Posted on by Pat DeCola

Here’s what’s happening in the world of NASCAR with Richmond in the rearview and Michigan (Mon., 11 a.m. ET, USA) up next.

THE LINEUP ️

1️⃣ Does Austin Dillon still have realistic path to playoffs?

2️⃣ Could we see another surprise at Michigan?

3️⃣ Around the Track: Manufacturer pride on line at Michigan

4️⃣ Will Martin finally make it happen at Michigan?

5️⃣ Catch the pack — news and notes from around the garage

austin dillon does a burnout
Logan Whitton | Getty Images

1. Does Austin Dillon still have a realistic path to playoffs?

Despite sinking back to sub-30th in the standings, there’s still a chance we see No. 3 in the 2024 NASCAR Playoffs.

Who would’ve thought the most controversial victory in the history of the No. 3 Chevrolet would be with Austin Dillon behind the wheel?

The now five-time Cup Series winner stirred up controversy following his aggressively dramatic victory at Richmond Raceway this past Sunday. What could have been a crowning achievement and a wholly unexpected playoff surprise quickly morphed into a contentious debate before NASCAR officials ruled Wednesday that Dillon was ineligible for the playoffs based on the Richmond result.

RELATED: Dillon dropped from Cup Series Playoffs | Sawyer explains decison

With four playoff spots back on the table, it begs the question — will Dillon find his way back into one of them?

With just three regular-season races left — Michigan, Daytona and Darlington — No. 3’s path to the playoffs becomes a high-stakes chess match, now with a target on his back after drawing the ire of Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano and beyond (even 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick showed Dillon, his former teammate, displeasure on the cooldown lap.)

First up is Monday’s race at Michigan (11 a.m. ET, USA Network, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App), a 2-mile oval where Dillon has had moderate success. The larger tracks on the circuit have tended to be his bread-and-butter at times, and five top 10s in the Irish Hills are tied for fourth-most at any track for him, with a pair of top-fives tied for third on his career resume. A 2018 trip there in the Xfinity Series resulted in a visit to Victory Lane, so it’s possible he once again flips the playoffs and wins Monday.

Daytona comes the week after, a track known for its unpredictability and the potential for surprise winners — only Dillon wouldn’t be a surprise winner if he takes the checkered flag there. The 2018 Daytona 500 winner is not only a threat every time the series heads to a superspeedway, but he’s also won this race before in a similar position — from below the elimination line to propel himself into the 2022 playoffs.

That win at Daytona came when he was 262 points below the bubble, the largest deficit overcome in history, save for Kyle Busch’s 2015 playoff entrance when he was 327 points out after missing the first 11 races due to injury.

(Worth noting — Dillon was 265 points below the elimination line heading into Richmond.)

If we make it to the regular-season finale at Darlington and Dillon failed to clinch at the previous two races, that might just about do it for his postseason chances, however. We’ve seen unsung winners at “The Track Too Tough to Tame,” but the No. 3 driver has plenty of history at the track and has never led a single lap in 16 starts. That said, a 2020 runner-up suggests he can at least find the front of the field … but this is a driver that mostly hasn’t sniffed the lead all year, with his 35 circuits out front at Richmond being his first laps led all season.

ryan blaney and joey logano share a laugh
Jonathan Bachman | Getty Images

2. Could we see another surprise at Michigan?

With manufacturer emphasis and bragging rights at stake, along with a potential playoff spot, the 2-mile track could see drama of its own.

And now to shift gears — because, amazingly, we’re just a few days away from Michigan potentially slotting in another surprise playoff contender or more drama bubbling to the surface as the postseason pressure mounts.

Michigan doesn’t scream “wild-card race” — but ask yourself, before last weekend, did Richmond?

MORE: Analysis: Playoff picture altered again after Richmond penalties

Regardless of Dillon’s eventual playoff-berth revocation, he still had a fast car all weekend, seemingly out of nowhere relative to the rest of the season, and it’s possible another dark-horse team spent its two-week Olympic break focusing on Michigan.

Ford has been the manufacturer to beat at Michigan, having won the last nine races there, five of which have come at the hands of now-retired Kevin Harvick. His former team Stewart-Haas Racing, with four Ford drivers in its stable itching to make the playoffs, likely has this race circled on the proverbial shop calendar and could be competitive despite a disappointing season to date.

However, only one of the last 11 Michigan races was won by a driver securing his first victory of the season, so a surprise winner might not be likely.

The lengthy Ford streak is also the longest ever by a single make at Michigan, and the significance of the Heritage Trophy, awarded to the winning manufacturer, is not lost on blue-oval drivers. Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney emphasized the importance of keeping the trophy in the Motor City.

“We take a lot of pride in that trophy, the Heritage Trophy, and obviously Ford from being right there, it’s really important,” the reigning champ said recently. “Edsel (Ford II) definitely makes sure that we know that it is important that we keep that there in Detroit at their home base. I was fortunate enough to win there a few years ago (2021) and have Edsel there and see that excitement in him, so yeah, it’d be important to keep the streak going. Hopefully we can at least make a run at it and keep that trophy where it belongs.”

Toyota-backed Joe Gibbs Racing finds itself in an unusual position at Michigan. Despite winning the last five stages at this track, JGR has been winless in the last 13 Michigan races, with 91 wins on 23 different tracks since its last victory in the Irish Hills. Martin Truex Jr. is still in need of clinching his playoff berth, and it’s possible it finally happens this weekend, along with his first career Michigan win — more on him below.

This season has seen seven drivers end winless streaks of at least 42 races, tying the record set in 2010 and 2013, and Michigan has been a place where eight drivers have historically broken winless streaks of at least 41 races.

If your ears are ringing right now, Kyle Busch, you know why.

3. Around the Track: Manufacturer pride on line at Michigan

The annual NASCAR trip to Michigan International Speedway means bragging rights are at stake in the birth state of Ford and Chevrolet.

4. Will Martin finally make it happen at Michigan?

Martin Truex Jr. needs a win badly, and owns the longest active top-10 streak at Michigan — but he’s never won there. He’s come close, though, and his runner-ups at the track have him in the history books.

Most runner-up finishes at a track without a win

DriverRunner-upsTrack
Mark Martin7Pocono
Bobby Allison6Martinsville
Harry Gant5Rockingham
Terry Labonte5Daytona
Martin Truex Jr.4Michigan
Marvin Panch4Martinsville
Benny Parsons4Martinsville
Ricky Rudd4Bristol
Matt Kenseth4 Indianapolis

5. Catch the pack — news and notes from around the garage

Power Rankings: Might Austin Dillon win again before playoffs?

Joey Logano penalized after pit-road incident at Richmond

Richard Childress Racing to appeal Richmond penalties

Paint Scheme Preview: Michigan

NASCAR betting: 2024 Michigan race odds

Erik Jones set for 2025 return to Legacy Motor Club

Irate Joey Logano lambastes Austin Dillon’s last lap: ‘It’s a bunch of BS’

Dillon, Richard Childress defend Richmond ruckus: ‘When given that shot, you just got to take it’

@nascarcasm: Fake texts to Richmond 2024 winner Austin Dillon

How to get notified for 2025 schedule release

Suárez, Trackhouse make most of tire options, shake up strategy for Richmond top 10

First look: Chase Elliott’s DESI9N TO DRIVE paint scheme for Atlanta

Updated championship odds following Richmond

signage at michigan international speedway
Getty Images
Posted on by Staff Report

Kaulig Racing announced Thursday that AJ Allmendinger will return to the NASCAR Cup Series next season, tapping him for full-time driving duties.

Allmendinger currently drives in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, where he’s competed full-time for the Matt Kaulig-owned operation in three of the last four seasons. The 42-year-old veteran has also piloted Kaulig’s No. 16 in 10 Cup Series races this year, splitting time with a host other of drivers — Ty Dillon, Derek Kraus, Shane van Gisbergen and Josh Williams.

MORE: Key players in 2024-25 Silly Season

Allmendinger has driven for the Kaulig organization since 2019, when he signed on for five Xfinity Series races. That stint included his first NASCAR national-series victory in nearly five years, and Allmendinger’s workload increased to full-time duties in 2021.

His victory total has also grown. Two of his three career triumphs in the NASCAR Cup Series have come during his time with Kaulig, and his Xfinity Series win count now stands at 17 — with 15 of those achieved in the last five-plus seasons.

Kaulig ventured into the Cup Series in 2020 with a one-off Daytona 500 effort for Justin Haley, but quickly grew to be a full-time Cup operation two years later by fielding two full-time, chartered cars. Allmendinger returned to Cup full-time in 2023, producing his most recent win at the Charlotte Motor Speedway oval and road-course layout, before returning to Xfinity on a full-time basis this season.

Allmendinger currently ranks sixth in the Xfinity Series standings, with three top-five finishes in 20 starts. He is slated for double duty this weekend at Michigan International Speedway, where he’ll drive the No. 16 Chevy in Saturday’s Xfinity Series Cabo Wabo 250 (3:30 p.m. ET) and Monday’s Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 (11 a.m. ET), both races broadcast on USA Network, NBC Sports App, MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Posted on by Holly Cain

After an extra off week, the NASCAR Xfinity Series returns to competition this weekend at Michigan International Speedway in Saturday’s Cabo Wabo 250 (3:30 p.m. ET, USA, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).

It’s been a good stretch for the Stewart-Haas Racing duo of championship points leader Cole Custer, who won at Pocono Raceway, and his teammate Riley Herbst, who won at Indianapolis — the last two races before the break.

MORE: Full Michigan schedule | Xfinity Series standings

Custer’s victory and a season of solid finishes have separated him among the top four in regular season championship contention. He holds a 56-point edge over JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier, an 87-point advantage over Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Hill and a 100-point gap over Joe Gibbs Racing’s Chandler Smith — the top of the standings offering a diverse representation of teams.

Kaulig Racing’s AJ Allmendinger is the only current Xfinity Series championship contender with a win at the 2-mile Michigan track — claiming the 2021 trophy by a slight .163-second over Brandon Jones, then with JGR, now with JR Motorsports. Allmendinger has that victory and a seventh-place finish in his two Xfinity Series starts at the track. He’s yet to win a race in 2024 but is the highest-ranked driver (ninth) without a victory.

Eight drivers have earned race victories to clinch a position in the 12-driver playoffs, with six races still remaining in the regular season. New Zealander Shane van Gisbergen leads the playoff standings, with the Kaulig Racing driver boasting a series-best three wins. Hill, Chandler Smith and JRM’s Sam Mayer have a pair of wins. Custer, Allgaier, Herbst and rookie Jesse Love round out the list of winners.

Allmendinger, Sheldon Creed, Parker Kligerman and Ryan Sieg currently hold the final playoff positions based on points. Sieg is only three points up on Sammy Smith, however, for that final transfer position with Jones next, 69 points below the elimination line.

Defending race winner John Hunter Nemechek is entered this week, driving the No. 20 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. Daniel Dye, who just qualified for the Craftsman Truck Series Playoffs last weekend, will drive the No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet. Young standout Carson Kvapil will be in the JR Motorsports No. 88 Chevrolet.

Practice is at 3:30 p.m. ET Friday, followed by qualifying at 4:10 p.m. ET. Both sessions will air live on NBC Sports App.

Posted on by Zack Albert

Most everyone — fans, industry experts and pundits included — has joined a chorus this week in asking where “the line” is and wondering whether Austin Dillon’s last-lap actions Sunday at Richmond Raceway crossed it. If only the line were as simple and plain as a painted marker on a race track.

The ruling issued Wednesday by NASCAR officials made it clearer what won’t be tolerated.

Dillon straddled the line that separates aggressive and boorish on-track behavior for three days before Wednesday’s penalty report went live, and three days after he bulled his No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet through fellow contenders Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin to score his first Cup Series win in nearly two years. Elton Sawyer, NASCAR’s senior VP of competition, indicated to reporters in the hours after Sunday’s race that Dillon’s actions had inched up to the line of what was acceptable.

By Wednesday, after a thorough review of data, video and audio footage, Sawyer and the rest of the competition team determined Dillon’s maneuvers overstepped the line of natural, hard-nosed racing. The checkered flag and trophy remained with Dillon and the No. 3 team, but gone were their eligibility for the Cup Series Playoffs and 25 points in the season-long standings.

RELATED: Austin Dillon out of playoffs | Postseason picture shifts

Hamlin was in prime position to add his fourth win of the year Sunday night, and his post-race remarks matched Logano’s in spirit and in tone. In that three-day interim between the finish and the penalty, Hamlin offered a rhetorical example on his podcast on what could happen if Dillon’s ploy was ultimately considered above board: If he reached the Championship 4, what would prevent him from intentionally crashing the other three title contenders to win the Cup Series crown?

The overall discussion has spawned a series of hypothetical scenarios in its wake, but Sawyer says “the line” on those judgment calls is more defined than it was last weekend and that driver desperation has its limits.

“I believe if you walk through that garage this weekend and you look at those guys, they know where the line is,” Sawyer said. “I promise you, as a race-car driver, they know where the line is. They’ve done this a long time. It’s been a few years since I did it, but I promise you, I knew where the line was. Hard NASCAR racing, a little bump, little tire mark, moving a guy up out of the groove to win a race, we’ve done that for years. What happened on Sunday night crossed the line, and it was the totality. Again, I use that word, but that’s the way we looked at it.”

Sawyer wasn’t referring to this year’s solar eclipse, but Dillon’s zone of totality included the full “body of work” of his tactics through Turns 3 and 4. Not one single aspect of the No. 3 driver’s final-corner “Hail Mary” moves set off the alarm bells. All of it did.

It was a lot to digest, and though Sawyer apologized for the delay in announcing the official decision, he also made it clear that the process was — borrowing a baseball umpire’s terminology here — not a bang-bang call. Dillon delivered his own double-bang to clean out Logano and Hamlin at Richmond, and that prompted a comprehensive review and deliberation.

“Ultimately we would like to, and we will get to a place where we’re making this more ‘on the spot,’ if you will,” Sawyer said. “Again, we want to make sure, the most important thing in these decisions is to get it right, and to make a split-second decision and it be wrong, that would be bad on our part.”

The only time in not-so-recent memory that an official reversal of the race’s outcome occurred during the event because of rough driving came in 1991, when Ricky Rudd was penalized for bumping Davey Allison aside on the next-to-last lap at Sonoma Raceway. NASCAR officials had a full lap of Sonoma to mull it over, and Rudd was shown the black flag his next time by. The checkered flag instead waved over Allison.

That long-ago ruling remains a polarizing anomaly to the normal cadence of late-race procedures — crossing the line, to use the current framing. Sunday’s finish was every bit as polarizing, but at least the “win at all costs” mindset now comes with a potential price.

Posted on by Brandon White

THOMPSON, Conn. — Patrick Emerling delivered team owner Rich Gautreau his first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victory in perfect fashion Wednesday night.

Emerling was not only fastest in both practice and qualifying aboard Gautreau’s No. 1 Fleetworks Inc. Modified at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, he also led every lap of the Thompson 150 presented by FloSports.com to earn his first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victory in nearly three years.

The win by Emerling makes him the seventh consecutive different winner in NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour competition in as many events.

RELATED: Complete results from Thompson 150 pres. by FloSports.com

Emerling believed a victory was inevitable based on the consistency they’d displayed leading into Wednesday’s race, but he admitted he was pleasantly surprised with the team’s performance Wednesday evening.

“We’ve had a dominant car the last three races and we’ve been building momentum,” Emerling said. “This is our first year racing as a team and we executed pretty well at [Thompson]. That was probably the fastest car I’ve ever driven in my life and it’s awesome to finally get a win at Thompson.”

A lot has changed for Emerling since he earned his last NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victory at Riverhead Raceway in 2021.

Along with shifting his efforts from his family-owned operation to Gautreau’s team, Emerling has also invested copious time and energy into the NASCAR Xfinity Series. He briefly co-owned a team with Joey Gase and has competed in 14 Xfinity Series so far this season.

The accumulated track time across different disciplines provided Emerling an advantage as he prepared to tackle his first full-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season since 2021. Despite the unknowns with Gautreau’s new team, Emerling was confident they could quickly establish a rhythm.

Emerling’s first race with Gautreau resulted in a fourth-place showing at New Smyrna Speedway in February. Aside from being collected in a crash during the following race at Richmond Raceway, Emerling has finished inside the top-five in every race this year.

Three consecutive top fives entering Thompson, each an improvement over the last, only gave Emerling more confidence. With clean air and a stellar car on his side, no one in the field could match Emerling’s pace as he cruised to the most dominant victory of his NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour career.

Justin Bonsignore, who trailed Ron Silk by one point in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour standings prior to Wednesday, made a charge on Emerling during the closing laps but had to settle for second. He commended the efforts of Gautreau and Emerling for having such a dominant car, adding he needed more from his own Modified to challenge for the lead.

“[Emerling’s] car was just really good,” Bonsignore said. “Track position would have been nice if I could have gotten the lead on the start. We were starting to run him down a little bit with 15 to go, but I got stuck in lap traffic a little worse than he did and then the car gave up on the rear tires. All in all, a really good night.”

Bonsignore’s runner-up finish, combined with Silk’s seventh-place finish Wednesday, has allowed Bonsignore to lay claim to the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship lead for the first time this season. He leads Silk by four points with six races remaining in the 2024 season.

Emerling’s own consistent streak now has him on the cusp of being a title contender. While he would love to have a say over who hoists the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship trophy at Martinsville Speedway, Emerling is focused on sustainability so he, Gautreau and the rest of the team can enjoy many similar days going forward.

“We have a ton of potential,” Emerling said. “An amazing program has been put together here and I can’t be any more thankful to drive for this team. I wish Rich was here [to celebrate], but he’s back in California. We did it and [this win] is absolutely incredible.”

Craig Lutz finished third at Thompson on Wednesday evening, with Jon McKennedy and Tommy Catalano completing the top five. Matt Swanson, Silk, Austin Beers, Trevor Catalano and Eric Goodale rounded out the top-10 finishers.

NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour competitors now have two weeks to regroup ahead of the next race on the schedule, the Toyota Mod Classic 150 at New York’s Oswego Speedway. The green flag waves at 8 p.m. ET on Aug. 31, with FloRacing providing coverage of all the on-track action.

Posted on by Staff Report

Thompson 150 presented by FloSports.com

Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park

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  • Race results
Pos No. Name Sponsor Laps Diff
1 1 Patrick Emerling Fleetworks Inc 150 —
2 51 Justin Bonsignore Phoenix Communications, Inc. 150 1.766
3 46 Craig Lutz Riverhead Building Supply 150 4.323
4 79 Jonathan McKennedy Christopher’s Towing 150 7.37
5 54 Tommy Catalano Catalano Motorsports 150 8.387
6 89 Matt Swanson Cervaolos Auto/Casella Snowplows/Mully’s Auto Repair 150 10.034
7 16 Ron Silk Blue Mountain Machine/Future Homes 150 11.199
8 64 Austin Beers AP Marquadt & Sons/G&G Electrical Supply 150 18.769
9 56 Trevor Catalano* Catalano Motorsports 149 1 Lap
10 58 Eric Goodale GAF Roofing 149 1 Lap
11 24 Andrew Krause Supreme Manufacturing 149 1 Lap
12 32 Tyler Rypkema Musco Lighting/Northeast Drilling 149 1 Lap
13 19 Anthony Sesely Franzosa Trucking Co/Karchner Warehousing 149 1 Lap
14 4 Tim Connolly Connolly Companies, LLC 149 1 Lap
15 82 Woody Pitkat Horton Avenue Materials/Gunsmoke Stables Racing 148 2 Laps
16 7 Doug Coby Baldwin Automotive 148 2 Laps
17 00 Andy Jankowiak Spafco Race Chassis/BNP Machine 148 2 Laps
18 88 Roger Turbush Rheem 148 2 Laps
19 84 Tyler Catalano* Catalano Motorsports 147 3 Laps
20 18 Ken Heagy Buoy One Seafood & Restaurant 146 4 Laps
21 36 Dave Sapienza Sapienza Racing/Eastport Feed 145 5 Laps
22 60 Matt Hirschman Elite 145 5 Laps
23 21 Stephen Kopcik* Newtown Pools/Karchner Warehousing 129 21 Laps
24 22 Kyle Bonsignore Chalew Performance/MTT/Munns Auto 90 60 Laps
25 44 Chase Dowling Harshaw Paving/Olivas Market 87 63 Laps
26 3 Jake Johnson Propane Plus/Lin’s Propane Trucks 76 74 Laps

 

Posted on by Staff Report

Thompson 150 presented by FloSports.com

Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park

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  • Qualifying results
Pos No. Name Sponsor Best Tm Best Speed
1 1 Patrick Emerling Fleetworks Inc 18.867 119.256
2 46 Craig Lutz Riverhead Building Supply 19.002 118.409
3 51 Justin Bonsignore Phoenix Communications, Inc. 19.02 118.297
4 64 Austin Beers AP Marquadt & Sons/G&G Electrical Supply 19.045 118.141
5 89 Matt Swanson Cervaolos Auto/Casella Snowplows/Mully’s Auto Repair 19.051 118.104
6 19 Anthony Sesely Franzosa Trucking Co/Karchner Warehousing 19.079 117.931
7 79 Jonathan McKennedy Christopher’s Towing 19.123 117.659
8 32 Tyler Rypkema Musco Lighting/Northeast Drilling 19.136 117.579
9 60 Matt Hirschmann Elite 19.146 117.518
10 44 Chase Dowling Harshaw Paving/Olivas Market 19.15 117.493
11 54 Tommy Catalano Catalano Motorsports 19.151 117.487
12 16 Ron Silk Blue Mountain Machine/Future Homes 19.165 117.402
13 7 Doug Coby Baldwin Automotive 19.193 117.23
14 3 Jake Johnson Propane Plus/Lin’s Propane Trucks 19.204 117.163
15 21 Stephen Kopcik* Newtown Pools/Karchner Warehousing 19.289 116.647
16 22 Kyle Bonsignore Chalew Performance/MTT/Munns Auto 19.309 116.526
17 58 Eric Goodale GAF Roofing 19.354 116.255
18 24 Andrew Krause Supreme Manufacturing 19.376 116.123
19 00 Andy Jankowiak Spafco Race Chassis/BNP Machine 19.392 116.027
20 56 Trevor Catalano* Catalano Motorsports 19.461 115.616
21 36 Dave Sapienza Sapienza Racing/Eastport Feed 19.572 114.96
22 82 Woody Pitkat Horton Avenue Materials/Gunsmoke Stables Racing 19.597 114.813
23 84 Tyler Catalano* Catalano Motorsports 19.627 114.638
24 4 Tim Connolly Connolly Companies, LLC 19.727 114.057
25 88 Roger Turbush Rheem 19.787 113.711
26 18 Ken Heagy Buoy One Seafood & Restaurant 19.973 112.652

 

Posted on by Staff Report

Richard Childress Racing indicated Wednesday that it plans to appeal penalties against Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Chevrolet team after last weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway.

Dillon won Sunday’s Cook Out 400 by bumping fellow drivers Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin out of contention on the last lap of an overtime finish. NASCAR officials ruled that Dillon’s actions were significant enough to warrant a penalty; the win stood, but the eligibility for the Cup Series Playoffs that went with it was withdrawn.

RELATED: Dillon, No. 3 penalized post-Richmond | Playoff bubble shakes up

Dillon and the No. 3 RCR team were also docked 25 points in the drivers’ and owners’ standings. No. 3 team spotter Brandon Benesch was also suspended for the final three races of the regular season for his directive of “wreck him” on the team’s radio communications as Dillon battled Hamlin for the win.

“Richard Childress Racing is very disappointed in NASCAR’s penalty against the No. 3 team,” the team said in a statement on X. “We do not agree with the decision that was made and plan to appeal.”

The appeal will be heard by the National Motorsports Appeals Panel at a date to be determined.

The penalties dropped Dillon back to 31st in the Cup Series standings and removed him from the 16-driver grid for the Cup Series Playoffs. The win marked Dillon’s first in 68 races, ending a Cup Series drought of nearly two years.

Four playoff spots remain up for grabs in the final three regular-season events, starting with this Monday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 (11 a.m., USA Network, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM) at Michigan International Speedway.

Posted on by Staff Report

Thompson 150 presented by FloSports.com

Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park

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  • Practice results
Pos No. Name Sponsor Best Tm Best Speed In Lap Laps Diff
1 1 Patrick Emerling Fleetworks Inc 19.012 118.346 36 37
2 79 Jonathan McKennedy Christopher’s Towing 19.052 118.098 4 11 0.04
3 44 Chase Dowling Harshaw Paving/Olivas Market 19.079 117.931 14 29 0.067
4 89 Matt Swanson Cervaolos Auto/Casella Snowplows/Mully’s Auto Repair 19.088 117.875 22 30 0.076
5 19 Anthony Sesely Franzosa Trucking Co/Karchner Warehousing 19.14 117.555 24 26 0.128
6 16 Ron Silk Blue Mountain Machine/Future Homes 19.153 117.475 26 28 0.141
7 32 Tyler Rypkema Musco Lighting/Northeast Drilling 19.163 117.414 20 29 0.151
8 46 Craig Lutz Riverhead Building Supply 19.195 117.218 11 35 0.183
9 60 Matt Hirschmann Elite 19.199 117.194 21 23 0.187
10 51 Justin Bonsignore Phoenix Communications, Inc. 19.212 117.114 28 38 0.2
11 22 Kyle Bonsignore Chalew Performance/MTT/Munns Auto 19.253 116.865 18 21 0.241
12 54 Tommy Catalano Catalano Motorsports 19.262 116.81 29 30 0.25
13 7 Doug Coby Baldwin Automotive 19.263 116.804 5 28 0.251
14 4 Tim Connolly Connolly Companies, LLC 19.283 116.683 38 40 0.271
15 21 Steven  Kopcik* Newtown Pools/Karchner Warehousing 19.285 116.671 5 39 0.273
16 58 Eric Goodale GAF Roofing 19.294 116.617 19 26 0.282
17 56 Trevor Catalano* Catalano Motorsports 19.303 116.562 3 33 0.291
18 3 Jake Johnson Propane Plus/Lin’s Propane Trucks 19.314 116.496 21 33 0.302
19 24 Andrew Krause Supreme Manufacturing 19.317 116.478 24 35 0.305
20 64 Austin Beers AP Marquadt & Sons/G&G Electrical Supply 19.387 116.057 33 36 0.375
21 00 Andy Jankowiak Spafco Race Chassis/BNP Machine 19.419 115.866 18 32 0.407
22 82 Woody Pitkat Horton Avenue Materials/Gunsmoke Stables Racing 19.569 114.978 7 24 0.557
23 88 Roger Turbush Rheem 19.584 114.89 23 42 0.572
24 84 Tyler Catalano* Catalano Motorsports 19.695 114.242 19 37 0.683
25 36 Dave Sapienza Sapienza Racing/Eastport Feed 19.72 114.097 8 13 0.708
26 18 Ken Heagy Buoy One Seafood & Restaurant 19.799 113.642 15 17 0.787
27 01 Melissa Fifield Farm Fueled Nutrition 21.038 106.949 23 24 2.026

 

Posted on by Zach Sturniolo

Austin Dillon’s dramatic, controversial win in the Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway was ruled to not count toward playoff eligibility, NASCAR officials announced in its penalty report on Wednesday.

Dillon — who keeps his victory but not the playoff benefits that typically come with it — indebted himself to Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin with a last-lap bulldoze and now simultaneously finds himself still searching for a postseason berth based on NASCAR’s ruling.

Here’s how Wednesday’s news impacts the standings and other drivers jostling for postseason positioning.

WHAT IT MEANS

With Dillon’s provisional spot from the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs eradicated, 12 drivers remain locked into the postseason grid with three races remaining in the regular season.

Martin Truex Jr. (+78), Ty Gibbs (+18) and Bubba Wallace (+3) remain above the current elimination line, but Chris Buescher now slots into the coveted 16th and final spot in the bracket. Buescher sits deadlocked in points with Ross Chastain but currently owns an advantage on the tiebreaker — which is best finish in the season, with Buescher twice a runner-up and Chastain’s season-high of fourth place.

MORE: Updated playoff standings

WHAT’S NEXT?

Dillon’s No. 3 Richard Childress Racing team said Wednesday it plans to appeal NASCAR’s ruling and has three business days to do so, setting the deadline for 5 p.m. ET on Monday. Once the appeal is filed, both NASCAR and RCR representatives will present their cases to the National Motorsports Appeals Panel on a date to be determined, when the panel will rule to either uphold, modify or rescind the penalty.

Dillon — among the 20 other eligible drivers yet to lock into the postseason — will still have opportunities to win his way into the postseason with upcoming races at Michigan International Speedway, Daytona International Speedway and Darlington Raceway to close the regular season. Dillon is a two-time winner at Daytona, including a victory in the 2018 Daytona 500, with two top-five finishes and five top-10 finishes at both Michigan and Darlington.

The problem Dillon faces is that a win remains his only path to the playoffs. After Wednesday’s 25-point penalty, the driver of the No. 3 Chevrolet sits 31st in points, far outside points contention. He also has to contend with 20 other desperate competitors just as eager to win their way forward.

RELATED: Full Cup standings

WHO IT HELPS

NASCAR’s decision to rescind the playoff-clinching benefits of Dillon’s victory provides some breathing room — though not much — to those currently surrounding the playoff bubble.

With a 78-point margin above the elimination line, Truex goes into Monday’s race at Michigan (11 a.m. ET, USA Network, NBC Sports App, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) in the most comfortable position of those without a victory yet this season.

Three races left in the regular season means three opportunities for drivers outside the 16-driver playoff grid to win their way in. That means at least one spot in the postseason will be awarded on points. Truex has earned the eighth-most points of anyone so far this year but has been ousted from title contention due to a plethora of winners before. Truex missed the final spot in the 2022 bracket by just three points to Ryan Blaney, who was the only non-winner to advance to that season’s playoffs.

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Gibbs isn’t quite comfortable yet, with an 18-point advantage worth fewer than can be earned in just two stages. But Wednesday’s decision ultimately thrusts him forward one spot closer toward his inaugural appearance in the Cup Series Playoffs, no matter how narrow the current gap is.

Wallace’s surge in the past five races have produced four top 10s, the one exception a 13th-place finish at the Chicago Street Course that theoretically should have been even better if not for contact with Alex Bowman, the eventual winner. Six weeks ago, Wallace sat 51 points outside the playoff grid. That margin is now three points to the good for the driver of the No. 23 Toyota.

Buescher and Chastain, on the other hand, don’t need to panic with just three points to gain on Wallace over the next three weeks in the current squabble for 16th on the postseason grid, but the competition remains as tight as ever.

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Chastain’s results through the summer stretch have left plenty to be desired, with just one top-five finish (fifth, Richmond) and an additional top 10 (10th, New Hampshire) over the past seven races. To be fair, Chastain did lead 45 laps at Nashville and appeared to be on the way to a second-place finish that afternoon — until an Austin Cindric spin with two laps to go in regulation set up overtime … when Chastain wound up wrecked with a 33rd-place finish instead. That alone marked a 31-point swing for the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing team.

In that same seven-race span, Buescher has only done marginally better on the results sheet with two top fives — fifth-place finishes at both New Hampshire and Nashville. The No. 17 RFK Racing team appeared quick last week at Richmond, qualifying inside the top 10 and netting points at the end of Stage 1, but a pit-road error cost them a lap and ultimately produced an 18th-place finish.

The net result of Richmond, however, gives everyone at least one more spot for which to fight over the next three weeks.