NASCAR

John Hunter Nemechek earned his second NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win in the last four races and had to hold off his boss Kyle Busch to do so Saturday afternoon. Nemechek scored the victory by a slim .307-seconds over Busch in the ToyotaCare 250 at Richmond Raceway. Nemechek, 23, led a race best 114 of the 250 laps in his No. 4 KBM Toyota, reclaiming the lead for good with 17 laps remaining after racing back from a late race pit stop. Busch, who has 12 wins overall at Richmond – six in the NASCAR Cup Series and six in the Xfinity Series – was pushing for his first truck series win at the three-quarter mile track. The KBM truck team has now won four consecutive races – two for Nemechek (Las Vegas also), Busch (Atlanta) and Martin Truex Jr. (Bristol). For a while it looked like KBM may earn a sweep – with Nemechek, Busch and teammate Chandler Smith running 1-2-3 in the waning laps, but Tyler Ankrum got around Smith with a handful of laps remaining to take third place. Smith held on for fourth place – the 19-year old’s best finish of the season. Former series champion Johnny Sauter finished fifth, followed by Todd Gilliland, Ben Rhodes and last year’s Richmond winner Grant Enfinger. Sam Mayer and Austin Hill rounded out the Top-10. Reigning series champion Sheldon Creed was 11th. The victory for Nemechek comes just three weeks after his wife gave birth to their first child, daughter Aspen, and they were trackside in the family motorhome for Nemechek’s first win as a dad. “It’s a never give up attitude,” a smiling Nemechek said after the race. “I just can’t thank Kyle, everyone at Toyota and all our great partners. It’s pretty cool to be able to come out and here do what we did. We had a really fast truck and I’m super proud of all my guys and thankful for them.” The race featured two very different halves. Defending winner Enfinger led 71 of the first 73 laps and earned the Stage 1 victory – his first of the year – in a clean opening to the event. The first caution was the stage break. Busch’s team got his truck out first from that opening stage caution period, but Nemechek took the lead from his team owner on a restart at lap 100 and held it for most of the duration of the event. Nemechek won Stage 2, finishing just ahead of Enfinger and claiming his series best sixth stage win. Nemechek had to really earn the top position from there on out – holding off the field again and again and again. There were seven cautions in the last 110 laps of the race. Matt Crafton and his ThorSport Racing teammate Johnny Sauter – along with Smith – gambled not to pit late on a caution with 55 laps remaining in the race. Nemechek and Busch and most of the frontrunners opted to pit. The KBM teammates restarted ninth and 10th with Nemechek reclaiming the lead with 17 laps to go. Busch made a run at Nemechek after getting around Smith, but was ultimately unable to get close enough to attempt a winning pass. “It’s awesome,” Busch said of his truck team’s streak. “I joked with John Hunter at the beginning of the year that if you win one and then I win one and you win one and then I win one – it would be pretty good to go back and forth. “I didn’t think he was serious, but so far that’s kind of the way it’s going so I guess I get Kansas (win).” The two-win tally equals the second-generation NASCAR driver’s season best – and this is only the sixth race of 2021. Nemechek now holds a 20-point advantage over fellow two-race winner Rhodes in the championship standings with the next race set for May 1 at Kansas Speedway (7:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

NASCAR veteran Jennifer Jo Cobb will make her Cup Series debut later this month at Talladega Superspeedway. Cobb, 47, who has made a combined 247 starts in the Xfinity and Truck series, will compete in Rick Ware Racing’s No. 15 Chevrolet in the April 25 GEICO 500. When Cobb takes the green-flag, she will become just the second female driver in NASCAR history who has competed in all three of NASCAR’s national series. “I am so thankful for this opportunity with RWR, Cobb said. “I have a long history with RWR and a lot of respect for this organization. “This team has a lot of heart and reminds me a lot of my small (Truck) team competing against such mammoth organizations. I am proud of what RWR has accomplished and I want nothing more than to make the team and all my sponsors and supporters proud of this effort.” Last fall, Cobb shattered two records in one weekend by capturing a land speed record in a Cup car clocking more than 223 mph on Friday afternoon in Arkansas. She followed that up the next day making her way to Talladega where she led 16 laps in the Truck race, becoming the female driver with the most laps led on an oval in one of NASCAR’s top series. Cobb, has two Xfinity and nine Truck starts at Talladega with a best track finish of 11th in the 2018 Truck race.

NASCAR is expected to officially unveil its Next Gen race car at 3 p.m. ET May 5. NASCAR Cup Series teams will transition to the new car for 2022 competition. Testing began on the car in late 2019 for an expected 2021 competitive debut. But after the COVID-19 pandemic caused a break in testing, the competitive debut of the car was delayed to the 2022 season. Testing has since resumed. While NASCAR has announced the conclusion of the developmental phase for the Next Gen car, Goodyear tire testing continues and manufacturers conducted their first test last Tuesday and Wednesday at Martinsville Speedway. That was the first test session that included cars with manufacturer-specific bodies, but cars were heavily camouflaged to hide manufacturer-specific details. “That was the first test that was not NASCAR-led. That was led by the OEMs so it’s sort of the transition, if you will, of the car, continuing out of the development phase and now into the implementation phase with the teams,” NASCAR’s Senior Vice President of Racing Innovation John Probst said of the test at Martinsville. “The OEMs are the last step in the process, and as far as them prepping the cars, the feedback was pretty positive. Obviously, there’s little things that we’re working on and we’ll continue to work on, but none of the cars missed any track time due to mechanical problems or anything. Some of the best feedback that we get is, ‘it’s a race car.’” Teams are expected to begin testing soon. According to NASCAR, teams will being receiving their cars for next season in June. Features of the Next Gen car that differ from the current car that have already been officially announced include a move to 18-inch, single-lug, aluminum alloy wheels and a sequential gearbox.

NASCAR driver Taylor Gray is expected to make a full recovery after he was involved in a car crash Wednesday night, his David Gilliland Racing team said. The 16-year-old ARCA driver underwent surgery Thursday at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, N.C. for a fractured L4 vertebra, a part of the spine located in the lower back. Gray was transported to the hospital following the single-car accident in Statesville, N.C. The team announced Thursday morning that Gray had been hospitalized and was in stable condition and provided an update on his condition shortly before 6 p.m. The team said that Gray will also undergo another surgery in the coming days for a fractured left foot and ankle. Gray drives in NASCAR’s ARCA Menards Series in the No. 17 for DGR and was slated to make his first Truck Series start at Richmond Raceway on April 17. He will no longer make his debut in the series as planned at the event and the No. 17 has been withdrawn from the race, the team said. Gray is the brother of full-time Truck Series driver Tanner Gray, who also competes for the team in the No. 15 truck, and comes from a long lineage of NHRA racers, which includes his brother, father Shane Gray and grandfather Johnny Gray. Taylor made his stock car debut in 2018, and won a CARS Tour Late Model race at Hickory Speedway in 2019. Prior to racing limited late models, he raced Outlaw Karts. In 2020, Taylor made the transition to NASCAR’s lower-level ARCA Series driving for DGR-Crosley, making starts across ARCA’s East and West Series. Last October, Taylor earned his first win in ARCA at Kern County Raceway.

Lewis Hamilton is set to join Michael Jordan’s NASCAR team and Bubba Wallace, as the seven-times Formula 1 World Champion takes on arguably the biggest challenge of his racing career with an announcement expected today.In what will be one of motorsport’s most sensational ‘defections’ Hamilton will join what will become known as Team Michael Jordan in 2022, with the next Daytona 500 week debut for the team who will run black liveried cars with Monster energy drink as a title sponsor. NBA legend Jordan is said to have personally contacted Hamilton and convinced the Mercedes driver that he has nothing more to prove in Formula 1 and that his next calling is to join Wallace in tackling NASCAR. Jordan is also said to be underwriting Hamilton’s $25-million salary from 2022 until the end of 2024, reportedly the length of the first phase of the deal, which means that the basketball legend will ramp up his personal involvement in the project. For Hamilton, this provides an incentive beyond Formula 1, a project which he can embrace at the end of his final season with Mercedes. The German team have provided the Briton with immense cars and he delivered six titles for them (maybe seven come to the end of 2021) to add to the one he claimed for McLaren in 2008. According to a source close to the project, Hamilton did not hesitate to sign on the dotted line once Jordan had outlined his ambitions in NASCAR, which include junior teams for disadvantaged drivers, and those of colour, to contest the various feeder series’ that make up the various rosters. Wallace is expected to welcome Hamilton to the fold, with an intense testing programme on the cards to bring the F1 superstar up to speed, as Jordan insists that it be a team effort to take the outfit forward. For Bubba, it is a partner-in-arms he can do with. As for a timeline, speculation is that after this evening’s announcement (expected 6pm ET) on NBC by Jordan and Wallace with Hamilton on video conference where they will outline their goals and plans. Apart from Monster Energy as the title sponsor, it is believed that Hamilton has had talks with Toto Wolff and Mercedes AMG, convincing them to be part of the programme, with technical and financial support before a fully-fledged NASCAR programme for the German manufacturer starting 2023, a year after Hamilton’s first full season Stateside. For Hamilton, this is a huge change of direction from a sport he has dominated for almost a decade to one where he will start off as a rookie and will have a ton to learn. He will also be running in packs with very equal machinery, something he has not been accustomed to since Mercedes started dominating the sport so ruthlessly. Nevertheless, Jordan has convinced Hamilton that his business in F1 is done, all records achieved and that the next chapter of his legacy is NASCAR and racing in the USA for at least the next three years, which will suit the Briton who has always been comfortable in a country he regularly visits and where he rubs shoulders with A-listers. Apart from the abovementioned $25-million per annum deal, Hamilton will be entitled to all the winnings he earns which would add to the reatiner. Word is that Hamilton will donate his race winnings to the worth causes. But it is clear from the outset that money was not the sweetener used by Jordan to convince Hamilton to take up the challenge, but rather he sold him the NASCAR project as a cause célèbre worth fighting alongside Wallace. What tipped Hamilton, was Jordan who cited the historic case of NBA player Charles “Chuck” Cooper, Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton and Earl Lloyd, became the first African-American players in the NBA in 1950. They were pioneers who triggered a revolution in sport. Since then players of colour dominate the hoops, as they do in baseball and American football. Tiger Woods changed the golfing landscape forever, while Hamilton himself became the first black driver to race and win in F1. Jordan’s dream is to do the same with NASCAR in the long-term. The last frontier it is being called. This year the team is in a partnership with Joe Gibbs Racing which will morph into Team Michael Jordan starting in 2022 with Hamilton and Wallace in the driving seats; the F1 World Champion set to run #44 on his car. Jordan has said of his NASCAR ambitions when he signed up to back Wallace: “We don’t sign cheques for losers. I feel like he’s going to learn how to win. He’s got the talent. We would not have invested in him and picked him if he didn’t have the talent to win. By the end of the year, I think he’s going to have an opportunity, and he probably will win at least a couple of races. If it’s more, I’d be elated,” added Jordan, who will be inking some hefty cheques with Hamilton’s name on it, but one gets the feeling that money is the least of their worries as there will be a queue of backers for this Dream Team.

Seven winners in seven races in NASCAR’s Cup Series as Joey Logano added his name to the list with victory in the Bristol dirt race. Joey Logano added his name to the winners’s list in 2021’s incredible NASCAR Cup Series season. The Team Penske driver took victory in the premier stock car class’s first race on dirt for 51 years, winning from Ricky Stenhouse Jr after a mistake by Denny Hamlin took him out of contention for the win on the overtime restart. Bristol was covered in 2300 truckloads of dirt for the special event that many had predicted the drivers with prior dirt experience would dominate. That couldn’t have been further from reality as favourites Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell suffered their own calamities in the early phase of the race. Larson, victor of the 2020 and 2021 Chilli Bowl Nationals dirt race, was sent to the back of the pack at the start for an engine change and was caught up in several wrecks as he made his way through the field, including the incident that took Bell out of the race. Bell spun up in the high line on lap 52 right in front of Larson before being collected by the no42 of Ross Chastain. While the damage was fixable on Larson’s car, Bell’s car had sprung an oil leak and the incident ended his afternoon. Martin Truex Jr dominated the opening stage after taking victory in the truck race earlier in the day, but a surprise package in Daniel Suarez wrestled the lead from the Joe Gibbs Racing no19, using his front bumper to take the lead in the early laps of Stage 2. The Mexican driver led the majority of the way until a late caution in the second stage that allowed the field to close in once more and gave Joey Logano the chance to slip by for a race lead he didn’t surrender. A spin for no66 Mike Marler brought out the final yellow with four to go and set up an overtime finish. Hamlin was told over his team radio to “make it happen” from second but sent it in a little too deep on the final restart going into Turn One. He slipped up the track and into the wall, giving Logano the cushion he needed to take the victory. The first dirt race in the top NASCAR series for over 50 years was a resounding success entertainment-wise, with the track announcing mid-way through Monday’s race that it would be back for 2022, hopefully with packed grandstands. While the issue of dust reared its head as the evening sun caught the dust particles and made vision a major issue without a wetted track surface, NASCAR will have learned its lessons in time for the return of dirt in ’22. The drivers gave their seal of approval to the event, with many including Truex and Suarez, who had no prior dirt racing experience until the lead into the weekend, showing competitiveness against the dirt racing pros in the field. Bristol on dirt was one of the first major attractions in the altered 2021 calendar as NASCAR looks to shake up its racing offerings away from mile-and-a-half ovals. Races on the Daytona Road Course and later visits to Road America and COTA add road course unknowns into the mix which have provided some of the most action-packed races in recent years. Its experimentation with new formats such as the addition of the ‘choose cone’, allowing drivers to pick which lane they restart in, has added a strategic element to restarts, making driving precision and focus from teams even more important in late-race situations. With Logano becoming the seventh winner in the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season, it is quickly becoming up to be one of the most unpredictable and exciting racing series to watch.

NASCUP Series winner Martin Truex Jr. dominated in his first Xfinity Series race in over a decade but his hopes for a win were cut short after a late speeding penalty which gave a chance to Xfinity Series regular Justin Allgaier to win his first race of the season. This was however not the biggest story of the Saturday’s EchoPark 250 which was held in Atlanta Speedway. There was an incident on the pit road as teammates Noah Gragson and Daniel Hemric made contact in their cars which led to a brawl between the two drivers after the Saturday’s race. Points leader Austin Cindric started on the pole for the race. A.J. Allmendinger failed pre-race inspection thrice and was sent to the rear, as were MBM Motorsports team-mates Chad Finchum and David Starr after switching cars. Truex began his first Xfinity event since 2010 in eighteenth. Cindric led the first six laps before Truex sliced through the field to take the lead. The two-time Xfinity champion dominated the rest of the segment en route to the stage win, while cautions came out on laps 22 (competition yellow), 37 (Dexter Bean‘s spin), and the final lap. Bean’s spin set up a one-lap dash to the stage conclusion, during which Brandon Jones was clipped by Brett Moffitt on the backstretch. Jones spun up and wedged Moffitt into the wall, with Gragson also being sent into a spin while Timmy Hill brushed the wall. Truex’s Joe Gibbs Racing team-mate Harrison Burton, Allgaier, Justin Haley, Michael Annett, Cindric, Jeremy Clements, Josh Berry (who ran the Camping World Truck Series race earlier in the day), Hemric, and Colby Howard rounded out the top ten. Being a Cup driver, Truex was the lone top-ten finisher to not receive stage points. The second stage ran clean as Truex dominated the segment. Allgaier, Haley, Burton, Riley Herbst, Myatt Snider, Jeb Burton, Clements, and Brandon Brown also scored top-ten stage finishes. Although Truex appeared poised to drive off to his fourteenth career Xfinity win, his prospects went out the window on lap 114 when Mason Massey‘s spin resulted in a caution, during which Truex was hit with a speeding penalty on pit road. The infraction gave Allgaier the lead as the race resumed. A wreck involving Burton and Clements on lap 119 resulted in another yellow, as did Berry and Ryan Sieg on lap 133. The latter caution allowed Howard to lead laps under yellow before Allgaier retook the spot for the restart. Allgaier led the final 27 laps to win his first race of the season, the fifteenth of his career, and first at Atlanta. Truex was able to rebound from his penalty to finish second. “We got back up there, but was kind of out of tyres at that point,” Truex said after the race. “We got close, but the last ten laps, the right rear was really smoked off. I just had to use too much to get there[.]” However, the main headline of the race came when Truex’s JGR team-mate Hemric confronted Allgaier’s JR Motorsports brethren Gragson after the race, resulting in fisticuffs being thrown. The two had tangled on pit road earlier in the race when Gragson reversed into Hemric’s car. Hemric explained afterward that Gragson “crammed it into reverse and backed up. Punched a hole in the nose of our car.” “(Gragson) had no idea what was going on out on the race track,” Hemric said. “We come down pit road and the guy pitted behind us when you accelerate when I was pulling into my box and it made me have to steer around the guy going to the #9’s box. I backed up and yes, it messed up both of our pit stops. I backed up and he decided to put it in reverse and cram into the right-front fender and knock a hole in our Poppy Bank Toyota Supra nose. We had to pit again and fix it. That was completely deliberate and it was absolutely ridiculous. Where I come from, you get your eye dotted when you do stuff like that. […] “Like I said, there’s a hole in the front of my car and he got popped in the eye, so from where I stand we are in pretty good shape.” “18 was in our pit box when I was turning into our pit stall,” Gragson tweeted. “He backed up into his. I was out of position in the box and had to back up to get into my box. Unintentional backing into him. If they’d show the full replay, you’d see I didn’t just back into him for no reason.” He later tweeted a video of the pit road incident. The 22-year-old has drawn considerable attention since the start of the season after tangling with various other drivers, effectively turning him into a heel. After a wreck with Starr while leading at Homestead, sparking a media storm that led to condemnation of his actions from those like Fox announcer Mike Joy, Gragson openly embraced his reputation by tweeting, “If you’re talking about me, I’m doing my job.” Start Number Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Status 1 6 7 Justin Allgaier JR Motorsports Chevrolet 163 Running 2 18 54 Martin Truex Jr.* Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 163 Running 3 5 20 Harrison Burton Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 163 Running 4 30 9 Noah Gragson JR Motorsports Chevrolet 163 Running 5 3 16 A.J. Allmendinger Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 163 Running 6 7 98 Riley Herbst Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 163 Running 7 27 1 Michael Annett JR Motorsports Chevrolet 163 Running 8 13 11 Justin Haley Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 163 Running 9 11 18 Daniel Hemric Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 163 Running 10 35 39 Ryan Sieg RSS Racing Ford 163 Running 11 9 2 Myatt Snider Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 163 Running 12 10 51 Jeremy Clements Jeremy Clements Racing Chevrolet 163 Running 13 1 22 Austin Cindric Team Penske Ford 163 Running 14 20 4 Landon Cassill JD…

Kyle Larson, William Byron and Cody Ware are set to drop to the rear ahead of Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway, the Instacart 500.Three cars failed pre-race inspection twice ahead of this afternoon’s NASCAR Cup Series race, the Instacart 500, at Phoenix Raceway, including one which won last Sunday’s race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and was slated to start on the front row. The #5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet of Kyle Larson, the #24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet of William Byron and the #51 Petty Ware Racing Chevrolet of Cody Ware are those three cars, and as a result, they are set to drop to the rear ahead of today’s event. Larson was originally set to start today’s 312-lap race around the four-turn, 1.022-mile (1.645-kilometer) oval in Avondale, Arizona on the front row in second place while Byron was set to start in 10th and Ware was set to start in 31st. Larson and Byron will both drop to the tail end of the outside lane due to the fact that they were slated to start in even positions while Ware will drop to the tail end of the inside lane due to the fact that he was slated to start in an odd position. Team Penske’s Brad Keselowski, who took the pole position via NASCAR’s starting lineup formula to become the fifth different polesitter through five races this season, is still set to lead the field to the green flag and have lane choice behind the wheel of his #2 Ford. As a result of Larson’s penalty, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell, who was originally set to start in fourth place behind the wheel of his #20 Toyota, is set to be promoted to the front row in second if Keselowski chooses the inside lane. If Keselowski chooses the outside lane, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin is set to move up from third to second behind the wheel of his #11 Toyota.

Reigning series champion Austin Cindric became the first driver to win multiple Xfinity races this season, taking the checkered flag Saturday at Phoenix Raceway. It’s his second win in a row at the 1-mile track. He won there last November to claim his first Xfinity title. Saturday’s victory goes with his win earlier this season at Daytona. Ty Gibbs, making his first start since his win last month on the Daytona road course, finished second. Brandon Brown finished a career-high third. Riley Herbst, who had not scored a top 10 this season, finished fourth. AJ Allmendinger placed fifth. Cindric held the lead on a two-lap restart after the 12th caution of the 200-lap race. Justin Allgaier got to the outside of Cindric but Allgaier hit the wall. He finished eighth. Brandon Brown’s third-place finish was his best result in 91 career Xfinity races. … Bayley Currey‘s seventh-place finish was the best of his Xfinity career. His previous best finish was 12th. Noah Gragson had a mechanical issue and finished 39th in the 40-car field. He has finished 28th or worse in four of the five races. This is the third time he’s failed to finish this season. He had three DNFs last season. … Gragson’s JR Motorsports teammate, Michael Annett, went to the garage early with engine issues and finished 38th. … A crash eliminated Josh Berry. He finished 36th for JR Motorsports. … Brandon Jones was eliminated in a crash after contact from AJ Allmendinger. Jones finished 33rd.

It took Kyle Larson just four races to win in his return to NASCAR. Larson won Sunday at Las Vegas in his first race with Hendrick Motorsports. Larson joined Hendrick in the offseason after he was suspended by NASCAR and fired by Chip Ganassi Racing four races into the 2020 season after he said the N-word during a virtual race broadcast on NASCAR’s website. Larson beat Brad Keselowski to the checkered flag and Keselowski was the only driver that kept Larson from sweeping all three of the race’s stages. After climbing from his car following some celebratory donuts, Larson said the victory was “definitely special” and made sure to thank team owner Rick Hendrick and Jeff Gordon — who called the race in the Fox booth — for the opportunity at Hendrick. “Thank you so much Mr. H, Jeff Gordon, everybody at Hendrick Motorsports for the amazing opportunity I’ve been gifted,” Larson said. It’s hard to argue against Larson’s usage of the word “gifted.” By getting a ride with Hendrick, Larson got a better job than the one he was fired from. Chip Ganassi Racing has been an above-average team throughout Larson’s Cup Series tenure but never was able to consistently challenge the likes of Hendrick, Joe Gibbs Racing and Team Penske. Larson won six races in his time at CGR and it was impossible not to wonder how many races Larson could win with a better team. His contract with the team was up at the end of the 2020 season and Larson was set to be the most coveted free agent in NASCAR. Then Larson said the racial slur. With real races halted because of the COVID-19 pandemic, racers turned to sim racing to have fun and keep fans entertained during the pandemic. Larson used the N-word on a feed that was heard on the race broadcast. The repercussions were swift. Larson was suspended from CGR and then from NASCAR. As sponsors like Credit One and McDonald’s distanced themselves from him, CGR made the decision to fire Larson from the team. The 28-year-old spent the rest of the Cup Series season racing sprint cars at dirt tracks around the country. He won a bunch of those races — over 40 of them, in fact — and showed that he was the incredibly talented driver that everyone knew he was. But showing off that talent wasn’t what was going to get him back in the Cup Series. Larson publicly apologized for his actions and detailed the things he had done to learn and grow from his use of the slur. He said in an October interview with CBS that he knew “deep down” that he wasn’t racist. He said he had grown more in the months since he said the slur than in he had in the years before April 12. It wasn’t hard to see how Larson was being genuine in that interview and in his public appearances since. He truly does appear to have learned from his mistake and grown from it both in his words and his charitable actions. That’s an accomplishment, especially in an era where admitting fault is seen by some as a sign of weakness. But Larson’s journey to redemption isn’t done with his win on Sunday and it won’t be complete if he wins the next three races. Larson’s growth and comeback shouldn’t be defined by his stats in NASCAR. They should be defined by his actions and his words. He’s doing and saying the right things so far. And hopefully that continues well into the future. Joe Gibbs Racing was the fastest team on Sunday. All four JGR cars finished in the top seven despite a slow start for Kyle Busch. Busch ended up as the top-finishing JGR driver. He was third after in-race adjustments found him some speed late in the race. Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. ran up front for most of the day and they finished fourth and sixth, respectively. Daytona road course winner Christopher Bell was seventh. While JGR was good, Stewart-Haas Racing was flat-out bad. It wasn’t surprising that Kevin Harvick was the top-finishing driver on the team. But he finished 20th. Harvick got some left-front fender damage on an early restart. He quickly fell through the pack and never really made that track position back up throughout the race. Every other SHR driver didn’t sniff the front of the field outside of green-flag pit stop cycles. Chase Briscoe was 21st and Cole Custer finished 25th. Aric Almirola finished in 38th and last after a part broke and he slammed into the wall. The first four races of the season have been brutal for Almirola. He’s finished 30th or worse in three of the first four races and is 26th in the points standings. Race results Kyle Larson Brad Keselowski Kyle Busch Denny Hamlin Ryan Blaney Martin Truex Jr. Christopher Bell William Byron Joey Logano Erik Jones Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Austin Dillon Chase Elliott Chris Buescher Ryan Preece Matt DiBenedetto Michael McDowell Ryan Newman Kurt Busch Kevin Harvick Chase Briscoe Tyler Reddick Ross Chastain Anthony Alfredo Cole Custer Daniel Suarez Alex Bowman Bubba Wallace Justin Haley BJ McLeod Garrett Smithley Cody Ware Quin Houff Joey Gase Josh Bilicki Timmy Hill Corey LaJoie Aric Almirola

AJ Allmendinger took the lead on a restart with 13 laps to go and pulled away to win Saturday’s Xfinity Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The victory is the sixth of Allmendinger’s Xfinity career and second on an oval. This is the third consecutive season he’s won a race. Allmendinger led 44 of the 200 laps. Daniel Hemric, who led a race-high 74 laps, placed second for the eighth time in his career. He was followed by Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Brandon Jones. Austin Cindric rallied from losing a lap because of a flat tire in the second stage to finish fourth. Noah Gragson finished fifth. The race was slowed by eight cautions for 45 laps. It was Allmendinger’s first race at the track in three years. Allmendinger’s No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet had to hold off the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota driven by Daniel Hemric, who led a race best 74 of the 200 laps and came 0.978-seconds away from his first career victory. It was clearly an emotional win for the veteran Allmendinger, who climbed out of his car at the finish line and leaned against it, eyes closed for a moment before doing his live television interview. This is the 39-year-old Californian’s first full time season racing in NASCAR since 2018 when he competed in the NASCAR Cup Series, however he earned three wins driving part time for Kaulig Racing the last two seasons. “First of all, it’s awesome to have you all back in the grandstands,” Allmendinger said, motioning toward the cheering but socially-distanced and limited-size crowd. “It’s emotional because you don’t know when you’re going to do this again,” Allmendinger said. “You never know. This could be the last one (win), you never know, I hope it’s not; I think we can do a lot more. “This is fun, but I want to win so bad for [team owner] Matt [Kaulig] every week,” he added. “It’s hard to put into words what he means to me. Truly how bad I want to win for him. … It means that much to me that he believes in me.” For Hemric, who now has 11 career runner-up showings in NASCAR’s three national series, it was a tough outcome considering the strong showing up front for his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota all race long. He led eight different times and won Stage 2. It was Hemric’s eighth runner-up finish in his NASCAR Xfinity Series career. NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett holds the Xfinity Series record for the most runner-up finishes before his first victory with 10 second-place finishes. “You hate to have one get away like that, but we came here and wanted to try to have more speed to lead laps and win stages and we did that today,” Hemric said. “We lined up with a shot there and just got beat. Congratulations to A.J. We just got beat.” Hemric’s teammate Brandon Jones finished third followed by 2020 Xfinity Series champion Austin Cindric, who led 43 laps and won Stage 1. Cindric had a tire go down on his No. 22 Team Penske Ford 55 laps into the race but turned in an inspired rally, finishing 10th in the 2nd stage and breaking into the top five by Lap 117. He made contact with Harrison Burton in the closing laps and his fourth-place showing is his fourth top five in as many races. Las Vegas native Noah Gragson finished fifth – his best showing of the season. Michael Annett, rookie Josh Berry, Justin Haley, Harrison Burton and Jeb Burton rounded out the top 10. Haley’s and Jeb Burton’s work gave Kaulig Racing a top 10 sweep. Cindric holds a 21-point lead over Hemric in the series driver standings entering next Saturday’s Call 811 Before You Dig 200 at Phoenix Raceway (5:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). NASCAR Xfinity Series Race – 25th Annual Alsco Uniforms 300Las Vegas Motor Speedway race results (10) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 200. (3) Daniel Hemric, Toyota, 200. (4) Brandon Jones, Toyota, 200. (2) Austin Cindric, Ford, 200. (34) Noah Gragson, Chevrolet, 200. (13) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 200. (9) Josh Berry #, Chevrolet, 200. (6) Justin Haley, Chevrolet, 200. (22) Harrison Burton, Toyota, 200. (5) Jeb Burton, Chevrolet, 200. (25) Brandon Brown, Chevrolet, 200. (40) Tyler Reddick(i), Chevrolet, 200. (23) Santino Ferrucci, Toyota, 200. (37) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 200. (21) Tommy Joe Martins, Chevrolet, 200. (24) Josh Williams, Chevrolet, 200. (8) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 199. (26) Joe Graf Jr., Chevrolet, 199. (30) Jeffrey Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 199. (38) Colby Howard, Chevrolet, 199. (14) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 199. (39) Bayley Currey, Chevrolet, 199. (35) Ryan Vargas #, Chevrolet, 199. (15) Garrett Smithley, Chevrolet, 199. (16) Dexter Bean, Chevrolet, 198. (32) Jesse Little, Toyota, 198. (36) Gray Gaulding, Chevrolet, 198. (29) Chad Finchum, Toyota, 198. (28) David Starr, Ford, 198. (27) Jade Buford, Chevrolet, 196. (20) Ty Dillon, Toyota, 195. (1) Myatt Snider, Chevrolet, 191. (19) Kyle Weatherman, Chevrolet, 184. (7) Brett Moffitt(i), Chevrolet, Accident, 181. (17) Alex Labbe, Chevrolet, Accident, 181. (33) Stefan Parsons, Toyota, Fuel Line, 137. (18) Timmy Hill, Toyota, Engine, 100. (11) Ryan Sieg, Ford, Accident, 73. (31) Matt Mills, Chevrolet, Electrical, 72. (12) Riley Herbst, Ford, Accident, 56.

Martin Truex Jr. has been docked 20 playoff points after NASCAR found a rear spoiler violation on his No. 19 car Sunday during pre-race inspections ahead of the Round of 8 race at Texas. His crew chief, James Small, has been ejected from the race for the incident. His team will be fined $35,000. The spoiler was confiscated. Truex Jr. already faced an uphill battle to reach the Cup Series championship at Phoenix. He’ll likely need to win at Texas or next weekend at Martinsville to advance past this round. Following his penalty, Truex Jr. sits 51 points behind the cut-off line. He conducted his weekly virtual news conference looking relaxed on a boat, but he’s no doubt feeling intense pressure now. Truex Jr. has never won at Texas, but he does have a pair of victories in his career at Martinsville, including one on June 10. Next weekend, then, might represent a better shot at earning a first-place finish. He’s been in a rut of late, though, failing to run above seventh place in any of his past three outings.

In a No. 24 Chevrolet that steadily improved its performance as the sun went down, William Byron streaked to a decisive victory in Sunday‘s Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. With Tyler Reddick, Kyle Larson and Martin Truex Jr. battling for second place behind him, Byron cruised to a 2.777-second victory over Reddick, who charged through the field late in the final 60-lap green-flag run to the finish. Truex ran third, with Larson coming home fourth. The victory was Byron‘s first of the season, first at Homestead and the second of his career. The win was the 264th in the NASCAR Cup Series for Hendrick Motorsports, leaving the organization four victories behind Petty Enterprises for most all-time. “It was just a really smooth day,” said Byron, who won Stage 2 after finishing fourth in the opening 80-lap stage. “We worked hard in the winter on this track. I can‘t believe it.” Though Reddick made his charge by running inches from the outside wall, Byron preferred to maintain a respectful distance from the fence whenever possible. “You had to go to the wall at certain times,” said Byron, who led 102 laps, a career-best for a single race. “(Turns) 3 and 4, it was really fast up there. I definitely didn‘t do it as good as the Xfinity cars do it, but I used it when I had to. This car was just awesome. It was really a lot of hard work. I think we went to the sim (simulator) four or five times this offseason, and it pays off, man. It‘s awesome.” Byron delivered the first Cup victory to crew chief Rudy Fugle, with whom he teamed to great success in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. In fact, the last time Byron and Fugle worked together, they won the 2016 season finale at Homestead. Reddick didn‘t score a point in either of the first two stages, but his No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet was lightning-fast at the end of the race. When Reddick moved into fourth place past Kevin Harvick on Lap 254 of 267, he was nine seconds behind Byron. By the end of the race, despite having to clear both Truex and Larson for second, he had trimmed more than six seconds off Byron‘s lead. “Once I really saw how fast we were in clean air, when I saw how fast we were catching everybody, it‘s beyond frustrating,” said Reddick, who matched his career-best finish. “Three different decisions on restarts would have put me miles ahead, and I would have been within reach. “Second‘s great, but I saw how much faster I was than those guys at the end, so naturally, it‘s frustrating.” Chris Buescher was dominant early, leading a career-high 57 laps in a single race and picking up the second stage win of his career in the opening segment. But as the sunlight faded, so did Buescher‘s No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford. He finished 19th. Truex thought his car capable of maintaining Byron‘s pace in the final run and was disappointed when it didn‘t. “On that last run, for whatever reason, I was just babying it,” Truex said. “The 24 (Byron) got the lead from me on that (last) restart (on Lap 208), and then the 5 (Larson) got by us, and I‘m just biding my time waiting for them to start coming back to me, and they just never did. “They obviously were really fast at the end, and we weren‘t quite as good that last run. These things are so hard to win. These cars are so touchy and just needed one more adjustment to have a chance.” Harvick came home fifth, followed by Daytona 500 winner Michael McDowell, as both drivers have scored top-10 finishes in each of the first three races of the season. Ryan Newman, Kurt Busch, Alex Bowman and Kyle Busch completed the top 10. Denny Hamlin ran 11th, failing to keep his top-10 streak alive because of a late-race pit road speeding penalty. Hamlin nevertheless retained the series lead by 20 points over Harvick.

Myatt Snider got his first NASCAR Xfinity Series victory. With perfect execution from the inside lane on his second chance at an overtime restart, Snider held off charging Tyler Reddick to win Saturday’s Contender Boats 250 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. For his third straight race at the 1.5-mile track, Gragson was close enough to taste victory, but it was his ill-fated crash with just over two laps left in regulation that set up overtime and Snider’s victory. Reddick’s second-place finish didn’t stand, however. His No. 23 Chevrolet was disqualified after post-race inspection because the ride height measured too low in the rear. On the first attempt at extra laps, Snider spun his tires and Reddick grabbed the lead before AJ Allmendinger spun toward the infield grass in Turn 1 to cause the eighth and final caution. In the second overtime, Reddick returned the favor and Snider pulled clear in the bottom lane. With a determined charge on the final lap, Reddick gained ground, but he was .085 seconds in arrears when Snider crossed the finish line in the No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. “Yeah, I guess I learned my lesson on that first restart, ‘cause I spun the wheels,” said Snider, who won in his 36th start in the series. “Then I saw Tyler spin the wheels on the next one, and I knew I might have a chance. “Just a shout-out to all these RCR guys, (sponsor) Taxslayer, all these people that supported me over the years. It’s been a rough journey, but we’re here with a win, and I can’t complain.” Reddick, who drives full-time for RCR in the NASCAR Cup Series, was moonlighting with RSS Racing on Saturday, making his first Xfinity start since winning his second straight series title at Homestead in 2019. But his effort proved moot with the disqualification, which elevated Brandon Jones to the runner-up spot. Gragson was just over two laps away from a redemptive victory when the No. 13 Ford of David Starr — the last driver on the lead lap — blew a right front tire and shot up the track into the outside wall and right into Gragson’s path. Gragson, who led 83 and 81 laps in last year’s two Homestead races but failed to win either, couldn’t avoid the collision that destroyed his No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet. At the time, Gragson led second-place Reddick by more than eight seconds. “What are you going to do,” Gragson said after a visit to the infield care center. “We dominated the last three races here, including this one, and have stuff like that (happen). We were saving fuel. I was half-throttle the last 30 laps, and we were still pulling away.” The first stage of the race was eventful — but not primarily for Stefan Parsons spin in Turn 4 on Lap 26 or for Daniel Hemric missing his pit stall under the resulting caution and knocking his tire carrier to the pavement. What Stage 1 demonstrated with jarring clarity was the enormous value of fresh tires on the abrasive asphalt surface. Allmendinger restarted 25th on fresh tires with 10 laps left in the stage and grabbed the lead from Kaulig Racing teammate Justin Haley eight laps later. Allmendinger won the stage with Haley second after restarting 20th and moving into the lead on Lap 33 before surrendering the top spot to his teammate. Reigning series champion Austin Cindric, on the other hand, stayed out during the caution, restarted in the lead on old tires and fell to 14th by the end of the 10-lap run. Stage 2 was the mirror image of Stage 1. When fluid from Parsons’ car necessitated the third caution of the race on Lap 68, drivers who had stayed out under the Lap 26 caution to save a set of tires came to pit road — Cindric among them. Allmendinger led the field to the restart with six laps left in the second stage. Cindric restarted 22nd, and in less than three laps took the lead on the way to a stage win and a playoff point. Pit stops followed at the end of the stage, on Lap 83, leaving almost all drivers on equal rubber for the final run, with two sets of sticker tires left in the pits. But in terms of track position, the exchange favored those who had pitted late in Stage 2 and charged to the front. First off pit road during the fourth caution, Cindric led the field to green on Lap 89. But neither Cindric nor Allmendinger was a major player in the overtime. Hemric finished third, followed by Jeb Burton. Cindric, Haley, Brett Moffitt, Ryan Sieg, Jeremy Clements and Josh Berry completed the top 10. Xfinity stalwarts Harrison Burton and Justin Allgaier were the first two drivers out of the race, Burton with and engine failure and Allgaier after contact with the Ford of Riley Herbst on Lap 98. NASCAR Xfinity Series Race – 27th Annual Contender Boats 250 race results (10) Myatt Snider, Chevrolet, 179. (4) Brandon Jones, Toyota, 179. (2) Daniel Hemric, Toyota, 179. (5) Jeb Burton, Chevrolet, 179. (1) Austin Cindric, Ford, 179. (8) Justin Haley, Chevrolet, 179. (6) Brett Moffitt(i), Chevrolet, 179. (22) Ryan Sieg, Ford, 179. (9) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 179. (20) Josh Berry #, Chevrolet, 179. (29) Riley Herbst, Ford, 179. (39) JJ Yeley, Chevrolet, 179. (18) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 179. (24) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 179. (25) Alex Labbe, Chevrolet, 179. (33) Timmy Hill, Toyota, 179. (32) Dexter Bean, Chevrolet, 179. (27) Tommy Joe Martins, Chevrolet, 179. (11) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 179. (31) Jade Buford, Chevrolet, 179. (40) David Starr, Toyota, 179. (36) Jeffrey Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 179. (37) Chad Finchum, Toyota, 179. (35) Ryan Vargas #, Chevrolet, 179. (12) Kyle Weatherman, Chevrolet, 179. (15) Josh Williams, Chevrolet, 178. (16) Joe Graf Jr., Chevrolet, 178. (26) Gray Gaulding, Chevrolet, 178. (17) Matt Mills, Toyota, 178. (21) Santino Ferrucci, Toyota, 177. (30) Stefan Parsons, Toyota, 177. (14) Jesse Little, Toyota, 177. (23)…

NASCAR suspended team owner Chip Ganassi for a violation of COVID-19 protocols at Daytona International Speedway last weekend. He also was fined $30,000. NASCAR said Ganassi, 62, was penalized for allowing a “non-essential individual” into a restricted area. Pending an appeal, Ganassi will serve his suspension this upcoming weekend at the NASCAR Cup Series event at Homestead Miami Speedway. Chip Ganassi Racing still will be allowed to enter its two cars — the No. 1 Chevrolet for driver Kurt Busch and the No. 42 Chevy for Ross Chastain — in Sunday’s event.

Reigning series champion Chase Elliott had won the past four points-paying NASCAR Cup Series races on road courses. His runner-up finish in the Daytona 500 put him on pole for today’s race, and his ultra-fast car had him in the lead for the vast majority of the early running. With 15 laps remaining, however, spotters reported light rain over the track. There was no real threat of a deluge, but NASCAR still chose to enact their procedure for rain in road course races, calling a caution for teams to be given the option to put on wet tires. This was to be the final stop of the race, and every team in the field chose to keep their dry tires. Elliott’s crew struggled, and he fell out of the top ten before the restart that followed. No more rain came, and nobody ever changed to wet tires. The yellow proved completely unnecessary. Elliott was run off track on the restart that followed, but an incredible save kept his race alive. Damage to the No. 8 Chevrolet of Tyler Reddick brought out another yellow, and Elliott was already back in the top ten after that restart. He drove all the way up to the top five with only five laps to go. Then, things got even worse. Elliott was making an attempt to bump the No. 2 of Brad Keselowski when he was hit from behind by Denny Hamlin, sending him spinning and ending his hopes of a fifth consecutive road course win. His teammate, Kyle Larson, had previously crashed in an attempt to pass within the top five, leaving Joey Logano comfortably leading Kurt Busch and Christopher Bell. Bell moved past Busch, and Logano’s massive lead began to shrink. With two to go, it had become clear that his No. 22 Penske Racing Ford was struggling with a brake issue. Bell caught him on the oval portion of the track, made some light contact, and easily moved past him under braking heading into a chicane. He missed turn 1 on the next lap, but a quick recovery and Logano’s struggles with his own car kept him in front, securing Bell his first-ever NASCAR Cup Series win in what is just his second race with the lead Joe Gibbs Racing team. Logano, Denny Hamlin, Kurt Busch, and Brad Keselowski would complete the top five. Surprises in the top ten include AJ Allmendinger, running in a one-off ride for Kaulig Racing, and Daytona 500 winner Michael McDowell, a Front Row Motorsports driver who has recorded just 14 top tens in 358 career starts. McDowell is already effectively locked into the Playoffs postseason by virtue of his Daytona win, and he will now be joined by Bell. Chase Elliott, who led 44 laps in the 70-lap event, finished just 21st. NASCAR’s next race is just one week away. It will be run at Homestead, the first intermediate oval of the season and, after one pack race at Daytona’s big oval and one road course race in its infield, the first race that will reflect the majority of the season run this year. Pos. Driver Car No.1 Christopher Bell 202 Joey Logano 223 Denny Hamlin 114 Kurt Busch 15 Brad Keselowski 26 Kevin Harvick 47 AJ Allmendinger 168 Michael McDowell 349 Ryan Preece 3710 Alex Bowman 4811 Chris Buescher 1712 Martin Truex Jr. 1913 Cole Custer 4114 Erik Jones 4315 Ryan Bailey 1216 Daniel Suárez 9917 Aric Almirola 1018 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 4719 Ty Dillon 9620 Ryan Newman 621 Chase Elliott 922 Anthony Alfredo 3823 James Davison 1524 Justin Haley 7725 Cody Ware 5126 Bubba Wallace 2327 Garrett Smithley 5328 Scott Heckert 7829 Timmy Hill 6630 Kyle Larson 531 Corey LaJoie 732 Chase Briscoe 1433 William Byron 2434 Austin Dillon 335 Kyle Busch 1836 Josh Bilicki 5237 Matt DiBenedetto 2138 Tyler Reddick 839 Ross Chastain 4240 Quin Houff 00