Hendrick Motorsports Track Attack Program Manager Adam Boatman piloted a 2018 Jimmie Johnson-raced chassis to victory in Saturday's Historic Stock Car Racing Association race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. (HHP/Chris Owens photo)
CONCORD, N.C. (Oct. 12, 2024) – With pit road lined with all shapes and sizes of older model race cars, a 20-car field in four different classes competed in the Historic Stock Car Racing Association’s first visit to Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday night.
Starting with a morning qualifying session, the 30-minute final came on the heels of a thrilling Drive For The Cure 250 presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of NC NASCAR Xfinity Series race.
Both cars and trucks competed in the final, sporting familiar paint schemes, including a yellow Joey Logano-style entry and a white-and-purple Denny Hamlin-fashioned ride.
In the familiar No. 5 Chevrolet pattern of Kyle Larson, Adam Boatman, the program manager for Hendrick Motorsports’ Track Attack program, won the Pro Class competition, topping NASCAR veterans Joe Nemechek and Camden Murphy in the process. Boatman’s race-winning car was previously a 2018 Jimmie Johnson-driven NASCAR Cup Series machine.
PRO FIRST PLACE, ADAM BOATMAN, No. 5 Chevrolet: “This was our first time out with the classic series after we learned about it a few months ago. We’ve been doing track day cars with our Hendrick Track Attack program, so we figured we’d bring out an old Cup car and see how it goes. Not the newest car, but it’s new enough to obviously be fast. It was over 800 horsepower so hooking it up was interesting, but it was a pretty good experience. It’s been a fun day. Meeting these guys in the paddock, they’re a close-knit community and they travel all over to race. It’s fun to be invited into that group and share in that kinship.”
PRO SECOND PLACE, JOE NEMECHEK, No. 47 Chevrolet: “This was a series that had the vintage stock cars and we were helping a couple customers. Everyone was having issues. It was so much fun. We started going across the country, going to different tracks. I probably fixed 25-30 cars for people. We have a lot of fun when we go to the racetrack. NEMCO Motorsports and Nemechek Motorsports Engineering is going strong right now, teaching people that want to learn. We’re teaching the next generation of mechanics.”
PRO THIRD PLACE, CAMDEN MURPHY, No. 46 Chevrolet: “It’s great to be back in a NASCAR format. It’s been a blast being out here. It’s just a lot of fun and it’s also challenging, with the elevation changes.”
TICKETS:
The action continues Sunday with the Bank of America ROVAL™ 400. Tickets are available at www.charlottemotorspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-455-FANS (3267). Kids 12 and under get in for just $10.
MORE INFO:
Fans can connect with Charlotte Motor Speedway and get the latest news by following on X and Instagram, becoming a Facebook fan or downloading the Charlotte Motor Speedway mobile app.
Sam Mayer, driver of the No. 1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet, celebrates after winning Saturday's Drive for the Cure 250 presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of NC at Charlotte Motor Speedway. (HHP/Harold Hinson photo)
CONCORD, N.C. (Oct. 12, 2024) – Sam Mayer’s championship dreams looked to be dashed – just before a mad dash of his own gave him another shot at a title.
On a day that started with a black flag – and almost ended with a second-place finish – perseverance was the key for Mayer, who passed fellow NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff driver Parker Kligerman on the next-to-last lap during a green-white-checkered overtime finish and held on to win Saturday’s Drive For The Cure 250 presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of NC on the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL™.
Driving the No. 1 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports, the 21-year-old from Franklin, Wisc., earned his seventh career NASCAR Xfinity Series win and his second consecutive ROVAL™ triumph. Mayer overcame a 13-point playoff deficit to start the day after expertly moving past Kligerman during an overtime finish which came after NASCAR ruled a late caution period came just before Kligerman, leading at the time, took the white flag during regulation.
For Kligerman, who finished sixth after suffering a tire rub in overtime, all he could do was sit in his window and watch Mayer’s celebratory burnout from pit road.
A.J. Allmendinger was second, with pole winner Shane Van Gisbergen in third, Austin Hill in fourth and Chandler Smith in fifth.
Kligerman, Van Gisbergen, Sheldon Creed and Riley Herbst were eliminated from championship contention, leaving eight drivers left to battle for the title over the season’s final four races. Justin Allgaier, who finished seventh, joined Mayer as drivers who began the day outside the championship field but raced their way in. Allmendinger won Stage 1 while Allgaier took Stage 2.
Mayer was shown the black flag while leading after the first lap for a start violation.
SAM MAYER, NO. 1 JR Motorsports CHEVROLET (RACE WINNER): “Luckily, [the caution light] came on early. The last restart was unbelievable. I just turned underneath [Kligerman] on the exit of Turn 7. It worked out really well. We wanted to defend our race win from last year. This one is definitely sweeter with all the road-course aces in the field. This was probably the toughest Xfinity [Series] field on the ROVAL™ and we came out on top, so I’m super proud of that. I said this morning, ‘If you’re in my way in Turn 7, you’re not going to have a good day,’ and I kind of meant that for everyone except [Kligerman]. I was able to put him in a bad spot there [after the last restart] and then kind of drive away, but we raced each other clean. I think this was one of the cleanest Xfinity races on the ROVAL™ in a long time, too.”
A.J. ALLMENDINGER, NO. 16 KAULIG RACING CHEVROLET (RUNNER-UP): “We were on the line of, we were in, but if we crashed we were out. I feel bad for Parker. I thought he got it at the line there. I thought [Mayer] and [Kligerman], for what was at stake, I thought it was pretty fair. It was cleaner than I expected.”
SHANE VAN GISBERGEN, NO. 97 KAULIG RACING CHEVROLET (THIRD-PLACE FINISHER): “Our car speed was really, really good. I didn’t know what the points [standings] were in the car [as the race unfolded]. I was doing the best I could. [If] you’re relying on people to take each other out, I don’t want to win that way.”
TICKETS:
The action continues Sunday with the Bank of America ROVAL™ 400. Tickets are available at www.charlottemotorspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-455-FANS (3267). Kids 12 and under get in for just $10.
MORE INFO:
Fans can connect with Charlotte Motor Speedway and get the latest news by following on X and Instagram, becoming a Facebook fan or downloading the Charlotte Motor Speedway mobile app.
Force picks up 50th career No. 1 qualifier, Prock ties John Force for most No. 1 spots in a single season in Funny Car history
ENNIS, Texas (Oct. 12, 2024) – Two-time Top Fuel world champion Brittany Force clinched her 50th career No. 1 qualifier on Saturday at Texas Motorplex, hanging on to the top position at the 39th annual Texas NHRA FallNationals.
Austin Prock (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also qualified No. 1 at the 18th of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season and the fourth of six races in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.
Force’s run of 3.667-seconds at 338.19 mph from Friday in her 11,000-horsepower HendrickCars.com/Chevrolet dragster wasn’t challenged on Saturday, handing the 16-time event winner her fourth No. 1 qualifier of the year. She will open eliminations against Spencer Hyde, looking to pick up her first victory since the 2022 season. Force was thrilled to earn a 50th career No. 1 qualifier, but her focus remains on going four rounds on Sunday.
“Just to hear ‘50,’ that’s such a big achievement,” Force said. “It’s a big achievement by all of John Force Racing. It’s something I’m very proud of. It seems like an impossible number and to have that in my career, to be able to accomplish that is huge and something I’m very proud of. The cool thing is, it was a collective thing. It was done with so many different teams and crew chiefs that I’ll always look up to. They all taught me things along the way that I still use to this day. I’m very thankful to them that they’re part of my career and getting that 50.
“To see three (No. 1s) in the last (five) races, it shows that this team is gaining momentum and that we’re moving in the right direction. We’re starting to move on to something positive. But ultimately, we want to perform well on Sunday.”
Shawn Reed qualified second with a 3.676 at 330.71 and Texan Steve Torrence took third thanks to his pass of 3.721 at 332.03. Points leader Antron Brown qualified fifth and will face off with Justin Ashley, who is 34 points behind in second, in a must-see opening round.
In Funny Car, Prock matched his boss and legendary Funny Car driver John Force for the most No. 1 qualifiers in a single season in class history, earning his 13th No. 1 spot of the 2024 season when Friday’s track-record run of 3.813 at 333.09 in his 11,000-horsepower AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS wasn’t challenged on Saturday, ensuring a John Force Racing sweep in qualifying.
Friday’s run was also the eighth-quickest in Funny Car history for the dominant points leader, who will look to extend his lead on Sunday. He will start raceday against Terry Haddock as he seeks an eighth victory in 2024.
“It’s pretty special. I had no idea that there was a record until a few weeks ago and we’ve knocked off a few more, and we eventually tied them today,” Prock said. “It’s pretty special to be added to that list, and to do it in 18 races is pretty incredible. It speaks volumes about this team, my dad, my brother, Nate Hildahl, everyone that’s on this AAA/Cornwall Tools car. I’m really proud of this team and happy to be driving this race car.
“I did talk to John last night and he was he was so ecstatic to see our race car and his daughter’s race car go No. 1 qualifier. He was watching all evening long, and he was really proud. It was nice to hear his voice and know that he was watching and he’s proud, and hopefully we can make them proud the rest of the season.”
Defending event winner and reigning world champion Matt Hagan took second after Friday’s 3.823 at 335.20 and Jack Beckman, who is second in points, finished third with a 3.825 at 331.49.
Pro Stock’s Greg Anderson heads into raceday with plenty of momentum after his 6.524 at 208.99 in his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro from Friday was enough to hand the five-time world champion his sixth No. 1 spot of the season and the 130th in his standout career. Anderson, who is currently fourth in points, made a pair of solid runs on Saturday as well. To stay in the title hunt, Anderson knows he will need a big day on Dallas.
Enders qualified second thanks to Friday’s 6.526 at 209.09 and David Cuadra took third with a 6.532 at 208.60. Aaron Stanfield and leader Dallas Glenn – are fourth and fifth, respectively. The top two in points could meet in the second round, with a potential matchup with Anderson looming in the semifinals.
“Three of us are one side. Erica happened to end up on the other side and I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing for her. We’ll see how it plays out tomorrow,” Anderson said. “There’s only going to be one of the three left in the semifinal on our side of the ladder. Without something like that happening at one of these races I probably wouldn’t have a chance to make up ground because if we all four keep making the semifinals, you’re not going to make up much ground. It’s really the only chance I’ve got.
“We’ll see how the cards fall tomorrow, but it’s an opportunity. I like that. We’re going to be fast. I’m excited to race, and it could be a turning point of the season. It’s time to either get it done or go home.”
Herrera was the only provisional No. 1 qualifier to improve on Saturday, delivering a run of 6.749 at 202.52 in Pro Stock Motorcycle on his RevZilla/Mission Foods/Vance & Hines Suzuki. It hands the points leader his eighth No. 1 qualifier in 2024 and the 22nd in his career, and Herrera will look to win in Dallas for a second straight year. Herrera was impressed with his team’s ability to improve on Friday’s run as he looks to extend his points lead on Sunday.
“The only thing that made it possible was tail wind,” Herrera said. “You just had to catch it at the right time. It was a cross tail so I didn’t think being in the right lane would affect us as much as it did, but it did. That was a good pass. Tomorrow we’re going to be racing in this kind of weather. I think it’s going to be a direct, straight tail wind instead of across. Probably see a pretty good mile an hour tomorrow and it’ll be a good day of racing.
“The biggest thing I focus on is the here and now. You can’t predict what’s going to happen. You can’t try to make stuff happen. You just have to go out there and do what you have to do and it’s going to turn out how it’s going to be.”
Matt Smith jumped up to second in the final session after going 6.756 at 201.77 and Jianna Evaristo took third thanks to Friday’s 6.777 at 201.81.
Eliminations for the 39th annual Texas NHRA FallNationals begin at 12 p.m. CT on Sunday at Texas Motorplex.
STEWART-HAAS RACING Drive for the Cure 250 presented by BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina
Date: Oct. 12, 2024 Event: Drive for the Cure 250 presented by BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina (Round 29 of 33) Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series Location: Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Roval (2.28-mile, 17-turn road course) Format: 67 laps, broken into three stages (20 laps/20 laps/27 laps) Note: Race extended five laps past its scheduled 67-lap distance due to a green-white-checkered finish.
Race Winner: Sam Mayer of JR Motorsports (Chevrolet) Stage 1 Winner: AJ Allmendinger of Kaulig Racing (Chevrolet) Stage 2 Winner: Justin Allgaier of JR Motorsports (Chevrolet)
● Cole Custer (2nd with 3,028 points, seven out of first) ● Riley Herbst (11th with 2,086 points)
Playoff Standings to Begin Round of 8:
Justin Allgaier (3,035 points) +18 Point
Cole Custer (3,028 points) +11 Points
Austin Hill (3,026 points) +9 Points
Chandler Smith (3,025 points) +8 Points
Sam Mayer (3,017 points) -8 Points
Jesse Love (3,013 points) -12 Points
AJ Allmendinger (3,007 points) -18 Points
Sammy Smith (3,006 points) -19 Points
Failed to Advance to Round of 8:
Shane Van Gisbergen (2,102 points)
Sheldon Creed (2,097 points)
Riley Herbst (2,086 points)
Parker Kligerman (2,080 points)
SHR Notes:
● Custer earned his 21st top-15 of the season and his fourth top-15 in four career NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at the Charlotte Roval. ● This was Custer’s fourth straight top-15 at the Charlotte Roval. He finishes second last October. ● Herbst finished eighth in Stage 1 to earn three bonus points.
Race Notes:
● Sam Mayer won the Drive for the Cure 250 to score his seventh career NASCAR Xfinity Series victory, his third of the season and his second at the Charlotte Roval. His margin over second-place AJ Allmendinger was 1.474 seconds. ● There were seven caution periods for a total of 20 laps. ● Twenty-six of the 38 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap. ● Justin Allgaier is the championship leader after the Charlotte Roval with a seven-point advantage over second-place Cole Custer.
Sound Bites:
“That definitely was not pretty, whatsoever. We did a great job the first two races of this round getting ourselves where we needed to in the points. All year we put ourselves where we needed to in the points and it ended up where we didn’t need our best day today. I’m definitely frustrated. I felt like road courses were our strong suit last year and we’re really struggling with them this year. I am a little confused. We have some good tracks for us coming up, so we are looking forward to those.” –Cole Custer, driver of the No. 00 Andy’s Frozen Custard Ford Mustang Dark Horse
“It wasn’t what we wanted. It sucks. This race was frustrating for me. The Roval has never been a good track for me, but I thought we would be okay to advance if we just survived. Neither myself nor the No. 5 were giving up in the chicane and it took me out ultimately. We probably would’ve been fine if it wasn’t for that. Still, we struggled with the handling of our car all day so it wasn’t perfect. We almost stayed in it until the end, but it just wasn’t enough. There’s still four races left to try and get a win though with this No. 98 team.” –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 Ambetter Health 302 on Saturday, Oct. 19 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The race begins at 7:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by CW and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Jesse Love and the No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet Team Battle at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL to Advance to the Round of 8
Finish: 19th Start: 8th Points: 6th
“I’m proud of our No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet team for the effort today at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL. We had a car at the beginning of the race that I felt we could win with. We short-pitted and got stuck back in traffic. There were times that I could have gotten wrecked, so I had to let those guys by so we could live to fight another lap. We had to keep our heads down, stay cool, and do everything possible to get the best finish for our team. In the end, I forced so many people, including myself to race in a way that I didn’t want to, but I knew what it was going to take to advance to the Round of 8. I’m never going to be the driver that lets my team down. I’m looking forward to racing for a championship, which is the most important thing. I poured my heart and soul into the ROVAL since Watkins Glen International, and it was shown early in the race. We fought all day. To finish 19th doesn’t show how good we were, but we did what we had to. Thanks to Richard Childress Racing and ECR Engines for bringing a fast Chevrolet today. We have good tracks coming up and I feel like we have a shot at making the Championship 4.” -Jesse Love
Austin Hill and the No. 21 Bennett Transportation & Logistics Chevrolet Team Keep Championship Hopes Alive with Fourth-Place Result at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL
Finish: 4th Start: 6th Points: 2nd
“Our Bennett Transportation & Logistics Chevrolet was capable of winning the race, but a few restarts didn’t go our way. We had really good speed and were catching the top four at the end. Just ran out of laps and wasn’t able to get there. Maybe I didn’t get the tires cleaned enough, but on the overtime restart, I slipped the tires too much for the green-white-checkered laps. All in all, it was a solid day for our No. 21 Richard Childress Racing team. We came in here and did what we had to do to advance to the next round. At the beginning of this week, I told our team that all we had to do was run top 10 for the stages and get a solid finish to move on. I definitely want to win on a road course, because I know our program is good enough to do it. But I’ll happily leave the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL with a fourth-place finish.” -Austin Hill
AJ ALLMENDINGER No. 16 Campers Inn RV Chevrolet Camaro
AJ Allmendinger qualified third for the Drive for the Cure 250 at the Charlotte ROVAL.
Allmendinger took the lead on lap four and maintained the lead for the duration of the stage. Allmendinger remained quiet on the radio and won the first stage by 6.3 seconds over second place. Allmendinger reported his No. 16 Campers Inn RV Chevy was a tick free. The team came to pit to road under the stage break for four tires and fuel.
Allmendinger restarted the second stage in 17th place after several cars flipped the stage. Allmendinger gained positions quickly, and by lap 28, when the caution came out, he was in 10th place. On the restart on lap 30, Allmendinger took over ninth place and was scored in fifth when the caution came on lap 31. The team came to pit road under the caution for four tires and fuel and went on to finish the second stage in sixth place.
The No. 16 restarted in third place for the final stage. On lap 48, Allmendinger took over second place but reported three laps later that he was loose. When the race’s next caution came out, Allmendinger was scored in third place. He came to pit road for four tires and fuel before restarting in 14th on lap 57. The No. 16, on four fresh tires, moved up to seventh on the restart and took third on lap 59. When the final yellow flag waved, Allmendinger was scored in third, where he restarted for overtime. Battling until the end, Allmendinger went on to finish in second place, advancing to The Round of 8.
“I wanted to win the race. I wanted to go for five in a row, but I didn’t want to take us out of the next round. The Campers Inn RV Chevy was really good that first stage. It just built too loose as the track kind of cooled off there, that was probably our hinderance of actually being faster than the No. 1. Sam did a good job; I feel bad for Parker [Kligerman], he deserved to win. I’m so proud of my group to start off at Kansas the way we did, to fight through Talladega and get to the next round; It’s a big deal.” – AJ Allmendinger
SHANE van GISBERGEN No. 97 WeatherTech Chevrolet Camaro
Shane van Gisbergen qualified on the pole for the Drive for the Cure 250 at the Charlotte ROVAL.
He led the first three laps of the event before his teammate, AJ Allmendinger, took the lead on lap four in the front chicane. On lap eight, Van Gisbergen missed the back chicane and fell to sixth. He quickly made his way to second by lap 17. Van Gisbergen completed the first stage in second, earning nine stage points.
Van Gisbergen reported the car lacked grip and felt weak at the conclusion of Stage 1. He pitted during the stage break for fuel, four fresh tires, and adjustments. Starting the second stage in 22nd, he quickly advanced to 12th by lap seven. A caution came out on lap 28, and Van Gisbergen restarted in 12th. He made gains up to ninth before another caution on lap 31. The field had just returned to speed when another caution followed quickly on lap 35. Taking advantage, the No. 97 WeatherTech team pitted for four tires and fuel, rejoining the race in 17th. Van Gisbergen swiftly moved into the top 10, reaching seventh with three laps remaining in the stage. The second stage ended under caution, with Van Gisbergen finishing seventh, earning four stage points.
The No. 97 WeatherTech team started the final stage, 5th, with 24 laps remaining in the race. Van Gisbergen battled to catch the leader and reached second place with 15 laps remaining in the event before a caution flew. The No. 97 team opted to stay out, when the caution flew, giving Van Gisbergen the chance to restart the stage first with 11 laps to go in the race. Van Gisbergen lost the lead with 9 laps remaining, dropping back to fourth where he raced for the remainder of the race. A caution came out seconds before the white flag flew, giving the No. 97 another chance at a restart. Van Gisbergen restarted the official overtime, 4th, with two laps remaining. Van Gisbergen ultimately took the checkered flag, 3rd. Van Gisbergen and the No. 97 WeatherTech team would not advance into the Round of 8, finishing two points below the cut line.
“We had a good crack at it, but just gutted for the whole team. It was a bit of a rollercoaster all race and my WeatherTech Chevrolet was fast. Just wish last weekend would have gone better and we would have been in a better (playoff) spot heading into today. Proud of my Kaulig Racing team. We’ve had an amazing year, my first year in NASCAR and I’ve loved it. I’m happy but also not, I would have loved to keep advancing in the playoffs.” – Shane van Gisbergen
JOSH WILLIAMS No. 11 Alloy Employer Services Chevrolet Camaro
Josh Williams qualified 23rd for the Drive for the Cure 250 at the Charlotte ROVAL.
Williams spent most of the first stage running on the cusp of the top 20. At the end of lap 15, Williams pitted for tires and fuel, flipping the stage and taking the green-white-checkered in 30th.
He fired off for the second stage in 11th and immediately was embroiled in battles with cars that had fresher tires. The caution came out on lap 28 while Williams was in 19th. After restarting on lap 30, another caution came out, and Williams restarted in 17th on lap 33. He was involved in a multi-car wreck after the ensuing green-flag lap, ending his day prematurely. He finished in 36th.
“Just a bad day all around, we didn’t get a chance to see where we’d fall with the cautions or pit strategies. Looking forward to moving on to the next one.” – 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.
SMITH SCORES SIXTH STRAIGHT TOP-FIVE, ADVANCES TO ROUND OF 8 Sheldon Creed’s championship hopes are dashed after being involved in a mid-race incident
CONCORD, N.C. (October 12, 2024) – Chandler Smith’s hot streak continued as he led Toyota with a fifth-place run at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL in NASCAR Xfinity Series action on Saturday evening. Smith, who previously clinched his spot in the next round, earned his sixth straight top-five finish and eighth-consecutive top-10. Smith led three Joe Gibbs Racing Supras to finish in the top-10 with Josh Bilicki finishing eighth and Aric Almirola in ninth. The Georgia-native will start the Round of 8 as the fourth seed, eight points to the good.
Sheldon Creed, who came into the race 32 points to the good, looked likely to advance early after earning stage points in the first stage, but was involved in a major multi-car incident during the race. The team did the best to repair the damage, but the California-native was unable to continue, ending his quest for the Xfinity Series title.
Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap NASCAR Xfinity Series Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL Race 29 of 33 – 155.44 Miles, 67 Laps
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Sam Mayer* 2nd, AJ Allmendinger* 3rd, Shane van Gisbergen* 4th, Austin Hill* 5th, CHANDLER SMITH 8th, JOSH BILICKI 9th, ARIC ALMIROLA 33rd, THOMAS ANNUNZIATA 35th, SHELDON CREED 37th, ED JONES *non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA QUOTES
CHANDLER SMITH, No. 81 Wheelers Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 5th
Another good run, and you are moving on in the round of 8.
“Yeah, it is a testament to everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing. All of the hard working men and women that has been thrashing to make this No. 81 Wheelers Toyota group back to how we were at the start of the season. We went through a rough patch through the summer. We were hit or miss. We would show up and be really good some weeks, and others we would show up and not be great. Very, very happy with the consistency we have shown. I’m looking forward going into the next round.”
How was your car today and what were your thoughts on the changes?
“I actually liked the changes. I thought it was unique and I thought it made it a little more racy in my opinion, but at the same time, I only raced the old ROVAL once, but honestly, we struggled today. We were at-best a top-five car. We couldn’t run hard and have speed at the start and make it last, so definitely have some work to do here at the ROVAL, but we will go back to the shop and keep building fast Supras and make it better.”
JOSH BILICKI, No. 19 Insurance King Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 8th
What do you take away from this opportunity with Joe Gibbs Racing?
“Yeah, just learning how a powerhouse team like (Joe) Gibbs (Racing) operates, from the prep before the race, throughout the race weekend – it is next level. Honestly, I’m forever grateful. It was super cool to lead some laps – really my first consecutive laps led. That was fun. I think I didn’t do a good job on the start of stage three. We went backwards on an adjustment – and we just lost track position and track position was key. We kind of dug ourselves in a little bit of a hole at the start of stage three, got some track position back those last couple of laps. I’m happy – we were at least able to move forward on that last restart and pick up some positions. Eighth isn’t terrible, but I really wanted a top-five, but thank you to Insurance King, Trim-Tex and AMECO for giving me this opportunity.”
ARIC ALMIROLA, No. 20 Samaritan’s Purse Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 9th
What were your thoughts on the ROVAL?
“Yeah, I didn’t love it. It seemed like it raced a little better than I probably expected, but it is still certainly calamity corner, right? It just invites you to dive bomb it in there. It seemed like for the most part, everyone was pretty respectful, and got through there okay, but it is really, really tough to manage – do you block? Do you not block? It is really inviting to shove it down in there, even when you are two to three car lengths back.”
SHELDON CREED, No. 18 Friends of Jaclyn Foundation Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 35th
How do you summarize this race as a team?
“Yeah, I guess just not our day, I guess. We were running third, and my transmission locked itself in second gear, so that was weird. First time that has ever happened to me. That was the whole reason that we went to the back. I thought I was going to be okay, when they started crashing. I stopped right at it, and then whoever was behind me, pushed me into it even further. Unfortunate. It sucks that our Playoffs will end this way. My guys deserve a lot more. Everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota deserve it. I guess, I don’t know – I will just go grab a beer and watch it unfold.”
What happened out there?
“I had to go to the back. My transmission locked itself into second gear, and then the 5 (Anthony Alfredo) and the 98 (Riley Herbst) just ran into each other and caused a crash. They started stacking up. I stopped right at the crash, and whoever was behind me just piled me into it even further, and I think that is what broke the radiator. I don’t know what to do. It was out of our control there.”
How tough is this?
“It’s out of my control. It’s obviously very frustrating if we don’t get to move on this way. I don’t know.”
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 65 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.
Toyota directly employs more than 63,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 47 million cars and trucks at our 12 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 13th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 29 electrified options.
Ford Performance Notes and Quotes NASCAR Xfinity Series Drive for the Cure 250 | Saturday, October 12, 2024
UNOFFICIAL FORD FINISHING RESULTS
13th – Cole Custer
17th – Ryan Sieg
22nd – Matt DiBenedetto
23rd – Kyle Sieg
27th – Dylan Lupton
32nd – Riley Herbst
33rd – Blaine Perkins
COLE CUSTER, No. 00 Andy’s Frozen Custard Ford Mustang Dark Horse (Finished 13th | Advanced to Round of 8)
“That definitely was not pretty, whatsoever. We did a great job the first two races getting ourselves where we needed to in the points. All year we put ourselves where we needed to in the points and it ended up where we didn’t need our best day today. I am definitely frustrated. I felt like road courses were our strong suit last year and we are really struggling with them this year. I am a little confused. We have some good tracks for us coming up, so we are looking forward to those.”
UNFORTUNATELY, YOUR TEAMMATE, RILEY HERBST DOES NOT ADVANCE:
“I just hate it for Riley and that whole 98 team. They definitely deserved to be in the next round on speed throughout the year. I don’t know. I haven’t seen the replay of it, but I feel real bad for them because I definitely feel like they were good enough to advance on.”
RILEY HERBST, No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang Dark Horse (Finished 32nd | Eliminated from Playoffs)
“It wasn’t what we wanted. It sucks. This race was frustrating for me. The Roval has never been a good track for me, but I thought we would be okay to advance if we just survived. Neither myself nor the 5 were giving up in the chicane and it took me out ultimately. We probably would’ve been fine if it wasn’t for that. Still, we struggled with the handling of our car all day so it wasn’t perfect. We almost stayed in it until the end, but it just wasn’t enough. There’s still four races left to try and get a win though with this 98 team.”
The necessity to safeguard your company from cyber dangers is growing in significance as the globe becomes more digitally connected. The difficulty for cybersecurity marketers and advertisers is to inform potential customers about cyber risks while promoting their goods and services without coming across as disseminating misinformation about fear, uncertainty, or doubt. Cyber Security Advertising companies can effectively reach the people they want through social media advertising without having to shell out a premium for TV commercials. But it does call for a calculated approach. This article will go over the best methods and approaches for social media Cyber Security Advertising.
Why is Cyber Security Advertising Important?
Advertising is essential to every business’s existence, whether it is B2B or B2C. The secret is to use a well-planned and well-researched marketing campaign to target particular people who require your goods or services. Since you operate a cybersecurity company in the B2B space, your clients are other businesses rather than the general public. Businesses that don’t take Cyber Security Advertising run the risk of falling behind and becoming easy targets for fraudsters.
Follow These Steps For Cyber Security Advertising
Make a plan and be ready
Any advertising campaign’s planning is what determines its success, therefore the more organized you are, the better. Refrain from giving in to the urge to just “wing it” and dive right in; this will only set you up for failure. After determining the primary motivation behind your Cyber Security Advertising campaign’s launch (more on that in a moment), you should look at content and advertising strategies that complement your goal in particular.
Select just one goal at a time
A successful Cyber Security Advertising campaign will have a single objective, and everything of its material will be specifically designed to help achieve it. An advertising strategy that successfully targets different consumers at different stages of the purchasing process cannot be created. The idea is just not practical. Thus, pick one goal (like raising brand recognition) and stay with it. Always keep in mind that your goals should be SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound).
Recognize Target Audience
Once more, the audience you are targeting will be at the same stage of the purchasing process, therefore your content needs to align with that. In this case, research is essential. Creating customer profiles and assembling or employing a team to conduct market studies (like conducting online surveys) are two methods for achieving this.
Write Copy That Grabs Attention
You will undoubtedly grab the reader’s attention and encourage clicks if you write in an interesting and conversational tone and include value in your copy. In your text, don’t forget to highlight problems and position your product as “the” answer.
Conclusion
Social media advertising is a useful strategy for Cyber Security Advertising personas that want to build their brand and get more leads, revenue, and followers. One can approach their advertising campaigns strategically and meet their goals by implementing the aforementioned tactics. Never forget to regularly track the advertising initiatives and adjust as needed.
For a second consecutive season, Sam Mayer went from being scored below the cutline in the Playoff’s Round of 12 finale to leapfrogging his way into the Round of 8 by winning the Drive for the Cure 250 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course (Roval) on Saturday, October 12, amid an overtime shootout.
The 21-year-old Mayer from Franklin, Wisconsin, led three times for 13 of 72 over-scheduled laps in an event where he started on the front row alongside Playoff contender Shane van Gisbergen but was penalized for launching ahead of the latter prior to the start/finish line while not the control competitor. Despite serving a pass-through penalty through pit road during the second lap, Mayer blended back on the track inside the top-15 mark, carved his way back into the top 10 after pitting before the first stage’s conclusion, and settled in 11th place. Despite falling one spot short of accumulating crucial stage points following the first stage period, Mayer racked up eight points by settling in third place at the conclusion of the second stage period.
After restarting on the front row for the start of the final stage period with 24 laps remaining, Mayer assumed the lead during the following lap. Despite pitting for fresh tires during a late caution period that started with 15 laps remaining, the Wisconsin native would use the tires to carve his way back up the leaderboard and up to second place as he tried to challenge Playoff contender Parker Kligerman for the victory in the closing laps.
Initially poised to finish in second place behind Kligerman, which would have eliminated him from the Playoffs, Mayer was gifted an opportunity to reclaim the lead after Leland Honeyman wrecked in Turn 3. The caution occurred inches before Kligerman could start the final lap of the event and make the event official, and instead sent the field into overtime. During the overtime shootout, Mayer overtook Kligerman through the Roval’s newly configured Turn 7 and muscled away from the field for two laps to win and maintain his 2024 championship hopes for another three weeks.
With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Saturday, Playoff rookie Shane van Gisbergen notched his third Xfinity Series pole position of the season and his career with a pole-winning lap at 97.110 mph in 84.523 seconds. Playoff contender Sam Mayer joined him on the front row was Playoff contender Sam Mayer, who clocked in his best qualifying lap at 96.871 mph in 84.731 seconds.
Prior to the event, Ed Jones and Thomas Annunziata dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments made to their respective entries.
When the green flag waved and the race started, Sam Mayer rocketed his No. 1 QPS Employment Chevrolet Camaro ahead of Shane van Gisbergen and AJ Allmendinger from the inside lane through the frontstretch as he proceeded to lead through the first turn before he navigated his way through the infield turns, starting in Turn 2. The field, led by Mayer, would then navigate through a pair of right-hand turns in Turns 3 and 4 before entering a brief straightaway to another right-hand turn in Turn 5. Mayer retained the lead through the Roval’s new design turns from Turns 6 and 7 before making a sharp left-hand turn to return back to the main Charlotte oval course.
As the field continued to jostle for early spots, Mayer proceeded to lead through the backstretch’s chicane before he was penalized by NASCAR for jumping the start while not the leader of the race. Amid the penalty, Mayer navigated his way through the final pair of turns before he returned to the frontstretch, drove through the chicane and led the first lap while being black-flagged by NASCAR.
During the second lap, Mayer served a drive-through penalty through pit road, which allowed van Gisbergen to assume the lead as he was followed by teammate AJ Allmendinger, Sheldon Creed, Josh Bilicki and Austin Hill. Despite being pressured by his Kaulig Racing teammate of Allmendinger, van Gisbergen would navigate his way through the 17-turn course and lead the following lap. By the fourth lap, however, Allmendinger navigated his way past van Gisbergen through the frontstretch’s chicane. With Allmendinger leading, van Gisbergen would fend off Creed for the runner-up spot as Bilicki and Hill followed suit.
Through the first five-scheduled laps, Allmendinger was leading by over teammate van Gisbergen as Creed, Bilicki and Austin Hill continued to trail in the top five ahead of rookie Jesse Love, Chandler Smith, Justin Allgaier, Connor Mosack and Riley Herbst. Behind, Aric Almirola trailed in 11th place ahead of Cole Custer, Parker Kligerman and Anthony Alfredo while Sam Mayer was mired in 15th place ahead of teammate Sammy Smith.
Two laps later, van Gisbergen missed the backstretch’s chicane, where he locked up the front tires and drove off the course while running in second place. The on-track misfortune dropped the New Zealander to sixth place, where he had to come to a full stop before proceeding back on the racing surface, as Bilicki, Creed, Hill and Jesse Love all moved up the leaderboard. By then, Allmendinger was leading by more than three seconds.
At the Lap 10 mark, eight of 12 Playoff contenders were racing inside the top 10 as Allmendinger continued to lead by more than two seconds over Bilicki. Behind, Creed, Hill and Love followed suit ahead of van Gisbergen, Allgaier, Chandler Smith and Almirola while Mayer carved his way back into the top 10. Meanwhile, Playoff contenders Kligerman, Herbst, Custer and Sammy Smith were racing inside the top 15 mark as Connor Mosack occupied 14th place.
By Lap 15, Allmendinger stabilized his advantage to nearly four seconds over Bilicki while third-place van Gisbergen carved his way back up to third place in front of Creed, Hill and Love. Behind, Allgaier, Chandler Smith, Almirola and Mayer remained in the top 10 ahead of Kligerman and Herbst while Custer and Sammy Smith dropped to 16th and 17th, respectively.
Not long after, Creed, who was racing in fourth place, spun in the Roval’s newly configured Turn 7 after he got hit by Love, who was trying to make a move beneath teammate Hill for a top-five spot. The incident dropped Creed out of the top-10 mark on the track as the event remained under green flag conditions.
By Lap 17, select names led by Bilicki and including Chandler Smith, Almirola, Mayer, Kligerman, Austin Green, Brandon Jones, Custer, Anthony Alfredo, Sammy Smith, Josh Williams, Ed Jones, Alex Labbe and Ryan Sieg pitted under green. Parker Retzlaff had pitted a lap earlier as Allmendinger retained the lead by more than six seconds over teammate van Gisbergen.
When the first stage period concluded on Lap 20, Allmendinger cruised to his second Xfinity stage victory of the 2024 season. Teammate van Gisbergen followed suit in second ahead of Allgaier, Hill and Love while Creed, Mosack, Herbst, Bilicki and Chandler Smith were scored in the top 10. With eight of 12 Playoff contenders racking up the event’s first round of stage points, the remaining Playoff contenders including Mayer, Kligerman, Custer and Sammy Smith were mired in 11th, 21st, 23rd and 26th, respectively.
Under the stage break, some led by Allmendinger and including Playoff contenders van Gisbergen, Creed, Herbst, Allgaier, Hill and Love pitted while the rest led by Bilicki and Chandler Smith remained on the track. Following the pit stops, Love exited pit road first, ahead of Allmendinger, Creed, Hill, Herbst, Allgaier, van Gisbergen, Jeb Burton, Mosack and Sage Karam.
The second stage period started on Lap 24 as teammates Bilicki and Chandler Smith occupied the front row. At the start, Bilicki and Chandler Smith both dueled for the lead through the first two turns until Bilicki muscled his No. 19 Insurance King Toyota Supra ahead through the infield turns. As the field behind jostled for spots, Bilicki retained the lead through the infield turns, including the tight, left-hand Turn 7, before returning to the main oval course. In the midst of the battles, van Gisbergen, who restarted outside the top 20, made contact with Creed in Turn 7 in his charge back to the front before Alex Labbe spun through the backstretch’s chicane amid contact with Ed Jones. Amid the on-track chaos, the race remained under green flag conditions as Bilicki led the following lap ahead of teammate Chandler Smith while Aric Almirola was up to third place.
During an ensuing caution period that started on Lap 26 due to debris spotted in Turn 2, select names led by Creed and including Thomas Annunziata, Leland Honeyman and Blaine Perkins pitted while the rest of the field led by Bilicki remained on the track. Creed’s pit service was due to the driver reporting a shifter issue to his No. 18 Friends of Jaclyn Foundation Toyota Supra.
With the field restarting under green on Lap 29, Bilicki fended off teammate Chandler Smith through the first two turns to retain the lead. Bilicki retained a steady advantage over Smith, Mayer, Almirola and Kligerman through the infield turns from Turns 3 to 7 as the field fanned out while navigating back onto Charlotte’s oval course. Then as the field navigated through the backstretch’s chicane before returning to the frontstretch, the caution returned due to Matt DiBenedetto crashing into the tire barriers just past Turn 6 and struggling to restart from his carnage scene.
The start of the next restart period on Lap 32 featured Bilicki and Mayer occupying the front row, where both dueled for the lead through the first three turns before Mayer muscled ahead entering Turn 4. As the field behind fanned out, Mayer fended off Bilicki through the following three sets of infield turns before he returned to the oval course and continued to lead through the backstretch chicane. With Chandler Smith, Kligerman and Allmendinger trailing in the top five, Mayer led the following lap.
Shortly after, the caution returned when Herbst, who was battling Alfredo amid close-quarters racing for 15th place, made contact with Alfredo through the frontstretch chicane that resulted in Herbst getting turned sideways off the front nose of Alfredo as both went straight into the outside wall and igniting a pileup that involved Josh Williams, Mosack, Ed Jones, Parker Retzlaff, Ryan Sieg, Dylan Lupton, Preston Pardus, Blaine Perkins, Brad Perez, Jeremy Clements, Brennan Poole and Creed. Despite sustaining damage to their respective cars, Herbst and Creed continued and remained on the lead lap.
During the caution period and extensive cleanup period, a majority of the field led by Mayer pitted while the rest led by Allgaier remained on the track.
With the race restarting under green with three laps remaining in the second stage period, Allgaier and Sage Karam led the field to the restart zone, where Allgaier rocketed away from Karam and the field to lead through the infield turns as Leland Honeyman overtook Karam for second place. With Allgaier retaining the lead, the field fanned out while navigating through the infield turns, the oval turns and the backstretch’s chicane. As Allgaier proceeded to lead the following lap, more trouble struck for Creed, who was off the pace and limping his damaged car below the Charlotte oval’s apron. Creed would lose a lap as the field lapped him entering the backstretch.
As Herbst was also falling off the pace in his damaged No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang and with a broken trackbar, the caution would then fly on the final lap of the second stage period due to Creed coming to a halt in the backstretch. The caution would officially conclude the second stage period scheduled for Lap 40 as Allgaier claimed his 15th Xfinity stage victory of the 2024 season. Teammates Mosack and Mayer would follow suit in second and third, respectively, while Almirola, Honeyman, Allmendinger, van Gisbergen, Chandler Smith, Karam and Bilicki were scored in the top 10. With five of 12 Playoff contenders racking up a second round of stage points and both Herbst and Creed out of contention, the remaining Playoff contenders that included Kligerman, Love, Hill, Sammy Smith and Custer were mired inside the top 20.
During the stage break, select names including Allgaier, Karam, Clements, Retzlaff and Honeyman pitted while the rest led by Mosack remained on the track.
With 24 laps remaining, the final stage period commenced under green as teammates Mosack and Mayer occupied the front row. At the start, Mosack muscled ahead and cleared teammate Mayer through the first turn. As Mosack proceeded to lead in his No. 88 Apollo Pex Chevrolet Camaro through the ensuing infield turns, Mayer fended off Allmendinger to retain second while Almirola, van Gisbergen and Chandler Smith followed suit in the top six. With van Gisbergen diving his way up to fourth place through Turn 7, Mosack fended off teammate Mayer through both the backstretch and frontstretch chicanes to lead the following lap while teammates Hill and Love battled for ninth place.
Then, as Almirola and Clements spun in Turn 7, Mayer overtook teammate Mosack through Turns 8 and 9 to assume the lead. Mayer would retain the lead for the following lap as teammate Mosack, Allmendinger, van Gisbergen and Chandler Smith followed suit in the top five.
Down to the final 20 laps of the event, Mayer was leading by more than a second over teammate Mosack as Playoff contenders Allmendinger, van Gisbergen, Chandler Smith, Kligerman and Hill followed suit in the top seven ahead of Bilicki, Austin Green and Love. Behind, Sammy Smith, Custer and Allgaier were scored in the top 15 along with Brandon Jones and DiBenedetto as 31 of 38 starters were scored on the lead lap.
Five laps later, Mayer continued to lead by more than a second over Allmendinger as van Gisbergen, Chandler Smith and Mosack followed suit in the top five. With Mayer, who came into the event scored below the top-eight cutline in the Playoff standings, leading, van Gisbergen currently occupied the eighth and final transfer spot to the top-eight cutline by two points over Allgaier, who overtook Custer for 12th place.
Shortly after, the caution flew due to Thomas Annunziata driving his No. 35 NFPA Toyota entry head-on into the barriers entering Turn 1 due to a brake failure. During the caution period, a majority of the field led by Mayer and including Playoff contenders Allmendinger, Hill, Kligerman, Allgaier, Custer and Sammy Smith pitted while the rest led by van Gisbergen remained on the track. In addition to van Gisbergen, Austin Green, Love, Preston Pardus and Nathan Byrd remained on the track.
The start of the ensuing restart period with 11 laps remaining featured van Gisbergen rocketing his No. 97 WeatherTech Chevrolet Camaro away with the lead as the field fanned out entering the first turn. With van Gisbergen leading Love, Green, Mayer and Kligerman through the infield turns and back on the oval turns, the New Zealander retained the lead by a steady margin through the backstretch chicane as Kligerman battled and overtook Love for the runner-up spot.
With 10 laps remaining, several competitors including Mosack and Alfredo spun through the frontstretch chicane while more including Sammy Smith served an on-track stop-and-go penalty in the frontstretch. At the front, van Gisbergen retained the lead over a hard-charging Kligerman while Mayer carved his way up to third place. Kligerman would cut van Gisbergen’s deficit through the infield turns before the former retained the advantage for the remaining turns.
The following lap, Kligerman, who pitted for fresh tires during the previous caution period and is placed in a “must-win” situation to advance into the Playoff’s Round of 8, closed in to van Gisbergen’s rear bumper through the infield turns. Kligerman then made his move beneath van Gisbergen in Turn 7 to move his No. 48 Big Machine Spiked Coolers Chevrolet Camaro into the lead and he would retain the top spot through the oval turns and the following set of chicanes as Mayer overtook van Gisbergen for the runner-up spot. Van Gisbergen, whose tires were beginning to wear out, would then yield third place to teammate Allmendinger through the infield turns during the following lap as Kligerman retained the lead over Mayer.
Down to the final five laps of the event, Kligerman kept his lead to three-tenths of a second over Mayer, with the latter keeping pace and remaining within a striking zone of the former while Allmendinger tried to close in on the two leaders. Behind, van Gisbergen trailed by more than two seconds in fourth place ahead of Hill while Chandler Smith, Allgaier, Brandon Jones, Bilicki and Love were racing in the top 10.
Then with four laps remaining, Mayer seized an opportunity and made his move beneath Kligerman entering the frontstretch chicane to assume the lead. With Mayer lightly bumping into Kligerman and retaining the lead through the chicane, Kligerman then executed a crossover move of his own as he made his move beneath Mayer and reassumed the lead through the frontstretch. With Kligerman fending off Mayer through the first three turns, Allmendinger joined the battle and van Gisbergen also tried to close in from fourth place. During the following lap, Mayer briefly lost his momentum through the oval’s backstretch, which allowed Allmendinger and van Gisbergen to challenge him for the runner-up spot. Mayer, however, defended his spot as Kligerman muscled away with the lead through every turn and straightaway.
For the following lap, Kligerman’s steady advantage grew to nine-tenths of a second over Mayer as Allmendinger and van Gisbergen followed suit by less than two seconds. Despite Mayer trimming the gap to half a second towards the frontstretch, Kligerman remained in the lead.
Then as Kligerman was inches away from crossing the start/finish line to take the white flag and start the final lap of the event, the caution flew and the event was sent into overtime due to Leland Honeyman wrecking and getting buried beneath the tire barriers in Turn 3. During the caution period, some including Love pitted while the rest led by Kligerman remained on the track
The start of the first overtime attempt featured Kligerman and Mayer dueling for the lead through the first four turns before the former rubbed and fended his way back to the front to retain the lead. Kligerman would retain the lead for the following infield turns before Mayer pulled a crossover move beneath Kligerman in Turn 7 and assumed the lead entering the oval turns. Mayer would proceed to lead through the backstretch chicane while Kligerman was trying to fend off Allmendinger and van Gisbergen for the runner-up spot.
When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Mayer remained as the leader by a second over Allmendinger and van Gisbergen, who overtook Kligerman for second and third. By then, van Gisbergen was tied with Love for the final transfer spot to the Round of 8. As Love was trying to gain a spot within the middle of the pack, Mayer retained the lead from the infield turns to the backstretch. With both Allmendinger and van Gisbergen unable to close in from behind, Mayer would cycle back to the frontstretch and weave his way through the chicane before crossing the finish line in first place and notching his third Xfinity checkered flag of the 2024 season.
With the victory, Mayer, who came into the Charlotte Roval event 13 points below the cutline after being disqualified due to his car failing to meet the height requirements during the post-race inspection process last weekend at Talladega Superspeedway, notched his seventh career win in the NASCAR Xfinity Series division, his third of the season and his first since winning at Iowa Speedway in June. The victory was also the 16th of the season for the Chevrolet nameplate, with the manufacturer racking its sixth consecutive win at the Charlotte Roval, and the 88th overall for JR Motorsports.
The second consecutive victory at the Charlotte Roval allowed Mayer and the No. 1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet team to automatically advance into the Round of 8, where the Wisconsin native continues his pursuit for his first Xfinity Series championship.
Photo by John Knittel for SpeedwayMedia.com.
“Man, it’s all thanks to the good Lord above,” Mayer said on the CW Network. “He’s blessed me with a lot of issues this year, learning moments. To come out here to the Charlotte Motor Speedway [Rova], go back to back [in wins] with a fast, fast car. To do it at home is something special. This No. 1 car was fast today. We certainly had to work for [the win] there. I knew that [passing in Turn 7] was my only shot if I got a good angle into that corner. [Kligerman] blocked the bottom [lane], which was good for me. It gave me a better angle up off the corner and this QPS Employment Chevrolet hooked up and we were gone from there. [It] Was something super special and now, I get to celebrate.”
As Mayer celebrated the race victory that enabled him to advance into the Round of 8, Jesse Love was also left smiling after he finished in 19th place, which was enough for him to claim the eighth and final spot to advance into the next round of the Playoffs by two points over rookie rival van Gisbergen, who ended up in third place. The result marks the second time where a driver of the No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet entry claimed the final berth into the Round of 8 while van Gisbergen’s championship run in his first full-time NASCAR campaign came to a bittersweet end.
Photo by John Knittel for SpeedwayMedia.com.
“[The ending was] Just stressful,” Love said. “[My team] were telling me I needed one more [spot] and then one more. I was like, ‘When is [the race] gonna end?’ At the end of the day, I got to be loyal to my guys and they busted their ass really hard, so I got to put a sack over my shoulder and man up and drive forward. Just proud of my whole Whelen No. 2 team. We’re good enough to go race for a championship and we just got to go show it in the next three weeks.”
“It is what it is,” van Gisbergen said. “It probably comes down to last week [at Talladega] having the dramas we had and the DNF there, so that’s probably it. I’m proud of the Kaulig Racing guys. We’ve had an amazing year, my first year in NASCAR. I’ve loved it. I’m happy, but I’m also not. I’d love to keep going [in the Playoffs]. [I] Did what I could.”
Compared to van Gisbergen, teammate AJ Allmendinger advanced into the Round of 8 by finishing in second place. Playoff contenders Austin Hill, Chandler Smith and Justin Allgaier all advanced by finishing fourth, fifth and seventh, respectively, on the track as they joined Sammy Smith, who advanced by winning last weekend at Talladega Superspeedway, for the Round of 8 battle.
Meanwhile, Kligerman did not transfer despite capping off his strong run in sixth place. Kligerman’s sixth-place result left the Connecticut native with mixed emotions and fighting off tears as he was initially within inches of both achieving his first elusive Xfinity victory and advancing into the Round of 8 during the event’s regulation period. Nonetheless, Kligerman remained humble and remained optimistic in pursuing his victory before he retires from NASCAR competition at this season’s conclusion.
Photo by John Knittel for SpeedwayMedia.com.
“I might have teared up when I thought we got it there with the white flag and the caution comes out and then had to refocus,” Kligerman said. “I thought I’d cut off Turn 7 enough, but [Mayer] somehow got below me and then, it was on from there. I said I want to cry. I’m not gonna cry, but I really love this game. I just really, really wanted that. It would have meant the world, but you know what? It meant the world to be in that position. Thank you to [owner] Scott Borchetta and everyone at Spiked Coolers. Everyone who made this possible. Big Machine Racing. I don’t know how to process this. It’s going to take a while, but just really thankful to have the opportunity. God, I love this game. I want to get a trophy.”
Ultimately, Kligerman and van Gisbergen join Riley Herbst and Sheldon Creed as the bottom four competitors in the Playoff standings to not advance into the Round of 8.
There were 12 lead changes for eight different leaders. The race featured seven cautions for 20 laps. In addition, 26 of 38 starters finished on the lead lap.
Results.
1. Sam Mayer, 13 laps led
2. AJ Allmendinger, 18 laps led, Stage 1 winner
3. Shane van Gisbergen, seven laps led
4. Austin Hill
5. Chandler Smith, one lap led
6. Parker Kligerman, 12 laps led
7. Justin Allgaier, six laps led, Stage 2 winner
8. Josh Bilicki, 10 laps led
9. Aric Almirola
10. Sammy Smith
11. Brandon Jones
12. Parker Retzlaff
13. Cole Custer
14. Alex Labbe
15. Jeb Burton
16. Anthony Alfredo
17. Ryan Sieg
18. Connor Mosack, five laps led
19. Jesse Love
20. Jeremy Clements
21. Preston Pardus
22. Matt DiBenedetto
23. Kyle Sieg
24. Dawson Cram
25. Nathan Byrd
26. Brad Perez
27. Dylan Lupton, one lap down
28. Leland Honeyman – OUT, Accident
29. Sage Karam – OUT, Brakes
30. Austin Green – OUT, Engine
31. Ryan Ellis, 14 laps down
32. Riley Herbst – OUT, Driveshaft
33. Blaine Perkins, 16 laps down
34. Thomas Annunziata – OUT, Accident
35. Sheldon Creed – OUT, Accident
36. Josh Williams – OUT, Accident
37. Ed Jones – OUT, Accident
38. Brennan Poole – OUT, Accident
*Bold indicates Playoff competitors
Playoff standings
1. Sam Mayer – Advanced
2. Sammy Smith – Advanced
3. Chandler Smith – Advanced
4. Austin Hill – Advanced
5. Cole Custer – Advanced
6. AJ Allmendinger – Advanced
7. Justin Allgaier – Advanced
8. Jesse Love – Advanced
9. Shane van Gisbergen – Eliminated
10. Sheldon Creed – Eliminated
11. Riley Herbst – Eliminated
12. Parker Kligerman – Eliminated
The Round of 8 in the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs is set to commence at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada, for the Ambetter Health 302. The event is scheduled to occur next Saturday, October 19, and air at 7:30 p.m. ET on the CW Network.
