of Denny Hamlin, Keselowski, Truex and Ryan Blaney while Matt Kenseth, Bubba Wallace, Chase Elliott and Joey Logano were in 16th, 18th, 19th and 20th. Matt DiBenedetto was in 21st ahead of Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman and Chris Buescher while teammates Aric Almirola and Harvick were in 26th and 28th. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was in 30th behind teammate Ryan Preece while Clint Bowyer was in 33rd in between Brendan Gaughan and Austin Dillon.

Under the competition caution, nearly the entire field led by Byron pitted while names like Almirola, Truex, Harvick, Stenhouse and Ross Chastain, all of whom were racing towards the rear of the field, remained on track. Shortly after, the remaining cars that remained on track pitted prior to the restart.

Nearing the 25-lap mark, the race restarted under green with teammates Byron and Bowman on the front row. At the start, Byron moved in front of teammate Bowman on the inside lane to retain the lead. With Reddick running in third place behind the two leading Hendrick Motorsports competitors, Jones, who was scored in fourth place, was the first car to form a pack on the inside lane.

Not long after, Johnson moved up to fourth place while the inside lane led by Jones followed by teammate Kyle Busch and including Keselowski and Logano. After a handful attempts in trying to move in front of the Chevrolet brigade on the outside lane led by Byron, Jones emerged with the lead followed by his teammates Kyle Busch and Hamlin on Lap 29.

A lap later and with the pack continuing to battle intensely within the draft, Jones was still leading teammate Kyle Busch and Bell followed by McDowell, Logano and Kenseth. By then, Byron was back in seventh place.

On Lap 34, Byron returned to the lead followed by teammate Bowman, Reddick and Logano while Jones and Kyle Busch fell back to fifth and seventh. Two laps later, Logano emerged with the lead as the field continued to battle dead even in a pack for the top spot. 

By Lap 40, Logano was still leading over teammate Blaney and his No. 12 Body Armor Ford Mustang followed by Jones, Kyle Busch, Bell and Hamlin. In addition, Byron was in 10th behind DiBenedetto and ahead of Reddick and Johnson, who earlier made a move on the inside lane in Turn 3 but lost his momentum when no one opted to go with him. Way behind the pack and trailing by approximately nine seconds, Bowyer was in 34th ahead of teammates Almirola and Harvick.

With approximately five laps remaining in the first stage, a pack of cars on the inside lane led by Reddick and his No. 8 KC Motorgroup Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE started to charge towards the front on the inside lane as he was in fifth place while pursuing for more on the track.

At the start of the final lap of the first stage, Jones attempted to make a move on Logano’s No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang for the lead, but Logano blocked his momentum and retained his advantage through Turns 1 and 2. By then, the competitors running towards the front started to battle intensely for many positions as possible with Reddick, Johnson and Byron starting to charge on the inside lane. In Turn 3, Reddick gained a run and tried to side-draft Logano for the lead. Logano, nonetheless, was able to have enough horsepower on the outside lane and drafting help from Jones through Turn 4 to win the first stage on Lap 50 and for his fifth stage victory of the season. Jones settled in second in front of Reddick, Blaney and Johnson while Bell, Byron, McDowell, Hamlin and Kyle Busch were scored in the top 10. 

In terms of the battle for the final three spots to the Playoffs, Bowyer was able to clinch a spot for this year’s postseason, though he finished 33rd in the first stage. With Bowyer’s accomplishment, all four Stewart-Haas competitors have made the Playoffs for the second time in the last three seasons. In addition, with Bowyer securing a Playoff spot, that left two spots vacant. Thus far, DiBenedetto was inside the top-16 cutline by three points and Byron was ahead by two with teammate Johnson trailing by two. The remaining competitors led by Jones and Reddick were placed in a “must-win” situation to make the Playoffs.

Under the stage break, the majority of the field led by Logano pitted while some led by Keselowski remained on track. Prior to the start of the second stage, however, Keselowski pitted along with Harvick, Logano, Almirola, Newman, Hamlin, Chastain, DiBenedetto, Buescher and Custer to top off their respective cars with fuel. Following the pit stops, however, Hamlin was penalized and sent to the rear of the field due to not entering pit road in a single-file line.

The second stage started on Lap 55 with Bell and Jones at the front of the pack. At the start, Jones gained a push from Johnson on the outside lane to move into the lead. With Jones leading and in a “must-win” situation to make the Playoffs, Johnson settled in second place followed by Chip Ganassi Racing’s Kurt Busch and Kenseth. Bowman and his No. 88 AXALTA Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE were in fifth ahead of teammate Chase Elliott and Austin Dillon while Bell and Kyle Busch were back in eighth and ninth just ahead of Wallace.

By Lap 60, Jones and his No. 20 Auto-Owners Insurance Toyota Camry were still leading over Johnson and his No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE. Kurt Busch and Kenseth were still in third and fourth followed by Bowman, Elliott, Austin Dillon, Bell, Kyle Busch and Wallace (all of whom were part of a bevy of competitors running in a single-file lane on the outside lane). In addition, names like Ricky Stenhouse Jr., rookie Brennan Poole, Nemechek and DiBenedetto were running in the top 15.

A few laps later, Wallace dropped out of the lead pack due to power issues on his No. 43 World Wide Technology Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, an issue he was able to diagnose and fix while racing at the back of the pack. Shortly after, on Lap 65, a number of Chevrolet competitors including Byron, Johnson, Elliott, Bowman, Reddick, Austin Dillon, Kenseth and Kurt Busch pitted for fuel under green as part of a strategic call to complete the remainder of the second stage on fuel. Another lap later, the next wave of competitors including Jones, Bell, Poole and rookie Quin Houff pitted for fuel. 

Back on the track, Kyle Busch and his No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry assumed the lead followed by Stenhouse, Nemechek, DiBenedetto and Logano. Then, on Lap 72, Suarez, who has finished no higher than 18th place all season long, assumed the lead followed by Ty Dillon, Corey LaJoie, Wallace, Hamlin and Kyle Busch as a bevy of cars running in a single-file lane started to approach the lead group. 

Eight laps later and at the halfway mark on Lap 80, Suarez and his No. 96 CommScope Toyota Camry from Gaunt Brothers Racing were still leading over Ty Dillon, Wallace and Kyle Busch. With Hamlin in fifth, names like Stenhouse, Nemechek, DiBenedetto and LaJoie were running in the top 10. Logano was in 10th ahead of teammate Blaney, Newman was in 13th ahead of McDowell, Harvick was in 18th ahead of teammates Bowyer and Almirola, Keselowski was in 21st, Johnson was in 24th ahead of Kurt Busch and Elliott, Jones was in 28th and Byron was in 31st ahead of Reddick and Bell.

With 12 laps remaining in the second stage, names like Ty Dillon, Wallace, LaJoie and Gaughan pitted for fuel while Suarez continued to lead over ex-teammates Kyle Busch and Hamlin. Three laps later and with the laps in the second stage winding down, Logano gained a huge run on the outside lane followed by teammate Blaney, Truex and a bevy of cars through Turns 2 and 3 to reassume the lead over Suarez.

With five laps remaining in the second stage, the Chevrolet pack led by Johnson caught back up to the lead pack as Johnson started to make his move towards the front. Approaching two laps remaining, Kyle Busch made a green flag pit stop for fuel.

At the front, Logano was still ahead followed by teammate Blaney with Truex leading the outside lane and pushing for more. At the start of the final lap of the second stage, Johnson, who was in fourth, attempted to make a move beneath Bowyer for more, but Bowyer blocked and was nearly turned in the process entering Turn 1.

Despite the intensity that was occurring behind him, Logano was able to hold off the field to win the second stage on Lap 100 and for his sixth stage victory of the season. Truex settled in second place followed by Bowyer, Kurt Busch and Johnson while Keselowski, DiBenedetto, Stenhouse, Blaney and Bell settled in the top 10.

In terms of the Playoff picture following the second stage, DiBenedetto was still ahead of the top-16 cutline by five points and Johnson ahead by four with Byron now trailing by four points as a result of Byron failing to gain stage points in the second stage while Johnson and DiBenedetto did.

Under the stage break, the leaders pitted for fuel and Logano retained the lead following a stellar four-tire pit stop. Prior to the restart, Harvick and Hamlin were among a number of competitors who made a pit stop for final adjustments and to top off their respective cars with fuel.

With 55 laps remaining, the final stage commenced under green with Logano and Truex leading the field. In Turn 1, Truex received a push from Johnson and was just able to slide in front of Logano to move into the lead. Bowyer was in third place followed by the Busch brothers and Johnson. Behind, DiBenedetto was battling Kenseth for seventh place.

Five laps later and with 50 laps remaining, Truex was still the leader ahead of Logano and a pack of cars running two to three wide. By then, the top-24 competitors were separated by less than a second.

Two laps later, Logano and Bowyer gained a drafting run on the outside of Truex through Turns 2 and 3 as Logano moved back to the lead. Truex, however, was able to reassume the advantage the following lap followed by teammate Kyle Busch, Johnson, Elliott and Kurt Busch while Logano dropped back to sixth.

With 41 laps remaining and the battle for the top spot within the lead pack continuing to intensify and with two- to three-wide racing ongoing, Kyle Busch moved into the lead while Johnson fell out of the draft and was clinging within the top-15 running order. Another lap later, Johnson was scored in 13th while Byron and DiBenedetto were scored in fifth and 13th while Elliott and Kurt Busch were running in second and third behind Kyle Busch. By then, Johnson was scored outside of the cutline in the standings.

Another lap later, things got tight for the lead pack running three wide as the field had to avoid Chastain, who was being lapped and was running as close to the outside wall in Turn 3. In addition, entering Turn 4, Blaney wiggled following contact with Jones, but he managed to straighten his car without spinning it in the middle of the pack.

With 35 laps remaining, the Chevrolet competitors led by Elliott and including Kurt Busch, Byron, Stenhouse, Bowman, Wallace, Austin Dillon, Reddick, Johnson and Kenseth made a pit stop under green for fuel. Another lap later, the Toyota competitors led by Kyle Busch and including Hamlin, Jones, Truex, Bell and Suarez pitted. Poole and Chastain also pitted with the Toyota competitors.

With 30 laps remaining, 13 Ford competitors led by Logano and followed by DiBenedetto, McDowell, Buescher and Nemechek were at the front of the pack. Shortly after, the Ford competitors led by Logano and including Buescher, Nemechek, Newman, Keselowski, Bowyer, McDowell, Blaney, Almirola, Harvick, LaJoie and Custer pitted for fuel.

Back on track, Kyle Busch assumed the lead followed by teammate Hamlin, Byron, Kurt Busch, Austin Dillon and a number of competitors running in a single-file line with less than 30 laps remaining. With the laps continuing to wind down, the competition heating up towards the front and with 20 laps remaining, Kyle Busch was still leading ahead of teammate Hamlin, Byron, Kurt Busch, Austin Dillon and Logano. Behind, Johnson was in 20th and scored outside of the top-16 cutline behind Byron and DiBenedetto, who was in 17th. In addition, Stenhouse, who made a handful of attempts to grab the lead on the inside lane, was back in 12th.

With 18 laps remaining, the caution flew when James Davison spun in Turn 3. Under caution, some like Byron, Elliott, Johnson, Bowman, Blaney, Almirola, Harvick, Ty Dillon, Buescher, Newman and Suarez pitted while the rest led by Kyle Busch remained on track.

The racing under green resumed with 13 laps remaining and with teammates Kyle Busch and Hamlin on the front row. At the start, Kyle Busch moved in front of Hamlin’s No. 11 FedEx Toyota Camry to retain the lead. Three laps later, with the competition at the front heating up and with 10 laps remaining, Kyle Busch was still leading ahead of Hamlin, Kurt Busch, Bell, McDowell, Buescher and a multitude of cars.

A lap later, Kurt Busch and his No. 1 Monster Energy Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE gained a run underneath brother Kyle to lead a lap, but Kyle reassumed the lead past the tri-oval. Behind, Reddick started to gain a huge run on the outside lane. In Turns 2 and 3, Reddick made a move beneath Kyle Busch for the lead. 

In Turn 3, Reddick moved up the track and tried to squeeze and slide in front of Busch’s No. 18 Toyota. While trying to slide in front of Busch’s car, however, they touched and made contact with the outside wall. In addition, a chain reaction accident erupted that collected Jones, Kurt Busch, Truex, Austin Dillon, Stenhouse, Ryan Preece, McDowell and Newman. In the midst of the wreck, DiBenedetto along with teammates Johnson and Byron made it through with no damage to their respective cars. Following the carnage, Hamlin emerged with the lead over Reddick and the race was red-flagged for 10 minutes.

When the red flag was lifted and the race resumed under green with five laps remaining, Hamlin and Reddick battled for the lead dead even through Turn 1 while Reddick gained a push from Buescher and his No. 17 Fifth Third Bank Ford Mustang to move into the lead in Turn 2. The following lap, Logano drafted Hamlin to the lead and blocked a run from Bowyer while Reddick fell back to fourth.

In Turn 1, the following lap, Wallace started to form a third line on the outside lane and started to draft Logano to the front. With two laps remaining, Logano crossed over Hamlin at the tri-oval to move back into the lead while Wallace started to mount a challenge on the outside lane. 

Entering Turn 1, however, Hamlin made contact with Logano and he bumped into Wallace, though all three kept their respective cars pointing straight. In addition, Byron stuck his nose in between Wallace, Logano and Hamlin in a four-wide battle for the lead as more contact was made amongst the leaders. With sparks flying underneath his car, Logano was turned off the front nose of DiBenedetto and made hard contact against the outside wall before being hit by Custer. In addition, another multi-car accident erupted that collected Reddick, Kenseth, Bell, Bowman, Suarez and Nemechek. Also involved was Johnson, who was hit by Kenseth across the outside wall, spun and sustained heavy damage to his No. 48 Ally Chevrolet. Following the accident, where Byron, Wallace and DiBenedetto managed to escape the carnage, the race was red-flagged for more than five minutes.

When the second red flag period was lifted and the race restarted under green in overtime, Hamlin and Byron were on the front row ahead of Bowyer and DiBenedetto. Way behind the leaders, Johnson continued on the lead lap following repairs to his car.

At the front, Byron received a push from Bowyer on the inside lane to take the lead ahead of Hamlin. In Turn 2, however, Bell and his No. 95 Rheem Toyota Camry gained a run to Byron’s rear bumper. When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Byron was still ahead. Behind, Truex moved up to second after passing Bell and started to challenge Byron for the lead on the outside lane. In Turn 1, Bowyer and his No. 14 Haas Automation Ford Mustang slipped following contact with Hamlin and he made contact with the outside wall. Behind him, Harvick, who had made contact with Buescher a lap earlier in Turn 2, also got into the wall amid a shower of sparks after cutting a tire.

At the front and with no caution flying, Truex and Byron continued to battle dead even for the lead and the win. Right behind them through Turn 2, LaJoie spun and made contact with the wall after being bumped by Bell while Almirola and Ty Dillon also wrecked. With still no caution flying and with Bell making contact with the wall, Byron fought back on the inside lane entering Turn 3 and received a push from teammate Elliott and his No. 9 Hooters Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE to retain the lead while Truex lost his momentum after being placed in a three-wide battle with Hamlin and Brendan Gaughan.

Entering Turn 4 and with the checkered flag flying, Byron was able to hold off Elliott and a small pack of cars to streak across the finish line in first place and grab a win and a spot in the Playoffs. 

With the victory, Byron recorded the 260th NASCAR Cup career win for Hendrick Motorsports and the first win for the No. 24 car since November 2015 at Martinsville Speedway, which was last made by NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon. In addition, Byron and Gordon are the only competitors to record a Cup win while driving the No. 24 car. The Charlotte native also became the 195th competitor to win a Cup race, the second first-time winner of this season and the 34th competitor to record a win across NASCAR’s three major division series (Cup, Xfinity and Truck Series). In addition, crew chief Chad Knaus recorded his first Cup win since June 2017 at Dover International Speedway and he extended his Playoff appearance as a title contender to 17 consecutive seasons.

Ironically, this marked the third consecutive season where the second Cup race at Daytona’s oval-shaped circuit produced a first-time winner (Erik Jones in 2018 and Justin Haley in 2019).

“This is incredible, man,” Byron said on NBC at the tri-oval and with fans present at the facility. “I’m just extremely blessed. It’s been a hard couple of year in the Cup Series and trying to get my first win, try to gel with this team and these guys have done an awesome job today and got us in the Playoffs. It’s amazing, man. [Daytona is] Probably the hardest track to points race. We didn’t have a great Stage 2, kind of got back in the pack, got shuffled when everyone went single file. [I] Thought my hopes were up there. We were racing around [DiBenedetto] and [Johnson] in the final stage. I was like, ‘Man, I got to really make something happen.’ Luckily, I was able to push [Wallace], [Logano] and him made some contact and opened up a hole for me. I wasn’t gonna lift, so it’s awesome. Thanks to Liberty University, Chevrolet. Thanks to God. It’s amazing.”

Elliott finished in second place nearly two weeks after he won on Daytona’s road course layout. Teammates Hamlin and Truex finished third and fourth while Wallace made a late rally to finish in fifth place for his third top-five career finish in the Cup Series.

Blaney finished in sixth place while Bowman, Gaughan, Buescher and Keselowski rounded out the top 10.

DiBenedetto finished 12th and secured one of two final spots to the Playoffs while Johnson finished 17th and failed to make the postseason in his final full-time season of racing.

“First and foremost, congratulations to my teammate getting his first Cup win like that,” Johnson said. “This setting and the drama to go with it – that’s a big win for Chad Knaus and William Byron. I’m really happy for those guys. I really felt like we had a way to transfer, to win, or point our way in the way it went in the first two stages. Things just got ugly down in turn one. Unfortunate, but that’s plate racing. The last couple of months, we’ve been really getting our act together and running well. Definitely disappointed to not be in the Playoffs – that was the number one goal to start the year. But, when I look back at the disqualification at Charlotte and then missing the Brickyard 400 due to my COVID-19 positive test and only miss it by six points – we did all that we could this year. I’m so thankful for Hendrick Motorsports and the career that I’ve had there, the relationship with Ally and their continued support for this race team. [Crew chief] Cliff Daniels and these guys on my team – they pour their guts out for me. There’s 10 races left, 10 trophies to go chase and we’ll have to focus our efforts there.”

“We made it!” DiBenedetto exclaimed. “I don’t care how we did it. I wasn’t, obviously, super thrilled with the finish. We couldn’t get going there on the restart. I don’t care. My goal was to come in here and make it. We had some really good competitors. Obviously, Jimmie [Johnson] and Willy B. [William Byron]. Congrats to him on his first win. Man, I wanted this so bad for this team, for Menards, Dutch Boy, Motorcraft, Quicklane and the Wood Brothers! Man, driving for the Wood Brothers. It’s something special. We’ll celebrate tomorrow and have a good day. It’s gonna be time to get to work, but I’m so glad we made the Playoffs. This team deserves this. I’m mentally tired after that one.”

Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Chase Elliott, Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Blaney, Alex Bowman, William Byron, Austin Dillon, Cole Custer, Aric Almirola, Clint Bowyer, Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch and Matt DiBenedetto will make up the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff field.

Drivers that include Jimmie Johnson, Erik Jones, Tyler Reddick, Christopher Bell, Chris Buescher, Bubba Wallace, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Michael McDowell, Ryan Newman, John Hunter Nemechek, Ty Dillon, Matt Kenseth, Corey LaJoie, Ryan Preece, Daniel Suarez, Brennan Poole and Quin Houff missed the Playoffs and will not contend for this year’s championship battle.

There were 35 lead changes for 16 different leaders. The race featured six cautions for 21 laps.

Results.

1. William Byron, 24 laps led

2. Chase Elliott

3. Denny Hamlin, nine laps led

4. Martin Truex Jr., 14 laps led

5. Bubba Wallace

6. Ryan Blaney, one lap led

7. Alex Bowman, one lap led

8. Brendan Gaughan

9. Chris Buescher

10. Brad Keselowski, one lap led

11. John Hunter Nemechek

12. Matt DiBenedetto

13. Christopher Bell, two laps led

14. Michael McDowell, two laps led

15. Brennan Poole

16. Ross Chastain

17. Jimmie Johnson

18. Aric Almirola, one lap led

19. Clint Bowyer

20. Kevin Harvick, six laps led

21. Corey LaJoie – OUT, Accident

22. Ty Dillon – OUT, Accident

23. Quin Houff, two laps down

24. Timmy Hill, three laps down

25. Austin Dillon, three laps down

26. Daniel Suarez – OUT, Accident, 19 laps led

27. Joey Logano – OUT, Accident, 36 laps led, Stage 1 & 2 winner

28. Matt Kenseth – OUT, Accident

29. Tyler Reddick – OUT, Accident, one lap led

30. Cole Custer – OUT, Accident

31. Joey Gase, six laps down

32. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – OUT, Accident

33. Kyle Busch – OUT, Accident, 31 laps led

34. Kurt Busch – OUT, Accident, one lap led

35. Erik Jones – OUT, Accident, 15 laps led

36. Ryan Newman – OUT, Accident

37. Ryan Preece – OUT, Accident

38. Josh Bilicki, 13 laps down

39. James Davison – OUT, Accident

40. J.J. Yeley – OUT, Engine

The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs will commence on September 6 at Darlington Raceway for the Cook Out Southern 500. The race will air at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

Chevrolet in NTT IndyCar Series World Wide Technology Raceway Doubleheader: O’Ward scores solid podium finish in Race One

By
Official Release
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PATO O’WARD SCORES PODIUM FINISH
TEAM CHEVY RACE ONE RECAP
NTT INDYCAR SERIES
BOMMARITO AUTOMOTIVE GROUP 500 DOUBLEHEADER
PRESENTED BY AXALTA & VALVOLINE
WORLD WIDE TECHNOLOGY RACEWAY
MADISON, ILLINOIS
AUGUST 29, 2020

TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL FINISHING RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
3rd PATO O’WARD, NO. 5 ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET
6th RINUS VEEKAY, NO. 21 SONAX ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET
9th TONY KANAAN, NO 14 BIG MACHINE VODKA AJ FOYT RACING CHEVROLET
10th CONOR DALY, NO. 59 GALLAGHER CARLIN CHEVROLET
12th JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 1 HITACHI TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET
13th CHARLIE KIMBALL, NO. 4 TRESIBA AJ FOYT RACING CHEVROLET
14th OLIVER ASKEW NO. 7 ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET
17th WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET
19th SIMON PEGENAUD, NO. 22 MENARDS TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET
20th ED CARPENTER, NO. 20 U.S. AIR FORCE ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET

TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL FINISHING RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
1ST Scott Dixon (Honda)
2nd Takuma Sato (Honda)
3rd Pato O’Ward (Chevrolet
4th Colton Herta (Honda)
5th Marcus Ericsson (Honda)

PATO O’WARD TURNS FRONT ROW START INTO PODIUM FINISH

As the 21 year old Pato O’Ward continues his inaugural season behind the wheel of his No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet, he also continues to move closer and closer to his first win. Starting on the outside of the front row, O’Ward led a race-high 94 laps to finish third in Race One of the Doubleheader weekend. O’Ward will start Race Two from the second row with another opportunity to get that first trip to NTT INDYCAR Series Victory Lane.

After a multi-car crash that eliminated several contenders including Team Chevy’s Ed Carpenter and Simon Pagenaud, and a short delay for light rain, the 200 lap race was caution-free as the battle for the Championship ratcheted up to incredible competition.

Rookie Rinus Veekay, No. 21 Sonax Ed Carpenter Racing C hevrolet, was the highest finishing rookie in the race. Tony Kanaan, No. 14 Big Machine Vodka and Conor Daly,, No. 59 Gallagher Carlin Chevrolet finished ninth and 10th respectively to give Chevy four of the top-10.

The NTT IndyCar Series season continues on Sunday, August 30th, with Race #2 of the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 Doubleheader at World Wide Technology Raceway. NBCSN will telecast the event at 3:00 p.m.ET. Live coverage can also be found on Pennzoil INDYCAR Radio Network affiliates, Sirius 211, XM 205, IndyCar.com and on the INDYCAR Mobile app powered by NTT DATA. Live coverage of NTT INDYCAR SERIES qualifying is available on XM 205, IndyCar.com and the INDYCAR Mobile app.

TEAM CHEVY NOTES AND QUOTES:

PATO O’WARD, NO. 5 ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET – Finished 3rd
“I thought we had very strong pace all race. We rolled out of the gates with this Arrow McLaren No. 5 Chevrolet very strong. The guys gave me a very, very strong car right off the bat. It was very consistent throughout the run. But, in the end, I don’t know what these guys do; but (Scott) Dixon obviously got in front of us in the pits and then he left us. And then when I saw Taku (Sato) coming by, I didn’t think he had so much more pace than us. But as soon as he passed us, left us. I was kind of in a race on my own then towards the end trying to defend from (Colton) Herta and Marcus (Ericsson) that was behind him. But we got some very solid points for the championship. We’ll be working for that win tomorrow. Hopefully we can be fighting for it closer to the end of the race.”

WHERE ARE YOU AT NOW COMPARED TO THIS TIME LAST YEAR?
“I think we’re in a fantastic place. I really owe a lot to this Arrow McLaren SP group. They are the ones that gave me the chance. They are the ones that believed in me and ultimately gave me a chance to showcase and to push forward with what we can do. And I truly think we can achieve great things. We’re working on it. But Dixie and Sato, they’ve been in the series so long and they are guys that are not easy to beat. So, we’re just going to keep working at it and I’m sure our win will come, and we just have to keep adding on points. In the end, every point is gold.”

WHAT DID YOU LEARN TODAY THAT MIGHT HELP YOU GET THAT FIRST WIN TOMORROW?
“I think just fine-tune the car a little bit and try to get it a bit more into a window where it can be a little bit easier to drive, especially in the end when you’re really pushing. But you know, I was pretty happy out there. I think we ran a very solid race. Just toward the end is where we kind of just have to look back and really see what happened because I truly thought we had a great pit stop. We had a good in-and-out lap. But apparently, it wasn’t good enough.”

RINUS VEEKAY, NO. 21 SONAX ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET- Finished 6th:
“Stellar race! We were on our way to the podium I think, but that yellow kind of screwed me. I kept my chin up and had a great car to make passes with! The No. 21 SONAX Chevrolet was great in the second lane when there were no marbles. I’ve learned luck really isn’t our thing, but we did the best we could with the circumstances. It did get a little sketchy on the last run, I almost lost it a few times! It was 200 laps of experience today and some good points. I’m very happy and I am looking forward to tomorrow!”

TONY KANAAN, NO 14 BIG MACHINE VODKA AJ FOYT RACING CHEVROLET – Finished 9th:
“Very good result for us. Best result for the team this year. Obviously this place, I had a podium here last year. We have one more tomorrow. Awesome, awesome result. The guys had good pitstops. Thanks to Big Machine Vodka for the help and nice to see some fans in the stands too. Emotional day for me — one more day, so I’ll see if I can sleep tonight. Good day for us.”

CONOR DALY, NO. 59 GALLAGHER CARLIN CHEVROLET – Finished 10th:
“I think we had a great car today in the race with the No. 59 Gallagher Carlin Chevrolet. Qualifying was a bit confusing for us. We aren’t really sure where our pace went, but once we got to the race we were fantastic, strong, and able to pass cars. The rain was a huge factor for us – no idea where that came from. We were making all the right strategy calls and decided to pit a little early to undercut Colton. When we came out of the pits we ran the three fastest laps of the race at that point and then unfortunately there was the yellow for the rain. It just absolutely killed our race and from then on we were really just trying to recover. We were able to still finish in the top 10 which is great for us, but I really think without the rain we could’ve been on the podium or at least in the top five since we were faster than Colton who finished fourth. Thankfully we know we have a fast car and we get another chance tomorrow to do it again.”

JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 1 HITACHI TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET – Finished 12th:
“That was a frustrating race for the Hitachi team. That caution came out totally at the wrong time and we lost all of our track position and everything we’d worked for up to that point. The team had great stops and we gained some positions on each of our first two pit stops. I think without the caution, we would have cycled out in the right position and been up there in the top-three and got to battle it out. Instead, the caution ruined our day and we were just fighting from behind. The Hitachi car was good and Chevy brought some great power. Just nothing you can do when the caution falls. This just makes me more hungry to go out there tomorrow and win the race.”

CHARLIE KIMBALL, NO. 4 TRESIBA AJ FOYT RACING CHEVROLET – Finished 13th:
“I feel pretty good about the race for the No. 4 Tresiba Chevrolet. Went off strategy early, it paid off with the yellow for the little bit of rain, got some track position and was able to hold that track position. On that last stop, the 14 and the 4, we kind of split strategies so it felt really good to see them come in the top 10. We didn’t quite get the top 10 that was there but had the yellow fallen right, we’d have had a really good result. Great strategy, great pitstops all day long. We’ll figure out how to make the car better overnight and do it again tomorrow.”

OLIVER ASKEW, NO. 7 ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET – Finished 14th:
“A really rough start today. Everyone seemed to check up in front of me in the midfield and made some contact with the front wing. Luckily the No. 7 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet crew were able to replace the wing and keep me on the lead lap. Our race was compromised from the start, but we salvaged what we could. I’m looking forward to tomorrow with a better starting position.”

WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET – Finished 17th:
“That was not the race that Verizon, Chevrolet or my team deserved out there today. Our car was pretty good. It was really hard to get close to guys and hard to pass when you got around them. A lot of us were just running the same speed. So when its like that, its all about track position and we lost ours with that caution. The race was over after that. Then we had a tire go down and that was that. We just have to go back after it tomorrow at this point.”

SIMON PAGENAUD, NO. 22 MENARDS TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET – Finished 19th:
“Definitely not fun out there. I just feel sorry for Chevy and for Menards. I think we had a good car today and never even got a chance to really test it for tomorrow. That was a little too much excitement for the start of the race at the back. The front of the pack slowed down, I don’t know if it was the accordion affect or whatever that was. We had to pull out of line and all of a sudden someone hit us from behind. It is what it is, but it’s very unfortunate. You aren’t going to win the race in the first corner. People just need to be more patient. We’ll be back tomorrow.”

ED CARPENTER, NO. 20 U.S. AIR FORCE ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET – Finished 20th:
“I am pretty bummed out. Second race in a row that I’ve been representing one of the Forces, the U.S. Air Force this weekend. I was basically out of the race before it started, also for the second race in a row. Zach Veach is the current theme right now. He obviously didn’t see the yellow flag or the bright yellow car spinning on the track.”

Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.

About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is one of the world’s largest car brands, doing business in more than 100 countries and selling more than 4.0 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with 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.

Dixon scores 50 career wins at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway

By
Briar Starr
-
Photo Courtesy of Chris Owens

Scott Dixon continues to have what is quite possibly the best season of his career to date after claiming the fourth victory of the 2020 NTT IndyCar Series season.

The New Zealander had to hold off Indianapolis 500 winner Takuma Sato in the remaining laps of race No. 1 for the Bommarito 500. Sato had closed the gap inside 20 laps to go and made up the difference within 10 to go. At one point, the 2020 Indy 500 winner was on the back bumper of Dixon but Sato could not make the move he needed to pass. Eventually, Dixon held off Sato for his 50th career IndyCar Series victory and won by 0.1414, the second-closest finish at the World Wide Technology Raceway.

“It’s awesome,” Dixon said. “I can’t thank the PNC Bank crew enough. Superb race all day. Sato was going to be strong at the end, but I didn’t realize how strong he was coming. We were kind of going into a reserve mode, looking after the engine, and he was there with a head of steam. Just so happy for this team. Last week at Indianapolis was a bit of a bummer. So, it was nice to get a win. Fifty – that sounds awesome. We’ve got to keep on truckin’ and get a few more. But I can’t thank Honda and HPD enough. I’m proud to be powered by them and what they’ve done, especially this year, is just phenomenal, and how quick their cars have been. This is just awesome.”

With threatening weather in the area, series officials had bumped the race up a few minutes prior to the original command, which was slated for 2:40 p.m. local time. Instead, the green flag flew at 2:35 p.m. local time.

However, the initial green flag didn’t really work out as there was carnage on the first lap. When the green flag flew, several cars piled into the back of each other. The incident was caused by the No. 55 of Alex Palou and the No. 7 of Oliver Askew, who jumped out of line early, and caused a collision. Drivers involved in the wreck were Alexander Rossi, Zach Veach, Simon Pagenaud, Conor Daly, Ed Carpenter, Marco Andretti, Marcus Ericsson, and Pato O’ Ward.

Due to causing the accident, Palou and Askew were penalized for avoidable contact and were sent to the rear for the Lap 13 restart.

Finally, after 12 laps of caution, the green flag flew on Lap 13. Only one driver was able to break away from the field and that was the No. 12 Verizon Chevy of Will Power. Power led through the first round of pit stops before eventually pitting on Lap 62. The first round of green-flag pit stops lasted until Lap 70 when Aarow McLaren driver Pato O’Ward emerged as the new race leader after beating Power out of the pits. O’Ward led second-place Dixon by about 2.5 seconds.

When the green-flag stops were completed, Pagenaud was out of his car on Lap 74 due to early damage from the Lap 1 crash. Unfortunately for Pagenaud, he would be credited with a 19th place finish.

For a while, no driver was a match for the Spaniard, as O’Ward had a steady pace of two seconds over Dixon with the race approaching the halfway point. When the halfway point came, drivers began making more pit stops. However, the second caution of the race flew on Lap 108 for weather in the area. Due to the unfortunate timing, Power, Askew, VeeKay, Harvey, Daly, Hunter-Reay were caught a lap down during the pit stop cycle when the yellow came out.

There was some concern in O’Ward’s pits, as had the race continued to run under the yellow flag, he would run out of fuel while leading the race. Thankfully, the light moisture that prompted the yellow, moved out of the area and allowed the race leaders to pit under the caution flag.

The next restart came on Lap 121 with O’Ward and Dixon making up the front row. O’Ward held Dixon to a gap of 1.2 seconds. As the race went on, Dixon started to cut the gap down to as little as 0.5545 seconds on Lap 150.

The changing moment of the race was during the final cycle of stops at lap 162. This was when race leaders O’Ward and Dixon were on pit road. O’Ward’s pit box was a little further back then Dixon’s, as Dixon had the No. 1 pit box which allowed him to have an easy out. When both team’s pit stops were complete, it was Dixon who beat O’Ward off of pit road.

However, Indy 500 winner Takuma Sato was utilizing a different strategy by staying out and trapping Dixon and O’Ward a lap down so that Sato could at least have a chance of another victory. His plan almost worked out until his final stop on Lap 174, when the pit crew was slow on the left-front, thus causing him to lose valuable time on the racetrack.

Once Sato left the pits, Dixon took the lead and was looking for another checkered flag. But the victory wasn’t all that easy for the Chip Ganassi Racing driver. Sato made a thrilling pass on O’Ward with 21 to go for second-place.

From there, Sato began his chase to win for a second consecutive week. The closest Sato could ever get to Dixon’s back bumper was 0.3333 seconds with just two to go.

Nevertheless, Dixon held off a hard-charging Sato to continue his dominant 2020 season and achieving his first career win at the World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway. O’Ward, Herta, and Ericsson rounded out the top five in the running order.

By scoring 50 wins, Dixon is now third on the All-Time IndyCar wins list. He also increased his championship points lead by 117 points over second-place Josef Newgarden.

There were two cautions for 25 laps and six lead changes among seven different leaders.

Official Results following Race No. 1 at the World Wide Technology Raceway from Gateway.

  1. Scott Dixon, led 28 laps
  2. Takuma Sato, led 14 laps
  3. Pato O’Ward, led 94 laps
  4. Colton Herta
  5. Marcus Ericsson
  6. Rinus VeeKay
  7. Ryan Hunter-Reay
  8. Felix Rosenqvist, led one lap
  9. Tony Kanaan
  10. Conor Daly
  11. Jack Harvey
  12. Josef Newgarden
  13. Charlie Kimball
  14. Oliver Askew
  15. Alex Palou
  16. Santino Ferrccui
  17. Will Power, 2 laps down, led 61 laps
  18. Graham Rahal, OUT, Mechanical
  19. Simon Pagenaud, OUT, Contact
  20. Ed Carpenter, OUT, Contact
  21. Zach Veach, OUT, Contact
  22. Alexander Rossi, OUT, Contact
  23. Marco Andretti, OUT, Contact

Up Next: The NTT IndyCar Series will remain at Gateway as part of the double header weekend with race No. 2 scheduled for 2:45 p.m./local time on Sunday afternoon live on NBCSN. Takuma Sato earned the pole position earlier today on lap 2 of qualifying, which set the lineup for Sunday’s race. Saturday race winner Scott Dixon, will start six.

CarParts.com Gives Fans Chance to Win All-Star Bumper

By
Official Release
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Sweepstakes Now Open to Offer Piece of Racing History

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (August 29, 2020) – CarParts.com, the e-commerce auto parts company that recently donated over $40,000 to charity after becoming the owner of the No. 43 bumper off the car driven by Darrell “Bubba” Wallace, Jr., is now hosting a fans-only sweepstakes of the historic memento.

Fans can now go to for their opportunity to win the bumper that is signed by Michael McDowell and Wallace.

CarParts.com was the winning bidder of a NASCAR Foundation auction of the bumper after it was donated by McDowell and Front Row Motorsports. CarParts.com made a winning bid of $20,034, with all proceeds benefiting Motor Racing Outreach (MRO). CarParts.com then made an additional donation of $20,043 to Victory Junction in honor of Wallace and Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM). Now, coming full circle, CarParts.com is giving a fan the opportunity to own the bumper.

“We feel there is no better owner of the All-Star bumper than a fan,” said Lev Peker, CEO of CarParts.com. “The fans are the heart, soul and driving factor of NASCAR. Their passion is unmatched and it’s only fitting that we host a fan-only sweepstakes after Michael and Bubba came together to sign the bumper. We hope this makes for a fun and prized possession for the lucky winner.”

CarParts.com is the tech-forward company with a fast, easy-to-use website that improves the way drivers shop for the parts they need. The e-commerce business offers an easy-to-navigate, mobile-friendly website and a 90-day return policy that assures customers they will get the right parts, guaranteed. The company has delivered over 50 million parts across America.

“This is the fans’ chance to own a cool piece of history from the Bristol All-Star race, thanks to CarParts.com,” said McDowell. “So much good has come out of the bumper, and now a fan will finally own it. I can’t thank CarParts.com enough for doing this.”

The sweepstakes will end on September 6.

About CarParts.com
With over 50 million parts delivered, CarParts.com has helped drivers across the contiguous United States keep their vehicles on the road. Leveraging our company-owned national DC network, we bring the very best brands and manufacturers directly to consumer hands, cutting out unnecessary costs to provide quality parts at a discount. Combined with our 90-day returns and intuitive mobile experience, CarParts.com makes it simple for customers to get the parts they need delivered straight to their door.

CarParts.com is headquartered in Torrance, California.

About Front Row Motorsports
Front Row Motorsports (FRM) is a winning organization in the NASCAR Cup Series. The team was founded in 2004 and is owned by successful entrepreneur, Bob Jenkins. FRM fields two full-time entries – the No. 34 of Michael McDowell and the No. 38 of John Hunter Nemechek – from its Mooresville, N.C., headquarters just outside of Charlotte. In 2020, the team announced an expansion to include the No. 38 Ford F-150 in the NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series, driven by Todd Gilliland. Visit teamfrm.com and follow FRM on social media: Twitter at @Team_FRM, Instagram at @team_frm and Facebook at facebook.com/FrontRowMotorsports.

About Richard Petty Motorsports
A performance and marketing driven company, Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM), co-owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty and successful business entrepreneur Andrew Murstein, is one of the most recognized brands in all of motorsports. RPM is the winningest team in NASCAR Cup history with 273 wins and has business partnerships with national and global leaders. Today the race operation fields the famed No. 43 in the NASCAR Cup Series with driver Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. The team is headquartered in Welcome, N.C. and is supported by primary partners United States Air Force and World Wide Technology (WWT).

For additional information, news and the latest updates, please visit www.richardpettymotorsports.com or connect with RPM on Facebook (Richard Petty Motorsports), Twitter (@RPMotorsports) or Instagram (@richardpettymotorsports).

Justin Haley emerges with win in wild finish in Wawa 250 at Daytona International Speedway

By
Official Release
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Haley beneficiary of last-lap wreck between Kaulig Racing teammates

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Aug. 28, 2020) – A year ago, Justin Haley won the NASCAR Cup Series Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway in improbable fashion, having been declared the winner in a race that was cut short due to inclement weather.  Friday, he won the NASCAR Xfinity Series Wawa 250 At DAYTONA in a manner that was almost as unexpected.

Haley, driver of the No. 11 Chevrolet for Kaulig Racing, was running fourth as the pack of cars headed through turns three and four on the final lap. His Kaulig teammates – AJ Allmendinger and Ross Chastain – were running 1-2 when Chastain tried to pass Allmendinger for the lead. Instead, Chastain tagged the left rear of his teammate, sending both cars into the wall as Haley surged past to take the checkered flag. It’s his second straight triumph on a Super Superspeedway, winning at Talladega in June.

“It was an amazing effort by Kaulig Racing,” Haley said.  “I hate that AJ and Ross got together.  Matt Kaulig (Owner) and Chris Rice (President) have built a team and a family.  We all work as one.

“We got a little lucky.  I was a little frustrated, but that’s why you never give up.  These things are so unpredictable.  It was an incredible effort by everyone here today.”

While Chastain certainly felt bad about affecting Allmendinger’s opportunity for the win, the driver from nearby Alva, Florida has a singular mindset.

“It’s terrible to run into your teammate like that,” Chastain said.  “It’s unfortunate.  I did everything right all night.  We just have to win.  On the last lap I don’t back down. I’m going for the win.  Coming to the checkered flag what am I supposed to do?  Finish second?  Not this guy.”

Gray Gaulding, who was running a one-off race for Chevrolet, also benefitted from the last-lap mishap and finished second.

“I played offense all night and came here to win,” an excited Gaulding said afterwards.  “I just came up one spot short – just to have a shot to win at Daytona.  I’m a kid from a small town (Colonial Heights, Va.) who sat in the grandstands and dreamed about being here.  I’m so appreciative.”

Chase Briscoe (3rd), rookie Riley Herbst (4th) and rookie Harrison Burton (5th) completed the top-5.  Chastain recovered to finish sixth while Allmendinger fell to 15th. NASCAR Xfinity Series championship points leader, Austin Cindric, was eighth and maintains a 58-point lead over Briscoe.

The complexion of the race was altered drastically on lap 41 when a multi-car wreck collected 13 cars. This included a pair of pre-race favorites in Noah Gragson and Brandon Jones, who ranked 3rd and 9th in the points standings entering the race.  Just one lap after taking the green flag following the caution, Justin Allgaier – winner of last Saturday’s Xfinity Series race in Dover – exited the event after being involved in a six-car incident.  They were two of seven caution flags that were brought out before the conclusion of Stage 2. 

Haley won Stage 1 of the race while Allmendinger claimed Stage 2. There were nine lead changes among seven drivers and eight cautions for a total of 28 laps.

The August race weekend at Daytona International Speedway will conclude on Saturday with the running of the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at 7:30 pm (NBC), the last-chance race to make the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. William Byron sits on the bubble in the 16th and final playoff spot, just 4 points ahead of his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Jimmie Johnson, a three-time DAYTONA winner.

A limited number of fans will get the opportunity to see the much-anticipated regular season finale. Fans can get tickets, which start at $49 (both races included) for adults and $10 for kids 12 years old and younger, by visiting www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or calling 1-800-PIT-SHOP. It marks the first time in history that the summertime classic, normally run around July 4th since 1959, will serve as the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff cut-off race.

Fans can stay connected with Daytona International Speedway on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, and by downloading Daytona International Speedway’s mobile app, for the latest Speedway news throughout the season.

About Daytona International Speedway
Daytona International Speedway is a state-of-the-art motorsports facility and was awarded the SportsBusiness Journal’s prestigious Sports Business Award for Sports Facility of the Year in 2016. Daytona International Speedway is the home of “The Great American Race” – the DAYTONA 500. Though the season-opening NASCAR Cup Series event garners most of the attention – as well as the largest audience in motorsports – the approximately 500-acre motorsports complex, also known as the “World Center of Racing,” boasts the most diverse schedule of racing on the globe. In addition to at least nine major event weekends, the Speedway grounds are also used extensively for events that include concerts, civic and social gatherings, car shows, photo shoots, production vehicle testing and police motorcycle training.

Toyota Racing NXS Post-Race Recap — Daytona 8.28.20

By
Official Release
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HERBST, BURTON SCORE TOP-FIVE FINISHES IN DAYTONA
Riley Herbst scores career-best Xfinity Series superspeedway finish

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida (August 28, 2020) – Riley Herbst (fourth) and Harrison Burton (fifth) drove to top-five finishes to lead Toyota in the WaWa 250 at the Daytona International Speedway on Friday evening.

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS)
Daytona International Speedway
Race 22 of 33 – 250 miles, 100 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Justin Haley*
2nd, Grey Gaulding*
3rd, Chase Briscoe*
4th, RILEY HERBST
5th, HARRISON BURTON
11th, VINNIE MILLER
13th, BRANDON JONES
16th, MATT MILLS
22nd, TIMMY HILL
25th, CHAD FINCHUM
28th, JOEY GASE
35th, JOHN JACKSON
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

RILEY HERBST, No. 18 Monster Energy Toyota Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 4th

How were you able to come back from the penalty to a fourth-place finish?

“I just think it speaks to the resilience of everybody at Joe Gibbs Racing. We definitely had an up and down day. Got bailed out there with the competition caution and we worked our way back up to the front. Just didn’t have the speed that we needed in our Supras to compete with the Kaulig cars, but we’ll go back to work on the Monster Energy Supra for Talladega.”

HARRISON BURTON, No. 20 DEX Imaging Toyota Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 5th

How did the race unfold for you?

“We weren’t as good as we wanted to be honestly. We really struggled with some balance issues. I couldn’t wrap the line on the bottom. I would get really, really, really tight and that hurt me quite a bit I think on momentum and being able to be aggressive on the bottom especially. We worked together the best we ever have as a team, I just think we didn’t have the best cars we’ve ever had as a team here at Daytona. It was a great learning experience. I think our whole team got better from it and hopefully it will pay dividends in the Playoffs for us.”

# # #

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.

What you need to know about Honda Shuttle 1.5G

By
SM
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For years, the automotive industry has been focusing on improving the quality of vehicles. Unfortunately, buying a new or used car remains an intimidating experience. 

You see, there are many car salespeople out there who may pressure you to buy a specific car, so it’s important to have a lot of information about a car you’re interested in. With such information, you can have peace of mind knowing that you have the right tools to negotiate for the right car. This article will explain what you need to know about Honda Shuttle 1.5G. 

What is a Honda Shuttle 1.5G?

Honda Shuttle 1.5G can provide you with lots of fun while also offering practicality and space. The Honda Shuttle was launched after seeing the success of Honda Fit. If you desire to have a stylish and modern appearance, perhaps the Honda Shuttle is your best option. It has sharp lines that are carefully weighted without going beyond your good taste. 

This car features a 1.5L I-VTEC and has 97 kW (130bhp) as well as 155 Nm of torque. The truth is that this is a well-tested engine that can push its body to 100 in just 8.5 seconds and can go up to 185km/h. 

Even better, it has an efficient CVT gearbox and engine that allows it to consume fuel of about 21.8 km/l. With the CVT, it provides smooth acceleration and contributes to fuel efficiency. Therefore, you can change from low speed to high speed with experiencing a shift shock.

Besides this, the Honda Shuttle’s floor is flat and it doesn’t have a transmission funnel, enabling it to have plenty of room for the passengers sitting in the rear. With the boot capacity of about 470L, you can rest assured that its space is enough to store most of your precious belongings. 

That said, it’s rear seat can split 60/40 and you can also fold them to provide the car with extra space. Think about this, the Honda Shuttle also has a low load lip, meaning this is one of the most practical cars you can ever buy. Now you may be wondering exactly what the price of Honda Shuttle is. Well, the price of the Honda Shuttle 1.5G is listed at Vin’s Automotive.

Honda Shuttle’s key features

The outside features of the Honda Shuttle are awe-inspiring. It shares few features with the Honda Fit, such as front wings, front doors, and the wing mirrors. The rest of the features are unique as it has front fascia which includes LED headlights, daytime running lights, and Honda’s winged grille that runs into the headlights. 

Also, it’s exterior has a smooth roofline as well as a lower body that emphasizes its solid structure. No wonder, with the Shuttle, Honda has manufactured a stylish car that combines stylish and dynamics. 

When it comes to interior features, everything is top quality. The places that you can often see or touch are made up of high-quality materials. The materials used include chrome plating done on the air conditioner outlet and wood-grained garnish that is on the instrument panel. 

Along the sides of the Honda Shuttle, you will see strong creases placed on the doors designed to express its side profile. The chrome roof rails are not only classy but also practical to touch. 

This car has a ground-up design that is known for being less fussy than the Honda Fit. It has also a chunky rear end and a chrome strip that goes from the boot to join the rear lights. These rear lights are modern LED lights that look appealing in the dark. 

The Shuttle’s cabin

The inside of the Honda Shuttle is also quite similar to that of the Honda Fit. After all, most of the interior panels of the Shuttle are derived from the Fit’s parts bin. Therefore, the door cards, seats, steering wheel, and many other cabin parts like air conditioning vents are the same as those you can find in the Fit. 

However, the major difference is in a few nice components. For example, a Shuttle has touch-sensitive automatic climate control and the center console located between the front passenger and driver. This console is designed to offer an armrest, a raised gear lever position, a deep cubbyhole, and even another cubbyhole under the gear lever. 

As you can see, the cabin has plenty to offer in terms of niceties. Best of all, these features are tough and durable, and it has brushed metallic-effect trim pieces placed on the dash and doors, which can be pretty nice in lifting the cabin’s atmosphere. This is the reason why many owners of Honda Shuttle think that the cabin feels more expensive than the car’s buying price.

Perhaps the biggest benefit of the cabin is its practicality. Now, you will find out that the Shuttle has versatile Ultra seats, so you can fold flat the rear seats to create more loading space from the boot. By folding the front passenger seats backward, you can also increase the loading space further. 

Aside from this, it has a seat base that you can fold up to make a bigger loading room suitable for upright things, such as plants. The cargo space for the shuttle is also large because, under the boot, you can find a reasonable space for extra storage. Here, you can store items like car care products and your shoes. 

Performance on the road

You can experience the Shuttle’s handling finesse and its overall performance when driving it. You wouldn’t be wrong to conclude that the Shuttle can be one of the best hatchbacks to drive. This car is light, it has responsive controls, and excellent all-round visibility. 

Its 1.5-liter engine gives a great performance of 130bhp and 155Nm torque. Many people feel that most CVT gearboxes can affect your driving experience, but the Shuttle can give perfect engine performance and drives effectively on the road. 

All these features give you the reliability and performance that you need while driving. As a result, it’s easy for you to feel attached to this car once you buy it. Above all, it’s also suitable for novices and it’s a great and affordable family car. So if you want to have a practical family car or just a station wagon, it should be on your shopping list.

Haley notches a thrilling win at Daytona

By
Andrew Kim
-
Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images.

At the start of the final lap of the Wawa 250 Powered by Coca-Cola at Daytona International Speedway, all three Kaulig Racing competitors led by A.J. Allmendinger and followed by Ross Chastain and Justin Haley were running at the front with an opportunity to win. When the checkered flag flew, two Kaulig competitors made contact and wrecked while the third competitor, Haley, escaped the carnage on the final lap to win at Daytona.

The victory was Haley’s second of his Xfinity Series career, second of this season after winning his first Xfinity career race at Talladega Superspeedway in June and the fifth NASCAR win overall for Kaulig Racing.

The starting lineup was based on three statistical categories: current owner points standings, the results from a previous Xfinity race and the fastest lap from a previous Xfinity race. With that, Chase Briscoe, coming off his victory at Dover International Speedway in part of a doubleheader weekend, started on pole position and was joined on the front row with Ross Chastain. 

Rookie Riley Herbst was the only competitor to drop to the rear of the field due to an improperly mounted ballast discovered from his No. 18 Monster Energy Toyota Supra during the pre-race technical inspection, resulting in his car chief being ejected. In addition, he was assessed a pass-through penalty at the start of the race. Ryan Sieg, Josh Williams and Tim Viens retained their starting spots, but they all lost a pit stall selection for next weekend’s series race at Darlington Raceway due to multiple pre-race technical failures.

When the green flag waved and the race started, Briscoe received a push from Austin Cindric at the start to jump to an early lead. The top-eight competitors led by Briscoe ran in a single-file lane following by a bevy of competitors racing in double lanes for one lap around the superspeedway venue as Briscoe led the first lap.

The following lap, with Briscoe still leading, Cindric settled in second followed by Kaulig Racing’s Ross Chastain and Justin Haley while Joe Gibbs Racing’s Brandon Jones and Harrison Burton were running inside the top six. Anthony Alfredo was in seventh place ahead of Brandon Brown, Alex Labbe and Brett Moffitt while JR Motorsports’ four-car lineup led by Noah Gragson and including Justin Allgaier, Daniel Hemric and Michael Annett were running inside the top 16.

By the fifth lap, Briscoe was still leading Cindric, Chastain and a bevy of cars racing in a single-file lane followed by a scattered pack racing in two lanes. Trailing the lead pack by more than 34 seconds was Herbst following his opening lap penalty.

Shortly after, the first caution of the race flew when rookie Joe Graf Jr. spun across the tri-oval/frontstretch, made contact with the outside wall and damaged his car following contact with Jeffrey Earnhardt as Caesar Bacarella also sustained damage. Following his incident, Graf was limping his No. 08 Bucked Up Chevrolet Camaro back to pit road when the right-rear tire on his car shredded and left a multitude of debris scattered across Turn 2. The shredded right-rear tire and the damage to the right side of Graf’s car also left his car beyond repairable to continue.

Following the incident, NASCAR declared the caution involving Graf, Earnhardt and Bacarella as the competition caution originally planned on the 10th lap. Under caution, few like Moffitt, Earnhardt, A.J. Allmendinger, Chad Finchum, Ryan Sieg and Herbst pitted while the rest led by Briscoe remained on track.

When the race restarted under green on Lap 11, Briscoe jumped ahead on the outside lane and moved in front of Cindric’s No. 22 Odyssey Battery Ford Mustang on the inside lane to retain the lead through Turn 1. Entering Turn 2, however, Haley made a charge on the outside lane and started to battle with Cindric for the runner-up spot. 

A lap later, just as Haley started to mount a challenge on Briscoe and Cindric for the lead, a rough start became worse for Bacarella as he wrecked on the backstretch and sustained heavy damage to the front nose of his No. 90 Alpha Prime/Maxim Chevrolet, thus brining out the second caution of the race. In addition, John Jackson was slowly limping back to pit road.

Under caution, some like teammates Gragson, Hemric, Allgaier and Annett along with Moffitt, Allmendinger and Sieg pitted while the rest led by Briscoe remained on the track.

The race restarted under green on Lap 17, and Briscoe jumped ahead and moved in front of Cindric with the lead again. In Turn 1, Burton mounted a challenge on the outside lane as he and Briscoe battled dead even for the lead. When the field returned to the tri-oval, Briscoe and his No. 98 Ford Performance Racing School Ford Mustang were ahead by a nose over Burton and his No. 20 Dex Imaging Toyota Supra with the entire pack running close behind the leaders.

Two laps later, on Lap 20, Briscoe, who has led every lap thus far, was still ahead with the lead and in front of Cindric, Haley, Chastain, Alfredo and Brown. Not long after, Gragson, fresh off a one-year contract extension with JR Motorsports, started to move into the top five on the outside lane with his three teammates (Allgaier, Hemric and Annett) tucked behind. 

On Lap 23, Haley emerged with the lead followed by teammate Chastain and Alfredo while Briscoe fell back to fourth place alongside Brown. 

While the battling for the lead continued to intensify, the caution returned a lap later for an accident in Turn 1 involving Earnhardt, teammate B.J. McLeod and Kody Vanderwal, who came to rest below the Turn 1 infield grass with the hood raised above his No. 52 The Swag Spot Chevrolet. 

Under caution, some like Alfredo, Labbe, rookie Jesse Little, Myatt Snider, Josh Williams, Timmy Hill, Sieg and Allmendinger pitted while the rest led by teammates Haley and Chastain remained on track.

For the conclusion of the first stage, the field restarted under green for a one-lap shootout. At the start, Haley and his No. 11 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet Camaro jumped ahead and moved in front of teammate Chastain on the inside lane while retaining the lead. In addition, he pulled away in Turn 1 before Cindric and Chastain came charging along with the pack through Turns 2 and 3. Despite the run, Haley was able to fend off the field to win the first stage on Lap 30 and for his third stage victory of the season. Chastain settled in second place followed by Cindric, Brown and Briscoe while Herbst, Gragson, Allgaier, Jones and Hemric were scored in the top 10.

Under the stage break, the majority of the leaders pitted and Chastain emerged with the lead ahead of Briscoe and Haley. Following the pit stops, however, a number of competitors led by Hill, Labbe, Allmendinger, Williams, Moffitt, Sieg and Snider remained on track to occupy the top-seven positions.

The second stage started on Lap 34 with Hill leading as Allmendinger quickly made his way to second place. Back in seventh place in Turn 2 while also gaining a draft back to the front was Chastain with teammate Haley and Cindric also making their move back to the front. With the competitors running close to one another in a pack, Allmendinger made his way into the lead followed by teammates Chastain and Haley on Lap 36.

On Lap 40, with Allmendinger continuing to lead teammates Chastain and Haley followed by Cindric, the caution flew when contact from Briscoe and Jones, who was turning across the nose of Briscoe’s No. 98 Ford in Turn 3, resulted in Jones being spinning sideways as a multi-car erupted in Turn 4. The accident involved all four competitors from JR Motorsports (Gragson, Hemric, Allgaier and Annett) along with Moffitt, Labbe, Brown, Alfredo, Snider, Colby Howard and Tommy Joe Martins. 

When the race restarted on Lap 45, Allmendinger retained the lead on the inside lane followed by Cindric and Chastain. Shortly after, the caution returned for a multi-car wreck in Turn 3 when Allgaier, who was trying to continue after being involved in the first multi-car wreck, spun after cutting a tire and triggered another multi-car wreck that involved Labbe, Joey Gase, Snider, Brown and Jeremy Clements. Following the wreck, the race was red-flagged for more than 11 minutes while the safety workers cleaned up the carnage area in Turn 3.

When the race resumed under cautious pace and under green near the 50th lap, Allmendinger and Cindric battled for the lead through Turns 1 and 2. By then, Brown retired in the garage. Allmendinger, nonetheless, was able to retain the lead with his teammates Chastain and Haley tucked right behind. Meanwhile, Cindric dropped out of the top five after receiving no drafting help on the outside lane. 

At the halfway mark, Lap 50, Allmendinger and his No. 16 Ellsworth Advisors Chevrolet Camaro were still leading teammates Chastain and Haley followed by Herbst and Burton. A few laps later, the caution returned due to debris on the backstretch. Under caution, some like Chastain, Allmendinger, Haley and Hemric pitted while others led by teammates Herbst and Burton remained on track.

With five laps remaining in the second stage, Herbst moved in front of teammate Burton to emerge with the lead. Behind, Cindric, Allmendinger and Chastain wasted no time carving their way back to the front. The following lap, Gray Gaulding and his No. 07 Walk-Ons.com Chevrolet Camaro owned by Bobby Dotter started to challenge Herbst for the lead with Allmendinger behind.

With three laps remaining in the stage, Gaulding emerged with the lead while Allmendinger started to challenge Herbst for second place on the outside lane. On the final lap of the stage, with his Kaulig Racing teammates tucked behind him, Allmendinger was able to pass Gaulding on the backstretch and hold on to win the stage for his second stage victory of the season and the fourth of his career. Teammate Chastain muscled his way to second place followed by teammate Haley, Gaulding and Annett. Herbst, Burton, Briscoe, Cindric and Sieg settled in the top 10. By then, 25 competitors were running on the lead lap. In addition, names like Justin Allgaier, Noah Gragson, Brett Moffitt and Brandon Brown were out of the race.

Under the stage break, some like teammates Allmendinger, Chastain, Haley and Sieg remained on track while the rest led by Gaulding, Cindric and Briscoe pitted.

With less than 40 laps remaining, the final stage commenced under green and Allmendinger moved in front of teammates Chastain and Haley to retain the lead. While Allmendinger and Chastain managed to clear the field, Haley was locked in a battle for third place with Sieg. Not long after, Sieg was black-flagged due to having a rear bumper cover loose on his No. 39 CMRroofing.com Chevrolet. 

Remaining on track for three laps, Sieg made the turn to pit road to have the bumper cover addressed. At the same time, Hemric was also black-flagged to have a rear bumper replaced and addressed on his No. 8 Poppy Bank Chevrolet. Following his stop, however, Hemric was assessed a drive-through penalty on pit road for having too many crew members over the wall during his service.

With 30 laps remaining and with the laps continuing to wind down, Allmendinger and his No. 16 Ellsworth Advisors Chevrolet Camaro continued to lead a 10-car breakaway running in a single-file lane. Teammates Chastain and Haley were in second and third followed by Briscoe, Josh Williams and Cindric. Annett, the lone JR Motorsports competitors in the top 10, was in seventh followed by Herbst, Burton and Gaulding.

Five laps later, Allmendinger was still ahead of a 10-car breakaway followed by teammates Chastain and Haley while rookie Jesse Little, running in 11th place and leading the next wave of cars, was trailing by nine seconds. Another five laps later, with 20 laps remaining, Allmendinger continued to lead teammates Chastain and Haley, though all three Kaulig Racing Chevrolets were in question about having enough fuel to complete the race to its distance compared to their challengers behind them.

Under 15 laps remaining, the top-10 competitors led by Allmendinger were separated by nearly four seconds while the 11th-place car led by Little was trailing by 20 seconds. Five laps later and with 10 laps remaining, the following competitors of Cindric, Briscoe, Annett and Herbst overtook Haley for position while Allmendinger and Chastain continued to lead. By then, 16 competitors were running on the lead lap and the top-nine competitors were ahead of 10th-place Williams by nearly 10 seconds.

With five laps remaining and the top-nine competitors at the front still settling in a single-file line, nose to nose and bumper to bumper, Allmendinger was leading teammate Chastain while Cindric and Briscoe were behind.

With two laps remaining, entering Turn 1, Chastain and Briscoe attempted to pull beneath Allmendinger for the lead, but Allmendinger kept his car ahead of the pack after blocking the run. Chastain and his No. 10 Nutrien Ag Solutions Chevrolet Camaro remained in second while Briscoe fell back to seventh. 

When the final lap of the race started, Allmendinger was still leading and blocking Chastain, Cindric and Haley. Entering Turn 3, Chastain gained a run through Turn 2 and he attempted to make a move beneath Allmendinger for the lead and the win. Chastain ended up giving his teammate a bump in the turn that turned Allmendinger sideways as he spun with a multi-car wreck erupting that collected Chastain, Annett and Cindric. 

In the midst of the wreck, Haley dodged the carnage involving his teammates and came out on top as he was able to cruise across the finish line to grab a thrilling victory at Daytona.

The victory was Haley’s second at Daytona after he won his first NASCAR Cup Series race at Daytona last July in a rain-shortened race while driving for Spire Motorsports. Including his three NASCAR Truck Series career victories in 2018, Haley has won six races across NASCAR’s three major division series. In addition, Haley’s last three victories across NASCAR have occurred on superspeedway venues.

“An amazing effort by Kaulig Racing,” Haley said on the frontstretch on NBCSN. “Obviously, I hate that A.J. and Ross got together there. As you guys at home can see, [team owner] Matt Kaulig, [team president] Chris Rice, we built a team and a family. We all work as one. Extremely proud of this LeafFilter Gutter Protection crew. [I] Can’t believe it. Two superspeedway wins in a row. Gotta say something for [spotter] Kevin Hamlin on the booth, too. Just a little lucky there. We got shoved out and I was a little frustrated, but that’s why you never give up. These things are so unpredictable. An incredible effort today. We swept everything [stages and race win]. Extremely proud of everyone.”

Haley’s victory at Daytona was also redemption from the Xfinity Series race at Daytona in July 2018, where Haley, driving for GMS Racing, made a bold three-wide pass for the win on Kyle Larson and Elliott Sadler entering the tri-oval for the win. While he was able to clear both competitors and streak across the finish line in first place, he completed his pass with his left-side tires crossing beneath the double yellow line zone. As a result, Haley was disqualified and demoted back to the last car on the lead lap while Larson was awarded the win.

“[I] Parked it right here on the double yellow line [area] where I went down too low about two years ago in a Xfinity race,” Haley added. “A little humor there.”

Behind Haley, Gray Gaulding tied his career-best result of second place in his 43rd series start followed by Briscoe, Herbst and Burton. Chastain, Annett and Cindric limped across the line in sixth, seventh and eighth while Williams and Little finished in the top 10. Allmendinger, who was unable to limp his car back to the finish line, ended his race in 15th place.

Following the race, Allmendinger made the mandatory post-race trip to the infield care center. Both Kaulig Racing teammates, at the end, expressed no ill will towards one another with Chastain defending his move and attempt to win to lock himself into the Xfinity Playoffs.

“Hopefully, we get some good ratings on that one,” Chastain said on pit road on NBCSN. “Terrible to run into your teammate like that. It must be my fault, though. It’s unfortunate, we did everything right all night. Man, we just got to win. This No. 10 car, Nutrien Ag Solutions. [I] Did everything right to be the best teammate I could. I haven’t always been. Last lap, I don’t back down and I’m gonna go for it. If I wasn’t there, if I watch the replay, but he got turned, so it wasn’t completely into the bumper. I hate it, man! It’s not gonna help me moving forward. It doesn’t matter how many races each of us run. We’re supposed to go for the win. Team rules the last 10 laps, and we all stayed committed. I hated that Justin got shoved out there with 10 or five [laps] to go. Coming to the checkered, what am I supposed to do? Just finish second? Not this guy.”

“It’s the way it is,” Allmendinger added in the infield care center on NBCSN. “We’re proud of everybody at Kaulig Racing for building really fast Chevys. [I] Wanted to do everything I could to get that Ellsworth Advisors Chevy in Victory Lane. I try to take care of my teammates, but it is what it is. It’s for the win. Ross is going for the championship and going for a win there. I saw him get low and I thought he’d, maybe, take care of me a little bit, considering I was there. He’s going for the win. It is what it is. It’s just disappointing. We were gonna have another 1-2-3 Kaulig finish at Daytona. It’s part of life, it’s racing. More importantly, congrats to my little bro, Justin Haley, and at least getting a Kaulig Racing Chevy in Victory Lane. That’s the most important thing. We’re bringing more trophies home for Matt Kaulig and that’s all that matters. He’s going for the win. I get it.”

There were nine lead changes for seven different leaders. The race featured eight cautions for 28 laps.

With his top-10 result, Cindric continues to lead the regular-season series standings by 58 points over Briscoe.

Results.

1. Justin Haley, nine laps led, Stage 1 winner

2. Gray Gaulding, two laps led

3. Chase Briscoe, 22 laps led

4. Riley Herbst, four laps led

5. Harrison Burton

6. Ross Chastain, one lap led

7. Michael Annett

8. Austin Cindric

9. Josh Williams

10. Jesse Little

11. Vinnie Miller

12. Colby Howard

13. Brandon Jones

14. Tommy Joe Martins

15. A.J. Allmendinger – OUT, Accident, 58 laps led, Stage 2 winner

16. Matt Mills, one lap down

17. Mike Harmon, one lap down

18. Tim Viens, one lap down

19. Myatt Snider, one lap down

20. Jeremy Clements, two laps down

21. Anthony Alfredo, two laps down

22. Timmy Hill, three laps down, four laps led

23. Ryan Sieg, four laps down

24. Daniel Hemric, eight laps down

25. Chad Finchum – OUT, Engine

26. Brandon Brown – OUT, Dvp

27. Brett Moffitt – OUT, Accident

28. Joey Gase – OUT, Dvp

29. Justin Allgaier – OUT, Accident

30. Alex Labbe – OUT, Accident

31. Noah Gragson – OUT, Accident

32. B.J. McLeod – OUT, Accident

33. Jeffrey Earnhardt – OUT, Accident

34. Kody Vanderwal – OUT, Accident

35. John Jackson – OUT, Handling

36. Caesar Bacarella – OUT, Accident

37. Joe Graf Jr. – OUT, Accident.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series will run its next scheduled race at Darlington Raceway on September 5 at 12:30 p.m. ET on NBC. 

O’Ward Paces Practice for Bommarito Automotive Group 500

By
Official Release
-

MADISON, Ill. (Friday, Aug. 28, 2020) – Pato O’Ward continued his impressive first full season in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES on Friday, leading practice for the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 Doubleheader at World Wide Technology Raceway.

O’Ward turned a top lap of 24.7890 seconds, 181.532 mph on the 1.25-mile oval in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet. This is O’Ward’s first NTT INDYCAR SERIES start at WWTR, as he ran only a partial schedule last season.

The hot lap today continued an emergence in 2020 that has seen Mexican driver O’Ward climb to third in the series standings after seven races. He also finished sixth last Sunday in his first Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge start and was named that event’s Rookie of the Year.

RESULTS: Practice 1

“We put a lot of very valuable work in that session,” O’Ward said. “We did everything we wanted to do to prepare for tomorrow’s qualifying and race. There’s so many little things that go into it that make a perfect race, so we want to make the best out of it.

“This Arrow McLaren SP crew gave us some really strong cars to roll out with, and I think it was just fine tuning from there. I ended the day really happy, and I think we will be ready for qualifying tomorrow.”

2014 series champion Will Power was second on the speed charts today with his best lap of 180.961 mph in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. Five-time series champion and current points leader Scott Dixon ended up third at 180.822 mph in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

Conor Daly was fourth at 180.581 in the No. 59 Gallagher Carlin Chevrolet. Freshly crowned Indianapolis 500 winner Takuma Sato, who won this race last year, rounded out the top five at 180.434 in the No. 30 ABeam Consulting Honda.

Up next is qualifying at noon (ET) Saturday (live, INDYCAR Pass on NBC Sports Gold, Pennzoil INDYCAR Radio Network). The unique format features two laps, with Lap 1 setting the grid for the Saturday race and Lap 2 for the Sunday race.

The race for both poles should be very competitive, as less than one-half of a second separated the top 15 drivers on the speed chart Friday.

A pair of 200-lap races will take place Saturday and Sunday at the WWTR oval just across the Mississippi River from the famous Gateway Arch in St. Louis. Live coverage starts both days at 3 p.m. (ET) on NBCSN and the Pennzoil INDYCAR Radio Network.

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