Posted on by Chase Wilhelm

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series playoff drivers are set to do battle in the opening race of the postseason — Sunday’s Chevrolet Silverado 250 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (2:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

But before the eight drivers take to the 2.549-mile track north of the border, NASCAR.com asked them to grade their regular-season performances.

Although making the playoffs deserves an A-plus grade in itself, drivers were much harder on themselves as the grades ranged from a solid “A” to a “D-minus” assessment.

See regular-season champion Johnny Sauter and other playoff contenders Brett Moffitt, Noah Gragson, Ben Rhodes, Stewart Friesen, Grant Enfinger, Justin Haley and Matt Crafton fill out their report cards in the video above.

Posted on by Staff Report

The entire field participated in the second NASCAR Xfinity practice on Friday at Road America after wet weather conditions kept most drivers in the garage during the earlier practice at the Wisconsin track.

Justin Marks paced final practice with a 132.960 mph best lap around the 4.048-mile track. In just his second Xfinity Series appearance in 2018, Marks will look to improve upon his 22nd-place finish at Mid-Ohio earlier this month.

Road racing specialist James Davison laid down a 133.477 mph lap to finish second with Austin Cindric (133.515), Justin Allgaier (133.610) and Matt Tifft (133.838) rounding out the top five in final prep for Saturday’s Johnsonville 180 (3 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM). Allgaier briefly spun out in Turn 5 late in practice, but was able to recover without any reported damage.

RELATED: Practice 2 results

Tyler Reddick and British IMSA racer Katherine Legge collided out of Turn 4. According to JR Motorsports’ Twitter, the No. 9 reported he lost his brakes. There was no flag as both cars were able to drive off from the incident on their own with minor damage.

Legge spoke to NBC Sports while the No. 15 team worked on the damaged vehicle.

“I don’t know what he was thinking, if he was thinking” Legge said with a smile. “… He (Reddick) and I will be having words. Is he one of the good guys? I don’t know this.”

RELATED: Legge’s full interview

Practice was halted briefly just 13 minutes in after reigning Road America winner Jeremy Clements struggled coming out of Turn 5 and forced a red flag. The No. 51 Chevrolet looked to have had a flat tire and was towed off the track. He returned to the track with just minutes left in practice.

Ty Majeski made a big save late in practice after losing control of the No. 60 Ford in the kink. A red flag was thrown as piles of dirt had been thrown onto the track. It was his second spin of the day.

“Definitely feel lucky,” Majeski told NBC Sports.

All eyes were on NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott as he made 15 laps around Road America in the No. 23 GMS Racing Chevrolet. The 62-year-old driver was 26th-fastest after a 137.751 mph best lap.

Reddick shows the way in quiet, damp opening practice

Only two drivers went on track in opening NASCAR Xfinity practice on Friday at Road America thanks to wet weather conditions in Wisconsin. Most drivers decided to stay parked in the garage area in hopes conditions would be drier for final practice.

Tyler Reddick was the first driver to take the 4.048-mile road course during the 50-minute session, and he went off the track in Turn 12 and slid his car in the sand pit. Reddick told NBC Sports that the No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet sustained splitter damage.

RELATED: Practice 1 results

IndyCar’s Conor Daly, who is making his Xfinity debut in the No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford, also got out on track for his first experience in practice conditions driving a NASCAR stock car.

Hall of Famer Bill Elliott did not go out on track, but was present as he prepared to return to the Xfinity Series in the No. 23 GMS Racing Chevrolet.

Posted on by Track Release

If the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL™ gets wet during the Bank of America ROVAL™ 400, the action on the track is sure to get wild. Goodyear will make wet weather tires available for the first road course race weekend in the history of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, a move designed to keep cars on track in the event of inclement weather at America’s Home for Racing.

The 17-turn, 2.28-mile ROVAL™ road course oval configuration features high-speed corners around the oval and low-speed, twisting, left and right turns in the course’s infield portion. Drivers will have to adjust braking points to account for differing levels of grip if the track surface is wet.

“Having wet weather tires at teams’ disposal is a great thing for the drivers and the fans as well,” said Charlotte Motor Speedway Executive Vice President Greg Walter. “The ROVAL™ is a challenge unto itself, but giving teams the opportunity to use tires designed for a wet surface adds even more unpredictability to the race. Rain or shine, I can’t wait to see how it unfolds.”

Wet weather tires — which have become a common option at road courses in recent years — were last used in the NASCAR Xfinity Series event at Watkins Glen International on Aug. 4. Unlike the standard dry tires, wet weather tires have tread pattern designed to redirect moisture and provide grip in challenging conditions.

A Goodyear Racing representative said that the wet-weather tires that will be available at Charlotte Motor Speedway are the standard rubber used at all road courses for NASCAR’s three national series. The Xfinity Series’ Drive for the Cure 200 presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina is scheduled Sept. 29 (3 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM) with the Monster Energy Series’ main event scheduled Sept. 30 (2 p.m. ET, NBC, PRN, SiriusXM).

As part of Speedway Motorsports’ new weather policy, if a NASCAR race is postponed to a different day due to weather and the ticket holder is unable to attend on the rescheduled date, a ticket credit can be issued toward a qualifying NASCAR race at any Speedway Motorsports venue. This initiative is valid for Atlanta Motor Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Kentucky Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Sonoma Raceway and Texas Motor Speedway.

Fans with an unused, eligible ticket will have 60 days from the original race date to request a ticket credit on a qualifying future event. The credit must be used toward another Speedway Motorsports NASCAR event within one calendar year of the original race date or the same event the following year, even if it takes place beyond the one-year mark.

Contributing: NASCAR.com staff reports

Posted on by Zack Albert

Cincinnati Reds infielder Scooter Gennett has made his fandom of NASCAR icon Dale Earnhardt well known on the field. This weekend, he’ll take it to another level.

Gennett and other Major League Baseball players will participate in Players’ Weekend this Friday through Sunday, making avant-garde uniform choices to put their personalities and passions on full display.

Gennett switched his jersey to No. 3 this season in an homage to The Intimidator, and his bat handles are identified by a decal bearing Earnhardt’s legendary car number. This weekend, Gennett’s gear will pay further tribute to the NASCAR Hall of Famer with black No. 3 Goodwrench cleats, a checkered-flag motif on his bat, and “Dal3” on the back of his jersey.

“It’s my favorite number,” Gennett told MLB.com during spring training this year. “I was a big Dale Earnhardt fan when I was younger. Still am.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. gave his approval of the jersey change shortly after Opening Day.

Cincinnati Reds player Scooter Gennett honors Dale Earnhardt with his checkered-flag bat, Dal3 uniform name and black Goodyear cleats
Scooter Gennett
Posted on by George Winkler

We can’t blame you if you did a double-take when news broke that Bill Elliott was making a comeback in the NASCAR Xfinity Series this weekend at Road America in the Johnsonville 180 (3 p.m., Saturday on NBCSN). For some, it must have felt a little bit like the start of a good April Fools’ Day joke.

But trust us, it’s really happening.

Elliott is on the entry list as the driver of the No. 23 GMS Racing Chevrolet this weekend, which will be the Hall of Famer’s first Xfinity race in more than a decade.

But if for some reason you still can’t believe it, then check out some of the tweets, which have ranged from humorous to heartfelt, coming in from the track in Wisconsin:

Posted on by Staff Report

Darlington Raceway celebrates its annual Throwback Weekend next week, when one of the most iconic tracks on the NASCAR circuit serves as a host for the industry to honor its past in creative paint schemes and promotions.

We’re kicking off the Darlington celebration today by posting six classic races from 1958-78 to our YouTube channel. And we’re remastering them and uploading in 4K.

The heroes of yesterday have never looked better on your screen. Here is the playlist.

RELATED: Visit our YouTube page

Check out all six races and watch as NASCAR Hall of Famer Fireball Roberts claims his first Southern 500 victory in 1958; as David Pearson and Cale Yarborough swap victories in the two 1968 races … and then again in 1973; and as the high speeds (and difficult driving) at the egg-shaped oval leads to plenty of scrapes, wrecks and highlight moments.

Some things never change.

Get a sneak peek below:

Posted on by Zack Albert

There’s a twofold goal in mind this weekend for Justin Allgaier. The shorter-term aim is to score his first victory at Road America, the sprawling Wisconsin road course that hosts Saturday’s Johnsonville 180 (3 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM).

The longer-term focus for Allgaier and the JR Motorsports No. 7 team is to keep their momentum in the close contest for the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ regular-season championship.

RELATED: Weekend schedule | XFINITY Series standings

Allgaier enters Saturday’s 45-lap event with 10 consecutive top-10 finishes, a run that includes a victory at the series’ most recent road-course event at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The consistency has helped the 32-year-old driver offset a pair of crash-related finishes outside the top 30 (Charlotte, Pocono) in late spring, catapulting him to second place in a five-way fight for the regular-season crown.

“That’s been the one thing for us, I feel like we’ve had great speed all year. We just haven’t been able to capitalize on it when it matters,” Allgaier said after his most recent strong finish, a third last weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway. “I look at Charlotte and Pocono as the two that, man, really just they irked me because we felt like we had a solid top-two or three night going at both of those and didn’t get to show it.

“This month has been incredible. Obviously you want to peak at the right time, and the playoffs are coming. I think we’re in a good spot.”

Allgaier, a three-time winner this year, sits just 13 points behind Xfinity Series leader Christopher Bell with four regular-season events remaining. Behind Bell and Allgaier are Elliott Sadler, Cole Custer and Daniel Hemric — a top-five cluster separated by a mere 42 points.

All five are within reach of capturing the regular-season title and the bounty of 15 playoff points that goes with it. Though Allgaier and crew chief Jason Burdett have kept an eye on the standings, their focus has been more about performance than number-crunching.

“I think if we do what we did tonight and what we’ve done the last few weeks, the points are going to take care of themselves,” Burdett said after Bristol. “We’ve had a lot of good runs — 10 top 10s in a row, I guess now — which is what we’ve got to do. We’ve got to string that out through Homestead, or until we get to Homestead and then we’ve got to go win.

“Right now for us, we just need to gather as many bonus points as we can and part of that is the regular season deal. If we can get first or second, it’s a big jump in points there. Right now, we’re just going to keep digging, keep going every week and see what we can get out of it.”

Allgaier has a road-course knack in his portfolio, with two of his eight career Xfinity wins coming on the twisty circuits — 2012 at Montreal and two weeks ago at Mid-Ohio. He also placed third earlier this month at Watkins Glen.

MORE: Flashback: NASCAR at Road America, 1956

With Road America, Burdett says he’s prepared for “a crapshoot” on the historic 4.048-mile course, which features several fast sections and a tendency for contact and wrinkled sheet metal. Still, Allgaier says he’s circled the track’s place on the calendar as one of his favorites, citing his feel for handling the challenges of the high-speed stretches and 14 demanding turns.

“That’s encouraging going into next week. It’s a tough place, but man, is it fun,” Allgaier said. “If we do our jobs and stay out of incidents — because that’s always the hard part of the road courses — I think we’ve got a good shot at maybe going back to back on road courses and winning again.”

Posted on by Staff Report

Chip Ganassi Racing announced Thursday that Ross Chastain will drive the team’s No. 42 Chevrolet in three NASCAR Xfinity Series races this season.

Chastain, 25, is scheduled to make his first start for the team Sept. 1 at Darlington Raceway. Additional races Sept. 15 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Sept. 21 at Richmond Raceway round out his partial slate with the team.

RELATED: Xfinity Series schedule

Chastain has made 22 starts each in the Monster Energy Series (for Premium Motorsports) and the Xfinity Series (for JD Motorsports) this season. He also has four starts this year in the Camping World Truck Series. His best effort this year in Xfinity competition was a spirited drive to fourth place last month at Iowa Speedway.

Chastain is set to become the fifth driver to wheel the No. 42 this season, joining John Hunter Nemechek (12 races), Kyle Larson (six races), Jamie McMurray (three) and Justin Marks (one). Larson has scored four Xfinity Series victories for the team this season, helping the No. 42 entry to its sixth-place rank in the team owners’ standings.

Posted on by Holly Cain

It may as well be billed as an “awesome” weekend.

NASCAR’s Xfinity Series race Saturday on the famed Road America road course will include a current NASCAR Hall of Famer on its grid for the first time, popular driver Bill Elliott, who was nicknamed “Awesome Bill from Dawsonville” during his championship time competing in NASCAR during the 1980s, 90s and 2000s.

MORE: Full weekend schedule | Who is on the Xfinity entry list?

The 1988 Cup champion will steer the No. 23 GMS Racing Chevrolet in Saturday’s Johnsonville 180 (3 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), making his first start in one of NASCAR’s national series in six years and first start in the Xfinity Series since 2005. His only Xfinity Series win came on a road course — at Watkins Glen in 1993.

Ironically, the Hall of Famer will be considered a “rookie” at the 4-mile Wisconsin road course since he has never competed there before.

 “When this opportunity came up from (president of GMS Racing) Mike (Beam), I had to jump on it,” Elliott said in announcing the news earlier this month. “Chase (Elliott) has ran a handful of races for the team so I figured I would give it a shot at Road America. Beam and I have worked together in the past so it will be exciting to get back behind the wheel and bring back some old memories.”

 Elliott’s 22-year old son, Chase, who won his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race this month at Watkins Glen, will serve as spotter for his father during this off-week from Cup competition.

MORE: Chase, Blaney to serve as spotters at Road America

There have been eight different winners in as many races on the course, and Xfinity regular Jeremy Clements picked up his first career win last year.

This is also a significant stop in firming up the playoff picture. With four races remaining to establish championship-eligibility, Ross Chastain holds the final playoff position with a 42-point edge over Michael Annett, who was a career best runner-up in this race last season.

The field for the Johnsonville 180 includes a bevy of big names. From Elliott to IMSA road racing stars Andy Lally and Katherine Legge, to IndyCar standouts like James Davison, who led the opening laps of last year’s race at Elkhart Lake to Conor Daly, who is making his NASCAR competition debut. Longtime NASCAR fan favorite Brendan Gaughan is entered, too.