Posted on September 25, 2021September 25, 2021 by Terrin Waack

Statistics are fact. Odds, well, they’re a little more subjective.

Of the six drivers BetMGM favors ahead of Ryan Blaney to win the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series championship, four have fewer wins this season than the No. 12 Team Penske Ford driver. Three of those four are former champions. Blaney does not have a title to his name, though he is in the running this year.

“I’ve always kind of been a sleeper,” Blaney told NASCAR.com. “No one ever really talks about our group, which is fine. I don’t really care about it. I honestly prefer it to be that way.”

Not this time.

RELATED: Ryan Blaney career statistics

Sitting fourth in the NASCAR Playoffs standings, Blaney deserves to be talked about. He’s 11 points above the cutline as the Round of 12 begins Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (7 p.m. ET on NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), tied with Denny Hamlin, who’s seeded third. The two above them are Martin Truex Jr. (second, plus-16) and Kyle Larson (first, plus-46), and they are the only drivers with more victories this season than Blaney.

“We have to find a tiny bit of speed, I think, to compete with a couple of the teams out there,” Blaney said. “But I think as a whole, we’re really close. “This 12 group can do it, and I just keep stressing that if we do our jobs like I know we can, like I know all the guys on this team can, we can make it to Phoenix and give ourselves a shot at the championship. I’ve got all the confidence in the world in them.”

The three win stickers on the No. 12 Ford are a constant reminder of their capability.

Blaney, who had four single-win seasons from 2017-20, accomplished his first multi-win season this year, and he has been vocal about how much of a relief it has been ever since. Blaney first won at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March, pulled off the breakthrough win at Michigan International Speedway in August and then doubled down at Daytona International Speedway a week later.

At 27 years old, Blaney is by no means one of the oldest competitors in the garage. He is, however, becoming one of the more experienced. Blaney has been full-time racing at the sport’s highest level since 2016. Along the way, he learned the importance of adaptability.

“Before the Cup Series, like running late models when younger or even in Xfinity or Trucks, you can kind of rely on your heavy right-foot mentality and your driving to get you through,” Blaney said. “But then you get to the Cup Series and everyone’s so good, everybody’s ability is so good, that you have to figure out different ways to beat them, right? Sometimes you can’t outdrive them. Sometimes they’re just better that day. And you have to be able to outthink them.”

En route to each of his victories this season, Blaney did not lead the most laps. Not even close. And the cars that did, they were still running when the checkered flags waved.

Numbers alone can’t tell the full story.

BetMGM has Blaney at 14-1 odds to win the 2021 championship. Kyle Larson is the favorite at 2-1. Six races remain until the title showdown at Phoenix Race on Nov. 7.

“Hey, maybe everyone will forget about us and all of a sudden we’ll make the Championship 4,” Blaney said. “They’ll be like, ‘Well, where the hell did these guys come from?’”

Posted on September 24, 2021September 25, 2021 by Holly Cain

For the second consecutive week, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series crowned a first-time winner. Christian Eckes, a 20-year old New York native, took the lead on a final restart with four laps remaining to claim his first trophy and lead a historic 1-2-3-4 finish for the ThorSport Racing team.

Eckes teammate Ben Rhodes finished .272-seconds back, followed by playoff driver Matt Crafton and veteran Johnny Sauter who completed the ThorSport four-of-a-kind at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Todd Gilliland finished fifth after leading a race-best 66 laps.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos

Although understandably excited on the radio when he realized he’d won the race, Eckes was more subdued and reflective when he climbed out of his No. 98 ThorSport Toyota and greeted the crowd.

“Man, this is big,” said Eckes, formerly a Kyle Busch Motorsports driver, who was making only his ninth start in a part-time campaign with ThorSport this season.

“It’s been a tough year. That’s all I got to say, it’s been a tough year since last November. Hopefully I proved I can still do this.

“I’m speechless. It’s been a rough year, been a rough year.”

With the runner-up effort, Rhodes was the top finishing Playoff driver in a race that saw five of the eight playoff contenders finish 20th or worse. Rhodes’ work, coupled with an uncharacteristically tough outing for regular-season champion John Hunter Nemechek changed the points standings for the first time since Week 3 of the season.

Rhodes, who won the opening two races of the season, now holds a six-point edge over Nemechek, who finished 33rd with mechanical problems as the series goes into the second race of this three-race Playoff round. Prior to his No. 4 KBM Toyota suffering issues, Nemechek earned his series-best 11th stage win, taking the opening Stage Friday night.

Playoff driver Stewart Friesen finished sixth, followed by Grant Enfinger, Austin Wayne Self, Ryan Truex and Austin Hill.

Not only was it a rough night for the championship contenders – it was a bitter pill to swallow for Gilliland, who paced the race most of the night and had been leading prior to that last restart.

“I think that was the most fun I’ve ever had racing a truck, but it stinks walking away from a race track for the second straight week, ultra-disappointed,” said Gilliland, who won Stage 2 and led a race-best 66 laps. Last week, he was eliminated from Playoff contention by a mere two points.

The majority of current Playoff drivers could relate.

Last week’s first-time race winner Carson Hocevar, who ran among the top-10 most of the night, had a late-race green flag pit stop and ended up 22nd. Zane Smith was 29th and Chandler Smith and reigning series champion Sheldon Creed were 35th and 36th after being involved in a big accident on Lap 70.

“Restarts were insane all night,” Creed said, adding, “I didn’t have a great truck but thought we were a top-eight truck at least. Unfortunate, but it’s going to make Talladega fun and interesting.”

The series races next Saturday in the Chevrolet Silverado 250 at Talladega Superspeedway (1 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Raphael Lessard won the race in 2020.

Note: The race-winning No. 98 ThorSport Toyota of Eckes passed NASCAR’s post-race inspection. There were no other issues.

Posted on September 24, 2021 by Press Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — It was 16 years in the making for the driver out of Danville, Virginia, as this week Peyton Sellers was named the Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series national champion for the second time in his career.

Sellers won his first Weekly Series championship in 2005 at age 21, then the youngest champion in the history of the series.

“Congratulations to Peyton on his second NASCAR national championship,” said NASCAR President Steve Phelps. “It is just amazing to see what he’s done this year, also adding in two track championships, the Virginia state championship, and the Southeast Region championship. The Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series is really the bedrock of NASCAR, and having a champion like Peyton continue to dedicate himself to competing at such a high level week-to-week is what makes this racing special.”

Peyton Sellers pictured during the NASCAR Advanced Auto Parts Weekly Series at Dominion Raceway on Sept. 18, 2021 in Woodford, Virginia. (Parker Michels-Boyce/NASCAR)

In addition to winning the Weekly Series national championship, Sellers also won the Southeast Region and Virginia state titles, as well as the track championships at South Boston Speedway and Dominion Raceway. It marked his sixth South Boston track championship and the second for him at Dominion, where he raced last season while South Boston was shuttered due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sellers credits the newfound dual-track loyalty to putting him in the hunt for the national championship by July this season. He was able to bank wins early in the season and could race more frequently close to home as the schedules didn’t conflict at South Boston and Dominion.

“When we sat down at the beginning of last year, we were wanting to race like everybody, and when COVID set in, we didn’t have a place to race because South Boston pulled the plug pretty early in the year,” said Sellers. “Dominion Raceway was a track we had raced at and they said we’re still going to try to do it. We were able to win the track title there.

“And then this year when South Boston opened up, obviously it’s our home track and we wanted to go back there. We still had allegiance to Dominion because they gave us a place to race last year. We were winning some races and doing pretty well at both places, one thing led to another and we were competing for two track titles.”

Sellers tallied 21 wins (12 at Dominion Raceway and nine at South Boston Speedway) in 37 starts this season, finishing in the top 10 in all but two of those races. He also accumulated 29 top-five results, including five runner-up finishes.

“Peyton has been a mainstay competing on NASCAR’s home tracks for years and is renowned for being an incredible driver and great representative of short track racing,” said Jason McDonell, Advance’s executive vice president of merchandising, marketing and E-commerce. “We congratulate Peyton and his team on becoming NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series champions in what was a season for the record books.”

Peyton Sellers, driver of the No. 26 Clarence’s Steakhouse and Danville Toyota car, in action during the NASCAR Advanced Auto Parts Weekly Series at Dominion Raceway on Sept. 18, 2021 in Woodford, Virginia. (Parker Michels-Boyce/NASCAR)

Jacob Goede, the 2019 Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series national champion based in Minnesota at Elko Speedway, finished second in the national standings. Goede also won the Midwest Region championship and is the current Elko Speedway points leader heading into the final race weekend of the season.

A trio of drivers battled it out in the Northeast Region with Craig Von Dohren taking the regional championship and track title at Grandview Speedway as he finished third in the national standings. Todd Patnode was fourth while the third Northeast driver, Brett Kressley, was fifth in the final standings.

The national Jostens Rookie of the Year is Gunner Martin out of the Midwest Region, who races out of Central Missouri Speedway. He recorded nine wins in 20 starts, also putting together 18 top-five and 19 top-10 finishes.

Martin narrowly edged out Landon Pembleton, the 16-year-old teammate of Sellers, in the Southeast Region for the national honor.

The complete list of regional Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series champions and Jostens Rookie of the Year awards is below:

Southeast Region

Champion: Peyton Sellers (Dominion Raceway, South Boston Speedway, Langley Speedway)
Rookie of the Year: Landon Pembleton (Dominion Raceway)

Northeast Region

Champion: Craig Von Dohren (Grandview Speedway)
Rookie of the Year: Alexander Wyatt (Beech Ridge Motor Speedway)

Midwest Region

Champion: Jacob Goede (Elko Speedway, LaCrosse Speedway, Madison Speedway)
Rookie of the Year: Gunner Martin (Central Missouri Speedway)

West Region

Champion: Eric Rhead (Magic Valley Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway Bullring)
Rookie of the Year: Patrick Gold (Magic Valley Speedway)

Eric Rhead, based in Utah, travels four hours to Magic Valley Speedway or seven hours to Las Vegas to race each weekend. He ultimately finished seventh in the national standings while capturing the West Region crown.

“Advance is also thrilled to recognize Craig Von Dohren, Jacob Goede and Eric Rhead as our regional Weekly Series champions,” said McDonell. “Becoming a champion requires sustained excellence, commitment and passion for the sport, and we congratulate these drivers and team members for their title-winning seasons.”

Sellers said this nationwide competition for Weekly Series honors – while still being able to work his job during the week helping run the family construction business, Sellers Brothers, Inc. – is what keeps him coming back to race in the series each year.

“It allows you to run on a national platform on a local level by having the opportunity to run and compete for a national title,” Sellers said. “NASCAR and the Weekly Series give me the opportunity to compete against Jacob Goede from Minnesota, this guy from Irwindale and this guy from Lakeside. That’s what’s really special about what NASCAR’s got.”

Posted on September 24, 2021 by Marcus DiNitto

Kyle Busch’s finishing positions in the three races that comprised the first round of the Cup Series Playoffs were less than impressive and not what we are used to seeing from the two-time champion. Oddsmakers, though, are looking beyond those results when pricing the No. 18 for Sunday’s South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (7 p.m. ET on NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Las Vegas represents the Series’ return to the 550-horsepower engine, a package with which Busch has thrived. In the nine races on ovals using the high-downforce package this year, he has two wins (Kansas, Pocono-2), two second-place finishes (Pocono, Atlanta-2) two thirds (Vegas, Charlotte), a fifth (Atlanta), a seventh (Michigan) and a tenth (Homestead-Miami).

“He runs well at these kinds of tracks,” Ed Salmons, who posts NASCAR odds at SuperBook USA in Vegas, told NASCAR.com. “He won the first race at Kansas – Kansas and Vegas are real similar. … He’s been running great at these mile-and-a-half tracks, better than his (Joe Gibbs Racing) teammates.”

More recently, though, Busch crashed out of Darlington, finished ninth at Richmond despite having perhaps the best car and was a distant 21st at Bristol after cutting a tire in the final stage.

Salmons explained away some of that inconsistency.

“He had the race won at Richmond. I mean, that thing was over, and he sped on the very last stop (and was penalized for it), which was asinine,” Salmons said. “And you can throw out last week. He was just trying to get in (to the Round of 12). Those guys just race so differently (in certain playoff situations).”

Listed between +600 and +650 on various oddsboards, Busch is priced behind only Kyle Larson to win at his hometown track this weekend. Here’s a look at Sunday’s top 12 betting favorites (as of Friday morning at 10:30 a.m. ET), who, not coincidentally, are the same 12 drivers still in the hunt for the 2021 Cup Championship. Odds are from the SuperBook, plus NASCAR’s three sports betting sponsors – BetMGM, Barstool and WynnBET.

Driver	SuperBook	BetMGM	Barstool	WynnBet
Kyle Larson	+300	+275	+300	+300
Kyle Busch	+600	+650	+650	+600
Denny Hamlin	+700	+700	+750	+700
Martin Truex Jr.	+700	+750	+900	+800
Chase Elliott	+800	+800	+800	+750
William Byron	+1000	+1200	+1200	+1200
Kevin Harvick	+1200	+1000	+1000	+1100
Ryan Blaney	+1400	+1200	+1500	+1400
Brad Keselowski	+1400	+1400	+1400	+1400
Alex Bowman	+1800	+1800	+2000	+1800
Joey Logano	+1800	+1200	+1200	+1400
Christopher Bell	+2500	+2500	+2500	+2500

WHIPPING AROUND THE FIELD

Running down some other contenders …

Kyle Larson: Doesn’t seem to matter to the No. 5 which track they’re running on. Short-track, intermediate track, road course – Larson has won on all of them this season, including Vegas in March. Larson was offered at 10-1 odds to win that race; he’s 3-1 or shorter this week.

Team Penske: The three Penske drivers all rate near the top of the field in recent Vegas history, and their long odds present nice potential paydays for bettors who believe they can regain form this weekend. Brad Keselowski – whose lame-duck status with the team we discussed earlier this week – has a Cup-leading 4.86 average finish over the seven most recent races at this track, including a second-place finish in the Spring.

Ryan Blaney owns a 8.57 average finish and 101.3 rating (both sixth best) over that span, and Joey Logano’s 113.3 average rating ranks second to Kevin Harvick (114.2).

Said Salmons, “Logano is the king of winning with bad cars, but he’s been awful on these 550- horsepower tracks (16.89 average finish this year), even though his history is so good here.”

Kevin Harvick: Happy has maintained his top spot in average driver rating at Vegas despite some forgettable recent performances at a track he used to own. He finished 20th here in March, and reading from his notes on Harvick’s 10th-place finish last Fall, Salmons said, “‘car was decent but not close to the best. He doesn’t win races without dominating cars,’ which is true.”

Harvick, who had the speed to win at Bristol last week and finished second, still seeks his first victory of the season.

FROM THE SOUTH POINT

As title sponsor of Sunday’s race, the South Point Hotel & Casino is hosting nearly 50 race teams this weekend. We spoke last month with former NASCAR driver Brendan Gaughan, whose father Michael owns the property, about the atmosphere during race week, and earlier this week, we caught up with Chris Andrews, who runs the South Point sportsbook.

Andrews said the book offers an expanded wagering menu when the NASCAR circuit stops in town, and handle for Vegas races rivals that for the Daytona 500.

Gaughan told us that while race week can be hectic at the South Point, it’s “so worth it. We love seeing the race fans at the hotel, love seeing the race teams. We have 47 teams total between Truck, Xfinity and Cup that stay with us. We take care of the race teams. Man, we love it.”

Added Andrews, “They’re great to have around, a lot of good ole’ boys. They’re a lot of fun, they come here and have a good time.”

If you happen to be in Vegas this weekend, be sure to stop by and maybe make a wager or three at the South Point sportsbook – it’s one of the best in town.

Marcus DiNitto is a writer and editor living in Charlotte, North Carolina. He has been covering sports for nearly two-and-a-half decades and sports betting for more than 10 years. His first NASCAR betting experience was in 1995 at North Wilkesboro Speedway, where he went 0-for-3 on his matchup picks. Read his articles and follow him on Twitter; do not bet his picks.

Posted on September 24, 2021 by Zach Sturniolo

The Round of 12 of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs is upon us. Now, it’s a matter of finding out who’s willing to gamble for the win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The South Point 400 is set for Sunday at 7 p.m. (NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) with 12 drivers left to fight for a championship. A week ago at Bristol Motor Speedway marked the end of the postseason road for Tyler Reddick, Kurt Busch, Aric Almirola and Michael McDowell.

The other contenders are ready to roll down the Las Vegas Strip and test their luck in the Nevada desert.

COMING UP FIRST…

Fresh off his Bristol victory, Kyle Larson is set to lead the field to the green flag at Las Vegas alongside Ryan Blaney. William Byron and Martin Truex Jr. make up Row 2 while Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin roll off fifth and sixth respectively. Check out the entire starting lineup here.

RULES PACKAGE

Sunday’s race marks the first race of the Playoffs that features the 550-horsepower, higher-downforce package. NASCAR utilizes the lower-horsepower package and its higher downforce at tracks larger than 1.4 miles to encourage closer racing via taller spoilers and longer front splitters.

GOODYEAR TIRES

Teams will be quite familiar with this tire compound at Las Vegas as Goodyear returns with the same combination run in the spring as well as in 2020.

This tire package, specified for low-wear tracks, has been used at Las Vegas, Texas Motor Speedway and Michigan International Speedway, while the right-side compound is also utilized at Kansas Speedway.

“Since Las Vegas is a low wear track, we formulate our tread compounds to specifically introduce some wear on this type of surface,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing. “Last fall, we were able to add a little more grip to the right-side tire at Las Vegas and a couple other similar tracks. After some positive results in 2020, we have brought that back to the track in 2021, and that has continued with earlier races at Las Vegas, Texas, Kansas and Michigan with this right-side.”

LAS VEGAS HISTORY

— Las Vegas Motor Speedway came to be after Ralph Englestad (CEO, Imperial Palace) and Bill Bennett (CEO, Circus Circus and Sahara) recognized an opportunity for a state-of-the-art speedway in 1995.

— The speedway was completed in June 1996 on a 1,600-acre plot near Nellis Air Force Base that once housed a drag strip dating back to 1958 as well as a road course and ⅜-mile paved oval. The complex now holds the 1.5-mile speedway, an industrial park, drag strip, ½-mile dirt track, ⅜-mile asphalt oval and two road courses.

— Tony Stewart and Richie Hearn were the first to test the track on June 22-25 in Indy Racing League vehicles. Hearn won the inaugural race — the IRL Las Vegas 500K — on Sept. 16, 1996 and set a then-record for mile-and-a-half tracks with a fast time of 222.359 mph.

— Bruton Smith and Speedway Motorsports agreed to purchase the track in December 1998 for $215 million — $150 million for the track and $65 million for the real estate and warehouses.

— Smith led a massive renovation of the track in 2006 in which the banking in the turns changed from 12 degrees to 20 degrees and the backstretch to 9 degrees, while also moving pit road 150 feet closer to the grandstands and building a ¼-mile oval within the frontstretch grass.

— Part of that renovation brought upon the two-story, four-building Neon Garage as well as a state-of-the-art media center that can hold 500 media members.

— Las Vegas hosted its first Playoff race in 2018 and served as the Playoff opener, its first year as a host of two Cup Series races as well.

Source: Racing Insights

SIN CITY STORYLINES

— The 12 drivers left to fight for the 2021 Cup championship are Kyle Larson, Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman, William Byron, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Christopher Bell and Kevin Harvick.

— Hamlin, Truex, Larson and Harvick are the only drivers to finish in the top 10 in each of the first three races of the postseason this year.

— Larson’s 59 playoff points are more than Truex and Hamlin’s combined (53).

— Larson’s 3.0 average finish in the Round of 16 ties the best Round 1 start since the introduction of the elimination format.

— Team Penske has found plenty of luck at Las Vegas lately, winning five of the last 11 races there while finishing in the top 10 in 86% of their starts since 2014 (25 of 29). All three Penske drivers were top-10 finishers in March.

— Kyle Busch makes his 600th career Cup start Sunday at the site of his first start, which took place on March 7, 2004. He’s the second youngest to hit 600, behind only Richard Petty, who is the only driver to win his 600th start (Richmond, 1973).

— Kevin Harvick’s 36-race winless streak is the sixth-longest of his career and longest since joining Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014.

— 12 of the last 13 Las Vegas winners are Cup champions, the lone exception being Kyle Larson, who won in March.

— Winners of Stage 2 have gone on to win in six of the last eight Vegas races, the highest rate at any track. The exception is Chase Elliott, who finished 26th in Feb. 2020 and 22nd in Sept. 2020.

— Joey Logano has led in 11 consecutive events at Las Vegas, a track record. The next longest streak is four in a row, a tie held by Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott.

LUCKY IN THE LIMELIGHT?

Kyle Larson capitalized as the 9-2 favorite at Bristol and came away with the win. He’ll look to do the same while trying to sweep the season at Las Vegas as an 11-4 (+275) favorite, according to BetMGM.

Hometown Cup champion Kyle Busch has won only once at Las Vegas, that coming all the way back in 2009. But with five top 10s in his last seven Vegas starts, BetMGM lists Busch at 13-2 odds with his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin next at 7-1. Hamlin, though, has yet to win in Sin City.

Two-time Vegas winner Martin Truex Jr. is listed at 15-2 odds while defending Cup champ Chase Elliott carries an 8-1 shot into Vegas.

Joey Logano may seem like a tempting bid at 12-1 odds considering he’s won two of the last five Vegas races, but he has finished 15th or worse in each of the last four mile-and-a-half contests. Logano’s best finish on a 1.5-mile track this year is ninth.

Well under the radar is Matt DiBenedetto, who has snuck his way into two runner-up finishes in the last three races at Las Vegas. At 66-1 odds, perhaps this Penske-affiliated Wood Brothers Racing driver is worth the gamble.

FANTASY LIVE

Want to manage a team and race your way to the top of the leaderboards? Check out the playoff version of NASCAR Fantasy Live, which is open now and offers a fresh start for those of you who played the regular-season contest. The free-to-play game lets you choose your drivers each week and show off your crew-chief instincts, and there is a $10,000 prize for the winner.

The 2021 Fantasy Live points leaders are Kyle Larson (1,171), Denny Hamlin (1,164) and Chase Elliott (958).

This year, NASCAR.com also has the Playoffs Grid Challenge game, presented by Ruoff Mortgage, where you can pick the winners for each round of the playoffs right up through the Championship 4. First prize is $10,000.

How to play: Playoffs Grid Challenge | Playoff Fantasy Live

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.

New for this season, 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.

And finally, head over to the NASCAR Mobile App for AR Racing presented by Mobil 1, where you can design your own car and race the playoff drivers at the playoff tracks in augmented reality.

Posted on September 24, 2021 by Terrin Waack

The 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs begin Saturday — a seven-race battle among 12 title-eligible drivers for the championship. First up is the Round of 12, featuring Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval. Four contenders will then be eliminated before the Round of 8, which will include Texas Motor Speedway, Kansas Speedway and Martinsville Speedway. Afterward, the Championship 4 will be set and take on Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 6 in a straight-up race for the ultimate trophy.

Here are the 12 drivers (and how they qualified) vying for the title, in order of their seeding: Austin Cindric (five wins), AJ Allmendinger (four wins; regular-season championship), Justin Allgaier (two wins), Noah Gragson (two wins), Justin Haley (a win), Daniel Hemric (points), Jeb Burton (a win), Harrison Burton (points), Myatt Snider (a win), Brandon Jones (points), Riley Herbst (points) and Jeremy Clements (points).

Now, a Round of 12 track-by-track breakdown:

LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

(📅 Saturday | ⏰ 7:30 p.m. ET | 📺 NBCSN | 📻 PRN, SiriusXM)

Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Length: 1.5 miles
Distance: 201 laps, 302 miles
Previous winner: AJ Allmendinger (March 6, 2021)

AJ Allmendinger won the regular-season race at Las Vegas earlier this year, leading 44 of the 200 laps. In addition to Allmendinger, there were seven other playoff drivers in the top 10 at the checkered flag – Daniel Hemric (second), Brandon Jones (third), Austin Cindric (fourth), Noah Gragson (fifth), Justin Haley (eighth), Harrison Burton (ninth) and Jeb Burton (10th).

Justin Allgaier has the most Las Vegas experience, which led to the most top-five and top-10 finishes, too. He has never won there, though. Only Allmendinger has won at Las Vegas before. It was in his only start, giving him a perfect average finish. Otherwise, Gragson has the best average finish.

TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY

(📅 Oct. 2 | ⏰ 4:30 p.m. ET | 📺 NBCSN | 📻 MRN, SiriusXM)

Location: Talladega, Alabama
Length: 2.66 miles
Distance: 113 laps, 300.58 miles
Previous winner: Jeb Burton (April 24, 2021)

Jeb Burton held on to win at Talladega earlier this season in a rain-shortened event. He led 20 of the 90 laps (was supposed to be a 113-lap event). Seven other title contenders were in the top 10 when the race was called – Austin Cindric (second), AJ Allmendinger (third), Riley Herbst (fourth), Noah Gragson (sixth), Justin Haley (eighth), Myatt Snither (ninth) and Harrison Burton (10th).

Justin Allgaier and Jeremy Clements tie for the most career Talladega starts. Haley has the most wins and is the only driver with multiple victories. He also boasts the best average finish. Cindric and Allgaier match on top fives, and Allgaier holds the most top 10s.

CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY ROVAL

(📅 Oct. 9 | ⏰ 3 p.m. ET | 📺 NBC | 📻 PRN, SiriusXM)

Location: Concord, North Carolina
Length: 2.32 miles
Distance: 67 laps, 155.44 miles
Previous winner: AJ Allmendinger (Oct. 10, 2020)

AJ Allmendinger won the 2020 playoff race as a non-playoff driver, holding the front spot for 12 of the 68 laps that went into overtime (regulation was 67 laps). He is in the 2021 postseason field, though, and there were four others like him now in the top 10 – Noah Gragson (second), Daniel Hemric (third), Austin Cindric (sixth) and Brandon Jones (10th).

The Charlotte Roval was introduced in 2018. Cindric, Jones, Justin Allgaier and Jeremy Clements are the only playoff drivers who have competed in every event there. Even still, Allmendinger is the only one who has won, and he did so in both his starts, leaving him with a perfect average finish. Otherwise, Gragson has the best average finish. Allmendinger, Cindric and Gragson match in top-five finishes. Cindric boasts the most top-10 results. Jeb Burton has never raced the Charlotte Roval layout.

Posted on September 23, 2021 by Sean Montgomery

Despite a combined seven wins a season ago, Joe Gibbs Racing’s current stable of full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers has yet to reach Victory Lane this season. But the trio still has sights set on the ultimate goal — winning a championship.

Brandon Jones, Harrison Burton and Daniel Hemric are no strangers to success in the Xfinity Series. The three wheelmen total 377 starts, 92 top-five finishes and 194 top 10s among them. Despite leading 760 laps this season — 510 belonging to Hemric — none of them have been able to cross the finish line in first. A much different story than their No. 54 full-time entry, filled by drivers running a part-time schedule, that has cranked out nine 2021 wins from Kyle Busch, Ty Gibbs and Christopher Bell.

“It’s been surprising to me that we (full-time drivers) haven’t clicked off wins as an organization,” Jones said. “The 54 has been really strong. But I think at times during these races that car has won, we’ve been just as good, if not better. I think it’s just about aligning yourself there at the end of the race to go get it.”

If there’s any time to go get it, it’s now. All three drivers are in the playoffs, preparing for a seven-race sprint for the title. The Round of 12 begins Saturday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (7 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Jones leads the three JGR drivers with four consecutive appearances in the playoffs. After a career-best season in 2020 set him up to be a top contender this year, a mix of strong finishes and eight DNFs has him entering as one of the underdogs.

“The speed is there to win the races,” Jones said. “We’re capable of winning these races. It’s just got to all line up for us at some point. Our program, to be honest, has stepped up night and day compared to the times that we did win last year. We’ve all made the right steps in the right direction to get better.”

Hemric’s position is even more unique.

Prior to a full-time Cup Series stint in 2019, Hemric reeled off back-to-back Championship 4 appearances in the Xfinity Series in 2017 and ’18 and his 2021 laps-led total is second only to title-favorite Austin Cindric. But the No. 18 JGR driver is still searching for his first NASCAR national series win.

Hemric has come close multiple times after a pair of runner-up results earlier this season and a heartbreaking end to a victory bid at Atlanta Motor Speedway in July. But instead of dwelling on the past, he is looking on the bright side.

“I know we are going to have an opportunity inside this 18 team to win races here in these next seven weeks to position ourselves to make that championship run,” Hemric said. “If the opportunity (to win a race) is there, we are going to do all we can to take it.”

For Burton, this season’s playoff run is a chance to handle unfinished business from a season ago.

“Last year, we ran decent at Las Vegas and not great,” Burton said. “That kind of put us behind (in the playoff standings), like, ‘Gosh, we have to get some points at Talladega,’ and we go out there and get in a crash. The biggest thing is just controlling what you can control. We need to go out and attack this weekend like it’s a must-win scenario. ”

Burton already has a Cup Series ride locked down for next season with Wood Brothers Racing in the iconic No. 21. That knowledge has not created any complacency on his part.

“I want to win (in Xfinity) regardless,” Burton said. “But there is some pressure there. Going to the Cup Series next year is a big jump no matter how you run. Hopefully we can win some races here and win this championship. That’ll give me some confidence for next year. But at the end of the day, I know that they (Wood Bros. and Team Penske) believe in me.”

Either way it shakes out, the three teammates find themselves trying to rev up their performance in the postseason. And with all three vying for the trophy, they know it creates a different sense of urgency.

“The first task at hand was to get all of our Toyota Supras locked into the playoffs, and we did that successfully,” Hemric said. “Now, you have to approach it as even though there’s three other teammates that I’ll be racing with from time to time, that’s also three or four positions, points. You’ve gotta tiptoe that line. That line becomes a little bit more narrow when you get into the playoffs.

“That’s something that’s so integral to NASCAR. It’s not one specific organization against another in each game. You’re competing against your own. That’ll be all of our mindsets and if it’s not, I’m sure Coach (Joe Gibbs) would be disappointed. As much of a team as it is, you’ve gotta go get the job done for yourself.”

Posted on September 23, 2021September 23, 2021 by Official NASCAR Release

NASCAR announced today a partnership with voice, video and text communications service Discord, becoming the first sports league to launch an official server with the online community.

Founded in 2015, Discord began as a space for gamers and has since evolved into a communication service with over 150 million active users. NASCAR’s new channel is a dedicated community for fans and users to connect and share their interest, passion, and excitement for the sport.

RELATED: JOIN NOW | Full eNASCAR coverage

“We share in Discord’s commitment to fostering a sense of belonging and community across a very unique and diverse audience,” said Branden Williams, senior manager, gaming & esports. “This partnership encourages new and returning fans to authentically communicate and stay in touch with one another as they gain more inside access into the sport they love.”

Not only is NASCAR the first sports league on the platform, but it’s also helping bring new features to the platform that have never been done before. In addition to general chat features, the NASCAR channel will offer free access to live in-car audio streams from NASCAR Cup Series championship contenders beginning this weekend with the Round of 12. NASCAR race control and the PRN radio broadcast will also be streamed as well as a weekly driver fan vote.

“Discord is where the world talks, hangs out and builds relationships around their shared passions,” said Williams. “When it comes to sports, there is a tremendous community of people who want to share their passion and experiences. NASCAR fans will have the ability to receive exclusive content while watching the race and engaging with other fans who share their excitement.”

Discord helps friends and communities of all sizes come together to hang out and explore their interests — from artists and activists, to study groups, sneakerheads, day traders and more.

The NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs continue with the Round of 12 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The SouthPoint 400 will run at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday, Sept. 26.

Posted on September 23, 2021 by Marcus DiNitto

Since announcing on July 20 he is leaving Team Penske after the 2021 NASCAR season to join Roush Fenway Racing as a driver and minority owner, Brad Keselowski’s on-track performance has fallen off. His third-place finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 18 is his last in the top five, he has been 24th or worse three times in the seven most recent races and led just 27 total laps during this span.

Despite an excellent history at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Keselowski is priced as a 14-1 longshot on oddsboards throughout the betting market to win Sunday’s South Point 400 (7 p.m. ET on NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Over the seven Las Vegas races since 2018, Keselowski’s 4.86 average finish leads the Cup Series, per DriverAverages.com, and he has a win, four top fives and a 102.7 rating to boot. His second-place finish here this past spring came after winning the Stage 1 and finishing second in Stage 2.

His lame duck status with Penske, though, has bookmakers and bettors wondering if he’s a driver to fade not only this weekend but also for the rest of the season.

“There’s always a question when these guys are leaving to go to another team,” said Ed Salmons, vice president of risk management at SuperBook USA. “You always hear, ‘Well, he’s not getting the good stuff now.'”

Salmons, whose NASCAR numbers tend to influence the market, says the dynamic of a driver’s departure factors into his oddsmaking.

“Definitely,” he said. “You look at track history, you look at how they’re running, you look at what you think people are gonna bet, and you kind of go from there and settle on a price. It’s all baked into the number.”

Count Jim Sannes, a quantitative NASCAR analyst at numberFire, among bettors who won’t be invested in the No. 2 Ford on Sunday.

Michigan International Speedway is the only oval the circuit has visited since New Hampshire to employ the 550-horsepower, high-downforce package that will be used in Las Vegas (per Salmons, Michigan is not a useful comparison to Vegas). So most of the races that have been run since Keselowski’s announcement are not included in Sannes’ model. That means the model does not take into account Keselowski’s recent dip.

Sannes said he would have considered downgrading Keselowski had his simulations overrated him by not factoring in his impending departure from Penske. But even without adjustments, the sims give Kes just a 3.5% chance to win Sunday; 14-1 odds imply a 6.67% chance.

Had his sims not met the smell test, Sannes said in a direct message: “I’d basically treat Keselowski as if he’s not in the 2 car anymore because — at least to me — he’s effectively not. And even if the sims still showed value in him, I’d simply ignore it and not bet him. I’m not touching him right now.”

Zack White, though, a professional sports bettor who specializes in NASCAR, is not making a downward adjustment on Keselowski.

“Maybe if he wasn’t racing for a championship or (was) leaving on bad terms. Or if the team was folding,” White said in a text message. “Everyone still wants to win in this case, so no change for me.”

And even if Penske resources are being deployed more heavily to Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney, Salmons isn’t counting Keselowski out, either. Salmons puts Kes in the rare company of drivers who can steal a race when he’s not in the best car, pointing to last year’s Coca-Cola 600 as an example.

“(Chase) Elliott had the race won and (William) Byron got a flat, and they decided to pit (Elliott) from the lead when no one else pitted,” Salmons said. “Keselowski just drove around two laps and won the race that he had zero business winning.”

Posted on September 23, 2021 by Terrin Waack

The 2021 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoffs continue Friday, as four races remain in the season-long battle for the championship.

Last week, the Round of 10 concluded at Bristol Motor Speedway. Two title-eligible drivers were eliminated from the postseason competition – Todd Gilliland and Austin Hill – while eight carried on – John Hunter Nemechek, Sheldon Creed, Ben Rhodes, Zane Smith, Chandler Smith, Matt Crafton, Carson Hocevar and Stewart Friesen. Creed won the first two Round of 10 events (World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway and Darlington Raceway) to clinch a Round of 8 berth, and Chandler Smith won the elimination race (Bristol) to survive another round. The other six advanced on points.

Up next is the Round of 8, featuring Las Vegas Motor Speedway (Friday), Talladega Superspeedway (Oct. 2) and Martinsville Speedway (Oct. 30). Afterward, the Championship 4 will be set and compete at Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 5 in a straight-up race for the ultimate trophy.

Now, a Round of 8 track-by-track breakdown:

LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

(📅 Friday | ⏰ 9 p.m. ET | 📺 FS1 | 📻 MRN, SiriusXM)

Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Length: 1.5 miles
Distance: 134 laps, 201 miles
Previous winner: John Hunter Nemechek (March 5, 2021)

John Hunter Nemechek won the regular-season event at Las Vegas earlier this year, leading a race-high 94 of the 134 laps. There were four other playoff drivers who also finished in the top 10 – Stewart Friesen (fourth), Matt Crafton (fifth), Zane Smith (sixth) and Ben Rhodes (10th).

Crafton has the most Las Vegas experience in his career and with that comes the most top-five and top-10 finishes among his postseason competition. He has not won, though. Nemechek and Rhodes are the only playoff drivers with previous Las Vegas wins. Zane Smith then has the best average finish.

TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY

(📅 Oct. 2 | ⏰ 1 p.m. ET | 📺 FS1 | 📻 MRN, SiriusXM)

Location: Talladega, Alabama
Length: 2.66 miles
Distance: 94 laps, 250.04 miles
Previous winner: Raphael Lessard (Oct. 3, 2020)

Raphael Lessard won this race last year, holding the lead on Lap 94 of 94 only. He was not – and is not – a playoff contender. There were, however, three drivers with 2021 title potential in the top-10 finishing order – Chandler Smith (third), Ben Rhodes (fourth) and Matt Crafton (eighth).

Not a single playoff driver has won at Talladega before. Four of the eight – Rhodes, Smith, Crafton and Stewart Friesen – have one top-five finish apiece. Crafton has the most top 10s, given his unique double-digit start count. Smith holds the best average finish, though skewed since he has only one start in his career. Carson Hocevar has no prior Talladega experience.

MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY

(📅 Oct. 30 | ⏰ 1 p.m. ET | 📺 FS1 | 📻 MRN, SiriusXM)

Location: Martinsville, Virginia
Length: 0.526 miles
Distance: 200 laps, 105.2 miles
Previous winner: Grant Enfinger (Oct. 30, 2020)

Grant Enfinger, who was not playoff eligible this season as he was not entered in an early-season race, won the Martinsville playoff race in 2020 after leading 49 of the 200 laps. Five drivers currently in the playoffs were also in the top 10 – Ben Rhodes (second), Zane Smith (third), Matt Crafton (fifth), Stewart Friesen (sixth) and Sheldon Creed (eighth).

Crafton dominates four of the five statistical categories in consideration for Martinsville heading in the Round of 8 elimination race – starts, wins, top fives and top 10s. Zane Smith has the best average finish, though skewed with just one career start. Otherwise, Crafton would be tied with Rhodes for best average finish in the postseason field. Chandler Smith has never raced at Martinsville before.