Posted on by Zack Albert

DARLINGTON, S.C. — The reveal of the 2025 NASCAR schedule last week presented a new list of tracks, playoff rounds and countries. It’s also posed a new but mundane challenge for one driver — Alex Bowman, who has never left the United States — that wasn’t fully anticipated: To obtain a passport for international travel.

“My life is pretty easy,” Bowman said. “Like, people can do a lot of things … like drivers in general, I feel like we get a little bit babied, and passports is one of those things that like I feel like we’ve got to do ourselves. So I’ve got to go do that.”

Paperwork, ID photos and forms aside, the calendar was greeted with largely positive reaction from drivers upon their arrival to Darlington Raceway, a historic standby on the schedule that plays host to Sunday’s Cook Out Southern 500 (6 p.m. ET, USA, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM). The addition of the Cup Series’ first international race in the modern era — a June 15 date in Mexico City — stands out as a highlight for the sport’s growth on the global stage.

RELATED: Darlington weekend schedule | 2025 NASCAR schedule

“I think it’s neat that we’re going,” said defending Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney. “We’ve all been pushing to kind of go international here, to another country here for a while, and I know Canada and Mexico were on the board. I ran trucks up in Canada more than a handful of years ago, and it was great. The fans there were awesome, and I think that Mexico’s going to be no different. I think the fans are going to be super dedicated for us coming there, and that’s what happens when you bring a sport to a country that doesn’t normally have that type of sport. You look at F1, the reason why it’s so big is, OK, this race is coming to your country once a year, and they make a huge event out of it. So I feel like that is positive for our sport.”

A handful of current Cup Series drivers have raced at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez course in the Mexican capital city, notably Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. — who won Xfinity Series events there during its four-year run from 2005-08. Front Row Motorsports veteran Michael McDowell had a different experience there, running a doubleheader weekend of IMSA and IndyCar events in Mexico City back in 2005.

“It was electric. I mean, it really was,” McDowell said of the atmosphere. “When you watch a soccer World Cup or something like that, that’s the kind of feel that you have there. The fans are very loud, they’re into it. If there’s a hometown driver, you can hear when he crosses the start/finish line, right? It’s amazing.”

The Xfinity and Craftsman Truck Series schedules also welcomed the return of a familiar favorite, Rockingham (N.C.) Speedway, for a Friday-Saturday twin bill April 18-19 before Easter Sunday. It’s the second resurrection for the 1.017-mile oval that hosted Cup Series stars for 40 seasons after it opened in 1965. The Xfinity Series returns to the 1.017-mile oval for the first time since 2004, and the Trucks last visited in 2013, when Kyle Larson broke through for his first NASCAR national-series win.

MORE: Sunday’s starting lineup | At-track photos

“I do think it’s awesome that we’re going back to venues, kind of restoring venues like Rockingham, North Wilkesboro, all that,” Larson said. “So yeah, I think the schedule is pretty cool. … I think the variety and for the lower series to tie in those grassroots-style fanbases is great.”

The Truck Series is also planning its first visit June 28 to Lime Rock Park, the picturesque 1.53-mile road course in Lakeville, Connecticut. For Nutmeg State native Joey Logano, the addition is a special one — even though logistics will keep him from entering the home-state event as a one-off start, since it’s held the same day as a Cup Series race that evening at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

“Outside of me running it, it’s awesome that NASCAR is going back to Connecticut and even at the Truck level,” Logano said. “I mean, there’s a lot of race fans up there. I grew up there and I remember going to so many different garages and there’s always NASCAR calendars and NASCAR memorabilia of some sort. Modified racing up there is huge. There are a ton of race fans in New England that I feel like get overlooked a lot because our sport sometimes is looked at as a Southeastern sport, but it’s so nationwide at this point and New England has some die-hard race fans. It’s cool to have some more racing up there for them for sure.”

Posted on by Reid Spencer

Though Tyler Reddick, Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott enter Sunday’s Cook Out Southern 500 (6 p.m. ET, USA Network, NBC Sports App, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) in a pitched battle for the NASCAR Cup Series Regular Season Championship, the drivers won’t have much time to think about the standings in a race that requires the utmost concentration throughout.

Nor is there much they can do in terms of radical strategy, given the abrupt fall-off in lap times due to tire wear.

MORE: Cup standings ahead of Darlington | Full Southern 500 preview

Reddick, who leads Larson by 17 points and Elliott by 18 entering the final regular-season race, doesn’t think spend much time worrying about his rivals.

“I feel like at a place like Darlington it’s hard to, because I mean it’s just, you’re kind of racing the track, right?” Reddick said. “There might be an option to mix up the strategy in the stages, but I think we all have a pretty good idea of what the best strategy is going to be.

“It’s tough here. I feel like you go to some of these other tracks — Michigan is a perfect example — where you’re more worried about fuel than tires. I think it’s easier to do it, but here it’s just a race where you’re running against the track all night.

“Certainly, it could go that way, but I feel like if we (all) have solid nights then we’re in a pretty good place unless we just have a disastrous night.”

Larson acknowledges if might be difficult to close the gap at a track where elite drivers tend to dominate.

“As well as both Tyler and I run here, there shouldn’t be too many points exchanged,” said Larson, the defending Southern 500 winner. “It just kind of comes down to making sure you have the cleanest race possible to not hinder yourself in the points position.

“Yeah, it’s a tough track, one that the strategy is very straightforward, and if you have a good car here, you’ll be up front. You’ll probably be taking tires almost every chance you can get, if the caution comes out. Nothing to kind of really get off strategy.”

Posted on by Adam Fenwick

OSWEGO, N.Y. — The phrase “hitting your stride” is an idiom, an expression that has a figurative meaning different than the literal meaning of the words.

In this case, hitting your stride means to begin doing something with confidence and effectiveness after a slow start.

It’s safe to say that what Patrick Emerling has done in the last month fits the definition of that particular idiom.

Emerling drove to a convincing victory in Saturday night’s Toyota Mod Classic 150 at Oswego Speedway, his first triumph at one of New York’s most historic race tracks.

The win, his second in as many races, thrusts the driver from Orchard Park, New York directly into a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship battle that until Saturday night appeared to be another dual between Ron Silk and Justin Bonsignore.

“We’re building momentum,” Emerling said in Victory Lane. “We had one hiccup this year at Richmond and that pinned us back there. Anything can happen, though. We’re coming on strong as a team.”

This is Emerling’s first season driving for Rich Gautreau, a first-year car owner with the Modified Tour who owns a heavy-duty truck repair and fleet service business in California called Fleetworks Inc. The deal for Emerling to drive for the team came together during the offseason. He was convinced to join Gautreau’s program after seeing the dedication required to challenge for a championship.

“There was a lot of excitement for this team going into this year,” Emerling said. “When the opportunity came about to drive for Rich Gautreau during the offseason, I was just so excited to get started.”

As you would expect, it’s taken some time for Emerling to get up to speed with the new team. A crash and subsequent 24th-place finish at Richmond Raceway in March put the team behind the eight ball.

Patrick Emerling
Patrick Emerling shares Victory Lane at Oswego Speedway with his team on Saturday night after winning the Toyota Mod Classic 150. (Photo: Bryan Bennett/NASCAR)

But slowly, Emerling and company began to find the pace they were seeking. At New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Emerling ran fourth. At Monadnock Speedway, he came home third. At Lancaster Motorplex — you guessed it — he finished second.

Then came Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, where Emerling started from the pole and led every lap, something nobody had done in years at the facility.

“Yeah, we had a few bumps in the road,” Emerling said. “We came out pretty solid, and we just kept on trying to get ourselves in a rhythm and trying to get better each week. There was just so much hard work done on this car with this awesome group of guys.”

Saturday’s race at Oswego was not like that race at Thompson. Emerling didn’t win the pole, and he didn’t lead every lap. He might not have even had the best car.

What he did have was the confidence to do something that could have backfired spectacularly but instead paid off and led directly to his trip to Victory Lane.

The moment came during a restart on Lap 70. Emerling restarted third behind Tim Connolly, who had opted not to pit, and Bonsignore. Connolly got off Turn 2 poorly, and Bonsignore rocketed to the outside. Emerling, on the other hand, went low and passed both to take the lead.

“It was tough. We were all on tires and (Connolly) wasn’t,” Emerling said. “On the restarts, anything can happen. I played out a few scenarios in my head, and that was one of them.”

With the win, Emerling finds himself unofficially 24 points behind Bonsignore in the battle for the series championship and only 19 points behind second-place Silk.

Five races remain in the 2024 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season. That leaves plenty of time for Emerling to catch Bonsignore and Silk. After all, he’s just hitting his stride.

“Anything can happen,” Emerling said. “If we keep doing what we’re doing here, we’ll be looking pretty good.”

Posted on by Alex Cadavid

One of this week’s main talking points is who will be anointed Regular Season Champion after a fierce three-way battle. Projections show current points leader Tyler Reddick prevailing in Sunday’s Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway (6 p.m. ET, USA, MRN, SiriusXM, NBC Sports App).

The No. 45 23XI Racing driver has erupted for 11 top fives and 17 top 10s through 25 races. He’s gained 81 points over the last eight races, climbing from 64 points behind in sixth to leading the standings and being separated by 17 markers over Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson and 18 over Chase Elliott, who are Sunday’s projected second and eighth-place finishers. Reddick has been riding a momentum wave since Charlotte — with only two finishes outside the top 10 since then.

RELATED: Set your Fantasy Live lineup | Weekend schedule

Whoever emerges victorious among the three contenders will likely need to win Sunday’s race to pocket those coveted 15 bonus playoff points. The Southern 500 is notoriously grueling, with an average green flag run of 2 hours and 42 minutes — longest of all tracks in the Next Gen era —  and an average heat temp of 89 degrees Fahrenheit, so such a win would be hard-earned.

However, the opportunity for a 14th winner must not be overlooked after what we’ve seen the past few weeks.

The numbers don’t entirely point to a new winner emerging, though. Only twice since 2014 has a driver raced their way to a post-season bid in the final regular-season race — so it’s still in the cards, just no guarantee. Plus, when you factor in that crown-jewel races have been won by drivers currently top six in points this year, it doesn’t bode well for drivers in must-win positions. Still, crazier things have already happened this season, and throughout history at “The Lady in Black,” we know that it’s anything but predictable.

DRIVERS TO WATCH

CHRIS BUESCHER: Richmond, Michigan and Daytona all came and went and Buescher couldn’t quite rekindle enough magic to find Victory Lane at either of those tracks after sweeping them last year. Still, he wielded top-10 efforts in the last two races while leading some laps last week and we all know how close he was to winning at Darlington this past May.

BUBBA WALLACE: Wallace has elevated his performance over the last few weeks while battling on the bubble. He’s had top-10 speed at Darlington before, and with the chip he’s been racing with on his shoulder, he should be in the mix. The next step is to deliver a walk-off win after earning Saturday’s pole.

MORE: Full starting lineup | Best Darlington photos

KYLE BUSCH: Not only is Rowdy’s season on the line, but his playoff streak is as well. He’s managed to go the last two races unscathed and is inching ever closer to a win. You have to go back to 2008 for Busch’s last Darlington win, but as the saying goes — it’s never over until it’s over.

ERIK JONES: Alright, time to get a little wild. It’s worth pointing out that the iconic Nos. 3, 21, 24 and 43 cars have never won in the same year and Jones is the lone missing number there so far. The 2024 campaign has already been shaping as an all-time season, so maybe there’s room for another first. Darlington is a track where Jones has found fortune in posting two wins and eight top 10s.

MORE: Busch, Jones face final playoff shots: ‘Not going to be easy’

JUSTIN HALEY: If you can impress Michael Jordan with moves on-track, chances are you are doing something right. Numbers may not exactly paint just how well Haley has driven the second half of the season, but it’s clear that with two top 10s in 2024 and leading 21 laps last week, he can find speed in the No. 51 Ford.

MORE: How to get notified for 2025 schedule release 

RACING INSIGHTS’ PROJECTIONS FOR THE COOK OUT SOUTHERN 500

Racing Insights’ advanced statistical formula includes current track, current track type, recent performance, team data and pit-crew data to arrive at a projected winner and full race results. Updated Sept. 1.

FinishCar NumberDriver
145Tyler Reddick
25Kyle Larson
312Ryan Blaney
411Denny Hamlin
524William Byron
66Brad Keselowski
720Christopher Bell
89Chase Elliott
923Bubba Wallace
1017Chris Buescher
1119Martin Truex Jr.
1222Joey Logano
1354Ty Gibbs
141Ross Chastain
154Josh Berry
168Kyle Busch
1748Alex Bowman
1877Carson Hocevar
192Austin Cindric
2010Noah Gragson
2114Chase Briscoe
2234Michael McDowell
2351Justin Haley
2499Daniel Suárez
2538Todd Gilliland
2643Erik Jones
273Austin Dillon
287Corey LaJoie
2941Ryan Preece
3047Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
3121Harrison Burton
3271Zane Smith
3331Daniel Hemric
3442John H. Nemechek
3515Kaz Grala
3616Shane van Gisbergen
3766Timmy Hill
Posted on by Tadd Haislop

OSWEGO, N.Y. — Patrick Emerling’s victory Saturday night in the Toyota Mod Classic 150 at New York’s Oswego Speedway was not as dominant as the win he secured a few weeks ago at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park.

The rest of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour field, though, couldn’t tell much of a difference.

The 31-year-old from nearby Orchard Park, New York took the lead on a power move as the race reached its halfway point, and despite multiple restarts and challenges from eventual runner-up Matt Hirschman, Emerling powered to the checkered flag with a strong No. 1 Modified. He did so after leading every lap of the Aug. 14 running of the Thompson 150.

Unofficially, Emerling’s second consecutive Modified Tour win brings him within 24 points of leader Justin Bonsignore in the championship battle. He’s just 19 points behind second-place Ron Silk, joining both as multi-time race winners on the Modified Tour in 2024.

RELATED: Complete results from Oswego

“The 60 was really fast; he’s super hard to beat here,” Emerling said of Hirschman. “Really solid pit stop, and we did a little dicing on that start there to get us the lead. And then we had the car.

“We’re coming on strong as a team. We’re showing up with incredible race cars week in and week out. We just have to continue doing what we’re doing.”

The aforementioned pit cycle during a caution just before the race’s halfway point shook up the front of the field. To that point, Hirschman, who was fastest in practice and qualified on the pole, had led every lap as the clear driver to beat.

A slower stop, however, pushed Hirschman back to fifth place for the restart. Tim Connolly stayed out to assume the lead, and the presence of the No. 4 Mystic Missile at the front of the field was a major factor in how the proceeding laps developed.

Connolly’s slower car caused a bit of a jam on the restart, and Emerling dove to the inside of Connolly to take the lead before Bonsignore had a chance to do so up top.

From there, Emerling never looked back.

“Unfortunately for us, [Connolly] stayed out on old tires,” Bonsignore said. “Crept into the box and shuffled us out there, and Patrick got the lead. I think if I could have gotten the lead, maybe I would have had the track position to hold them off. Our car was really good the last 25 laps or so.”

Hirschman felt satisfied with his run despite the sting of a runner-up finish. Sometimes, he noted, others are just as quick.

“It was a real good day; the only place we got passed all day was the pits, so we lost a few there,” Hirschman said. “The 1 and us were just so close to identical in lap times. There were times when he was a few hundredths better and he opened a little lead, and there was a time when I was a few hundredths better. Two cars were just that close.

“We had the advantage early being out front. He had the advantage after halfway being out front.”

Silk finished fourth, one spot behind Bonsignore as the two continue a championship battle that now includes Emerling.

Austin Beers rebounded from an early pit stop and worked his way back through the field to finish fifth.

Jacob Lutz, Tommy Catalano, Kyle Bonsignore, Craig Lutz and Tyler Rypkema finished sixth through 10th, respectively.

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour drivers and teams get a couple weeks off before they return to action Sept. 14 at New York’s Riverhead Raceway on Long Island. The Eddie Partridge 256 is scheduled to start at 8 p.m. ET. FloRacing will provide live coverage.

Posted on by Staff Report

Toyota Mod Classic 150

Oswego Speedway

  • Qualifying results
Pos. No. Driver Sponsor Best Time Best Speed
1 60 Matt Hirschmann Elite 17.559 128.139
2 46 Craig Lutz Riverhead Building Supply 17.679 127.27
3 1 Patrick Emerling Fleetworks Inc 17.728 126.918
4 51 Justin Bonsignore Phoenix Communications, Inc. 17.8 126.404
5 22 Kyle Bonsignore Chalew Performance/MTT/Munns Auto 17.807 126.355
6 64 Austin Beers G&G Electrical Supply/Dell Electric/Lumiere Electrical 17.82 126.263
7 3 Bobby Santos, III USNE 17.838 126.135
8 16 Ron Silk Blue Mountain Machine/Future Homes 17.89 125.769
9 56 Trevor Catalano* Catalano Motorsports 17.902 125.684
10 54 Tommy Catalano Catalano Motorsports 17.932 125.474
11 32 Tyler Rypkema Musco Lighting/Northeast Drilling 17.967 125.23
12 82 Woody Pitkat Horton Avenue Materials/Gunsmoke Stables Racing 17.993 125.049
13 84 Tyler Catalano* Catalano Motorsports 18.059 124.592
14 14 Jacob Lutz* Advantage Trucks/Anastasi Trucking/Anastasi Trucking 18.077 124.468
15 0 Andy Jankowiak Spafco Race Chassis/BNP Machine 18.264 123.193
16 4 Tim Connolly Connolly Companies, LLC 18.295 122.984
17 24 Andrew Krause Supreme Manufacturing 18.375 122.449
18 18 Ken Heagy Buoy One Seafood & Restaurant 18.705 120.289
19 10 Bob Reis* IronListing.com/B.R. Machineworks 18.93 118.859
20 1 Melissa Fifield Pine Knoll Auto Sales 20.55 109.489

 

Posted on by Staff Report

DARLINGTON, S.C. — Another NASCAR Xfinity Series race that was seemingly in Sheldon Creed’s grasp wriggled free again Saturday at Darlington Raceway. If there was some odd form of consolation for the 26-year-old driver, he at least didn’t add to his distinctive record of runner-up placements without a win.

“I’m glad I didn’t run second again,” Creed said. “At this point, I’ll run third before I run second.”

Creed led 30 of the 150 laps in Saturday’s Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help A Hero 200, falling short after a slightly slower stop in the final pit cycle dropped him from the lead to third place in the order. That’s where he finished in the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, behind Cup Series regular and race winner Christopher Bell and runner-up Cole Custer, who nearly tangled with Bell in their heated contest for the lead with a lap and a half remaining.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos: Darlington

Creed’s 93rd career start in the Xfinity Series seemed to be headed for a breakthrough, especially after he methodically chased down Bell’s No. 20 JGR Supra to grab the lead with nine laps left in regulation. A late caution flag, however, tilted the race’s complexion after AJ Allmendinger crunched the outside retaining wall on Lap 143, one lap after contact with Custer.

That yellow flag set up overtime and a last round of pit service. Creed entered pit road with the lead, but left third after a slight lag on the right-rear tire change, landing him on the second row for the last restart.

“I was optimistic at first, right?” said Creed, a two-time Darlington winner in Truck Series competition. “My pit crew had been really good all day, and I just figured we would come in first and leave first, and I needed to at least probably be on the front row for a green-white-checkered like that. … I don’t know. I’m obviously really bummed because today was our day, and I felt like I put in one of my best performances, and yeah, to have a caution like that ruin it, it sucks.”

Bright spots persisted for the No. 18 team, even with the heartache of Saturday’s Darlington finish. Creed added to his series-best mark with his 10th top-five finish of the year, and the No. 18 pit crew had registered two of the three fastest times on pit road before the fateful final stop.

“I think just we are going to hang our hats on how fast we were the whole race, that we got better throughout the day,” No. 18 crew chief Sam McAulay told NASCAR.com. “Stage 3, clearly the best car, and Sheldon did a great job, passed the 20 really well. I mean, I think the pit crew on average for the day is still like probably P1, P2. They’ve been great. That’s just part of it, when you get a late caution like that. But I mean, we just have to keep putting ourselves in the top five. … We keep doing that, keep bringing good cars, I know it’s coming soon, but it definitely stings to have a car pulling away and then finish third, but it’s part of racing.”

The collision between the two front-runners in Bell and Custer was almost the flashpoint that could have opened the door for Creed. Bell said post-race that he thought his car was about to nose into the inside wall after the two came together, but both he and Custer straightened it out to stay 1-2.

“It was just really tight racing,” said Custer, who leaves Darlington second in the series standings — 28 points behind Justin Allgaier, Saturday’s 10th-place finisher. “It is always fun to race with Christopher. We were both just trying to stay in the throttle off of Turn 2. I couldn’t tell if he came down or I came up a little bit. It was a hard decision to make because he was coming down and I didn’t know if I should lift or stay in it and let him wreck himself. I think if I had stayed in it, I would have wrecked myself. It was a great race by everyone on our team. To come from 21st to second is a huge accomplishment. I can’t thank everyone enough, especially the pit crew. The pit crew did a great job.”

Posted on by Staff Report

Toyota Mod Classic 150

Oswego Speedway

  • Practice results
Pos. No. Driver Sponsor Best Time Best Speed In Lap Laps Diff.
1 60 Matt Hirschmann Elite 17.551 128.198 13 16  .
2 1 Patrick Emerling Fleetworks Inc 17.666 127.363 12 12 0.115
3 46 Craig Lutz Riverhead Building Supply 17.701 127.111 15 16 0.15
4 51 Justin Bonsignore Phoenix Communications, Inc. 17.735 126.868 12 24 0.184
5 22 Kyle Bonsignore Chalew Performance/MTT/Munns Auto 17.759 126.696 12 15 0.208
6 64 Austin Beers G&G Electrical Supply/Dell Electric/Lumiere Electrical 17.762 126.675 21 21 0.211
7 16 Ron Silk Blue Mountain Machine/Future Homes 17.821 126.256 17 17 0.27
8 3 Bobby Santos, III USNE 17.833 126.171 16 17 0.282
9 56 Trevor Catalano* Catalano Motorsports 17.907 125.649 11 11 0.356
10 84 Tyler Catalano* Catalano Motorsports 17.934 125.46 18 18 0.383
11 54 Tommy Catalano Catalano Motorsports 17.951 125.341 7 7 0.4
12 32 Tyler Rypkema Musco Lighting/Northeast Drilling 17.984 125.111 19 20 0.433
13 82 Woody Pitkat Horton Avenue Materials/Gunsmoke Stables Racing 17.995 125.035 11 13 0.444
14 24 Andrew Krause Supreme Manufacturing 18.028 124.806 23 24 0.477
15 4 Tim Connolly Connolly Companies, LLC 18.062 124.571 19 20 0.511
16 00 Andy Jankowiak Spafco Race Chassis/BNP Machine 18.17 123.83 15 17 0.619
17 18 Ken Heagy Buoy One Seafood & Restaurant 18.517 121.51 7 7 0.966
18 14 Jacob Lutz* Advantage Trucks/Anastasi Trucking/Anastasi Trucking 18.562 121.215 4 6 1.011
19 10 Bob Reis* IronListing.com/B.R. Machineworks 18.599 120.974 12 13 1.048
20 01 Melissa Fifield Pine Knoll Auto Sales 20.279 110.952 16 18 2.728

 

Posted on by Reid Spencer

DARLINGTON, S.C. — Christopher Bell survived a near-disaster with Cole Custer on the first lap of overtime and held on to win Saturday’s Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help a Hero 200 over Custer and snakebit Sheldon Creed.

During a green-flag run that started on lap 97 of 150, Creed caught and passed Bell for the lead on Lap 139 and was poised to claim his first NASCAR Xfinity Series victory after a record 11 runner-up finishes in the series.

But Kaulig Racing’s AJ Allmendinger slapped the outside wall on Lap 143, causing the sixth caution of the afternoon, and Creed lost the top spot with a slow 15-second stop on pit road, thanks to issues with the right-rear tire.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos: Darlington

Creed restarted third behind Bell in the outside lane. Contact between the cars of Bell and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Custer on the backstretch got both cars out of shape below the normal racing line, but the drivers recovered and held their positions.

“That was wild, for sure,” said Bell, who started from the pole and led 108 laps. “I thought I was headed nose-first into the inside wall… It’s a tough race track, and off of (Turn) 2, whether you’re on the bottom of the top, it flushes you to the wall, and then you kind of get a little bit of a wiggle coming down.

“Once again, I feel terrible for Sheldon, to essentially win the race on the long run there and then lose it on pit road. It’s a big bummer … It seemed like our car was really good on the short runs. Obviously, the 18, Sheldon, was really good on the long runs.

“Unfortunately for him, the race played out differently, and fortunately for us, we got another shot at it.”

The victory was Bell’s second of the season in as many starts, with the first victory having come at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in June. But Bell’s triumph came at the expense of his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate.

As expected, Creed was disconsolate as he reflected on the race that got away.

“I lost one the same way a few years ago here,” lamented Creed, who led 30 laps and was pulling away from Bell before the final caution. “This has been a really good place for me. I’ve always loved racing here. Man, I don’t know if we could be any better than that.

“I felt like I put in one of my best performances today … Man, it’s a bummer. I’m so proud of everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing on this 18 team. I took a chance on myself and brought all the money we could. I’m literally not even making a dollar this year.”

Creed will leave Joe Gibbs Racing to drive a Ford for the Haas Factory Team next year.

NASCAR Cup Series driver Chase Elliott finished fourth, followed by Sammy Smith, who leap-frogged Ryan Sieg into the final playoff-eligible position on points. Smith leads Sieg by 10 points with three races left in the Xfinity regular season.

Jesse Love, Shane van Gisbergen, Chandler Smith, Austin Hill and Justin Allgaier completed the top 10.

Creed did pick up his first stage win of the season, beating Bell to the finish line in Stage 2. Bell won the opening 45-lap stage over Hill.

MORE: Xfinity Series standings | Xfinity Series schedule

The Xfinity Series returns to action Saturday at Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Focused Health 250 at 3 p.m. ET (USA Network, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).

NOTE: Post-race inspection in the Xfinity Series garage at Darlington concluded without issue, confirming Bell as the race winner.

Contributing: Staff report

Posted on by Reid Spencer

There’s light at the end of the tunnel for impending free agent Harrison Burton, after last Saturday’s dramatic victory at Daytona International Speedway launched him into the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.

Burton won’t return to the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford in 2025, but delivering the 100th win for the venerable racing team has stimulated interest in the 23-year-old driver from other quarters.

RELATED: Milestone win for Burton, Wood Brothers | At-track photos: Darlington

Though Burton can’t be specific at this point, he is optimistic about his future.

“I think I’ll be a race car driver next year, so that’s great,” Burton said Wednesday during a celebration of the victory at the Wood Brothers shop in Mooresville, North Carolina. “I don’t know where exactly, or what series — I don’t know. I think it’s all fluid.

“I feel like (I’m getting) close to where I feel good about a couple things. I feel like I’m in a place now where the places I’m going to go in the future want me and genuinely want me as a race car driver to go and help them try to win races.”

Burton passed Kyle Busch for the lead on the final lap at Daytona and won the Coke Zero Sugar 400 by 0.047 seconds. He has mixed feelings about watching the video of the final two overtime laps.

“Not a ton, honestly, mostly ‘cause I hate the way my voice sounds on my radio when I scream,” Burton said when asked how many times he had watched the replay. “I don’t know why — it just bothers me …

“(Broadcaster) Leigh Diffey had a pretty awesome call of it. He’s like setting up the Kyle Busch story, ‘He hasn’t won since 2008,’ and then it’s like, ‘Here comes Harrison Burton out of nowhere.’ That was cool.”

MORE: Cup Series standings | Key players in Silly Season 2024-25

In the booth with Diffey was Burton’s father, serving as a race analyst for NBC Sports.

“I did like to listen a few times to see what my dad said, and he was pretty quiet up there, which is typical of my dad in the booth whenever I’m racing,” Harrison Burton said. “He tries very hard to be unbiased.

“Then I see the video of him muting his mic and almost punching Leigh Diffey, fist-pumping.”