Editor’s note: Fantasy Fastlane will look at each race from a fantasy perspective, examining the top plays as well as several under-the-radar options and a play to avoid for NASCAR Fantasy Live. See the full analysis here.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Pressure? What pressure?
During an event held by Michigan International Speedway on Wednesday where the city of Grand Rapids declared July 25 “Alex Bowman Day,” Bowman declared he’s not feeling the heat to get into the postseason with six races remaining before Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoff contenders are set.
“I wouldn’t say it’s a whole lot of pressure,” Bowman told NASCAR.com. “Obviously, that’s a big goal of ours. But, I just want to run well every week.”
RELATED: Playoff picture heading to Pocono | Full schedule for Pocono, Iowa
Heading into Sunday’s Gander Outdoors 400 at Pocono Raceway (2:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), Bowman holds a 28-point advantage over Ricky Stenhouse Jr. on the cutoff line in the playoff standings.
Prior to New Hampshire, the gap was only nine points. But Bowman’s 11th-place finish paired with Stenhouse’s 30th extended the gap by 19 points.
“Glad we’re on our side of it and not his,” Bowman said. “So, hopefully we’ll be able to keep putting some points on him, get a bigger buffer and go from there.”
Bowman and the rest of the Hendrick Motorsports organization has made slow, but steady progress. Bowman has finished 11th or better in four of the last five races — the best among his teammates in that same stretch — and he, Chase Elliott, Jimmie Johnson and William Byron all finished in the top 14 at Loudon.
Byron is mired back in 21st in the playoff standings, while Elliott and Johnson are ahead of Bowman in 13th and 15th, respectively.
MORE: Bubble watch heading into Pocono
With hints of increasing speed for the organization, Bowman knows progress needs to happen faster if he wants to break the No. 88 Chevrolet into Victory Lane for the first time in his career.
“Hopefully anywhere we go we can have a shot at it,” Bowman said. “We’ve got some work to do, I feel like, before we get to that point.”
Bowman said it’s crucial for him to earn as many points as possible to help his postseason campaign – a task the 25-year-old knows he and the team can accomplish. He has collected 27 stage points this year, tied for 18th with Byron and Ryan Newman. Elliott has collected 94 points, good for 11th among other competitors, while Johnson has earned 84 points, the 13th-most in the series.
“Any day we can have good stage points and get good points throughout the day,” Bowman said. “Wins will come with time, but hopefully we make the Playoffs.”
TALLADEGA, Ala. – NASCAR’s most competitive track — Talladega Superspeedway — along with its parent company, International Speedway Corporation (ISC), announced at a press conference today details of Transformation – The Talladega Superspeedway Infield Project. The approximate $50 million redevelopment endeavor is part of ISC’s long-term capital allocation plan and reinvestment into its major motorsports complexes. The project, highlighted by a one-of-a-kind Garage Fan Zone Experience, will feature “up-close” access, interactive attractions and enhanced amenities for fans, sponsors, teams and stakeholders in the iconic Talladega infield.
Full completion of the modernized project is scheduled for October of 2019, just in time for the track’s fall NASCAR weekend. Talladega Superspeedway will also celebrate its 50th Anniversary next year. Construction will commence at the 2.66-mile venue after the upcoming NASCAR Playoff doubleheader weekend, Oct. 12-14, featuring the 1000Bulbs.com 500 and Talladega 250.
Transformation – The Talladega Superspeedway Infield Project will give the hundreds of thousands of fans who annually make the journey to central Alabama the chance to get closer than ever to NASCAR’s top drivers and teams via a fan walkway under the same roof as the race car bays in the new Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series garage. Add to it a unique 35,000 square foot covered Open Air Club, complete with ample seating, a bar and a 41-foot diagonal video screen, entertainment enthusiasts will be able to immerse themselves in the sport and witness the teams and drivers as the cars are prepped in the garage stalls for 3- and 4-wide racing.
“Since 1969, no other track in NASCAR has lived its brand better than Talladega Superspeedway. Big, bold and one-of-a-kind best describe this legendary facility and the larger-than-life visionary who created it, my grandfather Bill France Sr.,” said ISC Chief Executive Officer Lesa France Kennedy. “Today’s announcement, Transformation – The Talladega Superspeedway Infield Project, is a world-class extension of his vision offering many new amenities and conveniences. It’s a great day for the track, ISC and the state of Alabama. This is a special place to our family and so many race fans all over the world, and its future is incredibly bright.”
“We have had nearly 50 years of incredible history in motorsports and have been a tourist destination for so many,” said Grant Lynch, Chairman of Talladega Superspeedway. “The investment that we are making shows a commitment today, tomorrow and beyond. Fans, both current and future, have a lot to look forward to in the next 50 years. There’s only one Talladega.”
PHOTOS: Talladega, then and now
The new garage viewing walkway is just one of a variety of new attractions for the fans as part of the Garage Fan Zone Experience, which will have over 140,000 square feet of social and engagement areas, complete with Wi-Fi, along with two new concession stands, restrooms complexes, a Guest Services Center and a fan First Aid facility.
The new Gatorade Victory Lane will offer fans from the grandstands, as well as those in the Garage Fan Zone Experience, a closer view of the winners who rewrite Talladega’s history. A two-level President’s Club, with seating for more than 600 guests, will be located near the end of pit road. Other amenities in the Garage Fan Zone Experience include four 25-person garage suites and four garage offices. The current Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series garage will be used for the NASCAR Xfinity Series teams during the spring event weekend and the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series (as it will be known in 2019) in the fall.
“Talladega Superspeedway is where my career began as a driver so it holds a special place in my heart,” said NASCAR and International Motorsports Hall of Famer Richard Childress, who competed in Talladega’s first NASCAR race in 1969 and will also celebrate his 50th Anniversary in NASCAR in 2019. “Over the years we have met so many fans that love our sport here, and with this new endeavor, Talladega and ISC are taking this place to next level. Fans have loved it for nearly 50 years, but this is going to take it to new heights,” added Childress, who, along with Hendrick Motorsports, has a Talladega record 12 wins as a team owner.
Approximately 300 new RV spaces – all with power and water hookups – will now be a part of the track’s infield via two main areas, one that will offer a view of the Alabama Gang Superstretch and the other located near the start-finish line. The new locations will offer premium opportunities to experience the world-famous Talladega infield, in which RV spaces have been filled to capacity months in advance for the past seven straight event weekends. Current infield RV areas, including those on the legendary Talladega Blvd, will remain the same.
MORE: All-time Talladega spring winners
Additional new enhancements are comprised of: a 2-lane, oversized vehicle tunnel at the end of the Alabama Gang Superstretch that will allow 24-hour entry/exit access for vehicular traffic, including RVs; a tram route that will deliver fans to the entrance of the new Garage Fan Zone Experience; infield premium parking opportunities; new infield shower options in Turns 1 & 2; expanded drivers meeting location; renovated media center; and a Race Operations building erected high atop the Tri-Oval that will house Race Control, LIVE TV booths for FOX & NBC, Motor Racing Network and Public Address.
RV spaces inside the Alabama Gang Superstretch, along with Race Operations, are scheduled for completion by the track’s spring event weekend of 2019 while all other aspects of the project are set to be finalized for the fall 2019 event weekend.
“Almost 50 years ago, Alabama became home to Talladega Superspeedway, a staple for the sport and a driver of tourism in our state,” Alabama Governor Kay Ivey said. “Today, I was thrilled to help kick off the development of the ‘Talladega Transformation Infield Project.’ This project will take this track into its next 50 years and give its loyal fans an even better experience.”
Hoar Construction, based in nearby Birmingham, AL, who has spearheaded some of the most recognizable landmarks in the Yellowhammer state, is the Preconstruction Contractor while the DLR Group is the Architect for Transformation – The Talladega Superspeedway Infield Project. DLR Group is also part of renovation projects at ISM Raceway (Phoenix) and Richmond Raceway (VA).
“We are excited to be involved in the redevelopment of the Talladega Superspeedway,” said Hoar Construction Vice President Turner Burton. “It is an honor to work with International Speedway Corporation on one of the most famous race tracks in the world. We are building a strong team of local partners that will make sure the project is a success and has a significant economic impact for our home state. We are looking forward to breaking ground this fall.”
“Talladega Superspeedway is an icon in the sports world,” said DLR Group Designer and Principal Bob Carlson. “It is an ultra-competitive festival atmosphere that offers a unique and authentic experience for fans. DLR Group collaborated with the leadership of Talladega Superspeedway and International Speedway Corporation to design a new way for fans to enjoy all of the elements that make race day memorable. Our design gives fans a front row view into the activity in the garages, as well as driver and pit crew interactions.”
MORE: Thrills and spills on the high banks
For more information on all of the new opportunities as part of Transformation – The Talladega Superspeedway Infield Project, call 855-518-RACE (7223).
Fans can also learn more about the project by visiting www.talladegasuperspeedway.com/transformation. News, images, video and up-to-date information will be available throughout the project.
Before the construction begins, Talladega will host its 2018 NASCAR Playoff doubleheader weekend this fall featuring the Talladega 250 for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series on Saturday, Oct. 13, at Noon CDT, and the 1000Bulbs.com 500 for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series on Sunday, Oct. 14, at 1 p.m. CDT. Saturday’s slate also includes Foodland/Food Giant Qualifying to determine the starting lineup for Sunday’s event in which Brad Keselowski is the defending champion.
Tickets are available and can be purchased online at www.talladegasuperspeedway.com or by calling 855-518-RACE (7223).
Kurt Busch was in royal company Thursday, as he watched wife Ashley compete and win the Sentebale ISPS Handa Polo Cup at the Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club with the Sentebale St. Regis team in England.
Her teammate? None other than Harry, Duke of Sussex.
Today’s the day! @Sentebale pic.twitter.com/v2Gfdpgx1t
— Kurt Busch (@KurtBusch) July 26, 2018
The teams are ready for the @sentebale ISPS Handa Polo Cup! pic.twitter.com/Zzvykz8fRF
— ISPS Handa (@ISPSHanda) July 26, 2018
New wife and Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, was on site to present the team with the award.
Polo player Nacho Figueras captained the team and Miguel Mendoza served as the fourth teammate for the Sentebale St. Regis team. The event raised funds and awareness for the Duke’s charity, Sentebale (which means “forget me not”), which supports the wellbeing of children with HIV in Lesotho and Botswana.
Today The Duke of Sussex played in the @Sentebale Polo Cup, held each year to raise awareness and support for its vital work with young people affected by HIV in southern Africa.
🏆 The Duchess presented The Duke's winning side with the trophy #SentebaleISPSPolo pic.twitter.com/0kpZSibYWe
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) July 26, 2018
Afterward, Kurt Busch called it a “top five moment in life.”
Watching my wife play polo with the Duke of Sussex, Nacho Figueras, and Miguel Mendoza at The Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club in England, and to come away victorious, was a top 5 moment in life. So proud of you sweetheart @MrsAshleyBusch #ISPShanda #SentebaleISPSPolo pic.twitter.com/mscKW1NAIA
— Kurt Busch (@KurtBusch) July 26, 2018
The Busch family also went sightseeing in England in the days leading up to the match and the driver teased his wife’s participation in Thursday’s event. Kurt will head back to the States to compete in Sunday’s race at Pocono Raceway (2:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Sightseeing today in London with more fun to share later! Very important date on Thursday pic.twitter.com/Fa4Vs33NmE
— Kurt Busch (@KurtBusch) July 24, 2018
HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. – Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) announced today CRAFTSMAN will join the team as a primary sponsor for Erik Jones in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and Ryan Preece in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for multiple races in 2018.
Stanley Black & Decker added the iconic CRAFTSMAN brand to their portfolio in 2017. In their fourth season with Joe Gibbs Racing, Stanley Black & Decker uses their NASCAR partnership with Joe Gibbs Racing to showcase the DEWALT brand on the No. 20 Toyota Camry with Jones and the STANLEY brand on the No. 19 Toyota Camry with Daniel Suarez, both in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.
“It’s really cool to represent an iconic brand with CRAFTSMAN,” said Jones. “CRAFTSMAN is a brand that I’ve used throughout my entire racing career from when I first started with go-karts, through late models and still have in my shop today. We’ve had a great relationship with Stanley Black & Decker this year through the DEWALT brand and I’m looking forward to continuing to grow our partnership with the CRAFTSMAN brand. The car looks great and I can’t wait to get on track with it in the coming months.”
Preece added, “I’m very excited to be racing and representing the CRAFTSMAN brand. I grew up watching what was then the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series and as I grew older, I started using CRAFTSMAN tools. To represent an iconic tool company like CRAFTSMAN is very special to me and I know we will have the same reliability in our Camrys that they have in their tools.”
To kick off the new partnership, CRAFTSMAN will launch the “What’s Your Craftsman Story?” campaign to share real, human moments of pride. “Your CRAFTSMAN story” could be a memory or a project well done. The goal is not to focus on the tool, but what can be done with the tools and the pride and memories it evokes in each person. Fans can share their story at www.CRAFTSMANstory.com beginning August 1 through September 7, 2018. Three deserving fans will win a garage full of CRAFTSMAN tools and one lucky fan will win a once-in-a-lifetime experience with Coach Joe Gibbs and Joe Gibbs Racing, including a shop tour and a VIP experience at the NASCAR races at Kansas Speedway on October 20 and 21, 2018.
Team owner and Pro Football Hall of Famer, Coach Joe Gibbs, will help launch the “What’s Your Craftsman Story?” campaign and the new partnership with CRAFTSMAN by participating in a Satellite Media Tour on August 1, 2018.
“It’s a thrill for us to be a part of bringing the CRAFTSMAN brand back into the sport,” said Gibbs. “When you mention CRAFTSMAN to somebody it always seems they have a story to tell about how they used CRAFTSMAN tools growing up or around their own home or shop. That’s why the “What’s Your Craftsman Story?” campaign will be so much fun when we get a chance to hear everyone’s personal experiences with the brand.”
2018 Race Schedule
Watkins Glen International – Xfinity Series – August 4
Richmond Raceway – Xfinity Series – September 21
Richmond Raceway – Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series – September 22
Dover International Speedway – Xfinity Series – October 6
Dover International Speedway – Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series – October 7
Talladega Superspeedway – Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series – October 14
Kansas Speedway – Xfinity Series – October 20
Kansas Speedway – Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series – October 21
KANNAPOLIS, N.C. — Tony Stewart says it’s been so long since he’s driven a NASCAR Xfinity Series car that he’s not sure how much help he’d be able to offer to Cole Custer, the full-time driver for Stewart-Haas Racing’s flagship Xfinity team.
At least now, Stewart says, the lines of communication for any potential advice are far more open that they used to be.
“That’s the great thing about Cole is that he’s coming out of his shell finally,” Stewart says. “I mean, for the first two years that I’d met this kid, he never said one word to me. I didn’t even know that he could speak. As time’s gone on now, he’s coming into his own, but it’s kind of that way with his racing, too. … We really don’t talk a lot about it. I mean, he does a really good job on his own. I almost feel like if I get in the middle of it, I’m only going to confuse him more than anything because the progress he’s making is good the way that he’s doing it.”
The 20-year-old driver’s shy streak may still be part of his personality, but Custer has shown signs of opening up — both with his interactions and his performance on the track. The California native sits fourth in the Xfinity Series standings ahead of Saturday’s U.S. Cellular 250 (5:20 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Iowa Speedway.
RELATED: Pocono, Iowa weekend schedule
Custer leads the Xfinity tour this season with four pole positions, and he ranks as second-best in top-five finishes with seven and top-10 finishes with 14 in the 18 races thus far. But he’s missing a tally in the win column, a void he’s aiming to fill with eight events remaining in the regular season.
“I think right now we’re fairly happy with where we’re at. I mean, we want to win races obviously and we need to catch up with the 20 and 22 guys,” Custer said, making mention of Joe Gibbs Racing and Team Penske entries that have accounted for seven Xfinity wins this year. “They’re fast and they’re leading laps every weekend. I think we can get there, we’re just going to have to dig a little bit deeper.
“Obviously I think we’re living in the top five right now, we just have to have everything kind of fall into place and have it be our weekend. I’m looking forward to the rest of the season, and I think we can make it happen.”
At the mild risk of looking too far ahead, Custer says the No. 00 Ford team is already making preparations to fine-tune its program ahead of the Xfinity Series’ seven-race playoffs, which open Sept. 21 at Richmond Raceway. They’ll have a year of postseason experience to draw upon, having come tantalizingly close to the final round in 2017.
MORE: Custer, Stewart reveal Darlington throwback
Had Custer & Co. kept their championship eligibility until the end — a berth he missed by just four points in the penultimate race — an Xfinity crown was well within their grasp. Custer played spoiler in the Homestead-Miami finale, capping his rookie season by leading 182 of 200 laps for his first Xfinity win.
Even with the title near-miss, the accomplishments placed Custer in elite territory in just the first season of Stewart-Haas Racing’s Xfinity operation. That growth has continued this year, strengthened by a partnership with Biagi-DenBeste Racing.
“I mean, to bring a rookie crew chief and a rookie driver into the series and do what they did last year and then see how it keeps progressing this year, I think everything’s moving along great,” Stewart says. “Obviously, we’ve had a partnership come on board in the last year and I think we’re really happy with the direction that the program’s going. In such a short amount of time to build it to what it is, it kind of follows suit with what we’ve done with the Cup program, so I think the sky’s the limit with it.”
As timelines go, SHR’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series program is celebrating its 10th anniversary in style. Kevin Harvick is fresh from his series-best sixth win of 2018, and teammate Clint Bowyer has visited Victory Lane twice this season. Kurt Busch and Aric Almirola have yet to break through for a checkered flag this year, but their consistency has placed both drivers among the front-running contenders most weeks.
RELATED: Key moments in SHR’s history
That sort of performance has trickled down to the Xfinity level at SHR, with a more vocal Custer front and center.
“Obviously, the morale gets up because we’re all one team,” Custer says. “Everybody’s winning, but we obviously want to do our part and start winning also. So it brings our level up, I feel like. We want to match their level, so I think it definitely helps the whole organization and obviously we share a little bit back and forth, so I think it’s a good thing for everybody.”
Numbers mean plenty when it comes to building out your Fantasy Live teams each week. NASCAR.com will examine the stats outlook for each track to help give you an edge as you go to set your lineups and bonus picks ahead of the race weekend.
Don’t forget to check back on NASCAR.com for additional insight from fantasy expert RJ Kraft as well as to watch Fantasy Fastlane with Jessica Ruffin and NBC Sports’ Steve Letarte.
RELATED: Set your Fantasy Live roster now | How the new Fantasy Live works | Driver stats
Top five average running position (per loop data from 2005 to the present):
| Driver | Average Running Position |
| Chase Elliott | 9.724 |
| Denny Hamlin | 10.789 |
| Erik Jones | 10.848 |
| Kurt Busch | 11.110 |
| Jimmie Johnson | 11.911 |
Top five in stage points earned at Pocono in 2017-18:
| Driver | Stage points | Stage wins |
| Kyle Busch | 46 | 2 |
| Kevin Harvick | 43 | 1 |
| Martin Truex Jr. | 34 | 1 |
| Brad Keselowski | 33 | 0 |
| Clint Bowyer | 28 | 1 |
Top five in points earned in last three races at Pocono:
| Driver | Race points | Race wins |
| Kyle Busch | 148 | 1 |
| Kevin Harvick | 146 | 0 |
| Martin Truex Jr. | 139 | 1 |
| Brad Keselowski | 129 | 0 |
| Chase Elliott | 106 | 0 |
Most laps led in last three races at Pocono:
| Driver | Laps led |
| Kyle Busch | 187 |
| Kevin Harvick | 89 |
| Martin Truex Jr. | 67 |
Average starting position for last 10 winners: 8.5; only one driver has started outside the top 20 (Chris Buescher, 2016)
Active drivers to win pole: Kyle Busch (4), Jimmie Johnson (3), Denny Hamlin (3), Ryan Newman (2), Joey Logano (2), Kasey Kahne (2), Kurt Busch (2), Brad Keselowski (1), Ryan Blaney (1), Kyle Larson (1), Jamie McMurray (1), Martin Truex Jr. (1)
Active drivers to win at Pocono: Denny Hamlin (4), Kurt Busch (3), Jimmie Johnson (3), Kasey Kahne (2), Martin Truex Jr. (2), Ryan Blaney (1), Kyle Busch (1), Chris Buescher (1), Brad Keselowski, (1), Matt Kenseth (1), Joey Logano (1), Ryan Newman (1)
Most recent pole winner: Ryan Blaney, June of 2018
Last time pole-sitter won here: Kyle Busch, July of 2017
Where stage winners started from: First (twice), second, fourth, seventh (twice)
Winning manufacturers of last 10 races: Chevrolet-5, Toyota-3, Ford-2
KANNAPOLIS, N.C. — Cole Custer’s throwback No. 00 Ford for Darlington Raceway weekend made its debut Wednesday afternoon at the Stewart-Haas Racing shop, with team co-owner Tony Stewart helping to pull the covers off a gleaming new Mustang. Whatever shape the car is in after Darlington, Stewart joked, it can’t be much worse than what happened to the original, a No. 00 Ford Galaxie driven by Stewart’s racing hero, A.J. Foyt.
Late in the 1965 NASCAR season opener at Riverside, Foyt’s car lost its brakes and careened into a trackside ditch, flipping violently in a cloud of dust and leaving medical crews fearing the worst. Foyt’s trademark toughness carried him through, an attribute that may come in handy for Custer when the NASCAR Xfinity Series hits the track “Too Tough to Tame” on Sept. 1.
RELATED: Key moments in SHR history
“It’s cool to run a really unique car and to run something with a connection to Tony and everything,” said Custer, who sits fourth in the series standings. “Obviously, A.J.’s a huge icon in our sport, so it’s just cool to do things like that where you have good connections, I would say.”
Those bonds especially ring true for Stewart, who campaigned the No. 14 — a car number long associated with Foyt — for the final eight seasons of his NASCAR career.
“I think it’s just really cool to honor guys that have been in the sport in the past,” Stewart said. “That throwback weekend, the paint schemes are cool, but when you have — like Cole says — when you’ve got a personal connection to the people that are attached to the paint schemes, it makes it that much more fun. …
“With Darlington, I told Cole, obviously the Darlington stripe’s what everybody gets. I don’t care what he does to this car, it’s not going to be near as bad as what happened to this car in real life.”
Foyt was all but declared dead by medics on the scene at the California road course some 53-plus years ago. After the crash, Foyt said that he’d never drive another car with numbers that read the same upside-down as right side up.
Custer, meanwhile, has embraced the symmetry of the double-zero, which he’s donned in the majority of his NASCAR national series starts. The special version of the car number that he’ll fly at Darlington borrow the looming eyeball design from Foyt’s original. Tuesday afternoon at SHR, Stewart paid particular attention to the smaller No. 00 rendering on the rear bumper.
“Whoever is behind you is going to feel like somebody’s looking at them the entire time, which I hope is the whole field,” Stewart said. “It’s weird because the eyes are toward the bottom so it’s kind of like they’re looking down. We were joking around earlier that if the car gets upside down, they’re going looking up like, ‘what happened?’ But it is kind of cool. It brings out that history.”
MORE: See all throwback schemes
Jimmy Mullis survived a chaotic final stint of the NASCAR Peak Antifreeze iRacing Series at New Hampshire Motor Speedway to claim his first win in the series. Mullis made his final pit stop of the race on Lap 103 under green flag conditions and a few laps later a caution came out — just after Mullis un-lapped himself to get back on the lead lap. Mullis stayed out and took the lead under the caution and never looked back — surviving multiple late restarts to claim his first victory in the series.
Zak Novak, (Chicagoland winner from two weeks ago), finished runner-up after starting 17th. Ray Alfalla, Corey Vincent and Taylor Hurst rounded out the top five. With Novak and Hurst finishing in the top five, that placed three cars from LockDown Racing in the top five in the championship standings.
RELATED: Full 2018 iRacing schedule/results
Before Mullis took the lead with 42 laps to go, the first half of the race was dominated by the No. 5 of Michael Conti, who led 72 laps. Conti had a difficult pit stop under green flag and lost all his track position – he was able to rebound and finish ninth however.
Before green flag pit stops began around Lap 100, Matt Bussa passed Conti and led 18 laps. The No. 34 machine was poised to make a charge at his first career win. Those hopes were diminished when he was a victim in one of several late-race incidents.
The cautions came fast and furious in the closing laps of the race. It began when the No. 3 of Jarl Teien had some issues on Lap 109, and from there the race seemingly turned into everyone frantically racing to the next caution. Those who had made their green flag pit stops early and had un-lapped themselves reaped the benefits of being ahead of most of the incidents.
With race 11 now in the books, there are now only two races until the playoffs begin. Ray Alfalla leads teammate Bobby Zalenski (who finished 12th), by five points in the regular season standings.
The race for the eighth and final spot in the playoffs currently belongs to Nick Ottinger, who leads Logan Clampitt by six points. Christian Challiner and Zack Novak are right on the heels of Ottinger, sitting 15 and 19 points behind, respectively. Tuesday’s winner Mullis is 13th in points, 36 points behind the cutoff.
The series heads to the Pocono Raceway in two weeks. In the past, Pocono has had plenty of late-race yellows turning the races completely upside down. With exciting restarts and pit strategy, it likely will have those battling for the final spot in the playoffs nervous throughout the entire race.
Ottinger historically runs very well at Pocono and will look to maximize his distance on the drivers directly behind him for the playoffs.
Sports-car standout Andy Lally will return to the NASCAR Xfinity Series for three races this season, joining forces with DGM Racing.
RELATED: Full schedule for Pocono, Iowa
Lally, 43, will drive the Mario Gosselin-owned No. 90 Chevrolet at three road-course events, starting with the series’ Aug. 11 event at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. He’s also scheduled to participate in Xfinity events at Road America (Aug. 25) and the new Charlotte Motor Speedway road course (Sept. 29). Sponsorship for the Road America round will be provided by Henry Repeating Arms.
Lally — who competes full-time in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for Magnus Racing — scored the best finish of his Xfinity Series career at Mid-Ohio last season, placing fifth in his only start of 2017. He was named Sunoco Rookie of the Year for what’s now called the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in 2011.
DGM Racing also fields a full-time Xfinity Series entry for Alex Labbe in the No. 36 Chevrolet. Driving duties for DGM’s No. 90 Chevy have been split by three drivers: Josh Williams (15 starts), Brandon Brown (two starts) and Donald Theetge (one start, his series debut last weekend at New Hampshire).