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 need to safeguard your company from cyber threats is growing in importance as the world becomes more digitally connected. The challenge for cybersecurity marketers and advertisers is to inform potential customers about cyber risks while promoting their goods and services without coming across as spreading misinformation or fear, uncertainty, or doubt. Cyber Security Advertising companies can effectively reach their target audience through social media advertising without having to pay 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, well-researched marketing campaign to target specific people who need 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 invest in Cyber Security Advertising risk falling behind and becoming easy targets for fraudsters.
Businesses should also adopt a proactive security and risk management strategy that includes continuous threat assessment, vulnerability management, and incident response to reduce cyber risks before they impact operations.
Follow These Steps For Cyber Security Advertising
Make a plan and be ready
Planning an advertising campaign 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 consider content and advertising strategies that specifically complement your goal.
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 (such as raising brand recognition) and stick 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, conversational tone and deliver 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.
CONCORD, N.C. (Oct. 12, 2024) – Sunday’s Bank of America ROVAL™ 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway combines the pressure of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs with the debut of a reconfigured track.
Those two elements blended together for the first time on Saturday, as America’s best drivers took on the newly configured the 2.28-mile, 17-turn circuit for the first time.
Shane Van Gisbergen, driving the No. 13 Chevrolet for Kaulig Racing, displayed his substantial road course skill and earned his first career NASCAR Cup Series pole for Sunday’s Bank of America ROVAL™ 400 with a lap of 99.246 mph. Van Gisbergen also won the Drive For The Cure 250 NASCAR Xfinity Series race pole earlier Saturday.
“We’ve definitely had a good day,” said Van Gisbergen, who is making his ROVAL™ debut this weekend. “The team has performed strong. Anytime you can get a pole and have the fastest car in qualifying, it’s special.
“It’s not a reconfiguration to me – I don’t know any different.”
Saturday featured the first competition laps at the ROVAL™ since a longer straightaway out of Turn 5, a new Turn 6 and a sharper, hairpin Turn 7 were established on the Charlotte Motor Speedway course.
“I think it’s good they changed it up,” said Ryan Blaney, the defending NASCAR Cup Series champion and a winner of the inaugural ROVAL event in 2018. “Whenever you add passing zones, that’s good for a race. It’s the same for everybody. It’s going to be different for everyone and it’s just who can adapt to it the quickest.”
Green flag for the Bank of America ROVAL™ 400 (NBC) is 2:30 p.m. on Sunday.
Entering the race, two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano is 13 points below the advancement cutoff, with Daniel Suarez 20 points behind, Austin Cindric 29 points back and Chase Briscoe trailing by 32 points.
“We’re just looking at it as a must win,” said Briscoe. “You could maybe point your way in, but a lot of things would have to go your way. I think it honestly opens up a lot for us from a strategy standpoint of just going in with the approach of flipping the track position and everything else.
“So yeah, to be below the cut line is obviously unfortunate, but honestly, I would much rather it be 30-something points than 15 just because I think it makes it a little clearer of what you need to do from a strategy standpoint.”
Earlier Saturday, Van Gisbergen led the field in practice with a speed of 98.604 mph.
PRETTY IN PINK
Marking National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, this weekend’s distinctive pink window nets, provided by the Erik Jones Foundation, provide awareness and support to survivors and those affected, as well as highlight the importance of early detection.
“We’re looking forward to seeing the window nets on the cars,” Jones said. “It should be a fun couple of days. This is probably one of NASCAR’s most visual [charity] programs.”
Jones’ group took over the philanthropic effort from a Kurt Busch-run organization late last year.
“The reward is the [fund] granting that we can do. We’ve started those discussions already. It makes all the work worth it. There’s some long days and a lot of time put into it. When you hand that grant over it makes it all worthwhile.”
TICKETS:
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 all weekend 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.
Shane van Gisbergen doubled down with his second NASCAR national touring series pole position of the day at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course (Roval) by claiming the top-starting spot for this weekend’s Bank of America Roval 400 on Saturday, October 12.
The three-time SuperCars champion from Auckland, New Zealand, was one of 10 from a list of 38-entered competitors to transfer into the final round of qualifying, where the first phase of qualifying consisted of two 19-car groups (Group A and Group B) and the top-five fastest competitors from each group transferring into the final qualifying round.
After being the fastest qualifier from the Group B qualifying round and the fastest in practice, van Gisbergen would proceed to claim the pole position with his best lap occurring at 99.246 mph in 82.704 seconds, which was enough to edge Tyler Reddick by 0.057 seconds.
With his accomplishment, van Gisbergen, who was initially not registered to compete in this event but ended up being added in Kaulig Racing’s No. 13 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entry, notched his first career pole position in the NASCAR Cup Series division. He also became the 242nd competitor overall to win a pole in NASCAR’s premier series and he delivered the first Cup pole for Kaulig Racing as he will make his 10th Cup start of the 2024 season at the Charlotte Roval on Sunday. The New Zealander’s previous best starting spot in the Cup Series was third, which occurred at the Chicago Street Course in July 2023 and Watkins Glen International this past August.
Van Gisbergen, who will also start on pole position for Saturday afternoon’s Xfinity Series Playoff event at the Roval in his quest to advance into the Round of 8, also joins Michael McDowell and Ross Chastain as non-Playoff contenders to record poles as he strives to become the sixth competitor to win a Cup event at the Roval.
“Man, thank you to this Kaulig Racing team,” van Gisbergen said on USA Network. “[It was a] Last minute deal to come and race here. Thanks to [team owner] Matt [Kaulig] and the guys for letting me run their car. What an amazing day. I’m lost for words. I have to respect [that] there’s a lot of Playoff guys around me. I have to race respectfully. We’re here to win the race. Hopefully, we have a good day.”
Reddick, who won the Charlotte Roval pole a year ago and who made a last-ditch effort to topple van Gisbergen off the top of the qualifying charts, will start in second place with his best lap occurring at 99.177 mph in 82.761 seconds. Ironically, Reddick, the highest-starting Playoff contender, also rallied from being involved in a spin during the event’s practice session.
AJ Allmendinger, van Gisbergen’s teammate at Kaulig Racing and the reigning Bank of America Roval 400 winner, will start in third place with his best qualifying lap occurring at 98.874 mph in 83.015 seconds. Joey Logano and Austin Cindric, Playoff contenders and teammates at Team Penske, will line up in the top five.
Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott, Playoff contenders and teammates at Hendrick Motorsports, will follow suit in sixth and seventh, respectively, while Brad Keselowski, Bubba Wallace and Playoff contender William Byron complete the top-10 starting spots.
With six of the 12 Playoff contenders starting in the top 10 for Sunday’s main event, the remaining Playoff contenders that include Christopher Bell, Daniel Suarez, Ryan Blaney, Alex Bowman, Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe will start 12th, 13th, 14th, 17th, 18th and 25th, respectively.
With Sunday’s main event at the Charlotte Roval serving as the final Round of 12 event of the 2024 Cup Series Playoffs, the following names that include Joey Logano, Daniel Suarez, Austin Cindric and Chase Briscoe enter the Roval below the top-eight cutline while Tyler Reddick and Chase Elliott occupy the final two transfer spots by 14 and 13 points, respectively. William Byron is the only Playoff contender who is currently locked into the Round of 8 based on points while Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, Alex Bowman and Ryan Blaney follow suit in the top six in the Playoff standings.
*All 38 competitors entered for Sunday’s event at Charlotte earned a starting spot.
Qualifying position, best speed, best time:
Shane van Gisbergen, 99.246 mph, 82.704 seconds
Tyler Reddick, 99.177 mph, 82.761 seconds
AJ Allmendinger, 98.874 mph, 83.015 seconds
Joey Logano, 98.694 mph, 83.166 seconds
Austin Cindric, 98.580 mph, 83.262 seconds
Kyle Larson, 98.500 mph, 83.330 seconds
Chase Elliott, 98.389 mph, 83.424 seconds
Brad Keselowski, 98.341 mph, 83.465 seconds
Bubba Wallace, 98.219 mph, 83.568 seconds
William Byron, 98.165 mph, 83.614 seconds
Kyle Busch, 98.637 mph, 83.214 seconds
Christopher Bell, 98.605 mph, 83.241 seconds
Daniel Suarez, 98.456 mph, 83.367 seconds
Ryan Blaney, 98.464 mph, 83.360 seconds
Todd Gilliland, 98.456 mph, 83.367 seconds
Ross Chastain, 98.277 mph, 83.519 seconds
Alex Bowman, 98.453 mph, 83.370 seconds
Denny Hamlin, 98.174 mph, 83.607 seconds
Ty Gibbs, 98.377 mph, 83.434 seconds
Carson Hocevar, 98.039 mph, 83.722 seconds
Michael McDowell, 98.305 mph, 83.495 seconds
Austin Dillon, 98.009 mph, 83.747 seconds
Zane Smith, 98.128 mph, 83.646 seconds
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 97.924 mph, 83.820 seconds
Chase Briscoe, 97.987 mph, 83.766 seconds
Harrison Burton, 97.834 mph, 83.897 seconds
Daniel Hemric, 97.921 mph, 83.823 seconds
Corey LaJoie, 97.756 mph, 83.964 seconds
Chris Buescher, 97.760 mph, 83.961 seconds
Martin Truex Jr., 97.647 mph, 84.058 seconds
Kaz Grala, 97.752 mph, 83.968 seconds
Noah Gragson, 97.560 mph, 84.133 seconds
Justin Haley, 97.718 mph, 83.997 seconds
Ryan Preece, 97..234 mph, 84.415 seconds
John Hunter Nemechek, 97.664 mph, 84.043 seconds
Josh Berry, 97.069 mph, 84.558 seconds
Erik Jones, 97.515 mph, 84.172 seconds
Josh Bilicki, 95.261 mph, 86.163 seconds
The 2024 Bank of America Roval 400 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course is scheduled to occur on Sunday, October 13, and air at 2 p.m. ET on NBC.
NASCAR CUP SERIES CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY R.C. ROUND OF 12: ELIMINATION RACE TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING REPORT OCTOBER 12, 2024
Van Gisbergen Sweeps Pole Wins at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course
Turning his first-ever laps on the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course, Chevrolet’s Shane van Gisbergen drove his Chevrolet-powered machines to the top of the leaderboard in both qualifying sessions – claiming the pole for today’s NASCAR Xfinity Series Drive for the Cure 250 and Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Bank of America ROVAL 400.
The poles wins – his first in the Cup Series and third in the Xfinity Series – came after a strong practice session in both series, driving his Kaulig Racing Chevrolet’s to the top of the leaderboard in each.
Chevrolet – the winningest manufacturer in both series at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course – now sits at 10 poles for the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season and 753 all-time in the division.
A strong contingency of Team Chevy drivers claimed top-10 qualifying results at the North Carolina circuit, with the track’s defending winner, AJ Allmendinger, posting a third-place qualifying effort in his No. 16 Kaulig Racing Camaro ZL1; and Chevrolet’s playoff drivers Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott and William Byron driving their Hendrick Motorsports-prepared Chevrolet’s to sixth, seventh and 10th-place qualifying results, respectively.
SHANE VAN GISBERGEN, NO. 13 WEATHERTECH CAMARO ZL1 – Pole Win Quote
FOR THE SECOND TIME TODAY, SHANE VAN GISBERGEN WINS A POLE AT THE ROVAL. HOW FUN WAS THAT TO WATCH THE CLOSING LAPS AND TYLER REDDICK TRYING TO BEAT YOUR TIME?
“Yeah, he’s obviously very quick to do those extra laps and still match it. But man, thank you to this Kaulig Racing team. It was a last minute deal to come and run this Cup race here, so thanks to Matt (Kaulig) and the guys for letting me run their car, and for WeatherTech coming on board.
Our Chevy is really quick. What an amazing day.. I’m lost for words.”
WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO DO TOMORROW TO START AND FINISH IN THE FIRST POSITION?
“Yeah, just make sure we race clean. I have to respect that there’s a lot of playoff guys around me and I have to race respectfully. But yeah, we’re here to win the race. I have a teammate up there with me, too, so obviously the team has done a great job. But yeah, hopefully we have a good day.”
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JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse (Qualified 4th)
“It was a solid qualifying effort. We need to be faster. The guys we are racing, the 9 is right behind us and the 45 is second, so it is going to be a battle tomorrow for sure.”
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE NEW COURSE LAYOUT NOW THAT YOU’VE BEEN OUT THERE?
“I think we made some gains on trying to figure out how to make speed. It is a new section so you have to make laps to play with different lines. I will be interested in watching the Xfinity race here today to see what lines look like and how that goes.”
AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 2 Menards/Sylvania Ford Mustang Dark Horse (Qualified 5th)
“I think that gives us the option to do everything we need to do tomorrow. We are in a position that we have to go win, and starting in the top five and being able to have some track position here to start is super important. I am proud of my team bringing a fast Menards/Sylvania Ford Mustang and we will go try to have our best day of the year tomorrow.”
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE NEW COURSE LAYOUT NOW THAT YOU’VE BEEN OUT THERE?
“It is just different. Better or worse, whatever, but it is just different. I think the work that the guys did at the Ford Performance simulator to help us get up to speed has been really important for us in being able to maximize having two practices.”
BRAD KESELOWSKI, No. 6 Castrol Edge Ford Mustang Dark Horse (Qualified 8th)
“We hustled hard. The car seems really decent and I am excited about the race on Sunday. It was a really solid day.”
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE NEW COURSE LAYOUT NOW THAT YOU’VE BEEN OUT THERE?
“I think we brought a good car. That makes my job a lot easier. I am really excited about that. I am not sure what to think about the reconfig yet. I would like to get a race under my belt before having a strong opinion, but it is certainly different.”
Ford Performance Notes and Quotes NASCAR Cup Series | Media Availability Bank of America ROVAL 400 | Saturday, October 12, 2024
Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 Ford Performance Racing School Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Stewart-Haas Racing, met with media members Saturday morning ahead of Cup Series practice and qualifying at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course.
Media Availability Quotes:
BACK AT DARLINGTON, YOU HAD TO WIN THAT RACE TO GET INTO THE PLAYOFFS. IT WAS A LITTLE BIT MORE OF A STRAIGHTFORWARD OVAL. WITH THE STAGE POINTS AND THE STAGE RACING AT ROAD COURSES, HOW ARE YOU PLANNING TO APPROACH THIS TO GET THE POINTS TO MAKE UP THE DEFICIT?
“I think for us it’s honestly better that we’re kind of in the position that we are being 32 out or whatever it is versus 15 just because if you’re 15 to even 20, that is doable. Where we’re 30, at least for us, we’re just looking at it as a must win. You could maybe point your way in, but a lot of things would have to go your way. I think it honestly opens up a lot for us from a strategy standpoint of just going in with the approach of flipping the track position and everything else. So yeah, to be below the cut line is obviously unfortunate, but honestly, I would much rather it be 30-something points than 15 just because I think it makes it a little clearer of what you need to do from a strategy standpoint. And out of all the tracks in this round, this is the one where I feel the most confident to come and battle for the win, so hopefully we can do that.”
WE’VE HAD TWO RACES WITH TWO NON-PLAYOFF GUYS WIN RACES? IS THAT GOOD FOR THE GUYS THAT NEED TO GET IN, OR DOES THAT MAKE IT DIFFICULT?
“I think it’s good if you’re around the cut line for sure just because if guys in the playoffs win it just moves that cut line farther and farther down. So I think for the guys near the cut line, it definitely makes it a little bit easier, but for us where we’re at a point situation, it really doesn’t matter truthfully I think it definitely makes a difference, you know the first round even right, if I don’t win the race I’m cheering that a non playoff guy win just because it makes it a lot easier.”
COULD WE SEE A SITUATION TOMORROW WHERE AN ENTIRE SEGMENT OF RACES, THREE RACE SEGMENT, THE PLAYOFFS WHERE NON-PLAYOFF GUYS END UP WINNING THOSE RACES.
“Yeah, for sure. I mean with, you know, Allmendinger and SVG and guys like that, I think that here too, just with the strategy standpoint, it’s gonna be flipped more than any of the oval races that we have. So it definitely would not surprise me at all to see a non-playoff guy win, but hopefully a playoff guy wins.”
COMING INTO THE PLAYOFFS YOU SAID THE MOTIVATION OR THE RALLYING CRY WITH THE TEAM WAS BASICALLY, WHY NOT US? WE’VE SEEN TONY DO IT. SO COMING IN THIS WEEKEND SAYING IT’S A MUST WIN. IS THERE ANY MOTIVATION OR SPEECH THIS WEEK AMONGST THE TEAM ABOUT THE GOAL AND THE JOB ON SUNDAY?
“To be honest with you. I’ve been at the shop all week. I think for me, you know, I don’t feel worried at all. I honestly feel a lot like I did going into the Darlington week, where I know that we can win here. We’ve done it before in the Xfinity level, but this is a track I feel really good about. Our road course stuff has been really good. If you look at Watkins Glen and things like that. So I’m not really nervous. There’s not a whole lot that I feel like isn’t capable by our team when we do everything right. It’s just going to take a good weekend, and with where we’re at in the points I feel like it makes it easier to win the race just because you don’t have to put yourself where you get the points then you restart 20th every single time. You can just flip the track position and you’re gonna start up front every time, so I feel really good about it truthfully.”
YOU AND BOSWELL LAST WEEK WERE PRETTY OUTSPOKEN AND FRUSTRATED WITH WHAT HAPPENED AT TALLADEGA WITH THE DVP POLICY AND THE TOWING. ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH WHAT NASCAR TOLD THE CREW CHIEFS THIS WEEK ABOUT HOW THEY’RE GOING TO APPROACH THESE NEXT FIVE RACES?
“Yeah, I have no idea. I’ve not been on my phone.”
YOU MENTIONED NOT BEING ON YOUR PHONE AND NOT BEING AT THE SHOP. HOW IS LIFE NOW AS THE FATHER OF THREE WITH TWINS AND HOW’S MARISSA DOING?
“Yeah, it’s been a chaotic week. Marissa’s actually at the ER right now. So yeah, she’s been twice. She’s had a lot of issues after. So hopefully I can get done quick here and get back home. The babies are good. They’re super small. I did not expect them to be as small as they are. But yeah, I’m definitely not getting a lot of sleep. Trying to be the best dad and play mom at the same time just with how bad Marissa has been struggling. It’s been a busy week. I probably haven’t focused a whole lot on racing, truthfully, but I’m excited to get the car today just from that standpoint of trying to zone everything that I’ve had going on all week. I feel feel good about it. Being a father of three has been really cool. It has been cool to see Brooks transition into the big brother role already and just hoping that Marissa will be okay and get back to her.”
WERE YOU ABLE TO WATCH XFINITY PRACTICE AT ALL? AND IF SO, WAS THERE ANYTHING YOU COULD TAKE AWAY FROM JUST THE NEW CONFIGURATION AND HOW DOES THE NEW CONFIGURATION IMPACT YOUR CONFIDENCE AT ALL?
“Yeah, I saw, I don’t know, maybe four or five laps of practice. I didn’t see a whole lot, but I think what I had planned on doing as far as the new section looked like what they were doing. So I definitely think that the section over here, I think turn seven or whatever, is going to be very interesting when the race starts, just because the racing line really opens you up to just get taken advantage of. So you’re going to have to play a lot of defense there. And it’s definitely going to create a ton of passing opportunities, I think, not only in that corner, but even into the back straightaway, so I think they did a really good job with it. It’s gonna make it really unique just because it’s off camber. There’s a lot of things that I think are really gonna add to the complexion to this racetrack and I’m looking forward to getting on it.”
DOES HAVING THE TWINS THIS WEEK MAKE IT ANY LESS STRESSFUL OR LESS LIKE WELL IF I DON’T ADVANCE, STILL HAVE THE TWINS?
“I think just your perspective changes, at least it did for me, even with Brooks, that what I do in the race car is important, but in the big scheme of things, in the big scheme of life, it’s not the most important thing where I finish on a Sunday. I think it does add motivation at the same time, just knowing that you have two more mouths to feed and things like that. And you want to provide for your family, but also, my worth is not where I finish on Sunday whether I move on in the playoffs. It’s how good of a husband I am and a father I am. And that’s kind of what I try to take pride in.”
WITH THE CLOSURE OF THE TEAM AT THE END OF THE YEAR, WE’VE HEARD FROM SOME DRIVERS THAT MOVED TEAMS AND ALSO SOME CREW CHIEFS AT SHR ABOUT THE INFORMATION FLOW FROM FORD, OR MAYBE LACK THEREOF, WITH RESPECT TO ALL THE STUFF THAT YOU GOT GOING ON OUTSIDE OF THE RACE CAR THIS WEEK, THE LAST SEVERAL WEEKS, AND THEN I GUESS PARTLY THIS WEEK AS WELL. HOW HAS THAT INFORMATION FLOW BEEN AND HAVE YOU NOTICED ANY, YOU KNOW, I GUESS YOU COULD SAY CHINKS IN THE ARMOR FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE?
“From my standpoint, at least the driver’s side, I haven’t seen anything. But I’m also not the one doing all the setups and stuff like that. So I try to not get in the weeds of that stuff. I know for me, I’m still going to the simulator. I’m doing all of those things. So from my standpoint, I feel like we still have everything we need. Even in the playoffs, I’ve been able to run up front and battle. I don’t feel like we’re missing anything by any means. I feel like all that’s really strong. You know, if we don’t move on out of the round of the playoffs, I don’t know if that changes, but I certainly right now feel like we have everything we need.”
YOUR SUCCESS AT THIS TRACK IS ONE THING. THE COURSE CHANGES ARE A WHOLE OTHER BALLGAME. HOW DO YOU BALANCE KNOWING THAT YOU HAVE HAD SUCCESS HERE IN THE PAST, YOU HAVE THAT CONFIDENCE VERSUS THE CHANGES THAT ARE NEW THIS YEAR ARE PRETTY SUBSTANTIAL AND HOW THAT’S GOING TO IMPACT THINGS.
“I’m honestly glad of the changes just due to the fact that I feel like it just makes it a little bit more of an even playing field and kind of reminds me the first time we came here. There’s a lot of new and nobody really has the advantage of just having laps here so I’m excited for the new changes. I think it fits me a little bit better anyways. That section that they took out was probably my worst part of the racetrack. So yeah, I feel really good about it for sure.”
HOW DO YOU NOT GET DISTRACTED WITH EVERYTHING ELSE GOING ON AT HOME, FOCUSING ON THAT AND WITH OBVIOUSLY THE RACE SUNDAY?
“I think for me, my faith is a big one and then just having a really good support system, between Marissa’s parents and my parents doing everything they can to just make it easier for both of us. It’s chaos, I’m not gonna lie. Just, you know, with Marissa being at the ER right now, not wanting to bring four-day-old twins into the ER, so they’re out in the parking lot with my mom and she’s pumping and running milk out there, so, you know, then I’m going back and forth. So, I mean, it’s chaotic, but without that support system and without that family support, it would be way harder. That being said, as chaotic of a week as it’s been, it could be a lot worse, right? There’s a lot worse things that we could be going through, and it could be a lot harder for us. We’ve got it pretty good still. I think just my faith and then having that support system definitely makes it a little bit easier to just not get lost in the chaos.”
SPEAKING OF CHAOS, THE ROVAL HAS BEEN RECONFIGURED, A LOT OF DRIVERS ARE EXPECTING CHAOS IN TURN 7. WHAT OF YOUR IMPRESSION SO FAR AS YOU’VE TAKEN SIM LAPS?
“I definitely think that it’s gonna add a new passing zone that was never there. You know, just with that whole section before, you would honestly just follow the leader and then the speeds were so fast that even the backstretch chicane didn’t really turn into as big of a passing zone as it could be where now you’re gonna have two more passing zones. So from that standpoint it’s definitely gonna be made more chaotic, but I do think it’s gonna make it a little bit more just in the drivers hands because I think you can find more time now in different areas where before, that whole section was kind of the same speed for everybody. You couldn’t really differentiate yourself that much where now I think you can definitely do that. I’m really excited with what they’ve done and think it’ll be just added value to this racetrack.”
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE AS FAR AS TRACK SURFACE GOES WHEN YOU RACE AT LAS VEGAS IN THE SPRING AND WHEN YOU GO BACK IN THE FALL?
“I would say just the temperature. It seems like it’s always hotter whenever we go there in the fall for whatever reason. The track just races a little bit wider. It’s a little slicker. When we go there in the spring, it’s a little more bottom dominant I feel like, where in the fall you can normally run the fence a little bit easier and do things like that. So to me, I don’t really notice a track change as much as I do just the temperature. I think I was looking the other day, it’s going to be like 100 degrees next week out there, so that should be better for the racing, though, just make it wider. I know when we were there in the spring, it was really bottom dominant, at least the best guys were. So hopefully, that’ll make it better.”
SO IS THE RV IN THE HOSPITAL PARKING LOT OR DID YOU BRING IT HERE?
“No, it’s here. Yeah, for Brooks, he’s going to come with me tomorrow so yeah it’s here.”
HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THE NAMES FOR THE TWINS?
“Cooper is Marissa’s maiden name, so that one was kind of easy. T the girl name I honestly don’t know where Marissa really got it other than I know it’s in the movie The Blind Side and I think she’d heard it there maybe once. She wanted names that kind of went together. I was trying to go for Bonnie because there was a Bonnie Briscoe at one point and I thought it was kind of cute and southern, but we ended up going with Collins and I ended up loving it.”
HOW MUCH SLEEP HAVE YOU GOTTEN THIS WEEK?
“More than Marissa for sure. I would say four or five hours a night maybe. That’s being generous though.”
