Posted on by Holly Cain

LOUDON, N.H. — Christopher Bell kept it dramatic at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Saturday afternoon, relying on a last-lap pass in overtime to claim the SciAps 200 victory — giving him a perfect 4-for-4 record in NASCAR Xfinity Series races at the 1.058-mile track.

Bell’s No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota pulled off a daring three-wide move with two corners to go and ultimately drove away to a 0.254-second win over teammate Sheldon Creed. The runner-up showing for the Xfinity Series championship contender Creed was the 10th of his career, tying him with NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett and former series champion Daniel Hemric for most runner-up finishes before a series win.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos

Bell, a full-time NASCAR Cup Series competitor for JGR who has already scored two wins in the sport’s premier series this year, now ties Xfinity Series regular AJ Allmendinger with four Xfinity Series wins in four starts at a single track — and is the fourth different driver to earn a victory in the No. 20 JGR Toyota this season. It is Bell’s 18th win in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, with his wins at New Hampshire arriving in 2018, ’19, ’21 and ’24.

“I was just really fortunate, that’s for sure,” said Bell of the race-winning pass on Creed. “I feel so bad for Sheldon. He’s been really, really close to winning these things and today he did everything right to win that race. He restarted in the right lane and gave Cole [Custer] a good push. And coming to the white flag, he got Cole loose and that’s what opened the door for me.

“Very fortunate to keep my undefeated streak alive,” he continued with a smile. “We got really lucky there.”

Despite the recurring near-misses, Creed offered a smile and insisted he was encouraged that a win was close.

“I don’t know, running out of ways to lose them,” Creed said, mustering a smile before adding, “I can think of a million things I could do, that is not a stat I wanted to tie, 10 seconds before a win. … But overall, a great day and proud of everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing. Been in the hunt the past four weeks so just going to keep working hard at it.”

Stewart-Haas Racing’s Custer led the most laps on the day — 114 of the 203 total — and finished third despite having the lead on that final overtime restart. The result was tough to take, but big picture, it was still good enough to keep him in the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship lead by 15 points over JGR’s Chandler Smith, who finished 15th.

While the reigning series champion Custer was out front for much of the overcast New England day — he was forced to hold off the field in four restarts in the final 22 laps hoping to claim that first victory of the season. He leaves without a trophy, but won his third stage of the season and maintains the championship advantage.

“I would have done the same thing, you know, you’re racing for the win, it is what it is,” Custer said of the tight racing between him and Creed competing for the win on the final lap. “Man, it just stings. I felt like we had the best car of the day. And that’s not easy to do at these flat short tracks. Our guys brought such a fast car. But you get put in those late-race restarts, eventually it’s probably not going to go your way. But I’m gonna re-live what I could have done.

“Just gotta keep digging,” he continued. “We’ve got the points lead, just gotta keep knocking on the door.”

JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier rallied to finish fourth with his teammate, 21-year-old rookie Carson Kvapil, rounding out the top five. Kvapil led 24 laps and used pit strategy to run among the front-runners late in the race, which featured 15 lead changes among 10 drivers.

MORE: Weekend schedule: New Hampshire

Ryan Sieg, Parker Kligerman, Riley Herbst, Alex Bowman and Cory Heim rounded out the top 10 with season-long title contenders Smith finishing 15th and Austin Hill, 25th — both being involved in incidents.

Justin Bonsignore finished 23rd in his series debut, but that finishing position was not indicative of his afternoon work. He won his third NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race at New Hampshire on Saturday morning and then impressively ran among the top five in the Xfinity Series all afternoon — making a bold outside pass at one point early in the race to get into the top five after starting 25th in the 38-car field.

He was ultimately collected in a late-race incident that diminished his finish, but he still climbed out of his No. 19 JGR Toyota feeling rightly encouraged — his Modified team trackside cheering him on.

“Just really good pace and unfortunate we got turned around here,” Bonsignore said. “We had good pace all day long and just wished it would have stayed green there [at the end]. We were fifth and right there with Sheldon. It’s tough. These late-race restarts bunch everyone up, but all in all it was a great experience. … Hopefully we can put something together and do some more.”

The race began on Goodyear’s wet-weather tires — a first for the Xfinity Series on an oval — after a lingering shower soaked the track nearly an hour before the scheduled green flag. After some rapid drying in the opening 10-lap run, teams pitted under a yellow flag for dry-weather slicks.

The Xfinity Series’ next race is the Tennessee Lottery 250, scheduled next Saturday at Nashville Superspeedway (5 p.m. ET, USA Network, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).

NOTE: Post-race inspection was completed in the Xfinity Series garage, confirming Christopher Bell as the winner. The No. 38 of Matt DiBenedetto was disqualified due to three lug nuts loose on the right rear of the car.

Contributing: Staff reports

Posted on by Cameron Richardson

USA Today 301

(⏰ Sunday, 2 p.m. ET | USA Network | NBC Sports App | PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Weekend schedule | TV schedule | Weather tracker | NASCAR 101

Location: Loudon, New Hampshire
Track length: 1.058 mile(s)
Race purse: $7,876,911
Race distance: 301 laps | 318.46 miles
Stages: 70 | 185 | 301
—
Starting lineup: Elliott, Blaney to lead field to green Sunday
Pit stall assignments: See where drivers will pit
Defending winner: Martin Truex Jr., July 2023 | All-time winners at New Hampshire

Key things to watch

Saturday sessions

Saturday’s qualifying session was canceled due to inclement weather, and the starting lineup was set per the NASCAR Rule Book. Chase Elliott will lead the field to green for Sunday’s race, with Iowa race winner Ryan Blaney starting on the front row alongside Elliott. Defending New Hampshire winner Martin Truex Jr. will start seventh.

With a brief pause in Mother Nature’s activity in the Granite State, the Cup Series squeezed in a five-minute practice period for all 36 drivers. Carson Hocevar put down the quickest lap of 127.534 mph. Michael McDowell, Brad Keselowski, William Byron and Zane Smith made up the top five in the brief stint.  | Practice results

Big story line

Is this the toughest year to make 16-driver field in playoff era? 

While nine races still offer plenty of time for drivers near the bubble to make the 2024 postseason, it’s not about how much time is left before the checkered flag waves at the Southern 500 to close the regular season; it’s a matter of who’s fighting for said playoff spots.

Victories from Chase Elliott, Daniel Suárez and Austin Cindric this year have already guaranteed three drivers from 2023’s postseason will miss out in September. Along with Brad Keselowski’s Darlington Raceway win and Alex Bowman’s consistency to have himself 66 points above the current elimination line, the names that have murky outlooks heading into the summer are among the biggest in the sport.

Chris Buescher (+27) and Bubba Wallace (+6) currently hold the final two playoff spots. Both drivers advanced out of the Round of 16 last year, with Buescher making a run all the way to the Round of 8.

This year though, both drivers have fallen short when the opportunity has presented itself. Buescher lost out to Kyle Larson in the closest Cup finish ever at Kansas Speedway and was walled by Tyler Reddick battling for the win in the closing laps at Darlington. While Wallace hasn’t come as close to a win as Buescher this year, tracks like Charlotte Motor Speedway, Darlington and Kansas Speedway should’ve offered huge points days for the No. 23 team. However, the 30-year-old veteran only scored one top 10 at those three venues and doesn’t have favorable tracks coming up this summer.

Then, there are the two active multi-time Cup champions who are on the outside looking in. Joey Logano (-6) and Kyle Busch (-31) have had forgettable campaigns in 2024. While in contention for decent runs the last few weeks, every instance of bad luck has seemingly struck the No. 8 RCR team after wrecking at Gateway while in the top 10, getting spun while in the top five on the final lap at Sonoma Raceway and then suffering a mechanical failure while in the top 10 last Sunday at Iowa Speedway.

As for Logano, the No. 22 Team Penske stable hasn’t shown consistent speed worthy of race wins. Across the last nine races, Logano has only led a combined 53 laps. He’s also trending toward his worst average finish (17.1 this season) since 2012.

TICKETS: Don’t miss the July 7 Chicago Street Race

History tells us…

Loudon is veterans’ bread and butter. While only two races have been run at the flat, 1-mile oval in the Next Gen car, a specific trend pops out — old guys rule here.

Martin Truex Jr. has been the lead guy the past two years, leading 426 of 602 laps highlighted by his commanding triumph last season, the most recent victory for him in the Cup Series.

Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin scored top 10s in both Next Gen races along with the now-retired Kevin Harvick. The only driver that bucks the trend among longtime veterans and future Hall of Famers is Bubba Wallace, who has third and eighth-place tallies in Loudon the last two seasons.

If you are keen to leaning on drivers under 30, Chase Elliott (7.0) and Chase Briscoe (12.5) have the best average finishes of those that fit that age category.

He may not be the betting favorite to win, but watch out for…

JUSTIN HALEY. It’s not every weekend that a Rick Ware Racing driver becomes one to keep an eye on, but there’s real reason to pay attention to the No. 51 on Sunday. Recently, Haley has shown consistent top-10 speed on smaller and slower tracks. The No. 51 was among the fastest cars in the closing laps at Darlington to score a ninth-place result. Haley matched a season-best result two weeks later at Gateway. Iowa opened the door for another top 10, but the No. 51 lost spots on strategy and finished 13th. With Loudon having similar characteristics to Gateway (outside of length), don’t be surprised if you see Haley toward the top of the leaderboard during Sunday’s race. | Loudon odds

Speed reads

Our biggest pieces of the week — get covered for race day from all angles.

• Dual citizenship: Daniel Suárez sworn in as United States citizen | Read article
• Gene Haas to continue operation: Haas Factory Team to have one Cup charter, two Xfinity programs in 2025 | Read article
• Who will drive No. 19 in ’25?: Top candidates to replace Martin Truex Jr. at Joe Gibbs Racing | Read article
• A second Cup stint?: Cole Custer on future in Cup Series; lessons learned from first stint | Read article
• Mobility Pit Box: NASCAR, Toyota develop innovative pit box for individuals with mobility challenges  | Read article
• Track treble: Drivers who won at same track in all three national series | Photo gallery
• Power Rankings: Logano looking for home-cooked lobster at Loudon | Photo gallery
• Turning Point: Who else might sneak into playoffs the rest of the way? | Read article
• Racing Insights: Fourth lobster for Hamlin? See full finish projections | Read article
• Field of 16: How the projected playoff picture shakes out pre-Loudon | Read article
• 36 for 36: Check out this week’s survivor pool picks | Read article
• Fantasy Fastlane: JGR, Penske lead way at Loudon | Photo gallery
• NASCAR Classics: Revisiting New Hampshire’s best events over the years | Read article
• Paint Scheme Preview: Home-run designs in the Granite State | Pick your favorite

Fast facts ⏩

Race-relevant statistics, brought to you by the experts at Racing Insights.

• Each of the drivers to finish top six at New Hampshire last year was a Cup champion.
• Entering this weekend, Martin Truex Jr. (1,170) and Kyle Busch (1,134) could pass Jeff Gordon (1,373) for most laps led all-time at New Hampshire.
• Four of the last eight New Hampshire winners got their first win of the season.

Posted on by Pat DeCola

LOUDON, N.H. — In the days since announcing his intent to step aside from full-time racing at the end of the 2024 season, NASCAR Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr. has “heard from a lot of people,” he said Saturday morning at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, site of Sunday’s USA Today 301 (2 p.m. ET, USA Network, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.)

One of them was Denny Hamlin — but not as his longtime Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, offering his best wishes in Truex’s future endeavors. Instead, it was Denny Hamlin, 23XI Racing co-owner — offering the potential for a 2025 ride.

In the immediacy of last week’s announcement at Iowa Speedway, Hamlin was quick to tell reporters that the No. 11 driver “told (Truex) that I will have his Daytona 500 car ready immediately … tell me the word.”

Turns out, this wasn’t some off-the-cuff empty gesture like two old friends making plans to grab lunch they both know will never happen. It sounds like a reality that when NASCAR rolls into Daytona International Speedway come February 2025, there likely will be a 23XI Racing Toyota with “Truex Jr.” signed above the door.

“We just kind of started talking because he threw it out there in the media center and we’ve chatted a few times this week,” said Truex, the defending winner at New Hampshire. “A few things to figure out, but it seems like we will be able to do some races if we want, which will be awesome. Excited about that. It is really cool that Denny did that and reached out this week. It means a lot to me.”

RELATED: Truex to retire from full-time racing | MTJ through the years

There certainly are some things to figure out. The Toyota-backed, JGR-affiliated team is expected to be in conversations to expand beyond the team’s two current chartered cars — the Nos. 23 and 45 driven by Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick, respectively — with Truex’s potential addition extending above and beyond a third entry. For a team still just a handful of years into existence and already having expanded from a one-to-two-car organization, the prospect of adding another full-time ride and another part-time one beyond just the 500 is a tall task.

Whatever number of races Hamlin and Truex do decide on, the Virginia native is confident he’ll be putting a competitive ride under his longtime cohort.

“Yeah, I mean, I think that if we have those conversations, I certainly probably would like to know (how many races he wants to do), that way I can make sure I’m staffed properly and certainly anything that we did, we wouldn’t half-ass anything,” Hamlin told NASCAR.com. “I’d make sure that everything is capable of winning from top to bottom and I think he knows that.”

So if Truex is in a car that he could take to Victory Lane — and we know he and Hamlin work well together at Daytona; the duo finished 1-2 in Hamlin’s 2016 “Great American Race” win — what happens if the New Jersey native finally cracks the code and claims his first Harley J. Earl trophy after 20 years of trying, 20 years of frustration?

Could we see Truex renege on his commitment to walk away from full-time racing and attempt to chase his second championship?

“I don’t think you’ll talk (him into it). I don’t think you back that train up with Martin for sure,” Hamlin said with a laugh. “But, you know, I think it’s great that he still has goals and things that he wants to achieve. And so I think being, really, a Florida resident, it makes it pretty easy for him to want to participate in our biggest race and certainly, it’s been a race that has, unfortunately, evaded his resume for one or two reasons, but I don’t know. It’s just think it would be good all around for everyone.”

In the meantime, Truex still has a lobster to chase. New Hampshire Motor Speedway has long been a track embedded in Truex’s heart, “watching my dad win his first Busch North (now ARCA Menards Series East) race on TV” and being “madder than hell that I wasn’t here” to celebrate in person.

He finally collected his first Loudon the Lobster trophy in last year’s Cup race at the “Magic Mile,” but he hasn’t yet had his fill of seafood. If he’s back behind the wheel next year, you can expect to see New Hampshire on the northeast native’s potential schedule.

“Yeah, probably. We will see,” said Truex. “I haven’t really looked into all of that and started the scheduling process. I’m just kind of focused on what we are doing here, but eventually, we will figure it out and it is definitely a place I would like to come back to.”

Posted on by Staff Report

Rain canceled NASCAR Cup Series qualifying Saturday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, putting standings leader Chase Elliott in the top starting spot for Sunday’s USA Today 301.

Track-drying and a precipitation let-up after the qualifying washout opened the door for a brief Cup Series practice session, allowing teams and drivers to tune up for Sunday’s 301-lapper (2 p.m. ET, USA Network, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App). Rookie Carson Hocevar topped the speed charts in a session that ran for barely five of a scheduled 30 minutes, posting a 127.534-mph lap in the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet.

RELATED: Sunday’s starting lineup | Weekend schedule

Goodyear has wet-weather tires available at the 1.058-mile Loudon oval for both the Cup and Xfinity Series, but NASCAR competition officials deemed the track too wet to justify time trials on Saturday afternoon.

The threat of more rain in the forecast prompted officials to move the starting times for Saturday’s Xfinity Series event and Sunday’s Cup Series race up 30 minutes. That slots the Xfinity SciAps 200 for a 3:06 p.m. ET green flag and Sunday’s Cup event to go green at 2:06 p.m. ET, both to be broadcast on USA Network, PRN Radio, NBC Sports App and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

The starting lineup for Sunday’s Cup Series event was set according to the NASCAR Rule Book. As a result, Elliott’s No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet will lead the field to the green flag. Ryan Blaney, last weekend’s winner at Iowa Speedway, will share the front row in the second starting spot in the Team Penske No. 12 Ford. William Byron, Christopher Bell and Alex Bowman complete the top five starters in order.

“Yeah, I mean obviously we’d rather have an actual pole, for sure,” Elliott said. “But you know, circumstances being what they are, fortunately our team has been performing at a really solid level over the past couple of months. The reality of it is that it put us in a position to have a good starting spot for a rainout situation. That’s just the reality of the weekend. Certainly, we’ll take a good starting spot, and more importantly, take a really good pit pick there on pit road.”

The track dried and opened for Cup Series practice at 2 p.m. ET, but rain resumed just five minutes later and no driver completed more than seven laps. Just behind Hocevar’s chart-topping speed was Michael McDowell’s No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford at 127.312 mph. Brad Keselowski, William Byron and rookie Zane Smith finished out the top five.

MORE: Cup Series practice results | At-track photos

Sunday’s event is the 18th of 36 races scheduled on the Cup Series calendar. Nine races remain in the regular season before the postseason kicks off on Sept. 8 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Posted on by Brandon White

LOUDON, N.H. — A dream weekend for Justin Bonsignore at New Hampshire Motor Speedway got off to a perfect start Saturday morning.

Hours before making his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut with Joe Gibbs Racing, the 36-year-old put together the type of performance that’s made him renowned on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. Bonsignore dominated the Mohegan Sun 100 to claim his third New Hampshire victory and 42nd overall in the series.

RELATED: Complete results from the Mohegan Sun 100

Previously possessing just one New Hampshire trophy in his first 13 full-time seasons on the Tour, the driver from Holtsville, New York has now won the last two editions of the Mohegan Sun 100. He said it is always a challenge to prevail in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour’s crown jewel race, which makes the trips to New Hampshire’s Victory Lane even more special.

“We have 16 awesome races in a year, but this is our Daytona 500,” Justin said. “Everyone wants to win this race. There’s so much that goes into putting yourself in position and having a good car. It’s mentally tough to control and understand what you need to do in these late restarts.”

With the victory, he also reached an important milestone in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour record books. He is now tied with Ted Christopher for third on the all-time series win list.

During his illustrious career, Christopher won at New Hampshire five times in a Modified while also adding five more victories in what is now the ARCA Menards Series East. The gold standard set by Christopher at New Hampshire is something Justin and his fellow competitors strive to replicate with each visit to the facility.

“I forgot all about that,” Bonsignore said when asked about his feelings on his career standing. “You get caught up in these; we won Richmond in a crazy fashion, and these wins just happen in big fashion, and you kind of forget about stuff like that. But it’s really special.

“We all miss Ted. He would probably be busting my chops if he were here right now, that it was way harder when he did it and everything. But anytime you can have your name with those guys who were in the heyday when the Tour was just crazy stacked, is awesome.”

From the start of Saturday’s race, Bonsignore seemed primed to collect another New Hampshire win. He exchanged the lead with Modified Tour points leader Ron Silk several times in the opening half before assuming control of the race following an onslaught of cautions.

The closest challenge Justin received in the closing stages came in the form of his cousin, Kyle Bonsignore. Having maintained solid track position all day from the seventh starting position, Kyle patiently waited and pushed Justin away from the pack until a late caution set up a three-lap sprint to the finish.

Kyle was unable to make a move that could have drafted him past Justin on the final lap. Despite being disappointed with second, Kyle still had a reason to smile.

“I love racing with my cousin; he’s like my brother,” Kyle Bonsignore said. “I really wished that last caution hadn’t come out. We had a good gap behind us to where I could have actually tried a more aggressive move at the end. I got a little greedy and overdrove it into Turn 1 trying to set us up down the backstretch coming to the line.”

Justin Bonsignore also expressed satisfaction over the one-two finish at New Hampshire. He was grateful Kyle helped him prior to the last restart but was also relieved he did not have to play any substantial defense on the final lap.

“My cousin and I have raced against each other since we were 8 years old,” he said. “My dad said it was the first time we didn’t crash each other. I saw him get close in the mirror, and then my spotter said ‘clear by three, no run,’ so that was the most stress-free last lap probably anybody will run at Loudon down the back straightaway.”

The dominant victory provided Bonsignore a jolt of confidence prior to climbing into a Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota later Saturday afternoon. It also provided him some momentum as he looks to chase down Silk over the next several months for his fourth NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour title.

Chase Dowling, in his first start of 2024, brought home a strong third-place finish with Patrick Emerling and Sam Rameau rounding out the top five.

Tommy Catalano, Eric Goodale, Jake Johnson, Austin Beers and Silk were the rest of the top-10 finishers.

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will have nearly a month off before its next event, which will be the second leg of the Whelen Granite State Short Track Cup at Monadnock Speedway on July 20. Live coverage of the Duel at the Dog 250 will commence on FloRacing at 8 p.m. ET.

Posted on by Staff Report

Mohegan Sun 100

New Hampshire Motor Speedway

  • Race results
Pos. Car No. Driver Sponsor Laps Diff.
1 51 Justin Bonsignore Phoenix Communications, Inc. 100 —
2 22 Kyle Bonsignore Chalew Performance/MTT/Munns Auto 100 0.322
3 44 Chase Dowling Harshaw Paving/Olivas Market 100 0.533
4 1 Patrick Emerling Fleetworks Inc 100 0.637
5 06 Sam Rameau Rameau Family Motorsports 100 1.009
6 54 Tommy Catalano FX Caprara 100 1.052
7 58 Eric Goodale GAF Roofing 100 1.09
8 3 Jake Johnson Propane Plus/Lin’s Propane Trucks 100 1.128
9 64 Austin Beers G&G Electrical Supply/Dell Electric 100 1.138
10 16 Ron Silk Blue Mountain Machine/Future Homes 100 1.451
11 32 Tyler Rypkema Musco Lighting/Northeast Drilling 100 1.534
12 56 Trevor Catalano* Catalano Motorsports 100 2.291
13 4 Tim Connolly Connolly Companies, LLC 100 2.456
14 17 Anthony Nocella Xtreme Racing/Sekor Machine/Zilinski Heating & Cooling 100 2.538
15 43 Matthew Kimball J&M Towing and Recovery/Poodlack Wealth Mgmt 100 2.606
16 89 Matt Swanson Cervaolos Auto/Casella Snowplows/Mully’s Auto Repair 100 2.68
17 8 John-Michael Shenette* Eighty-Two Services 100 2.825
18 84 Tyler Catalano* Catalano Motorsports 100 3.418
19 18 Ken Heagy Buoy One Seafood & Restaurant 100 4.692
20 38 Luke Baldwin* Pace-O-Matic/S&S Racing/Mohawk 78 22 Laps
21 70 Andy Seuss Rockingham Boat 66 34 Laps
22 46 Craig Lutz Riverhead Building Supply 55 45 Laps
23 79 Jonathan McKennedy Christopher’s Towing 50 50 Laps
24 26 Gary McDonald Lakeland Avenue Landscape Supply 47 53 Laps
25 14 Jacob Lutz* Advantage Trucks/Anastasi Trucking/Anastasi Trucking 45 55 Laps
26 40 Ryan Preece Race Choice/Flamingo Motorsports/Mizzy Const 43 57 Laps
27 00 Andy Jankowiak KLAS Motorsports/Florida Safety Systems 24 76 Laps
28 7 Doug Coby Baldwin Automotive 22 78 Laps
29 01 Melissa Fifield Pine Knoll Auto Sales 17 83 Laps
30 28 Mike Marshall* MLM Diagnostics/Jusczak Electric 9 91 Laps
31 15 Joey Cipriano III* Dependable Energy & Bass Plating 0 100 Laps

 

Posted on by Staff Report

Mohegan Sun 100

New Hampshire Motor Speedway

  • Starting lineup
Pos. Car No. Driver
1 16 Ron Silk
2 51 Justin Bonsignore
3 3 Jake Johnson
4 64 Austin Beers
5 1 Patrick Emerling
6 46 Craig Lutz
7 22 Kyle Bonsignore
8 56 Trevor Catalano
9 54 Tommy Catalano
10 84 Tyler Catalano
11 18 Ken Heagy
12 4 Tim Connolly
13 32 Tyler Rypkema
14 01 Melissa Fifield
15 58 Eric Goodale
16 7 Doug Coby
17 14 Jacob Lutz
18 26 Gary McDonald
19 00 Andy Jankowiak
20 89 Matt Swanson
21 40 Ryan Preece
22 44 Chase Dowling
23 06 Sam Rameau
24 17 Anthony Nocella
25 28 Mike Marshall
26 43 Matt Kimball
27 38 Luke Baldwin
28 79 Jon McKennedy
29 70 Andy Seuss
30 8 John-Michael Shenette

 

Posted on by Pat DeCola

LOUDON, N.H. — Reigning NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Cole Custer said Friday afternoon at New Hampshire Motor Speedway that “it would be a dream come true to run that Cup car,” referencing the recently announced Haas Factory Team entry, coming to the NASCAR Cup Series in 2025.

You’re in luck, Cole — you just might know a guy.

HFT, unveiled Thursday via press release, is set to operate one of Stewart-Haas Racing’s current Cup charters — along with two NXS entries — next season as the championship organization SHR shutters at the end of 2024 and transforms with Gene Haas as sole proprietor of the revamped organization.

The team’s president? Custer’s father, Joe.

Custer, 26, has maintained since being relocated to the team’s Xfinity car ahead of last season after three seasons in Cup that his goal was always to return to the sport’s premier series, but no word yet on if this is the precise opportunity to make it happen.

“Whenever I went back to the Xfinity Series, my goal was always to go back to Cup, so I’ve been trying to work on what I can do to get myself better over the past year and a half,” said the current series points leader. “And at the end of the day, you know, you try and do as best you can do, but it all sorts itself out. But I really don’t have much to say or anything right now that’s solidified or anything.”

MORE: SHR to close after 2024 season | NHMS weekend schedule

It’s possible that Custer could wind up slotted in one of the team’s two NXS entries in search of more seasoning in NASCAR’s ultra-competitive Saturday series. Currently on track to successfully defend his 2023 title, however, all signs — and sponsors, as the yet-to-be-numbered Cup entry is expected to carry Haas Automation decals, currently on Custer’s No. 00 Ford  — Custer would appear to be, on paper, the choice to fill that seat.

Though a previous Cup Series winner at Kentucky Speedway in 2020, Custer’s first foray into Cup racing was largely met with early career hurdles, following up that one playoff appearance in his rookie campaign with standings finishes of 26th and 25th the next two seasons, respectively, and five total top 10s.

A three-win season last year culminated in his first national series title and, while winless so far in 2024, the California native has arguably elevated his game further this season with an average finish (8.9) that would slot in as a career-best while being on pace for more top 10s than a year ago. He certainly feels Cup ready now, and has had plenty of time to digest what he’d do differently this time, should he get the call.

“I think the biggest thing is just how you communicate with your team. I think at the Cup level, I mean, the top 30 guys, you give them something underneath them that they can go fast with, give them a good car, fast car, they’re gonna go fast. The top 30 guys all have talent; it’s just how you communicate with your team to get that consistently,” he said. “How you work with your team to fix problems and really be able to hone in on getting the car exactly how you want it every single weekend and consistently. … I think the biggest thing is you got to look yourself in the mirror. You’ve got to figure out the ways that you can be better. You just can’t put it off the side and say that you’re good enough and that you don’t need to work on anything. You’ve got to try and work on yourself and try and keep making gains in those areas.”

The timing feels right, but one question remains — does Custer feel he’s a “top 30″talent in the sport?

“I hope so,” Custer said with a wry grin. “Yeah. I mean, I think I can definitely do it. I think when you look at what I’ve done at the Xfinity level, I think the guys that I’ve raced against that are that are in the Cup level now.

“You know, I think there’s no reason why not.”

Posted on by Staff Report

Mohegan Sun 100

New Hampshire Motor Speedway

  • Practice results
Pos No. Name Sponsor Best Tm Best Speed In Lap Laps Diff
1 40 Ryan Preece Race Choice/Flamingo Motorsports/Mizzy Construction 28.832 132.103 13 31  —
2 51 Justin Bonsignore Phoenix Communications, Inc. 28.837 132.08 32 33 0.005
3 89 Matt Swanson Cervaolos Auto/Casella Snowplows/Mully’s Auto Repair 28.892 131.829 28 35 0.06
4 3 Jake Johnson Propane Plus/Lin’s Propane Trucks 28.897 131.806 28 32 0.065
5 56 Trevor Catalano* Catalano Motorsports 28.937 131.624 31 41 0.105
6 16 Ron Silk Blue Mountain Machine/Future Homes 29.02 131.247 27 42 0.188
7 22 Kyle Bonsignore Chalew Performance/MTT/Munns Auto 29.024 131.229 20 20 0.192
8 58 Eric Goodale GAF Roofing 29.028 131.211 19 23 0.196
9 64 Austin Beers G&G Electrical Supply/Dell Electric 29.049 131.116 22 41 0.217
10 7 Doug Coby Baldwin Automotive 29.057 131.08 20 27 0.225
11 44 Chase Dowling Harshaw Paving/Olivas Market 29.059 131.071 13 30 0.227
12 79 Jonathan McKennedy Christopher’s Towing 29.133 130.738 31 33 0.301
13 06 Sam Rameau Rameau Family Motorsports 29.147 130.676 20 34 0.315
14 46 Craig Lutz Riverhead Building Supply 29.147 130.676 27 39 0.315
15 70 Andy Seuss Rockingham Boat 29.178 130.537 18 24 0.346
16 54 Tommy Catalano FX Caprara 29.183 130.514 42 42 0.351
17 32 Tyler Rypkema Musco Lighting/Northeast Drilling 29.277 130.095 40 44 0.445
18 00 Andy Jankowiak KLAS Motorsports/Florida Safety Systems 29.292 130.029 25 36 0.46
19 38 Luke Baldwin* Pace-O-Matic/S&S Racing/Mohawk 29.313 129.936 40 47 0.481
20 14 Jacob Lutz Advantage Trucks/Anastasi Trucking/Anastasi Trucking 29.319 129.909 27 28 0.487
21 4 Tim Connolly Connolly Companies, LLC 29.336 129.834 18 29 0.504
22 1 Patrick Emerling Fleetworks Inc 29.342 129.807 21 25 0.51
23 17 Anthony Nocella Xtreme Racing/Sekor Machine/Zilinski Heating & Cooling 29.428 129.428 20 23 0.596
24 43 Matthew Kimball J&M Towing and Recovery/Poodlack Wealth Mgmt 29.511 129.064 33 37 0.679
25 15 Joey Cipriano III* Dependable Energy & Bass Plating 29.554 128.876 15 17 0.722
26 84 Tyler Catalano* Catalano Motorsports 29.686 128.303 30 39 0.854
27 8 John-Michael Shenette* Eighty-Two Services 29.991 126.998 19 42 1.159
28 28 Mike Marshall* MLM Diagnostics/Jusczak Electric 30.191 126.157 25 30 1.359
29 18 Ken Heagy Buoy One Seafood & Restaurant 30.363 125.442 15 15 1.531
30 26 Gary McDonald Lakeland Avenue Landscape Supply 30.906 123.238 19 21 2.074
31 01 Melissa Fifield Pine Knoll Auto Sales 33.524 113.614 20 22 4.692