Justin Bonsignore sealed his third career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship on Saturday, September 25 at Stafford Motor Speedway. Bonsignore accomplished the goal in fine fashion — taking down his first career win at the Connecticut half-mile after 40 times of coming up short.
Bonsignore led the field for 74 of the 152 laps in the NAPA Fall Final 150, including for the final two, where he pulled away from six-time tour champion Doug Coby to score his elusive first Stafford win. In the process, Bonsignore cemented a growing dynasty with his No. 51 Phoenix Communications, Kenneth Massa Motorsports team.
The championship was Bonsignore’s second consecutive, and third in the last four years. The Holtsville, New York, native became just the fourth driver in the 36-year history of the Whelen Modified Tour to win three or more championships — joining Mike Stefanik (seven), Doug Coby (six) and Tony Hirschman (five) on the list.
“I don’t even belong in that crowd, those guys are unbelievable,” Bonsignore said of the group. “It’s special. To come back after last year, with the shortened season, we had really good cars each and every week this year. We just couldn’t put the whole race together like we have in years past and get to Victory Lane. Tonight, to finally get a win here at Stafford to top off our third championship, it’s special.”
Bonsignore used a strong car during the first 128 laps — all under green — to motor to the front. He started on the outside pole after qualifying second, and dropped to the bottom of the top-five early — but it wasn’t long before he was charging back to the front.
He took the lead from Anthony Nocella on lap 78 and led through the caution that was thrown at lap 129. The only time someone bested Bonsignore was when Doug Coby edged him to the line at the restart for a green-white-checkered finish at lap 150 — but Bonsignore drove to the bottom of turn one and powered back to the lead, never looking back.
Stafford — a place where Bonsignore had run well at before — was the most prestigious track on the list that Bonsignore had not been to Victory Lane. Finally, he can check it off his bucket list.
“One-for-41,” Bonsignore screamed after climbing from the car, jumping on top of the No. 51 in celebration. “I’m so glad we could get the win here. Three-time champion, but I can’t get past winning at Stafford. To beat Doug Coby to do it — it’s special. It’s unbelievable.”
The four-year run for Bonsignore — even though he didn’t win the title in 2019 — is one of the more impressive in series history. Since the start of the 2018 season, Bonsignore has 19 wins, 42 top-fives, 39 top-10s and 14 poles in his last 54 races. In 15 years of Whelen Modified Tour competition — all for Ken Massa Motorsports — Bonsignore now has 31 career wins — tied with Jeff Fuller and Coby for fifth on the all-time wins list.
Crew chief Ryan Stone jumped into the team in 2018, and things have taken off from there.
“Ryan walked right into the middle of a group of guys that had been together for a while,” Bonsignore said. “He just jumped right in with all of us instantly. His personality fits right in with our guys. We just have a great time as a team, no matter what. Ryan hates losing more than I do. He’s ruthless. We’re really fortunate to have found him.”
The commitment that Massa and Bonsignore have shown to each other, after years of coming close, is finally paying off, in a big way.
“Ken Massa, whenever Ryan calls and says we need something, he just doesn’t flinch,” Bonsignore said. “The combination of leadership on our team from top to bottom is unbelievable. No one pulls in the opposite direction. Everyone has one goal in mind — to come out here and win races and win championships every year. I’m glad we could do it again for number three.”
Bonsignore bested Patrick Emerling by 22 points in the final tally on the heels of two wins, 11 top-fives and 12 top-10 finishes in 14 championship points races this season.
Rick Ware Racing driver Joey Gase was evaluated and released from a local medical facility after a hard crash in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the team said.
Representatives for both the Ware organization and Gase indicated that the 28-year-old driver was taken to a Vegas-area hospital as part of “precautionary measures.” Both representatives said that Gase would be further evaluated upon his return home to Charlotte.
The No. 15 Chevrolet driver crashed in Turns 1 and 2 on Lap 92 of Sunday’s South Point 400 after his left-rear tire fell off. Gase was checked in the infield care center on site before being transported. He was scored 37th in the 38-car field.
Please read below and thank you so much for the support. – Joey Gase Racing PR pic.twitter.com/7CQwmyKnPY
Both Busch brothers reached career milestones Sunday night when the checkered flag waved at their home track of Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Firing off 20th, Kurt Busch notched his 750th NASCAR Cup Series start as the race began. Further up in 10th, Kyle Busch hit start No. 600 when he crossed the start-finish line.
Kurt, the elder of the two, made his first start in NASCAR’s premier series on Sept. 24, 2000. He drove the No. 97 Ford for Jack Roush to an 18th-place finish at Dover International Speedway. Since then, Kurt has amassed 33 wins and won the 2004 NASCAR Cup Series championship. The 43-year-old Nevada native now drives the No. 1 Chevrolet for Chip Ganassi Racing, with plans to pilot the No. 45 Toyota for 23XI Racing in 2022.
Kyle, a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and the sport’s only active multi-time champion, had his debut on March 7, 2004 at Las Vegas. He crashed out of that race, leaving Rick Hendrick’s No. 84 Chevy with a 41st-place result. Kyle has won 59 events since then, along with his titles in 2015 and 2019. The 36-year-old is currently in charge of the No. 18 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing.
Sunday night’s race at Las Vegas is the 2021 NASCAR Playoffs’ Round of 12 opening event. Kurt was eliminated from the postseason field last week at Bristol Motor Speedway as the Round of 16 concluded. Kyle’s title chances are still alive, as he is ranked fifth in the championship standings, nine points above the elimination line.
The South Point 400 is live on NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
NASCAR Playoffs drivers William Byron and Martin Truex Jr. will start at the rear of the field after their cars failed pre-race inspection ahead of Sunday night’s NASCAR Cup Series Round of 12 race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (7 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
The No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet of Byron and the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota of Truex Jr. failed technical inspection twice. Byron was set to start third, while Truex was forced to forfeit his fourth-place starting position.
The No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford of Aric Almirola also failed pre-race inspection twice. Almirola failed to advance in the postseason round following last Saturday’s Round of 16 finale race at Bristol Motor Speedway. He was set to start 17th.
The Nos. 10, 19 and 24 cars all passed on their third attempt.
The No. 66 Motorsports Business Management Toyota of JJ Yeley failed pre-race inspection three times, which means Yeley will be at the rear of the field and serve a pass-through penalty at the start. His car chief, Ty Brazeal, has also been ejected.
LAS VEGAS — Josh Berry seized opportunity and drove away from the competition Saturday night at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Tabbed to substitute for injured JR Motorsports driver Michael Annett, the Tennessee late-model champion Berry earned his second win of the NASCAR Xfinity Series season, claiming an impressive 4.396-second victory in the playoff opener.
Berry, 30, led a 1-2-3 JR Motorsports team sweep in the Alsco Uniforms 302 – besting teammates Justin Allgaier and Noah Gragson, whose second- and third-place finishes were tops among the 12 playoff-eligible drivers.
It was the second consecutive night one team showed the way up front at the Vegas 1.5-miler. On Friday, the ThorSport Racing team swept the top four positions in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series playoff race.
Berry won at the Martinsville, Virginia, short track earlier this year in the No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet he will drive full-time next year. He matched that standard Saturday in the No. 1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet. And he drove four other races this season in the No. 31 Chevrolet for team owner Jordan Anderson.
“Oh my gosh, that thing was so fast, it just took me a while to figure out,” Berry said. “I just had to stay disciplined and keep working on it and the guys made the right adjustments. And it was fast, man. Finally got a long run and got it all together.”
As for racing his teammates, who are fighting for the championship?
“It was tough,” Berry said. “Me and Justin raced together a lot this year and most of them, he’s gotten the better of me. Today we were able to get one. This is cool.”
Eight of the 12 Xfinity Series playoff drivers finished among the top 10, including championship leader Austin Cindric of Team Penske in fourth and Joe Gibbs Racing drivers Daniel Hemric and Brandon Jones in fifth and sixth, respectively.
Steph Chambers | Getty Images
Regular-season champion AJ Allmendinger, who won Stage 1 for a season-best 10th stage win, was seventh. Ty Gibbs, who joined Berry as the only two non-playoff drivers among the top 10 finished eighth. Allmendinger’s Kaulig Racing teammate, Justin Hailey, was ninth and JGR’s Harrison Burton 10th. Playoff driver Myatt Snider finished 15th, the last title-eligible driver running at the end of the race.
The sweep up front was indicative of the evening as the JR Motorsports teammates paced the field all night. Allgaier led a race-best 90 laps and won Stage 2.
Berry took the lead from Allgaier with 42 laps remaining, relinquishing it only during late-race pit stops. Berry retook the position with 17 laps and drove away for the victory.
Gragson’s third-place finish was remarkable considering the Las Vegas native was penalized twice on pit road and still drove through the field multiple times.
“I need to be better and they brought an unbelievable race car to the track, and I’m happy for Josh and happy for everyone at JR Motorsports, just wish we could have been the guy,” Gragson said. “We have really fast race cars at JR Motorsports and everyone is super proud.”
A handful of playoff drivers were on the other end of fortune Saturday with Riley Herbst, Jeb Burton and Jeremy Clements all having their race cut short because of a 12-car accident on the restart after the competition caution period.
“I don’t really think we need to be four-wide getting into (Turn) 1 on Lap 26,’’ Burton said. “Nothing we could do there, frustrating. We needed a good run today, but we’ll go to Talladega next week and win a race.
“Won there earlier in the year and almost won Daytona a couple weeks ago, so I know I can go do it. Have the best team in the garage at speedway tracks, so we’ll go get it done next week and then go to the Roval.”
With his fourth-place finish at Vegas, Cindric takes a seven-point lead over Allmendinger in the playoff standings. Allgaier is 28 points back, followed by Gragson (-29) and Hemric (-32).
The Xfinity Series’ next race is scheduled next Saturday at Talladega Superspeedway. The Sparks 300 (4:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN and SiriusXM) is the second of three events in the postseason’s opening Round of 12. Jeb Burton won at Talladega this spring. Justin Haley is the defending playoff race winner.
Note: Post-race inspection in the Xfinity Series garage was completed without major issue. Berry’s No. 1 JRM Chevy was found with one unsecured lug nut in a post-race check, which should result in a fine for crew chief Mike Bumgarner on next week’s penalty report.
South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
(⏰ 7 p.m. ET | 📺 NBCSN, TSN | 📻 PRN, SiriusXM)
Everything you need to know for Sunday’s Round of 12 opening race and 30th points-paying NASCAR Cup Series event of the 2021 season.
Where: Las Vegas, Nevada Green flag: 7:19 p.m. ET Grand Marshal: Dana White, UFC president TV/Radio: NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Forecast: Sunny, with a high near 93 degrees. South southeast wind 5-9 mph, according to NOAA.gov Race Distance: 267 laps, 400.5 miles Stages: 80 | 160 | 267 Pit-road speed: 45 mph Caution car speed: 55 mph Las Vegas 101: Get the full lowdown
Starting lineup: See the full lineup Pit-stall assignments: See who is pitting where |Expert breaks down pit selectionsChris Graythen | Getty Images
Five to watch
Here are five big story lines we’ll be following at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
1. The Round of 12 opener sets the stage for the rest of the playoffs, especially with a trip to Talladega Superspeedway looming large in a week. With a poor finish at Las Vegas, any of the playoff drivers can be teetering on the elimination line — even the favorites. Whichever driver wins this race has the luxury of knowing he is one round away from battling for a championship in Phoenix. Based on history at the track, Team Penske drivers Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski and Ryan Blaney might have an edge. Since 2014, drivers with the organization have finished in the top 10 in 86% of the races (25 of 29) and have managed to win five of the last 11. The usual favorites, namely Kyle Larson, will likely have a say. But don’t sleep on the horses at Penske, as they look to inch their way back into the title hunt.
2. Is the Kevin Harvick vs. Chase Elliott saga over? Or is it just beginning? Only time will tell. After a late-race run-in led to a pit-road altercation, the two title contenders might be wary of each other on the track this weekend at Las Vegas. Neither driver can really afford to lose precious points at this stage in the playoffs, with Elliott in sixth and Harvick below the elimination line in 12th. But if tensions boil over again this weekend, we might see someone roll the dice. Get your popcorn ready.
3. Did Hendrick Motorsports regain all the playoff momentum? After Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin and MartinTruex Jr. burst out in the opening round with wins at two of the three tracks, the questions started to come at the HMS group. Alex Bowman and William Byron fought valiantly to escape elimination in the Bristol Night Race, each doing so in impressive fashion. Now, the focus turns back to a 1.5-miler, a superspeedway and a road course. Each track should prove favorable for the bowties at HMS, led by points leader Kyle Larson. All eight drivers between both organizations are competing in the Round of 12. With only eight spots in the next round up for grabs, will one team leave Las Vegas with a clear edge?
4. All but one Las Vegas race since 2014 have been won by a driver currently in the Round of 8. Kurt Busch — who was eliminated in this year’s Round of 16 — shocked the field with an unlikely win in front of his hometown crowd last season. Behind him? Matt DiBenedetto, who missed this year’s playoffs entirely, in the runner-up position. A non-playoff winner takes away a chance for a playoff driver to lock into the next round, meaning a tougher challenge for drivers near the elimination line to point their way in. Erik Jones was the highest finishing non-playoff driver in the March race. He finished 10th. Look out for the underdogs still competing for track trophies and momentum for next season.
5. After a rollercoaster opening round to the NASCAR Playoffs — a fourth-place finish at Richmond Raceway, sandwiched in between two finishes of 25th or worse — the question begs to be asked. Can Chase Elliott repeat as Cup Series champion this season? He enters the Round of 12 currently in sixth place, eight points above the elimination line. The concern is we are heading to one of his most unfavorable tracks. He has three straight finishes of 13th or worse and a trio of DNFs in nine career starts at Las Vegas. We haven’t seen back-to-back champions in the premier series since Jimmie Johnson reeled off five consecutive from 2006-10. The good news for Elliott fans is we have seen the No. 9 wheelman perform with his back against the wall multiple times. And there is a road course in this round. Full playoff schedule.
Race-day staples
Our biggest pieces of the week — get covered for race day from all angles.
• Power Rankings: Will Alex Bowman sneak through Round of 12? | Latest rankings
• Paint Scheme Preview: Sparkling schemes for Sin City | See them here • Playoff Pulse: Round of 12 set after Bristol | Full breakdown
• Debate: Steve Letarte says Kyle Larson’s ‘firepower’ will best Denny Hamlin | Hear his case
• Bubble Watch: Kevin Harvick fired up — with work to do still | See the bubble breakdown
• Fantasy Fastlane: A Ryan Blaney bonanza at Las Vegas? | Top plays, sleepers
• Analysis: Round of 12 track-by-track breakdown | See it here
Get in on the action
Think you know NASCAR? Put your mettle to the test with gaming, fantasy.
• What are the odds?: Betting odds for Las Vegas | See them here
• NASCAR betting: Impact of Brad Keselowski’s departure | Read more
• Sports betting 101: Finding value on the betting market | Watch and learn how • Talking playoffs: How Fantasy Live game works for the postseason | Read more
• On the grid: Make your Playoff Grid™ Challenge picks before Las Vegas | Pick now • No risk, big reward: Take a shot at winning cash prizes with the free-to-play Jackpot Races app | Hit the jackpot
• Play it LIVE: Full guide to 2021 NASCAR Fantasy Live game | Get the FAQ
Memories from Las Vegas
Before the Cup Series races at Las Vegas for the second time this season, take a look back at some important track history.
Hard-hitting, race-relevant statistics, brought to you by the experts at Racing Insights.
• Four drivers have finished in the top 10 in all three playoff races to this point: Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Larson and Kevin Harvick. • Kyle Larson‘s playoff points are more than second and third combined. • Every driver for Team Penske finished inside the top 10 at the Las Vegas race in March. • Matt DiBenedetto has finished runner up in two of the last three Las Vegas races. • The Stage 2 winner at Las Vegas has won six of the last eight races with stages.
Catch the pack
Read up on all the headlines from the week leading up to Sunday’s race.
• Inspection from Vegas: Byron, Truex to start from rear after failing pre-race inspection twice | Read more
• To the moon: NASCAR launches on social community platform Discord | Join now
• Fine for five: Five teams hit with violations after Bristol | Penalty report
• Happy, hardly: Kevin Harvick keeps his edge vs. long list of rivals | Read more
• Right at home: Crew chief Rodney Childers staying with SHR ‘for years to come’ | More details
• Luck or skill: Joey Logano on why he thinks luck comes into play in the Round of 12 |Hear why
• Two’s a tandem: William Byron benefitting from relationship with crew chief Randy Fugle | Read more
• Bodywork: New body styles unveiled for ’22 Camping World Truck Series season | Learn about the changes
• Unfinished business: Brad Keselowski still in the title picture at Team Penske | Read more
• Back at Charlotte: AJ Allmendinger will race the Cup Series contest at the Charlotte Roval | Read more • Roots: Peyton Sellers wins Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series national championship | See how
Say what?
Notable quotes from the stars of the sport heading into Sunday’s race.
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
“Las Vegas has been incredible for us. We had a great run going there last fall and got shuffled on a restart and didn’t get that top 10, but other than that, we’ve been a solid contender year in and year out. I think we finished second there in the spring and seem to be able to get it done there, so hoping for big things. Obviously, we need a strong performance for this round and the races in it. This is a tough round and I think we’ll have a great shot at doing just that.” — Brad Keselowski, driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Ford
“That is the track where you can control your own destiny the most, so that is the one you have to put the most emphasis on. If you do a good job as a driver and your car is fast and the team does their job, that is where you can get your best result. The other two tracks you are more likely to be caught up in someone else’s issues. I’m sure that race will be the most nervous the entire 12-car playoff field is going to be, hoping that they perform well, because there are just no givens after that.” — Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
“The Round of 12 begins with a great race track for me. Vegas is a place that I’ve always ran well at and am excited about going to. It will be nice to have a good run at Vegas leading into the unknown, Talladega.” — Christopher Bell, driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Justin Bonsignore cemented his place in NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour history Saturday night at Stafford Motor Speedway.
After starting his career 0-for-40 at the Connecticut half-mile, Bonsignore led the final half of the season-finale and held off an overtime charge by Doug Coby to claim his first career victory at Stafford and win his third career — and second consecutive — Modified Tour championship.
A late spin by Matt Swanson brought out the race’s second caution of the night with just five laps to go, setting Bonsignore to the inside of Coby and just ahead of title contender Patrick Emerling.
Coby got the initial jump but Bonsignore cleared the 12-time Stafford winner off Turn 4 coming to the white flag and held on to win the race and championship.
“One for 41!” Bonsignore exclaimed in Victory Lane. “Oh, I’m so glad we got that, man. Three-time champion, but I can’t get past winning at Stafford. And to beat Doug? He beat me at Riverhead (Raceway) to get his first this year, so it’s only fitting that we were able to outrun him.”
After leading at least one lap, Bonsignore only needed to finish 12th or better Saturday night to defend the title. Emerling was the only other driver eligible to win the championship entering Stafford at 16 points back, but his podium run wasn’t enough to win the title as Bonsignore controlled the final half of the contest.
“Congrats to Justin,” Emerling said. “They’ve been the fastest car all season and awesome work to them guys. We were chasing them, but hats off to my crew as well.
“We had a tight points battle there for a while and we had a lot of fun all season long. I’m just happy we were in contention up until the last race. We can finish the season and hold our heads high.”
A third-place run for Emerling seemed highly unlikely as his No. 07 car was mired mid-pack all race. The No. 07 qualified 14th and was running 17th at the time of the first caution with 21 laps to go. A quick pit stop by his crew shot him to seventh for the ensuing restart and Emerling capitalized by leaping to third ahead of the overtime yellow.
The night, however, belonged to Bonsignore despite a less-than-ideal start. While he qualified second and began on the outside of the front role, Bonsignore quickly dropped to fifth place while polesitter Anthony Nocella kept the lead and rocketed forward.
Nocella went on to lead the first 77 laps of the event, holding off notable strong charges by Coby and Jon McKennedy. But as Coby and McKennedy hounded Nocella, Bonsignore conserved his equipment and patiently worked his way back to the leaders, eventually carving his way to the lead at Lap 78.
The race was entirely clean and green up until Lap 129 when the yellow was displayed for possible fluid, suspected from the broken motor of Bobby Santos III. Woody Pitkat had worked his way up to second place and was gaining on Bonsignore, but a slow pit stop under caution plummeted him to 15th place for the ensuing restart.
With five laps to go, Swanson spun sideways and backward in the middle of Turn 2, involving Pitkat and Tyler Rypkema to set up the final caution of the race.
Behind Bonsignore, Coby and Emerling, Kyle Bonsignore and Craig Lutz rounded out the top five. Nocella, Rypkema, Ron Silk, Eric Goodale and Ronnie Williams completed the top 10.
Kaulig Racing announced Saturday they have reached an agreement with Daniel Hemric to take over the No. 11 entry in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for the 2022 season.
Hemric currently runs full-time for Joe Gibbs Racing in Xfinity, fielding the No. 18 Toyota after running a part-time schedule for JR Motorsports in 2020. In 113 starts in the series, he has 39 top-five finishes, 66 top 10s and will make his third career playoff appearance in Saturday’s Alsco Uniforms 302 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
The move adds another veteran driver to a Kaulig Racing stable that already includes 2021 Xfinity Series regular-season champion AJ Allmendinger. Twenty-two-year-old Justin Haley, driver of the No. 11 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet, will move to the premier series and field Kaulig’s first full-time Cup Series entry next season.
Hemric is still in search of his first career win in a NASCAR national series race, pulling in a pair of runner-up results and leading 510 laps this season. His two other full-time seasons in the Xfinity Series each resulted in a Championship 4 appearance with Richard Childress Racing — finishing fourth in 2017 and third in 2018. He enters the 2021 playoffs Round of 12 sixth in the standings.
Last weekend, the Round of 16 – Darlington Raceway, Richmond Raceway and Bristol Motor Speedway – concluded, and the four contenders eliminated were Aric Almirola, Tyler Reddick, Kurt Busch and Michael McDowell.
Up next is the Round of 12, which includes Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway and the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval. After another four are cut, the Round of 8 will commence at Texas Motor Speedway, Kansas Speedway and Martinsville Speedway. The Championship 4 will finally be determined and compete at Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 7. in a straight-up race for the ultimate Bill France Cup trophy.
Here are the 12 drivers (and how they advanced) still vying for the title, in order of their seeding: Kyle Larson (Bristol win), Martin Truex Jr. (Richmond win), Denny Hamlin (Darlington win), Ryan Blaney (points), Kyle Busch (points), Chase Elliott (points), Alex Bowman (points), William Byron (points), Joey Logano (points), Brad Keselowski (points), Christopher Bell (points) and Kevin Harvick (points).
Kyle Larson won the regular-season event at Las Vegas, leading a race-high 103 of the 267 laps. In addition to Larson, there were eight other NASCAR Playoffs contenders in the top 10 (in order from second to ninth) – Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, Martin Truex Jr., Christopher Bell, William Byron and Joey Logano. Really, the only top-10 finishing driver who’s not in the title battle was Erik Jones in 10th.
Kevin Harvick takes the cake when it comes to Las Vegas experience and also has an edge in top-10 finishes. Keselowski, meanwhile, has the most victories in the desert. Keselowski and Busch are tied for most top fives. But then it’s Logano who has the best average finish.
Brad Keselowski took the checkered flag in overtime earlier this year, leading the final lap and the final lap alone at Talladega. The race went from its scheduled 188 laps to 191 total. Keselowski and three other postseason drivers survived to finish in the top 10 – William Byron (second), Kevin Harvick (fourth) and Ryan Blaney (ninth).
Harvick, once again, tallies the most career starts and top 10s among his playoff competition. Keselowski easily has the most wins – double more than anyone else – and then checks in with the best average finish. Denny Hamlin then enters with the most top-five finishes.
Name: Bank of America ROVAL 400 Location: Concord, North Carolina Length: 2.32 miles Distance: 109 laps, 252.88 miles Previous winner: Chase Elliott (Oct. 11, 2020)
Chase Elliott proved his road-course talent yet again with a win in the 2020 Charlotte Roval event, leading a race-best 27 of the 109 circuits. Martin Truex Jr., who finished seventh, also led 27 laps. Along with Elliott and Truex, there were four other 2021 playoff drivers in the top 10 – Joey Logano (second), Ryan Blaney (fifth), William Byron (sixth) and Alex Bowman (eighth).
The oval-road course layout was introduced in 2018, and 10 of the current 12 title hopefuls have competed in every race since – Elliott, Truex, Logano, Blaney, Byron, Bowman, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski and Kevin Harvick. Elliott boasts the best marks in every statistical category considered, the sole owner of most wins and best average finish. Blaney and Bowman match him in top fives and 10s. Logano then also ties in top 10s.
