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Stewart-Haas Racing: Straight Talk Wireless 400 from Homestead

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Official Release
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STEWART-HAAS RACING
Straight Talk Wireless 400

Date: Oct. 27, 2024
Event: Straight Talk Wireless 400 (Round 34 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Homestead-Miami Speedway (1.5-mile oval)
Format: 267 laps, broken into three stages (80 laps/85 laps/102 laps)

Race Winner: Tyler Reddick of 23XI Racing (Toyota)
Stage 1 Winner: Tyler Reddick of 23XI Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner: Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)

SHR Finish:

● Ryan Preece (Started 35th, Finished 10th / Running, completed 267 of 267 laps)
● Josh Berry (Started 12th, Finished 11th / Running, completed 267 of 267 laps)
● Chase Briscoe (Started 13th, Finished 12th / Running, completed 267 of 267 laps)
● Noah Gragson (Started 16th, Finished 19th / Running, completed 267 of 267 laps)

SHR Points:

● Chase Briscoe (15th with 2,146 points)
● Noah Gragson (25th with 559 points)
● Ryan Preece (26th with 552 points)
● Josh Berry (27th with 545 points)

SHR Notes:

● Preece earned his fifth top-10 of the season and his first top-10 in six career NASCAR Cup Series start at Homestead.
● This was Preece’s third straight finish among the top-25. He finished 25th Oct. 13 at the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Roval and 22nd last Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
● Preece’s 10th-place finish bettered his previous best result at Homestead – 13th, earned last year.
● Preece finished ninth in Stage 2 to earn two bonus points.
● Berry earned his 10th top-15 of the season and it came in his first career NASCAR Cup Series start at Homestead.
● This was Berry’s third straight finish among the top-25. He finished 22nd at the Roval and 24th at Las Vegas.
● Briscoe earned his 15th top-15 of the season and his first top-15 in four career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Homestead.
● Briscoe’s 12th-place result bettered his previous best finish at Homestead – 17th, earned last year.
● Gragson earned his 21st top-20 of the season and his first top-20 in two career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Homestead.
● This was Gragson’s second straight top-20. He finished 18th at Las Vegas.
● Gragson’s 19th-place result bettered his previous best finish at Homestead – 25th, earned in 2022.

Race Notes:

● Tyler Reddick won the Straight Talk Wireless 400 to score his eighth career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his third of the season and his first at Homestead. His margin of victory over second-place Ryan Blaney was .241 of a second.

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

● All but five of the 38 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.

● This was the second race in the semifinal Round of 8 of the NASCAR Playoffs. Reddick secured his spot in the Championship 4 via his win and joined last week’s winner, Joey Logano. Christopher Bell and William Byron are the other two drivers above the top-four cutline while Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, Blaney and Chase Elliott are currently below the cutline with one race remaining before the final, winner-take-all Championship 4 Nov. 10 at Phoenix Raceway.

Sound Bites:

“We had a good car and got a top-10 out of it. That one bad restart in the final stage kind of messed things up for us, but we had a top-10 car and we finished where we should have. Just had to fight for it.” – Ryan Preece, driver of the No. 41 Bonanza Cabernet Ford Mustang Dark Horse

“It was fun. I thought we did really well on the restarts. Just didn’t quite have the long-run speed early in the race to allow us to hang up there. But, all in all, it was a fun day and everybody at Stewart-Haas brought some good cars, so it was a lot of fun racing with all of us up there.” – Josh Berry, driver of the No. 4 Panini Color Blast Ford Mustang Dark Horse

“This car was decent from a speed standpoint. Definitely not good enough to win, to be honest, just not very good on the short run. We were just horrendous on the short run. I could never get it to turn. It would take us 35 laps to get the car where it needed to be. And on the long run, we were really good. We just gave up 10 seconds on the short run and could never get it back.” – Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 Zep Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the XFINITY 500 on Sunday, Nov. 3 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. The penultimate race in the 10-race NASCAR Playoffs starts at 2 p.m. EST with live coverage provided by NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

CHEVROLET NCS AT HOMESTEAD: Post-Race Report

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Official Release
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NASCAR CUP SERIES
HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY
ROUND OF EIGHT: RACE TWO
TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE REPORT
OCT. 27, 2024

 Elliott Leads Chevrolet with Top-Five Finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway
Five Camaro ZL1’s Claim Top-10 Finishes

 TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10:
POS. DRIVER
5th – Chase Elliott
6th – William Byron
7th – Alex Bowman
8th – AJ Allmendinger
9th – Carson Hocevar

WITH 34 NASCAR CUP SERIES RACES COMPLETE:
Wins: 15
Poles: 10
Top-Five Finishes: 67
Top-10 Finishes: 138

Stage Wins: 22

 UP NEXT: The NASCAR Cup Series will head to Martinsville Speedway next weekend, with the XFINITY 500 marking the elimination race for the Round of Eight. Coverage of the 500-lap event can be found on Sunday, Nov. 3, at 2 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

  • Looking to rebound from a tough start to the Round of Eight, Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 quickly turned a top-10 qualifying effort into a fight for the lead in the early laps of Stage One. Reaching the third position near the midway point of the 80-lap opening stage, crew chief Alan Gustafson called Elliott to pit road for the first green-flag stop of the race. A quick stop by the No. 9 pit crew put the former champion in position to cycle to the front and fight for the top of the leaderboard with 37 laps remaining in the stage – ultimately taking the first green-white checkered flag in the third position. Putting together yet another strong points run in Stage Two, Elliott continued to be a contender throughout the race – going on to lead Chevrolet to the checkered flag with a fifth-place result. Elliott, a past winner at Martinsville Speedway, will take on the Round of Eight elimination race from the eighth position in the standings and 43-points below the elimination line.
  • Despite a disappointing qualifying result, William Byron quickly started clicking off position towards the front of the field – driving his No. 24 Valvoline Camaro ZL1 from 25th to the top-15 in just 15 laps. Hitting pit road for two rounds of stops during the opening stage, Byron had a masterful restart following the second caution of the race – maneuvering his Chevrolet-powered machine into the top-10 before settling into an eighth place finish in the stage. Collecting another set of crucial points in Stage Two, Byron remained a steady fixture in the top-10 through the remainder of the race – going on to extend his top-six streak to five-straight with a sixth-place finish. The Charlotte, North Carolina, native leads Chevrolet’s playoff contenders into the Round of Eight elimination race from the fourth position in the playoff standings with a seven-point cushion over the cutline.
  • Running second to his Hendrick Motorsports teammate in the opening stage, Kyle Larson suffered a flat right-rear tire on his No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Camaro ZL1, bringing out the caution at the 49-lap marker. Immediately going to work on their Chevrolet, the Cliff Daniels-led team made a set of trips to pit road for repairs but maintained a position on the lead lap. Battling an ill-handling car well into Stage Two, a turnaround came to fruition as Larson progressively climbed the leaderboard – entering the top-five on lap 185. Closing to the bumper of then-race leader Ryan Blaney, a three-wide move for the lead with just 12 laps remaining ended with a spin that ended the valiant comeback. After a rollercoaster day, Larson took the checkered flag in the 13th position – heading into the final race of the Round of Eight fifth in the playoff standings and just seven-points below the elimination line.

 TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE QUOTES:

KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1

Finished: 13th

You were three-wide between the No. 12 and the No. 3 for the pass for the lead. What did you feel in the racecar when that happened?

“Yeah, I mean you’re making split-second decisions. Austin (Dillon) did nothing wrong. I was just hoping that he would see me coming as the No. 12 (Ryan Blaney) got to his inside, and maybe he’d run a lane off the wall just to give me some clean air. He continued to run his line. I had a little bit of a hole and I was trying to shoot the gap to get in front of the No. 3 and get to the wall quickly to either hopefully stay on the outside of the No. 12 or build a run to have a shot at him in (turns) one and two. But yeah, it just didn’t work out. I was going as hard as I could. The No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevy team did a great job rebounding after the flat tire.”

Next week, we head to Martinsville Speedway. What do you think about next Sunday?

“Yeah, we’ve been strong at Martinsville (Speedway) at times, so we’ll see. It’s not my best track, but I’ve been a lot better there since I joined Hendrick Motorsports. We just need to qualify well and give it our best shot.”

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1

Finished: 5th

You led the most laps that you’ve ever led at Homestead-Miami Speedway. What did you need to battle for the win.. were you fighting tight conditions there at the end?

“I just got tighter and tighter as the day went on. I was just trying to manage that on the front side of a run, and ultimately I just didn’t do a great job of managing it. When the pace got quicker and everyone started pushing, I didn’t really have anything left to push.

It was a really solid couple of weeks for the No. 9 NAPA Chevy team, from a pace perspective. That’s encouraging as you move along in the playoffs.”

You’ve run so well at Martinsville Speedway in the past. How confident are you going into the elimination race.

“Very confident.”

WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 VALVOLINE CAMARO ZL1

Finished: 6th

On the last stop of the race, your team elected to pit first out of the playoff drivers. Was that the right move?

“I don’t think it really mattered. We kind of had what we had today. We weren’t good enough, and we were just trying to get all we could. I feel like a sixth-place finish is good. If it had gone green there, we were going to end up top-five. I don’t know how that changes the points, but we just have to go to Martinsville Speedway and compete for a win.”

Is Martinsville Speedway a place where you think you can get the job done?

“Absolutely. We did it in the spring, so we should be able to.”

Daniel Hemric, No. 31 Cirkul Camaro ZL1

Finished: 29th “We started the weekend with so much speed and our best qualifying spot of the year. Unfortunately not being able to run the top was our biggest challenge. Trent [Owens] made some positive changes that helped get some movability in the No. 31 Cirkul Chevy and get us moving in the right direction towards the end.”

DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 FREEWAYFRANCHISE.COM CAMARO ZL1

Finished: 16th

Suarez on his race at Homestead-Miami Speedway:

“It was an OK day for the No. 99 FreewayFranchise.com Chevy team. It was a little bit difficult when you have top-15 speed. We had a couple things that didn’t go our way; a slow stop and then the strategy right there at the end. We finished close to what we deserved, so we’ll take it and move onto Martinsville (Speedway).”

About General Motors

General Motors (NYSE:GM) is driving the future of transportation, leveraging advanced technology to build safer, smarter, and lower emission cars, trucks, and SUVs. GM’s Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC brands offer a broad portfolio of innovative gasoline-powered vehicles and the industry’s widest range of EVs, as we move to an all-electric future. Learn more at GM.com.

Blaney’s Runner-Up Finish Leads Ford Cup Effort at Homestead

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Official Release
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Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Homestead-Miami Speedway | Sunday, October 27, 2024
Straight Talk Wireless 400 Cup Post Race

FORD RESULTS (UNOFFICIAL)

2nd – Ryan Blaney
10th – Ryan Preece
11th – Josh Berry
12th – Chase Briscoe
14th – Michael McDowell
15th – Chris Buescher
17th – Brad Keselowski
19th – Noah Gragson
20th – Todd Gilliland
24th – Harrison Burton
27th – Austin Cindric
28th – Joey Logano
32nd – Kaz Grala
35th – Corey LaJoie
37th – Chad Finchum

RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Menards/Richmond Water Heaters Ford Mustang Dark Horse (Finished 2nd)

YOU GOT OUT OF THE CAR SHAKING YOUR HEAD IN DISBELIEF, WHAT ARE YOU FEELING IN THIS MOMENT?

“Yeah, disappointment. I had a good shot to win it and I didn’t have a very good last lap. I thought I got into three hard and the 45 just went in there and it stuck for him, which is really impressive. I hate to give one away there like that. I don’t know if we gave it away. We got the lead back after losing it on the restart and just that last lap didn’t play out for us. I appreciate everybody on the 12 team for bringing a really fast race car. I had a really great shot to go to Phoenix and I still have one more chance, so we still have to look forward to that. I appreciate Menards and Ford and Ford Performance, Richmond, Advance Auto Parts, Body Armor, DEX Imaging and everybody. It is a shame. I will be thinking through it all night of what I should have done different, probably. That is just the way it goes but I am really proud of the effort and hopefully we can bring it to them next week.”

YOU MENTIONED NEXT WEEK. YOU GUYS WON LAST YEAR TO GET INTO THE CHAMPIONSHIP 4, SO IT IS OPTIMISTIC AT THIS POINT?

“Yeah, this feeling will suck for tonight and then we will look forward to Martinsville starting tomorrow morning. We try to forget things quick. I try to do that more and more as I have gotten older and just move on to the next thing good bad or indifferent and focus on the next task. This team will do that. I just can’t say how proud I am of them, coming in here and understanding what we need to do. It is a shame it didn’t work out but we did have good fortune at Martinsville last year so hopefully we can bring the same kind of speed and be in contention to win.”

“It was hardfought. It stinks. I ended up having to pass the 11 and was finally getting by him and I just didn’t really have a good last lap. I didn’t really get to the bottom like I wanted to in 1 and 2 and it gave the 45 some clean air and he got a big shove by the 11 down the back. I didn’t know which way it was going to go, honestly. It was timed out perfect for him of getting to my bumper as soon as we got to the corner. I kind of thought I could slide up and be good and I sent it in there and he sent it in there miles further than me, which I cannot believe that it stuck. The Toyota’s could do that really good all day. Their entry speed was crazy fast and it benefitted him there. It stinks. It was an up and down day and it was a shame to lose one on the last lap like that.”

DID THAT LAST RESTART GO HOW YOU WANTED IT TO?

“Well, I got put three-wide on the restart so interpret that how you want.”

DO YOU FEEL FIRED UP FOR MARTINSVILLE?

“I am not fired up right now for Martinsville. I will take the night to replay a couple things and figure out what I could have done better. Tomorrow morning we will restack and get ready for Martinsville. I am excited though. I am super excited about the speed we had today. I can’t complain about that. Last week’s speed was great too before we got in the wreck. Hopefully we bring that same speed to Martinsville.”

IS THERE ANYTHING YOU THINK YOU COULD HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY ON THE LAST LAP?

“Yeah, tons of things. It is easy to think about it after the race when it doesn’t go well. I try not to stew over these things. I try to learn from them and know that something could have been a better route to do and maybe if you are in that spot next time you do that. I try not to sit around and let it eat at me because then you are going to go crazy. There are some things I could have done different and hopefully I can do those different things if I am ever in that spot again.”

RYAN PREECE, No. 41 Bonanza Cabernet Ford Mustang Dark Horse (Finished 10th)

“We had a good car and got a top 10 out of it. That one bad restart in Stage 3 kind of screwed us, but yeah, we had a top 10 car and that is where we were able to finish, which is where we should have been. We finished where we should have, we just had to fight for it.”

JOSH BERRY, No. 4 Panini Color Blast Ford Mustang Dark Horse (Finished 11th)

“Yeah, it was fun. I thought we did really well on the restarts. Just didn’t quite have the long run speed early in the race, I guess, to kind of hang up there. But all in all, it was a fun day and everybody at Stewart-Haas brought some good cars. So it was a lot of fun racing with all of us up there and got two more.”

Justin Bonsignore Dominates Season Finale to Capture 2024 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Championship

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Official Release
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NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour

Bonsignore also takes home first Martinsville Grandfather Clock as he moves into second on all-time wins list

MARTINSVILLE, Va. (Oct. 26, 2024) – Justin Bonsignore wasn’t going to be denied his fourth NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship, as he dominated the season finale Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 at Martinsville Speedway to take home the Grandfather Clock and the year-end title.

The championship marks Bonsignore’s fourth title (2018, 2020, 2021, 2024), and the win – his first at Martinsville Speedway – gave him sole possession of second on the all-time Whelen Modified Tour wins list with 45.

A late-season surge in which he won the final three races of the season gave Bonsignore the edge over two-time Tour champion Ron Silk, as they carried their season-long contentious championship battle into the final race of season for the second year in a row.

“A year of hard work, a lot of ups and downs, the middle of September wasn’t looking good, all of a sudden we got hot,” Bonsignore said in Victory Lane. “Three in a row is something I’ve never done in my career, and to cap it off with a Grandfather Clock is just really awesome.”

A year ago, Silk led Bonsignore by 13 points heading into the Martinsville season finale and held on to win the championship, but the tables were turned this year.

The pair of wins in the last two races leading into Martinsville gained Bonsignore a 10-point advantage over his rival as the title race loomed. The No. 51 Ken Massa Motorsports team brought the same car – the one with which Bonsignore won those races at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park and North Wilkesboro Speedway — to Martinsville. They unloaded fast again, as he led practice and then won the pole for the championship race.

Silk, however, struggled in qualifying and started 13th in the race. And while Silk showed moments of speed, his championship hopes ultimately dissolved when mechanical issues took him out of the race with 60 laps remaining. He was relegated to a 17th-place finish.

The championship moment was especially meaningful for Bonsignore after he went home empty-handed following the season finale at Martinsville the last two seasons.

“We watched other people celebrate two years in a row here and we lost, and that’s tough to watch back,” said Bonsignore. “Just a lot of hard work by Ryan Stone and Ken Massa to keep things going in the direction we want to go.

“It’s really had to put into words just how special this stuff is.”

Matt Hirschman finished second, while Jacob Lutz was third. Austin Beers and Ryan Newman rounded out the top five.

Bonsignore finished the season with 673 points, while Silk finished second in the standings with 641. Patrick Emerling also put together a solid second half of the season with three wins and was third in the standings with 635 points.

Trevor Catalano was crowned the Sunoco Rookie of the Year after finishing eighth in points this season. He captured a win at Monadnock Speedway in July and recorded three top-five and four top-10 finishes this season.

The day which ended with the crowning of the 2024 champion opened with exciting news about 2025 and beyond for the Tour. NASCAR officials announced an extension of the entitlement partnership of the Tour, as Whelen Engineering, Inc. returns to the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour through 2029 in a partnership that guarantees increased team payouts starting with the 2025 season. The extension of the entitlement of the Whelen Modified Tour brings the partnership to 25 years in 2029, making them one of the longest-running sponsors in NASCAR.

While the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour concluded their season at Martinsville Speedway, the half-mile track in Virginia still has one more race weekend remaining on the calendar for 2024.

Next weekend, the NASCAR Playoff races at Martinsville will set the Championship 4 for all three NASCAR national series. The weekend opens featuring the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Zip Buy Now, Pay Later 200 on Friday, Nov. 1.

On Saturday, Nov. 2, fans can witness the action of the NASCAR Xfinity Series National Debt Relief 250 as drivers take to the track for an intense battle. Then, on Sunday, Nov. 3, drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series will compete for those final spots in the Championship 4 in the Xfinity 500, the penultimate race of the season.  

Limited tickets remain for Sunday’s showdown, and fans can purchase tickets to the 2024 NASCAR Playoffs Race Weekend via phone at 877-RACE-TIX or online at martinsvillespeedway.com.

About NASCAR

Celebrating its 75th Anniversary in 2023, the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States and owner of 16 of the nation’s major motorsports entertainment facilities. NASCAR sanctions races in three national series (NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR Xfinity Series™, and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series™), four international series (NASCAR Brasil Sprint Race, NASCAR Mexico Series, NASCAR Pinty’s Series (Canada), NASCAR Whelen Euro Series), four regional series (ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East & West and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour) and a local grassroots series (NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series). The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. NASCAR also owns Motor Racing Network, Racing Electronics, and ONE DAYTONA. Based in Daytona Beach, Florida, with offices in eight cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races annually in 12 countries and more than 30 U.S. states. For more information visit www.NASCAR.com and www.IMSA.com, and follow NASCAR on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat (‘NASCAR’).  

Thomas Wins Historic Mazda MX-5 Cup Race at Martinsville Speedway

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MARTINSVILLE, Va. (Oct. 26, 2024) – With lap after lap of side-by-side racing for the lead, a late race green-white-checkered shootout for victory, and a close margin of victory, the first-ever Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin race on an oval lived up to the hype at Martinsville Speedway. Jared Thomas (No. 96 JTR Motorsports Engineering) took home $25,000 and a Martinsville clock at the end of the 105-lap exhibition race.

Thomas was nearly perfect in the single-day event at ‘The Short Track.’ He turned the fastest practice lap, set the pole time and led 82 laps, but coming to the final restart, he was behind Westin Workman (No. 13 BSI Racing).

Workman, who qualified second, was Thomas’ biggest opponent the entire race. The two were able to gap the rest of the field in the first half of the race, but Workman was on the attack with 20 laps to go and took over the lead after the duo dazzled the receptive Martinsville crowd as they ran side-by-side fighting for the lead without making contact before Thomas reclaimed the point.

“We were, I would say pacing is a good word,” Thomas said. “We were trying not to use our stuff up, because we knew it was going to be the last 25 when it was going to get hot and heavy. I could tell some of the guys around me were pushing really hard, so I was trying to play the game where I pushed a little bit and then would ride a little bit and kind of balance it out and make them use their stuff up to catch me. The second half was a different story.”

The Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup used a lot of traditional oval racing rules, including the ‘Choose Rule.’ When preparing for a restart from yellow, cars get to choose which lane they restart in, left or right. Drivers can gain positions by choosing a lane with less cars, but will be in the ‘slower’ lane for the restart. For the final restart, Workman chose the left lane and Thomas opted to stay behind Workman on the left side.

The pair sped into Turn One nose-to-tail, Workman appeared to get loose, and Thomas took rapid advantage.

“The outside here from practicing it and going back and watching a lot of video from all the other NASCAR series that run here, you know you’re never gonna get around the guy on the top unless something extreme happens,” Thomas said of his choice. “So, I figured my best bet was on the bottom, run with him and then see if we can make a move on him.

“I was trying not to get bumped and run myself,” Thomas said. “Because the 31 [Landen Lewis] was coming down. He was right on my bumper, and we all went in there and Weston got in a little hot.”

Workman nearly fell off the podium all together, but was able to collect himself and reclaim second. There was not enough time to catch Thomas though, who won by 0.374-second.

Along with a $25,000 check, Thomas also picked up a famed Martinsville clock for his history-making win.

“[The clock] is gonna go in the shop for a while, and it’s going to stay there for a couple weeks, so all these guys that made this happen-all my crew guys-so they can enjoy it too.”

Unlike Thomas, who came into the event with a solid background in oval racing, Workman was racing on an oval for the first time ever. The 2024 Rookie of the Year didn’t even test at Martinsville. Workman was a quick learner, which probably helped him secure the 2023 Mazda MX-5 Cup Shootout Scholarship. He didn’t get the clock or the big check, but Workman did earn an impressive $10,000 for finishing second.

“I thought we ran pretty well,” Workman said. “I thought we did pretty much everything right tonight. I felt like I wasn’t given a chance there in Turn One on the restart to really hold the position. There was literally nothing I could do, but happy with second place 10 grand in my pocket.”

The highest finishing driver without Mazda MX-5 Cup experience was Landen Lewis (No. 31 McCumbee McAleer Racing). Lewis qualified fourth but struggled to stay in the top five for the first half of the race. He excelled at restarts however, and nearly bested Workman for second on the final restart but went on to finish third in his first MX-5 Cup race and collected $7,000.

“I was kind of riding around, trying to bide my time, watching the laps go down, and then all of a sudden, I was getting shipped and moved and beat and banged,” Lewis said. “I come on the radio and I’m like ‘I need to man up. This is no joke. These guys are racing hard every single lap.’ I just manned up and tried to get in there as much as I could. It was really fun.

“I felt like we had a top-three car right there at the end for sure. Before that caution come out, the leader and second, they were in a different zip code, so we just had what we had, but I learned a lot and would love to do this again.”

Veteran Mazda pilot Tom Long (No. 8 McCumbee McAleer Racing), who is usually working in race control during MX-5 Cup races, couldn’t resist the chance to race at Martinsville and ended the day one spot shy of the podium, but $5,000 richer.

Another MX-5 Cup newcomer, but Spec Miata ace, Capers Zentmeyer (No. 99 Spark Performance) completed the top five. It was a fairytale ending for Zentmeyer, who is a Martinsville native and qualified 14th, but played his hand wisely and ended up with a fifth-place finish and $4,000.

The Mazda MX-5 Cup offseason has officially begun. Teams will regroup and prepare for the start of the 2025 season, January 24 – 26, at Daytona International Speedway. All races from the 2024 season are available to rewatch on IMSA’s YouTube channel.

About: The Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin is the signature spec series for Mazda Motorsports. The series has been operated by Andersen Promotions since 2017 and is currently sanctioned by IMSA. Mazda-powered grassroots champions can earn Mazda scholarships for this pro-level series. The Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup awards more than $1 million in prizes and scholarships.

Find out more at http://www.mx-5cup.com.

Carlos Sainz takes a stunning pole position in the Mexico GP

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Official Release
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Mexico City. Saturday October 26, 2024 – During the Formula 1 Mexico City Grand Prix 2024 Presented by Heineken, which had an attendance of 142,951, Carlos Sainz produced a stunning 204.018 km/h lap to give Scuderia Ferrari their fourth pole position in the modern era at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodriguez ahead of Sunday’s race.

In a thrilling hour of Qualifying action the 30-year-old Spaniard, in his last season with the Italian team, set the 4.303-km circuit alight as he claimed his first pole position since Singapore in 2023 and the sixth of his F1 career with a time of 1 minute 15.946 seconds.

“Great couple of laps!”, said Sainz. “Often around Mexico you really feel that you cannot put a lap together and it’s extremely difficult with how much sliding there is, but today my two laps in Q3 were pretty much identical and almost perfect. Our number one priority now is to bring both cars home but if you win the race, those seven or eight points that you get is important for the team in the Constructors’ Championship. I’ll be looking forward to keeping that P1 into Turn 1 and from there hopefully our race pace should be good enough to win it.”

Championship leader and five-time Mexico winner Max Verstappen’s Red Bull will start from the front row, the World Champion recovering from a tricky Friday to push title rival Lando Norris’s McLaren back on to the second row. Scuderia Ferrari is the only team in the hunt for the Constructors’ title to have both cars in the top 10, with Charles Leclerc alongside the British driver.

“Yesterday I barely did any laps, so we’re playing a lot of catch-up,” said 27-year-old Dutchman Verstappen, who had an engine change overnight. “FP3 was not very good, so I was already under a lot of pressure to have a good Qualifying. Then my lap time got taken away, so that added a little bit more pressure! But I’m very happy to be on the front row, I didn’t expect that to be possible.”

Verstappen shared Sainz’s feelings about the circuit. “It’s probably one of the hardest tracks to get right,” he added. “Street circuits are difficult, and this one as well: low downforce, it’s very easy to have a lock-up or a slide, the tires overheat immediately, it’s one of the trickier ones on the calendar.”

While Norris was “pretty happy” with third, it was another disastrous day at home for Mexican star Sergio Pérez, eliminated in the first segment of Qualifying for the fifth time in his challenging 2024 season. “I just couldn’t get on top of it, I couldn’t stop the car soon enough,” the 34-year-old explained. Checo, who crashed out on the first corner here last year, knows he has another tough Sunday ahead. “It’s very important to try and maximize the day,” he said. “If we are able to score some good points it will be a tremendous effort, but it’s going to be very difficult from the position we are in.”

The other big name eliminated in the first 18-minute segment was Norris’s teammate Oscar Piastri, who had one lap time deleted, then made what he called “a very poor mistake” that cost him a full second. “Painful,” said the 23-year-old Australian after compromising McLaren’s bid to keep their lead in the Constructors’ Championship.

The third row of the grid belongs to Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team, with George Russell marginally quicker than two-time Mexico winner Lewis Hamilton, but with big names missing from the final segment, some unaccustomed faces took advantage to complete the top 10.

Danish veteran Kevin Magnussen, in his final year with MoneyGram Haas F1 Team, starts seventh alongside BWT Alpine F1 Team driver Pierre Gasly, with Alex Albon recovering from his own difficult Friday to put his Williams ninth alongside the second Haas of Nico Hülkenberg.

About FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO DE LA CIUDAD DE MÉXICO Presented by Heineken

Historically awarded “Best Event of the Year” for five races (2015 to 2019), FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO DE LA CIUDAD DE MEXICO Presented by Heineken has proven to be much more than a sporting event, it is an unparalleled promotional platform that shares with the world the cultural and touristic riches of Mexico City.

For more information about FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO DE LA CIUDAD DE MÉXICO Presented by Heineken visit: http://www.mexicogp.mx

About Formula 1®

The history of Formula 1® began in 1950 and is the world’s most prestigious motorsport competition and the world’s most popular annual sporting series. Formula One World Championship Limited is part of Formula 1 and holds the exclusive commercial rights to the FIA Formula One World Championship™.

Formula 1 is a subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation (NASDAQ: LSXMA, LSXMB, LSXMK, BATRA, BATRK, FWONA, FWONK) attributed to the Formula One Group shares.

The F1 FORMULA 1 logo, FORMULA 1, F1, FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, GRAND PRIX, PADDOCK CLUB and related marks are trademarks of Formula One Licensing BV, a Formula One company. All rights reserved.

For more information about Formula 1® visit: www.formula1.com

About CIE:

With its origins in 1990, Corporación Interamericana de Entretenimiento (“CIE”) (BMV: CIE) is a leading player in the Latin American out-of-home entertainment industry and has contributed in making Mexico a world-class destination in the field.

The company promotes and markets the FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO DE LA CIUDAD DE MEXICO, produces events for the public sector, and operates the El Salitre Mágico amusement park in Colombia.

Through its strategic partnership with Live Nation at OCESA, it produces and promotes concerts, music festivals, Broadway-type theatrical and urban content productions, sporting, family and corporate events. It represents artistic talent, markets advertising rights and sponsorships, operates entertainment properties, the Citibanamex exhibition, congress and convention center, sells tickets through its Ticketmaster and Eticket platforms, and offers digital marketing and advertising services.

RCR NXS Race Recap: Homestead-Miami Speedway

By
Official Release
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Jesse Love and the No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet Team Capture Strong Fourth-Place Finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway

Finish: 4th
Start: 14th
Points: 6th

“We had a fast Whelen Chevrolet today at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Crew chief Danny Stockman made great adjustments to keep up with the track all race long, and our pit crew was solid – especially late in the race when they gained spots on pit road and we restarted second. We lacked rear grip during the long green flag run to the end, and after the round of green flag pit stops, we knew we had to make up as much time as possible leaving pit road. After I saw my teammate, Austin Hill, win both stages from the bottom line, I knew where I needed to run at the end. We didn’t have enough at the end to catch those guys. We couldn’t get the top line to work like I needed it to, so I know what needs to be worked on before we come back here next year. Congratulations to the No. 21 team and everyone at Richard Childress Racing and ECR Engines on their win and locking into the final four at Phoenix Raceway. I’m confident that our team will bring a fast Chevrolet to Martinsville Speedway next week, and hopefully our No. 2 team can lock in as well.” -Jesse Love

Austin Hill and the No. 21 Bennett Transportation & Logistics Chevrolet Team Win at Homestead-Miami Speedway to Advance to the Championship 4

Finish: 1st
Start: 16th
Points: 3rd

“We have worked so hard to be in this position. A lot of people doubt me, but I wake up every day to prove everyone wrong that I deserve to be here and race for a championship. This No. 21 team deserves this moment as much as I do. They work their tails off day in and day out. They gave me a heck of a Bennett Transportation & Logistics Chevrolet today. I didn’t have to run the wall and could run wherever I needed to. We only had one bad run at the start of Stage 3 with the car being so loose. I can honestly say I’ve never cried after winning a race, and I couldn’t get my emotions under control going into Turn 1 after taking the checkered. I’m not sure folks will understand the amount of hard work and dedication that went into this, and what it means to me and my family. The pit crew was on it as normal today and I knew when we got off pit road within distance of the No. 00, I just had to go to work without burning my right rear up. As soon as I saw the No. 00 start backing up to me, I knew it was game on. To be able to be in the final four and race for championship is amazing. There are no words to describe the feeling.” -Austin Hill

Stewart-Haas Racing: Credit One NASCAR Amex Credit Card 300 from Homestead-Miami Speedway

By
Official Release
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STEWART-HAAS RACING
Credit One NASCAR Amex Credit Card 300

Date: Oct. 26, 2024
Event: Credit One NASCAR Amex Credit Card 300 (Round 31 of 33)
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Location: Homestead-Miami Speedway (1.5-mile oval)
Format: 200 laps, broken into three stages (45 laps/45 laps/110 laps)

Race Winner: Austin Hill of Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner: Austin Hill of Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet)
Stage 2 Winner: Austin Hill of Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet)

SHR Race Finish:

● Cole Custer (Started 4th / Finished 2nd, Running, completed 200 of 200 laps)
● Riley Herbst (Started 8th / Finished 6th, Running, completed 200 of 200 laps)

SHR Points:

● Cole Custer (2nd with 3,121 points, seven out of first)
● Riley Herbst (10th with 2,160 points)

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

  1. AJ Allmendinger (3,103 points) 1 Win
  2. Austin Hill (3,116 points) 1 Win
  3. Justin Allgaier (3,128 points) +35 Point
  4. Cole Custer (3,121 points) +28 Points
  5. Chandler Smith (3,093 points) -28 Points
  6. Jesse Love (3,086 points) -35 Points
  7. Sam Mayer (3,074 points) -47 Points
  8. Sammy Smith (3,026 points) -95 Points

SHR Notes:

● Custer earned his 13th top-five of the season and his fourth top-five in six career NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Homestead.

● Custer has never finished outside of the top-17 at Homestead in the Xfinity Series.

● This was Custer’s second straight top-10 finish. He finished eighth last Saturday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

● Custer finished fifth in Stage 1 to earn six bonus points and third in Stage 2 to earn eight more bonus points.

● Custer led four times for 67 laps increasing his laps led total at Homestead to 473.

● Herbst earned his 14th top-10 of the season and his fifth top-10 in six career NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Homestead.

● This is Herbst’s third straight top-10 at Homestead. He finished second last October.

● This was Herbst’s second straight top-10 finish. He finished seventh last Saturday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

● Herbst has never finished outside the top-11 at Homestead in the Xfinity Series.

● Herbst finished eighth in Stage 1 to earn three bonus points.

Race Notes:

● Austin Hill won the Credit One NASCAR Amex Credit Card 300 to score his 10th career NASCAR Xfinity Series victory, his fourth of the season and his first at Homestead. His margin over second-place Cole Custer was 3.045 seconds.

● There were three caution periods for a total of 19 laps.

● Only 15 of the 38 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.

● Justin Allgaier remains the championship leader after Homestead with a seven-point advantage over second-place Cole Custer.

Sound Bites:

“We needed a little bit of everything, I guess. That second to last run we had it going really good, and I thought we kind of had them there. That last run, I don’t think we changed anything, we just got pretty loose that run. I don’t know if we got that much worse but the 21 got way better than what they were the run before. I hate it. We had NXT and CW on the car, and I wish we got them a win. Points-wise, I think we’ll be in a solid spot, and we just have to go into Martinsville with everything we’ve got.” –Cole Custer, driver of the No. 00 NXT on CW Ford Mustang Dark Horse

“A top-10 finish leaving Homestead isn’t bad at all, but I know we could’ve competed for the win had we not had issues. The team had that No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang Dark Horse dialed in after the first stage, but we cut a tire and I went a lap down during the next stage. Luckily, the guys never gave up on me and I got our lap back. From there we only kept going forward. We were definitely a top-five car but missed it on the long run at the end. I’m proud of this team and how we overcome adversity. I’m excited to head to Martinsville to see what we can do there.​” –Riley Herbst, driver of the No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule is the National Debt Relief 250 on Saturday, Nov. 2 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. The race begins at 4 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by CW and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Kaulig Racing Race Recap | Credit One NASCAR Amex Credit Card 300

By
Official Release
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AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 16 Modern Day Garage Chevrolet Camaro

  • AJ Allmendinger qualified sixth for the Credit One NASCAR Amex Credit Card 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
  • By lap seven, Allmendinger had taken over fourth place. He drove up to second place by lap 36 and fell back to third on lap 40 after battling with the No. 20. From sixth place on lap 44, Allmendinger reported he had no rear tire remaining. He finished the opening stage in seventh and came to pit road for adjustments under the stage break. The No. 16 took four tires, fuel and air pressure and wedge adjustments.
  • Allmendinger restarted in fifth place for the second stage on lap 52 and took over third on the restart. He remained quiet on the radio, taking over second place on lap 85. When the caution came out on lap 87, ending the stage, Allmendinger was scored in second, and he reported he was fighting lateral grip in the corner. The No. 16 came to pit road for tires, fuel and air pressure and wedge adjustments.
  • Allmendinger restarted the final stage in fourth place. He maintained position in the top five, reporting his Chevy was sideways, until the caution came on lap 122. The No. 16 came to pit road for tires, fuel and additional wedge and air pressure adjustments. Allmendinger restarted in 11th, with his teammate in the No. 97 behind him, on lap 128. He drove up to seventh on the first lap green and continued on to take sixth by lap 131. When green flag pit stops began on lap 159, Allmendinger took over second place and then the lead on lap 171. Being locked in the Championship 4 and having the ability to gamble on strategy, crew chief Alex Yontz brought Allmendinger to pit road under green on lap 179. After the pit stop, Allmendinger was scored in 17th. He was told to get back on the lead lap and manage his tires. Allmendinger went on to finish in 10th place.

“I loved today. Our Modern Day Garage Chevy was pretty good. The No. 21 was obviously hooked up, congrats to them. It’s cool to get another Welcome, NC car in the Championship 4. We had nothing to lose, so once they started pitting, we decided to run it out and maybe get that lucky yellow and have an easy win. I was really proud to run top five all day. We have speed and that’s all that matters; we had a good day.” AJ Allmendinger  

SHANE van GISBERGEN
No. 97 WeatherTech Chevrolet Camaro

  • Shane van Gisbergen qualified 25th for the Credit One NASCAR Amex Credit Card 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
  • Due to adjustments to the No. 97 WeatherTech Chevrolet following qualifying, Van Gisbergen was required to drop to the rear of the field for the race start. Van Gisbergen battled to work his way up the field, and, by lap 20, had gained 10 positions. Halfway through the stage, Van Gisbergen reported that the No. 97 WeatherTech Chevrolet was “pretty good” as he continued to work on his entry and exits through the corners. He completed the stage in 20th.
  • The No. 97 team came to pit road at the stage break for fresh tires, fuel and adjustments. Van Gisbergen started the second stage in 19th. He quickly reported the car was super tight and lacked turn in the corners as he battled to maintain position. Nearing the end of the stage, the handling remained tight, but Van Gisbergen managed to advance to 17th. A caution came out with four laps remaining in the stage and the No. 97 team opted to stay out and finish the stage under caution. Van Gisbergen concluded the stage in 16th, his highest position of the race at that time.
  • The WeatherTech team opted to come to pit road at the stage break for a chassis adjustment, four new tires and fuel. Van Gisbergen started the final stage in 18th. He quickly reported that the car was “much better” and battled to race up the field. On lap 110, Van Gisbergen reported that the WeatherTech Chevy had “tightened back up.” On lap 122, the caution came out, and the No. 97 opted to pit to pull a packer from the front and give the Chevrolet fresh tires and more fuel. Van Gisbergen re-entered the field in 14th with 74 laps remaining in the race. He entered the top 10 with 42 laps remaining, and the No. 97 team told him to “save fuel, as the plan is to run long unless something else changes.” Van Gisbergen reached his highest position of the race, fourth, with 29 laps remaining. He battled to maintain position and was running 10th with 15 laps left. The No. 97 WeatherTech Chevrolet ultimately took the checkered flag in 17th.

“That was a tough race for my WeatherTech team. My car was super tight all day, and the team continued to work on it but just couldn’t get it comfortable. Homestead is a super cool track, and I enjoyed the racing, just wish we could’ve gotten a better result.” – Shane van Gisbergen

JOSH WILLIAMS
No. 11 Star Tron Chevrolet Camaro

  • Josh Williams qualified 24th for the Credit One NASCAR Amex Credit Card 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
  • Williams gained three spots on the opening lap. By lap 12, he had picked up two more spots, and after passing the No. 27 for 17th on lap 22, Williams gave the No. 11 Star Tron Chevy clean air to continue moving forward. He finished Stage 1 in 16th.
  • Williams pitted for tires, fuel, and an air pressure adjustment, which was made to tighten the car, during the stage break. He fired off for the second stage from 13th on lap 52 and took 12th the following lap. Soon after, the No. 11 Camaro started to become too tight, and Williams fell to 16th. The Chevy’s handling improved for Williams as the stage progressed, and Williams took 14th on lap 66. Williams dropped to 15th on lap 85, and following a lap-87 yellow flag that ended the stage, Williams finished there for Stage 2.
  • The No. 11 Star Tron pit crew changed the Camaro’s tires, added fuel, reverted on the air pressure adjustment it made during the first stop, and made a wedge adjustment during the stage break. Williams restarted for the final stage from 16th on lap 96. He took 15th place on lap 114, then he continued his slow climb by passing the No. 9 on lap 118 to take 14th place. Coming out of turn four on lap 120, the No. 11 and No. 26 cars made contact. This cut the No. 11’s right-front tire as Williams drove into turn one, and he collided with the No. 26 to bring out a caution on lap 122. Williams reported that the car still felt “pretty good,” but he pitted for minimal damage repair, tires, and fuel. He restarted in 29th as the last car on the lead lap on lap 128. After toiling in 28th, Williams radioed that he “felt something dragging” on the No. 11 Star Tron Camaro, and he pitted on lap 142 so the crew could diagnose the problem and change tires. He cycled out one lap down. On lap 168, Williams pitted again for right-side tires, which put him two laps down in 29th. He eventually took the checkered flag in 27th.

“That was going well til it didn’t. We had a pretty decent run. There’s nothing we could really do there with the flat tire.” – Josh Williams  

About Kaulig Racing

Kaulig Racing™ is a full-time, multi-car NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) team, owned by award winning entrepreneur, Matt Kaulig. Established in 2016, Kaulig Racing™ has earned 23 NXS wins, made the NXS Playoffs consecutively each season since the playoff system started, and won two regular-season championships. In 2021, the team competed in select NCS events, before expanding to a two-car, full-time NCS team in 2022 and adding a third, part-time entry during the 2023 season. Since its first NCS start in 2021, the team has earned two wins. Kaulig Racing is currently fielding two full-time entries in the NCS and continues to field three full-time NXS entries, with a part-time fourth entry at select events. To learn more about the team, visit kauligracing.com.

Austin Hill clinches first Championship 4 berth with dominant victory at Homestead

By
Andrew Kim
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HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 26: Austin Hill, driver of the #21 Bennett Transportation Chevrolet, celebrates with family and crew in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series Credit One NASCAR Amex Credit 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on October 26, 2024 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images).

Austin Hill spent the previous four of five seasons falling one Playoff round short of reaching the Championship 4 round between two of NASCAR’s top three national touring series. But he is now bound for the Xfinity Series championship battle in 2024 after capping off a dominant run with a victory in the Credit One NASCAR AMEX Credit 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Saturday, October 26.

The 30-year-old Hill from Winston, Georgia, led three times for a race-high 82 of 200-scheduled laps in an event where he started 16th but quickly carved his way through the field. After assuming the lead for the first time on Lap 41, Hill captured the first stage victory on Lap 45. He retained the lead for the entire second stage period and racked up an additional 10 crucial stage points towards his quest to remain above the top-four cutline in the Playoff standings by claiming another stage victory of the day.

Then after flirting between challenging Playoff contender Cole Custer for the lead to trying to remain within sight of the lead for the majority of the final stage period, Hill executed his race-winning pass on Custer with 12 laps remaining following a late cycle of green flag pit stops that started with 43 laps remaining. With the clean air to his advantage, Hill proceeded to muscle away from Custer and lead the rest of the way before he emerged triumphant for his fourth Xfinity Series victory of the 2024 season to earn a one-way ticket to his first opportunity to contend for his first Xfinity title in this year’s finale.

With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Friday, October 25, Playoff contender Chandler Smith notched his third Xfinity pole position of the 2024 season with a pole-winning lap at 163.305 mph in 33.067 seconds. Joining him on the front row was teammate Sheldon Creed, who clocked in his best qualifying lap at 162.822 mph in 33.165 seconds.

Prior to the event, the following names that include Anthony Alfredo, Jeremy Clements, Matt DiBenedetto and rookie Shane van Gisbergen dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments made to their respective entries. In addition, DiBenedetto was assessed a pass-through penalty through pit road on the first lap due to his RSS Racing encountering multiple inspection failures.

When the green flag waved and the race started, the field slowly fanned out through the frontstretch as teammates Chandler Smith and Sheldon Creed dueled for the lead through the first two turns and the backstretch. With the outside lane to his advantage, Smith would muscle his No. 81 QuickTie Toyota Supra ahead with the lead entering Turn 3 and he would proceed to lead the first lap while Playoff contender Cole Custer and Aric Almirola challenged Creed for the runner-up spot.

Over the next four laps and amid a series of early on-track battles, Chandler Smith extended his advantage to one second over teammate Almirola, who prevailed in his early three-car battle for the runner-up spot, while Custer prevailed in his early battle with Creed to move his No. 00 NXT Ford Mustang into third place. Behind, Playoff contender AJ Allmendinger was in fifth place ahead of Riley Herbst while Playoff contenders Sam Mayer, rookie Jesse Love and Justin Allgaier followed suit in the top nine. Behind, Parker Kligerman occupied 10th place as he was ahead of Playoff contenders Austin Hill and Sammy Smith while newcomer, William Sawalich, Ryan Sieg and Connor Zilisch were in the top 15.

Through the first 10 scheduled laps, Chandler Smith retained his early advantage to more than a second over Custer and Almirola as Allmendinger and Herbst were in the top five. Behind, Mayer, Love, Hill and Allgaier followed suit while Creed had dropped to 10th place and was prepared to lose the spot to Kligerman for the following lap. Meanwhile, Sammy Smith was the lowest-running Playoff contender in 13th place.

Ten laps later, Chandler Smith stabilized his advantage to a second over Custer while Allmendinger, who carved his way up to third place, trailed by two seconds. Behind, Almirola settled in fourth place ahead of Mayer, Herbst and Hill while Love, Allgaier and Creed followed suit in the top 10 ahead of Kligerman, Ryan Sieg, Sawalich, Zilisch and Sammy Smith.

Another 10 laps later, Chandler Smith’s advantage decreased to a tenth of a second over Custer, with the latter intimidating the former through every turn and straightaway. This left Smith to navigate through various lanes around Homestead to try to defend the top spot and as he was navigating through lapped traffic.

A lap later, however, Custer used the outside lane to duel with Smith as he led a lap for himself by 0.001 seconds. He then muscled ahead through the first two turns and the backstretch from the outside lane to clear Smith and pull away from the latter, where he would proceed to lead the next lap. As Allmendinger started to close in on Smith for the runner-up spot, Custer retained the lead by eight-tenths of a second at the Lap 35 mark. Custer’s advantage then slightly decreased to two-tenths of a second over the new runner-up competitor Allmendinger as both were navigating through lapped traffic. Behind, Almirola would make his way into third place while Chandler Smith dropped to fourth place.

Shortly after, Playoff contender Sammy Smith pitted his No. 8 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet Camaro after he made contact with the outside wall through Turns 1 and 2, where he then sustained a flat tire. Back on the track and as the leaders were mired in heavy lapped traffic, Almirola charged his No. 20 Samaritan’s Purse Toyota Supra into the lead on Lap 41. A three-wide battle for the lead then ensued between Custer, Almirola and Hill through the frontstretch for the following lap until Almirola briefly muscled back ahead through the first two turns. Hill then overtook and slid his No. 21 Bennett Chevrolet Camaro in front of Almirola’s Toyota entering the frontstretch to assume the lead on Lap 43 while Custer tried to challenge Almirola for the runner-up spot.

When the first stage period concluded on Lap 45, Hill, who came into Homestead eight points below the top-four cutline to make the Championship 4 field, captured his fifth Xfinity stage victory of the 2024 season. Almirola settled in second ahead of Creed, Allgaier and Custer while Mayer, Allmendinger, Herbst, Chandler Smith and Ryan Sieg were scored in the top 10. With six of eight Playoff contenders racking up the event’s first round of stage points by finishing in the top 10, the remaining Playoff contenders that include Love and Sammy Smith were mired in 11th and 36th, respectively.

Under the stage break, the lead lap field led by Hill pitted for a first round of pit service. Following the pit stops, Hill retained the lead as he exited pit road first ahead of Almirola, Custer, Creed and Herbst while Allmendinger, Mayer, Allgaier, Love, Ryan Sieg and Chandler Smith followed suit. Amid the pit stops, Parker Retzlaff was penalized for speeding while exiting pit road.

The second stage period started on Lap 52 as Hill and Almirola occupied the front row. At the start, the field fanned out through the frontstretch as Almirola and Hill dueled for the lead through the first two turns and the backstretch in front of Custer. Hill would then use the inside lane to muscle ahead of Almirola through Turns 3 and 4, where he would lead the following lap. Hill would maintain a reasonable lead over Almirola just past the Lap 55 mark while Custer, Allmendinger and Ryan Sieg followed suit in the top five.

At the Lap 60 mark, Hill was leading by four-tenths of a second over Custer while Almirola, Allmendinger and Ryan Sieg continued to race in the top five. Behind, Love was in sixth place ahead of Chandler Smith, Creed, Allgaier and Kligerman as Herbst, Zilisch, Mayer, Brandon Jones and Sawalich were in the top 15. As Josh Williams, Ryan Truex, Kyle Weatherman, Jeb Burton and Kyle Sieg were mired in the top 20, Sammy Smith was scored in 27th place and on the lead lap.

Six laps later, Herbst pitted his No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang from 10th place after he scrubbed the outside wall and sustained right-side damage to his car. By then, Hill had fended off Custer to retain the lead. Hill’s advantage over Custer would stand to be at seven-tenths of a second at the Lap 70 mark while third-place Allmendinger trailed by a second. Meanwhile, as Almirola and Ryan Sieg were in the top five, teammates Chandler Smith and Creed battled for sixth place while Allgaier, who scrubbed the outside wall through Turns 3 and 4, was being pressured by Love for eighth place.

By Lap 80, Hill extended his advantage to nearly two seconds over Custer while third-place Allmendinger trailed by two seconds and by three-tenths of a second to Custer. As Ryan Sieg and Almirola were in the top five, Creed retained sixth ahead of Allgaier, Chandler Smith, Love and Sawalich.

Six laps later, the caution flew as Nick Leitz, who was racing within the top-25 mark, spun his No. 92 DGM Racing Chevrolet Camaro in Turn 2. The incident occurred not long after Leland Honeyman pitted due to hitting the wall. Leitz’s incident was enough for the second stage period scheduled to conclude on Lap 90 to officially conclude under caution as Hill captured his sixth Xfinity stage victory of the 2024 season and second of the day. Allmendinger muscled his way into second place ahead of Custer, Ryan Sieg and Almirola while Creed, Allgaier, Chandler Smith, Love and Sawalich were scored in the top 10. With six of eight Playoff contenders racking up the event’s second round of stage points, the remaining Playoff contenders that included Mayer and Sammy Smith were mired in 14th and 26th, respectively.

During the stage break, the lead lap field led by Hill returned to pit road for service. Following the pit stops, Hill retained the lead after he exited pit road first as he was followed by Custer, Almirola, Allmendinger, Love, Ryan Sieg, Creed, Chandler Smith, Sawalich and Allgaier. Amid the pit stops, Kyle Weatherman was penalized for speeding on pit road while Dylan Lupton was also penalized for pitting outside of his pit box.

With 105 laps remaining, the final stage period commenced under green as Hill and Custer occupied the front row. At the start, Hill and Custer dueled for the lead in front of Almirola and Allmendinger as Hill assumed a brief lead entering the first turn. Custer then used the outside lane to regain the ground and draw even with Hill through the backstretch and the frontstretch, with Hill leading the next lap. Custer then tried to muscle ahead through the first two turns and the backstretch, but Hill pulled ahead of Custer. Custer then pulled a crossover move on Hill during the next lap and he moved his No. 00 NXT Ford into the lead while Hill was being challenged by Almirola for the runner-up spot. With Allmendinger, Ryan Sieg, Love and Chandler Smtih all closing ground towards the battle for the lead, Custer retained the lead with 102 laps remaining. Custer would proceed to lead the halfway mark with 100 laps remaining as Almirola, Hill, Sieg and Allmendinger followed suit.

With 90 laps remaining, the battle for the lead between Custer and Hill that occurred a few laps earlier continued as the former maintained the preferred outside lane towards the outside wall to retain the top spot over the latter, who was trying to use the inside lane to gain a run through all corners. As Custer maintained a reasonable lead of two-tenths of a second over Hill, Almirola trailed in third place while Allmendinger was battling Love for fourth place. As Ryan Sieg, Allgaier, Chandler Smith, Mayer and Kligerman followed suit in the top 10, Sammy Smith was mired in 28th place and scored a lap down.

Two laps later, Hill used the inside lane to execute another move beneath Custer and he managed to muscle ahead and reassume the lead. Hill proceeded to pull away with the lead by more than two seconds over Custer with 80 laps remaining while Almirola, Allmendinger and Love were scored in the top five.

Then with 79 laps remaining, the caution flew when Josh Williams, who was racing in the top 15, blew a right-front tire entering Turn 1 and ran dead straight into Ryan Truex as Truex spun the No. 26 Toyota Genuine Parts Supra below the track. During the caution period, the lead lap field led by Hill returned to pit road for service. Following the pit stops, Hill retained the lead after he exited pit road first and was followed by teammate Love, who gained three spots following a quick pit service from the No. 2 team. Custer, Almirola, Ryan Sieg, Creed, Chandler Smith, Allgaier, Mayer and Sawalich followed suit in the top 10. In the midst of the caution period, Sammy Smith received the free pass due to being the first competitor scored a lap down.

The start of the next restart period with 73 laps remaining featured Hill muscling away from the field to retain the lead while Custer challenged Love for the runner-up spot through the backstretch. As the field behind fanned out to multiple lanes, Custer then proceeded to make a move beneath Hill through Turns 3 and 4 as he returned atop the leaderboard for the following lap. As the event reached its final 70-lap stretch, Custer retained the lead by four-tenths of a second over Hill before teammate Love overtook him for the spot a lap later. Ryan Sieg would overtake Hill for third place during the next lap as Love started to slowly close in on Custer for the lead.

With 55 laps remaining, Custer stretched his advantage to two-and-a-half seconds over Love while third-place Ryan Sieg trailed by three-and-a-half seconds. Meanwhile, Hill retained fourth place ahead of Almirola and Allmendinger while Creed, Chandler Smith, Allgaier and Mayer were in the top 10 ahead of Herbst, Kligerman, Brandon Jones, Sawalich, Zilisch and Shane van Gisbergen. In the process, Sammy Smith was mired in 23rd place. A few laps later, Sawalich pitted under green with a flat tire after he slapped the outside wall.

Ten laps later, Custer added another second to his lead as he was leading by three seconds over Love and he would grow his lead to four seconds for the following lap. Meanwhile, Hill trailed by more than four seconds in third place as Creed and Almirola were in the top five ahead of Allmendinger, Ryan Sieg, Allgaier, Mayer and Herbst.

With 43 laps remaining, a cycle of green flag pit stops commenced as Almirola pitted from the top five. The leader Custer along with Hill, Love, Ryan Sieg, Zilisch, Ryan Truex and Jeb Burton pitted during the following lap before Sammy Smith pitted with 40 laps remaining. Shortly after and with more names pitting, Chandler Smith endured a slow pit service due to a jack issue during his green flag pit stop as teammate Creed, who was among several who had yet to pit, was leading.

Down to the final 30 laps of the event, Creed continued to lead by two seconds over Allmendinger as Mayer, Kligerman, Jones and van Gisbergen, all of whom had yet to pit, were racing in the top six. Meanwhile, Custer, the first competitor who pitted, trailed the lead by 17 seconds in seventh place as Hill, Almirola and Love were in the top 10. Creed and Mayer, the latter of whom scraped the outside wall in Turns 1 and 2, then pitted during the following lap as Allmendinger cycled into the lead. With Kligerman then pitting not long after, Custer cycled his way up to third place as Allmendinger retained the lead.

Five laps later, Custer overtook Jones for the runner-up spot as he trailed Allmendinger for the lead by nine seconds. Soon after, Hill would make his way up to third place as he trailed Custer for two seconds on the track while Allmendinger remained in the lead by seven seconds.

Then with 21 laps remaining, Allmendinger pitted his No. 16 Modern Day Garage Chevrolet Camaro from the lead. This allowed Custer to cycle back into the lead, where he was ahead of Hill by more than a second while Almirola, Love and Jones were in the top five. Over the next six laps, Hill would steadily decrease Custer’s advantage as he was trailing Custer by seven-tenths of a second with 15 laps remaining.

With 12 laps remaining and the leaders mired in lapped traffic, Hill, who gained a big run on Custer through the frontstretch and had been gaining ground using the inside lane, went to the outside lane entering Turns 1 and 2 as he battled dead even with Custer through the backstretch. Hill then used the outside lane to shoot his No. 21 Bennett Chevrolet into the lead through Turns 3 and 4, where he led the following lap. Hill would proceed to extend his advantage to a second over Custer with 10 laps remaining while third-place Almirola trailed by four seconds.

Down to the final five laps of the event, Hill continued to extend his late advantage as he was leading by two-and-a-half seconds over Custer. Meanwhile, third-place Almirola trailed by four seconds while Love and Herbst were mired in the top five ahead of Ryan Sieg, Creed, Allgaier, Mayer and Zilisch.

When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Hill remained as the leader by more than three seconds over Custer. Navigating his way through a pair of lapped competitors, Hill was able to smoothly navigate his No. 21 Chevrolet around the Homestead circuit for a final time before he cycled back to the frontstretch victorious and for his fourth Xfinity checkered flag of the 2024 season.

With the victory, Hill, who is in his third consecutive season as a full-time competitor of the No. 21 Chevrolet Camaro entry for Richard Childress Racing, achieved his 10th career win in his 112th career start in the Xfinity Series, his first in the series at Homestead-Miami Speedway and his first since winning at Atlanta Motor Speedway in early September. Hill also recorded his first NASCAR national touring series victory at Homestead since winning the Craftsman Truck Series finale in 2019 as he delivered the 18th Xfinity victory of the 2024 season for the Chevrolet nameplate and the fifth for Richard Childress Racing.

Above all, Hill, who spent four of the last five seasons having his Playoff berth end following the Round of 8 between the Truck and Xfinity divisions, clinched a berth into the Championship 4 round for the first time in his career. As a result, he joins AJ Allmendinger as the second competitor who will officially contend for the 2024 Xfinity Series championship at Phoenix Raceway two weeks from now.

“I worked so hard at this,” Hill, who was emotional, said on the frontstretch on the CW Network. “A lot of people doubted me, but I wake up every day to prove everyone wrong, that I deserve to be here. I deserve to race for a championship. This No. 21 team deserves it just as much as I do. They work their asses off each and every day just like I do. I got to give up to those guys. They just gave me a hell of a car. I didn’t have to go run the wall. I could run, really, wherever I wanted to. I can honestly say I’ve never cried coming to the start/finish line. I couldn’t even get my emotions together going into Turn 1 after the checkered.”

“I just had to be on it,” Hill added. “I made some mistakes today, but we rebounded. Pit crew was badass like they always are. I knew once we got off pit road and we were in touch with [Custer], I just had to go to work and not burn my right front or right rear [tires] up and just save it for the long run. As soon as I saw him start backing up to me, it was game on. This is amazing. To be able to go to the Final Four, I’ve worked so hard for this. My dreams came true.”

Cole Custer, who led 67 laps, settled in second place as he ended up one spot short of clinching his early spot into the Championship 4 round. Nonetheless, Custer, who earned a total of 14 stage points at Homestead, currently occupies the fourth and final transfer spot to the Championship 4 by 28 points over Chandler Smith entering next weekend’s Round of 8 finale at Martinsville Speedway as he continues his pursuit to defend his series title.

“Man, I thought that second-to-last run, we had it,” Custer said. “That last run, for whatever reason, we got pretty free and [Hill] seemed like they got way better than what they were the second-to-last run. Sold points day. We’ll move into Martinsville. We’ve had good runs there before. Just got to bring everything we got there because you never know who’s going to win.”

Aric Almirola settled in third place while rookie Jesse Love and Sheldon Creed finished in the top five. Riley Herbst, Ryan Sieg, Justin Allgaier, Sam Mayer and AJ Allmendinger completed the top-10 final running order.

With six of eight Playoff contenders finishing in the top 10, the remaining two Playoff contenders that include pole-sitter Chandler Smith and Sammy Smith ended up 13th and 22nd, respectively. As a result, Allgaier is above the top-four cutline by 35 points while Chandler Smith, Love, Mayer and Sammy Smith are below the cutline.

There were 10 lead changes for six different leaders. The race featured three cautions for 19 laps. In addition, 16 of 38 starters finished on the lead lap.

Results.

1. Austin Hill, 82 laps led, Stages 1 & 2 winner

2. Cole Custer, 67 laps led

3. Aric Almirola, one lap led

4. Jesse Love

5. Sheldon Creed, 12 laps led

6. Riley Herbst

7. Ryan Sieg

8. Justin Allgaier

9. Sam Mayer

10. AJ Allmendinger, nine laps led

11. Parker Kligerman

12. Connor Zilisch

13. Chandler Smith, 29 laps led

14. Kyle Weatherman

15. Anthony Alfredo

16. Jeremy Clements

17. Shane van Gisbergen, one lap down

18. Brennan Poole, one lap down

19. Brandon Jones, one lap down

20. Jeb Burton, one lap down

21. Ryan Truex, one lap down

22. Sammy Smith, one lap down

23. Parker Retzlaff, one lap down

24. William Sawalich, one lap down

25. Ryan Ellis, one lap down

26. Kyle Sieg, one lap down

27. Josh Williams, three laps down

28. Brad Perez, three laps down

29. Austin Green, three laps down

30. Leland Honeyman, three laps down

31. Mason Maggio, three laps down

32. Dylan Lupton, four laps down

33. Dawson Cram, four laps down

34. Blaine Perkins, five laps down

35. Armani Williams, seven laps down

36. Thomas Annunziata – OUT, Ignition

37. Nick Leitz – OUT, Suspension

38. Matt DiBenedetto – OUT, Overheating

*Bold indicates Playoff competitors

Playoff standings

1. AJ Allmendinger – Advanced

2. Austin Hill – Advanced

3. Justin Allgaier +35

4. Cole Custer +28

5. Chandler Smith -28

6. Jesse Love -35

7. Sam Mayer -47

8. Sammy Smith -95

The Round of 8 in the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs is set to conclude at Martinsville Speedway for the National Debt Relief 250, which will determine this year’s Championship 4 field. The event is scheduled to occur next Saturday, November 2, and air at 4 p.m. ET on the CW Network.

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