See where drivers will pit for Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway (3 p.m. ET, USA, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).
RELATED: View starting lineup
Winchester Fair
Monadnock Speedway
- Practice results
| Pos. | Car No. | Driver | Sponsor | Best Time | Best Speed | In Lap | Laps | Diff. |
| 1 | 64 | Austin Beers | AP Marquadt & Sons/Lumiere Electrical/Andrew James Interiors | 12.708 | 70.822 | 64 | 73 | — |
| 2 | 51 | Justin Bonsignore | Phoenix Communications Inc. | 12.717 | 70.771 | 63 | 64 | 0.009 |
| 3 | 7 | Doug Coby | Mayhew Tools | 12.763 | 70.516 | 52 | 62 | 0.055 |
| 4 | 16 | Ron Silk | Blue Mountain Machine & Future Homes | 12.811 | 70.252 | 43 | 62 | 0.103 |
| 5 | 82 | Craig Lutz | Horton Avenue Materials | 12.831 | 70.143 | 55 | 57 | 0.123 |
| 6 | 06 | Sam Rameau | Quality Fleet Services/Dennison Lubricants | 12.844 | 70.072 | 6 | 28 | 0.136 |
| 7 | 43 | Matt Kimball* | Adam LaPoint Electrical/Edmunds Ace Hardware | 12.879 | 69.881 | 7 | 70 | 0.171 |
| 8 | 92 | Anthony Nocella | Nocella Paving/K and D Associates/Airgas | 12.883 | 69.86 | 42 | 47 | 0.175 |
| 9 | 6 | Woody Pitkat | Koopman Lumbar | 12.908 | 69.724 | 27 | 29 | 0.2 |
| 10 | 22 | Kyle Bonsignore | Chalew Performance/MTT/Munns Auto | 12.93 | 69.606 | 46 | 53 | 0.222 |
| 11 | 25 | Brian Robie* | Maurice Enterprises | 12.932 | 69.595 | 51 | 55 | 0.224 |
| 12 | 32 | Tyler Rypkema | Northeast Driling/MUSCO Lighting | 12.943 | 69.536 | 35 | 57 | 0.235 |
| 13 | 59 | Brett Meservey* | BNP Machine | 12.946 | 69.52 | 49 | 51 | 0.238 |
| 14 | 21 | Jacob Perry* | The Royal Screw Machine Co. | 12.948 | 69.509 | 9 | 42 | 0.24 |
| 15 | 3 | Jake Johnson* | Propane Plus/Lin’s Propane Trucks | 12.959 | 69.45 | 38 | 59 | 0.251 |
| 16 | 81 | Nathan Wenzel* | 1812 Paint and Auto Body | 13.114 | 68.629 | 38 | 51 | 0.406 |
| 17 | 18 | Ken Heagy | Buoy One Seafood Market & Restaurant | 13.227 | 68.043 | 37 | 41 | 0.519 |
| 18 | 1 | Cory Plummer* | Apex Racing/Gene’s Auto Service | 13.312 | 67.608 | 9 | 43 | 0.604 |
| 19 | 01 | Melissa Fifield | Pine Knoll Auto Sales | 13.929 | 64.613 | 15 | 19 | 1.221 |
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Denny Hamlin’s recent contract negotiations with Joe Gibbs Racing triggered moments of reflection for the 42-year-old veteran racer.
Those career discussions, of course, evolved into a multiyear agreement with the only organization for which Hamlin has ever driven, announced Aug. 30 and solidifying Hamlin in the No. 11 Toyota for more time to come.
MORE: Kansas schedule | Playoff standings
The Virginia native first set foot in the NASCAR Cup Series in October 2005 — fittingly at Kansas Speedway, where he will race Sunday in the Hollywood Casino 400 (3 p.m. ET, USA, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Nearer to the end of his career than its beginning, Hamlin said his perspective on contracts has indeed evolved since he first entered stock-car racing’s upper echelons.
What they signify now, he said, is more related to what’s left ahead on track than monetary gain.
“When you are younger, you see it as a financial stabilizer,” Hamlin said in a Saturday press conference. “For me, it’s how many more Daytona 500s do I have left? How many more opportunities do I have to win certain events that are special to me personally or help me accomplish a goal that I’m trying to accomplish? It really puts in perspective the urgency of accomplishing as much as you can here in the short term.
“When you are younger, in your 20s or low 30s, you have so much runway, where if you don’t get it this time, I’ll get it the next (contract period). I’ve been very, very fortunate in the financial planning that my team has put together – we never planned past (age) 40 as far as income was concerned, so this is all me telling myself, how many more opportunities will I have?”
There is no definitive answer to that question, but his resume already stands tall with three Daytona 500 championships, three Southern 500 victories at Darlington Raceway and a Coca-Cola 600 triumph at Charlotte Motor Speedway helping make up his 50 total Cup wins. Going out quietly is something he hopes to avoid.
“I want to compete at a high level in my final year. I don’t want to kind of trickle off. I’m way too competitive to do it,” Hamlin said. “There is no way I could go to the race track not knowing that I could win. I understand there will be a day when things fall off. Things get slower for you. You will never know when that day will come, but now that I’ve been doing it so long – it definitely puts a sense of urgency in years like this where, man, I’ve got all of the things I need to compete each and every week.
“This could be one of the best shots we’ve had to win it all. You really put an emphasis on it, knowing there’s only so many total races left. And if you want to get to your personal goals, you’ve got to capitalize on every single weekend.”
Cars and teams also evolve so quickly in NASCAR that competitors understand success can be fleeting — gone as quickly as it comes. Hamlin dominated much of the Southern 500 last weekend at Darlington, leading 177 of 367 laps, but a loose wheel in the closing 100 laps mired Hamlin deep in the field and out of winning contention.
MORE: Hamlin’s strong day unravels at Darlington
The sting of missed opportunities resonates that much more when fewer races remain out the windshield.
“I would say it’s natural to get a little more emotional when those situations come about because, like last week – how many more chances at the Southern 500 will I have to win?” Hamlin said. “We don’t even know – will our cars compete next year? Will we be as strong? No one knows. There’s so many ebbs and flows in the sport, so you always want to take advantage of the opportunities.
“(Crew chief) Chris Gabehart keeps a strict tally of when our running or winning capability is a one. Last week marked our 59th race-winning-capability weekend. We haven’t won nearly that many – 59 times. That is a lot since 2019. When we look at why we haven’t, I feel comfortable saying I’m doing all I can do. Sometimes, these things are just out of our hands.
“I can only do my job to the best of my ability and continue to try to bring the team up. I really feel confident – no matter what the outcome – that I’m not letting any weekends slip away. I wish I honestly had the discipline way back when, in the early 30s and 20s, that I do now with my work ethic. It’s paid huge dividends.”
KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Christopher Bell earned a second chance on Saturday.
For the second straight NASCAR Cup Series playoff race, Bell will start from the pole position after a blistering lap at 180.276 mph (29.954 seconds) in the final round of qualifying for Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway (3 p.m. ET, USA, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).
RELATED: Starting lineup | Weekend schedule
Bell beat last Sunday’s Darlington winner Kyle Larson (179.826 mph) by 0.075 seconds to win his fourth Busch Light Pole Award of the season, his second at Kansas and the eighth of his career.
After starting from the top spot in last Sunday’s Cook Out Southern 500, Bell suffered a litany of issues — from a slow first pit stop to hard contact with the outside wall to a five-car wreck that collected his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota late in the race.
As a result of his 23rd-place finish in the Round of 16 opener, Bell came to Kansas 12th in the Cup standings, just one point ahead of Bubba Wallace in 13th. The pole position at the 1.5-mile speedway gives him a chance at redemption.
“That was a lot of fun,” Bell said. “Qualifying here is very intense. That’s certainly all we had. I felt very good in practice today in race trim. Week after week we come to the race track with cars that are capable of racing for wins. …
“(Winning the pole) definitely takes a little bit of pressure off. If you’ve got a fast car, you can just go out there and run your pace. Clean air feels a lot better than being back in the pack.”
Martin Truex Jr. qualified third at 178.767 mph, followed by Chase Elliott (178.648 mph) and Tyler Reddick (178.495 mph).
Bell knew a sub-30-second lap was a possibility after seeing Ross Chastain turn the fastest circuit of the day in the first round of time trials in 29.925 seconds (180.451 mph). Chastain was sixth fastest in the final round at 178.324 mph.
But how does a driver eliminate the sorts of mistakes that cost him dearly in the first playoff race?
“Controlling what you can control,” Bell said. “I don’t know how many people, but (there’s) a handful of people on the team that just have to control what they can control, and I’m a big part of that equation.
“So last week, I made a mistake early in the race that ruined our finish and, yeah, that was me not doing my job, and I’m glad I get another opportunity this week to try.”
Michael McDowell, the only Ford driver to make the final round, will start seventh, with Austin Dillon eighth.
William Byron was ninth fastest in the final round, posting a lap after his crew fixed a suspension issue that surfaced during Saturday’s practice.
Wallace will take the green flag from the 10th position.
Playoff driver Kyle Busch will start from the rear of the field for the second straight race after a flat tire sent him into the outside wall during practice, necessitating repairs to his No. 8 Chevrolet, which did not make a qualifying run.
Ty Gibbs suffered a similar fate during practice and will start from the rear in a backup car.
Playoff drivers starting outside the top 10 include: Joey Logano 11th, Brad Keselowski 12th, Chris Buescher 13th, Denny Hamlin 14th, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 16th, Ryan Blaney 17th and Kevin Harvick 20th.
Elliott and Dillon are the only drivers in the top 10 not competing for the drivers’ championship, though Elliott’s No. 9 Chevrolet is running for the owners’ title.
Playoff-eligible drivers swept the top three spots in qualifying and six of the top seven. Sunday’s 400-mile event is the second of three races in the Round of 16, the opening elimination portion of the 10-race playoffs.
Tyler Reddick tops Kansas practice
Playoff driver Tyler Reddick topped NASCAR Cup Series practice Saturday at Kansas Speedway.
Reddick drove the No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota to the top of the single-lap speed chart with a clocking of 178.808 mph at the 1.5-mile Kansas City track. He was also fastest in the consecutive 10-lap average category.
MORE: Practice results | At-track photos: Kansas
William Byron posted the second-fastest lap with his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet before pulling to pit road with a broken suspension piece. His team was able to repair the car before qualifying, where he was among the five fastest in his group.
Bubba Wallace, the defending race winner and Reddick’s 23XI Racing teammate was third-fastest, with Kyle Larson and Ryan Blaney rounding out the top five. Playoff drivers swept the first five positions on the practice leaderboard and seven of the top eight.
Kyle Busch also found trouble in the practice session, scraping the outside retaining wall in Turn 4 with his No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. The car’s right-rear tire went flat, and he did not post a qualifying lap.
Contributing: Staff reports
The opening race in the Round of 16 of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs hardly could have gone worse for Michael McDowell.
After starting ninth, McDowell struggled with the handling on his No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford and faded as the race progressed. He failed to score points in either of the first two stages.
The coup de grace came when McDowell was collected in a five-car wreck late in the race and exited in 32nd place, earning just five points in the opener.
McDowell comes to the second Round of 16 race at Kansas Speedway 16th in the playoff standings, 19 points behind Christopher Bell in 12th, the cutoff position for the next round. That doesn’t mean, however, that McDowell is ready to take desperate measures.
RELATED: Cup standings | Kansas weekend schedule
“Obviously, Darlington didn’t go like we hoped it would go,” McDowell said. “Our goal was to go in there and not make any mistakes, and unfortunately we did and ended up crashing out there at the end. It’s not a panic ‘911,’ must-win, have to go extreme strategy or extreme aggression because there’s still room for other teams and other drivers to have some mistakes.
“But we definitely have to go out there and run top 10 to top five the next two weeks, if we don’t win to put ourselves in position. It’s definitely an uphill battle, but I don’t feel like we’re out of the game. I don’t feel like we’re out of the fight.
“We’ve had speed all year. It’s just putting it all together. We’ll probably need a little bit of misfortune from some other competitors. We’ve seen that in the first round before, particularly at Darlington and Kansas, so there’s a lot of opportunities to not get it right.”
Ross Chastain’s return to the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs got off to a rousing start one week ago at Darlington Raceway with a top-five finish. But the journey to that fifth-place result was, well, a journey in itself. All are part of the process at Trackhouse Racing.
Last year’s inaugural run through the Cup Series postseason produced plenty of learning moments for Chastain, crew chief Phil Surgen and the entire No. 1 Trackhouse team.
MORE: Full Kansas schedule | At-track photos
“The biggest thing that stands out is what I can control,” Chastain told NASCAR.com in a Thursday teleconference. “And last year, I could have controlled not crashing at the (Charlotte) Roval. It was a simple mental error. It was a lack of awareness and attention to my driving. And I got loose in Turn 2, the pit-out chute, and hit the wall and broke the right-rear suspension, and that could have very easily taken us out of transferring to the Round of 8. So that’s what stands out. You just can’t afford to have that.”
Of course, not only did the No. 1 Chevrolet advance through to the Round of 8 — he rode the Martinsville Speedway wall all the way into the Championship 4. These days, he’s more conscious of the positions in which he’s placing his car, capitalizing on opportunities in front of him but rarely overstepping.
“People are going to crash. We saw it at Darlington,” Chastain said. “I’m super proud that my car might have been the only playoff car without right-side damage. I had some left-rear (contact) from the 5 (Kyle Larson), but not not anything on the right side. Didn’t touch the wall all weekend.
“That’s not to say that Lap 1 of practice I couldn’t drive into Turn 1 and hit the wall at Kansas, OK? Like, I’m not getting too far ahead of myself at all. I’m not in Kansas yet, so I can’t control that. But I’m proud of that, because that’s something that I focused on for these 10 weeks is to minimize that and eliminate it as much as possible. There’s just no room for it.”
There’s also pride in the No. 1 team’s recovery from a rough start to last weekend’s Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, where he fell off the lead lap early but rallied to a fifth-place run — his first top five since his win at Nashville Superspeedway on June 25. That run positioned him 10th in the 16-driver playoff grid, currently 13 points above the provisional elimination line.
RELATED: Playoff standings
“We didn’t start the race or the weekend at Darlington how we wanted, but man, like just give us 500 miles of a Cup race and we’ll have a shot,” Chastain said. “And that’s what we had, right? Maybe if we had the Southern 600, we might have won it. But you know, we were just too far off to start and it just took too long to get up there, so we missed out on a lot of opportunities. But still proud — I mean, like, so pumped that we were able to do that, because it just doesn’t happen much anymore.”
The result was a product of trusting the processes Chastain and Surgen have built over their past three years together, Chastain said. The two began working in tandem in 2021 when Chastain took over the No. 42 Chevrolet at Chip Ganassi Racing. When Justin Marks purchased CGR’s shop and charters to transition them into the Trackhouse Racing fold, much of what was the No. 42 team became the modern-day No. 1 team.
The environment inside Trackhouse this year — with Chastain in the playoffs and teammate Daniel Suárez not — is admittedly different than it was a season ago when both teams qualified for the postseason.
“There’s no way around it. We know it,” Chastain said.
But Suárez showed strength at Darlington before a late-race dustup with Alex Bowman that eliminated both of them from contention, a sign of the shared mindset within the Concord, North Carolina, race shop.
“The 99 (Suárez) was just as fast at Darlington as they would have been if they weren’t in the playoffs,” Chastain said. “So I am totally confident that they’re going to continue to just help us and we’re going to help them. We’re still keeping our same processes. We’re still going about the business of bringing rocket ships to the race track, just like he was in the playoffs or if he’s not; if I am in the playoffs or I was not.”
Up next is Kansas Speedway, host of the Hollywood Casino 400 set for Sunday afternoon (3 p.m. ET, USA Network, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App). Since the Next Gen car debuted in 2022, Chastain has finished seventh, seventh and fifth in three Kansas races.
Chastain noted the similarities between the 1.5-mile Kansas and 2-mile Michigan International Speedway — both smooth, both wide, D-shaped ovals. Chastain’s qualifying efforts at both tracks year: third at Kansas, second at Michigan.
“Kansas is just wide,” Chastain said. “Like really, my only policy for what lane I don’t run in Kansas is the lane somebody in front of me is in. I just go wherever they’re not. And that might be lower, that might be higher than I’m planning on, but the only rule I have is don’t follow them because there’s enough lanes to find my own. So through the corner when we’re all packed up, it’s really just about the car right in front of me and finding some clean air.”
For now, Chastain enters Kansas with another chance to chase the coveted NASCAR Cup Series Championship.
“I think we’ve got a shot,” Chastain said. “That’s all we asked for. We just asked for an opportunity.”
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Ben Rhodes battled an ill-handling truck all night and wound up 25th, two laps down at Kansas Speedway on Friday night. Matt DiBenedetto stormed to a third-place finish in the Kansas Lottery 200.
And yet the two Round of 10 contenders ended up on opposite sides of the elimination line as the first round of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Playoffs came to a close: Rhodes advanced to the Round of 8 by a scant five points, while DiBenedetto was ousted from the postseason grid along with Matt Crafton, who was 11 points shy of advancing.
MORE: Race results | At-track photos
Rhodes, the 2021 series champion, qualified sixth and was inside the top five early, but the handling quickly faded on his No. 99 ThorSport Racing Ford before he slapped the outside SAFER barrier exiting Turn 4, hampering any chance of contending for a win.
Rhodes entered the night three points behind Nick Sanchez for the final transfer spot in the playoffs — and nine points behind teammate Crafton. But Crafton’s dismal night — a crash in practice forced him to start from the rear in a backup truck before further wall contact mid-race ended his hopes of a fourth championship — buoyed both Sanchez and Rhodes.
While Rhodes’ title hopes are alive and well, his smile and laughs through his post-race comments simply masked his disappointment.
“Realistically, I should be happy, but I said it before — the expectation’s to move on,” Rhodes said. “The expectation’s to be in the (Championship) 4. So meeting the expectation, I don’t think, is really a cause to celebrate. We’re just kind of moving to the next round. Celebrating is, I think, reserved for the championship or for a race win. Right now, we’re just heads down; we’ve got to keep grinding. Just because we made it, we can’t lose sight now.”
On the other end of the spectrum was DiBenedetto, whose third-place finish tied his season-best result. Rhodes’ points cushion was just enough to force DiBenedetto into a must-win situation heading into the final restart, which came with two laps to go.
DiBenedetto restarted as the fourth truck on the outside lane, choosing from the seventh position. He stormed to fourth as the front-runners jostled three-wide for the win ahead of him. He could clearly see the checkered flag ahead of him, but so too were trucks driven by Christian Eckes and Taylor Gray, keeping DiBenedetto from advancing to the Round of 8.
“I mean, I’m proud of the finish and the effort and the solid truck and the solid race, all the effort of my team,” DiBenedetto said. “Proud of that, but gosh, just have a lot of mixed emotions right now. Just stinks. I don’t want to look in the rear-view mirror too much, but it stinks we had our issue at Milwaukee because then we’d be in the next round, and I would’ve been like, ‘heck yeah, a strong third-place run going to Bristol.’ But what can I do? All we can do is just go try and win them now.”
DiBenedetto, who announced Aug. 30 he will not return to the No. 25 Rackley W.A.R. Chevrolet in 2024, said the problem at the Milwaukee Mile on Aug. 27 was a “little failure” that was found at the shop after the race that explained why they struggled en route to a 27th-place finish, two laps down.
“At least we understood why we were way off, but it stinks it happened because it set us back in points. And then we made back up a bunch of them tonight and got a third, but oh well.”
A free agent for next season, DiBenedetto admitted the past couple of years have been a “roller coaster,” one that saw him grind in the Cup Series with mid-to-back-of-the-pack organizations before an opportunity to drive the No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford for two years before the team went another direction with driver Harrison Burton.
“I don’t know. I have a lot of mixed, odd emotions and stuff going through my head,” he said. “It’s been an interesting couple or few years in life. I’ve kind of gotten passed up on a lot of opportunities as far as when there’s a lot of seats open and people out, things like that. It’s just been a tough couple years in life and general, I would say.
“I’m very thankful here and where I’m at. It’s just been a roller coaster of emotions as far as just, I’ve had a lot of career change, life change and lots of things. But ultimately, I’m just grateful. I’ve got to be just grateful for getting to drive in circles for a living.”
For Rhodes and seven others, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Playoffs reset, with the opening slate of the Round of 8 set for Thursday night at Bristol Motor Speedway (9 ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
KANSAS City, Kan. – Christian Eckes grabbed the lead on the final restart and stole a victory in Friday night’s Kansas Lottery 200, the Round of 10 elimination race in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
In a three-wide battle for the lead against Corey Heim and Zane Smith, Eckes led only the final two laps to secure his third victory of the season, his first at Kansas Speedway and the fourth of his career.
RELATED: Race results | Weekend schedule
In a last-lap scramble that saw Smith get loose, turn sideways and fade to fifth, Taylor Gray finished second, 0.363 seconds behind Eckes. Matt DiBenedetto ran third in a valiant effort to earn a berth in the Round of 8.
But with Ben Rhodes finishing 25th after securing a total of 11 points in the first two stages, Rhodes claimed the final spot in the next round by five points over DiBenedetto.
DiBenedetto is out of his ride at the end of the year, too, having announced that he has decided not to return to the No. 25 Rackley W.A.R. Chevrolet next season. DiBenedetto added that he is looking for opportunities in all three of NASCAR’s national series.
Also eliminated from the playoffs was Matt Crafton, who had to go to a reserve truck after running over debris and wrecking in practice earlier in the day. Crafton’s No. 88 Ford slapped the wall on Lap 69 of Friday’s race, and after attempted repairs, he finished 33rd, nine laps down and 11 points out of the Round of 8.
Heim, who finished fourth, had the lead when the trucks of Rajah Caruth and Tanner Gray collided on the frontstretch on Lap 127 to cause the fifth and final caution.
“That was wild,” Eckes said after climbing from his truck. “I didn’t know if I was going to win it or not. We had, like, a sixth-place truck all day, but when that caution came out, I knew we had a shot at it, and here we are.
“We haven’t won in a real long time — so I wanted to set a tone. Went all the way to the Round of 10 — second, third, first (in the first three playoff races). So can’t beat that. Proud of all these guys.”
MORE: At-track photos: Kansas
DiBenedetto would have advanced with a victory but came up two positions short.
“Honestly, this team fought so hard, worked their tail off to give me a good-looking truck and a good-handling truck all night,” DiBenedetto said. “So, man, we made the most of it, for sure. Just so thankful for these guys and (sponsor) Rackley Roofing.”
Carson Hocevar came home sixth, followed by Stewart Friesen and Nick Sanchez, who took the lead from pole winner Chase Purdy and won the first 30-lap stage wire-to-wire. Hocevar edged Sanches for the Stage 2 win.
Seventeenth-place finisher Grant Enfinger and 18th-place Ty Majeski already had earned spots in the Round of 8 with victories in the first two Playoff races, and Eckes and Heim already were in on points. Hocevar clinched his place in the next round with a ninth-place result in Stage 1, with Smith, Sanchez and Rhodes advancing on points on Friday night.
Sanchez led a race-high 43 laps, followed by Heim with 40 and Hocevar with 32.
The Craftsman Truck Series’ next race is scheduled Thursday (9 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Bristol Motor Speedway. The 200-lap event will open the three-race Round of 8, which will determine the final four drivers who will race for the championship in the Nov. 3 finale at Phoenix Raceway.
Note: Inspection in the Craftsman Truck Series garage was completed without major issue, confirming Eckes as the winner. The No. 12 Young’s Motorsports Chevrolet, driven to a 31st-place finish by Spencer Boyd, was found with one unsecured lug nut in a post-race check, which should result in competition officials fining the team’s crew chief in next week’s penalty report.
Contributing: Staff reports
NASCAR officials penalized the 23XI Racing No. 23 Toyota team Friday after the car failed NASCAR Cup Series pre-race inspection twice at Kansas Speedway.
RELATED: Weekend schedule | What to Watch: Kansas
Zachary Marquardt, car chief for the No. 23 team and driver Bubba Wallace, was ejected for the remainder of the race weekend. The team will also forfeit pit-stall selection for Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 (3 p.m. ET, USA, MRN, SiriusXM, NBC Sports App), the second of 10 races in the Cup Series Playoffs.
Wallace is the defending race winner for Sunday’s 400-miler. He is also ranked 13th in the 16-driver postseason grid, just one point below the provisional elimination line with two races (at Kansas and Bristol) before the field is trimmed.
Toyota teams have won three consecutive races, and six of the last eight at the 1.5-mile Kansas track.
When Berlin Raceway wraps up its 2023 season Saturday, Limited Late Model division driver Denny Anderson will conclude his 50th year of racing.
Anderson began competing in 1970 when he was 17. Other than a two-year break in the early 2000s, he’s been behind the wheel every summer since.
Anderson’s dad started taking him to the racetrack when he was about 10, and from then on, he said, “I couldn’t stay away from the place.”
Though he was a talented baseball player in high school, his heart was at the track.
“I gave all that up just to go to the race track,” he said. “Kind of crazy, huh? “The speed, the noise, the sound, the people. It’s a lot crazier than baseball, more fun I guess. It’s hard to say.”
STREAMING: Watch Berlin’s championship night live on FloRacing
Anderson went between dirt and asphalt tracks through the early parts of his career, and he eventually found a home at Berlin in the 1980s. He won his only track title at the NASCAR Home Track located in Marne, Michigan in 1984.
He stayed at Berlin until 2006, when he got out of the sport to help his son’s budding race career. Anderson’s son died in a boating accident in 2007, and afterwards, Anderson took two years off from the sport.
He eventually bought one of the cars his son built and decided to go racing once again.
“Those are the only two years I’ve taken off,” Anderson said. “My late wife always said I had probably 150 feature wins through my career in 50 years.”
When it was time to return to racing, Berlin was the only track Anderson considered.
“That’s my home track,” he said. “I live, like, five miles away from the place. I’ve always loved the place. A lot of good guys have come out of there. … I’m glad I’m back. The racing family here is unbelievable. A lot of good people.”
Not only is this a milestone season in Anderson’s career, but it’s also one of his best. In Berlin’s Limited Late Model division, he has two wins and 15 top fives in 21 features this summer. His worst race of the season was last Saturday when he finished eighth.
Anderson goes into this weekend’s season finale at Berlin second in the Limited Late Model division points, 136 points behind leader Tyler Rycenga and 15 points better than third-place Josh Frye.
“One of my better years,” Anderson said. “I’m just surrounded by great people right now, a great car owner, great crew guys. Just everything’s clicking right now. I’ve got a great car. Just everything is working out good.”
Anderson thanked his team, including car owner Shawn Kriesh, his crew chief, Austin, and crew members Andy, Mike, Dusty and Mark for helping him find more success at Berlin this season.
He also thanked his girlfriend LuAnn, who he called his “backbone” this year.
“She drives me and tells me all the good things I do,” Anderson added. “She gets me out of my highs and lows, because racing is so up and down with highs and lows and everything.”
Track profile: Everything to know about Berlin Raceway
With one race left in season No. 50, Anderson said he feeling confident after his team made some changes and fixes to the car this week.
Is there anything he’s looking forward to in order to cap off his final race of 2023?
“Yeah,” he said. “A checkered flag. That would be awesome. That would be good to get one more.”
Don’t think for one second, though, that Anderson has any plans of stopping before the start of season No. 51.
“Our shirts this season, the front patch says, ‘Keeping the dream alive.’ That’s for my son and my late wife,” Anderson said. “I’ve got no inclinations of quitting yet. We’re still running pretty decent, and I’m going to run until I can’t, I guess.
“As long as the owner keeps me in it I’m going to keep going.”
Berlin’s Chet Championship Night, featuring races in the Super Late Model, Limited Late Model, Sportsman, 4 Cylinders, and Vintage Racing Organization of America divisions will begin on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. local time.
All the action can be streamed live on FloRacing.