Posted on by Staff Report

Miller Lite Salutes Mike Ewanitsko 200

Riverhead Raceway

  • Qualifying Results
Pos No. Name Sponsor Best Tm Best Speed
1 64 Austin Beers AP Marquadt & Sons/Andrew James Interiors 11.872 75.809
2 16 Ron Silk Blue Mountain Machine & Future Homes 11.907 75.586
3 32 Tyler Rypkema Northeast Driling/MUSCO Lighting 11.908 75.579
4 45 Jack Handley, Jr.* Hydro-Action/Suffolk Precast 11.909 75.573
5 7 Doug Coby Mayhew Tools 11.926 75.465
6 51 Justin Bonsignore Phoenix Communications Inc. 11.945 75.345
7 22 Kyle Bonsignore Chalew Performance/MTT/Munns Auto 11.952 75.301
8 34 J.B. Fortin A&R Materials/CYA Screen Printing/Queens Concrete 11.952 75.301
9 66 Timmy Solomito Natural Designs/USNE Power/Kennedy Realty 11.957 75.27
10 5 John Beatty, Jr. Elite Sound Studios, Inc. 11.964 75.226
11 81 Mark Stewart* Mike Smith/Cromers Market 11.995 75.031
12 60 Matt Hirschman Pee Dee Motorsports 12.006 74.963
13 82 Craig Lutz Horton Ave Materials 12.011 74.931
14 88 Roger Turbush Rheem 12.018 74.888
15 49 Chris Young* Sendlewski Architects 12.034 74.788
16 26 Max Zachem Lakeland Ave Landscape Supply/L.I. Wood Heat 12.048 74.701
17 58 Eric Goodale GAF Roofing 12.052 74.676
18 46 Justin Brown* Riverhead Building Supply 12.054 74.664
19 36 Dave Sapienza Sapienza Enterprises 12.087 74.46
20 18 Ken Heagy Buoy One Seafood Market & Restaurant 12.097 74.399
21 3 Bryan Narducci* Propane Plus/Lin’s Propane Trucks 12.135 74.166
22 2 J.R. Bertuccio Gershow Recycling 12.237 73.547
23 01 Melissa Fifield Pine Knoll Auto Sales 12.451 72.283
Posted on by Holly Cain

LEBANON, Tenn. – Kaulig Racing’s A.J. Allmendinger held off an especially spirited field in double NASCAR Overtime to claim his first oval race victory of the season in a dramatic Tennessee Lottery 250 at Nashville Superspeedway Saturday evening.

The popular veteran led the final 20 laps and got an impressive final restart to launch his No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet from the pack and drive off to a 1.323-second win over runner-up Riley Herbst in a race that included a record-tying 11 cautions and 17 lead changes among 11 different drivers.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos

The caution-punctuated ending was perhaps suitable for a race that saw three yellow flags within the first 20 laps. Fifteen cars in the 38-car field had been involved in incidents before the Stage 2 break.

Yet, ultimately, it came down to a veteran’s purposeful, patient afternoon-long pursuit. And the 41-year-old Californian Allmendinger was up for the challenge, claiming his 17th victory in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and second of the season.

“I love winning on ovals because I know a lot of people doubt me on an oval,” a smiling Allmendinger said, a nod to his former open-wheel days and his reputation as one of the best road-course drivers in the history of the sport.

Certainly, his experience paid off on Saturday with an especially active day. Ty Gibbs, the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion and now a NASCAR Cup Series rookie, won the first stage and showed himself among the class of the field.  But on the next restart, his No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota was hit while racing for the lead with one of this year’s championship favorites in Austin Hill, who was restarting up front on older tires. Allmendinger’s Chevy also suffered damage in the five-car melee near the front of the pack, but he – and Hill – were able to continue, while Gibbs’ car suffered too much damage.

MORE: Gibbs spins, collects Hocevar | Herbst, new crew chief mesh for runner-up finish

Chandler Smith, Allmendinger’s Kaulig Racing teammate, won the race’s second stage and kept the lead pack honest for most of the day. He and Allmendinger exchanged the lead and ran 1-2 for much of the second half of the race around the 1.33-mile oval.

After a series of final scheduled pit stops, Parker Kligerman settled in for the biggest strategic gamble of the day. While the lead cars were making their way back through the field following stops, Kligerman kept his No. 48 Big Machine Racing Chevrolet out front, willing to take a chance on a fuel-saving strategy. But with 12 laps remaining, Kligerman’s team told him to drop in line behind Allmendinger to start conserving, and the No. 10 passed him for the lead with 11 laps of regulation to go.

JR Motorsports driver Sam Mayer finished third, with Hill fourth and JR Motorsports’ – and Tennessee native – Josh Berry rounding out the top five.

“That was the most up and down day I’ve ever had in racing,” Mayer said, managing a smile on pit road afterward.

John Hunter Nemechek finished sixth in the No. 20 JGR Toyota. Although he never led a lap, his rally forward after a 21st starting position was good enough for him to hold onto the championship lead by nine points over Hill.

Reigning NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Zane Smith turned in an impressive seventh-place finish in the No. 28 Ford. Allmendinger’s Kaulig teammate Daniel Hemric was eighth. Herbst’s Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Cole Custer was ninth, followed by rookie Parker Retzlaff.

“We got a little fortunate there when the accident happened, it didn’t really do anything too bad to the quarter panels .. and the guys did a good job of fixing it there,” Allmendinger said of the early damage, noting that the rash of early cautions actually helped his team have time to restore his car competitively.

LISTEN: Allmendinger discusses victory | Allmendinger: ‘This is why you go out here and do this’ 

“I will be honest, I was shocked on the initial start, I went down and made it three wide and thought nothing on it, didn’t even drive my car that hard and started wrecking, so that kind of raised my eyebrows, it’s a lot slicker than I expected,” Allmendinger said. “So the next couple starts, just tried to chill and get into the rhythm of the race.

“I just knew more than anything I needed a good re-start and to get in Turn 1 clean,’’ he said of the final restart and ultimate winning move.

The Xfinity Series will next take to the streets of Chicago for The Loop 121 on July 1 (5 p.m. ET, USA Network, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).

Note: Post-race inspection concluded without issue, confirming Allmendinger as the winner. The No. 00 car of Cole Custer will be taken back to the NASCAR R&D Center for further evaluation.

Posted on by Holly Cain

LEBANON, Tenn. – With cars ranked 11th (Chris Buescher) and 12th (Brad Keselowski) in the championship standings, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing team co-owner Keselowski said he was optimistic about the pair’s chances of qualifying for the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. But he acknowledges it’s a big step for the team.

Although both drivers and their teams are still looking for that first trophy of 2023, they have combined for six top fives (three each) and 13 top-10 finishes (Buescher, seven and Keselowski, six) – a huge improvement over last season leading up to this 10-race push to the postseason.

RELATED: Cup Series standings | Sunday’s starting lineup

Keselowski has already equaled his top-10 total of a year ago – with 20 races remaining. And his three top fives exceed the lone top five he posted in 2022. Similarly, Buescher’s three top-five finishes equal his 2022 season total, and his seven top 10s are well within the 10 top 10s he had a year ago.

“We’ve got some good vibes going,‘’ said the 2012 series champion Keselowski, who will start Sunday’s race 24th. “Chris is on a really big hot streak. He’s run really well here the last three or four races and been in contention to win. He won a stage in the Coke 600, won part of the All-Star Race and ran really good at Sonoma, just really good energy there, making their way up in the points. A lot of excitement there.

“Been up and down with my car, the 6 car and felt like we were really strong at Charlotte and not as good as I’d like to be a couple other places. But either way, it’s better to be in than to be out, looking in. But we’re not as comfortable as we’d like to be. We’d like to have wins. That’s really what the sport is about.

“We’ve done a great job elevating ourselves from irrelevant to relevant, but I don’t want to stop there. We’ve got another step to take.‘’

Posted on by Staff Report

Miller Lite Salutes Mike Ewanitsko 200

Riverhead Raceway

  • Practice Results
Pos No. Name Sponsor Best Tm Best Speed In Lap Laps Diff
1 51 Justin Bonsignore Phoenix Communications Inc. 11.786 76.362 38 45  —
2 32 Tyler Rypkema Northeast Driling/MUSCO Lighting 11.819 76.149 43 44 0.033
3 58 Eric Goodale GAF Roofing 11.829 76.084 8 50 0.043
4 2 J.R. Bertuccio Gershow Recycling 11.835 76.046 22 49 0.049
5 64 Austin Beers AP Marquadt & Sons/Andrew James Interiors 11.848 75.962 23 59 0.062
6 16 Ron Silk Blue Mountain Machine & Future Homes 11.864 75.86 59 59 0.078
7 7 Doug Coby Mayhew Tools 11.866 75.847 43 43 0.08
8 66 Timmy Solomito Natural Designs/USNE Power/Kennedy Realty 11.9 75.63 46 60 0.114
9 45 Jack Handley, Jr.* Hydro-Action/Suffolk Precast 11.907 75.586 20 49 0.121
10 88 Roger Turbush Rheem 11.911 75.56 43 54 0.125
11 22 Kyle Bonsignore Chalew Performance/MTT/Munns Auto 11.916 75.529 26 58 0.13
12 82 Craig Lutz Horton Ave Materials 11.917 75.522 28 28 0.131
13 5 John Beatty, Jr. Elite Sound Studios, Inc. 11.939 75.383 43 59 0.153
14 46 Justin Brown* Riverhead Building Supply 11.939 75.383 66 67 0.153
15 36 Dave Sapienza Sapienza Enterprises 11.956 75.276 24 57 0.17
16 60 Matt Hirschman Pee Dee Motorsports 11.973 75.169 9 52 0.187
17 18 Ken Heagy Buoy One Seafood Market & Restaurant 12.01 74.938 40 48 0.224
18 34 J.B. Fortin A&R Materials/CYA Screen Printing/Queens Concrete 12.019 74.881 24 41 0.233
19 3 Bryan Narducci* Propane Plus/Lin’s Propane Trucks 12.023 74.857 19 49 0.237
20 26 Max Zachem Lakeland Ave Landscape Supply/L.I. Wood Heat 12.031 74.807 32 41 0.245
21 81 Mark Stewart* Mike Smith/Cromers Market 12.054 74.664 21 59 0.268
22 49 Chris Young* Sendlewski Architects 12.114 74.294 12 59 0.328
23 01 Melissa Fifield Pine Knoll Auto Sales 12.483 72.098 33 35 0.697
Posted on by Sean Montgomery

LEBANON, Tenn. — A solid effort from Daniel Suárez in NASCAR Cup Series qualifying was quickly erased Saturday when the No. 99 Chevrolet Camaro spun and clipped the outside wall.

After limping the car back to pit road and assessing the damage, Suárez was justifiably upset.

“I knew I was loose,” Suárez said. “I was expecting it to be a little better, and I just trusted probably a little too much. I was free, and I just got into the corner a little bit faster than the previous time expecting it to stick, and it didn’t stick.”

RELATED: Starting lineup for Sunday | Photos from Nashville

During practice and qualifying, drivers noticed a bump in the track near Turn 4, leading to a number of spins during Saturday’s session, including Bubba Wallace as he was closing in on the Busch Light Pole.

“There is a bump, but if you are free before you get to the bump, you get to the bump, and you are already spinning out,” Suárez explained. “And I was free before the bump, and then the bump, that’s what made me spin.

“Very unfortunate,” said Suárez. “But yeah, it is what it is. We have to bounce from here.”

Suárez posted the fastest lap in Group A qualifying, preceded by a 16th-place effort in practice on Friday afternoon. The weekend was shaping up to be a solid pre-race effort for both Trackhouse Racing entries, as Ross Chastain landed the organization’s first pole.

Even after the unfortunate incident, Suárez remained optimistic about the speed shown at the team’s home track.

“Right now, the question is are we gonna be able to fix it or not?” asked Suárez rhetorically. “Hopefully, we do. If we can fix the car and the car is the same, we should be fine.”

Mid-afternoon Saturday, the No. 99 team decided to proceed with preparing a backup car for Sunday’s race. Suárez will start at the rear of the field.

Posted on by Holly Cain

LEBANON, Tenn. – Ross Chastain smiled and conceded he had no idea how having the No. 1 pit box selection would be for Sunday’s Ally 400 NASCAR Cup Series race at Nashville Superspeedway (7 p.m. ET, NBC, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).

“I’d never had it before,’’ he said smiling.

Chastain certainly earned it with honors on Saturday, claiming the Busch Light Pole in the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet with a blazing fast 160.687 mph lap in qualifying – a full 1 mph better than the field — earning the right to lead the field to green for the first time in his NASCAR Cup Series career; the first time a Trackhouse Racing car has ever started on pole.

RELATED: Sunday’s starting lineup | At-track photos

“Definitely qualifying as a whole has not been a strong suit in my life, so a lot of work I’ve put into it and not a lot of payoff, not a lot of reward,’’ the 30-year-old Floridian Chastain said. “Even the times I have put it together in round one, I’ve never been able to put round two together in a way that I’m proud of or I feel I did right by.’’

“And no matter how good the rest of the year goes, I will always have a memory of today,’’ Chastain added with a smile.

Tyler Reddick will start alongside Chastain in the No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota. Kaulig Racing’s Justin Haley will start third – a career-best effort for the 24-year-old – alongside reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano of Team Penske.

RELATED: Suárez spins, hits wall during qualifying

Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. – ranked second and first in the championship standings, respectively – will start on row three. Their teammates Kyle Larson (Hendrick) and Denny Hamlin (JGR) will roll off seventh and eighth, and 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace and Chastain’s teammate Daniel Suarez were ninth and 10th in final qualifying. Both Wallace and Suárez spun out during the final session, with the No. 99 having to go to a backup car as a result of contact with the outside wall.

Defending race winner Chase Elliott just missed advancing to the final round and will start his No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 14th.

“We’re in Nashville, this is where Trackhouse was formed,’’ Chastain said. “It was started here with [team owner] Justin [Marks] living here. We are Nashville’s team. … to have it happen here is amazing.’’

Posted on by Sean Montgomery

LEBANON, Tenn. — As far as looking ahead  to next week’s highly-anticipated Chicago Street Race, Team Penske driver Austin Cindric was straightforward in his analysis: “It’s a long time coming.”

Cindric has been a perennial force on road courses in his NASCAR career, logging five of his 13 Xfinity Series wins on left-and-right circuits and half of his top-10 finishes in the Cup Series on them. Based on his additional experience racing in IMSA and Australian Grand Prix, among other series, he has a pretty unique perspective of the event.

“As far as an event standpoint, I’ve always loved street-course racing,” Cindric said in an interview Saturday at Nashville Superspeedway. “It’s the same reason why the LA Coliseum has been such a great addition to the schedule, it’s just bringing the party to the people.

“The atmosphere around a street-course race is pretty hard to describe. Think about wherever you live, there’s now race cars driving past where you live. It’s cool that we’re doing it.”

RELATED: Buy tickets for Chicago | More info, see music lineup

When drivers take the green flag for next Sunday’s Cup Series Grant Park 220 (5:30 p.m. ET, NBC, Peacock, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App), as Cindric mentioned, the competition will be the latest on a list of exciting venues that have shaken up the schedule.

The 2.2-mile, 12-turn circuit constructed in the heart of the Windy City is a daunting challenge but also an opportunity for winless drivers to capitalize on a perfect playoff opportunity.

And despite the festival-type atmosphere that will be present in Downtown Chicago throughout the weekend, Cindric says fans should expect the regular week-to-week intensity on the track.

MORE: AJ Allmendinger analyzes street circuit

“I’ve driven a lot of street courses, and I really love the kind of aggression and risk involved at those types of race tracks… There’s plenty of wide sections that we can utilize and pass and still be able to have the normal racing that NASCAR fans expect us to have.”

Posted on by Sean Montgomery

LEBANON, Tenn. — It wasn’t a win, but it was a night to remember for Bayley Currey in Friday night’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Nashville Superspeedway.

Currey, racing a part-time schedule for Niece Motorsports, put together one of the best races of his well-documented NASCAR career, finishing fifth in the No. 41 entry and contending with teammate Carson Hocevar all night who went on to win the 150-lap event.

“I knew firing off we had to execute,” Currey said. “I feel like we got a pretty good start but lost that position to Rajah (Caruth) there but we were able to maintain and really just fighting to maintain the whole night. … We’ll take it. We come home fifth there and put on those two tires hoping to maybe shake some stuff up. But huge thanks to everybody at Niece Motorsports.”

RELATED: Results from Nashville | Best at-track photos

Currey’s last 16 starts in the Truck Series have come with the Al Niece-owned Chevrolet organization, known for success with now-Cup Series driver Ross Chastain and rising star Carson Hocevar, among others. And after the race, the team owner had high praise for Currey’s exceptional effort — and it’s clear the two have a strong bond.

“That’s awesome,” Currey said. “It just gives you the utmost confidence and it’s cool getting to work with Al. His water truck business is about 15 minutes from where I grew up there in Buda, Texas, so it’s cool to kinda have that relationship as well.”

At just 26 years old, the Texas native has already raced at every level of NASCAR, making 12 starts in the Cup Series, 111 in the Xfinity Series and now 37 in the Truck Series.

But his part-time schedule this season is arguably one of his best opportunities. And after a couple of strong showings in his limited starts this season, he’s eager for a chance to run a more consistent schedule and contend for a trip to Victory Lane.

“That’s the hope,” Currey said. “So, Conor Daly will be in [the No. 41 truck] at Mid-Ohio and it’s looking like I’ll be in it the rest of the year. Hopefully if I can keep having runs like this they’ll keep me in it. So I just gotta stay on it, keep the momentum rolling and hopefully we can win one of these things before the year’s over.”

It’s fitting that Currey came to Nashville with hopes of putting on a show to capitalize on his dreams. Friday night’s performance one was he will remember for a long time, even though the win eluded him.

And when asked if it was one of the best performances of his career, he didn’t hesitate to confirm the notion: “Absolutely. Without a doubt.”

Even in defeat, Currey was ecstatic and rather optimistic. He knows if he keeps his focus, his time in the sun will come.

“I’ve been over there with Niece, like I get an opportunity here and opportunity there and it’s just really come together this year with Worldwide Express and everybody over there and Chevrolet really helping us out too,” Currey said. “Being able to have all the resources we have right now, super thankful for that and hopefully we can build on this momentum.”

Posted on by Holly Cain

LEBANON, Tenn. — Carson Hocevar took the lead with 40 laps remaining in Friday night’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Rackley Roofing 200 at Nashville Superspeedway and held off every challenge necessary in the closing laps — including a frantic push from his competitors on a restart with three laps remaining — to earn his second career victory.

Hocevar held off reigning series champion, Front Row Motorsports’ Zane Smith and Friday’s polesitter Nick Sanchez by a slight 0.271-second margin in a tightly contested final push toward the finish line among the trio. The win for the 20-year-old driver of the No. 42 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet makes him the fourth multi-race winner of the season. And it’s an impressive fourth consecutive top five for Hocevar.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos

Interestingly, Hocevar’s first career win came after Smith and Sanchez wrecked at the front of the field on the final lap of double overtime at Texas Motor Speedway. This time, the only drama was the Michigan native’s impressive pace out front in the closing laps.

“I’m so excited I can finally put that other to rest,” Hocevar said of the circumstances of his first win, adding, “and hopefully I can win a lot more races for them (Niece Motorsports).”

Hocevar’s effort earned him not only the one-of-a-kind Nashville winner’s guitar but also an extra $50,000 as part of the Craftsman Truck Series’ Triple Truck Challenge program. He joins Ben Rhodes and Grant Enfinger as the three recipients of the bonus money this season.

Corey Heim and Bayley Currey rounded out the top five on Friday. Heim led the most laps — 57 of the 150 on the night — and won Stage 2 in the No. 11 Tricon Garage Toyota. He also leads the championship by 16 points over Smith.

Although he missed out on his first trophy, it was still an impressive night for Sanchez, who earned his third pole position of the season.

In the opening laps, Sanchez and Rajah Caruth set the pace out front; the former ARCA teammates and NASCAR Drive for Diversity graduates ran nose-to-tail and door-to-door throughout the opening stage. Sanchez, 22, led the opening 35 laps in his No. 2 Rev Racing Chevrolet. And after multiple spirited duels between the two, the 21-year-old Caruth finally got around Sanchez on Lap 36 to lead his first career lap in NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series competition — only to slow and have to pit his No. 24 GMS Chevrolet a lap later and relinquish the lead due to a fuel pressure issue. He returned to the race many laps down and ultimately settled for a 32nd-place finish.

MORE: Currey fights for fifth-place finish

The opening stage concluded in similar drama when Smith got by Sanchez in the closing laps to claim his second stage win of the season.

“At the end of the day, it was a good points night, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed,’’ Sanchez said.

Chase Purdy, Matt DiBenedetto, Tyler Ankrum, Ben Rhodes and Jake Garcia rounded out the top 10.

It was a tough day for veteran Stewart Friesen, who was involved in two incidents that brought out caution periods. He dropped from ninth to 11th in the standings with only three regular-season races remaining to set the 10-driver playoff field.

Sanchez’s effort at Nashville combined with Friesen’s tough-luck night moved the Miami rookie into that all-important 10th-place position with a six-point advantage on Friesen.

Ty Majeski, who entered Friday’s race at Nashville just one point behind Heim for the Truck Series points lead, also suffered a mechanical woe that put the No. 98 ThorSport Racing Ford numerous laps down, ultimately relegating Majeski to a 31st-place finish.

The series takes a week off and resumes with some road-course racing July 8 — the O’Reilly Auto Parts 150 at Mid-Ohio at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (1:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Note: Post-race inspection concluded at Nashville without issue. The No. 15 Toyota was found with one lug nut loose. The Nos. 2, 16 and 38 trucks will be taken back to the NASCAR R&D Center.