Posted on by Pat DeCola

Here’s what’s happening in the world of NASCAR with the Coca-Cola 600 in the rearview and World Wide Technology Raceway (Sun., 3:30 p.m. ET, FS1) right around the corner.

THE LINEUP ️

1️⃣ Kyle Larson’s difficult double opens door to regular-season turmoil

2️⃣ Is a winless past champion about to break through at Gateway?

3️⃣ Why Gateway is crucial for drivers looking for win No. 1

4️⃣ How many more new winners will we see before the playoffs?

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

kyle larson looks on
Logan Riely | Getty Images

1. Kyle Larson’s difficult double opens door to regular-season turmoil

The championship favorite’s all-around dismal Sunday saw two frustrating race results and the handing over of his points lead.

What should have been, for all intents and purposes, one of the most fulfilling and memorable days of Kyle Larson’s life this past Sunday wound up being “one of the most disappointing ones (he’s) ever experienced.”

To make matters worse, the repercussions from missing the Coca-Cola 600 after rain impacted both ends of his Indianapolis/Charlotte double attempt might be felt for months.

The 2021 champion and ’24 title contender entered the weekend as the favorite to win another Coca-Cola 600 — which would’ve made him the first to do so after also racing in the Indianapolis 500 earlier in the day. That last part happened — Larson finished 18th, on the lead lap in his IndyCar debut — but he didn’t even get a chance to fight for the win at Charlotte; in fact, weather ensured he didn’t turn a single lap at all.

He also entered the weekend with a 30-point lead in the standings over the rest of the field, and exited it in third place, six points behind new leader Denny Hamlin. What was shaping up to be a cakewalk to the Regular Season Championship might now be a path littered with obstacles.

ANALYSIS: Regular-season title picture up in the air after Charlotte

Hamlin claimed the points lead for the first time this season, but with four drivers nipping at his heels — three of which are champions and the other is tied with him for the season lead in wins — you get the sense he may not hold it for long. But then he might take it back. And lose it again. And on and on until we crown a champion. This season’s battle at the top just tightened tremendously.

The door was just blown open for someone to claim the top spot — and its bonus points — before the regular season closes in just over three months. And it’s likely a revolving one.

Of course, it’s entirely possible Larson rebounds in a huge way and just stomps the field en route to a win at World Wide Technology Raceway on Sunday (3:30 p.m. ET, FS1), but the drivers around him also gunning for the Regular Season Championship are the sport’s elite. It’s also entirely possible Hamlin goes on a run himself, or Chase Elliott, William Byron, Martin Truex Jr., Tyler Reddick, et al. There is no shortage of drivers in the upper echelon right now that could rip off two or three wins in a five-or-six-race stretch to start to create more distance between the points leader and everybody else.

It has felt all season that Larson and the No. 5 team surely could’ve had more than two wins at this point, given how strong they’ve looked pretty much from the drop of the green flag at Daytona. With Larson on top of both the world and the standings heading into his marathon day, his 2024 near-misses didn’t seem to hold a ton of weight. Now, they feel illuminated.

There’s a vacuum at the top of the Cup Series, ready for the taking for whomever decides to go on a streak of summer dominance.

Larson might be the one to do that. But for the first time in several weeks, it feels like it’s possible he might not be.

kyle busch celebrates at gateway
Jeff Curry | Getty Images

2. Is a winless past champion about to break through at Gateway?

Several stars are still in search of win No. 1 in 2024 — and a few of them are well positioned to make it happen in St. Louis.

So much of the focus coming out of the 2024 All-Star Race was, understandably, on Kyle Busch, after he and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. fought in the infield at North Wilkesboro Speedway following the race.

Perhaps this is the weekend all eyes should be on Rowdy, however.

Still in search of his first 2024 win and in a tenuous-at-best playoff position, Busch enters the weekend at 15-1 odds to win at World Wide Technology Raceway, according to DraftKings. That puts him at 11th-best on the oddsboard, despite entering the weekend as the defending winner of the race that saw him pick up his most recent Cup Series trophy.

That can be credited, of course, to his somewhat down season to date — Busch, 14th in points, is on pace for his worst average finish since 2010 — but his chances to walk out of the St. Louis area with a provisional playoff berth feel much greater than his betting line. He was riding all that mojo coming out of North Wilkesboro into Charlotte, another race he was expected to compete for the win, but was ultimately stopped short of going the full distance due to weather. That might make the itch to return to Victory Lane grow even more.

And Gateway is arguably an even better shot.

Not only did the two-time champion win this race a year ago, but he was runner-up in its debut a season earlier — with a different team and manufacturer. He’s won there in the Xfinity Series before and has led more than 38% of all Gateway laps run in the Cup Series.

On the verge of tying his career-long winless streak of 36 — he sits at 35 now — this lines up as his best chance to snap the skid perhaps until mid-summer.

That said, almost all of that can be echoed for Busch’s longtime competitor in Joey Logano, one of the other handful of drivers with experience at Gateway before 2022 and the winner of the inaugural Cup race there two years ago. No. 22 finished third there last season and picked up some recent momentum — along with $1 million — by winning the All-Star Race two weekends ago.

Logano is another strong bet to make it happen — and enters the weekend with slightly better odds, at 14-1 — but there are some overall larger concerns with Team Penske’s performance of late, with the premier Ford organization not placing any of its cars in the top 10 in the last three points-paying races and just one total over the past six. The team is the two-time defending Cup Series title winner with Logano and last year’s champ Ryan Blaney — who has only two top 10s in the last 10 races — but things aren’t quite clicking at the moment and none of its drivers are in the top 10 in points.

It’s tough to go out on a limb and say that one of them will win, but it does feel notable that there are only four drivers (Busch, Logano, Blaney, Martin Truex Jr.) to land a top 10 in each of Gateway’s two Cup races — and they are all both winless in 2024 and former champions.

After the All-Star Race and Coca-Cola 600, we’re now solidly within that middle portion of the Cup Series slate, with just 12 races remaining before we set the 2024 NASCAR Playoffs field. All four of the aforementioned feel just about ready to strike and make their move on the postseason and it’s entirely possible we see some more shifting and re-positioning in the standings as the early-season dominators are caught up to and some fresh faces land in Victory Lane.

You shouldn’t be shocked if one of these four makes it happen this weekend.

3. Why Gateway is crucial for drivers looking for win No. 1

Kim Coon and Skip Flores break down why World Wide Technology Raceway is essential for drivers looking to break into Victory Lane in this week’s episode of Around The Track.

4. How many more new winners will we see before the playoffs?

With eight different drivers taking a checkered flag so far in 2024 — including a repeat winner at Charlotte — how many more fresh faces will take a trip to Victory Lane?

SeasonNo. of Winners Races 1-13No. of Winners Races 14-26Total Regular-Season Winners
20179514
20186410
20196511
20208311
202110414
202211516
20239514

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

Paint Scheme Preview: See the Gateway and Portland looks

NASCAR betting: Opening odds for Gateway

Power Rankings: Denny Hamlin reclaims points lead, No. 1 spot heading to Gateway

Officials penalize Austin Hill for tangle with Cole Custer at Charlotte

Stewart-Haas Racing to close operation at end of 2024 season

NASCAR’s Elton Sawyer: Conditions, late-hour timeline led to Coca-Cola 600’s halt

Three Up, Three Down: Drivers in focus leaving Charlotte

Justin Allgaier, No. 5 team persevere as rain thwarts Kyle Larson’s double

@nascarcasm: Fake texts to Coca-Cola 600 winner Christopher Bell

Which driver is favored to win 2024 title after Charlotte

 

cars race at gateway
Jonathan Bachman | Getty Images
Posted on by Staff Report

Clint Bowyer will suit up for Spire Motorsports and drive the No. 7 Chevrolet truck in the Rackley Roofing 200 on June 28 at Nashville Superspeedway (8 p.m. ET, FS2, MRN Radio, Sirius XM NASCAR Radio).

The team announced Wednesday afternoon that Bowyer will be the seventh different driver to wheel the No. 7 Spire truck this season.

MORE: Truck Series schedule | Truck Series standings

Bowyer retired from full-time competition after the 2020 Cup Series season and is currently a race-day analyst for NASCAR on FOX.

The 44-year-old will reconnect with crew chief Brian Pattie, who was atop the pit box for Bowyer from 2012-2015 at Michael Waltrip Racing. Bowyer is a 10-time winner in the Cup Series and a three-time winner in the Truck Series.

After 11 races, the No. 7 team sits fifth in the 2024 Truck Series owner point standings after earning two wins, five top fives and seven top-10 finishes.

Kyle Busch earned the team’s two victories at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway. Last weekend, Connor Mosack finished eighth in the No. 7 Truck at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Posted on by Staff Report

Front Row Motorsports announced Wednesday that it will expand to three chartered cars in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2025.

The Bob Jenkins-owned organization currently fields two Ford Mustang Dark Horse entries in the Cup Series for Michael McDowell and Todd Gilliland. Front Row has entered a third car in select Cup Series events in years past, but the 2025 campaign will mark its first season since 2019 with three full-time efforts after purchasing a third charter for Cup competition.

The organization also indicated that announcements regarding its 2025 driver lineup would be made at a later date.

RELATED: Cup Series standings | Weekend schedule: Gateway, Portland

“It is good to get the news out now as we have a lot of work to do to prepare a new team,” said Jerry Freeze, FRM’s general manager, in a news release from the team. “All of us on the leadership team will be working through that, obtaining the parts and pieces needed for the new team. And, most importantly, adding to the dedicated and talented staff and culture that exists today within our organization.

“Starting a new team from scratch is always a challenge, but with the opportunities in front of us, the talent we have in our leadership, and a bit of a runway to get there, I am confident that we can produce three competitive programs out of the box for the 2025 season. We haven’t lost sight of what our goals for 2024 are, to get our teams into the playoffs for both series. If we can keep up the speed on track and have a little bit of luck to come our way, we can achieve our objectives.”

Wednesday’s news marks another sizable jump for the team that began as a part-time entry in 2005 and moved to full-time competition four years later. Front Row Motorsports strengthened its commitment to Ford in the offseason, also forging a technical alliance with Team Penske.

“We have a very positive outlook on the future of NASCAR and as the sport plans for success, so do we,” Jenkins said. “Today that means having a plan for expanding back to three cars in the NASCAR Cup Series. I always have the vision to continue to grow and improve our team and that commitment and desire never changes. I am committed to the sport and its passionate fans and partners.”

Even before Wednesday’s news, changes were already afoot for Front Row’s driver roster for next season. McDowell has been with FRM’s No. 34 team since 2018, but announced that he would shift to Spire Motorsports in 2025 with a multiyear deal. Todd Gilliland has been with the Front Row No. 38 team since his rookie season in 2022.

MORE: McDowell moving to Spire next season

McDowell accounts for two of Front Row Motorsports’ four Cup Series victories, including its two most recent triumphs. Those include wins in the 2021 Daytona 500 and just last season with McDowell’s dominant drive at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. Veteran David Ragan provided Front Row with its first victory (Talladega, 2013), and Chris Buescher added another tally as a rookie winner three years later at Pocono.

Gilliland ranks 22nd in the Cup Series standings, with McDowell 23rd as the circuit heads to World Wide Technology Raceway for Sunday’s Enjoy Illinois 300 (3:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM). McDowell’s points stature has been hampered by four DNFs in 14 races, but his two Busch Light Pole Awards from this season (Atlanta, Talladega) are career-firsts.

Posted on by Official NASCAR Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. and CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Beginning Wednesday on NASCAR Race Hub, FOX Sports and NASCAR Studios bring fans the latest edition of the three-time Sports Emmy-Award-winning short-form documentary series, “Beyond the Wheel.”

The first film, titled “One Team, One Dream: 40 Years of Hendrick Motorsports,” depicts how the organization’s culture has led to its numerous wins and championships. It premieres today during NASCAR Race Hub on FS1 at 6 p.m. ET.

The following documentaries comprise the ninth season of “Beyond the Wheel:”

One Team, One Dream: 40 Years of Hendrick Motorsports– “One Team, One Dream: 40 Years of Hendrick Motorsports” tells the story of NASCAR’s most successful race team in their 40th anniversary season. The wins and championships are well known, but this film digs deeper to gain an understanding of how Rick Hendrick’s leadership and the team members’ dedication built an unrivaled culture of excellence and perseverance. Structured around the team’s 40th anniversary at the April 2024 race at Martinsville Speedway, the film focuses on Hendrick’s leadership philosophy, empowering talented people to give their best effort. Featuring exclusive behind-the-scenes access with Jeff Gordon at Martinsville, and brand-new interviews with Hendrick, Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Chase Elliott, and more, “One Team, One Dream” is a celebration of where Hendrick Motorsports has been and where it’s headed in the next 40 years.

MORE: Hendrick’s most memorable wins | Wins by driver

Die-Cast Mania – “Die-Cast Mania” is a behind-the-scenes look at the world of die-cast collectible NASCAR race cars. Go inside the process of designing and creating these unique pieces of memorabilia, the history of how die-casts became the must-have item for fans, and the lengths collectors will go to build their collections. The film takes viewers back to the early 1990s to meet Fred Wagenhals, the man who convinced Dale Earnhardt and Rusty Wallace to turn toy cars into high-end collectibles, sending the souvenir market into the stratosphere. “Die-Cast Mania” also goes behind the scenes at Lionel Racing, the team behind today’s ultra-detailed models that sell out at every track. Die-cast cars are unlike any other sports memorabilia and “Die-Cast Mania” celebrates that passion.

Steve Park: Destined – “Steve Park: Destined” tells the story of Steve Park, a modified driver handpicked by Dale Earnhardt as one of the next big stars in Cup racing. Park proved him right, earning multiple wins and a devoted fan base. He also helped Dale Earnhardt Incorporated navigate Earnhardt’s death by winning the very next race. But Park’s career was derailed by a freak accident crash and a series of concussions. He worked hard to return to racing but still carried the stigma of injury. With insight from Park’s friends, teammates and fans, as well as through an emotional interview with the man himself, “Steve Park: Destined” is a story of what might have been … and coming to terms with what comes next.

“One Team, One Dream: 40 Years of Hendrick Motorsports” premieres Wednesday, followed by “Die-Cast Mania” on June 5 and “Steve Park: Destined” on June 6. All will air at 6 p.m. ET on FS1’s NASCAR Race Hub, simultaneously live streaming on the FOX Sports App.

Posted on by Cara Cooper

Blake Stallings entered the 2024 season with two goals: One, win a race at Virginia’s South Boston Speedway, and tw0, compete for a title in the track’s Late Model division.

Stallings completed the first goal early in the year. Now he’s working toward the second.

The Danville, Virginia driver entered the year with one Limited Late Model victory on his resume at South Boston; he had never found Victory Lane in 10 years racing at the NASCAR Home Track. That changed during the second race of the season. After qualifying fourth, Stallings stayed near the front until about 10 laps remained. From there, he ran down leader Peyton Sellers.

“When we caught him, we got a run on him in the middle of [Turns] 3 and 4,” Stallings said. “I gave him just a little bit of a nudge in the middle of 3 and 4 just to get a run up beside him, and the race was on from there. After racing side by side for 2 or 3 laps, we were able to clear Peyton and get us a win.”

WATCH: Blake Stallings wins at South Boston

(Photo: Joe Chandler/South Boston Speedway)

Stallings said finally getting a win at South Boston was not only a dream of his, but his dad’s, as well.

“We stayed consistent and stayed true to try and accomplish it, and we put a ton of work in, so it really means the world to us to be able to go there and win at a place that my dad, Steve Stallings, and my great uncle, Barry Begley, have raced for many, many years,” he said. “ My dad always wanted to get a win there, and he’s always wanted us to get a win there. It just meant a lot to me, my team, my family, as well.”

Through six races this season, Stallings has four top fives and six top 10s. He’s third in the South Boston points standings, 14 points behind the leader. He’s also leading the Late Model points at North Carolina’s Ace Speedway.

Stallings credits a lot of his success to a new car his team built late last season, the one he ran to his best qualifying effort at Martinsville Speedway last fall, coming in 16th.

He has also put an emphasis this year on his health and fitness. He sees being physically fit as a difference maker in a tough Late Model division.

“Just trying to be prepared more physically, just because in today’s time everything is so competitive,” he said. “All the cars are close. You look at any of the NASCAR short tracks or the CARS Tour, anything in a Late Model Stock, it’s always very, very tight, especially qualifying.

“If the car is the best it can be, it puts it down to the driver, and you’ve got to try and be in the best shape to do your job as well behind the wheel. So upgrading equipment and then me taking the time to put in some effort to getting in better shape I think has been a blessing to us and allowed us to be more competitive at different places.”

(Photo: Joe Chandler/South Boston Speedway)

Being physically fit to race helps Stallings with the mental side of being behind the wheel.

“It’s definitely not so much that I used to get tired or anything like that, but you don’t realize how much you actually have to hold yourself in there, how much energy you’re expending to not be able to focus on the job at hand,” he said. “Being able to be more relaxed, have less strain in the car, allows you to have more mental focus on what’s going on around you, what’s going on with your car, which you need in order to be competitive. It’s definitely, definitely been a game changer.”

Stallings has been racing with largely the same group of people for the better part of a decade, including his dad, friends Casey Smith, Lee Wyatt, Mark Atkins and Cody Jensen, and spotter Joey Conner. All of the crew Stallings said he’s known since he was at least a preteen.

Getting to work with his dad every week is “the best thing in the world to me,” Stallings said.

“He’s always loved racing and always been around racing,” Stallings added of his dad. “Ever since we started with go-karts, that’s kind of been our thing. That’s how we spend our father/son time together is working on cars and being at the racetrack. Having a dad that wants to be that involved in what I’m passionate about as well is definitely a blessing.”

Having a crew that has been around his career since the beginning makes getting wins with them by his side more special, too.

(Photo: Joe Chandler/South Boston Speedway)

“I think it’s definitely well-deserved for them because they take time out of their life to help me try to accomplish a goal. All their hard work and effort that they put in, I really do try my best to get the finishes for them because I know how much they sacrifice to support me,” he said. “Being very, a very family oriented team, it definitely means a lot to me to be able to show up on Saturday or Friday and perform so that way they can see that their efforts are being put to good use.”

Stallings and his team weren’t able to compete in every race at South Boston last season, but having some momentum starting off the year with the win and good finishes has definitely, he feels, put them in a good spot to hopefully be a contender for the remainder of this summer.

So far this season, five different drivers have won in six late model races at South Boston. With an incredibly competitive division, Stallings said the key moving forward is just staying consistent.

“We’ve got to knock off more top three finishes,” he said. “Some more wins would be great, as well.”

Stallings gave a thank you to his friends, family, fiancé Jordan, and sponsors R&S Race Cars, Stallings Classic Cars, Southside Disposal and Gutter Works.

Racing will return to South Boston Speedway on June 8 for the Oak River Realty Race Night, featuring Late Models, Limited Sportsman, Pure Stock and Hornets races beginning at 7 p.m. ET.

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR officials penalized Austin Hill on Wednesday for his actions while racing fellow driver Cole Custer in last weekend’s NASCAR Xfinity Series event at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Hill was fined $25,000 and was docked 25 points in the Xfinity Series driver standings under Section 4.4B in the NASCAR Rule Book. That section deals with NASCAR’s Member Code of Conduct, with penalty guidelines that include:

  • Wrecking or spinning another vehicle, whether or not that vehicle is removed from Competition as a result.
  • Any actions deemed to compromise the safety of an Event or otherwise pose a dangerous risk to the safety of Competitors, Officials, spectators, or others.

Hill and Custer crashed with 17 laps remaining in Saturday’s BetMGM 300, when contact between Hill’s No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet and Custer’s No. 00 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford resulted in a cut tire for Hill. Hill lost control through Turns 1 and 2, collecting Custer, and Hill continued to initiate contact as the two cars reached the backstretch. The repeated contact eventually forced Custer’s car into the inside retaining wall.

RELATED: Hill, Custer mix it up at Charlotte | Race results

Hill continued and finished two laps down in 25th place. Custer was sidelined by the crash and placed 32nd.

The points penalty knocks Hill out of the lead in the Xfinity Series standings, dropping him to third place behind new leader Chandler Smith and second-place Custer.

Competition officials also penalized two teams in the Craftsman Truck Series for lug-nut violations after Friday’s race at Charlotte. Crew chiefs for the two teams were fined $2,500 each for one unsecured lug nut on their trucks:

  • No. 5 Tricon Garage Toyota (crew chief Derek Smith)
  • No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford (crew chief Dylan Cappello)
Posted on by Staff Report

Stewart-Haas Racing will close its NASCAR operation at the conclusion of the 2024 season, co-owners Tony Stewart and Gene Haas announced Tuesday.

“We have made the difficult decision to close Stewart-Haas Racing at the conclusion of the 2024 season. It is a decision that did not come easily, nor was it made quickly.

“Racing is a labor-intensive, humbling sport. It requires unwavering commitment and vast resources, with a 365-day mindset to be better than everyone else. It’s part of what makes success so rewarding.

“But the commitment needed to extract maximum performance while providing sustainability is incredibly demanding, and we’ve reached a point in our respective personal and business lives where it’s time to pass the torch.

“We’re proud of all the wins and championships we’ve earned since joining together in 2009, but even more special is the culture we built and the friendships we forged as we committed to a common cause — winning races and collecting trophies.

“That is the same commitment we made to our personnel, our partners and our fans coming into this year, and that commitment will remain through the season finale at Phoenix.

“We have tremendous respect and appreciation for all of our employees, and we will work diligently to assist them during this transition to find new opportunities beyond the 2024 race season.”

Stewart-Haas Racing’s four-car Cup team currently fields the Nos. 4, 10, 14 and 41 Fords for drivers Josh Berry, Noah Gragson, Chase Briscoe and Ryan Preece, respectively. Two Xfinity Series teams also carry the SHR banner (Cole Custer, Riley Herbst).

Haas has fielded Cup Series entries each season since 2002, originally under the banner of Haas CNC Racing. In 2008, eventual NASCAR Hall of Famer Stewart joined forces with Haas to form SHR for its inaugural season in 2009, starting with a two-car outfit with drivers Stewart and 2008 Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman with a technical alliance with Hendrick Motorsports.

MORE: Cup standings

Stewart scored the program’s first victory in the 2009 NASCAR All-Star Race exhibition, then went to Victory Lane at Pocono Raceway to net the team’s first points-paying victory three weeks later. Stewart ultimately scored four wins in the team’s inaugural campaign in the No. 14 Chevrolet.

Their success continued in 2011, when Stewart and outgoing crew chief Darian Grubb won five of the 10 races in the NASCAR Playoffs — including the season finale — to claim Stewart-Haas Racing’s first NASCAR Cup Series championship, edging Roush Fenway Racing’s Carl Edwards (a Class of 2025 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee) for the title in a tiebreaker.

Stewart-Haas Racing expanded to a three-car team for the 2013 season with Danica Patrick in the No. 10 car before adding a fourth car in 2014. Kevin Harvick shifted from Richard Childress Racing to SHR’s renumbered No. 4 car with crew chief Rodney Childers, and 2004 champion Kurt Busch, who slotted into the team’s new No. 41 car.

In their first year together, Harvick and Childers rocketed to a five-win campaign that resulted in a Cup championship. The pairing lasted a decade, culminating in 37 of Harvick’s 60 career wins before his retirement after the 2023 season.

Busch added a milestone win to his resume — as well as Stewart’s — by winning the 2017 Daytona 500 with crew chief Tony Gibson atop the pit box. Stewart never won the “Great American Race” as a driver but celebrated the triumph as a team co-owner in his first season after his Cup driving retirement.

Additional drivers through SHR’s Cup tenure included Clint Bowyer, Aric Almirola, Daniel Suárez and Cole Custer.

While Stewart-Haas hasn’t won at the Cup level since August 2022, when Harvick scored consecutive victories at Michigan International Speedway and Richmond Raceway, the company has collected 69 wins, 339 top fives and 695 top 10s through the 2024 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The team expanded in 2017 to the Xfinity Series, where SHR has accumulated 22 wins, 104 top fives and 181 top 10s in a combined 294 starts through last weekend’s race at Charlotte. Custer, who drives its No. 00 Ford, won the Xfinity Series championship in 2023.

Posted on by Dustin Albino

Cars were sliding, drivers were sweating and tempers were flaring throughout Saturday’s BetMGM 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Among the heated emotions were regular season championship leader Austin Hill and the defending series champion Cole Custer.

On a restart with 18 laps remaining, Hill and Custer were battling for fifth position. The two championship threats touched through Turn 4 and door-slammed one another down the frontstretch. The contact was severe enough to cut down the No. 21 car’s right-front tire entering Turn 1 while Custer was to his outside. Both cars were mangled.

RELATED: Xfinity schedule | Standings

Hill showed his displeasure with Custer by connecting with the No. 00 car’s back bumper and turning him coming off Turn 2 on the next lap down the backstretch. Custer backed into the inside wall.

“I just came off of [Turn] 4, everybody is on old tires, scuffs, when we came in and pitted and I’m on a slide trying to stay off of him,” Hill explained. “His right rear barely might have skimmed the wall; didn’t hurt his car any. He completely lost his mind down the backstretch, doored me so hard that it cut my right front down going into [Turn] 1.”

Custer saw the incident differently.

“[Hill] put me in the fence off [Turn] 4 and then we hit on the frontstretch because I was going to go pinch him down, and he decided to try and go up and side draft me and then we hit again,” Custer told reporters after the race. “I don’t know if he blew a tire into one or what happened into 1, but then he tried to kill me on the backstretch and just held it full throttle until he wrecked our car and killed the rear clip. I slapped my head against the back of the headrest.

“I know it was hard racing, but at the end of the day I don’t like getting intentionally wrecked and killing the front and rear clip on our race car. It’s just ridiculous. If he wants to drive like a pissed-off teenager, it’s just ridiculous.”

Hill took ownership of his actions down the backstretch, saying he got “a little too carried away.” But he won’t change his mind about the steps that led up to the initial incident.

“I don’t apologize for racing him off of 4. I do not know what he’s mad about,” Hill stated. “It’s not like he slammed the wall really hard or messed his car up any. I guess he’s going to have to go back and watch [the replay] because I don’t get it. It was very uncalled for to door us as hard as he did down the frontstretch and we cut the right front down and we take us both out. It is what it is.”

The two race-winning drivers have been fierce competitors for nearly a season and a half at the Xfinity level. Hill won the regular season championship last year, while Custer was hot when it counted in the postseason en route to winning his first championship.

But they’ve never had any prior run-ins on the track. It’s entirely possible that this is a one-off incident, and the bad blood will be over.

“I’ve never had a problem with Cole,” Hill said. “I don’t know that he’s ever had a problem with me, but that was definitely weird. I’m sure we will talk about it, but Cole and I have always raced really well together.”

The series heads to Portland International Raceway on Saturday (4:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), where Custer is the defending winner. It was this weekend one year ago when he scored his first win of the 2023 season.

Hill started the year off hot, winning the opening two races, and holds a four-point lead over Chandler Smith after 12 races. Custer ranks third in the championship standings, 21 points back. He lost 18 points to the championship lead by wrecking out at Charlotte and finishing 32nd.

Posted on by Adam Fenwick

For just the 12th time in the history of NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, the series on Saturday night will visit Massachusetts’ Seekonk Speedway for the running of the J&R Precast 150.

Seekonk first welcomed the Modified Tour in 1987, when the legendary Reggie Ruggiero outlasted Jimmy Spencer in a 200-lap battle. The Tour returned to Seekonk 13 years later in 2000, and when it did, Jerry Marquis drove to victory in a 150-lap feature.

In the 10 races run since the series returned to Seekonk, nine different drivers have secured trips to Victory Lane. The only repeat winner at Seekonk is Doug Coby, who scored wins at the 0.333-mile oval in 2017 and 2019. Other winners include Eric Beers, Timmy Solomito, Chris Kopec, Ed Flemke Jr., Chuck Hossfeld, Justin Bonsignore and, most recently, Matt Hirschman.

Tickets to the J&R Precast 150 are available here. Below is everything you need to know about the sixth race on the 2024 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour schedule.

Seekonk Speedway
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour drivers line up for the Seekonk 150 on June 10, 2023. (Photo: Armond Feffer/NASCAR)

J&R Precast 150 at Seekonk Speedway

Ron Silk is off to what is by far the best start of his Modified Tour career.

The defending champion has won three of the first five races — at New Smyrna Speedway, Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park and Riverhead Raceway — meaning he’s already more than halfway to his win total from the entire 2023 season. Last year, his five wins marked a career high.

With the J&R Precast 150 on the horizon, Silk will look to continue his momentum at a track where he’s never visited Victory Lane on the Modified Tour.

Silk’s biggest challenger Saturday could be Coby, the lone driver who has multiple Modified Tour wins at Seekonk. Rather than Tommy Baldwin Jr.’s No. 7, Coby will pilot the Tinio family No. 44 on Saturday evening.

Matt Hirschman returns to Seekonk as the defending Modified Tour race winner after leading every lap of the event last year. Hirschman is still looking for his first Tour win of 2024.

One driver will be making a landmark start this weekend at Seekonk. Patrick Emerling, a four-time series race winner, will make his 150th Modified Tour start.

Also racing Saturuday is Justin Bonsignore, who continues his pursuit of history. The 2018 Seekonk victor remains one win behind Ted Christopher for third on the all-time Tour wins list. Seekonk is a good a place as any for Bonsignore to match Christopher.

Other notable entries include local favorite Jake Johnson, Kyle Ebersole, Anthony Sesely, Austin Beers, Matt Swanson, Craig Lutz, Andrew Krause and Kyle Bonsignore, among others.

The full entry list for Saturday’s J&R Precast 150 is available here.

Seekonk Speedway
Cars in action during the Seekonk 150 on June 10, 2023. (Photo: Armond Feffer/NASCAR)

RACE FACTS

Race J&R Precast 150
Date June 1, 2024
Track Seekonk Speedway
Layout 0.333-mile oval
Location Seekonk, Massachusetts
Start time 8 p.m. ET
Laps 150
Posted awards $83,384
Tickets Here
How to watch FloRacing

Schedule: Saturday, June 1 … Final practice from 3:10 to 3:50 p.m. ET … Qualifying at 5:20 p.m. ET … J&R Precast 150 at 8 p.m. ET (FloRacing).

Qualifying: Two consecutive qualifying laps. Faster lap determines qualifying position. Adjustments or repairs may not be made on the vehicle after the vehicle has taken the green flag at the start/finish line. NASCAR reserves the right to have more than one vehicle engage in qualifying runs at the same time. Starting field for the J&R Pre-Cast Inc 150 is limited to 26 starters including Provisional Positions.

Redraw: The fastest qualifier will spin the wheel to determine the number of drivers that will redraw for their starting positions: 4, 6, 8 or 10 positions will redraw. Once the fastest qualifier spins the wheel, NASCAR will have the various buckets ready to immediately start the redraw procedure. Drivers will redraw in their qualifying order after qualifying has been completed (1 through 10, or however many are applicable). The pole position and/or any bonus point(s), if applicable, will be awarded to the fastest qualifier and will be the pole of record. If, due to adverse conditions, qualifying is canceled, the field will be set in accordance with the 2024 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Rule Book. The redraw procedure will still take place regardless of how the field is set. However, pole awards and/or any bonus point(s), if applicable, will not be paid, if due to adverse conditions, the field is set in accordance with the 2024 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Rule Book.

Tire allotment: The maximum tire allotment available for this event is eight (8) tires per team. All tires used for qualifying and the race must be purchased at the track and scanned by Hoosier, unless otherwise approved in advance by the Series Director. Four (4) tires must be used for qualifying and to begin the race. All qualifying tires must remain in impound until released by NASCAR Officials. The remaining tire allotment may be used for practice and/or change tires, and/or emergency change tires during the event. If a tire is used as an emergency change tire, it cannot be a new/sticker tire. The tire change rule is zero (0) tires, any position.

Posted on by Brandon White

CONCORD, N.C. — A grueling Saturday afternoon at Charlotte Motor Speedway left Noah Gragson feeling exhausted but satisfied.

Making his first Xfinity Series appearance since finishing runner-up to Ty Gibbs in the championship back in 2022, Gragson helped Rette Jones Racing enjoy a solid first outing by piloting its No. 30 Ford to a hard-fought 10th-place finish.

Nothing about Gragson’s performance came easy, but the 13-time series winner said he and Rette Jones did everything necessary to persevere and come away from Charlotte with plenty of momentum to build upon.

“It was fun,” Gragson said. “I raced the Rette Jones Racing Super Late Model at the [Snowball] Derby. [Today] was a big challenge and there was a lot of adversity throughout the weekend. We were 31st in practice, qualified 18th and brought it home in the top 10.”

Expanding into the Xfinity Series was the next logical step for Rette Jones to bolster its ongoing growth.

Founded in 2015 by Mark Rette and veteran driver Terry Jones, the organization has maintained a strong presence on the ARCA Menards Series presence with occasional ventures into the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Among those who have driven for Rette Jones include Frankie Muniz, Justin Bonsignore and Jesse Little.

In recent years, Rette Jones has taken a proactive interest in developing a successful Super Late Model program. Gragson was instrumental in helping their Super Late Model team find its footing, having run their car in the Snowball Derby during the past two years.

When the decision was made to start up an Xfinity Series team, both Rette and Jones knew Gragson was the perfect driver for their first race. For Rette, not only does Gragson’s NASCAR Cup Series experience provide invaluable knowledge, but his chemistry with the entire organization is what made him feel comfortable about starting on the right note.

“Noah is family to Terry and myself,” Rette said. “I consider him a little brother. I’ve known him for some years now and with everything he has been through the past couple of years, we’ve built a really good relationship and [Noah’s] done that with Terry and his son Kasey.”

Even with Stewart-Haas Racing backing its efforts, Rette knew it would be difficult to excel against established Xfinity Series organizations, both big and small. The increasingly abrasive surface of Charlotte also required diligence on Rette Jones’ behalf to keep its car intact heading into Saturday’s race.

After spending much of the past year with the Next Gen in the Cup Series, Gragson had to re-acclimate himself to the Xfinity Series cars. It took Gragson until the green flag to find that comfort zone he had in 2022, which only emphasized how versatile drivers must be when oscillating between the top three NASCAR series.

“When I got out of the Xfinity Series and had nine top-five finishes in the last 10 races, I felt like I had a handle on things,” Gragson said. “Then I got in the Xfinity car this weekend and I was out of control and was out of my element. You just adapt over time and I kind of lost my old habits of making speed in the Xfinity car.”

Despite all the unknowns surrounding the weekend, Rette arrived at Charlotte fully expecting to see Gragson park its No. 30 in Victory Lane.

Having enjoyed plenty of successful years as a crew chief, which includes winning an ARCA Menards Series title with Justin Lofton in 2009, Rette knew the key to pulling off a potential upset win involved getting creative with pit strategy.

Rette intentionally had Gragson go off-sequence from the leaders so he could gain an advantage with fresher tires later in the day. Although he believed the right calls were made, the cautions did not fall the way Rette wanted them to, preventing the team from securing a better finish.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos: Charlotte

The final showing might not have been what Rette wanted, but he considered the weekend to be a success, especially since Gragson was required to re-learn a car that had undergone aerodynamic changes since his most recent start.

Rette envisions his team having a bright future in the Xfinity Series and wants to run at least a dozen events in 2025. He hopes to provide Gragson more opportunities to add to his Xfinity Series win total while simultaneously helping him maintain consistency at the Cup Series level.

“We took a chance to win this race tire-strategy-wise, and we had a shot there,” Rette said. “We didn’t come here to run second. [Being] second or 10th doesn’t matter to me. I want to put Noah in Victory Lane and that’s what we went for. This [deal] is to help build my program and help [Gragson] for Sunday.”

“Anything we can do to make him better on Sundays, we’re willing to do.”

Like Rette, Gragson was disappointed he was not able to battle Chase Elliott for the victory in Saturday’s BetMGM 300, yet the speed his No. 30 showed all day only emphasized the potential Rette Jones possesses in only its first race.

Now that the organization has a baseline, Gragson is determined to make the most of his remaining starts at Rette Jones by delivering it an Xfinity Series victory.

“[Tenth] is better than 11th,” Gragson said. “I wanted to win for them, but I feel pretty fired up. We want to win races.”

Gragson’s next Xfinity Series race in a Rette Jones car will be at Nashville Superspeedway on June 29. He will then appear at Michigan International Speedway and Darlington Raceway. He will also run two ARCA Menards Series events for Rette Jones at Sonoma Raceway and Watkins Glen International.

Each track presents its own unique obstacles for Gragson, but his past success should put Rette Jones in a great position to thrive in the Xfinity Series for many years to come.