Posted on by Staff Report

Jimmie Johnson maneuvered into the final spot in the provisional NASCAR Playoffs standings Saturday, leapfrogging Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron at Dover International Speedway.

RELATED: Official race results | Weekend schedule

Johnson entered Saturday’s Drydene 311 facing a 25-point deficit to Byron but claimed a seventh-place finish in the No. 48 Chevrolet that helped erase that gap. Johnson also added seven points to his total with top-10 results at each stage break. The swing gave Johnson a three-point edge with two races left in the regular season.

Meanwhile, Byron struggled with an ill-handling No. 24 Chevy, eventually wrapping his day in a lackluster 28th place, three laps off the pace.

Johnson’s comeback in the series standings comes at a familiar haunt, the 1-mile Dover track that has produced 11 of his 83 career victories. He also gets another crack at gaining ground Sunday in the back end of the Cup Series weekend doubleheader (4 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The regular season ends Aug. 29 at Daytona International Speedway.

“Solid day for this Ally Chevy team. We have some work to do but we will go to work tonight and get it right,” Johnson said. “Everyone did a great job, we have something to build on tonight and we will come back tomorrow and have something left for them. Bittersweet day tomorrow for me – my final Dover race.”

Byron and No. 24 crew chief Chad Knaus will aim to regroup. Knaus was atop the pit box for all 11 of Johnson’s “Monster Mile” victories, including his most recent Cup Series win — June 4, 2017, a span of 118 starts ago.

Erik Jones, the Hendrick pair’s closest challenger in the standings, sits 22 points off the cutline after a 12th-place finish Saturday in the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

Posted on by Staff Report

The starting lineup is set for Sunday’s Drydene 311 at Dover International Speedway (4 p.m. ET, NBCSN, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The top-20 finishers from Saturday’s race at Dover were inverted for Sunday, with the rest of Sunday’s lineup based off NASCAR’s new metric formula.

Matt DiBenedetto in the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford Mustang will start from the pole position with Ryan Newman in the No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford Mustang also on the front row.

RELATED: Dover schedule

NASCAR’s new metric formula weighs finishing position from the previous race (weighted 50%), ranking in team owner points (35%) and the fastest lap from the previous race (15%).

See the full lineup for Sunday’s race below.

Starting spot Driver Car # Team
1 Matt DiBenedetto 21 Wood Brothers Racing
2 Ryan Newman 6 Roush Fenway Racing
3 Ty Dillon 13 Germain Racing
4 Aric Almirola 10 Stewart-Haas Racing
5 Chris Buescher 17 Roush Fenway Racing
6 Austin Dillon 3 Richard Childress Racing
7 Ryan Blaney 12 Team Penske
8 Tyler Reddick 8 Richard Childress Racing
9 Erik Jones 20 Joe Gibbs Racing
10 Cole Custer 41 Stewart-Haas Racing
11 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing
12 Brad Keselowski 2 Team Penske
13 Joey Logano 22 Team Penske
14 Jimmie Johnson 48 Hendrick Motorsports
15 Clint Bowyer 14 Stewart-Haas Racing
16 Chase Elliott 9 Hendrick Motorsports
17 Kevin Harvick 4 Stewart-Haas Racing
18 Kyle Busch 18 Joe Gibbs Racing
19 Martin Truex Jr. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing
20 Denny Hamlin 11 Joe Gibbs Racing
21 Alex Bowman 88 Hendrick Motorsports
22 Matt Kenseth 42 Chip Ganassi Racing
23 William Byron 24 Hendrick Motorsports
24 Christopher Bell 95 Leavine Family Racing
25 Michael McDowell 34 Front Row Motorsports
26 Bubba Wallace 43 Richard Petty Motorsports
27 John Hunter Nemechek 38 Front Row Motorsports
28 Kurt Busch 1 Chip Ganassi Racing
29 Ryan Preece 37 JTG Daugherty Racing
30 Corey LaJoie 32 Go Fas Racing
31 Daniel Suarez 96 Gaunt Brothers Racing
32 JJ Yeley 27 Rick Ware Racing
33 Josh Bilicki 53 Rick Ware Racing
34 Brennan Poole 15 Premium Motorsports
35 Quin Houff 00 StarCom Racing
36 Timmy Hill 66 Motorsports Business Management
37 Reed Sorenson 77 Spire Motorsports
38 Joey Gase 51 Petty Ware Racing
39 Garrett Smithley 7 Tommy Baldwin Racing
40 BJ McLeod 78 BJ McLeod Motorsports

 

Posted on by Reid Spencer

Working traffic adroitly over the final run on Saturday, Denny Hamlin cruised to victory in the Drydene 311 at Dover International Speedway after passing Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Martin Truex Jr. for the lead with eight laps left.

At a track he considers one of his worst, based on past performance, Hamlin made up for a poor restart on Lap 193 of 311, gradually running down Truex, who was stuck behind the lapped car of Aric Almirola during the closing run.

RELATED: Official race results | Weekend schedule
STORE: Browse Denny Hamlin gear

“I’ve been running down the leaders the past few weeks, but I haven’t been able to get there,” said Hamlin, who won for the sixth time this season, tying Kevin Harvick for the NASCAR Cup Series lead. “We didn’t control that restart there, and we just had to battle back.

“We had to go back and get it, and I was able to work the top line there a little bit to get some momentum. Our car was just a little bit better at moving around, different lines.”

The victory in the first leg of a Saturday/Sunday Cup doubleheader was Hamlin’s first in 29 starts at the Monster Mile and the 43rd of his career, 19th most all-time and one win behind NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott.

“This Camry was really fast today,” Hamlin acknowledged. “It was unbelievable how good it was. The pit crew did an amazing job. … We just have unbelievable cars right now. It just seems like we’re coming to the race track prepared.

“I’m putting the work in, and we’re getting results because of it. … I can’t complain about anything right now. It just seems like we’ve got things going. You know, I’ve got faith. When it comes down to it on that last run, when (crew chief Chris Gabehart) says, ‘Go get it,’ I just go get it.”

Hamlin won the first and second stages, but Truex took the lead off pit road on Lap 188 under caution for the second stage break. After a cycle of green-flag pit stops that started on Lap 252, Truex regained the top spot on Lap 280 and held it until Hamlin passed him on Lap 303.

The driver of the No. 19 Toyota caught Almirola during the closing 119-lap green-flag run but couldn’t pass him. Truex grew frustrated as he chased Almirola’s No. 10 Ford.

“I think if the 10 car just wasn’t pinning it on the bottom in front of me, I’d have been fine,” said Truex, who finished 1.179 seconds behind Hamlin and notched the runner-up result after running third in the previous five Cup races. “Every time I tried to move up and get some air on my car, he’d just slide up in front of me like an idiot. He’s the reason we lost the lead, but in the end, we weren’t good enough.

“I thought the 11 (Hamlin) was better than us all day long. We got the lead there in the pits and were able to use clean air to our advantage. I was never happy with the car all day long. The balance was all over the place. It was firing off tight and getting really loose on long runs. At the end, there was nothing I could do. I was just out of control sideways.”

Kyle Busch ran third, as Joe Gibbs Racing swept the podium positions. Kevin Harvick was fourth and pole-sitter Chase Elliott fifth. Clint Bowyer, Jimmie Johnson, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. completed the top 10.

With a problem-free race at arguably his best track, Johnson, an 11-time Dover winner, vaulted past Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron into the final Playoff-eligible position. With the series returning to Dover for a 4 p.m. start on Sunday, Johnson has a three-point edge over Byron for the final provisional berth in the postseason.

MORE: Johnson slips by Byron in playoff picture

Byron fought an ill-handling car, fell of the lead lap midway through the second stage and finished 28th, dropping a net 28 points to his seven-time champion teammate.

The Cup Series’ next race, also called the Drydene 311, is scheduled Sunday (4 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) right back at Dover.

Notes: Post-race inspection yielded no major issues in the Cup Series garage. Two cars were found with one unsecured lug nut each — the No. 11 Toyota of race winner Hamlin and the No. 3 Chevrolet of Austin Dillon. … Dillon finished one lap down in 15th place in his return after a one-race absence because of a positive COVID-19 test. … Stenhouse’s top-10 finish was his first since a runner-up effort June 22 at Talladega Superspeedway.

Contributing: Staff reports

Posted on by Reid Spencer

After winning Saturday’s Drydene 200 at Dover International Speedway, Justin Allgaier offered an unexpected thank-you to AJ Allmendinger.

A week earlier at the Daytona Road Course, Allmendinger wheel-hopped into Allgaier’s No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet and knocked him out of a top-five finish. Allgaier expressed his displeasure after the race and ignited a firestorm on social media from those who thought Allmendinger’s miscue was purely accidental.

RELATED: Official race results

The criticism lit a bonfire of determination in Allgaier, who turned a star-crossed season around with his first NASCAR Xfinity Series victory of the year, his second at Dover and the 12th of his career.

“This is the power of social media,” Allgaier declared after climbing from his car on the frontstretch. “I got blasted all week last week. So I guess I can thank AJ for giving me the drive and determination and all the haters on social media, ’cause that’s definitely what’s given me some fire, and we’re firing at the right time.”

Allgaier led 120 of the 200 laps at the high-banked concrete Monster Mile and finished 1.977 seconds ahead of runner-up Austin Cindric, who had won five of the previous six Xfinity Series races and finished second in the other.

Allgaier’s pit crew (Alex Bowman’s No. 88 NASCAR Cup Series crew) got the No. 7 Chevrolet off pit road ahead of Cindric on the final two pit stops under caution, and given the importance of track position at Dover, that proved decisive. Given Allgaier’s ill fortune throughout the season — the incident with Allmendinger was just the most recent in a litany of misfortune — Saturday’s triumph was a welcome relief.

The Drydene 200 was the first leg of a weekend Xfinity Series doubleheader. The NASCAR Cup Series also will race Saturday and Sunday at Dover.

“These last 18 to 24 months have been crazy,” Allgaier said. “I’m just proud of these guys and the no-give-up attitude they’ve got. This team is incredible. What a day. What a race car. We were off a little bit in the beginning, and (crew chief) Jason (Burdett) did a great job of getting us where we needed to be at.

“The slicker this place got and the more rubbered-in it got, the better we were. So the Cup race today, I’m going to be watching that intently and see what happens. Then, obviously, tomorrow we come back, and we’ve got to see what adjustments we can make. I still think we can be better.”

From the seat of his No. 22 Team Penske Ford, Cindric could see how hungry for a victory Allgaier was.

“I had a great battle with Justin,” Cindric said. “Obviously, he wanted it really bad, and it wasn’t going to be an easy pass. Hopefully, we can take it to him tomorrow.

“He drove the wheels off that thing. I don’t know if you guys were watching my on-board camera much, but he was sideways from the beginning of the run to the end of the run. It was pretty amazing, so props to him and those guys, and we’ll try to do better tomorrow.”

Ross Chastain came home third, followed by Noah Gragson and Sunoco rookie Harrison Burton. Riley Herbst, Jeb Burton, Justin Haley, Michael Annett and Chase Briscoe followed, as all four JR Motorsports cars finished in the top 10.

While running fourth and trying to pass Cindric from the bottom lane, Briscoe spun into the inside wall on Lap 77, damaging the front suspension of his No. 98 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford. Though Briscoe recovered to run 10th and hold second place in the series standings, he dropped 72 points behind Cindric in the race for the regular-season championship and the accompanying bonus of 15 Playoff points.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series returns to Dover in less than 24 hours for the second portion of its doubleheader — the Drydene 200 (1 p.m. ET on NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Note: There were no major issues in post-race inspection in the Xfinity Series garage. Two cars were found with one unsecured lug nut each — the No. 22 Ford of Cindric and the No. 44 Chevrolet of 21st-place finisher Tommy Joe Martins.

Contributing: Staff reports

Posted on by Reid Spencer

Zane Smith survived a restart with three laps left in Friday’s KDI Office Technology 200 at Dover International Speedway and pulled away to claim his second NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series victory of the season.

The 21-year-old Sunoco rookie held off Matt Crafton and GMS Racing teammate Brett Moffitt in the final three-lap dash to earn his second victory in three races and reinforce his status as a formidable contender for the series championship.

RELATED: Official results

Smith held a comfortable lead of more than 1.5 seconds over Moffitt when Stewart Friesen spun in Turn 2 on Lap 192 to cause the fifth and final caution. Moffitt chose the bottom lane for the final restart and lost second place to Crafton on the next-to-last lap.

Smith crossed the finish line .989 seconds ahead of Crafton, with Moffitt trailing in third.

“What an awesome truck,” Smith said. “I think we all know that I suck at restarts, but I picked a good time to have a good one. Man, two wins. This is by far the most fun I’ve ever had racing in my career. I’m just so blessed to be here.”

Smith also won the second leg of the Triple Truck Challenge, earning a $50,000 bonus.

“Hopefully, I can pay off my Chevy Silverado,” Smith said.

Sheldon Creed, one of Smith’s GMS Racing teammates, won the first Triple Truck Challenge race last weekend at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course.

On the penultimate restart on Lap 98, after the second stage break, Smith led the field to green but spun his tires and lost three positions. Moffitt was hoping for a similar result when he chose the bottom lane for the final restart.

“The restart before, the 21 (Smith) got a terrible launch on the outside and lost a few positions, but, ultimately, I didn’t get a good launch there on the bottom, and the 21 did,” said Moffitt, the 2018 series champion. “He went a little earlier than I thought he would. Frustrating … I don’t know — we’ve got to get better.”

The race produced little change on either side of the Gander Truck Series playoff bubble, with 10th-place Todd Gilliland doubling his advantage over 11th-place Derek Kraus to four points. Ten drivers qualify for the postseason. There are three races left before the playoff opener Sept. 17 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

“We’re right on the bubble and we need to have these good days, but the guys around us are stepping up, too,” said Gilliland, who finished fourth to Kraus’ 10th Friday. “So we’ve just got to maximize every day.”

ThorSport Racing teammates Ben Rhodes and Johnny Sauter ran fifth and sixth, respectively, followed by Tyler Ankrum, Austin Hill, Friesen and Kraus. Smith and Moffitt each led 50 of the 200 laps. Kyle Busch Motorsports teammates Christian Eckes and Chandler Smith were out front for 34 and 31 laps, respectively.

Chandler Smith spun while racing in close quarters with Eckes on Lap 88 and finished 20th. Eckes came home 11th.

Posted on by Chase Wilhelm

Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jimmie Johnson and William Byron find themselves in a precarious playoff bubble situation.

Byron currently holds the final postseason position, 25 points ahead of Johnson on the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs cutline. For the 22-year-old, the intense battle with Johnson, who’s racing in his final full-time season, is less than ideal, to say the least.

RELATED: Breaking down the playoff bubble

“Yeah, it’s odd,” said Byron. “You’d like to be in a different position than that, but that’s ultimately what’s happened and the position that we’re in. … It’s tough. I’m the biggest Jimmie (Johnson) fan I feel like out there. I hope that we both can make it somehow. I know this is his best race track coming up, so we’re definitely keeping an eye on that.”

Johnson echoed the same sentiment.

“Yeah, it is odd. It’s unfortunate, as well,” Johnson said. “But it’s the situation that we’re in. With Chad (Knaus) on the box there, you just think of the layers of how it’s odd and we’re all fighting for that last spot in the playoffs.”

With three races left in the regular season, two of those events come in this weekend’s doubleheader at Dover International Speedway, beginning with Saturday’s Drydene 311 (4 p.m. ET on NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The 26-race regular season concludes Aug. 29 at Daytona International Speedway.

Johnson is an 11-time race winner at the 1-mile Delaware track, while Byron has one top-10 finish (eighth, spring of 2019) in four career starts.

The seven-time champion earned those record-breaking Dover wins with Knaus at the helm for the No. 48 team. Now, Knaus is working his second season as crew chief for the No. 24 team of Byron. Johnson hasn’t won since Knaus left, and Byron has yet to win with the championship-winning crew chief.

“The one caveat to that is the driver I’m focused on has Chad Knaus on the box, and he’s (Byron) a student, friend, somebody I’ve mentored and kind of taught how to drive good there and be competitive there,” Johnson said. “So, it is a very unique situation to be in and I wish it wasn’t a Hendrick teammate that I was fighting for that last spot with.”

Byron has the possibility to alleviate some of that pressure by moving his way up the points standings, currently 23 points behind 15th-place driver Matt DiBenedetto, noting he feels like he still has time to make up a little bit of ground from the hole they’ve created for themselves throughout the season.

But unless both Johnson and Byron can manage to break into Victory Lane – a task that would require Johnson to snap a 117-race winless streak and Byron to earn his first career Cup Series triumph – it’s growing more likely that the postseason might not have enough room for both unless disaster strikes for drivers in front of them.

“(Byron has) really increased his game at Dover, so I don’t think it’s going to be easy to get points on him or especially a lot of points on him,” Johnson said. “For all of us out there, Dover is a track where you can get caught up in stuff and have a lot of cars affected. And then we roll onto Daytona after that, which who knows how to even approach that.

“I think the first race – being smart, just kind of see how things unfold, see where things lay out – will get me a better mindset on how I need to race on Sunday.”

Posted on by PJ Walsh

The Action Network specializes in providing sports betting insights/analytics and is a content partner with NASCAR. Check out more NASCAR betting analysis here.

The NASCAR Cup Series is back with another doubleheader, this time at Dover International Speedway, a highly-banked, one-mile concrete oval.

Cars will revert to the higher-horsepower, lower-downforce package that is more similar to what was run from 2017-18 at Dover than last season’s high-downforce setup.

With this in mind, I’m looking at results prior to 2019 in order to nail down my Drydene 311 (4 p.m. ET, NBCSN) bets, including this plus-money prop below.

Be sure to follow me on Twitter (@PJWalsh24) for any additional bets I make for the weekend races at Dover.

NASCAR at Dover Odds, Prop Bet Picks

Note: Odds as of Friday at 7:30 a.m. ET.

Clint Bowyer (+130) for a Top-10 Finish

From 2017-18, Bowyer had the fifth-best driver rating and the seventh-most fast laps run over the four races at Dover, showing he was clearly among the top-10 performers in those events.

And while it’s not the perfect comp to Dover, Bowyer finished second at Bristol in May, another highly-banked concrete oval that runs the high-horsepower, low-downforce package.

In addition, Clint will roll off fourth on Saturday, which is huge at a race track where track position is so key.

And remember, because of the doubleheader, each of this weekend’s races will be just 311 miles compared to the traditional race length of 400 miles. Short races make track position even more important, and Bowyer’s top-five starting position makes him a solid bet to finish in the top 10.

[Bet now at DraftKings and get a $1,000 sign-up bonus.]

Posted on by Staff Report

Corey LaJoie said Friday that he will not return to the Go Fas Racing No. 32 team in the NASCAR Cup Series next season.

In a Friday tweet, LaJoie said: “I’m sure most of you have seen the silly season news regarding the mutual decision for me to part ways with Go Fas Racing after this season. My partners and I are in discussions with several other opportunities to continue improving competitively in the Cup Series. Go Fas has been a significant part of my growth. Together, over the last two years of competing, we’ve achieved career-best finishes for both myself and the team. I’ve enjoyed working with all the guys and made lifelong friendships. Archie (St. Hilaire) runs a great team. I wish them all the best next season.”

RELATED: Key figures in Silly Season

The 2020 season was LaJoie’s second with Go Fas, after spending a year each with BK Racing and TriStar Motorsports. He has three top 10s in 59 starts with Go Fas coming into this weekend’s doubleheader at Dover, with a best finish of eighth this year in the Daytona 500. The 28-year-old driver also is the co-host of MRN’s “Sunday Money,” a podcast where he talks about the world of racing and his life.

Though LaJoie has made “stacking pennies” a personal mantra for overachieving in Go Fas equipment, he has made public his aspirations for a more competitive ride in 2021. At the NASCAR Hall of Fame induction night on Jan. 31, LaJoie delivered a handwritten letter to team owner Rick Hendrick expressing his interest in driving for him.

RELATED: LaJoie among potential candidates to watch for No. 48

LaJoie’s pending departure from the No. 32 Ford opens another vacancy in the Cup Series garage for next year. Go Fas Racing was created by the merger of Go Green Racing and FAS Lane Racing ahead of the 2014 season. The organization acquired a charter for 2018 — its second and final season with Matt DiBenedetto, LaJoie’s predecessor.

LaJoie, who ranks 29th in Cup Series standings, is the son of two-time Xfinity Series champion Randy LaJoie.

Posted on by Press Release

Largest US sanctioning body for motorsports racing to offer content to fans in collaboration with Motorsport Studios

Miami, 19 August 2020: National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (“NASCAR”) has launched a dedicated channel on Motorsport.tv, Motorsport Network’s digital OTT platform devoted to racing and automotive content.

The NASCAR® channel will bring fans rich content from behind the scenes of some of the world’s most exciting and fan-friendly racing series.

The NASCAR® channel will be available to Motorsport Network’s 56 million-strong monthly audience of global racing and automotive fans, with the ambition being to bring this audience inside the heart of some of the most successful series in motorsport.

Motorsport.tv is part of Motorsport Studios, a global content production and distribution group that leverages the Motorsport Network’s extensive image and video assets to help brands and stakeholders tell their stories in motorsport.

Motorsport Network and NASCAR already have a strong partnership story; Motorsport Games has a multi-year license to create the NASCAR Heat video game franchise and manage the eNASCAR Heat Pro League (eNHPL) eSports series. This year’s release, NASCAR Heat 5, has delivered a year-on-year increase in revenue of over 18% and an increase in unit sales of over 14%. Meanwhile, the second season of the eNHPL has enjoyed a 300% increase in viewership, attracting 3.7 million views over the course of the regular season. Motorsport Network racing channels play a significant part in covering the eSports series and other NASCAR national series for global audiences in 15 languages, with a crack team of journalists and photographers.

The agreement with the Motorsport Network means that NASCAR will be able to access Motorsport.tv’s global distribution, increasing international exposure for its national series and its partner brands.

The collaboration between Motorsport Network and NASCAR brings together two respective industry leaders: of motorsport audience reach and distribution, and of motorsport social media and fan engagement, making it a strong partnership in the motorsport digital space.

Joining forces with Motorsport Network offers NASCAR another opportunity to activate and distribute to a large motorsport audience as well as expand the reach of its shoulder content.

Wyatt Hicks, managing director of NASCAR Digital Media, said: “NASCAR is a truly worldwide brand, and now, courtesy of Motorsports Network, NASCAR fans located internationally will have access to more content than ever before from their favorite sport. Motorsports Network, through its global distribution platform, is the perfect partner to help us serve our fans around the globe and deliver them the type of content that they crave.

Eric Gilbert, Motorsport.tv President said: “As Motorsport.tv is growing at an unprecedented pace and expanding the User Generated Content model, I’m thrilled to see one of the most iconic racing series in the world join prestige automotive brands and influential content creators our platform. Helping a rights holder of this magnitude reach global audiences via their own official channel will add value not only to our distribution model but also to the viewer experience.”

Posted on by Staff Report

Austin Dillon has been medically cleared to resume all racing activities ahead of this weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series doubleheader at Dover International Speedway, Richard Childress Racing officials announced Thursday. A NASCAR spokesperson also confirmed Dillon has been cleared to return to the track.

Dillon missed last Sunday’s race at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course after revealing a positive test for COVID-19. Kaz Grala, a part-time Xfinity Series driver, substituted for Dillon and drove the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet to a seventh-place finish in Sunday’s Go Bowling 235.

RELATED: Full schedule for Dover | Lineup for Saturday’s race

Dillon was required to receive two negative COVID-19 test results taken at least 24 hours as a condition for his return. He was also required to have written clearance to resume racing activity from his personal physician.

A team statement reads: “Richard Childress Racing’s NASCAR Cup Series driver Austin Dillon will return to competition for this weekend’s doubleheader at Dover International Speedway. Dillon, who originally tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday morning, August 15 and missed the NASCAR Cup Series race at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course, has worked with NASCAR, his primary care physician and RCR’s health partners at Wake-Forest Baptist Health, and has had two negative COVID-19 test results at least 24 hours apart. We commend NASCAR for their efforts in providing a safe environment for all fans and competitors, thank everyone in the industry for their well wishes and enthusiastically welcome Austin Dillon back to competition.”

His absence last weekend dropped Dillon one position to 18th in the NASCAR Cup Series standings, just behind his RCR teammate, rookie Tyler Reddick. Dillon is qualified for the NASCAR Playoffs on the basis of his July 19 victory at Texas Motor Speedway. Competition officials granted him a medical exemption to retain his playoff eligibility, easing the requirement that he compete in every points-paying event.

Dillon is in his seventh full-time season in the NASCAR Cup Series. He has qualified for the postseason field in four of the last five years.