Posted on by Zack Albert

MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Bubba Wallace said Saturday that he had a productive conversation with Kyle Larson after their on-track altercation two weeks ago, and that he has a better understanding of how to handle heated moments after NASCAR officials suspended him from last weekend’s Cup Series event.

Wallace was back at the track Saturday at Martinsville Speedway, returning to the NASCAR Cup Series garage after a one-week absence. He held court with reporters outside the 23XI Racing team haulers before practice and qualifying for Sunday’s Xfinity 500 (2 p.m. ET, NBC, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM), the next-to-last race of the season.

RELATED: Weekend schedule | At-track photos

Wallace retaliated after an on-track incident with Larson two weeks ago at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, first with an intentional bump that wrecked both their cars and the No. 20 entry of Toyota teammate Christopher Bell. He later shoved Larson multiple times after both drivers exited their cars.

Wallace apologized for the incident through his social media channels. Larson had said last weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway that he didn’t feel an apology was necessary but considered the matter done.

“There’s a lot of good things going into this weekend. I’m not coming back with a vengeance or anything like that,” said Wallace, who was replaced by John Hunter Nemechek in the No. 45 Toyota last weekend. “I’m just going to continue to do what we’ve been doing. And for the record, I have talked to Larson, and we had a great conversation this week. I think the best thing for us is we both understood where our frustrations were and moving forward and how we both can handle those situations better.”

Larson won last weekend’s race at Homestead-Miami, and he claimed the pole position in Saturday’s qualifying session at Martinsville. After his pole lap, Larson said that he felt he had reached some common ground with Wallace as they look to turn the page.

“Yeah, it was great to have that talk,” Larson said. “I said the same thing. I came downstairs and told my wife that Bubba and I had a great conversation. I thought it went really well, and I think we’ve both moved on from it really fast. It was good to have a talk, good to just talk over the frustrations and mistakes on both of our parts. Move on and forget about it, and get back to racing. I feel like we’ve raced really well together in the past. Hopefully I don’t make any more mistakes and we can continue to race good.”

Wallace said that after the Vegas incident, conversations also took place during team meetings with 23XI management, who reminded him of the repercussions of placing the organization and its backers “in a bad light,” as he termed it. Wallace is in his second year with the Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan-owned team, and he was re-signed to a long-term contract extension in August.

“They were understanding of the heat-of-the-moment type things, but they were very adamant about how we need to handle those five seconds later,” Wallace said. “You need to think, like I said earlier, you need to think before you do. That was the biggest thing. They still support me, and we’re here. Just have to go out and continue to build this team up.”

Said Hamlin: “Listen, I trust Bubba’s words. We had long conversations with him internally, and I think that he would do things differently. This is not just words and PR talk. This is Bubba. You know, nobody asked him to tweet that he took a bite of humble pie. It’s something that Bubba has not had a whole lot of say, you know, those words in the past. I truly believe that he’s learned his lesson, he would do things differently. He’s young, and this is part of his growth.”

Wallace said that sitting out and disrupting his in-season weekly routine were among the toughest parts of his suspension. He added that he accepted the penalty and had discussions with NASCAR President Steve Phelps and Chief Operating Officer Steve O’Donnell about the ruling.

“I definitely learned my lesson, but we have to be consistent with this no matter if it’s here at Martinsville or if it’s at Daytona or Talladega,” Wallace said. “We have to keep it consistent across the boards and across the series. That was the conversation; it was a good conversation.”

Posted on by Reid Spencer

MARTINSVILLE, Va. – There won’t be any more ride-sharing for Big Machine Racing in 2023.

On Saturday at Martinsville, team owner Scott Borchetta revealed that Parker Kligerman has been hired as the full-time driver of the No. 48 Big Machine Chevrolet in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for 2023.

RELATED: Kligerman’s driver page | 2023 NXS schedule

Big Machine Racing joined the Xfinity Series in 2021, with Jade Buford as the primary driver. This season, the No. 48 team has divided up the schedule among 10 drivers, including Buford, Marco Andretti and a host of Cup Series regulars. Tyler Reddick delivered Big Machine its first win earlier this year, prevailing in May at Texas Motor Speedway.

Kligerman ran one race in the car this season, starting ninth and finishing sixth at Talladega Superspeedway. While doubling as a TV analyst and pit reporter for NASCAR on NBC, Kligerman also competed in 12 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series events for owner Charlie Henderson, winning the July race at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

“The mission has always been to be with one driver and build the race team,” said Borchetta. “Parker brings experience and a huge desire to do this, and that was our first conversation: ‘Hey, do you still have the fire to go and run for a championship?’”

Kligerman’s answer was an enthusiastic “Yes.”

The tipping point for Kligerman was the Talladega race.

“This happened so fluidly, so seamlessly — it felt like when we did Talladega, it was just so seamless,” Kligerman said. “And the short span from talking to signing was quick. We were all aligned with the same goals, the same thought process…

“For me, in my career right now, I’ve told everybody that will listen, in the last two years, I’ve never driven better in my life.”

As his schedule permits, Kligerman also will continue to race the No. 75 truck for Henderson. The 32-year-old driver delivered the Abingdon, Virginia-based team both of its Truck Series wins — a 2017 victory at Talladega Superspeedway in addition to his triumph this year at Mid-Ohio.

Kligerman’s only full-time Xfinity Series campaign was a 2013 run for Kyle Busch Motorsports.

Contributing: Staff reports

Posted on by Staff Report

The season-opening Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum will have a later start time next year, providing the opportunity to end the exhibition event under the stadium’s lights.

The main event is scheduled to start Sunday, Feb. 5 at 5 p.m. PT (8 p.m. ET), which is a half-hour before the typical sunset time for that time of year in Los Angeles. The move was announced on FOX Sports’ Race Hub news program on Friday night, exactly 100 days until the Clash is set to take center stage.

Last year’s feature was scheduled for a 3 p.m. PT (6 p.m. ET) start time. A full weekend schedule for practice, qualifying and heats for the 2023 Busch Light Clash will be announced at a later time.

NASCAR officials announced June 12 that the exhibition would return for a second edition at the historic LA Coliseum. Joey Logano won the inaugural running on the temporary quarter-mile asphalt track earlier this year.

The Clash was held at Daytona International Speedway from 1979-2021.

Posted on by Zack Albert

MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Brandon Jones bolstered his chances of keeping his playoff run alive, winning the pole position in Friday’s qualifying for the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Martinsville Speedway.

Jones posted a best lap of 95.482 mph in the final round of time trials at the historic .526-mile track, putting his No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in the first starting spot for Saturday’s Dead On Tools 250 (3 p.m. ET, NBC, Peacock, MRN, SiriusXM). His fifth pole of the season was the eighth of his Xfinity career.

RELATED: Starting lineup | Weekend schedule

Sheldon Creed will share the front row after sealing the second-fastest lap at 95.333 mph in the No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. Sammy Smith landed the third-fastest lap with title contenders Ty Gibbs fourth and Noah Gragson completing the top five.

Jones is currently last in the Xfinity Series Playoffs standings, with a 38-point deficit to the provisional cut line. The 250-lapper is the last race in the postseason’s Round of 8, and Jones’ lone win this season came at Martinsville back in April.

The field will be whittled down to the four drivers who will race for the championship Nov. 5 at Phoenix Raceway.

“I don’t think that there’s any more added stress or anything there,” Jones said. “I mean, when it comes down to strategy, the race becomes very simple. You know, now that we don’t have to go out there and maybe run around for points, and at the end, you’re panicked to try to win the race. I mean, we have one goal in mind and it is to win the race. I don’t see a really a scenario that we points our way into this.”

Austin Hill did not post a qualifying speed after his Richard Childress Racing crew pushed the No. 21 Chevy back to the garage with a radiator issue. Hill currently ranks sixth out of the remaining title-eligible drivers.

Daniel Hemric also did not register a lap in qualifying after a crash during the preceding practice session. Hemric posted the sixth-fastest lap in practice, but his No. 11 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet broke loose entering Turn 1 and made sizable contact with the outside retaining wall.

Dawson Cram and Ronnie Bassett Jr. failed to qualify.

Posted on by Staff Report

Only one race remains before the Championship 4 is set and drivers are on their way to Phoenix Raceway to contend for the title. Take a look below at some unique props, pick the right answer and enter for a chance to win prizes.

RELATED: Martinsville weekend schedule | Playoff standings

CUP SERIES

XFINITY SERIES

Posted on by Staff Report

Alex Bowman will return to the No. 48 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports at Phoenix Raceway, the team announced Friday morning.

Bowman, a seven-time Cup Series winner, has been sidelined since suffering a concussion at Texas Motor Speedway on Sept. 25, missing each of the last four races. Bowman will miss Sunday’s Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway (2 p.m. ET, NBC, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) as Noah Gragson continues to fill in.

MORE: Martinsville schedule | Cup Series standings

Bowman was cleared to return following a full evaluation by Dr. Michael “Micky” Collins, clinical director of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Sports Medicine Concussion Program, the team said in a release.

“We’re thrilled Alex is 100% and will have the opportunity to race at his home track,” Jeff Andrews, president and general manager of Hendrick Motorsports, said in a statement. “Throughout this process, he’s been incredibly diligent about following the advice of his doctors and prioritizing his health. All of us look forward to welcoming Alex back and seeing him finish 2022 with his No. 48 teammates.”

Bowman was a contender in this year’s NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs courtesy of his March win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. His crash in the Round of 12 opener saddled him on the proverbial bench and ultimately led to his elimination from championship contention.

Crew chief Greg Ives previously announced he will step away from his role at the end of the 2022 season but will continue to work for Hendrick Motorsports. Ives and Bowman will have a proper farewell to their tenure together, which dates back to 2016 when Bowman substituted for Earnhardt Jr. Their most impressive run that year came when Bowman won the pole at Phoenix and led 194 laps en route to a sixth-place finish.

“Greg and I started something there in 2016 that we never got to finish,” Bowman, an Arizona native, said in a video posted to his social media accounts. “Hopefully we can get the job done. To have one final race with Greg is going to be really special.”

Bowman voiced his gratitude for the patience shown by both his team and sponsors as he put his health at the forefront of his concerns, effectively placing his safety ahead of his championship hopes this season.

“It’s been a long road and a lot of work,” Bowman said. “But excited to be back to 100% and be able to get back in a race car. … We’re going to finish the season strong and hopefully get one last win for Greg.”

Posted on by Press Release

DETROIT – Chevrolet clinched the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer’s Championship – its second year straight – with two races remaining in the season. The 2022 season marks the manufacturer’s series-leading 41st title in NASCAR’s premier series, captured in the debut season of the Next Gen Camaro ZL1.

“We set goals of winning championships at the beginning of every season, and the NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer’s Championship is one that’s a high priority,” said Jim Campbell, U.S. vice president of performance and motorsports. “This championship is a result of a one-team effort from Hendrick Motorsports, Richard Childress Racing, Trackhouse Racing, Petty GMS, Kaulig Racing, JTG Daugherty and Spire Motorsports. We’d also like to thank the Chevrolet engineers, drivers, crew chiefs and owners who are part of this championship.”

MORE: Full Cup Series standings

Chevrolet drivers put the Next Gen Camaro ZL1 in victory lane 19 times in 34 NASCAR Cup Series races thus far, more than its manufacturer competitors combined. Nine drivers from four different Chevrolet teams have contributed wins: Chase Elliott (five wins; series-leading); Tyler Reddick and Kyle Larson (three wins each); Ross Chastain and William Byron (two wins each); and Alex Bowman, Daniel Suárez, Austin Dillon and Erik Jones (one win each). Kaulig Racing’s AJ Allmendinger also contributed to the points total that led to the championship title.

The NASCAR Cup Series regular season saw Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott take the title, with eight Chevrolet drivers advancing to the playoffs. Chevrolet went on to maintain 50% of the playoff field through the Round of 12, with three Chevrolet drivers remaining in the Round of 8 to compete for a spot in the Championship 4.

Chevrolet clinched the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series Manufacturer’s Championship two weeks ago at Las Vegas with its 500th all-time series win.

“It’s great to see the momentum by the Chevrolet teams in both the Cup and Xfinity series that’s resulted in manufacturers’ championships in both series in back-to-back years,” Campbell said.

Phoenix Raceway will be the final stop of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season, where the 312-mile championship race on Sunday, Nov. 6, will crown the Cup Series’ driver champion.

Posted on by Cameron Richardson

For just the third time in its storied history, Martinsville Speedway will set the table for who earns the right to race for a Cup Series championship at Phoenix Raceway.

While the Virginia short track had been a turning point late in the season for championship hopefuls in the past, it’s now the last obstacle that stands between drivers and a bid at the big trophy.

With on-track intensity likely to reach a peak Sunday as three spots remain up for grabs among seven drivers, tempers will flare as competitors try to navigate near each other in the close-quarters action for 500 laps around the 0.522-mile oval. Martinsville is a top venue for rivalries to spark and there are a handful of current rivalries between drivers looking for their golden ticket to the title.

RELATED: Playoff standings | Notable 2022 rivalries

The freshest of the conflicts this season actually began in the middle of the playoffs.

Denny Hamlin and William Byron exchanged unpleasantries after on-track disagreements last month at Texas Motor Speedway. After Byron believed Hamlin ran his No. 24 Chevrolet into the wall, Byron spun Hamlin’s Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota under caution, which initially resulted in a points penalty for Byron. Byron’s penalty was later amended, helping him secure a Round of 8 bid.

While the two championship-eligible drivers haven’t had a run-in since Texas, Martinsville serves as the perfect venue if Hamlin were to pay back Byron. And payback may be in the cards for Hamlin as he’s directly beneath Byron on the Champ 4 elimination line by five points.

The fall edition of the Martinsville race has been the event where Hamlin’s been spotlighted for some extra-curricular activities.

Most recently, and arguably, the most notorious, Hamlin’s post-checkered flag joust with Alex Bowman.

After getting spun in the closing laps in last season’s penultimate race, Hamlin met Bowman at the start-finish line in a confrontation that led to the two cars going nose-to-nose in an all-time staredown.

In his post-race interview, Hamlin referred to Bowman as a “hack,” which the driver of the Hendrick Motorsports No. 48 turned into merchandise.

Prior incidents involving Hamlin included a scrum with fellow playoff driver Chase Elliott in 2017, when Hamlin spun the then-driver of the No. 24 with less than three laps to go, and a post-race altercation with Joey Logano in 2019 after the two made contact on track.

While Logano is already locked into the Championship 4 after his win two weeks ago at Las Vegas. Elliott, the 2020 champion and this year’s championship favorite, only holds an 11-point advantage above Hamlin on the elimination line. The Hendrick duo and Hamlin will certainly be must-watch TV on Sunday.

In two of the last four years, the eventual Cup champion won the Martinsville fall race.

Logano did so in 2018 after a back-and-forth battle for the lead with Martin Truex Jr. in the closing laps. With the No. 22 Team Penske Ford running second, Logano put the bumper to Truex’s then-No. 78 Toyota and outdueled Truex to the checkered flag, setting up his crowning achievement at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

After multiple years of Round of 8 shortcomings early in his Cup career, Elliott broke the semi-final woes in 2020 at Martinsville with a dominant performance as he led 236 of 500 laps en route to his first Championship 4 appearance. His maiden championship race culminated in his first Cup title.

Martinsville Speedway already speaks for itself regardless of when it hits the NASCAR schedule but when combined with the playoff atmosphere and the last-chance attempts by drivers to secure their spot for a title opportunity, there are very few venues in sports that can match the level of intensity competitors will be at when they exit pit road and turn laps around the half-mile short track.

The Xfinity 500 is scheduled for Sunday at 2 p.m. ET. The race will be broadcast on NBC and can be listened to on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Posted on by Cameron Richardson

New car. New drama.

The Next Gen car has certainly lived up to the excitement it built before the start of the 2022 season. There’s been parity across the board with 16 different winners this season, and with that comes a good amount of run-ins that have taken place throughout the year. Much of the friction has been between the 16 drivers that made up the full playoff field, too.

It’s safe to say there was enough beef in the regular season to create a surplus at your local burger joint. Let’s look back at some of the quarrels throughout the 2022 season — with a recent addition from a Round of 12 playoff race — and wonder if any will spark back up when the Round of 8 concludes Sunday at Martinsville Speedway (2 p.m. ET, NBC, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

RELATED: Playoff standings

CHASE ELLIOTT & KYLE LARSON (Auto Club, Watkins Glen)

The first major run-in of the season came late in the spring race at Auto Club Speedway as Hendrick Motorsports teammates Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott made contact after Larson threw an unintentional block on his Chevrolet counterpart down the frontstretch with 21 to go. The right side of Elliott’s No. 9 Chevy hit the wall and cut a tire a few laps later. Larson went on to win the race while Elliott finished two laps down in 26th.

Larson wouldn’t score his second win of 2022 until Watkins Glen International in August, and again, it came at the expense of Elliott. On the final restart, Larson and Elliott led the field into Turn 1 and at the corner exit, Larson ran Elliott wide and the two made slight contact. The No. 5 Chevy cleared for the lead while Elliott dropped a few spots, resulting in a fourth-place finish.

These two teammates appear to be on friendly terms in the aftermath, with the ultimate goal of bringing home a third-straight championship for Chevy and Hendrick, but it sure will be something to watch through the playoffs as Elliott tries to earn his crown back from the driver that took it from him in 2021.

TYLER REDDICK & CHASE BRISCOE (Bristol Dirt)

There’s no rivalry here and this is probably the most cordial a driver has ever been after being spun on the final lap of a race, but with Bristol Motor Speedway closing out the Round of 16 it’s worth bringing up how the most recent race at ‘The Last Great Colosseum’ ended. Reddick and Briscoe ran 1-2 in the closing laps of the spring race on the Bristol dirt layout and in the final corner of the final lap, Briscoe attempted a slide job on the No. 8 Chevrolet. Instead of getting in front of him, Briscoe made contact with Reddick and both spun. Kyle Busch went on to steal the win while Reddick came home runner-up and Briscoe fell to a 22nd-place finish.

Reddick and Briscoe shook hands after and all appears fine between the two with the playoffs beginning Sunday. For now.

WILLIAM BYRON & JOEY LOGANO (Darlington)

Here’s where early-season beef could first show in the playoffs. With the Southern 500 approaching Sunday evening, it’s worth noting how the final laps transpired in a wild spring race that saw one-third of the field DNF. Coming down to the wire, Byron appeared to have the car to take his third victory of the year, but instead, Logano took matters into his own hands and moved the No. 24 Chevrolet with two laps to go in Turn 3. Byron slammed the wall and had to settle for a 13th-place finish.

Spicy words were exchanged after the race as Logano noted he’ll “keep swinging” and the “gloves are off” while Byron was straight to the point and called Logano an “idiot.” If these two are battling each other for track position late Sunday, Byron will very likely have what happened in May on his mind.

ROSS CHASTAIN vs. MULTIPLE DRIVERS (Gateway, Atlanta, Pocono, Michigan)

It goes without saying that Ross Chastain ruffled some feathers during the regular season. The featured bout Chastain had was with Denny Hamlin, sparked at multiple tracks in the summer.

The Cup Series’ debut at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway saw some interesting tactics displayed by both Chastain and Hamlin. It began with Chastain moving the No. 11 Toyota as Chastain tried to get around Hamlin for multiple laps. The contact from Chastain to Hamlin compromised the No. 11 and Hamlin had enough damage to take any competitive speed out of the Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Since he was out of race-winning contention, Hamlin decided to ride around Gateway and wait for Chastain to get to him. Once the two were side-by-side, it became quite the show as Hamlin brake-checked Chastain and did everything he could to become a thorn in the side of the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet.

2020 Cup champion Chase Elliott became a third party in the beef as Chastain spun him off Turn 4 later in the race. For one restart, Hamlin and Elliott joined forces with the No. 9 driver getting Chastain loose in Turn 1 and Hamlin following up with a side swipe off Turn 2.

Hamlin and Chastain’s beef reignited at Atlanta Motor Speedway in July as in the closing laps, Chastain’s damaged car got tight in Turns 3 and 4, which caused him to spin Hamlin with 14 laps to go.

With the score 2-0 in favor of Chastain, Hamlin exacted his revenge two weeks after Atlanta. In the final stage at Pocono Raceway, Chastain and Hamlin led the field to a restart. Coming out of Turn 1, Hamlin overran the corner and used Chastain as his brake, which put the No. 1 Chevy in the wall, thus spinning and crashing down the backstretch.

Hamlin went on to cross the start/finish line first at the end of race but was later disqualified alongside his JGR teammate Kyle Busch.

Chastain’s run-ins with Toyotas didn’t end there. Christopher Bell returned the favor of Chastain’s aggressive driving and both wound up in the wall down the frontstretch late at Michigan International Speedway. A week later, Chastain made contact with Kyle Busch at Richmond Raceway but nothing has come of it for now. With Darlington and Bristol opening the Round of 16, however, it’s hard to believe drivers won’t take it easy on Chastain.

AUSTIN CINDRIC & AUSTIN DILLON (Daytona)

While Austin Cindric called it “fair game” for Austin Dillon to move him to clinch his way into the playoffs, it probably doesn’t go over well for a driver to pull a ‘bump-and-run’ move at one of NASCAR’s fastest tracks. Cindric and Dillon will be in a battle to reach the Round of 12 as both enter the playoffs below the bubble for the next round. If the No. 2 Team Penske Ford finds itself behind the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevy, Cindric probably won’t have an issue applying the bumper at any of the next three races.

POSTSEASON UPDATE

 

WILLIAM BYRON & DENNY HAMLIN (Texas)

Disputes aren’t limited to the regular season, as a pair of current championship-eligible drivers got into an on-track tussle during the Round of 12 race at Texas Motor Speedway. In reaction to almost hitting the wall off Turn 2, Byron spun Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota under caution that led to the two exchanging unpleasantries behind the pace car. Byron initially endured a points penalty for spinning Hamlin but the penalty was later amended that wiped out the points takeaway. Entering the Round of 8 elimination race at Martinsville Speedway, Byron currently owns a five-point advantage on Hamlin and both are directly above and under the elimination line heading to a track that’s no stranger to tempers flaring.

Posted on by Brandon White

For a moment in Thursday’s Virginia is for Racing Lovers 200 at Martinsville Speedway, Jon McKennedy’s season flashed before his eyes.

While battling for the lead with less than 10 laps remaining, McKennedy was turned in front of the field on the backstretch before sustaining a hard hit in the right-front suspension by Kyle Bonsignore, relegating him all the way to the rear of the lead-lap cars and erasing his comfortable points lead — and ultimately handing the race win to NASCAR Cup Series driver Corey LaJoie.

A year of hard work and sacrifice for McKennedy ended up being salvaged with a 12th-place finish, which earned him his first career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship in just his second season of full-time competition.

The sting of missing out on a grandfather clock will stick with McKennedy for a while, but he was more than ecstatic to celebrate a Whelen Modified Tour championship in Martinsville’s frontstretch Victory Lane.

“This is icing on the cake,” McKennedy said. “I’ve won a lot of championships in the New England area in other forms of Modified racing and even in Supermodified racing, so to win this NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour deal is such an amazing accomplishment for all my guys and my car owner. This is an extremely tough division, but I’m satisfied to be a champion in it.”

RELATED: Complete race results from Martinsville

The odds were initially against McKennedy winning the title when the 2022 season began.

Having only one career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victory to his name at Myrtle Beach Speedway, McKennedy also elected to join a brand-new operation led by Tim Lepine after spending the past four years with Tommy Baldwin Racing.

McKennedy and Lepine immediately found consistency in their first year together. After opening 2022 with a fourth-place run at New Smyrna, the duo recorded 13 top-10 finishes and claimed a victory at Claremont Speedway on July 29.

Another victory appeared to be secured for McKennedy and Lepine on Thursday evening after they elected to take tires and fuel during the first half of the race, which eventually cycled McKennedy to the front of the pack with Jimmy Blewett in tow.

Hard racing on the penultimate restart of the night resulted in both McKennedy and Blewett being eliminated from contention, with LaJoie — who led throughout much of the race — rallying for the victory.

“I thought we were in a great position to win,” McKennedy said. “Jimmy [Blewett] and I came off Turn 2 side-by-side on that last restart, but I felt a big bump from behind on the backstretch. Then we all wrecked. It’s definitely unfortunate because we came so close to winning the biggest race of the year, but we still came through to win the championship.”

The last thing LaJoie wanted was to interfere with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour title fight, but knew he needed to take advantage of the fresh rubber on his car with only a handful of laps at his disposal.

LaJoie chalked up the accident between him, McKennedy and Blewett as three drivers doing everything possible to bring home a grandfather clock.

“I wanted the top to roll and Jimmy got a great launch in front of me,” LaJoie said. “We came off Turn 2 and (McKennedy’s) right front was splitting my car and Jimmy’s car. (McKennedy’s) right rear bumper hooked my tire and turned me into him. I don’t feel like I was a culprit, but it was just hard racing, and we came out lucky on the other side.”

Thursday’s triumph was not the first time LaJoie had won a NASCAR-sanctioned Modified event. He previously took home a checkered flag in the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour when the series raced on Atlanta Motor Speedway’s frontstretch oval back in 2010.

Being able to claim a grandfather clock is an achievement LaJoie plans to cherish for the rest of his career. He expressed his gratitude toward everyone that made his No. 53 Curb Records Modified fast from the opening practice session.

MORE: Listen to LaJoie on Stacking Pennies

“This car was dialed in,” LaJoie said. “Bono [Manion], Elizabeth [Manion] and Rob Fuller put this thing together at the last minute, but this was a full-on effort with a bunch of friends, and we succeeded [on Thursday]. We came here for a clock, and we got one.”

LaJoie expressed relief that the final caution of the night ultimately did not cost a championship for McKennedy, who expressed some frustration over having a potential victory taken away from him in the final laps.

Everything had to go perfect for McKennedy to fend off Ron Silk, Justin Bonsignore and Eric Goodale for the title, all of whom were separated by just 13 points entering Martinsville. With Silk and Bonsignore both encountering issues of their own, it was a late battle between McKennedy and Goodale to decide the championship.

RELATED: Career stats for Jon McKennedy

McKennedy considers it a blessing that everything still worked out in his favor despite the late crash that could have easily ended his title hopes just a few laps from the finish.

“A ton of work went into this race the last few weeks,” McKennedy said. “Everyone gave it 100 percent and that’s all you can ask for. We were lucky in a few ways because we were wrecked on the backstretch and our championship was over. I still can’t believe we got wrecked in the end and that took some wind out of the sails, but at the end of the day, we are champions.”

McKennedy never once viewed himself as an underdog for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship and takes pride over now being associated with many legends in the discipline like Bonsignore, Silk, Richie Evans, Mike Stefanik, Ted Christopher and more.

A replay of the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 200 at Martinsville Speedway will be shown on the USA Network on Friday, Nov. 4 at 1 p.m. ET.