NASCAR

William “Rowdy” Harrell, who most recently served as a tire carrier on driver Alex Bowman’s No. 88 NASCAR Cup Series team, and his wife, Blakley, died at the scene in a head-on car crash in the Florida Keys Tuesday night, according to police reports. The crash happened around 9:40 p.m. at mile marker 76 on U.S. 1 on Lower Matecumbe Key. William, 30, and Blakley, 23, had been married on Saturday and were on their honeymoon. “Our entire team is absolutely devastated at the loss of Rowdy and Blakley,” said Greg Ives, who was Harrell’s crew chief for the past six seasons. “They were such positive, giving and passionate people who could not have been a more perfect match. “Rowdy had an energetic and infectious personality. He was the heart and soul of our team and always kept us motivated, no matter the circumstance. Rowdy shared his love with the people around him and was loved in return. “Although he will be greatly missed, his memory will continue to inspire us always. Our prayers are with Rowdy, Blakley and their wonderful family.” Before his NASCAR career, Harrell won three national championships as a walk-on middle linebacker for the University of Alabama football team. The native of Moundville, Ala., held a degree in human performance and exercise science from the school. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Harrell was driving a 2020 Toyota Corolla north on the two-lane highway when he crossed into the southbound lane in the path of a 2013 Ford F-250 pickup truck driven by a 62-year-old man from Tennessee. The pickup truck driver was transported to Mariners Hospital in Tavernier, Fla., with minor injuries. His two passengers, a 58-year-old woman from Tennessee, and a 62-year-old Tennessee woman, were seriously injured. All the passengers and drivers were wearing seatbelts, the FHP report said. The agency said it is investigating whether alcohol was involved in the crash. Memorial arrangements for the Harrells are incomplete at this time.

Ryan Truex will be returning to Niece Motorsports for the 2021 NASCAR Truck Season but this time round he will be competing for the 2021 Camping World Truck Series championship. Ryan Truex, is the 28-year-old younger brother to former NASCAR Series champion Martin Truex Jr. Ryan ran nine races with Niece Motorsports in the 2020 season having his best finish at Las Vegas and Kansas after ranking 12th best. The younger Truex also has an extensive NASCAR experience but the 2021 season will be the third opportunity to run a full schedule in the national series, NASCAR Cup, Xfinity and Truck. “Last season was really a learning year for me with this team,” said Truex, who will drive the No. 40 Chevrolet. “I feel like we learned a ton every week. We adjusted to working with no track time prior to racing, and I feel like we made our equipment better throughout the course of the year.” “I am excited about the continuity we will be able to build, competing week-in and week-out. I’m thankful to Marquis Spas for their support this season and as we move into next season.” Ryan Truex run a full NASCAR Truck series back in 2017 has achieved 2 poles, 10 top-five finishes and 19 top-ten finishes not forgetting he has 51 starts in the Truck series, 78 starts in the Xfinity series and 26 in the Cup series. “As a team, we are really excited about how our program is shaping up for next season,” said general manager Cody Efaw. “We are working hard collectively to make our equipment the best it can be. “We are thankful for the support of great partners like Marquis and Chevrolet. We look forward to contending for wins next year with Ryan.” The 22-race 2021 Truck Series schedule kicks off Feb. 12, 2021, at Daytona International Speedway.

John Hunter Nemechek will join Kyle Busch Motorsports for the 2021 NASCAR Truck Series season. Nemechek, who just completed his rookie Cup Series season with Front Row Motorsports, will move back to the Truck Series in 2021. He will compete for the title with KBM, driving the No. 4 Toyota Tundra. The 23-year-old revealed last week that he and FRM would part ways, leaving many to wonder where the young racer was heading with limited rides available at the Cup level. The Truck Series is a familiar place for Nemechek, having won six races with the family-owned NEMCO Motorsports between 2015 and 2018. He also has one victory in the Xfinity Series with Chip Ganassi Racing. “Kyle and Samantha with the support of Toyota have built an organization that has won races and championships on a consistent basis and I’m looking forward to the opportunity to carry on the winning tradition by getting back to victory lane in the Camping World Truck Series next year,” said Nemechek in a release from KBM. “I can’t thank the partners that have supported my career through the years enough for their continued support and I’m looking forward to building relationships with new partners this year. Bring on 2021 — Let’s Go Places!” He replaces Raphael Lessard, who placed 12th in points and won once this season at Talladega Superspeedway. “I began my XFINITY Series career with NEMCO and I’ve had a long-running relationship with Joe and the Nemechek family, so it’s cool to see things come full circle with being able to sign John Hunter to race at KBM,” said team owner Kyle Busch. “John Hunter is a proven winner in the Camping World Truck Series, as well as the Xfinity Series, and someone who we are confident will be able to put the No. 4 Tundra up front on a consistent basis and compete for victories each and every race. Despite only being 23 years old, he has a lot of experience across all three series and with next year’s Truck Series schedule including a lot of events where it’s just show up and race, having an experienced driver in one of our full-time Tundras is going to be beneficial to our whole organization.”

When Matt Tifft was forced to cut short his NASCAR driving career due to health issues that didn’t mean he wanted out of the sport. In fact, it was just the opposite. Tifft began searching for options to make NASCAR a long-term home even if it involved something other than driving race cars. Last October, Tifft – who was competing in the Cup series with Front Row Motorsports at the time – was forced to the sidelines after experiencing seizures. The first steps of his future were unveiled Friday when he and fellow driver B.J. McLeod announced the formation of Live Fast Motorsports, which will field a fulltime Cup Series team beginning with the 2021 Daytona 500. The team will field the No. 78 Ford Mustang which will be driven by McLeod and the organization has purchased a charter, which will guarantee it entry in all 36 points-paying races in 2021. “I explored all kinds of avenues, whether that was being involved from a PR standpoint or sponsor standpoint. I looked at some driver coaching stuff. I couldn’t drive, so when you spend your entire life being a driver, it’s pretty hard,” said Tifft, 24. “I went through several months in there, one, I was dealing with the health problems, but, two, kind of a dark space of I’ve worked my entire life to get here and all of a sudden it’s gone. So, I really worried about it because I wanted to be a part of NASCAR. “NASCAR is my work life and I love everything about racing, so my full investment in this sport is seeing the sport grow, seeing our team grow and to have that opportunity as a team owner is so rewarding.” Taking on an ownership role allows Tifft to do something in NASCAR that was much more difficult when he was a driver – plan for the future. “When you’re a driver, you worry about every single season. ‘What does that contract look like? What does my funding look like for the next year?’ With this, you get to plan for one, two, three, five years, 10 years, 20 years, and you have a business plan set in there,” he said. “That’s what’s so cool about this and what makes it such a bigger deal.” Additionally, Live Fast will have a partnership with fellow Ford team Stewart-Haas Racing, one of the most successful organizations in the NASCAR in recent seasons. “We have an open door there and we’ve obviously already got their cars, their parts, their spindles, their hubs, their trailing arms, truck arms,” said McLeod. “We’ve got a good platform already to start with.” McLeod, who currently owns a three-car Xfinity Series operation, recently brought his organization to the Cup Series. McLeod and Garrett Smithley combined to make 12 starts in his No. 78 Chevrolet this season as a non-charter team.

NASCUP series driver Kyle Busch will be having a new crew chief come year 2021, this is a part of several crew chief line-up changes made by the Joe Gibbs Racing management. Back on Tuesday, Joe Gibbs made an official announcement that Adam Stephens who has served as Kyle Busch’s crew chief for the past six seasons and jointly won two championships with Kyle will be moving to the No.20 team where he will serve in the same capacity with the driver Christian Bell. Together, Busch and Stevens won 28 races and series titles in 2015 and 2019. The two also collected 19 wins in the Xfinity Series. Busch went without a win for most of the 2020 season, capturing his lone victory at Texas Motor Speedway, after he had already been eliminated from further title contention. Ben Beshore will return to the Cup Series and serve as crew chief for Busch and the No. 18 Toyota team. Beshore previously served as engineer for the No. 18 team prior to moving to JGR’s Xfinity Series as crew chief in 2019. “We go through a process at the conclusion of every season that includes evaluating each of our teams, we believe our crew chief lineup for 2021 will best position each team and driver for success across both series,” said Joe Gibbs, owner of Joe Gibbs Racing. “We take a lot of pride in our depth of talent across our entire organization. All of our crew chiefs are proven winners.” Chris Gabehart and James Small will continue to serve as crew chief for the Nos. 11 (driver Denny Hamlin) and No. 19 (driver Martin Truex Jr.) teams respectively. In addition, JGR announced changes to their Xfinity Series program. Jason Ratcliff will return to the organization as crew chief for the No. 20 Toyota driven by Harrison Burton, while Dave Rogers will work with newly-named driver Daniel Hemric in the No. 18. Jeff Meendering will continue to serve as the crew chief with Brandon Jones, who returns behind the wheel of the No. 19. JGR also plans to field a fourth Xfinity Series entry in 2021, appointing Chris Gayle to lead the No. 54 Toyota team which will be driven by a team of all-star caliber drivers. The 2021 driver lineup and race schedule for the No. 54 team will be announced at a later date.

On Monday, Kaulig Racing announced it had hired Jeb, the 28-year old son of NASCAR veteran Ward Burton, to compete for the organization in 2021 in the Xfinity Series. Jeb will have primary sponsorship from Nutrien Ag Solutions. For the first time since 2014, Jeb Burton is returning to fulltime competition in a NASCAR national series. “Jeb is a hard worker on and off the track,” said Chris Rice, president of Kaulig Racing. “He’s a great fit for Kaulig Racing and our partners. I’ve known the Burton family and worked with them back in the 1980s, so it feels like everything has come full circle. “We are going to go out and compete for wins and championships. Jeb is a guy we can build a long term, successful program around.” The 2021 season will be Burton’s first fulltime season in the Xfinity Series and competing for the series championship. He’s made 43 starts in the series since 2013 with a career-best finish of second this season at Richmond, Va., driving for JR Motorsports. Burton ran a pair of fulltime seasons in Trucks in 2013 and 2014, earning one win, seven top-five and 18 top-10 finishes and winning seven poles during that span. His best championship finish was fifth in 2013. “It’s an honor to have this opportunity driving full-time for Kaulig Racing and Nutrien Ag Solutions,” Burton said. “I’ve worked so hard, not only behind the wheel, to get an opportunity like this, and it couldn’t be more perfect – representing a brand with the same values and beliefs as my family. “This partnership represents everything we are, and I can’t thank Matt Kaulig, Chris Rice and Nutrien Ag Solutions enough.” In addition to its primary partnership with Burton, Nutrien Ag Solutions will serve as an associate sponsor at Kaulig Racing and will continue its DocuSeries, “Two-Track Mind,” airing Season 2 in 2021, with Burton’s story.

GMS Racing will field a fulltime entry in the NASCAR Truck Series next season for up-and-comer Chase Purdy. Purdy, a 21-year-old student at the University of Mississippi, ran seven races with GMS this past season with a best finish of 10th at Kansas Speedway in July. Purdy will join teammates Sheldon Creed, Zane Smith and Tyler Ankrum in competing for the 2021 Truck Series championship. “I am very excited to be back full-time racing again, especially with a strong organization like GMS Racing,” said Purdy. “I am ready to get to work with this team and start preparing for 2021. “I am already counting down the days until we leave for Daytona.” Purdy, a native of Meridian, Miss., ran fulltime in 2018 in the ARCA Menards Series for MDM Motorsports, earning 10 top-five and 14 top-10 finishes and finished fourth in the series standings. He also ran a pair of Truck race – at Martinsville, Va., and Phoenix – in 2018 with GMS and is a former member of the NASCAR Next program, an industry-wide initiative designed to showcase rising young stars in racing. “We are happy to have Chase back and this time for a full season,” said Mike Beam, President of GMS Racing. “He will be a great addition to our powerhouse team for 2021. “Sheldon, Zane and Tyler will be great mentors for him to learn off of. I can’t wait to see how he learns and grows as a driver this coming season.”

2018 NASCAR Truck Series champion Brett Moffitt will make the move over to the NASCAR Xfinity Series for the 2021 season. Moffitt will leave GMS Racing in the process, joining Our Motorsports for the full NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule. The 28-year-old saw his 2020 season end in disappointment after a late-race caution at Phoenix derailed his race and with it, his title hopes. He ended up third in the standings. Moffitt ran most of the Xfinity schedule this year with Our Motorsports, but had declared for Truck points. Even still, he scored seven top-tens and one-top five with the team, placing as high as fifth at Talladega. Moffitt said of the move: “2020 was a learning year for Our Motorsports and the program is now ready to step up to another level. I’m thankful for the last two seasons with GMS Racing and the support Maury Gallagher, Spencer Gallagher, Ron Booth, Mike Beam and the entire team gave me.” “Brett has been instrumental in helping us build this team from scratch and be competitive,” added Our Motorsports Owner Chris Our. “We’ve challenged each other to turn Our Motorsports into a race-winning organization and we have some exciting things in the works that will help us accomplish that goal together.” Joe Williams will return as crew chief of the No. 02 car. A statement from GMS Racing read as follows: “Brett Moffitt will not be returning to GMS for the 2021 season. We can’t thank Moffitt enough for his commitment to GMS over the past two years We wish him the best of luck at Our Motorsports next year.”

Daniel Hemric will pilot the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Supra full time and compete for the Xfinity Series championship in 2021, the team announced Thursday. “It‘s been quite a roller coaster ride for me over the last few years, but I can‘t say how thankful I am for the opportunity to drive for Joe Gibbs Racing,” said Hemric in a team release. “Their reputation speaks for itself. I know they have high expectations for me, as I do as well, and I could not be more excited to chase the Xfinity Series championship with them next season.” Hemric was behind the wheel of the No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet for 21 of the series’ 33 races in 2020, compiling an average finish of 16.2 and scattering in seven top fives, 12 top 10 and a pair of runner-ups at Charlotte Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway. A season prior he earned Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors at the Cup Series level, running the full season for Richard Childress Racing in the No. 8 Chevrolet. The veteran also made back-to-back Xfinity Series Championship 4 appearances in ’17 and ’18 for RCR, with a third-place finish in the series standings coming in his career year in ’18. Sponsorship and team personnel details will be announced at a later date. Harrison Burton and Brandon Jones will also be competing for the organization in the Xfinity Series on a full-time basis in 2021.Riley Herbst, who piloted the ride in 2020, is leaving Joe Gibbs Racing to pursue other opportunities, according to the release and his Twitter account.

Due to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, NASCAR will have one condensed awards show during the off-season to recognize its championships in the Cup, Xfinity and Trucks series.The 2020 Awards Show will be broadcast on Nov. 18 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network. The Cup Series awards were originally scheduled to be held in Nashville, Tenn., for the second consecutive year. The 90-minute show will celebrate and feature appearances from the sport’s 2020 national series champions – Chase Elliott in Cup, Austin Cindric in Xfinity and Sheldon Creed in Trucks and NBC Sports’ Kelli Stavast and Marty Snider will co-host the presentation. The show will also feature an opening performance by musician Chris Stapleton with the debut of his son, “Arkansas,” from his new album Starting Over, and a tribute to seven-time NASCAR Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, who completed his final fulltime season on Sunday at Phoenix Raceway. In addition, the show will include the announcement of the Bill France Award of Excellence recipient, name the 2020 Most Popular Drivers, highlight this year’s Betty Jane Humanitarian Award finalists, honor the rookie of the year in each series as well as recognize other award winners.

NASCAR driver Josh Reaume was indefinitely suspended Tuesday and will likely have to attend sensitivity training before reinstatement. The 30-year-old, a part-time driver in the Xfinity and Truck series this season, was suspended for a recent post on one of his social media channels, deemed to be in violation of NASCAR’s behavioral policy. NASCAR said Tuesday that Truck Series driver Josh Reaume had been suspended indefinitely. NASCAR did not reveal what Reaume posted that got him suspended. It simply said that Reaume had violated a provision of the series’ rule book that prohibits “public statement and/or communication that criticizes, ridicules, or otherwise disparages another person based upon that person’s race, color, creed, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, religion, age, or handicapping condition.” Reaume, a native of Redlands, Calif., most recently competed in last Friday’s Truck series season finale at Phoenix Raceway, starting 31st and finishing 33rd. He made a pair of starts in Xfinity and 12 in Trucks this season. In his NASCAR national series career, he has one top-10 finish in 87 combined starts. He finished sixth in the 2019 Trucks season opener at Daytona. Reaume joins Mike Wallace on the list of drivers suspended for social media posts. Wallace is still indefinitely suspended from NASCAR on Sept. 10 after an offensive social media post. Wallace attempted to appeal his suspension but those appeals were denied. Kyle Larson was reinstated by NASCAR this fall after an indefinite suspension for saying the N-word during a virtual race this spring. Larson had to complete sensitivity training to apply for reinstatement. He was fired from Chip Ganassi Racing after his NASCAR suspension and will drive for Hendrick Motorsports in the Cup Series in 2021.

Sheldon Creed captured his first NASCAR Truck championship with a wild two-lap dash to win Friday night’s season finale at Phoenix Raceway. Creed and fellow title contender Zane Smith pit for tires before the final restart in overtime while Brett Moffitt then the race leader and Grant Enfinger stayed out on older tires. As the overtime began, trucks fanned out five-wide with Moffitt getting swallowed up by the field and Chandler Smith briefly grabbed the lead before Creed passed him with one lap remaining. Creed held off Zane Smith on the final lap to claim the win – his fifth of the season and his career. Creed’s championship is his first in just his second fulltime season. It’s the second Trucks title for GMS Racing. “Good truck, I was just way too loose as the race went on. When the caution came out, we decided to put tires on it and I pride myself on my restarts week-in and week-out,” Creed said. “I just nailed it right there.” “They were racing really hard. I wanted this so bad. I almost spun out on the entry to Turn 1. I don’t know how I did it – I just drove as hard as I could. I knew if I did, I’d have a shot.” “My whole family we got like 20 camping spots out here. I’m going to drink some cold beer tonight.” Chandler Smith ended up third, Christian Eckes fourth and Raphael Lessard rounded out the top five. Rounding out the top-10 were Stewart Friesen, Ben Rhodes, Tyler Ankrum, Todd Gilliland and Moffitt ended up 10th. Zane Smith dominated the first stage, leading every lap on his way to the win and holding off Creed in the process. Moffitt was third, Enfinger fourth and Matt Crafton rounded out the top-five. Enfinger started on the pole but after a four-wide move, Zane Smith powered to the front to lead the first lap. After 15 laps, Zane Smith had built up a 2-second lead over Creed, with Moffitt close behind and challenging for the position. With 15 laps remaining in the first stage, Zane Smith maintained a 1.5-second lead over Creed. Moffitt was third and Enfinger was fourth. In the second stage, Moffitt held off a determined Zane Smith over the final 10 laps to claim the Stage 2 victory. Creed finished third, Rhodes fourth and Enfinger rounded out the top-five. Following the break between Stages 1 and 2, all the lead-lap trucks pit and Creed was the first off pit road. On the restart on Lap 54, Creed was followed by Moffitt and Zane Smith. With 30 laps remaining in the stage, Moffitt was running just off the rear bumper of Creed, desperately trying a pass for the lead. Zane Smith remained in third. Moffitt, with the help of lapped traffic, got around Creed exiting Turn 2 on Lap 75 to take the lead for the first time in the race. In the final stage, on Lap 99, Moffitt was followed by Zane Smith, Creed and Enfinger. Creed got a jump on Smith on the restart to move into the second spot behind Moffitt. On Lap 105, Carson Hocevar wrecked in Turns 1 and 2 to bring out the first caution of the race for an on-track incident. A handful of trucks elected to pit and Enfinger was the only title contender to do so. On the restart on Lap 113, Moffitt was followed by Creed and Zane Smith. By Lap 119, Enfinger had raced his way back up to sixth on his new tires. He moved into fifth on Lap 120. With 25 laps to go in the race, Moffitt had moved out to a 1.6-second lead over Creed with Rhodes third, Zane Smith fourth and Enfinger fifth. Enfinger passed Zane Smith to move into fourth with 20 laps remaining. Moffitt maintained a more than 2-second lead over Creed. Enfinger got to second but with 10 laps remaining, he was more than 4 seconds behind the leader. With five laps to go, Enfinger had cut the deficit to under 3 seconds but Moffitt remained on track for the win. On Lap 148, Dawson Cram wrecked in Turn 3 to bring out the caution, sending the race into a two-lap overtime. Several trucks pit including Enfinger and Zane Smith to take new tires. To start the overtime, Moffitt led the way followed by Enfinger, Rhodes and Mayer. Creed restarted eighth and Smith, ninth.

Austin Cindric, who won his first oval race in NASCAR this season, capped a magical season with a wild win in overtime at Phoenix Raceway that also handed him the Xfinity Series championship. The 22-year-old, was leading late in the race when a caution sent the 200-lap event into a two-lap overtime. Cindric elected to pit for new tires and lined up third on the restart. Justin Allgaier, who was out of new tires, inherited the lead on the restart. Cindric quickly got around Allgaier with one lap remaining and passed Noah Gragson in Turn 3 of the final lap and held on for the victory. The win is Cindric’s sixth of the 2020 season and eighth of his career. Cindric is the son of Team Penske President Tim Cindric. “Amazing effort by this No. 22 team. Everybody back at the shop, there was a lot of work put into this car,” Cindric said. “Roger Penske, John Menard, the Menard family to be a champion in NASCAR I’m speechless, I can’t believe it. “This thing came to life on Lap 1. Talk about a driver and crew chief relationship. We were terrible in the spring race, I told (Brian Wilson) exactly what I needed and he gave it to me.” Brandon Jones ended up third in the race, Michael Annett fourth and Allgaier rounded out the top-five (and second in the championship standings). Said Allgaier: “I knew they were going to be good on tires, I was just hoping there would be some more cars between us in my rearview mirror. “We just didn’t have the speed at the end, we were just a little bit off all night. The balance was good, just a little disappointing.” Completing the top-10 were Harrison Burton, Ross Chastain, Justin Haley, Briscoe, Jeremy Clements and Riley Herbst. Briscoe, who won a series-high nine races this season, finished fourth in the series standings. He is moving to the Cup Series in 2021, driving the No. 14 Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing. “This is by far not my best race track. I was just too loose at the beginning and got looser and looser,” Briscoe said. “I’ve got to do a better job coming to this place. “Definitely frustrating to finish fourth after the year we had, but to win nine races, overall very happy.” in the first stage, Briscoe held off a last-lap challenge from Cindric to take the Stage 1 victory, his 13th stage win of the 2020 season. Allgaier was third, Gragson fourth and Chastain rounded out the top-five. Allgaier started on the pole and remained out front when a caution was displayed on Lap 3 for Jeffrey Earnhardt who hit the wall on the backstretch. On the restart on Lap 7, Allgaier was followed by Briscoe and Cindric. After cars fanned out four-wide on the restart, Briscoe powered into the lead as Cindric moved into second. NASCAR displayed a competition caution on Lap 22 to allow teams to check tire wear. Most of the lead-lap cars remained on the track. The race returned to green on Lap 27 with Briscoe still out front. On Lap 28, a four-car wreck erupted in Turn 2 which placed the race back under caution. Again, the majority of lead-lap cars remained on the track. The race returned to green on Lap 35 and Briscoe still the leader. In the second stage, On the restart on Lap 54, Tommy Joe Martins led the way as the only driver to remain on the track. Briscoe quickly moved into the lead on the restart only to see Allgaier get around him and reclaim the top spot one lap later. With 25 laps to go in the stage, Allgaier had built a nearly 1-second lead over Cindric as Gragson ran third, Briscoe fourth and Annett fifth. On Lap 75, Martins appeared to lose the engine in his No. 44 car and dropped fluid on the track which brought out a caution. Most of the lead-lap cars remained on the track and Allgaier led the way on the restart on Lap 81. Cindric went to the inside of Allgaier in Turn 3 and came away with the lead on Lap 84. With five laps remaining, Cindric maintained a small lead over Allgaier with Briscoe in third. Jones was fourth and Gragson fifth. in the final stage, On the restart on Lap 99, Jones was followed by Briscoe, Cindric and Allgaier. The final Championship 4 driver, Haley, restarted sixth.Allgaier quickly powered to the lead on the restart entering Turn 1. With 75 laps left in the race, Allgaier held on to a small lead over Cindric as Jones ran third, and Briscoe fourth. Cindric got to the inside of Allgaier off Turn 2 and moved ahead and into the lead entering Turn 3 on Lap 130. With 60 laps to go, Jones moved into the second spot as Allgaier dropped to third. With 45 laps remaining, Briscoe moved into third and Allgaier dropped to fourth. On Lap 161, Allgaier became the first of the Championship 4 contenders to make their final green-flag pit stop of the race. Haley was next on Lap 163. Both Cindric and Briscoe pit on Lap 164. Joe Graf Jr. wrecked in Turn 3 on Lap 170 to bring out a caution before green-flag stop were completed. Cindric stayed on the track and inherited the lead while Allgaier elected to pit for fresh tires. When the race restarted on Lap 178, Cindric led the way with Allgaier fifth, Briscoe sixth and Haley eighth. Chastain briefly grabbed the lead on the restart before Cindric got back around him to move into the top spot. With 10 laps remaining, Cindric had moved out to a more than 1-second lead over Allgaier as Chastain rain third, Annett fourth and Briscoe fifth. On Lap 198, Briscoe spun and wrecked in Turn 3 to bring out a caution and send the race into overtime. Cindric, who had a set of new tires left,…

Chase Elliot ran an undisputed race leading 153 out of the 312 laps at phoenix raceway as he held off Brad Keselowski who was also contending for the Championship title. Elliot led Keselowski by 2.7 seconds at the finish line. Chase Elliot is the son of former NASCAR champion, Bill Elliot. “I’m at a loss of words, this is unbelievable. We did it. I mean, we did it. That’s all I’ve got to tell you. Unreal,” Elliott said, “I just can’t say enough about our group. I feel like we took some really big strides this year, last week was a huge one. To come out of there with a win and have a shot to race for a championship is unbelievable. I don’t even know unreal.” Elliot also expressed his thoughts about the final stage which drew caution-free, he said, “Just waiting on the caution, as always. I saw Joey (Logano) was pretty loose there and felt like I needed to get to him while I could. I had been kind of tight on the long run, was afraid he’d get a little better. I just never thought this year would go like it has.” The 24-year-old has had three or more wins in three consecutive seasons and has advanced to the seasons’ playoffs every year he has been a fulltime driver in NASCAR Cup series. The Sunday’s win was his fifth in the 2020 NASCAR Cup season, the most and the 11th in his career. Elliot had a chance to compete in the Sunday’s race by winning last weekend’s race at Martinsville speedway in which he showed a great deal of talent. After Elliot crossed the finish line, seven-time NASCAR Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, who will be retiring from Fulltime NASCAR racing after this year, rode side-by-side with Elliot around the track. Johnson finished fifth which was his best finish since he completed third at Dover back in August. “I’ve learned so many lessons inside and out of the car. I’m full,” Johnsons said. “I’m ready to spend my time a little differently 38 weeks a year on the road racing Cup Series, I’m just ready for something else.” Brad Keselowski finished second in the race and also in the championship standings as Joey Logano finished third in the race and also in the championship, Denny Hamlin took the fourth spot in the race as well as in the championship as Johnson finished fifth. The other drivers who completed in the top 10 category were; Ryan Blaney, Kevin Harvick, Matt DiBenedetto, William Byron and Martin Truex Jr. In the first stage, Logano held off Hamlin to take a win for the stage as Elliot was third, Keselowski fourth and Blaney rounded out the top five. Logano started on the pole as Elliot was forced to start the race at the rear of the field after his No.9 Chevrolet failed the pre-race inspection twice. By lap 9, Elliot had gotten up to the top 20 and at lap 26 he moved up further to top 10. On lap 31 a caution was displayed by NASCAR to check tyre wear. By lap 42, Elliot was up in the fourth place as Logano maintained a nearly a second lead over Hamlin. Elliot later got to third as Keselowski took the fourth position. In stage two, Keselowski passed Elliot on the final turn of the lap and took victory for the stage, Logano was third, Hamlin fourth and Blaney rounded out the top five. On the restart on Lap 84, Logano was followed by Hamlin, Elliott and Keselowski. On Lap 106, Logano reported a vibration in his brake pedal while he was still leading the race. Elliott got around Hamlin on Lap 114 to move into the runner-up position as Logano remained out front. On Lap 120, Elliott moved past Logano off Turn 2 to take the lead for the first time in the race. Keselowski was the first of the Championship 4 to make his green-flag pit stop on Lap 128. Logano pit on Lap 137. Elliott and Hamlin followed on Lap 140. Once the cycle of stops was completed on Lap 151, Elliott moved into the lead followed by Hamlin, Aric Almirola and Keselowski. James Davison wrecked off Turn 2 on Lap 161 to bring out a caution. The lead-lap cars pit with Kurt Busch the first off pit road thanks to a two-tire pit stop. On the restart on Lap 168, Kurt Busch was followed by Elliott, Hamlin and Logano. After racing side-by-side with Kurt Busch, Elliott cleared for the lead entering Turn 3 after the restart. Keselowski got around Elliott on Lap 173 to move into the lead. With eight laps remaining in the stage, Elliott was able to get back by Keselowski to reclaim the lead. In the final stage, With only 90 laps to go in the race, Elliott maintained about a half-second lead over Logano, followed by Hamlin, Keselowski and Blaney. By Lap 225, Keselowski got around Hamlin and took over third. With 60 laps remaining, Elliott maintained almost a 1-second lead over Logano. Some teams had made their final green-flag pit stop but the title contenders stayed on the track. Logano was the first to pit among the title contenders on Lap 260. Hamlin was next. Elliott and Keselowski pit on Lap 261. Once the cycle of stops was completed on Lap 262, Logano came out the leader followed by Elliott, Hamlin and Keselowski. Elliott went to the inside of Logano off Turn 3, gave him a nudge and reclaimed the lead on Lap 270 as Hamlin remained in third, more than 3 seconds behind the leader. With 20 laps remaining, Elliott had moved out to a 2.7-second lead over Logano and appeared to be in excellent position to win his second consecutive race and first series title. Keselowski got around Logano to take the runner-up spot with 10 laps to go but he was still more than 3 seconds behind the leader.

Natalie Decker has been cleared to return to the NASCAR Truck Series after being declared fit to race, she will be set to make a return in NASCAR Truck Series at Texas Motor Speedway. Decker was set to complete the NASCAR Truck Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Friday September 25th but was withdrawn from the grid even before the race had started for medical reasons and took the last place(36th) in the race, but now she has been cleared to race after she was found to be medically fit. However, Decker will not be competing in this Friday’s Truck race at Kansas Speedway although she was not even set to be driving the No.44 Chevrolet in this event anyway. She will be making a comeback in October 25th in the Truck race that will be held at the Texas Motor Speedway and she will be concluding her 2020 Truck Season at Martinsville Speedway on Friday, October 30, in a race that was not originally on her schedule. In addition to the race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Decker also missed the race at Talladega Superspeedway the following Saturday, October 3 and was replaced by Kaz Grala, who finished in a respectable ninth place. She has not competed in a race since Thursday, September 17, when she finished in 29th at Bristol Motor Speedway. The race at Talladega Superspeedway was a race which Decker had been looking forward to as a result of her success in the season opener at Daytona International Speedway, the other superspeedway race on the schedule. She finished that race in a career-high fifth place, the best finish ever for a female driver at NASCAR’s third highest level of competition. Her previous career-best result was her 13th place finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March of 2019. Decker has competed in 11 races of the 19 races that have been contested so far this season and has recorded an average finish of 25.8 with two DNFs and two lead-lap finishes. Aside from her fifth place finish to open up the season, her best finish is her 20th place finish at the Daytona International Speedway road course in mid-August, which is also her only other lead-lap finish of the season.

Brandon Jones, who is in the round 8 of the NASCAR Xfinity playoffs, will be returning to Joe Gibbs Racing for the 2021 NASCAR Xfinity series season as the team announced in a statement on Tuesday. The 23-year-old is experiencing his best NASCAR Xfinity Series season so far. This comes as a result of his three wins in the 2020 Xfinity season so far making it four wins in his NASCAR career. This started with the Kansas win earlier this year. The series will be making a return to Kansas this weekend. “It has been a real thrill to watch Brandon’s development over the past few years with us in the Xfinity Series,” said Joe Gibbs, owner of Joe Gibbs Racing, in a statement from the team. “He is a championship contender of course and his veteran leadership has been a real asset to our overall program. We’re excited about the opportunity he has the rest of this year and that he will return next season and continue to build upon that success.” Next season will be Jones’ fourth with Joe Gibbs Racing in the Xfinity Series. “This has been a dream season so far and I couldn’t be prouder of our 19 team,” stated Brandon Jones in a statement from the team. “It’s been great to have Jeff Meendering as my crew chief for the second consecutive year and his leadership along with the consistency is exactly what this team needed. I also realize how fortunate I am to have partners like Menards and Toyota; their support means the world to me.” “This has been a phenomenal year and I couldn’t be more excited about being back at Joe Gibbs Racing next season. Right now, I remain focused on our championship run and making it to Phoenix where I won earlier this year for a shot at the Xfinity Series title.”