WALL TOWNSHIP, N.J. — Jimmy Blewett is one of the best to ever race at Wall Stadium Speedway.
He reminded everyone of that by topping the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour field in the Jersey Shore 150 on Saturday night at the popular third-mile high-banked oval.
The victory, Blewett’s seventh with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and first since 2016, was his 81st victory overall at Wall Stadium Speedway. He ranks second on the all-time win list at the track.
“Tommy and these guys just prepare such a good car. He makes all the drivers who drive this thing look so good,” said Blewett, who was piloting the No. 7NY for team owner Tommy Baldwin Jr. “Just riding, biding our time watching these guys burn it up so we had some stuff there at the end.”
Blewett spent much of the race riding in the top five, content to let pole-sitter Ron Silk and defending track Modified champion Andrew Krause take turns at the front of the field.
A caution for a spin by Eric Goodale with 17 circuits left in the 150-lap event presented Blewett the perfect opportunity to take control of the race.
Restarting second with 13 laps left, Blewett rocketed under Krause to take the lead by the time the field got back to the start/finish line.
Once in front, Blewett inched away from the battle for second, ultimately crossing the finish line nearly two seconds ahead of runner-up finisher Matt Hirschman.
“I want to dedicate this win to my grandfather,” said Blewett, who also won a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event at Wall Stadium Speedway in 2007. “He always is my biggest supporter and he never, ever doubts me. He just knows I need the right opportunity to get it done. Thanks, Grandpa.”
The victory by Blewett gave team owner Baldwin his fourth victory of the season with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.
Doug Coby drove Baldwin’s No. 7NY to victory at New York’s Riverhead Raceway and New Hampshire’s Lee USA Speedway, and Mike Christopher Jr. earned a victory for Baldwin at Pennsylvania’s Jennerstown Speedway.
Hirschman, a multi-time winner of the annual Turkey Derby event at Wall Stadium Speedway who added Saturday’s race to his schedule at the last minute, snuck past both Krause and Silk to finish second.
“This wasn’t on our schedule, I just knew there was going to be a great crowd here tonight,” Hirschman said. “Glad to come race in front of them tonight. A good run. It’s no surprise there at the end, Jimmy’s first and I’m second. Congrats to them.”
Patrick Emerling also managed to make his way past Krause and Silk in the final laps to complete the podium. It was his second top-five finish this season.
“It was a little rough out there, but had a lot of fun tonight,” Emerling said. “We had a pretty good race car for only running here once before.”
Krause settled for fourth after leading prior to the final restart. Silk faded to fifth after starting from the Mayhew Tools Pole and leading a majority of the race.
Justin Bonsignore, Austin Beers, Jon McKennedy, Blake Barney and Kyle Bonsignore completed the top 10.
A replay of the Jersey Shore 150 can be seen on the USA Network on Friday, July 15 at 6:30 p.m. ET.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour returns to action next Saturday, July 16, for the running of the Whelen 100 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
HAMPTON, Ga. — Josh Berry was close. Just not close enough to make a move.
Berry trailed Austin Hill closely in the waning laps, trying to chase down the No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. But as his tires wore down and the field strung out, Berry had to settle for runner-up in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series Alsco Uniforms 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway — his fourth top-four finish in the last five races.
“Austin was really good,” Berry told NASCAR.com. “That team has been really good on this style of racing and it was just tough. Right? You just had to time the runs right to get the bottom and he was really strong there. It cooled off a bit and kinda just got trained around the top. Lots of good information for me to go back and watch, learn from. And we’ll see what we can do better next time.”
Berry had a good enough car to pace the front of the field. He led 13 laps throughout the hot summer afternoon, but a pit-road miscue didn’t help the effort in an otherwise clean race.
“We had a really good car and we had a feeling that this race would be a little bit different than what we saw in the spring and I feel like that proved right,” Berry said. “So we prepared well and like I said, had a good day. We had a little slip up on pit road and had to work back from the back to the front, which was, I felt like really impressive, but ultimately that’s probably where we lost a little track position on [Austin Hill].”
Berry finished 33rd in the spring race, crashing out on Lap 153 of 172 — his only DNF of the season.
Saturday’s bounce-back performance served as a confidence booster and reassurance that the No. 8 JR Motorsports team, currently fifth in points, has made big strides down the stretch.
“We are right there with everybody,” Berry said. “On the bread and butter, you know, the intermediates, the short tracks, I think we’re as good as anybody. Obviously, the road racing is something that I’m learning and continuing to get better at. But I have no doubt that we can continue to build and get better and save our best races for the playoffs.”
Radio trouble prevented driver Austin Hill from being able to speak to his Richard Childress Racing crew during the Alsco Uniforms 250 NASCAR Xfinity Series race Saturday afternoon at Atlanta Motor Speedway, but he sure understood the final hand signal.
The Georgia native, 28, won at his hometown track for the first time in his NASCAR career – holding off JR Motorsports driver Josh Berry by a mere .111-second –the closest Xfinity Series race finish in track history and another fitting number nod to Hill’s finish.
His 73 laps led in the No. 21 RCR Chevrolet was most on the day and the most of his young NASCAR Xfinity Series career.
“Man, look at this crowd, I love the fans,’’ a smiling Hill said, looking toward the loud and enthusiastic grandstands. “What a car. Man, RCR has been working their ever-loving tails off to give me a car that will race really fast.’’
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
Hill was so impressed and appreciative of the work of his crew, particularly to win on a day it had to overcome a major challenge. He came down pit road on the pace laps once the team realized his radio didn’t work. Hill could hear the crew, but they could not hear him.
Even a new helmet didn’t solve the problem so he spent all of the often-eventful 163 laps around the 1.54-mile speedway listening only. They worked out hand signals for adjustments he wanted during the pit stops.
There were 17 lead changes in the race, but Hill took the lead for good on a restart with 48 laps remaining and held off Berry, Ryan Truex, Daniel Hemric and Tyler Reddick. The front-runners got dicey as expected, but Hill was able to pull away and was never challenged heading to the checkered flag to take his second series victory in 2022.
Truex finished third, followed by Reddick – who became a first-time NASCAR Cup Series winner last week – and reigning Xfinity Series champion Daniel Hemric.
Noah Gragson and his JR Motorsports teammate Justin Allgaier were sixth and seventh, followed by Landon Cassill, Riley Herbst and AJ Allmendinger.
That 10th-place finish marked a solid comeback for Kaulig Racing’s Allmendinger, who led the championship standings by a mere nine points going into the Atlanta race. A tire problem and slow pit stop put him down two laps in Stage 2, and it proved to be a long, challenging day for Allmendinger, who methodically worked his way forward.
At one point, he briefly lost the championship lead to Ty Gibbs. But Gibbs, Saturday’s pole-sitter, had his own problems. Racing hard with Herbst at the front on a restart for the final stage, Gibbs’ No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota hit the wall hard and suffered enough damage for him to take a DNF.
A four-race winner, Gibbs went into the race trailing Allmendinger by only nine points, but now he’ll go to New Hampshire for next week’s race 29 points out of the championship lead.
“We had a very fast Supra, we had a good car,’’ Gibbs told PRN Radio. “The 98 slid up and wasn’t clear and hooked us in the left-front. It was hard racing and I just came home on the wrong side of it.’’
The Xfinity Series’ next race is scheduled for next Saturday (5 p.m. ET, USA, NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM) at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Note: Inspection was completed in the Xfinity Series garage with no issues, affirming Hill’s victory.
Pole-starter Ty Gibbs exited Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series event early after a mid-race altercation at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Gibbs’ No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota sustained right-side damage on the 93rd of a scheduled 163 laps in Saturday’s Alsco Uniforms 250. Riley Herbst’s No. 98 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford washed up into Gibbs’ car from the low groove at the front of the pack, as both lanes began to push forward in a final-stage restart. Gibbs got the worst of the contact between the two black, Monster Energy-sponsored cars, scraping the outside retaining wall and slowing.
Gibbs drove to pit road, but his team indicated that the damage was too severe and instructed him to take the No. 54 Toyota to the garage. Gibbs — a four-time winner in 2022 who won at Atlanta earlier this season — was tagged with his second DNF of the year, finishing 35th in the 38-car field.
James Thomas | NASCAR Digital Media
“We had a good car and the 98 (Herbst) just slid up and wasn’t clear and hooked us in the left-front and got me in the wall,” Gibbs said after a check at the infield care center. “Just hard racing and came out on the bad side of it. Luckily, happy to walk out of this place on my feet.”
Herbst avoided the wall and continued to a ninth-place finish — his third consecutive top-10 result. He said he intended to talk to Gibbs later in an effort to smooth any tension created by their on-track contact.
“Obviously, I never meant to wreck my good friend, Ty, and obviously Monster Energy teammate,” Herbst told NASCAR.com. “So that was a bummer because the restart before I helped him out quite a bit and pushed him to the lead, and then the caution came out and we re-stacked. The 18 (Ryan Truex) gave me a really good push. … and as soon as I heard clear, I turned my wheel hard to the right. And I think it was a matter of inches — less than inches. I just got into him and that’s on me. I’ll talk to him, give him a call and whatnot. I apologize. Obviously, words don’t mean anything to them at this point because they didn’t finish, but all in all, it sucked.”
In terms of how that conversation might go, Herbst said he hoped to minimize any carry-over from their Atlanta run-in.
“I hope so. I mean, I don’t know. I hope so,” Herbst said. “Like I said, I’ll just talk to him and gauge his temperature.”
Contributing: Sean Montgomery at Atlanta Motor Speedway
Noah Gragson and Sage Karam said that they met with NASCAR officials Saturday at Atlanta Motor Speedway in an effort to put their on-track incident in last weekend’s Xfinity Series race behind them.
The two drivers indicated that they’d shaken hands and come to an understanding in separate interviews with NBC Sports during Saturday’s pre-race coverage at Atlanta. Gragson started sixth with Karam 25th in the Alsco Uniforms 250.
The pair tangled last Saturday at Road America, with Gragson’s No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet making a retaliatory move toward Karam’s Alpha Prime Racing No. 45 Chevy shortly past the midway point of the Henry 180. That ignited a severe multicar crash on the 4.048-mile road course, snaring several drivers in its wake.
Gragson was penalized Wednesday, hit with a $35,000 fine and a 30-point deduction for rough driving that violated the NASCAR Member Code of Conduct. Saturday at Atlanta, the two met and were seen casually chatting during driver introductions.
“It’s good. I’ve got a lot of respect for him and the rest of the guys in the series just being able to talk to him, and I really didn’t know him that much,” Gragson told NBC Sports. “So just getting to understand where he was coming from and kind of the way he was racing and kind of give him my side of the story. But you know, we shook hands and we’re gonna go race hard today and put on a show in the Xfinity Series. … I think last week is behind us and ready to go race hard this weekend.”
“We met this morning and it was actually nice just to get in a room and talk with Noah,” Karam said, who makes his eighth career start Saturday at Atlanta. “You know, I didn’t know him on a personal level, I’ve only known him from on track, but I think it went really well. I think we’ve buried the hatchet and can move forward.
“I think for me, it’s like I’m racing up there up front and getting to race a guy like Noah, who’s very fast. He’s won a lot of races, he’s with a very good team, so you know, I race him hard out of respect. I think that’s a respect thing. I want to beat him and he wants to beat me, but he apologized for the contact on the straightaway. I apologized for maybe rubbing into the door a little bit too much and yeah, it’s all learning experiences for sure.”
Parker Kligerman may be a popular television race commentator but the 31-year-old Connecticut driver reminded the NASCAR world that he is first a race car driver, winning Saturday’s inaugural O’Reilly Auto Parts 150 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in a highly spirited closing-laps battle with Zane Smith.
Ultimately, Kligerman held off the three-time race winner Smith – the two crossing the line in close formation with Kligerman’s No. 75 Henderson Racing Chevrolet taking a .119-second margin of victory in a race that concluded with all the drama expected of a road course event.
Smith – who won at Circuit of The Americas and finished runner-up at both Sonoma, Calif., and Mid-Ohio – takes a worthy consolation prize with his second-place finish Saturday. He heads into the regular-season finale in two weeks now only two points away from clinching the 2022 Camping World Truck Series regular season championship.
Saturday’s victory is the third career series win for Kligerman and first since 2017. And he becomes the series’ 17th-consecutive different winner on a road course.
“It’s hard to put into words [what this means], I was pretty emotional on the cool-down lap because this whole team, it’s like a team of second chances,” Kligerman said. “Two years ago, I thought my driving days were done. This team gave me a call, wanting to get back racing and it’s just been a steady improvement.
“It’s just unbelievable when you put a talented group of humans together, what they achieve,’’ Kligerman said of his Henderson Racing team, which employs only one full-time crew member. “And we’re doing this on absolutely a fraction of the trucks we run against.
“This is a small team that ‘could,’ but we’re not a small team that doesn’t win,’’ Kligerman shouted, turning toward the crowd. “We win.”
Corey Heim was making it a three-truck contest for the trophy, going wheel to wheel with Kligerman and Smith for what would have been an extra $50,000 Triple Truck Challenge bonus for him when his No. 51 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota suddenly lost power. That brought out the seventh caution period of the day and left the trophy to be decided in a frantic three-lap sprint by Kligerman and Smith, who each won a stage.
Kligerman, who led a race-best 56 of the 67 laps, also earned a $50,000 bonus for his win in the third and final round of the Triple Truck Challenge. Ryan Preece (Nashville) and Heim (Gateway) were the initiative’s other winners this season.
Carson Hocevar finished third with Stewart Friesen and Christian Eckes rounding out the top five. Chandler Smith, Kaz Grala, Derek Kraus and Colby Howard finished sixth through ninth with Hailie Deegan earning a 10th-place finish – her first top 10 of the 2022 season.
Mid-Ohio was especially tough for race favorites and championship contenders.
John Hunter Nemechek, who entered the race trailing Smith by only 21 points in the standings was still hoping to race for his second consecutive Camping World Truck Series regular season title. Instead, Nemechek’s No. 4 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota had mechanical problems about midway through the race.
The KBM team worked on the truck in the garage to repair a problem with third gear. Nemechek returned to the race with only 18 laps remaining and was able to make up enough ground to stay in second place in the standings – tied with teammate Chandler Smith – but now 58 points behind Zane Smith.
Reigning series champion Ben Rhodes also experienced mechanical problems mid-race and was never able to challenge up front. He finished 23rd.
Trackhouse Racing co-owner Justin Marks made his first start in the series since 2018. Marks — a former Mid-Ohio winner in Xfinity Series competition — placed 31st in the 36-truck field, exiting early after his No. 41 Niece Motorsports crashed into the Turn 4 tire barrier with 18 laps remaining.
Drivers Ty Majeski (12th), Eckes (fifth) and Hocevar (third), secured playoff berths with their results on Saturday. Ninth-place Grant Enfinger and 10th-place Matt Crafton still must battle Kraus for playoff position. The three-time series champion Crafton holds a 19-point advantage over the 20-year-old Kraus entering the final regular-season race.
The regular season concludes July 23 at Pocono Raceway with the CRC Brakleen 150 (noon ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The top 10 drivers in the standings will contend in a seven-race Playoff to determine the 2022 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion.
Note: Post-race inspection in the Camping World Trucks garage was completed without issue, confirming the official results and Kligerman’s victory. Officials indicated that no trucks were taken back to the NASCAR Research & Development Center for further inspection.
Is Atlanta another wild-card race? If it is, then a handful of drivers with only one win this season have cause to be concerned. There are already 13 winners. Throw in a revamped Atlanta, two road courses (which have proven parity this season) and the regular-season finale at Daytona International Speedway, and the current playoff standings could look completely different before the Round of 16. So for drivers teetering on the right side of the bubble, Sunday’s race presents an incredible opportunity to set their destiny in stone. Get a second win and it is virtually a guaranteed playoff berth. Miss out on the chance and a driver winning below the cut line just adds to the increasing pressure down the stretch. | Playoff outlook, so far
Who’s hot? Who’s not?
Suddenly, Daytona 500 winner Austin Cindric has been steadily improving the consistency he has struggled to find in his rookie year. Cindric enters Atlanta on a three-race streak of top-seven finishes and only has one sub-11 result since Darlington Raceway on May 8. We all know how prominent Team Penske’s superspeedway program has been over the years, with Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney being serial contenders. Cindric should be more comfortable this time around, despite crashing out here in the spring race. With a host of new winners shaking up the rankings, that elusive second Cup win could not come at a better time than Sunday.
On the flip side, Austin Dillon is almost certainly in a must-win situation 219 points below the playoff cutline. A moderately promising start to the season had the No. 3 car right in the mix for a handful of races. But lately, that has not been the case. Dillon has six-consecutive finishes of 11th or worse and has only one top-10 finish at Atlanta in 11 starts. Like Cindric, Dillon was also an early exit due to a wreck and will need a completely different result this time around. With the No. 8 car locked into a provisional playoff spot, the focus shifts on getting the No. 3 to join it.
Driving under the radar
Despite dominating the spring race, William Byron is not the outright favorite this weekend. Even being one of only five multi-race winners this season, Byron’s story still feels underdog-ish. Sure, his blistering pace to start the season has cooled off in recent weeks. But he has one significant advantage on his side this weekend: no practice. Only a spring notebook will give teams a chance to work out any kinks from the earlier race — one in which Byron led 111 laps. The 24 car was the one to beat from start to finish, and though the trends have favored others lately, Byron is a solid bet to be first to three wins.
Sean Gardner | Getty Images
Race-day staples ✅
Our biggest pieces of the week — get covered for race day from all angles.
• Paint Scheme Preview: Denny Hamlin brings out the Coca-Cola scheme | Pick a favorite
• Power Rankings: Is Kyle Larson rounding into his 2021 form? | Latest Cup Series driver rankings
• Fantasy Fastlane: Bubba Wallace is a must-have for your lineup | Top plays, sleepers
• NASCAR betting: Which driver is the favorite for Sunday? |BetMGM betting odds
• Backseat Drivers: How far does Tyler Reddick go in the playoffs? | Watch the debate
• Playoff Watch: How the 2022 Cup Series playoff picture is shaping up | Bubble battles, playoff locks
Catch the pack 💨
Read up on the top headlines from the week leading up to Sunday’s race.
• Inspection: Two cars lose crew member, pit-stall selection | Full report
• Joe Gibbs Racing: Organization gives update on Kyle Busch’s status | Read more
• Crucial race: Analyzing why Bubba Wallace needs to treat Sunday like Game 7 | Read more
• Crew changes: Christopher Bell and Bubba Wallace swap crew members for Sunday | Drivers give insight | More details
• Denny Hamlin: No. 11 Toyota Camry will sport Coca-Cola scheme this weekend | Read more
• 10 things: What to pack when preparing to camp out for a NASCAR race | Learn more
• Corey Lajoie: No. 7 Spire Motorsports driver aiming for Hail Mary at Atlanta | Read more • Why Tyler Reddick?: Richard Childress explains faith in the No. 8 driver | Full story
• Backseat Drivers: Is Ty Gibbs ready for the Cup Series? | Watch the show
• eNASCAR: Steven Wilson aces Road America | Results, recap
• Stacking Pennies: Corey LaJoie recaps a wild race at Road America, Ty Gibbs joins the show | Listen here
• Garage 56: Hendrick Motorsports offers insight after visiting endurance classic last month | Read more
• Winless, for now: 2022 Cup Series runners-up still searching for first win | Full list
• Speed Sport rankings: Chase Elliott stands out on another list | Read more
Get in on the action 💰
Think you know NASCAR? Put your mettle to the test with gaming, fantasy.
• The Action Network: Why you should bet Ricky Stenhouse Jr. on Sunday | Read more
• BetMGM: No clear favorite with wild, unpredictable Atlanta on the horizon | Which drivers to bet
• Featured matchup: How to bet Michael McDowell vs. Bubba Wallace | Expert’s insight
• Play it LIVE: Full guide to 2022 NASCAR Fantasy Live game | Get the FAQ
• Going all the way: 2022 Cup Series championship odds | See them here
New track layout, same storied history ⏳
Home of the Varsity and Braves country, let’s see what storied history NASCAR has in the “Peach State.”
• Do you remember?: Listing the most memorable moments at Atlanta | Relive them
• Winner, winner: All-time Cup Series winners at Atlanta | Full list
• Last season: Kurt Busch outduels Kyle in a summertime showdown for the ages | Race recap
• Race Rewind: Best 2021 video highlights from a jam-packed race on the old layout | Watch now
Fast facts ⏩
Hard-hitting, race-relevant statistics, brought to you by the experts at Racing Insights.
• Six Atlanta races ended in overtime with the most recent coming in 2016. • The race winner led over 100 laps in four of the last six Atlanta races. • Nine of the last 10 Atlanta winners got their first win of the season. • Joey Logano was passed for the win in three of the last six Atlanta races. • The last five Atlanta races were won by five different drivers.
Say what? 🎙
Notable quotes from the stars of the sport heading into Sunday’s race.
• “Atlanta was a really good race for us in the spring. Our team performed well on the new superspeedway track surface and with no practice this time around I think that should play into our hands.” — Christopher Bell, driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
• “Making the playoffs is the goal. You can’t run for a championship if you don’t make the playoffs, so we start every year before we leave to go to Daytona with a list of goals and priority number one is to do everything you can for the regular season to put yourself in a position to make the playoffs. Whether that’s on points or by winning races, we’ve done a good job throughout the year of scoring points and putting ourself in a position that typically would have had us racing our way in on points but this is a very untypical year.” — Aric Almirola, driver of the No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford.
• “Old Atlanta versus new, it’s quite a different change. But now, after getting to run a race here earlier this year, I think it helps kind of transition and you see that with the weekend schedule now with qualifying and racing. Where before, we had full practice sessions. The cars have probably evolved some since [the first Atlanta race], setups and engines and aero packages and stuff within the team. So, it could be a totally different race.” — Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
