Chandler Smith trusting process at Kaulig Racing

Posted on March 8, 2023March 8, 2023 by Dustin Albino

For the past eight seasons, Kaulig Racing has given numerous drivers an opportunity to perform in its NASCAR Xfinity Series stable.

The most recent name to join the list is Chandler Smith.

Smith, at the ripe age of 20, spent the previous two seasons battling for NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championships with Kyle Busch Motorsports. There, he won a handful of races, made it to the Championship 4 last season and defined consistency as he was the only driver to run every lap of the 2022 season.

When he competed in a trio of Xfinity Series races last season for Sam Hunt Racing, he realized he wanted to make the jump to the Xfinity Series as quickly as possible. He believes the higher series suits his driving style better.

“A lot of people that believe in me said I was ready for it, and I felt that I was ready for it myself,” Smith said while comparing the current Xfinity car to a previous generation of ARCA cars. “The rule of thumb, people are going to say, ‘You didn’t win a championship in the trucks, so you shouldn’t go to Xfinity.’ Ty Gibbs won the Xfinity championship last year, and I don’t think he’s ever raced a truck.”

Late last summer, Kaulig Racing approached Smith about taking over its No. 16 entry as AJ Allmendinger was getting the nod to go full-time racing in the Cup Series. Smith had no prior relationship with anybody at Kaulig, though he knew of Daniel Hemric, with the two having similar racing backgrounds in super late models.

A move to Kaulig, however, would mean a departure from Toyota Racing Development, a manufacturer that poured resources into Smith the previous six years.

That move was harder than some might expect.

“I made a lot of good, lifelong friends over there,” Smith said of TRD. “They did a lot for me in my career and put me in opportunities and were able to present things to me that were big for me and for my family.

“It was hard. And it’s still kind of hard because I miss those guys. I love them to death; they were like brothers to me.”

Thinking big picture, Smith thought the move to Chevrolet made sense. As he phrased it, it’s “what is going to be best for us long term for my wife and child.”

It’s no secret that Kaulig Racing struggled against its competition last season. Allmendinger maximized nearly every weekend in 2022, but Hemric went winless, and Landon Cassill missed out on the playoffs in the team’s No. 10 ride. Team president Chris Rice saw the potential in Smith and wanted to give him a shot.

“I talked to Kyle Busch a lot about him and got his thoughts and feelings on him,” Rice said last week. “It’s somebody that I thought would fit with the 16 group and our entire team.

“The kid shows a ton of talent. It seems like he has his life put together. He has a wife, a kid, just all put together. Molding him into an Xfinity or Cup driver changes your life a little bit, but he’s always eager to learn and just trying to make the most of every situation.”

Smith has started the 2023 season strong with a pair of top-five finishes in the first three races. At Las Vegas Motor Speedway last weekend, he won the pole and led 118 laps, the most a Kaulig entry has ever been out front for in 434 starts. After three races, Smith leads the series with 119 laps led and impressively sits fourth in points.

“I just told him good job,” Kyle Busch said to a group of reporters after the Las Vegas race, in which he came out of retirement in the Xfinity Series. “He was fast. He did a great job for what he had. I was driving something similar, and I couldn’t make it work like that.”

Compared to the midway point of last season, Rice can see an uptick in performance across the board of Kaulig’s Xfinity program. The previous lack of speed has been found. And he also believes Smith is a good listener.

That makes Smith’s goal of winning at least one race in his rookie campaign look doable. He was less than two miles from getting it done in Sin City before Austin Hill got by for the lead coming to the white flag.

“We’ve got to at least win a race,” Smith said. “I think that’s the bare minimum of what we must do. I’ve matured in the fact of knowing that finishing races and getting all the laps under my belt, not putting myself in a bad situation, I’m going to learn, and so is the team. If I have a car that’s only a fifth-place car, I can put myself in a bad situation and possibly get two more positions, then I’m probably not going to do that.”

MORE: View Smith’s career stats | 2023 Xfinity schedule

Rice believes Smith can win, too, despite knowing there will probably be a tough patch of the season at some point in time. He also assured the rookie that he doesn’t have to win in 2023.

“My expectations for him are to continuously grow, do well and learn,” Rice said. “If he can do that and put all of that together and make the playoffs, then that will be a successful season. I think he can win. It’s going to be a long road to win in your first year in the Xfinity Series, but I do think he can win. I think he has the speed and talent.

“What you’ve seen so far is a light of how good he can be.”

Posted on March 7, 2023March 7, 2023 by Zach Sturniolo

MARTINSVILLE, Va. – Ross Chastain’s daring last-lap thrash will forever be memorialized in NASCAR lore.

Chastain visited the historic 0.526-mile paperclip-shaped short track on Tuesday, climbed into a Kubota forklift and helped remove part of the SAFER barrier in Turns 3 and 4, the site of his famed ‘Hail Melon’ move that propelled him into the Championship 4 of the NASCAR Cup Series in 2022.

The removed portion of the wall will be preserved to commemorate the wall ride heard around the world when Chastain propelled himself around the perimeter of the white steel barriers to launch past four cars – earning enough points to leap into the championship round of the sport’s premier level.

Four months later, Chastain still struggles to fathom it was him piloting the blur of the No. 1 Chevrolet for Trackhouse Racing that pounded the wall in a somehow-successful move that only seemed plausible in video games before Oct. 30, 2022.

There’s been plenty of time to reflect, especially considering NASCAR officials outlawed the move from any legality moving forward. As he stood next to the 20-foot section of removed steel sitting on the edge of the concrete and asphalt, Chastain could only think of the magnitude that moment carried – for his team, for his season and for himself.

Zach Sturniolo | NASCAR Studios

“It’s more about what it provided for us at the time,” Chastain told NASCAR.com. “It’s not about now. It’s about the wall and what this will symbolize for us forever. I mean, this thing will never be touched. It will always be dirty, scratched up and scraped to the end of time. And for me, that’s just a good, physical large reminder of what that did. It let us go fight for a championship the next week in Phoenix.”

Rare are moments that transcend the NASCAR universe. Rarer are those that don’t focus on the race winner or a multicar incident. Christopher Bell pulled off one of the ultimate win-and-in playoff moments for the second time in as many rounds by scoring the victory that day at Martinsville.

But it was what Chastain did – in need of two points to advance to the next round while running 10th on the final lap and rocketing around the wall to a fifth-place finish (fourth, following post-race inspection) – that went viral on every platform one could imagine.

“It is amazing that something like this, that we’re not talking about the winner,” Clay Campbell, Martinsville Speedway president, told NASCAR.com. “We’re not talking about anything else that happened on the track. We’re talking about the move that Ross made, the ‘Hail Melon.’

“Usually, when something takes precedent over the race win itself, it’s usually not for a good reason. This was for a perfectly good reason. So many people were so amazed by it. The talk that it generated at the water cooler on Monday was off the charts. The exposure that that got – social media, television, it was the talk of everybody. And it still is. So, you know, it’s just it’s kind of a once-in-a-lifetime deal.”

What ensures it as a single moment time is NASCAR officials’ decision to ban the move in future events, citing the already-existing Section 10.5.2.6.A in the sanctioning body’s rule book which notes, in part: “Any violations deemed to compromise the safety of an Event or otherwise pose a dangerous risk to the safety of Competitors, Officials, spectators, or others are treated with the highest degree of seriousness.”

MORE: Buy tickets for April race | Rules updates for 2023

Trackhouse co-owner Justin Marks was already considering preserving the No. 1 car for as long as possible before the move was forbidden. That became definitive after recognizing the history surrounding that particular moment and car.

Zach Sturniolo | NASCAR Studios

“I wanted the whole car to stay, and there was a point that we weren’t sure,” Chastain said. “And then once the rule came out, and they updated everything — and I’m glad NASCAR did. I think it was the right call. I don’t want to get beat by it, for sure. I don’t want to do it again to beat somebody. So I just want to beat them straight up.

“And the rule cemented that the car and the wall and, like I said earlier, it’s all staying intact. And we’ll be able to use this. This is a bright spot for our sport. It’s a bright spot for this track, and selfishly, it’s a bright spot for me.”

Where the wall will rest is still to be determined. The SAFER barrier may reside in the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina, temporarily, or it may find its way to Trackhouse’s shop in Concord.

No matter where it sits, the moment will remain unforgettable.

Posted on March 7, 2023March 8, 2023 by Staff Report

Josh Berry is set to once again fill in for Chase Elliott in the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro this weekend at Phoenix Raceway as the 2020 series champion remains sidelined with an injury, Hendrick Motorsports announced Tuesday evening.

With Elliott slated to miss his second straight race in Sunday’s United Rentals Work United 500 (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) following an injury to his left leg while snowboarding in Colorado last Friday, Hendrick will once again turn to Berry. The NASCAR Xfinity Series regular, who drives for Hendrick affiliate JR Motorsports, replaced Elliott in the No. 9 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway last Sunday, finishing 29th in his Next Gen debut.

“I don’t know if I can say I got it figured out, but I mean, I learned a ton,” Berry said after Sunday’s race in Las Vegas. “I think we were on our way to a pretty good day before that (throttle) issue happened, so I’m not really sure if it was self-inflicted or not. I know these guys, they’re gonna look at the data and figure it out. But you know, regardless, I think it was a good experience and a lot of fun.”

WATCH: NASCAR gives update on Chase Elliott injury-waiver process

In addition to Phoenix, Hendrick announced that Berry will also be behind the wheel for all oval races that Elliott misses. Sports car veteran Jordan Taylor will pilot the No. 9 at Circuit of The Americas. Taylor currently competes in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for Corvette Racing.

“We’re focused on getting Chase back to 100%, so we’ll take however much time is necessary and make sure he has the best resources available,” said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports, in a team release. “Josh was impressive this weekend under difficult circumstances, and we look forward to having him drive the oval tracks until Chase is able to return. Jordan is a world-class road racer and has recently been working with our Garage 56 team preparing for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He’ll be able to step in and do a great job at COTA.”

MORE: Chase Elliott’s career in photos

Elliott underwent successful surgery Friday evening and is expected to return to the car when medically cleared. The team indicated it is anticipating his recovery will be another six weeks.

Prior to Vegas, Elliott had not previously missed a start in his full-time Cup Series career. Dating back to the 2016 Daytona 500, he had made 254 consecutive starts. He won 18 times during that stretch and, in addition to his 2020 title, advanced to the Championship 4 in 2021 and 2022.

Posted on March 7, 2023 by Staff Report

NASCAR officials penalized the No. 16 Kaulig Racing team Tuesday for an unsecured lug nut after last weekend’s events at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Chandler Smith drove the No. 16 Chevrolet to a third-place finish in the NASCAR Xfinity Series during Saturday’s Alsco Uniforms 300. His car was found with a single unsecured lug nut in a post-race check by officials, a violation detailed in Section 8.8.10.4a in the NASCAR Rule Book.

As a result, crew chief Bruce Schlicker was fined $5,000.

Posted on March 7, 2023March 7, 2023 by Cameron Richardson

In the waning moments of Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, it looked like the results sheet would favor Kyle Larson as he dominated the final stage. However, a caution on Lap 264 stemming from an Aric Almirola spin bunched the field one more time, and split-second decisions had to be made on whether to come to pit road for tires.

Most of the field came to pit road for new tires, but Martin Truex Jr.’s decision to stay out jumbled how a handful of hopeful race-winners chose their respective lanes for the overtime restart. When it was over, just two drivers maintained their exact position from the final caution flag to the checkered flag.

RELATED: Full race results

After losing the race off pit road to Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron, Larson was forced to fall in the second row behind Truex while Byron, who ended up with a race-high 176 laps led, restarted on the front row with the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, opening the door for the No. 24 Chevrolet to reclaim the lead and eventually the victory.

Watch the video above to hear analysts Steve Letarte and Todd Gordon break down this final restart, and keep reading to see how the final caution shuffled the race results with those that made up positions and those that fell back — with notable in-car cameras (every driver’s in-car camera is available each race on NASCAR Drive) and driver comparisons that give a closer look at how the finishing order played out.

CHRISTOPHER BELL

The driver of the No. 20 JGR Toyota ran inside the top 10 for most of the day but a vibration in the final stage sent Bell all the way back as far as 20th. His team was able to fix the vibration and Bell used the inside lane on the final restart to earn himself a hard-fought, top-five finish.

Lap 264 position: 13th

Race finish: 5th

Difference: +8

Bell’s in-car camera:

AUSTIN CINDRIC

The 2022 Daytona 500 champion hit the jackpot with the late caution. Cindric ran outside the top 15 for most of the race but Almirola’s misfortune became a boon for the No. 2 Team Penske Ford as the second-year driver painted the bottom lane to bring home his car in sixth.

Lap 264 position: 14th

Race finish: 6th

Difference: +8

Cindric’s in-car camera:

JUSTIN HALEY

Like Cindric and Bell, Haley chose the inside with his No. 31 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet. He was able to squeak into the top 10 on the final lap before a handful of cars wrecked just behind him. He also took four tires on the final pit stop while many of his competitors took two.

Lap 264 position: 15th

Race finish: 8th

Difference: +7

Haley’s in-car camera:

DENNY HAMLIN

The driver of the No. 11 JGR Toyota was not as fortunate as the drivers listed above him. Hamlin was in position for a top-five finish starting just behind race winner Byron on the outside. However, a shove going into Turn 1 from Ross Chastain and his fellow competitors having the advantage on the inside parachuted Hamlin outside the top 10 when the checkered flag flew.

Lap 264 position: 3rd

Race finish: 11th

Difference: -8

Hamlin’s in-car camera:

NASCAR.com’s driver comparison tool shows just how drastic the spots gained and lost were on the final restart.

See how Hamlin compared to gainers like Cindric and Bell.

Ryan Blaney and Chastain joined Hamlin as those who weren’t beneficiaries of the overtime restart. Chastain fell back not making any ground on the outside while Blaney was trapped behind a hornets’ nest of cars trying to score a top 10.

Blaney/Chastain comparison:

Posted on March 7, 2023 by Reid Spencer

Phoenix Raceway is a major intersection in and of itself.

If that seems strange for a track located south of Phoenix — and not all that far from the Mexican border — let’s acknowledge that we’re using the term “intersection” in a figurative sense.

Opened in 1964, some 13 years after NASCAR held the first of four Cup Series races at the Arizona State Fairgrounds in Phoenix, the 1-mile, irregular-shaped speedway in the Sonoran Desert has seen a confluence of just about every form of racing imaginable.

NASCAR 75: Full guide to anniversary season | NASCAR 75 news

From 1976 through 2009, Phoenix Raceway hosted the Copper World Classic, which featured competition in USAC National Midgets, USAC Silver Crown and Super Modified divisions.

Though those were open-wheeled race cars, many of the successful drivers in the Copper World Classic are quite familiar to NASCAR fans — Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Jason Leffler, Kenny Irwin Jr. and J.J. Yeley, to name just a few.

During its varied history, which once included a 2.7-mile road course that meandered inside and outside the oval track, Phoenix has been home to the NASCAR Cup, Xfinity and Craftsman Truck Series; the ARCA Menards Series; and the NASCAR Mexico Series.

Other forms of racing have included AMA Supercross; Formula Atlanta Championship; Barber Pro Series; Can-Am; CART; Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series; IMSA GT Championship; IndyCar; Indy Lights; NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division; SCCA Formula Super Vee; Trans-Am; and U.S. F2000 National Championship.

Suffice it to say that Phoenix Raceway — and in a broader sense, the state of Arizona — has been a melting pot for racers of all varieties and a talent-rich source for car owners searching for the next superstar.

Kurt Busch, the 2004 NASCAR Cup Series champion, made his reputation in Arizona, though not at Phoenix Raceway. Racing against the likes of NASCAR Hall of Famer Ron Hornaday Jr., Greg Biffle and Kevin Harvick, Busch turned heads in the 1997 Winter Heat Series at Tucson Raceway Park.

A year later he was rookie of the year in the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Southwest Series, and in 1999 he won the series championship.

The Cup Series has raced at Phoenix 53 times, including the debut event in 1988. The NASCAR Xfinity Series competed at the 1-mile track for the first time in 1999, with Jeff Gordon winning the inaugural race by 1.036 seconds over Dale Earnhardt Jr.

MORE: Memorable Phoenix moments

But it’s the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series that’s most deeply rooted in the Sonoran Desert. The series debuted in 1995 at Phoenix, with Mike Skinner winning the inaugural race on the way to the first series championship.

In fact, the first season of the Truck Series was heavily Western-centric. After Phoenix, the trucks raced at Tucson, Saugus (Calif.), Mesa Marin (Bakersfield), Portland and Evergreen Speedway (Monroe, Wash.) before heading east. The final three races of the season took place at Sonoma, Mesa Marin and Phoenix.

Though NASCAR is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, and though many of NASCAR’s top stars raced in Arizona before they gravitated to stock cars, the state has produced only a handful of successful NASCAR drivers who were born there.

Three such drivers — Alex Bowman, Michael McDowell and Yeley — currently compete in NASCAR’s top division.

“As far as why other drivers haven’t come out of Arizona — I think there have been a lot of really talented drivers come up from there, but, yeah, it’s tough,” Bowman said. “Coming from the West Coast in particular is tougher than the East Coast.

“There’s not as many race tracks there as there used to be. Obviously, development has kind of stopped down there. But, yeah, hopefully that changes and we see more drivers come from that area soon.”

McDowell, the 2021 Daytona 500 winner, was an instructor at the Bondurant School of High Performance Driving in Goodyear, Ariz., before he became a full-time NASCAR driver. McDowell is eager to return to familiar surroundings for Sunday’s United Rentals Work United 500 (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

“It’s always fun to go home,” McDowell said. “I wish we ran better at Phoenix. It’s kind of been an Achilles heel for us the last few years … But it’s just nice to see friends and family and have a hometown crowd and support. You definitely feel that on the weekend.”

Posted on March 7, 2023 by Cara Cooper

More than 50 years ago, Garry Bushnell’s father helped build a dirt track in Wetaskiwin, Alberta, Canada.

That track is now named Edmonton International Raceway, a quarter-mile paved oval that is Alberta’s only NASCAR-sanctioned track. And six decades after his dad helped build the raceway, Bushnell is a track champion.

Bushnell won Edmonton’s NASCAR Pure Stocks division title in 2022. Despite never winning a feature, he was on the podium six out of 10 races. He never finished worse than seventh.

“Just consistency, I guess, was the thing,” Bushnell said. “It was good. It was a lot of fun this year.”

NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series racing at Edmonton International Raceway

The title was the first for Bushnell, which came “at my young age of 56,” he said with a laugh.

The driver has been around Edmonton since he was a kid, and his dad Scotty was a driver. Garry Bushnell raced some in the 1990s when Edmonton was still a dirt track, but he got out of the sport to raise a family.

A couple years ago, Bushnell’s son Mitchell and a friend wanted to get into racing, and they bought a car. Bushnell was always in the pits helping out for the first year.

“He said, ‘Well, why don’t we just get another car, and you might as well run with me since you’re here every weekend anyhow and you used to do this,’” Bushnell said.

The two ran in the same class for a couple years until Mitchell moved up to Edmonton’s Thunder Cars division.

“It was a lot of fun getting to run with him a couple years. We had a lot of fun and a lot of laughs,” Garry Bushnell said. “Then this past year he moved up, so I sold my car and then I took his car and ran it, and ran it to the championship, so it was good.

“We’ve had a lot of fun these last four years, for sure, at the track… I enjoyed racing with him. We had a ton of fun. We’re both very competitive, but when you get to race with your son out on the track… it’s a whole different world, and you can make that a lot of fun, and we did. We enjoyed it.”

Even though Bushnell misses racing against his son, being in separate classes is easier for both, because they can help the other during races.

The two also get help from Ron Elder Jr., Les Wray and Mike Larson, as well as others throughout the Edmonton racing community.

“We have that big family community, and we do have a lot of good people at the track that help each other out all the time, so that always comes in handy, for sure,” he said.

After winning a championship, Bushnell has to move up a class, but he’ll actually be taking this year off to help his son, who has had issues with his car that the family wants to try to solve and perfect.

Mitchell has also never won a championship at Edmonton, so the Bushnells are going to work hard to get a title for a third member of the family.

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“Two years ago he was knocking on the door, and he finished second by two points,” Bushnell said. “I think the rate he’s going, it’s not easy, but I think he may have hopefully something in the future that we can say all three of us have won a championship out there. I think that would be a really neat accomplishment.”

Even though he won’t be racing full-time, Bushnell will still spend plenty of time around the track this summer, and he may even race a time or two if someone needs a driver.

For now, though, he’ll continue celebrating 2022 and everything that came with it.

“It’s nice. Every year there’s a new championship, so I guess just the bragging rights for the year saying you are… I guess it’s just nice to have that on the wall saying you did actually win a championship for whichever class you were in.

“It’s just nice to know that some hard work paid off and you do get some recognition for it… To be able to say I was able to do the same as what my dad did 50-something years ago is kind of really neat. It was the last three or four years he’s been out at the track with us, too, watching, so having the three generations there at the track and stuff like that is really neat and nice for us all to share together. That’s one thing for sure.”

Edmonton will open the 2023 season on June 3.

Posted on March 7, 2023March 7, 2023 by Brandon White

Plenty of changes are in store for the CARS Tour as the series opens its 2023 season with the Puryear Tank Lines 225 at Southern National Motorsports Park, a NASCAR Home Track in Lucama, North Carolina.

Not only does the series have a new broadcast partner in FloRacing, but Saturday’s opener will be the first CARS Tour race under a new ownership group consisting of NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr., 2014 NASCAR Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick, former driver Jeff Burton and Trackhouse Racing Team owner Justin Marks.

The goal of the new ownership group is to bolster the solid foundation that has been existent in the CARS Tour since its inaugural year in 2015. This is the series in which drivers like William Byron, Christopher Bell, Todd Gilliland, Ty Gibbs, Josh Berry and more have developed their skills against some of the best short-track competitors in the southeast.

To kick off the new era, the CARS Tour heads back to the track that hosted its first race in Southern National. The series has raced at Southern National 12 times between its Late Model Stock Car division and the defunct Super Late Model Tour, but Saturday marks the first time the series has raced in Lucama since 2020.

Several talented drivers make up the entry lists in both the Late Model Stock Car and Pro Late Model Tour for the Puryear Tank Lines 225.

Below is everything you need to know about Saturday’s event at Southern National.

Southern National Motorsports Park (Photo: Veasey Conway/ARCA Racing)

What channel is the 2023 CARS Tour opener on?

All the on-track action for the Puryear Tank Lines 225 at Southern National can be viewed live on FloRacing, the official streaming home for all NASCAR Roots properties.

The event will not be shown on a television network.

Below is the complete schedule for FloRacing’s coverage of the Puryear Tank Lines 225.

Date	Start Time	How to Watch
Saturday, Mar. 11, 2023	3 p.m. ET	FloRacing

Complete schedule for the Puryear Tank Lines 225

This year’s CARS Tour opener will take place on Saturday, March 11. Practice is scheduled for both Friday and Saturday, with qualifying set to take place for both divisions 90 minutes before the green flag.

The Pro Late Model Tour kicks off the racing at Southern National with a 100-lap feature. Once that race concludes, the Late Model Stock Car Tour hits the track for 125 laps.

Below is the complete schedule at Southern National Motorsports Park (all times ET).

Friday, March 10

Time	Event
8:30 a.m.	Trailer parking
9:30 a.m.	All cars unloaded
10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.	Safety inspection of all cars and equipment
1 p.m.	Pits open
1:30 p.m.	Crew chief meeting
2:15-6:15 p.m.	Practice (three rounds for LMSC & PLM)
6:45 p.m.	Pits close

Saturday, March 11

Time	Event
7 a.m.	Trailer & hauler parking
7:15 a.m.	Pits open
7:30 a.m.	Mandatory crew chief meeting
8-9:15 a.m.	Race tire selection
9:30-10:50 a.m.	Practice (two rounds for LMSC & PLM)
11 a.m.	Mandatory crew chief, driver & spotter meeting
11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.	Mandatory pre-qualifying tech
12:30 p.m.	Track safety meeting/grandstands open
1:30-2:30 p.m.	Qualifying (single car for LMSC & PLM)
2:40 p.m.	Driver introductions
2:55 p.m.	Pre-race ceremonies
3 p.m.	Puryear Tank Lines 225- PLM (100 laps), LMSC (125 laps)

Southern National Motorsports Park (Photo: Jacob Kupferman/NASCAR)

Entry lists

The preliminary entry lists for both the CARS Tour Late Model Stock Car and Pro Late Model Tour feature an even mix of new and familiar names.

Headlining the Late Model Stock Car feature is defending series champion Carson Kvapil, who will be driving the No. 8 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet for JR Motorsports. Nobody could match the efficiency displayed by Kvapil during the 2022 season, as he ended up accumulating four victories and 13 top fives.

Kvapil is joined on the entry list by the drivers who make up the CARS Tour’s loyalty program — known as the Touring 12. This list includes Connor Hall, who won three Late Model Stock Car Tour races in 2022, along with three-time Langley Speedway track champion Brenden Queen, Chad McCumbee, Cale Gale and Isabella Robusto, among others.

For the Pro Late Model Tour, Caden Kvapil, who is Carson’s younger brother, moves over from his family team to the organization that won last year’s championship with Luke Fenhaus in Highlands Motorsports. Caden Kvapil is expected to be a favorite for the Pro Late Model Tour title, but he will have competition from drivers like Katie Hettinger, who is driving for Anthony Campi Racing.

The complete entry lists for the CARS Tour’s Puryear Tank Lines 225 can be found below:

Late Model Stock

Car No.	Driver	Hometown	Owner
00	Jody Measamer	Sanford, NC	Measamer/Usry
03	Brenden Queen	Chesapeake, VA	Lee Pulliam Performance
04	Ronnie Bassett Jr.	Lexington, NC	Bassett Racing
08	Deac McCaskill	Raleigh, NC	McCaskill Motorsports
0	Landon Pembelton	Amelia, VA	Sellers Racing
1	Andrew Grady	Youngsville, NC	Mike Darne Racing
2	Brandon Pierce	Alton, VA	Lee Pulliam Performance
2W	Ryan Wilson	Randleman, NC	Ryan Wilson Motorsports
4	Dylon Wilson	Wilkesboro, NC	TwoBoros Performance Shop
4F	Jonathan Findley	Bristow, VA	Derek Peebles Motorsport
6	Bobby McCarty	Madison, NC	R&S Race Cars
8	Carson Kvapil	Mooresville, NC	JR Motorsports
8B	Chase Burrow	Mechanicsville, VA	Top Gun Motorsports
8F	Tate Fogleman	Durham, NC	JFCO Motorsports
10	Kaden Honeycutt	Aledo, TX	Mike Darne Racing
14	Jared Fryar	Trinity, NC	Jimmy Mooring Racing
15	Ryan Millington	Statesville, NC	Millington Motorsports
16	Chad McCumbee	Supply, NC	McCumbee Elliott Racing
19	Jessica Cann	Winston-Salem, NC	Mixed Merchants Motorsports
20	Joshua Dickens	Easley, SC	Mitchell Mote Performance
22	Cale Gale	Winston-Salem, NC	Nelson Motorsports
24	Mason Diaz	Manassas, VA	Chad Bryant Racing
29	Brian Obiedzenski	Franklinton, NC	Brian Obiedzenski Motorsports
32	Zack Miracle	Indian Trail, NC	Miracle Motorsports
42	Carson Brown	Mooresville, NC	Cook Racing Technologies
44	Conner Jones	Fredericksburg, VA	R&S Race Cars
55	Isabella Robusto	Fort Mill, SC	Lee Faulk Racing & Development
59	Blake Lothian	Wellesley, MA	Mike Darne Racing
67	Cameron Bolin	Sharon, SC	Bolin Family Racing
77	Connor Hall	Hampton, VA	Chad Bryant Racing
81	Mini Tyrrell	Manassas, VA	Timmy Tyrell Racing
95	Jacob Heafner	Dallas, NC	Carroll Speedshop
97	Jason Kitzmiller	Maysville, WV	CR7 Motorsports

Pro Late Model

Car No.	Driver	Hometown	Owner
03	Kyle Campbell	Conniver, NC	Kyle Campbell Racing
5	Zac Fowler	Ellicott, MD	E33 Motorsports
5B	Gavin Boschele	Mooresville, NC	DLP Motorsports
6	George Phillips	Newton, NC	Setzer Racing & Development
7	Tristan McKee	Williamsburg, VA	Accelerated Development
7C	Justin Crider	Statesville, NC	Robin Crider Racing
7T	Tyler Church	Concord, NC	Tyler Church Racing
8	Rusty Skewes	Mechanicsville, VA	Top Gun Motorsports
9	Ashton Higgins	Weaverville, NC	ALH Motorsports
13	Austin MacDonald	Pictou, Nova Scotia	King Racing
15	Brett Suggs	Mooresville, NC	TH Motorsports
19	Bryan Kruczek	Epping, NH	Bobby Webber Racing
24	Carter Langley	Zebulon, NC	Ashley Crim Racing
28	Isabella Robusto	Fort Mill, SC	Wilson Motorsports
29	Logan Boyett	Cantonment, FL	E33 Motorsports
43	Nick Loden	Stanley, NC	Loden Motorsports
43H	Matt Horniman	Claremont, NC	Stillwell Racing
44	Justin Whitaker	Burlington, NC	JFCO Racing
48	Jeff Batten	Nashville, NC	B&J Racing
49	Luke Morey	Denver, NC	Luke Morey Racing
77	Logan Jones	Fredericksburg, VA	J&L Motorsports
81	Katie Hettinger	Metamora, MI	Anthony Campi Racing
96	Caden Kvapil	Mooresville, NC	Highlands Motorsports

Posted on March 6, 2023 by Zack Albert

LAS VEGAS — William Byron did something this weekend he says he doesn’t normally do. His habit of texting with team owner Rick Hendrick, he explained, is usually limited to his boss texting first unless the two were discussing non-racing matters.

But by Saturday, Byron felt especially confident in what his No. 24 Chevrolet had for the rest of the NASCAR Cup Series field in Sunday’s Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube — a feeling reinforced by a front-row starting spot in qualifying and a perch atop the 10-lap averages chart in the practice session that preceded it. Hendrick Motorsports had been left reeling by the absence of Chase Elliott to a snowboarding injury just a day earlier, and Byron wanted to give his car owner a pick-me-up.

So, Byron broke his usual routine and texted first. It turned out to be prophetic assurance.

Byron rolled to a dominant first victory of the season Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, leading a 1-2-3 sweep by Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolets. He set the pace for 176 of the 271 laps in a sweep of the stage wins and led teammates Kyle Larson and Alex Bowman to the checkered flag in overtime.

Elliott was missing from the 36-car field after undergoing surgery on a fractured left leg just two days earlier. Xfinity Series regular Josh Berry filled in with the No. 9 Chevy team and battled through a throttle issue to finish 29th in his first race with the Next Gen car.

The organization was missing a key part of its regular four-part driver harmony, but found a level of perseverance that dominated the Vegas scoreboard.

Chris Graythen | Getty Images

“I think just shows the strength that our teams have and the ability to come together in tough situations,” Byron said after recording the fifth Cup Series victory of his career. “I think I speak for everyone in the fact that we miss Chase out here. He’s a big contributor to feedback and our debriefs and he’s a great race car driver — has a lot to offer there. I think there was a void there, but I think we were able to fill it with just kind of coming together as a team, and having Josh come on board, he’s obviously a great race car driver, too, and I know him from the past.

“Yeah, it was an important day. I felt that for sure. I texted Mr. H. after practice and felt really good about the car and just wanted to reassure him that we’re going to go out there and try to win for him because it was a tough week. Yeah, just shows the strength of our team to be able to come together.”

For Jeff Andrews, Hendrick Motorsports president and general manager, Sunday marked his second consecutive trip to the Vegas track’s media center, but a far more comfortable one. His Saturday visit was as the team’s lead representative in providing an update on Elliott’s condition and the still-uncertain timetable of his return to competition.

MORE: Elliott sends thanks for support

Sunday, Andrews noted that the organization had not yet determined an interim driver of the No. 9 Chevy for next Sunday’s race at Phoenix Raceway (3:30 pm. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM). But he also lauded the chemistry of Byron with crew chief Rudy Fugle in their third season together, and the No. 24 team’s resolve after results of 34th (Daytona) and 25th (Auto Club) to start the year.

“Fantastic day for Hendrick Motorsports and the 1-2-3 finish,” Andrews said. “I should say first and foremost obviously our thoughts are with Chase and everything he’s going through right now, and we sure missed him being here at the track with us today. Can only imagine being a young guy like that and what that must have felt like to have to watch that at home. Certainly thinking about him and missing him here today, but really proud of all of our cars and the effort that’s gone into our cars and race teams in the offseason.”

The redoubled effort between last season and this one was a point emphasized post-race by Cliff Daniels, crew chief on Larson’s runner-up No. 5 Chevrolet. Larson nearly took the Las Vegas laurels, thanks to a quicker final-stage pit stop that helped to put him out front for 63 laps, but Byron’s text-worthy power — and later, an improved stop by his team in OT — won out in an overtime sprint to the end.

Elliott’s welcome back to competition is still an undetermined amount of time away, but the rest of the Hendrick bunch seems in position to keep the performance level stoked.

“This winter, I’ll be honest, in my time at Hendrick Motorsports and I’ve been here eight or nine years, the team’s worked as closely together as I’ve ever seen us work, which is great,” Daniels told NASCAR.com. “We just continue to build on that every year, and that’s a testament to you Mr. H., (vice chairman) Jeff Gordon, Jeff Andrews, everybody keeping us all connected back at the shop, and everybody putting in a lot of hard work this winter.

“I’m going to be honest, the best car won today. Yes, we were leading when the last caution came out, but we kind of circled the 24 when they didn’t have the best stop. We had a good stop and a good restart and got the lead. So yeah, I’m certainly disappointed to finish second, but to finish second to a teammate that clearly had the best car, happy for those guys. Rudy and his gang have worked so hard and had so many good cars and just not be able to capitalize, and I feel like today was a really good team win for them.”

Posted on March 5, 2023March 6, 2023 by Sean Montgomery

It’s always impressive to win a race, but a single team sweeping the podium at the premier series level just exhibits a different level of dominance.

Three veteran Hendrick Motorsports drivers — William Byron, Kyle Larson and Alex Bowman — put on a dazzling show at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the absence of teammate Chase Elliott, finishing 1-2-3 on an afternoon where it was the organization’s race to lose. The trio combined to lead an astounding 241 of the race’s 267 laps, extended by NASCAR Overtime, and Byron swept the stages en route to winning the race.

Overall, in a tightly contested competition featuring many other strong contending cars, Hendrick Motorsports just looked that much stronger.

Through the first few weeks of the season, Trackhouse Racing’s continued rise at the sport’s top level, Kyle Busch’s resurgence at Richard Childress Racing and Joey Logano’s hot start to his title defense have dominated the story lines — and rightly so. But Sunday’s cumulative performance from Hendrick Motorsports won’t go unnoticed in the garage.

Perhaps the entire effort was aided by lessons learned from Larson’s early exit at Auto Club Speedway, resulting in the No. 5 team logging non-contending laps last week to gain extra knowledge and track time. Or, perhaps there was extra motivation to perform well after Elliott was sidelined just before the race weekend began. However you want to explain it, this version of Hendrick Motorsports is scary good.

From start to finish, Sunday’s showing was one of the most impressive wins of Byron’s career. He had never won a race from a front-row starting position in 21 previous attempts at the Cup Series level, and his 176 laps led shattered his previous standard 1.5-mile high of 102, achieved at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2021. … Note: Byron led 111 laps at Atlanta Motor Speedway’s new superspeedway configuration in 2022.

Byron’s biggest threat to the stage sweep-race win combo was his teammate Larson. The 2021 Cup Series champion was clicking on all cylinders, leading 63 laps before the final caution set up a dramatic overtime finish.

Needing a clutch moment, Byron and his No. 24 crew’s execution on the pit stop was perfect, and he regained the lead by inches.

TRUEX STAYS OUT.

BYRON WINS THE RACE OFF PIT ROAD. pic.twitter.com/nNHFjimJ8J

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 5, 2023

“Most of us had 40 green laps on our tires,” said Byron’s crew chief Rudy Fugle after the race. “I thought there would be some more (who stayed out), yes. I thought we would be restarting row 3 if we pitted with rights. I expected three or four. I don’t know if they just weren’t good enough or whatever. Thankfully it worked out that way, but yeah, it’s a super hard decision with only two laps to go, how hard it is to break that first row up. I think somebody potentially could have won if there would have been enough people staying out, but there wasn’t.”

Despite the caution sending a number of teams into a flurry before NASCAR Overtime, when the chips are falling as they did for Hendrick Motorsports late down the stretch in Vegas, they’re hard to beat — as if they needed any help in the first place.

And if Byron and Co. were lacking any confidence, they gained a lot of it Sunday.

“I think I haven’t really dominated — I’ve led a lot of laps in a couple races, but to be this good in a race with our team is definitely a good sign,” an exuberant Byron said after the win. “I think it’s just a different feeling, I think, for me, just having a team around me that can execute that well on pit road that well, strategy that good on adjustments. That’s just a team effort.

“I think that’s a different — something different than I’ve had in the past in terms of wins, so that’s nice.”

MORE: Byron says it’s all about the team

And with Larson racking up 13 victories in his time at Hendrick Motorsports and Bowman on a streak of four consecutive seasons with a win, the question is when not if, they will reach Victory Lane, too.

Sure, the dynamic four-driver stable is normally atop the oddsboards and should never be considered an underdog at any track. The absence of 2020 Cup Series champion Elliott is a big loss for the short term, but he will be back at some point and should quickly return to his winning form based on his talent alone.

So, if Sunday’s race is any indication, we may be in line for another historic season.

In conclusion, a way-too-early but confident prediction for 2023: Hendrick Motorsports is indeed the organization to beat.