Spencer Boyd transported for further evaluation after last-lap wreck

Posted on March 5, 2022 by Staff Report

Spencer Boyd was transported to an area medical facility for further evaluation following a last-lap wreck at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, according to a NASCAR spokesperson.

Boyd was involved in a last-lap wreck that also ensnared Jordan Anderson, John Hunter Nemechek and Grant Enfinger in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200.

The driver of the No. 12 Young’s Motorsports Chevrolet told FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass that he dislocated his shoulder from the wreck but that he should be OK to run at Atlanta Motor Speedway in two weeks.

Spencer Boyd says he dislocated his shoulder and will go get x-rays following his last-lap wreck at Las Vegas. Says he should be good for Atlanta. pic.twitter.com/6yxTHM0RSC

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) March 5, 2022

Boyd finished the Las Vegas race in 28th place. He scored an 11th-place result to open the season last month at Daytona International Speedway.

Posted on March 5, 2022 by Staff Report

The teams of Chase Elliott and Kevin Harvick were among five teams that had a crew member ejected and lost pit selection for failing pre-qualifying inspection multiple times ahead of Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford of Harvick, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet of Elliott, the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford of Harrison Burton, the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford of Todd Gilliland and the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet of Josh Bilicki were the five teams with inspection infractions.

Car chiefs Robert Smith (No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford), Matt Barndt (No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet), Cody Sauls (No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford), Tony Manzer (No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford) and engineer Nicholas Sowa (No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet) were the crew members ejected.

Cup cars will be on track for practice at 1:30 p.m. ET on Saturday at the 1.5-mile track ahead of group qualifying at 2:15 p.m. ET.

Posted on March 4, 2022March 1, 2023 by Holly Cain

LAS VEGAS – Nineteen-year-old Chandler Smith took the lead with two laps remaining and held off 2021 championship contender Zane Smith and the winningest driver in NASCAR national series history, his team owner Kyle Busch, to win the Victoria’s Voice 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

It was a deservedly dramatic ending for a hugely competitive race at the 1.5-mile Las Vegas track — marking the ninth consecutive Truck Series race won by a driver 23 years of age or younger. Smith’s 0.289-second win over Zane Smith was his first of the season and third of his career and good enough to propel him to the championship points lead.

Zane Smith, however, was later disqualified for violating section 14.16.1-1-4 in the NASCAR rule book by using lug nuts that did not conform to NASCAR’s specifications. Despite crossing the line second, the No. 38 truck was relegated to a 36th-place finish and collected one point from the event.

After snatching second on the final restart with three laps to go, Chandler Smith powered past Zane Smith with a fierce crossover on the final trip down the backstretch to win on Friday night.

The move for the win came after a restart with three laps remaining. Chandler Smith, of Talking Rock, Georgia, got around his team owner Busch, then pulled alongside Zane Smith at the finish line with one lap to go and finally drove out front for the final of the 134 laps to take the win.

“When you guys tune into me halfway through the race, ‘how did he get up there?”’ Chandler Smith said motioning toward the sky. “It’s the good Lord man, he performs miracles all day. He’s given me this talent, this opportunity to drive this truck for Kyle Busch Motorsports and for (sponsor) Safelite.

“I’m just beyond thankful for this whole opportunity. All the glory goes to Him, my guys, my wife, all the guys part of this deal. I’m just super thankful right now.”

There were five different leaders in the final furious 11 laps that included a caution for Christian Eckes, who was tagged from behind by Busch while leading the race with eight laps remaining. The final restart produced a wild — sometimes three-wide — contest to the checkered.

Behind Smith, who led a race-best 32 laps, Busch, Stewart Friesen, Ryan Preece and Tanner Gray officially rounded out the top five. Preece, making only his third Truck Series start, was leading when the final caution flag came out but was penalized five positions for not maintaining speed behind the pace car.

Matt DiBenedetto, Matt Crafton, Bret Holmes, Austin Wayne Self and Ty Majeski rounded out the top 10.

The final restart wasn’t without late dramatics. With two laps to go, Derek Kraus made contact with John Hunter Nemechek and Grant Enfinger, sending Kraus’ No. 19 truck sliding toward the inside wall. Kraus steered out of it with a save, but the chaos didn’t end there.

Behind the leaders on the final lap, Enfinger cut a right-front tire and went into the outside wall before his truck briefly caught fire. Not far behind was Nemechek, who spun entering Turn 3 because of a flat left-rear tire and was hit hard in the front end by Jordan Anderson, who had nowhere to go. Also involved was Spencer Boyd, whose truck was unable to cross the start/finish line. Boyd was transported to a local hospital after reportedly dislocating his shoulder.

Defending series champion Ben Rhodes won Stage 1 and Stage 2 and led nine laps on the night, but a collision with his ThorSport Racing teammate Majeski with 30 laps remaining badly damaged his No. 99 ThorSport Toyota, eliminating him from competition. Instead of contending for the win, the race favorite took his first DNF since the 2020 Daytona season-opener.

“I can’t speak to what happened with my teammate there, I’m just going to try to stay positive,’’ said Rhodes, who was credited with a 31st-place finish. “Can’t imagine my teammate trying to wreck me.”

“Just a bummer,’’ he added.

Sentimental favorite, Todd Bodine, a two-time series champion who last raced in 2013, finished 21st in the first of his six scheduled starts for 2022 in an effort to reach 800 NASCAR national series starts.

Bodine had an eventful night in the No. 62 Toyota, including two pit-road speeding penalties, a penalty to his crew for being over the wall too soon and even surviving a pair of on-track incidents to finish on the lead lap.

Making his 500th career start Friday was Crafton, who was involved in a multi-truck crash near the end of Stage 1. Following the first restart of the night, Colby Howard was clipped in the left rear by Zane Smith, sending Howard’s No. 91 truck into Crafton’s door. Despite the damage, Crafton was able to rebound for an seventh-place finish.

The Camping World Truck Series returns to action March 19 in the Fr8Auctions 200 (2:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Note: Post-race inspection confirmed Chandler Smith’s No. 18 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota as the winner. Zane Smith’s No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford was disqualified after it was found to have lug nuts that did not conform to NASCAR rule specifications.

Contributing: Staff reports

Posted on March 4, 2022 by Terrin Waack

Chip Swanson smiled.

As he embraced his son’s surprise arrival Sunday at Daytona International Speedway on the start-finish line. As he danced with his daughter in the VIP section of Luke Combs’ pre-race infield concert. As he met Hendrick Motorsports champion driver Kyle Larson and team owner Rick Hendrick with his wife on the starting grid. As he watched Cup Series rookie Austin Cindric win the 2022 season opener from inside the Daytona 500 Club.

The 67-year-old did what most people take for granted.

“With Parkinson’s, I don’t smile a lot typically,” Swanson told NASCAR.com. “And everybody kept saying how much I was constantly smiling. That was very rewarding for my family to see. See me happy and not crying happy. I was smiling and taking it in. I’m still not quite sure why I deserved all the fuss, but I’ll take it. I can’t thank everybody enough for what a wonderful experience it was for me.”

On Jan. 16, Swanson’s 32-year-old daughter, Mikaela Kostaras, posted a TikTok video asking for help. She wanted to get her father, a lifelong fan of the sport, to the Daytona 500, and the only tickets remaining were general admission. Grandstand access and stairs would be too difficult, and she explained why in the short video.

Swanson was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease a little more than a year ago. Before that, he had already undergone two brain surgeries that affected his eyesight and equilibrium. He has not had the ability to taste or smell in a decade.

NASCAR responded and provided the family with the ultimate Daytona 500 experience on Feb. 20.

“Honestly, it’s been a few days after and it still doesn’t really feel real, but like all that happened,” Kostaras said. “My dad’s never been the person that like wants attention. He always does things for me, for my mom, for my brother. And he’s so selfless. So, to be able to give this gift to him was incredibly special as a daughter.”

Swanson felt like a rock star. Kostaras called him one.

The father-daughter duo was joined by Swanson’s wife and Kostaras’ mother, Karen. They all live in Phoenix, but were in Daytona Beach, Florida, for all of Speedweeks, arriving Monday and leaving the next Tuesday. Swanson’s son, Jeff, and his wife, Kelly, came into the picture Sunday, race-day morning. Everyone but Swanson knew about their long-awaited visit ahead of time.

Swanson and Jeff, who works customs and border protection in Puerto Rico, used to attend NASCAR events at Phoenix Raceway together for at least 15 years. They’ve also been to Auto Club Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway, just not nearly as often. They were actually at the 2006 Daytona 500, too — about a month after Swanson’s first surgery. Those tickets were a Christmas present.

“You could probably hear it when he talks that he never complains, which is really admirable,” Kostaras said. “Because I would have been a horrible person if that would have happened to me. I would have probably complained a lot.”

Said Swanson: “Well, I just accept it for is it is and do what I need to do to try and be better the next day than I was today.”

In order to ensure that, Swanson maintains his strength and health through regular exercise classes, where his competitive instincts kick in to be the best and push his peers. He admitted to taking off the Wednesday after travel — “They kept me moving, I got my exercise.” — but returned Thursday, wearing his brand-new Daytona 500 hat.

That prompted a soft smile. Of course he had to show off the swag. It was visible proof of the full week of activity he just had.

“Parkinson’s doesn’t end your life,” Swanson said. “You get to keep going. You just got to deal with it. And I hope people understand that it’s not a death sentence. Sometimes people look at me like I’m weird, you know? And it’s like I’m the same old guy. Yeah, there’s some things I can’t do as good as I used to be able to, but I’m still out there doing it and I’m doing it as best I can, so I hope people get out of it that Parkinson’s isn’t the end-all situation. You do can wonderful things like go to Daytona and enjoy it. Have fun.”

Posted on March 4, 2022March 4, 2022 by Tadd Haislop

One does not need to look hard to understand why Joey Coulter finds himself infatuated with Modified stock car racing.

Maybe it’s because he won his first race driving one of the machines known as ground pounders, an accomplishment the 31-year-old added to his resume in 2020 at South Carolina’s Florence Motor Speedway.

Or maybe it’s the simple-yet-intoxicating joy of wheeling one of these beasts.

“It’s like racing a fighter jet,” Coulter explained to NASCAR.com. “They respond so quickly because they have all of that raw and mechanical grip. You’re sitting right on top of the earth. No bump stops, and 15 inches of tire. It’s just raw grip. And then the power.”

Joey Coulter (Adam Glanzman/NASCAR)

Regardless of his reasoning, on the heels of his participation in last month’s World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway, Coulter is hooked. This tends to happen to anybody — drivers and spectators alike — who is new to Modified racing.

And Coulter is indeed still new to this. The 2022 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season-opener at New Smyrna marked the Miami Springs, Florida, native’s third race in a Modified and only his fourth time driving one.

A kill switch issue doomed Coulter in the Tour race and led to a 25th-place finish to open the World Series. He then finished 30th in the Modified feature the following Monday.

The rest of Coulter’s World Series time at New Smyrna, though, featured nothing but top-10 finishes. He took ninth in the Tuesday Modified feature, fourth in the John Blewett Memorial on Wednesday, sixth in Thursday’s Modified feature and fifth in the Richie Evans Memorial on Friday.

“We crammed the experience of a season into five days,” Coulter said with a laugh. “There were a ton of ups and downs, which is to be expected with any kind of new venture. Started off on the wrong foot, but once we got racing, things started getting together. Our race pace was excellent.

“That allowed us the rest of the week to just find that raw speed.”

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A post shared by Joey Coulter (@joeycoulter_2)

Raw speed, of course, is synonymous with Modified racing. It’s why Coulter didn’t hesitate to oblige when Randy Renfrow in 2020 called and asked whether Coulter would race his newly configured Modified in a Southern Modified Auto Racing Tour (SMART) race.

“I’ve always wanted to drive one of those cars,” Coulter recalled thinking.

He noted how his entrance to the world of Modified racing was “basically an accident,” but the success made it feel like fate. In his first race, Coulter set the track record in qualifying at Florence before winning the main event that evening. He raced Renfrow’s Modified again in 2021 at North Carolina’s Caraway Speedway and finished third despite a chance to win.

Without that success — and the amusement that came with it — Coulter and longtime crew chief Harold Holly might not have gotten back into pavement racing with a Modified.

Holly was Coulter’s crew chief when they competed in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2011-14. The pair also worked together when Coulter raced in the ARCA Menards Series from 2009-12. But a detour to dirt racing with Coulter’s Rum Runner Racing operation had kept them away from asphalt. Modifieds brought them back.

Cars in action during the New Smyrna Visitors Bureau 200 for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour on Night 2 of the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway on Feb. 12, 2022. (Adam Glanzman/NASCAR)

Coulter said he didn’t set expectations for his week at New Smyrna, where, as a Florida native he had raced in the World Series twice before — in a Pro Truck in 2006 and in a Super Late Model in 2013 — but not recently.

“Let’s go knock out a solid week; run as many laps as we can run,” Coulter said of his mindset. “That should always be priority No. 1.”

So ending the week with a four-night streak of top-10 finishes was a welcome outcome that creates momentum for Coulter Motorsports’ young Modified program.

Coulter plans to compete in five to seven more Whelen Modified Tour races in 2022. He said he has both the New Hampshire race (July 16) and the event at Thompson Speedway (Aug. 17) circled. He also will run some SMART races, but his schedule beyond those events is up in the air. This is a result of a move from Texas back to Florida and life with two young daughters.

The only certainty when it comes to Coulter’s racing world in the near future is he will continue to run Modifieds. He will take what he learned at New Smyrna — specifically, the Mod’s sudden tire drop-off after the car has been pushed to the limit for a couple dozen laps — and apply those lessons to his future entries.

He’ll look for more wins. And he’ll keep experiencing this simple-yet-intoxicating joy.

Posted on March 4, 2022 by Dustin Albino

It all started with a tweet from Camping World CEO Marcus Lemonis. Soon, there was a rallying cry to get longtime veteran and fan favorite Todd Bodine to 800 starts across NASCAR’s three national series.

One night at dinner during the spring of 2019, Bodine, 58, recalled a friend reminding him that he was closing in on 800 NASCAR starts. At that time, it had been nearly two years since he strapped behind the wheel of a race car, making his last start in the Xfinity Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2017.

Despite missing the competitive side of racing, Bodine was enjoying his analyst role at FOX Sports — but there was something missing.

“It’s all I’ve ever done since I was 16 years old, was go to the race track on the weekend in some capacity,” Bodine told NASCAR.com on Thursday. “It was really tough not going to the races.”

Bodine thought more and more about reaching 800 starts, something just 26 previous drivers in the history of NASCAR had accomplished. Hitting that mark would be an achievement in itself, completing his NASCAR journey after starting his career 36 years ago.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, Bodine didn’t actively pursue a ride to reach 800.

Until out of the blue, Lemonis tweeted to Bodine’s fans to give him 800 reasons why he should rekindle his sponsorship of the two-time Truck Series champion.

Bodine’s fans came through, responding to Lemonis’ call with “thousands” of reasons.

MORE: Todd Bodine set for six CWTS starts in 2022 | Truck Series news

“It makes us all realize how much he pays attention to the series and the guys that have helped build it,” Bodine said of Lemonis. “For him to step up and do this for us was pretty special.”

Fellow series driver Stewart Friesen was the first person to reach out to Bodine to ask if Lemonis’ tweet was accurate. Given Lemonis tweeted it out, Bodine thought so but wasn’t certain.

Friesen was interested because Chris Larsen, CEO of Halmar International and Friesen’s partner in Halmar Friesen Racing, wanted to run a partial schedule with a second truck during the 2022 season. The criteria for the second truck was to find someone with experience.

Bodine fit the mold perfectly.

“We texted back and forth and Chris was all in on it,” Bodine said, “so here we are.”

Bodine will make his first of six starts in the No. 62 Toyota on Friday evening at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He will compete next at Darlington Raceway on Mother’s Day weekend before getting in the truck at Texas Motor Speedway in late May. His final three races will come at Sonoma Raceway – he’s one of the few drivers in the field with experience at Sonoma, which the Truck Series returns to this year for the first time since 1998 – Nashville Superspeedway and Pocono Raceway.

MORE: Full Las Vegas schedule

The series competes 23 times throughout the 2022 season, and Bodine’s boss at FOX Sports gave him nine potential races that he could compete in. From there, the 2006 and 2010 champ narrowed it down to the six he most wanted where his friends, family and fans could celebrate.

“The first criteria for picking the races was: which ones can we have the most fun after the race,” Bodine states. “I want to go out and I want to win and do well, but we’re going to have fun. This is the last hurrah, this is the retirement tour. We’re going to have fun.”

Bodine said when he flew into Las Vegas on Thursday, he had 40 friends from around the country showing up with him for moral support, looking to have a good time.

Once Bodine straps in for practice and qualifying on Friday, it will be time to get serious. He hasn’t competed in a truck race since 2013; his last start at Las Vegas came in 2012. But he does enter the weekend riding a streak of four consecutive top-five efforts in Sin City, with an additional top 10 coming in 2008. He also won there in 2005.

His goal for the race: methodically make his way through the field and hope to be in contention come the end of the 200-mile event.

“The start of the first stage, just feel it out and get used to racing with these kids,” Bodine said. “The second stage, hopefully get up in the top 10 and put ourselves in a position for the end. We’re here to win, don’t get us wrong, we’re not riding around in the back. Realistically, a top five would be a win. I’m not crazy; I understand the position I’m put in.”

Though Pocono is four months away, Bodine can’t fathom the emotional roller coaster his next six starts will be. After his final NASCAR start, he’s hoping to run Trans-Am and vintage car races.

And while he never won a Cup Series race in 241 starts – which to this day he calls his biggest disappointment in NASCAR – Bodine is a 22-time winner in the Truck Series, with another 15 checkered flags coming in the Xfinity Series.

Whether or not there are more trophies added to the collection, he’s just going to live in the moment.

“I think there’s going to be a certain amount of happiness, celebration about it,” Bodine said of his retirement tour. “At the same time, it’s going to be sad that it’s definitely over.

“That’s going to be the end of professional racing.”

Posted on March 4, 2022 by Terrin Waack

A rare party of parity is heading to Sin City.

For the first time since 1973, the first two races of the Cup Series schedule saw as many as 19 different top-10 finishers — the only repeat was Aric Almirola.

That presents a rather level playing field as NASCAR travels to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for its third regular-season points-paying event (Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM).

LAS VEGAS: Weekend schedule | Paint schemes | Betting odds

There were 20 different drivers in 1973 who placed within the top 10 in Races 1 and 2. In 1972, there were 19. Same with 1965. Those years, now along with 2022, mark the most diverse early results in the sport’s history.

The hype gets better.

A rookie (Austin Cindric) won the season-opening Daytona 500. The reigning champion (Kyle Larson) won last weekend’s visit to Auto Club Speedway.

Seventeen different drivers, though, have led laps – the most at this point in a season since the tally of 18 in 2018.

It gets better.

Thirteen different teams have a top 10 this year already – from historic names like Team Penske and Hendrick Motorsports to recent newcomers in 23XI Racing and Trackhouse Racing. Stewart-Haas Racing actually has the most top 10s at four, followed by Team Penske with three. Hendrick Motorsports and 23XI Racing have two apiece. Nine other organizations then add one each to round out the 20 overall options.

LAS VEGAS: Practice procedures, qualifying order and more

NASCAR’s introduction of the Next Gen car has the entire garage starting from scratch, for the most part. Crews are only just beginning to learn the ins and outs of their new toy. And that’s giving those with less experience and resources an opportunity.

Las Vegas is the perfect venue to test this theory even further. The last five desert races were won by five different drivers. In the last 12, seven different.

Brad Keselowski leads his competition with three career wins, but those all came during his Team Penske run. Keselowski now turns the wheel for RFK Racing, which he co-owns.

BetMGM favors Larson to win Sunday’s Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube at 5-1 odds. Joey Logano and Chase Elliott are the next-best options at 15-2. Ryan Blaney is then 10-1. Keselowski doesn’t tap in until 25-1 despite his strong history.

Look for the parity to continue early on in the Next Gen era — and perhaps a team or two to take an extra gamble this weekend with the potential of a win even higher than normal.

LAS VEGAS: All-time winners | Memorable moments | Preview show

Posted on March 3, 2022 by Holly Cain

Veteran AJ Allmendinger not only leads the NASCAR Xfinity Series driver standings, but he also returns to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for Saturday’s Alsco Uniforms 300 (4:30 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) as the defending race winner after beating Daniel Hemric by .978 seconds last year.

Two races into the 2022 season, Allmendinger, 40, holds a slim 1-point lead over Vegas native Noah Gragson in the championship standings. And although Gragson, 23, has yet to win on his home track, last year’s championship finalist has finished in the top 10 in all six career starts on the 1.5-mile speedway. His best showing is a runner-up finish in 2020.

Gragson is the only driver with top-five finishes in both 2022 races with a third place at Daytona and a runner-up effort last week at California in the No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet. His 37 laps led on the season are second to Hemric’s 48 laps out front.

JR Motorsports teammate Josh Berry, who won the fall race last year at Las Vegas, figures to challenge Gragson and joins Allmendinger as the only two full-time series drivers with victories at Vegas.

“We’re coming back to Vegas with the same team that I won with last year at this place, so the confidence is high going into the weekend,” said Berry, who drives the No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet.

“We made big strides last weekend finding the balance and we were in contention at the end, so I know this Tire Pros Camaro has speed. Taking everything we learned from last weekend in Fontana and last year from Vegas, there’s no reason we can’t put this car back in Victory Lane.”

Another JR Motorsports teammate, Justin Allgaier, comes to Las Vegas ranked third in the driver standings, a mere three-points behind Allmendinger. He also is looking for his first victory at Vegas but has three runner-up finishes — the most recent coming last March.

Reigning series champion Hemric will also be trying to earn his first victory of the season. Now driving for Kaulig Racing, he is Allmendinger’s new teammate. Although he’s led the most laps of 2022 and earned two stage wins, Hemric is still looking for his first top 10 of the year. He’s ranked ninth in the standings.

Austin Hill, a perennial title contender in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, scored his first Xfinity Series win in the Daytona opener as he contends for the title for Richard Childress Racing. He’s ranked 11th heading into Vegas, where he won back-to-back Truck Series races in 2019-2020.

Posted on March 3, 2022March 3, 2022 by Dustin Albino

Zero for 625. That’s not a track record you want in NASCAR.

Bobby Dotter has been fighting for relevance in NASCAR since he debuted as a team owner in 1995. Heading into last weekend’s Xfinity Series race at Auto Club Speedway, his team hadn’t won in 625 combined starts in the Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series.

As a driver, Dotter saw some success, winning once in the Xfinity Series in 1992 at New River Valley Speedway, competing for Ed Reizen’s No. 08 team.

“I’ve never been ready to give up,” Dotter said earlier this week in a conversation with NASCAR.com. “I’ve never felt that way because this is my life.”

Between 1995 and 1998, Dotter owned a part-time Xfinity Series team, competing in as many as 24 races his first year. Between 2004 and 2013, he fielded multiple entries in the Camping World Truck Series with SS GreenLight Racing, with his team earning a pair of third-place finishes with David Starr and Ross Chastain.

In 2014, Dotter revived his Xfinity Series program, running a partial schedule before Ray Black Jr. made the move full-time from Trucks to Xfinity in 2016. The team saw some success, though Andy Lally earned a fifth-place finish in 2017 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Gray Gaulding also recorded a pair of runner-up results in 2019 and 2020 at the superspeedways of Daytona and Talladega.

It was during this time that Dotter struck up a friendship with Joe Custer, president of Stewart-Haas Racing. SHR would supply SS GreenLight Racing with developmental crew members to pit the team’s entries, while also allowing the team to charter to the race weekends on the SHR plane.

Still, Dotter, deep down, wanted to grow his Xfinity Series program. He wasn’t content with mediocrity, competing with limited funding for all of these years. So ahead of the series’ debut at Circuit of The Americas, SHR plucked Cole Custer to drive the No. 17 Ford to get experience ahead of the Cup Series race, in a car co-owned by Dotter and Rick Ware.

“When we decided we wanted to elevate our program this year, it seemed like through the friendship we had developed, we saw how SHR operated and what a top-shelf team they are,” Dotter said.

Joe Graf Jr. was announced to return to the team in a full-time capacity for the 2022 season. Jeff Lefcourt, a family friend of the Grafs, bought into Dotter’s team, forming a full-blown alliance with Stewart-Haas, which includes seven chassis. For the first time, SS GreenLight Racing would have “A” engines for the duration of a season from Roush Yates Engines, while Graf would get additional experience on the Ford simulator.

“The bottom line on this whole program is an effort to give a better opportunity for Joe Graf Jr.,” Dotter said.

Part of the deal with SHR includes Cole Custer running a few races in the team’s second entry. Chase Briscoe is confirmed for one race as well.

Sponsored by Production Alliance Group, which happened to be the sponsor of the race, Custer was confident in his ability to get the job done. After all, the last time he raced in the Xfinity Series at Fontana, he edged out 102-time series winner Kyle Busch for the checkered flag.

Dotter, though, had no idea how Custer would perform, despite the No. 07 Ford being an SHR chassis.

“They told us from the minute we put the deal together that we had a good chance to win that race,” Dotter said. “I’ve just never been in that position before to where I had that much confidence. But as it was all unfolding, certainly I jumped on board, seeing we were there.”

In qualifying, Custer put the No. 07 Ford on the front row, starting behind only AJ Allmendinger. On Lap 49, Custer grabbed the lead for the first time, winning the second stage and putting himself in contention for the victory. But Custer had to outlast three green-white-checkered finishes, 15 laps more than the race’s scheduled distance. On the final overtime restart, he held off Noah Gragson and Anthony Alfredo, who was on fresher tires, giving SS GreenLight Racing its first series victory.

Dotter could breathe a sigh of relief.

“I’m a half-full type of guy, where I’m thinking this can’t be happening for me, something is going to happen because I know it’s not going to go like this all the way,” Dotter added “But it did.

“I was ecstatic and happy. Knowing we had to run that car the next week (at Las Vegas), seeing him burn the tires off of it, it was like, ‘No, no, no, don’t blow a fender off the back.’ He used some common sense and had a little fun.”

Custer, a student of the sport, was happy to deliver Dotter and SS GreenLight Racing its coveted first victory.

“You won’t see anyone more hard-working and has been around this sport for a long time,” Custer said, “so it was really awesome to get those guys in Victory Lane and see all of their faces lit up. They were living it up and are really deserving because they work as hard as anybody.”

What makes the triumph even more exciting for Dotter is Custer is scheduled to run a couple of upcoming races — potentially the next being in March at COTA — and Briscoe will be in the seat at least once. Having drivers of that caliber might not make the Auto Club win a one off.

The rest of the year for SS GreenLight Racing will be aimed at progressing Graf’s performance, improving on his 22nd- and 28th-place finishes in the championship standings during his first two full-time seasons.

Dotter’s ultimate goal this year is to have Graf place inside the top 20 in points, and to climb the No. 08 entry up the standings after missing the first two races.

With Xfinity Series teams mandated to run the same car for the opening two races of the West Coast swing, Graf will have the equipment under him this weekend at Las Vegas, as he will pilot the exact No. 07 Ford that won at Fontana.

Posted on March 3, 2022March 1, 2023 by Zach Sturniolo

The NASCAR Cup Series heads to its first 1.5-mile track of the season this weekend with a trip to Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Las Vegas also marks the first track teams will see that also makes an appearance in the playoffs, meaning plenty of notes will be taken on how the Next Gen car behaves in the desert.

Check out everything you need to know before Sunday’s Pennzoil 400 (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

TRACK TIME IS KEY

NASCAR is adjusting its procedures for its revamped practice and qualifying this weekend at Las Vegas.

All teams will now be able to participate in Saturday’s 35-minute practice session (1:30 p.m. ET, FS2). After the session, teams will be broken into two groups (Group A and Group B) based on odd/even finishing order from last week’s race at Auto Club Speedway for single-car, single-lap qualifying (2:15 p.m. ET, FS1). The top five drivers from each group will then advance to the second round of qualifying to fight for the Busch Light Pole Award in another single-car, single-lap run.

LAS VEGAS HISTORY

— Construction of Las Vegas Motor Speedway was completed in June 1996 on a 1,600-acre site near Nellis Air Force Base that holds rich racing history, dating back to a drag strip built in 1958. The site currently houses the 1.5-mile speedway, an industrial park, a drag strip, a 1/2-mile dirt track, a 3/8-mile paved oval and two road courses.

— The track’s original layout featured 12-degree banking in the corners, 3 degrees of banking on the backstretch and 9 degrees on the frontstretch. But a reconfiguration in 2006 changed the racing significantly, the result of 20-degree banking in the corners and 9-degree banking on each of the straightaways.

— Sunday marks the 29th race at Las Vegas.

— Las Vegas is the first of nine races held on 1.5-mile track this year.

Source: Racing Insights

GOODYEAR TIRES

Las Vegas has historically been a low-wear track for tires since the track was resurfaced. However, due in part to the Next Gen car’s wider tires and less downforce, Goodyear will issue the same right-side tire compound used at Auto Club as well as nine sets to use throughout the race.

“We have actually seen tire wear increase a little over the last couple races at Las Vegas,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing. “It is certainly not in the category of a Darlington or a Fontana that we saw last week, but all track surfaces will naturally degrade over time and wear will increase. To go along with that, these cars will run a package that has higher horsepower (670) and lower downforce (4-inch spoiler) than in recent Vegas races, and that will add to the wear as cars are less ‘in the track’ and have more lateral slip.”

RELATED: Complete list of horsepower/downforce track combinations

STORY LINES IN SIN CITY

— Kyle Larson has won five of the last seven races, the first driver to accomplish the feat since Tony Stewart in 2005.

— Aric Almirola is the only driver with two top 10s in 2022.

— Nineteen drivers have collected top-10 finishes this season. That’s the most through two races since 1973 (20).

— Kyle Larson’s Auto Club victory gives Hendrick Motorsports wins in 38 different seasons.

— Erik Jones finished third in Fontana, California, his best finish since driving the No. 43 Chevrolet. His 143 laps run in the top five were more than he ran in the top five in all of 2021 combined.

— Tyler Reddick led 90 laps at Auto Club before a flat left-rear tire ruined his day. Before that race, Reddick had led a combined 73 laps.

— Christopher Bell, William Byron and Harrison Burton all have two DNFs through two races.

— Thirteen of the last 14 Vegas races have been won by a Cup champion. Denny Hamlin is the exception after his September 2021 victory.

— The Stage 2 winner has won seven of the last nine races at Las Vegas.

— Kyle Larson leads all active drivers with four top-10 finishes in each of his last four Vegas starts. Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch and Ryan Blaney each have three straight top 10s.

Source: Racing Insights

BETTING IT ALL IN VEGAS

Kyle Larson remains the odds-on favorite to hit the jackpot in Las Vegas this weekend with 9-2 odds, according to BetMGM. Not far behind is his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Chase Elliott (7-1), but Elliott has yet to win at the 1.5-mile track.

Elliott finished second in Vegas last September but had three straight finishes outside the top 10 before that performance.

The bet that should be catching eyes this weekend is Brad Keselowski at 25-1 odds. Keselowski leads all active drivers with three wins. Of course, those all came in Team Penske’s No. 2 car. The 2012 Cup champion now finds himself wheeling the No. 6 Ford for the RFK Racing team he co-owns. The Next Gen car may provide some challenges, but there’s no question Keselowski knows how to wheel around Las Vegas.

FANTASY LIVE

Want to manage a team and race your way to the top of the leaderboards? Check out NASCAR Fantasy Live, which is open now. The free-to-play game lets you choose your drivers each week and show off your crew-chief instincts by garaging a driver by the end of Stage 2, and there is a $25,000 prize for the winner.

The 2022 Fantasy Live points leaders are Austin Cindric (76 points), Joey Logano (75 points) and Martin Truex Jr. (68 points).

How to play: Fantasy Live | Set up a team today!

ALSO ON NASCAR.COM

Get additional camera views by logging on to NASCAR Drive, where each week a select number of in-car cameras will be available — as well as a battle cam and an overhead look.

NASCAR has partnered with LiveLike to add fan engagement in the NASCAR Mobile App. Log in to the mobile app during the race for polls, quizzes, the cheer meter and more — and see instant results from NASCAR fans like you.