Posted on by Holly Cain

LOUDON, N.H. – John Hunter Nemechek completed the first back-to-back victory effort of his career, convincingly winning Saturday’s Ambetter Health 200 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway to answer a big victory last week at Atlanta Motor Speedway, too.

Nemechek held off rookie Chandler Smith on an overtime restart, leading a race-best 137 of the 206 laps in the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and becoming the winningest driver in the series this season with four victories – upping his career total to six. The 26-year-old second-generation star Nemechek now leads the championship run by 33 points over Richard Childress Racing driver Austin Hill, a three-time race winner in 2023 and the third-place finisher on Saturday.

RELATED: Race results | Weekend schedule

“They’ve had dominant JGR Supras the last couple years and I had to hold up my end of the bargain,’’ said a smiling Nemechek, who at one point led the field by more than four seconds. “It’s nerve-wracking for sure [the final restart], so I’m so proud of this No. 20 team and everybody at Joe Gibbs Racing,’’ Nemechek added, “I think our first clean race of the year and hats off to all our guys.

“I love coming up here and shout-out to a driver who is one of the masters up here,’’ he said with a smile, conceding “The Master” was Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series pole-sitter and JGR teammate Christopher Bell. “I was a little worried there with the last restarts. We kept getting really good launches and were able to clear them but I didn’t know who was saving what. I was trying to save for Cole [Custer], he really pushed us there.”

The runner-up finisher Smith, who earned his first career NASCAR Xfinity Series pole position on Friday for this race, led only the first lap but stayed in contention and kept the front pack honest throughout the day. Unfortunately for the 21-year-old Kaulig Racing driver, there was a malfunction with his cool suit on the steamy summer New England afternoon and he was treated with IVs at the care center after the race, but reported in good shape overall.

The race on the 1.058-mile oval included 10 caution periods – the last forcing an overtime finish. Nemechek had just rolled under the white flag signaling the last lap, when a pair of his closest challengers on the day – Cole Custer and Sheldon Creed – crashed behind him dueling for third place. The incident froze the running order and ended the race.

Stewart-Haas Racing’s Custer – the youngest winner in NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series history when he won at New Hampshire in 2014 at the age of 16 – collided with RCR driver Creed while vying for third place. Custer, a two-time winner this season, had run among the top three for much of the race. Creed is still racing for his first victory of the season.

Behind Nemechek, Smith and Hill, Kaulig Racing’s Daniel Hemric and JGR rookie driver Sammy Smith rounded out the top five. Smith earned his first career stage win, taking the Stage 2 flag and leading 18 laps on the day.

JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier finished sixth after leading 27 laps early in the race and winning Stage 1, tying him with Nemechek for most stage wins (five) on the season.

Allgaier was Nemechek’s toughest challenger early, leading 27 laps in winning Stage 1 but his early strength was short-circuited when his No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet was tagged with a penalty for pitting outside the pit box when he overshot his stall in the stage intermission. He was scored in 27th place for the start of Stage 2, then later was snared in a nine-car stack-up as the field jammed up on a Lap 71 restart.

MORE: Xfinity field stacks up on restart, multiple cars wreck

Allgaier continued with damage and rallied to finish sixth, but Anthony Alfredo, Parker Kligerman and Ryan Sieg were all sidelined. Sieg was critical of Nemechek’s restart approach after he was checked and released from the infield care center.

Jeb Burton, who won earlier in the season at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, finished seventh, followed by Josh Williams, the owner-driver collecting the 11th top-10 finish of his career and the first back-to-back top 10s of the season. Brett Moffitt and Mason Massey rounded out the New Hampshire top 10. It marked Massey’s first top-10 effort of 2023 as well.

As for Nemechek, he is currently riding a massive streak of career accomplishment.

“Now it’s time to keep clicking off these victories,’’ Nemechek said.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series returns to action next Saturday with the Pocono 225 at Pocono Raceway (5:30 p.m. ET, USA Network, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM).

Note: Post-race inspection was completed in the Xfinity Series garage at New Hampshire with no issues, confirming Nemechek as the winner.

Contributing: Staff reports

Posted on by Dustin Albino

LOUDON, N.H. — Six races ago, Bubba Wallace was sitting pretty, with the No. 23 team on an upward trajectory of having three consecutive top-10 finishes (four straight including a runner-up result at the non-points All-Star Race). That tied the longest streak of his career.

Over the last handful of races, however, Wallace has a best finish of 15th (Nashville Superspeedway), which includes three finishes of 25th or worse. On that list is Atlanta Motor Speedway last weekend, when he was caught up in the incident that turned out to be the caution that ended the race. Soon after Wallace’s spin with Ryan Preece, rain halted the event.

Wallace was credited with 25th position, earning just 17 points for the evening.

RELATED: What to Watch: Loudon | Weekend schedule

With Daniel Suárez, AJ Allmendinger and Michael McDowell – all drivers running near the playoff cutline – earning top-five finishes, Wallace fell below the playoff cutline for the first time since early May after the 400-mile event at Kansas Speedway. He enters New Hampshire 17th on the playoff grid, three points below Suárez and McDowell. In the last two races, he’s lost 33 points to the bubble.

“We had a few mistakes that started off our weekend bad,” Wallace said Saturday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. “I guess you could say that’s in the cards, so we don’t deserve to be in right now with the way we’re performing and executing.

“This week was a big reflection week for everybody on the [No.] 23 team on how we need to execute. Mistakes like this at this point in the season, there’s no excuse for it. Whether it’s my fault on track or the crew’s fault in preparation. We need to be better as a team moving forward to even think about playoffs.”

Reflecting on this week meant the No. 23 team needed to take a step back and look at what it was doing during that May run. Collectively, Wallace said he believes the team needed to take a breather and approach the rest of the season where it’s “beneficial for everybody.”

“One mistake affects everybody on the team,” Wallace said. “You have to be aware of everything that goes on to be competitive at this level.”

Denny Hamlin, co-owner of 23XI Racing, said the No. 23 team has had its fair share of problems recently. He said he knows the organization needs improvement.

“They’re running OK,” Hamlin said. “Certainly, would like to see a little more performance, a little more execution on the team’s part. The team has its fair share of growing that they need to do. The drivers, as long as they do their part, then it’s up for us to make sure the team executes. They let him down in some spots, for sure. We all have to get better.”

With seven races remaining before the playoffs begin at Darlington Raceway, Wallace is poised to make a postseason run. He has yet to make the playoffs as a driver in five full-time Cup Series seasons. He raced in place of Kurt Busch last season to compete for the owner’s championship in 23XI’s No. 45 entry, and he ultimately won the second race of the playoffs at Kansas.

Should a new driver or two– not named Wallace — currently below the playoff cutline capture a checkered flag before the playoffs begin, it would throw a wrench into his plans. For that reason, he said his team needs to find Victory Lane quickly.

“We want to win,” Wallace said. “We know we have to win. We can’t point our way into a championship, so we need to win. We need to win early enough to lock ourselves in. If we can’t do that, it would be unfortunate, but we have to point our way, too. Mistakes don’t create points, so we have to eliminate mistakes to get points.”

MORE: Monday’s starting lineup | Fantasy Fastlane

Some of Wallace’s competitors who he’s battling near the cutline believe that he can win, too. McDowell gained 22 points on the bubble last weekend at Atlanta and moved to the last spot currently in.

“When I look at the guys around us, I’m definitely nervous because we know Bubba has some great tracks coming up and the Toyotas have been fast,” McDowell said. “AJ is super strong on road courses; I feel strong on road courses as well. It’s hard to bet against AJ on those. If you look at the guys we’re racing, Suárez as well, he’s good at the same tracks that I’m good at.”

First up is New Hampshire, where Wallace scored 10 stage points and finished third last season. At the time, it was his first top-five effort on a non-superspeedway in over a calendar year.

The No. 23 team ranked fifth in practice on one-lap speed and qualified eighth. He doesn’t necessarily believe that the run from 2022 will carry over to this weekend.

“A little bit of a nice stat,” Wallace said of the third-place effort last year. “But it brings confidence with the weekend that we had and the speed that we had in our cars. We’re looking at redoing that and backing that up.”

Compared to this time last year, it’s been a solid improvement for Wallace, who was 178 points below the cutline entering New Hampshire last season — a deficit magnified by the Cup Series having two additional winners with provisional playoff berths at this point last year.

Posted on by Holly Cain

LOUDON, N.H. – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell will start Monday’s Crayon 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway exactly where he finished his last start at the 1.058-mile New England track: in position No. 1.

Bell, 28, won Saturday’s pole qualifying session for the Crayon 301 (Mon., Noon ET, USA, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) with a lap of 124.781 mph in the No. 20 JGR Toyota – just a tick faster at 0.007 seconds – than teammate Martin Truex Jr., who will start his No. 19 JGR Toyota alongside on the front row.

RELATED: Starting lineup | Weekend schedule

Stewart-Haas Racing’s Aric Almirola was close to earning his second pole in as many weeks – putting his No. 10 SHR Ford only 0.18 seconds off Bell’s work. He’ll start on the second row next to fellow Ford driver Joey Logano in the No. 22 Team Penske Ford Mustang.

It’s the first pole position of the year for Bell and fifth of his career, and it comes at a track where the Oklahoma native has already established himself as one of the best. He joins Kyle Busch as the only two drivers with victories in all three of NASCAR’s national series at New Hampshire – highlighted by last year’s NASCAR Cup Series win and also including three consecutive NASCAR Xfinity race wins from 2018-21 and a 2017 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory.

“The amount of sliding around we did today, the lack of grip, I think the cream is going to rise to the top [in the race],” Bell said. “The good drivers, good cars will be able to pass and get their way to the front. I start at the front and hopefully we stay up there, but this is a place where people will try different strategies by staying out, taking two tires, short-pitting, long-pitting, whatever the case may be so you’re not guaranteed to just start out front and stay there all day.”

The remaining top qualifiers include Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney and 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick, who will start fifth and sixth on the third row. Current NASCAR Cup Series championship leader William Byron was the only Hendrick Motorsports driver to advance to the final qualifying round and he will start his No. 24 Chevrolet seventh – alongside 23XI Racing driver Bubba Wallace’s No. 23 Toyota.

Brad Keselowski – a two-time New Hampshire race winner – will start the No. 6 RFK Racing Ford ninth, alongside a fellow champion of the sport, three-time New Hampshire NASCAR Cup Series race winner Kyle Busch in the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet.

Busch crashed during his qualifying lap, sustaining rear-end damage on his No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet after contact with the outside wall through Turns 1 and 2. Busch advanced to the final round of qualifying after an earlier wall scrape in practice; he will be credited with the 10th starting spot.

Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick – a four-time New Hampshire winner – will start 13th in the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford. He is attempting to become the track’s all-time winningest driver in his final start before retiring at the conclusion of the season.

Noah Gragson was the top qualifying rookie. He’ll roll off 29th in the Legacy Motor Club No. 42 Chevrolet. Fellow rookie Ty Gibbs will start the No. 54 JGR Toyota last in the 36-car race field.

McDowell fastest in Cup Series practice

Michael McDowell topped the leaderboard in NASCAR Cup Series practice at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, notching a best lap of 126.416 mph in Saturday’s opening session.

McDowell’s No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford was just 0.002 seconds faster than second-best Martin Truex Jr., who posted a lap of 126.408 mph in the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. In the consecutive 10-lap averages category, the two drivers flip-flopped their 1-2 order with Truex edging McDowell atop that list.

MORE: Fantasy Fastlane | New Hampshire 101

Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain was third-fastest on the single-lap chart, followed by 23XI Racing teammates Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace, who rounded out the top five in that order.

Kyle Busch scrubbed the outside retaining wall with the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, drifting too high out of Turn 2 during the first practice group. The No. 8 crew went to work on the damage to get Busch ready for qualifying.

Saturday’s Cup Series inspection wrapped up just before practice, and only one team — the No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet for driver Noah Gragson — failed more than once. The two-time failure prompted NASCAR officials to eject No. 42 engineer Phillip Bell, plus the team forfeited pit-stall selection for Monday’s 301-lap race.

Contributing: Staff reports

Posted on by Tadd Haislop

LOUDON, N.H. — Kevin Harvick on Monday will compete for the final time at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, a venue that’s technically considered a short track in the NASCAR Cup Series. The racing on the 1.058-mile configuration is as unique as it is reminiscent of NASCAR Home Tracks all around the country.

Starting in 2024, though, Harvick’s motorsports focus will turn squarely to these types of venues.

Through his marketing agency (KHI Management) and his late-model race teams, Harvick will aim to support short-track racing as a whole through his elevation of the discipline’s talent and personality upon his retirement from Cup racing at the end of the season.

Harvick, of course, is part of the new CARS Late Model Stock Tour ownership group consisting of Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Burton and Justin Marks. He said the endeavor has taught him just how impactful his support can be to short-track competitors and, in turn, stock-car racing as a whole.

“We have a lot of great racers across the country racing at these short tracks,” Harvick said Saturday. “Our focus [with] the CARS Tour is just promoting races. If some of the guys and girls have fun tweets or posts on Instagram, you see Dale and myself reposting stuff and just trying to give them a platform to be able to have a shot.”

PHOTOS: Harvick, other NASCAR starts racing late models at North Wilkesboro

Kevin Harvick
Kevin Harvick races a Late Model Stock Car at North Wilkesboro Speedway on May 17, 2023. (Photo: Adam Fenwick/NASCAR)

From the point he takes off his helmet after the Cup season finale at Phoenix Raceway in November, Harvick’s support of short-track racing will only grow.

The 47-year-old specifically mentioned the Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida, Wisconsin’s Slinger Nationals and the All American 400 at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway as events his late model teams plan to enter. The complete schedule will depend on driver availability.

And for Harvick, those drivers are the key.

Harvick himself competed in one of his late models at North Wilkesboro Speedway in May. But he said he might not run at all in 2024. He would consider that a positive development.

“The race teams primarily are going to be used for the management company drivers and the things that they want to do,” Harvick said. “The teams are really kind of an extension of what we’ll do from the management side to give them an opportunity to get in good cars and be safe … and to be able to put Cup guys in there when they want to come race.”

Kevin Harvick
Kevin Harvick and his Cup Series crew chief Rodney Childers discuss the team’s strategy ahead of a Late Model Stock race at North Wilkesboro Speedway on May 17, 2023. (Photo: Adam Fenwick/NASCAR)

Harvick noted Josh Berry, the driver who will take over Stewart-Haas Racing’s No. 4 Ford Mustang starting in 2024, as an example of the type of competitor he hopes to support. Berry won the 2020 NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series championship driving for JR Motorsports.

Now he’s a star at the sport’s highest level.

“The most important thing is using our platform to expose who those short track drivers are. Josh Berry’s been a huge part of that. And being able to recognize that there are a lot of really good short-track racers.

“And Josh, being able to go in the 4 car — and it’s not a paid-for situation — gives a lot of those guys a lot of hope that in can be done. It can be a part of just doing the right thing.”

Posted on by Tadd Haislop

LEE, N.H. — The terrain surrounding Lee USA Speedway is overwhelmingly green and harmonious, typical for the Eastern portion of the Granite State. Yet there was nothing quiet about the scene Friday evening at the NASCAR Home Track located just 35 miles from New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Not with Rowdy in town.

In case one wasn’t aware two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch was competing in the track’s “Battle for the Belt” on Friday, the jam-packed parking lot spilling onto the Calef Highway was the tell. So was the long, winding line of patrons waiting to buy tickets for seats in already-full grandstands.

This is what happens when a NASCAR star like Busch carves out time in his schedule to compete at the short-track level. Though he finished second to late-model racing ace Derek Griffith, Busch understands that when he races on this platform, everybody wins.

“It takes the fans in the stands at these short tracks to be able to get these short tracks going,” a worn-out Busch said. “I know what it’s all about. … It was nice to see a good crowd out here.”

PHOTOS: Kyle Busch racing at Lee USA Speedway

Kyle Busch
Kyle Busch at Lee USA Speedway (Susan Wong/NASCAR)

Busch’s desire to compete — and, frankly, to have a little fun — made his answer a quick and easy yes when his Richard Childress Racing spotter Derek Kneeland called before the season and asked about running in the Pro Stocks division (Super Late Models) at Lee USA a couple days before the Cup race at New Hampshire. Busch said he was in … as long as he’d have a good car.

He had just that with the No. 8 Go Fas Racing Chevrolet. Busch qualified fifth and ran around that position for the entirety of the 125-lap race. In the closing stages, he found himself running second and attempting to chase down Griffith before settling for his runner-up result.

In typical Rowdy fashion, disappointed he couldn’t finish one spot better, he accepted the second-place trophy with a sarcastic cheer as the crowd returned sincere applause.

Busch’s run was impressive nonetheless considering he was driving a new car on what was to him a foreign track.

“Whenever you come to places like this, it’s always hard to out-do the guys who have been here and have a thousand laps here,” Busch said. “Coming in for the first time with a brand-new car, one I had never driven before, it was interesting trying to feel it all out and learn what there was to learn.

“Early on I was just trying to ride. But when I saw [Griffith] picking them off and going a little bit, I was like, ‘OK, he knows what he’s doing, so I need to go a little bit, too.’ I just wasn’t as strong as him getting through [the field] before him.”

Busch was at least stronger than his Cup Series spotter Friday night. Also competing at Lee, Kneeland battled a loose race car in the opening laps and was forced a lap down when he pitted to address the issues. He joked that he was waiting for Busch to run him into the wall when the latter was passing by.

Kyle Busch
Kyle Busch at Lee USA Speedway (Photo: Susan Wong/NASCAR)

Kneeland has been racing is own Super Late Model all over the country over the last few years. Friday’s race at Lee USA gave him another chance to do so with the NASCAR national series activities at New Hampshire taking place so close.

Kneeland’s car issues kept him from battling Busch the way he did former RCR driver Tyler Reddick in the same race at Lee USA last year, but he echoed Busch’s sentiment on the joy both feel racing on a short track.

With that said, he knows his driver as well as anybody.

“I’d say he had some fun,” Kneeland said of Busch. “But I know he’s not going to be happy to finish second.”

Posted on by Staff Report

Mohegan Sun 100

New Hampshire Motor Speedway

  • Qualifying Results
Pos No. Name Sponsor Best Tm Best Speed
1 51 Justin Bonsignore Phoenix Communications Inc. 29.321 129.9
2 46 Anthony Nocella Riverhead Building Supply 29.365 129.705
3 7 Doug Coby Mayhew Tools 29.593 128.706
4 16 Ron Silk Blue Mountain Machine and Future Homes 29.64 128.502
5 64 Austin Beers Dell Elect/Lumierre Elect/Andrew James Interior 29.641 128.498
6 1 Corey LaJoie Celcius 29.655 128.437
7 99 Ronnie Williams Tony’s Competition Engines 29.662 128.407
8 54 Tommy Catalano FX Caprara 29.709 128.204
9 58 Eric Goodale GAF Roofing/Riverhead Building Supply 29.746 128.044
10 32 Tyler Rypkema Northeast Drilling/MUSCO Lighting 29.781 127.894
11 07 Patrick Emerling Bonesteel Aerospace 29.851 127.594
12 44 Bobby Santos, III Harshaw Paving/Olivas Market 29.859 127.56
13 17 Chase Dowling Start Finish Productions/S&S Paving 29.891 127.423
14 22 Kyle Bonsignore Chalew Performance/MTT/Munn’s Auto 29.923 127.287
15 3 Jake Johnson Propane Plus/Lins Propane Trucks 29.981 127.04
16 89 Matt Swanson Ceravolo’s Auto 29.995 126.981
17 77 Max McLaughlin Curb Records/Mohawk Northeast 30.055 126.728
18 21 Anthony Bello Bello Motorsports/SKM/JB Mgmt 30.078 126.631
19 19 Anthony Sesely Wanick Construction Inc. 30.159 126.291
20 36 Dave Sapienza Sapienza Enterprises/Eastport Feeds 30.163 126.274
21 70 Andy Seuss Rockingham Boat 30.274 125.811
22 26 Max Zachem Lakeland Landscape /TRC Electric 30.275 125.807
23 6 Woody Pitkat Koopman Lumber 30.289 125.749
24 43 Matt Kimball J&M Towing/Poodlack Wealth Mgmt/Post & Beam 30.308 125.67
25 20 Eddie McCarthy McCarthy’s Marine Sales 30.314 125.645
26 4 Tim Connolly Connolly Companies, Inc. 30.401 125.285
27 97 Bryan Dauzat Brother-in-Law Motorsports 30.679 124.15
28 18 Ken Heagy Buoy One Seafood and Restaurant 31.125 122.371
29 01 Melissa Fifield Pine Knoll Auto Sales 33.924 112.274
30 82 Craig Lutz Horton Ave Materials No Time No Time
Posted on by Staff Report

Mohegan Sun 100

New Hampshire Motor Speedway

  • Practice results
Pos. Car No. Driver Sponsor Best Time Best Speed In Lap Laps Diff.
1 07 Patrick Emerling Bonesteel Aerospace 29.11 130.842 25 25  —
2 51 Justin Bonsignore Phoenix Communications Inc. 29.122 130.788 28 36 0.012
3 46 Anthony Nocella Riverhead Building Supply 29.13 130.752 17 21 0.02
4 32 Tyler Rypkema Northeast Driling/MUSCO Lighting 29.236 130.278 33 42 0.126
5 54 Tommy Catalano FX Caprera 29.276 130.1 35 49 0.166
6 7 Doug Coby Mayhew Tools 29.28 130.082 12 30 0.17
7 99 Ronnie Williams Tony’s Competition Engines 29.322 129.896 23 31 0.212
8 64 Austin Beers Dell Electric/Lumiere Electrical/Andrew James Interiors 29.346 129.789 26 50 0.236
9 89 Matt Swanson Cervado Auto 29.349 129.776 33 38 0.239
10 44 Bobby Santos, III Harshaw Paving/Olivas Market 29.365 129.705 26 33 0.255
11 17 Chase Dowling Start Finish Production/S&S Paving 29.396 129.569 42 44 0.286
12 22 Kyle Bonsignore Chalew Performance/MTT/Munns Auto 29.438 129.384 26 37 0.328
13 16 Ron Silk Blue Mountain Machine & Future Homes 29.447 129.344 31 31 0.337
14 77 Max McLaughlin Curb Records/Mowhawk Northeast 29.492 129.147 29 39 0.382
15 1 Corey LaJoie Celsius 29.509 129.072 14 27 0.399
16 21 Anthony Bello* Bello Motorsports/SKM/JB Mgmt 29.52 129.024 29 33 0.41
17 58 Eric Goodale GAF Roofing/Riverhead Building Supply 29.58 128.763 44 46 0.47
18 6 Woody Pitkat Koopman Lumbar 29.589 128.724 29 33 0.479
19 19 Anthony Sesely Wanick Construction, Inc. 29.643 128.489 31 32 0.533
20 36 Dave Sapienza Sapienza Enterprises/Eastport Feeds 29.68 128.329 27 39 0.57
21 20 Edward McCarthy, Jr. McCarthy’s Marine Sales 29.693 128.273 28 47 0.583
22 43 Matt Kimball* J&M Towing Recovery/Poodlack Wealth Mgmt 29.838 127.649 48 56 0.728
23 26 Max Zachem Lakeland Ave Landscape Supply/L.I. Wood Heat 29.862 127.547 23 23 0.752
24 3 Jake Johnson* Propane Plus/Lin’s Propane Trucks 29.965 127.108 13 15 0.855
25 82 Craig Lutz Horton Ave Materials 29.971 127.083 9 12 0.861
26 4 Tim Connolly* Connolly Companies, LLC 29.985 127.024 27 47 0.875
27 18 Ken Heagy Buoy One Seafood Market & Restaurant 30.046 126.766 18 26 0.936
28 97 Bryan Dauzat Brother-In-Law Motorsports 30.107 126.509 38 40 0.997
29 70 Andy Seuss Rockingham Boat 30.167 126.257 9 20 1.057
30 01 Melissa Fifield Pine Knoll Auto Sales 32.876 115.854 7 13 3.766
Posted on by Official NASCAR Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 14, 2023) – The names of cancer heroes will ride with drivers in all three of NASCAR’s national series during September in recognition of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. The Martin Truex Jr. Foundation (MTJF) & The NASCAR Foundation Honor a Cancer Hero online auction presented by AdventHealth returns for a fourth year with fans able to bid to have their cancer hero’s name placed on the signature panel of their favorite driver’s race vehicle.

Online bidding is now live at NASCARfoundation.org/cancerhero. The auction runs through Monday, July 24, with heroes honored during the NASCAR Cup, Xfinity, and Craftsman Truck Series races at Kansas Speedway in September.

MORE: Cup Series schedule

“The NASCAR community is incredibly inspiring. Witnessing millions of people, including fans, drivers, and teams, united in their efforts to drive positive change in the lives of women and children affected by this devastating disease is truly heartening,” said Audrey Gregory, Ph.D., R.N., President and CEO for the AdventHealth Central Florida Division – North Region. “Both the awareness and funds raised through this online auction can make such a significant impact in the fight against cancer. Every bid and every contribution brings us closer to accelerating lifesaving research, pioneering new treatments, and enhancing care.”

“We are so grateful to the fans, AdventHealth, and The NASCAR Foundation for supporting our cancer hero program,” said NASCAR champion Martin Truex Jr. “It’s been incredibly humbling to see the teams, drivers and fans get behind this program to make it a success every year. We’re looking forward to seeing how much we can raise this year and seeing all the names of the cancer heroes riding along with the drivers.”

Proceeds from the online auction will benefit MTJF and The NASCAR Foundation, two organizations recognized as champions for the health and well-being of others. Since 2020, the auction has raised more than $300,000.

“We’re grateful to have partners like the Martin Truex Jr. Foundation and AdventHealth who share the same commitment to celebrating our cancer heroes,” said Nichole Krieger, vice president and executive director of The NASCAR Foundation. “Each year, we’ve seen the NASCAR community rally around these heroes to support such a great cause.”

The Honor a Cancer Hero auction is one of many initiatives supported through The NASCAR Foundation’s online auctions program that features race-used memorabilia and at-track experiences available for fans to bid online.

For more information, including a complete list of participating drivers, please visit NASCARfoundation.org/cancerhero.

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR competition officials postponed a two-day test of a potential new Cup Series rules configuration for short tracks and road courses for 2024 because of the threat of rain at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

RELATED: Weekend schedule: New Hampshire | What to Watch

Six Cup Series teams were scheduled to participate in the test Monday and Tuesday, on the heels of the Crayon 301 that was moved to Monday (Noon ET, USA, NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM) at the 1.058-mile track due to inclement weather. According to NASCAR communications representatives, the two-day test has been moved to Monday, July 31 and Tuesday, Aug. 1 after the weekend’s events at Richmond Raceway.

Teams were scheduled to try out aerodynamic changes to the front splitter and underbody at the New Hampshire test, also working with a pair of softer-compound tires from Goodyear. Competition officials have recently conducted wind-tunnel tests and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) computer modeling with the new splitter in an effort to mitigate the turbulence or “dirty air” that affects cars in traffic.

Goodyear officials tested April 25-26 at New Hampshire, with three drivers — Christopher Bell, Chase Elliott and Brad Keselowski — participating to determine the tire compound for Sunday’s Cup Series race.