Home Blog Page 994

High Roller: Elliott Prevails In BetMGM 300 Thriller

By
Official Release
-
Chase Elliott celebrates after winning Saturday's BetMGM 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. (HHP/Harold Hinson photo)

CONCORD, N.C. (May 25, 2024) — Chase Elliott overcame an unfamiliar car, a difficult starting position and a treacherous track on Saturday, using fresher tires than his competition to rally to victory in the BetMGM 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The 2014 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion qualified 30th and ran in the top 10 for much of the afternoon, but a trio of caution periods in the last 30 laps bunched up the field and gave Elliott a golden opportunity. Greg Ives, Elliott’s crew chief on the No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, opted to forfeit an earlier advantage in favor of saving a set of new tires for the race’s final 30-40 laps. Fittingly, for a race sponsored by “the King of Sportsbooks,” Ives’ gamble paid big dividends. Elliott was able to use the fresher rubber to turn quicker laps than his opposition, and be in front when it mattered most.

Once the race restarted for the eighth and final time on Lap 183, Elliott leaned on the newer rubber to soar past Sam Mayer — who led a race-high 44 laps — then he kept Brandon Jones at bay to notch his sixth career Xfinity Series win and his first since 2016.

Jones finished second with JR Motorsports teammates Sammy Smith third and Mayer fourth. A.J. Allmendinger completed the top five with Kyle Busch sixth, Ryan Sieg seventh and Josh Williams eighth. Pole winner Ty Gibbs and Noah Gragson completed the top 10.

Justin Allgaier won Stages 1 and 2, but fell from the lead after a pit-road speeding penalty, and was ultimately involved in a crash with Gibbs on Lap 177 that eliminated Allgaier’s bid for victory, knocked him out of the event and left the race’s defending winner 33rd at the finish.

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 17 HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS CHEVROLET (RACE WINNER): “(Crew chief) Greg (Ives) made a really good call to get us in that spot. Sometimes, stuff like that goes your way. We ran a smart race and managed to take advantage of the set (of new tires) that we had left. … From a feel perspective, I was kind of winging it because I hadn’t been in an (Xfinity Series) car in a while. It was fun to have some different lanes and some options, and you could hit the wall and your day wasn’t over. It was just a whole different vibe than what we get on Sunday.”

BRANDON JONES, NO. 9 JR MOTORSPORTS CHEVROLET (RUNNER-UP): “Chasing down new tires with old (tires) feels pretty dang good. I knew I was racing (Elliott) with newer tires. What an up-and-down day. Man, I can’t wait to go back and watch this one over again. Talk about adversity, we had a good top-five car at the start of the race, but then the brakes went to the floor at one point. I nearly lost the brakes. I didn’t think you used a lot of brake here, so I’m very thankful we got the brakes fixed on this thing and definitely saved our day. These guys worked through the problems. It was a lot of stress, having no brakes, figuring out how to dissect it and turn things around. This team has been pretty good from Daytona to here, we just haven’t been getting these kinds of finishes yet.”

SAMMY SMITH, NO. 8 JR Motorsports CHEVROLET (THIRD PLACE): “It was tough today, I felt, with the resin (on the track surface) and the track moving around, and how hot and slick it was. It provides really good racing. I really enjoyed today. It was tough. (Elliott and I) were pretty equal on tires. We both had stickers and Brandon (Jones) had the scuffs. Brandon looked pretty good, but I definitely would’ve liked to have had another shot at it.”

RCR NXS Race Recap: Charlotte Motor Speedway

By
Official Release
-

Jesse Love and the No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet Team Showcase Speed at Charlotte Motor Speedway

Finish: 28th
Start: 4th
Points: 5th

“Our Whelen Chevrolet was fast today at Charlotte Motor Speedway. We showed good speed in practice yesterday, and after qualifying fourth, I felt like we were in a position to go after a stage win. To start the race, we fired off with a loose balance, but Danny (Stockman, crew chief) adjusted to tighten up the car. The car then got too tight to run the top, but good on the bottom. We were setting ourselves up for the last pit stop when our power steering pump stopped working with 52 laps to go. From there, I just had to maintain, keep the car clean, and get the best possible finish for our No. 2 team. While it’s not the result we wanted, we will rebound from this and show up strong at Portland International Raceway next weekend.” -Jesse Love

Austin Hill and the No. 21 Bennett Transportation & Logistics Chevrolet Team Continue to Lead Points After Strong Showing at Charlotte Motor Speedway

Finish: 25th
Start: 8th
Points: 1st

“We had a good day going in our Bennett Transportation & Logistics Chevrolet. Our car went through major changes during the race. It fired off really loose everywhere especially on throttle. As the run continued in Stage 1, the balance was still free, but it got better, especially when I started to run on the top. After the first round of adjustments though, the handling went the opposite direction and was very tight when I moved off the bottom. I was sliding all the way to the wall when the car landed. The tightness continued through the rest of the race, but we were making gains on it. Everyone took scuff tires on the last pit stop and with the older tires, I was in a slide trying to stay off the No. 00. His right rear might have skimmed the wall, but then he doored me which ended up cutting down my right front. When I drove down into Turn 1 deep, I didn’t know my tire was down yet and at that point, my car wouldn’t turn, and we made contact. I hate it for everyone on this No. 21 team because we were going to finish inside the top-five or at least the top-10.” -Austin Hill

Kyle Busch Leads Laps Enroute to Sixth-Place Finish in the Rebel Bourbon/BetMGM Chevrolet at Charlotte Motor Speedway

Finish: 6th
Start: 2nd
Points: N/A

“We had a fast Rebel Bourbon/BetMGM Chevrolet this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and it’s a lot of fun to race these cars on Saturday afternoons. It’s just a shame we couldn’t get to Victory Lane for the BetMGM 300, especially after leading so many laps. Early on in the race we had decent grip compared to everybody else, but as we put tires on it each time we just seemed to get further and further away. We will have to take our Chevy back to the shop and work on it to try to and improve. I have a few ideas that could help some of the things I was fighting today in these RCR cars compared to some of the things I felt years ago racing the JGR cars. I appreciate Richard Childress and everyone at RCR for this opportunity. We led some laps and ran well but needed a little bit more.” -Kyle Busch

Stewart-Haas Racing: BetMGM 300 from Charlotte

By
Official Release
-

STEWART-HAAS RACING
BetMGM 300
Date: May 25, 2024
Event: BetMGM 300 (Round 12 of 33)
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Location: Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway (1.5-mile oval)
Format: 200 laps, broken into three stages (45 laps/45 laps/110 laps)
Race Winner: Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner: Justin Allgaier of JR Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 2 Winner: Justin Allgaier of JR Motorsports (Chevrolet)

SHR Race Finish:

● Cole Custer (Started 6th / Finished 32nd, Accident, completed, 184 of 200 laps)
● Riley Herbst (Started 19th / Finished 38th, Accident, completed 29 of 200 laps)

SHR Points:

● Cole Custer (3rd with 433 points, 21 out of first)
● Riley Herbst (7th with 338 points, 116 out of first)

SHR Notes:

● Custer finished 10th in Stage 1 to earn one bonus point.

Race Notes:

● Chase Elliott won the BetMGM 300 to score his sixth career NASCAR Xfinity Series victory, his first of the season and his first at Charlotte. His margin over second-place Brandon Jones was .500 of a second.
● There were three caution periods for a total of 18 laps.
● Only 18 of the 38 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.
● Austin Hill remains the championship leader after Charlotte with a four-point advantage over second-place Chandler Smith.

Sound Bites:

“He put me in the fence off four and then we hit on the frontstretch because I was going to go pinch him down, and he decided to try and go up and side draft me and then we hit again. And then I don’t know if he blew a tire into one or what happened into one, but then he tried to kill me on the backstretch and just held it full throttle until he wrecked our car and killed the rear clip. I slapped my head against the back of the headrest. I don’t know. I know it was hard racing, but at the end of the day I don’t like getting intentionally wrecked and killing the front and rear clip on our race car. It’s just ridiculous. If he wants to drive like a pissed off teenager, it’s just ridiculous. I’ve said enough.” –Cole Custer, driver of the No. 00 Fanttik Ford Mustang Dark Horse

“I haven’t seen a replay. I passed him twice cleanly, slid him. Racing in Charlotte, it’s hot, and I passed him. I mean, it’s really hot. The cars are really sliding around today. My spotter said, ‘clear’ and I moved up to the fence. He had a run off the top, which is fine, and he could have tried to slide me back and get some momentum, but instead he just got my left-rear and hooked me. It’s unfortunate because of how far up we had moved from the start.” –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 Portland 147 on Saturday, June 1 at Portland (Ore.) International Raceway. The race begins at 4:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Kaulig Racing Race Recap | BetMGM 300

By
Official Release
-

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 16 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet Camaro

  • AJ Allmendinger qualified 11th for the BetMGM 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
  • In the opening stage, Allmendinger remained quiet on the radio until the first caution came out on lap 30. The No. 16 was running in 10th place and reported he needed more rear grip. Crew chief, Alex Yontz, called Allmendinger to pit road for four tires, fuel and air pressure and track bar adjustments. Allmendinger restarted in 10th on lap 37 and was able to drive up to fifth on the first lap green. Allmendinger went on to finish the first stage in fifth place and reported under the stage break that his No. 16 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevy was wrecking loose.
  • Allmendinger restarted the second stage in fifth place. On lap 54, the No. 16 hit the right side on the wall after the car snapped loose while running in 12th place. The team came to pit road under green for an unscheduled pit stop on lap 69 for a flat right rear tire. Allmendinger went a lap down but was the free pass when the caution came out on lap 71. The team came to pit road to repair damage from hitting the wall and put on four scuff tires. Allmendinger restarted in 33rd place on lap 80 and went on to finish the second stage in 24th place.
  • Under the stage caution, Allmendinger reported the handling of his car was better running the top, but he was still loose. He brought the No. 16 to pit road for four tires, fuel and adjustments to help with the handling. Allmendinger restarted in 20th on lap 98 and was in 19th place when the caution came out on lap 107. The team stayed out and Allmendinger restarted 16 on lap 114. On the first lap green, Allmendinger drove up to 11th place. By lap 141, Allmendinger reported he was super tight running in 17th. The No. 16 came to pit road for a scheduled green flag pit stop on lap 142 for tires, fuel and adjustments. When the caution came out on lap 170, Allmendinger was running 14th. The team came to pit road to free up the car after Allmendinger reported the car was tight. The No. 16 restarted in 11th on lap 182 and was running fifth when the caution came out on lap 185. The field restarted on lap 189 and Allmendinger went on to finished in fifth place in the BetMGM 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

“That was a struggle. Everyone on our LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevy fought hard trying to make adjustments today. We’re searching trying to find something, but we haven’t hit on it. A lot of credit goes to my spotter, Coleman Pressley, for trying to keep me in it. I couldn’t run the fence, the car would move around a lot, and we didn’t have speed running the bottom. Late race restarts, anything can happen. Just tried to be aggressive and get everything we could at the end.” – AJ Allmendinger

JOSH WILLIAMS
No. 11 Alloy Employer Services Chevrolet Camaro

  • Josh Williams qualified 36th for the BetMGM 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
  • Williams went one lap down running 37th on lap 29, and after the caution came out one lap later, he waved around to get back on the lead lap. He took the restart with nine laps left in stage one, finishing the opening stage in 31st.
  • Williams brought the No. 11 Alloy Employer Services Chevy down pit road during the stage break for tires, fuel and a plethora of adjustments. He restarted 33rd on lap 52 and slowly began picking up positions, jumping into 25th when the yellow flag waved on lap 74. Half the field pitted for fresh tires, so crew chief, Kevin Walter, made the call to stay out. Restarting 12th, Williams dropped back to 21st, where he’d finish stage two.
  • After a full-service stop, the No. 11 Chevy Camaro restarted in 19th on lap 98. The caution came out 11 laps later after Williams lost five positions. Leapfrogging his way up to 20th under caution due to others coming into the pits, Williams fell to 24th after the lap-113 restart. With 56 to go, he pitted for tires and fuel and cycled to 17th, one lap down. A wreck brought out the caution with 31 laps to go, and Williams took the wave around to get back on the lead lap. One lap after the restart, the yellow waved again, and Williams brought the No. 11 down pit road for the team’s last set of tires. Williams fired off for the restart in 17th with 18 laps to go and moved into 9th within two laps before another caution came out. He restarted eighth from the inside line with 12 laps to go, and after initially falling to 10th, he fought back to regain eighth, where he’d take the checkered flag for his best result of the season.

“I feel like we’ve found some speed lately and we got better as the day went on. We’re trending in the right direction and have some work to do, but it was a good start today.” – Josh Williams  

SHANE van GISBERGEN
No. 97 Focused Health Chevrolet Camaro

  • Shane van Gisbergen qualified 29th for the BetMGM 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
  • The first caution flag of the afternoon waved on lap 31 with Van Gisbergen scored in 26. Following a four tire stop, Van Gisbergen restarted in 26th with nine laps remaining in the stage. Following the restart, Van Gisbergen worked his way forward and ended stage one in 21st.
  • The Focused Health team started stage two from the 17th position on lap 53. The third caution flag of the day waved on lap 74 with Van Gisbergen scored in 27th. Staying out, the Focused Health team restarted 14th on lap 80. Battling a tight Chevrolet for the remaining portion of the stage, Van Gisbergen ended stage two in 23rd on lap 90.
  • Following a four tire stop at the end of stage two, Van Gisbergen restarted the final stage in 17th. Splitting the final stage in half, Van Gisbergen hit pit road on lap 142 from the 15th position for a green-flag stop. Following the stop, the Focused Health team cycled to 19th on lap 150. The caution flag would wave once again on lap 170 with Van Gisbergen scored in 13th. With one final set of sticker tires on pit road, SVG hit pit road for four tires, fuel and adjustments. Following the stop, Van Gisbergen restarted in 12th on lap 176. Van Gisbergen suffered a flat right rear after he was forced into the wall by another competitor on lap 117 while running 13th. After hitting pit road for repairs, Van Gisbergen restarted at the tail end of the lead lap on lap 183. SVG crossed the finish in 15th on lap 200.

“Fun day today. I thought the 19 was going to save it but he lost it and we got into the fence. I got more and more comfortable as the day went on and I’m proud of the Focused Health team and the gains we made today.” – Shane van Gisbergen  

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.

Toyota Racing – NXS Charlotte Post-Race Report – 05.25.24

By
Official Release
-

GIBBS LEADS TOYOTA AT CHARLOTTE
Chandler Smith closes on the points lead

CHARLOTTE (May 25, 2024) – Ty Gibbs was battling for the win late in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway before being involved in an incident. He battled back to finish ninth to lead Toyota.

Chandler Smith (18th) moved up to second in the standings, just four points out of the top spot.

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Race 12 of 33 – 300 miles, 200 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS

1st, Chase Elliott*
2nd, Brandon Jones*
3rd, Sammy Smith*
4th, Sam Mayer*
5th, AJ Allmendinger*
9th, TY GIBBS
12th, TAYLOR GRAY
18th, CHANDLER SMITH
34th, DEAN THOMPSON
36th, SHELDON CREED
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

TAYLOR GRAY, No. 19 Operation 300 Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 12th

Can you talk about what you learned in these races and what you can take forward?

“Yeah, just learning how all of these guys race – kind of where you need to be to be good in these cars. We are struggling right now. We want to be running top-five, top-10, so we need to figure some things out.”

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. for more than 65 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our nearly 1,500 dealerships. 

Toyota directly employs more than 49,000 people in the U.S. who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of more than 34 million cars and trucks at our nine manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 10th 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 28 electrified options.

Through its Driving Possibilities initiative, the Toyota USA Foundation has committed to creating innovative educational programs within, and in partnership with, historically underserved and diverse communities near the company’s U.S. operating sites.

For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes – NXS Charlotte 1 Post-Race Quotes

By
Official Release
-

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Xfinity Series
BetMGM 300 | Saturday, May 25, 2024

Ford Performance Results:
7th – Ryan Sieg
10th – Noah Gragson
19th – Kyle Sieg
20th – Hailie Deegan
26th – Matt DiBenedetto
32nd – Cole Custer
35th – Blaine Perkins
38th – Riley Herbst

COLE CUSTER, No. 00 Fanttik Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “He put me in the fence off four and then we hit on the frontstretch because I was gonna go pinch him down and he decided to try and go up and side draft me and then we hit again. And then I don’t know if he blew a tire into one or what happened into one, but then he tried to kill me on the backstretch and just held it full throttle until he wrecked our car and killed the rear clip. I slapped my head against the back of the headrest. I don’t know. I know it was hard racing, but at the end of the day I don’t like getting intentionally wrecked and killing the front and rear clip on our race car. It’s just ridiculous. If he wants to drive like a pissed off teenager, it’s just ridiculous. I’ve said enough.”

RYAN SIEG, No. 39 Sci Aps Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “I’m happy for the car, but not for myself. That pit road penalty probably cost us a couple of spots. I thought we were as good as the 17. I mirrored him for a while and then the 33, they were two of the best and in looking at the finishing order I thought I outran the 9, 8, 1 and the 16 most of the day, so that pit road penalty hurt. There was a lot going on. I was trying to keep our car clean. Somebody was pulling out and somebody was pulling in and it just got a little overwhelming at one point and I just missed my tach and sped on pit road. Other than that, the Sci Aps Ford was great all day. We made adjustments all the way through. The third adjustment we got a little bit off, but we were able to get back to where we were the first 125 laps, so we don’t have anything to hang our heads over. Finishing seventh is good with the stiff competition that was here in the 17 and 33. We’ve just got to clean up a few little things for myself and move on to the next race.”

NOAH GRAGSON, No. 30 Auto Parts Centres Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “It was an up-and-down day, but for our first one as a team I’m happy with it. From where we unloaded yesterday in practice to qualifying everyone kept after it and we kept on digging. I was in the front. I was in the back all day. I just really appreciate everyone’s effort. It’s our first race and there are gonna be some kinks that we need to overcome, but I’m just super grateful for the Jones family and everybody from Rette Jones Racing. It’s been a lot of fun. APC on the hood. It’s a fun racetrack. I wish we had a little more, but for the first one I’ll take a top 10.”

RILEY HERBST, No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “I haven’t seen a replay. I passed him twice cleanly, slid him. Racing in Charlotte, it’s hot, I passed him. I think next week is Portland, his favorite track. We’ll see what happens.”

DID YOU HAVE ANY ISSUES WITH HIM EARLIER? IT LOOKED AGGRESSIVE OUT THERE. “I mean, it’s really hot. The cars are really sliding around. My spotter said, ‘clear’ and I moved up to the fence. He had a run off the top, which is fine, and he could have tried to slide me back and get some momentum, but instead he just got my left-rear and hooked me. It’s unfortunate, but probably unfortunate for him.”

Chase Elliott scores upset Xfinity Series victory at Charlotte

By
Angie Campbell
-
Photo bt Jon Knittel for SpeedwayMedia,com

Chase Elliott led the final 18 laps in the NASCAR Xfinity Series BetMGM 300 Saturday afternoon at Charlotte Motor Speedway to claim his sixth career win in the series. It was his first victory at Charlotte, his first Xfinity win since February 2016 and the second time the No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro has been to Victory Lane this season.

After a lackluster qualifying effort, Elliott started the race in 30th place but quickly advanced, gaining 11 spots by Lap 7. He continued to methodically make his way toward the front but the turning point of the race occurred when Ryan Ellis spun, bringing out the caution flag late in the race. Most of the teams elected to pit on Lap 171 but Elliott’s team was one of a few who had a full set of new tires.

Elliott quickly passed Ellis with 17 laps remaining and took the lead. There was one more pivotal restart and a battle with Brandon Jones for the lead but Elliott prevailed, winning the race by a margin of 0.500 seconds.   

“My team did a really good job. Greg (Ives, crew chief) made a good call on the tires, and I think ultimately that was what won us the race,” Elliott said after the race.”

“Hats off to everybody at Hendrick Motorsports,” he added. “It’s super-special to win with the No. 17 on the car for the boss (Rick Hendrick) and Linda. Obviously, a great honor with the Ricky Hendrick scheme. It means a lot to all of us to be a part of this.”

Brandon Jones, Sammy Smith, Sam Mayer and AJ Allmendinger rounded out the top 5 as Kyle Busch, Ryan Sieg, Josh Williams, Ty Gibbs and Noah Gragson completed the top 10.

Xfinity-results-Charlotte-22412_UNOFFRES

Brandon Jones nabs first top-five finish of 2024 with runner-up result at Charlotte

By
Andrew Kim
-
Photo by Ron Olds for SpeedwayMedia.com.

Brandon Jones capped off a roller coaster afternoon that resulted in him rallying from early brake issues that dropped him to the rear of the field to post a strong runner-up result in the BetMGM 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 25, despite falling short of the victory to Chase Elliott

The 27-year-old Jones from Atlanta, Georgia, commenced his run in NASCAR’s backyard at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 10th place. He would then methodically navigate his way into the top five as he was up into fifth place by the Lap 15. Running as high as fourth place during the proceeding laps, Jones lost two spots on pit road during the first caution period on Lap 32 but would make up the two spots on the track during the following restart period on Lap 36 as he would proceed to settle in fourth place when the first stage period concluded on Lap 45. By then, he had collected seven stage points.

Lining up in fourth place for the start of the second stage period on Lap 52, Jones would slowly slip out of both the top five and top 10 on the track. Being scored in 19th place by the Lap 70 mark, three laps before Parker Kligerman drew a caution for spinning in Turn 4, Jones would pit even as pit road was closed following Kligerman’s incident to have a brake issue to his No. 9 Menards/CharBroil Chevrolet Camaro addressed. Amid multiple pit stops, the Atlanta native was able to continue and ended up in 25th place when the second stage period concluded on Lap 90.

As the final stage period commenced with 103 laps remaining, Jones, who was still mired outside the top 20 but had a fast car to march back to the front, would return to the top 20 mark with 93 laps remaining. After returning to the top-10 mark with 77 laps remaining, he cycled his way up to fourth place with nearly 40 laps remaining and following a late round of green flag pit stops. Through three additional caution periods and restarts, where top names including series-points leader Austin Hill, Cole Custer and Jones’ teammate Justin Allgaier were being eliminated due to late-race incidents, Jones, who restarted in the second row with 12 laps remaining, overtook Kyle Busch to move into second place as he set his sights on Chase Elliott for the lead.

Trailing Elliott by a second with 10 laps remaining, Jones began to methodically shave off Elliott’s steady advantage for the proceeding laps through the turns and straightaways as he trailed Elliott by seven-tenths of a second with five laps remaining. Despite scraping the outside wall through Turns 1 and 2 with three laps remaining, he kept his foot on the throttle and still had Elliott close within his sights. Despite narrowing the gap to four-tenths of a second on the final lap, Jones, who tried to mount a final lap charge on Elliott, ran out of time to narrow the gap even closer as he crossed the finish line half a second behind in the runner-up spot behind race winner Elliott.

Amid the disappointment of coming up one spot short of his first NASCAR Xfinity Series victory in two years, Jones emerged with a smile across his face and as the highest-finishing JR Motorsports competitor on the track as he finished ahead of teammates Sammy Smith and Sam Mayer, both of whom capped off strong runs in third and fourth place, respectively.

“Talk about an up-and-down day and coming back from [the brake issues],” Jones said on FS1. “That was really fun to come from the back to the front, I think, three or four times right there. Really, really fast Camaro right there. We probably needed some track position. I’d like to have been a little bit better on that restart to take advantage of just getting some clean air on the nose. I think that’s really what [Elliott] just had at the end.”

Jones’ runner-up result marks the 10th time he has finished in second place in an Xfinity event as he achieved his first top-five result of the 2024 season and his first since finishing second behind John Hunter Nemechek at Kansas Speedway last September. Jones’ previous best season result was seventh at Phoenix Raceway in March.

With the result, Jones, who has now garnered five top-10 results through the first 12 events of the 2024 Xfinity Series schedule and came into the event in 11th place in the driver’s standings, gained one position to 10th place as he trails the regular-season points leader Austin Hill by 150 points. The good news for Jones is that he is 15 points above the top-12 cutline to make the 2024 Xfinity Series Playoffs with 14 regular-season events remaining on the schedule until the 2024 Xfinity Playoffs commence.

Currently campaigning in his second season driving the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro for JR Motorsports, Jones has yet to achieve his first victory or his first Playoff berth as a JRM competitor. He last achieved both during the 2022 season while driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, with a victory at Martinsville Speedway in April 2022.

“All in all, a really, really fun day,” Jones added. “I love these hot slick races you gotta prepare for. Wished we could’ve won, but we’re really, really close right now. This team’s kind of have some up and downs all year. We just continue to fight. Looking forward to the rest of the races here. We’re gonna get this thing in the Playoffs soon.”

Brandon Jones’ next start of the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule is the series’ third annual event to Portland International Raceway in Portland, Oregon, for the Pacific Office Automation 147. The event is scheduled for next Saturday, June 1, and will air at 4:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

Jimmie Johnson Scholarship Recipients Honored Ahead of Coca-Cola 600

By
Official Release
-
Charlotte Motor Speedway Executive Vice President and General Manager Greg Walter (right) presented Mount Pleasant High School senior Logan Quinn with a Jimmie Johnson Scholarship worth $4,800 ahead of this weekend's Coca-Cola 600. (CMS/HHP photo) at Charlotte Motor Speedway for Coke 600 weekend. (HHP/Harold Hinson)

CONCORD, NC (May 25, 204) — Mount Pleasant High School graduate Logan Quinn and West Cabarrus High School graduate Bronwen Bates were named recipients of the Jimmie Johnson Scholarship, Charlotte Motor Speedway officials announced ahead of this weekend’s Coca-Cola 600.

Established in October of 2020 to honor seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and future Hall of Famer Jimmie Johnson, the $4,800 scholarship is granted to a deserving Cabarrus County high school senior pursuing a career in fitness, nutrition or exercise science. The award will be distributed annually to a prospective college student.

This marks the first time in the scholarship’s history that the committee agreed upon awarding two worthy applicants with the prize.

Quinn, who plans to attend Wingate University in Wingate, North Carolina, has high hopes of working for a professional sports organization and making an impact within the community.

In addition to his four years on the Mount Pleasant Tigers varsity soccer team, Quinn was also a member of the National Beta Club, the National Technical Honor Society, and the Mu Alpha Theta mathematics honor society.

“It meant a lot for me to be selected,” said Quinn, who accepted the award in front of a packed crowd during the weekend’s STEAM Expo. “When you apply for something like this you don’t necessarily think you’re gonna win, but I was extremely excited.”

The win was made even sweeter by the fact that Quinn’s father is a longtime fan of Johnson – it’s part of the reason Quinn’s parents were the first people he told when he found out he would be one of the recipients.

Bates, who is attending the UNC Charlotte following his graduation, believes the impact of the scholarship will be monumental to his educational experience.

“As an individual on the autism spectrum, there were a lot of difficult things growing up, but academics were not one of them,” said Bates in his scholarship application essay. “Winning this award would help pay a portion of my tuition at UNCC where I can continue my education and move into a field where I can further help others.”

As well as being a student of the International Baccalaureate Program during the entirety of his high school career, Brown is a member of the National Honor Society, National Senior Beta Club, IB Executive Committee, and was named junior marshal just last year.

Charlotte Motor Speedway created the Jimmie Johnson Scholarship to honor the legendary driver’s passion for physical fitness. Johnson – the speedway’s all-time most successful NASCAR Cup Series driver with eight points wins – joined his wife, Chandra, in launching the Jimmie Johnson Foundation in 2006 to support K-12 public education. The scholarship in Johnson’s name represents the speedway’s efforts to mirror Johnson’s foundation in positively impacting students’ academic aspirations.

In The Nick Of Time: Sanchez Cashes In At NC Education Lottery 200

By
Official Release
-
Nick Sanchez celebrates his victory in Friday's NC Education Lottery 200 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. (HHP/Harold Hinson photo)

CONCORD, N.C. (May 24, 2024) — Nick Sanchez never led in the first 125 laps of Friday’s North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, but he was out front when it mattered most.

Sanchez took the lead on Lap 126 after the race’s final restart, then held off Corey Heim for the last nine laps to capture his second career NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series win and his first at Charlotte.

Heim won Stages 1 and 2 en route to leading a race-high 72 of 134 laps, but issues with the jack on his final pit stop forced Heim to have to carve his way to the front. He initially finished the night one position shy of his fourth victory of the year, but Heim was disqualified shortly after the race’s conclusion due to having three loose lug nuts in post-race inspection.

Stewart Friesen was promoted to second, his best result of the year. Grant Enfinger, Matt Mills and Ben Rhodes completed the top five with Jake Garcia sixth and Kaden Honeycutt seventh. Connor Mosack, Dean Thompson and Christian Eckes rounded out the top 10.

Eckes sustained damage in Friday’s practice session and started 35th due to not posting a qualifying time, but he found himself in the lead on the race’s final restart. Worn tires were no match for the trucks behind Eckes, though. Eckes led 37 laps Friday before having to settle for 10th.

Sanchez’s victory earned the second-year Truck Series driver a $50,000 bonus for capturing the first leg of the series’ Triple Truck Challenge.

NICK SANCHEZ, NO. 2 Rev Racing CHEVROLET (RACE WINNER): “We started off the race, I don’t want to say horrible, but we were horrible. Last year I was one of the fastest trucks and tonight, I was pretty close to the same, but we started off wrecking loose. We drove from like 23rd to ninth, I don’t know if I had anything for (Heim, if he was still out front), but I was a second- or third-place truck. Good track position, fresh tires and some adjustments just fixed me up. We had a tight race with (Heim) obviously, but mirror driving was the name of the game.”

STEWART FRIESEN, NO. 52 HALMAR FRIESEN RACING TOYOTA (RUNNER-UP): “I’m proud of the whole Halmar Friesen team. These guys have been working really, really hard. We’ve obviously got some work to do on our body stuff. It’s tough. We’re learning as we go. We’re good in clean air, obviously, we qualify good, we just can’t run good in the pack. I’m just proud of my team. We’re a small group compared to most, but we’re learning pit stop to pit stop. We made some good calls to get this thing fightable at the end.”

1...993994995...6,687Page 994 of 6,687