Posted on by Reid Spencer

On his first try, the bounty hunter got his prey.

In the closing laps of Tuesday night’s North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Chase Elliott held off a determined charge from Kyle Busch in the closing laps to earn the victory and a $100,000 bounty offered to any full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver who could beat Busch.

Not bad for a guy who hadn’t competed in a NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series race since 2017.

RELATED: Race results | Charlotte race week schedule

Busch had won each of his last seven starts in the Gander Trucks, dating to 2018, but Elliott had plenty of incentive to end that string. Driver Kevin Harvick and Marcus Lemonis, chairman and CEO of the series sponsor, each put up $50,000 for any full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver who could beat Busch in a Truck race. The money is earmarked for coronavirus relief.

It wasn’t just the money for charity. Busch had wrecked Elliott just before rain ended last Wednesday night’s Cup race at Darlington. And Elliott was denied victory in Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte when caution flew with two laps left — and Elliott leading comfortably.

“It was a lot of fun,” Elliott said of Tuesday’s win. “First off, a thanks to (sponsors) iRacing and Hooters, Chevrolet and GMS (Racing) for letting me come do this. (The truck) was really good from the get-go, for having no laps (of practice). The splitter was where it needed to be,” said Elliott.

“It made it easy for me to move forward and try to get back acclimated … It doesn’t make up for Sunday, but it was still a really good night. Glad to win and glad to do some good for the relief effort for this virus.”

RELATED: Elliott bows after victory

Busch was 11th for the final restart on Lap 109 of 134. By Lap 114, he had surged into the second position and trailed Elliott by .974 seconds. Busch got as close as .301 seconds on Lap 129, but on the following circuit, a lapped truck took Busch’s preferred inside line through the corner and broke his momentum.

When he crossed the finish line, Elliott held a .627-second lead.

“He was a little better than I was there at the end,” Elliott acknowledged. “I got tight. I don’t think we adjusted enough on that last pit stop (on Lap 89). I was a little scared. I really didn’t know exactly what I needed or what these things did as time went on.

“Luckily, the right-front (tire) stayed on it long enough to get to the end. And I think he (Busch) burned out his stuff pretty hard trying to get to me. It was a lot a fun. To be able to come out and outrun him, and him finish second — I’d much rather him finish second than wreck or something, so I feel like I did something right.”

Sunoco rookie Zane Smith, Elliott’s GMS Racing teammate, finished third in his first national-series start at Charlotte. Brett Moffitt was fourth and Sheldon Creed fifth. Four of the top five trucks were from GMS Racing. John Hunter Nemechek, also trying for the bounty, ran sixth, followed by Johnny Sauter, Ty Majeski, Austin Hill and Ben Rhodes.

Busch had to come from the rear twice, after a pair of long pit stops to adjust the height of his No. 51 Toyota. Busch said afterward that the feel was never right.

“We were out in left field the whole night, never really had a great feel for the truck, a great-driving truck, and just salvaged what I could,” Busch said.

Where Busch’s winning streak ended at seven, Elliott’s reached two. In 2017, the driver of the No. 24 GMS Chevrolet won from the pole at Martinsville in his previous Truck Series start.

Brennan Poole was the only other Cup Series regular eligible for the bounty, but he finished 38th in the 40-truck field after involvement in a pair of wrecks in the final stage.

Tuesday marked the Gander Trucks’ first race since Feb. 21 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The tour’s next race is scheduled June 6 at Atlanta Motor Speedway with the Vet Tix Camping World 200 (1 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Note: Busch’s No. 51 Toyota was found with one lug nut not safely secured in a post-race check. According to rule book guidelines, the penalty would be a fine for crew chief Danny Stockman Jr.

Contributing: Staff reports

Posted on by Data Skrive

Brett Moffitt finished sixth in the Alsco 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Monday to earn his first career top-10 finish.

Moffitt started in 22nd position. The fourth-year driver has one top-10 finish in his career.

The Grimes, Iowa native began the race seven spots behind his career mark of 14.5, but finished six places ahead of his career average of 12.4.

Moffitt’s sixth-place finish came against a field of 37 drivers. The race endured 11 cautions and 53 caution laps. There were 20 lead changes.

Kyle Busch earned the win in the race, and Daniel Hemric took second. Austin Cindric crossed the finish line third, Ross Chastain took fourth, and Justin Allgaier finished off the top five.

In addition to winning the race, Busch won both of the first two stages to complete a dominant day in Concord.

Brett Moffitt Driver Page | Get Moffitt Gear | Race Center

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Michael Annett finished seventh in the Alsco 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Monday.

The top 10 finish for Annett, his second of the year, added 30 points to his season total.

Annett started in ninth position and led nine laps in the race. The 10th-year driver has one career victory, with 14 top-five finishes and 64 results inside the top 10.

The seventh-place result for Annett was the third top 10 of his career at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 14 starts.

The Des Moines, Iowa native’s starting and finishing positions compared favorably to his career averages, starting 11 spots higher than his career mark of 19.7 and completing the race 11 places ahead of his 18.1 career average finish.

Annett’s seventh-place finish came against a field of 37 drivers. The race endured 11 cautions and 53 caution laps. Prior to the checkered flag there were 20 lead changes.

Kyle Busch earned the checkered flag in the race, and Daniel Hemric finished second. Austin Cindric placed third, Ross Chastain brought home fourth, and Justin Allgaier grabbed the No. 5 spot.

In addition to winning the race, Busch won both of the first two stages to complete a dominant day in Concord.

Michael Annett Driver Page | Get Annett Gear | Race Center

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Myatt Snider rounded out the top 10 in the Alsco 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Monday.

The top 10 finish for Snider, his first of the year, added 27 points to his season total.

Snider started in 17th position. This is the first-year driver first time inside the top 10 in his career.

The Charlotte, North Carolina native began the race six spots behind his career mark of 11.2, but finished 12 places ahead of his career average of 21.8.

Snider took on a field of 37 drivers on the way to his 10th-place finish. The race endured 11 cautions and 53 caution laps. There were 20 lead changes.

Kyle Busch earned the win in the race, and Daniel Hemric followed in second. Austin Cindric placed third, Ross Chastain took fourth, and Justin Allgaier grabbed the No. 5 spot.

In addition to winning the race, Busch won both of the first two stages to complete a dominant day in Concord.

Myatt Snider Driver Page | Get Snider Gear | Race Center

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Brandon Brown finished eighth in the Alsco 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Monday.

The top 10 finish for Brown, his second of the year, added 29 points to his season total.

Brown started in 15th position. The fifth-year driver has two top-10 finishes in his career.

The Woodbridge, Virginia native’s starting and finishing positions compared favorably to his career averages, starting nine spots higher than his career mark of 23.9 and completing the race 14 places ahead of his 22 career average finish.

Brown battled against a field of 37 drivers on the way to his eighth-place finish. The race endured 11 cautions and 53 caution laps. There were 20 lead changes.

Kyle Busch secured the victory in the race, and Daniel Hemric took second. Austin Cindric placed third, Ross Chastain secured fourth, and Justin Allgaier closed out the top five.

In addition to winning the race, Busch won both of the first two stages to complete a dominant day in Concord.

Brandon Brown Driver Page | Get Brown Gear | Race Center

Posted on by Data Skrive

Justin Allgaier finished fifth in the Alsco 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Monday.

Allgaier’s top five finish, the second time he has achieved that result this year, added 32 points to his season total.

Allgaier started in fourth position. The 11th-year driver has tallied 11 career victories, with 86 top-five finishes and 178 results inside the top 10.

The Riverton, Illinois native’s starting and finishing positions compared favorably to his career averages, starting seven spots higher than his career mark of 11.2 and completing the race eight places ahead of his 12.9 career average finish.

Allgaier’s fifth-place finish came against a field of 37 drivers. The race endured 11 cautions and 53 caution laps. There were 20 lead changes.

Kyle Busch finished first in the race, and Daniel Hemric followed in second. Austin Cindric placed third, with Ross Chastain taking fourth place. Allgaier rounded out the top five.

In addition to winning the race, Busch won both of the first two stages to complete a dominant day in Concord.

Justin Allgaier Driver Page | Get Allgaier Gear | Race Center

Posted on by Staff Report

As if the Chase Elliott and Kyle Busch situation needed more fuel, there’s a reason flames could get fanned for Tuesday night’s Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway (8 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Remember the bounty that Marcus Lemonis and Kevin Harvick offered to any full-time Cup Series driver who could beat Busch in a Truck race?

RELATED: Harvick, Lemonis offer ‘bounty’ to beat Busch

Elliott did when he launched this tweet late last week:

Elliott will drive the No. 24 GMS Racing Chevrolet in Tuesday’s North Carolina Education Lottery 200. He will line up 26th for the Gander Trucks’ first race since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Busch will line up 16th in the No. 51 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota. This will be Elliott’s first Trucks start since 2017 and Busch has won the last seven Truck races he has entered.

RELATED: Full lineup for Tuesday’s race

The Truck race comes on the heels of the drama that occurred between Elliott and Busch in the NASCAR Cup Series last week when Busch misjudged a move late in Wednesday’s Toyota 500 at Darlington Raceway that sent Elliott careening to a 38th-place finish.

Both drivers said they have mended their relationship, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see both up on their wheels just a little bit more than usual on Tuesday night should they be up front and come near each other again.

MORE: Chase Elliott: No regrets with Kyle Busch reaction

Harvick later chimed in with an adjustment to the bounty rules due to the COVID-19 outbreak:

Posted on by Reid Spencer

In NASCAR’s new normal, with a Memorial Day race in a stretch of four national events in four days, Kyle Busch returned to the old normal — winning.

But for Busch to secure his record 97th victory in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, the driver of the No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota had to make a last-lap pass of Austin Cindric, who blew past Busch during an overtime restart in Monday’s Alsco 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

RELATED: Race results | Charlotte race week schedule

Helped by a spate of cautions over the final 50 laps, Busch survived a pit-road speeding penalty and claimed his first Xfinity win of the season and his ninth at Charlotte. He won for the first time in five national series starts during a stretch of seven races in 11 days, as NASCAR has returned to action after a 10-week hiatus necessitated by the coronavirus pandemic.

After Noah Gragson’s No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet broke loose on a Lap 197 restart, igniting a five-car wreck and causing the 11th caution of the evening, Cindric passed Busch from the inside lane during the overtime restart on Lap 202 and held the top spot when the cars flashed across the start/finish line in front of the white flag.

Busch, however, pulled even on the backstretch, and cleared Cindric in Turn 3. With his momentum stalled, Cindric lost the runner-up spot to Daniel Hemric, who had come to pit road for fresh tires under caution with 21 laps left.

“Those guys put up a whale of a fight tonight on restarts,” Busch said afterward. “I was really surprised by that — I guess, I’m not very good at it anymore… Pretty cool to score a win here at Charlotte.”

Busch’s Toyota was the class of the field, but that didn’t prevent the Xfinity regulars from challenging the reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion on restart after restart.

“It was interesting, and it was crazy,” said Busch, whose paint scheme featured the livery of Appalachian State University. “Earlier in the race, Ross Chastain gave me a hell of a run on a restart, and then right there, Austin gave me a hell of a run on that restart and I thought picking the outside lane would be the sure launch, and those guys would spin their tires down there and not get going.

“It might have been the 8 (Hemric) that helped the 22 (Cindric) stay alongside of me, and he was just able to clear me in (Turns) 1 and 2. Crazy how all that turned out, but really want to say congratulations to the 2020 class at Appalachian State. I know this year is a little different for your graduation and getting your diploma, but still there is a lot ahead of you, and use that as determination to get better like we did every single restart.”

Busch led eight times for a race-high 94 laps. Ross Chastain led 68 laps and Cindric 30.

A road-course ace, Cindric scored his two Xfinity wins back-to-back last year at Watkins Glen and Mid-Ohio, but he’s still looking for victory on an oval.

“It just didn’t work out for us,” Cindric said. “I was on older tires, and everyone else on older tires ended up crashing. It’s hard to beat the best in the business on older tires. I got a great push from Daniel (on the final restart). I’m shocked the restart zone went as well as it did. That was a big struggle for me all night. I knew I was going to have to defend in (Turns) 3 and 4 and took the top in (Turns) 1 and 2.

“He just had way more grip than I did. The heat cycles were killer. I never lifted driving into (Turn) 3 on the final lap. I just gave up second but didn’t really care at that point. I just wanted to win the race. Overall, it was a great night, and I’m really proud of my team. I came here with something that we have never come to the race track with. We had to work on it all night. It shows the strength of the team and I’m really proud of the effort.”

Still seeking his first Xfinity win, Hemric collected his sixth second-place finish in the series.

Behind Busch, Hemric and Cindric, Chastain, the pole-sitter, ran fourth and Justin Allgaier fifth. Brett Moffitt, Michael Annett, Brandon Brown, Sunoco rookie Harrison Burton and Myatt Snider completed the top 10. Gragson in 11th was the last driver on the lead lap.

Chase Briscoe maintained his status as the Xfinity Series’ points leader. He fought to stay in contention after a pair of pit-road penalties — one for an uncontrolled tire, one for speeding — but scrubbed the wall twice in the final stage and finished 20th.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series’ next race is scheduled Monday (7 p.m. ET, FS1, PRN, SiriusXM) at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Contributing: Staff reports

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR penalized the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing team after a tungsten weight came loose from the vehicle before the start of Sunday night’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

As a result of the safety violation, which is detailed in section 12.5.2.7.4.d of the NASCAR rule book, crew chief Chris Gabehart, car chief Brandon Griffeth and engineer Scott Simmons will miss the next four Cup Series points races through June 10.

It was announced Tuesday that Samuel Mcaulay will serve as the interim crew chief for the No. 11 team until Gabehart’s return.

RELATED: Denny Hamlin has early trouble in Coca-Cola 600

Denny Hamlin was scheduled to start 13th in the Coca-Cola 600 when the incident happened, forcing him to come down pit road just before the green flag. Hamlin, who has won two races this season including the Daytona 500, finished 29th on Sunday at Charlotte.