Posted on by Team Release

MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Michael Annett, driver of the No. 1 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet for JR Motorsports, will miss this weekend’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway after re-injuring his right leg. Josh Berry will drive the No. 1 Friday night in the 300-lap regular-season finale (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM) on the .533-mile oval.

RELATED: Bristol weekend schedule

Annett, 35, has battled a stress fracture in his right femur much of this season and was forced to miss four races while recovering. The Iowa native had surgery in July to repair the injury. Annett re-injured the leg while working out and, given the pain level, team officials decided to make the switch for Friday night’s event at Bristol.

In his 18 NXS starts this season, 14 of them with JR Motorsports, Berry has earned a victory at Martinsville Speedway, five top-five and 10 top-10 finishes. Berry filled in for Annett at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, finishing eighth, and again the following week at Michigan International Speedway, where the 30-year-old Tennessee driver earned a fourth-place result.

Posted on by Marcus DiNitto

There is disagreement among bookmakers as to which driver is the favorite to win Saturday’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Bristol Motor Speedway. WynnBET has Kyle Busch listed with the shortest price, while Kyle Larson sits atop the oddsboard at SuperBook USA. BetMGM and Barstool are dealing both Kyles at 9-2 odds (+450).

RELATED: NASCAR BetCenter | Odds for this weekend at Bristol

The SuperBook, in fact, adjusted Larson’s odds to +400 after originally hanging +450.

Here are odds to win at Bristol for drivers priced at 50/1 odds or shorter, plus playoff contender Michael McDowell, from a quartet of sportsbooks – NASCAR’s three official betting partners and the influential SuperBook.

Driver Barstool BetMGM WynnBET SuperBook
Kyle Larson +450 +450 +500 +400
Kyle Busch +450 +450 +450 +500
Denny Hamlin +650 +600 +600 +600
Chase Elliott +800 +800 +800 +1000
Joey Logano +1000 +1000 +1000 +1000
Brad Keselowski +1100 +1400 +1200 +1600
Kevin Harvick +1200 +1000 +1200 +1400
Ryan Blaney +1400 +1200 +1400 +1600
Martin Truex Jr +1500 +1400 +1500 +2000
Kurt Busch +2000 +1600 +1600 +1800
William Byron +2200 +2200 +1800 +2000
Alex Bowman +2500 +2200 +2000 +2500
Christopher Bell +2500 +2000 +2500 +2500
Tyler Reddick +4000 +3300 +3500 +3000
Ross Chastain +4000 +3300 +3500 +3000
Aric Almirola +4000 +5000 +3500 +4000
Austin Dillon +5000 +6600 +5000 +6000
Michael McDowell +70000 +50000 +50000 +100000

Busch remains a bit out of sorts, failing to crack the top five in a Cup Series event since Watkins Glen on Aug. 8. But if there’s a track for Busch to regain his stride, it’s Bristol. His 5.33 average finish, 112.1 rating, two wins and five top fives over the six most recent non-dirt races on this infamous oval all lead the series.

In the 20 overall short-track races since 2018, Busch has been just as impressive, boasting the highest average finish (6.40) and second-best rating (108.0 to Martin Truex Jr.’s 108.4) on the circuit. He’s driven the No. 18 Toyota to four wins and 11 total top fives in that span.

Larson’s Bristol stats are pretty shiny in their own right, and he compiled them with Chip Ganassi Racing – a 7.25 average finish, 106.1 rating and three top 10s, including two in the top five in four races since 2018. He figures to improve upon those stats in Hendrick Motorsports equipment.

While only one of his five wins this season have come on a track shorter than 1.5 miles (Nashville), he can usually be found near the front of these races, finishing among the top seven — including two seconds to go along with the win — in seven of eight starts with the 750-horsepower package on ovals.

Larson vs. Busch, of course, makes for an intriguing head-to-head prop. For believers in the No. 5 over the No. 18, the -110 listings at WynnBET and BetMGM are the best prices we’re seeing. Busch can be had at even-money at the SuperBook, so shop for that price if you like him in this matchup.

Betting on the bubble

While Kurt Busch and Alex Bowman are tied for the 12th and final spot in the next round of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs heading into Bristol, the betting odds suggest the No. 1 Chevrolet is more likely to advance.

Busch is priced above not only Bowman on oddsboards around the country, but also well ahead of Tyler Reddick, who is in 14th place and within striking distance of moving on to the Round of 12.

Bristol Motor Speedway has been an excellent track for the elder Busch. In the six (non-dirt) races on the .533-mile track since 2018, he has four top-10 finishes, including a win and a second. His 9.33 average finish is third among active drivers. In 20 short-track races over the same span, Busch is top-10 in both categories.

The stats for Bowman and Reddick stats don’t quite stack up.

While the situation in Bristol looks favorable for Busch to make his way into the final 12, winning the race outright is a different matter. He’s certainly capable, but this race figures to be won by a driver from the Hendrick, Gibbs or Penske garages.

For NASCAR bettors who like Busch on Saturday night but aren’t sure he’s got the goods to finish first, Barstool Sportsbook offers plus-money odds on some more likely outcomes, pricing Busch at +550 for a top-three finish and +275 for a top five. For those comfortable laying money, Busch is -225 for top 10 — a wager that requires at $225 risk for a $100 profit.

No. 19, prime from the pole

In a matchup prop at Barstool, Kurt Busch is priced as a short -108 underdog against Martin Truex Jr. (-120), which looks like a tough proposition on its surface. While the SuperBook pricing Busch shorter than Truex in its outright market entices a matchup play on the No. 1, Truex has been the better driver this season, and his 108.4 rating and six wins on short tracks since 2018 both lead the series.

Bristol, though, just hasn’t been his thing, and his stellar short-track record comes in spite of his performances here. He owns a paltry 22.33 average finish and no top 10s over the six most recent non-dirt races on this track.

Truex is priced in the 14-1 to 20-1 range at the sportsbooks listed above to win his second consecutive Cup Series race, long odds we’re not used to seeing for the No. 19 Toyota.

Truex figures to be aggressive this weekend – his win at Richmond last week secured his spot in the Round of 12 – and he starts on the pole. Aggressiveness at Bristol, of course, can go either way.

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 by Zack Albert

When Kurt Busch unveiled the news of a change in rides and manufacturers for the 2022 season, the quick-hit video reel included the tagline: “And you thought I was leaving.”

There’s a slight sense of defiance there — toward the odds, his age (43) and the conventional wisdom that says the former Cup Series champion is ready for the rocking-chair set. And while he has fewer driving years ahead of him than the nearly 21 seasons he’s already invested at NASCAR’s top level, Busch remains sought-after — by the 23XI Racing team that snapped him up, by broadcast partners who value his insight, and by crew chiefs past and present who are buzzing his phone for a chance to work with him.

RELATED: Playoff standings | Bristol weekend schedule

Think he was leaving? Kurt Busch retirement rumors have been an annual tradition in recent years, but he hasn’t hung up his driving shoes yet.

“You know, it’s all a matter of the right timing and feeling everything come together for the right reasoning,” Busch told NASCAR.com. “And in all honesty, I didn’t know where I was going to end up in 2022, and Monster Energy has been a fantastic sponsor, partner. I feel like I’m part of their family when it comes to different events and working with all the different athletes around the world. So it’s a fun vibe, and the opportunity came together through Toyota. And Toyota was looking for a veteran to start up a second car with Michael Jordan’s team and Denny Hamlin and everybody at 23XI. And so when the phone kept ringing, it all made for the right timing, if you know what I mean.

“Again, it was something that I didn’t set out to do. I didn’t know where things would end up, and so there’s been a lot of hardcore fans that are like, ‘Don’t leave, don’t leave! We’d love you out there.’ My objective has been to race the Next Gen car all along, so it all works pretty good. Then there were some people, like, ‘Oh, he’s done, you know, this whole video of flying off into the sunset. He’s out.’ And so I’m glad it all worked out.”

There are still plenty of career opportunities at play for Busch in this transitional year to the next, but the more immediate task comes in Saturday night’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), the final race in the postseason’s opening Round of 16. Four drivers will be booted from the Cup Series Playoffs field, and the driver of Chip Ganassi Racing’s No. 1 Chevrolet is deadlocked with Alex Bowman in the 12th and final spot ahead of the elimination line.

Busch opened the playoffs with a respectable sixth-place finish at Darlington, and he was running among the top five before a downed tire crashed him out of Richmond with a last-place result. There’s consolation to be found in the schedule, which arrives this weekend at one of Busch’s most favorable haunts at Bristol Motor Speedway, the Tennessee short track where he’s won six times in the Cup Series.

“Oh, 100%. I like Bristol, it’s one of my favorite tracks, and it’s a place that … it’s a comfort zone for me,” Busch says. “And I feel like this is the part of the schedule of this happening, it’s perfect. For us, we just need a nice, solid run. We’re racing the guys that are on the bubble, but at one of my best tracks and where our cars have been running good. Right now, the Ganassi cars have been running good. This is our chance to capitalize.”

RELATED: Who joins Kurt Busch on the bubble?

Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images

The mutual effort from Chip Ganassi Racing has come in the wake of the organization’s announcement that its NASCAR operations will be shuttered after the 2021 season. Busch will join 23XI in its expansion effort to a two-car team next year, and teammate Ross Chastain has landed with Trackhouse Racing, which announced a purchase of CGR’s NASCAR assets in June.

The ride may be ending soon for Chip Ganassi Racing, but recent performance suggests the organization isn’t going out with a whimper. Busch won in Atlanta less than two weeks after the news dropped, and Chastain has been the top finisher among non-playoff drivers in the last two races, establishing his No. 42 team as a prime candidate to play postseason spoiler.

MORE: Pit-crew roster restored for CGR

Instead of playing out the string in a farewell season, Busch said all aspects of the Ganassi team have pulled together — not just to finish out strong, but to show their skills in an audition for potential new roles in 2022. “It seems like an all-in type of effort from everybody,” Busch says.

The other side of the dual focus is on assembling the new No. 45 Toyota team at 23XI, and Busch said his phone continues to ring with folks who want in on the organization’s growth. Among them are prospective crew chiefs, though Busch said this week that he’s still hopeful that his successful partnership with signal-caller Matt McCall might continue for a fourth season.

“It’s been another job title so to speak, and one that I’m embracing,” Busch says. “I really enjoy this aspect of building a team from scratch and finding the right personnel to go into the right spots and respecting the system that’s already in place at 23XI, but also seeing how fast it’s growing and how fast things are ramping up. It’s been great, so whether it’s a crew chief, a spotter, lead engineer — there’s so many positions, and even pit-crew guys, man, just all over the board at that we’re trying to assemble like puzzle pieces.”

The other jigsaw component to Busch’s career twilight is his broadcasting interests. He’s in the booth as an analyst for FOX Sports throughout the Camping World Truck Series Playoffs, and has provided guest commentary for the network’s Xfinity Series coverage and for MRN Radio.

When the long-rumored day — someday — that Busch’s driving career comes to a close, the possibility of transitioning to an on-air role could be the next natural landing spot.

“It’s another bridge that has opened up, and I’m thankful to have the opportunity with FOX Sports to call the Truck Series races in the playoffs,” Busch says. “You know, it feels like I’m giving back to the series that gave me so much when I first started out in NASCAR. And so it’s good to get the reps, it’s good to understand the production. As far as the respect of Vince (Welch), the main host, Michael Waltrip, the whole gang behind the scenes putting off the production, it’s neat to be part of it behind the scenes. And that way if I’m moving into the booth later on for Cup Series stuff, for Xfinity, whatever it may be — it could be another Supercross event or X Games — I just have a better understanding now of how the whole operation works.”

Posted on by Zach Sturniolo

The first cut-off race of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs is already here as the circuit hits the bullring of Bristol Motor Speedway.

By this point of the season, there have usually been two races around the concrete half-mile. However, this year’s first trip to Bristol culminated in the Cup Series’ first dirt race since 1970.

The stars are back on the concrete for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race on Saturday night with live coverage starting at 7:30 p.m. ET (NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) as the Round of 16 comes to a close.

RELATED: Bristol schedule | See this week’s schemes for Bristol

GRIDDED FOR GREEN

It’s an all-Joe Gibbs Racing front row on Saturday night as last week’s Richmond winner Martin Truex Jr. is on the pole alongside teammate Denny Hamlin, who finished runner-up a week ago. Behind them in Row 2 are Joey Logano and Chase Elliott, while Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell make up Row 3. For the entire starting lineup, click here.

RULES PACKAGE

The Cup cars will be fitted with the lower-downforce 750-horsepower package this weekend as utilized at all tracks shorter than 1.4 miles. This package provides more power to the drivers while also decreasing the aerodynamic dependency of downforce, particularly at short tracks.

GOODYEAR TIRES

The high, concrete banks of Bristol provide not only a challenge for race teams but one for Goodyear as well. Concrete wears tires quickly on a “green” surface, but with the ARCA Menards Series, Camping World Truck Series and Xfinity Series all competing ahead of the Cup event, there may be plenty of rubber left on the track for Saturday night’s action.

Additionally, Goodyear, NASCAR and the track operations staff will work together to apply the PJ1 grip compound to the lower four feet of both sets of corners for this weekend’s races in an attempt to speed along the development of a second racing groove, giving drivers an alternate lane to pass.

“While only a half-mile in length, Bristol is a different animal than the other short tracks we have on the NASCAR schedule,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing. “The amount of banking Bristol has creates very high speeds and high loads, which more closely aligns with some of the bigger tracks we race on. Then you have the concrete surface, which we only race on a handful of times throughout the season. Laying rubber on concrete is a special challenge and is one that we have worked hard on over the past many years to get the right balance.”

IT’S BRISTOL HISTORY, BABY

– After rising upon the land of a former dairy farm, Bristol hosted its first NASCAR event on July 30, 1961 with a seating capacity of 18,000.

– Jack Smith is credited with winning that first race, but it was Johnny Allen who took the checkered flag in relief of Smith over the final 209 laps. Smith exited the car with a three-lap lead because the heat from the floorboard was burning his right foot. Allen won by two laps over Fireball Roberts.

– The track was dug up and reshaped in 1969 with significantly more banking introduced, bumping the distance around the then-asphalt racetrack from 0.5 miles to 0.533 miles.

– Dale Earnhardt claimed his first career Cup win in his 16th start in the 1979 spring Bristol race.

– Darrell Waltrip dominated Bristol like no other from 1979 through the first concrete event in 1992 by collecting 12 wins, a record seven of which came consecutively.

– By the 1990s, heat and increasing corner speeds were causing the track to require regular repairs. Between races in 1992, Bristol became the first track surfaced in all concrete.

– After reacquiring the track in 1985, track co-founder Larry Carrier sold Bristol to Speedway Motorsports for a reported $26 million in 1996. The track had a capacity of 71,000 and the Bristol Night Race was one of the Series premier events, called the “Toughest Ticket in Racing.”

– Speedway Motorsports immediately launched an aggressive expansion program. Seating was added at a rapid pace and by 2003 was at 160,000 and in 2006 reached 165,000 with the addition of the Kulwicki Grandstand.

– The track was reconfigured to include progressive banking in 2007. After the March 2012 event, Bruton Smith announced the track would return to its former style of racing and eliminated the upper groove that was created with the new banking.

RELATED: Memorable moments at Bristol | See every night race winner at Bristol

BRISTOL STORYLINES

– Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. are the only two drivers to earn top-five finishes in each of the first two races of the Playoffs this year.

– Each of those two drivers has netted an average finish of 2.3 on short tracks this season, while Truex has won six of the last 12 such races.

– Chase Elliott has won each of the last three elimination races but has yet to win a points race in Thunder Valley. He was victorious in the All-Star Race held at Bristol one year ago and has won three of the last four stages there.

– Alex Bowman (-0), Tyler Reddick (-5), William Byron (-18) and Michael McDowell (-38) enter below the cutline entering Saturday’s race.

– Drivers ninth through 14th in the Playoff standings are separated by just 18 points.

– Each of the last 10 Bristol winners was over the age of 30, and each of the last five has been won by different drivers.

– The final lead change came with 32 or fewer laps to go in the last six Bristol races.

– Kevin Harvick claimed his ninth and final win of last year at Bristol in the Playoffs. He is the only driver to win after leading the most laps in the last nine Bristol races.

ODDS AROUND THE COLOSSEUM

Kyle Larson is searching for his first win at Bristol Motor Speedway and first overall since Aug. 8 at Watkins Glen International. Kyle Busch is an eight-time winner at Bristol and victor in three of the last seven.

Both are listed as 9-2 favorites to win Saturday night under the lights, courtesy of BetMGM. Larson had a pair of runner-up finishes at the bullring in 2018 and has been a threat at every track this season. Busch has finished fourth or better in each of his last four Bristol starts.

RELATED: See the odds for Saturday night at Bristol

Denny Hamlin, a two-time Bristol winner, is listed at 6-1 odds while defending series champion Chase Elliott is posted at 8-1.

Meanwhile, for as strong as Martin Truex Jr. (14-1) has been on short tracks lately, Bristol has been unkind to the 2017 champion. Truex has finished 13th or worse in his last seven Bristol starts, dating back to the 2017 night race, and led only 52 laps in that span – all of which came in the 2019 night race.

But under the radar lies a sleeper who could use a win while setting his 2022 plans: Matt DiBenedetto (66-1). DiBenedetto nearly won the night race in 2019 and led the most laps (93) but was thwarted late by Denny Hamlin. He’s led in each of the last three Bristol races and could be a factor come Saturday night.

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 Denny Hamlin (1,117), Kyle Larson (1,112) and Chase Elliott (932).

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 by Terrin Waack

BRISTOL, Tenn. — Both the Nos. 4 and 18 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyotas advanced in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series playoffs Thursday night at Bristol Motor Speedway, and teammates John Hunter Nemechek and Chandler Smith were both in contention for the win as laps dwindled down at the 0.533-mile track in Tennessee.

The difference, Nemechek was looking for — and missed — win No. 6 of the 2021 season. Smith was searching for — and captured — his first, ever.

Smith beat Nemechek out in a battle for the lead with four laps left. Nemechek said he did not cut Smith any slack, nor was he told to over the team radio.

“No,” Nemechek said. “I mean, for an organization, obviously you want to get two trucks into the next round. But that’s not something that has been discussed.”

RELATED: Official results | Race recap | Final laps

After a late-race caution, action restarted with five laps remaining in the UNOH 200 presented by Ohio Logistics. Sheldon Creed, who led a race-high 189 of the 200 laps, led the field back to green with Smith alongside him and Nemechek behind him. Creed ended up sliding out of the lead and back into the pack after slight contact with the wall. That set the scene for the Smith-Nemechek showdown.

Smith was credited with the lead for the final five circuits. The No. 18 driver won by 0.422 seconds over Grant Enfinger. Nemechek fell to third at the checkered flag.

“I’m pissed right now,” Nemechek said. “Two teammates racing hard at the end, whatever. You get moved out of the way, kind of a cheap shot.

“But it’s a company win, so it is what it is. We raced as hard as we could, and that’s what we had to do.”

Nemechek entered Thursday’s elimination race already guaranteed a spot in the Round of 8 by virtue of points.

Smith, meanwhile, was last (10th; out by 12 point) in the playoff standings after placing 28th at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway and seventh at Darlington Raceway. Originally the ninth seed in the postseason, Smith was looking at a must-win situation come the final stage at Bristol.

“I think any other driver that was in my situation would have done the exact same thing,” Smith said. “If you wouldn’t have done that, I think you are in the sport for the wrong reason.”

Austin Hill (wrecked out, finished in 24th) and Todd Gilliland (10th place) were ultimately eliminated from title contention.

RELATED: Austin Hill wrecks late at Bristol | Todd Gilliland heartbroken by playoff exit

The Round of 8 begins next Friday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (9 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Nemechek won on the 1.5-mile Nevada track earlier this season, while Smith finished 19th.

“All eyes forward to Vegas,” Nemechek said. “We’re going to go out there and try to win, lock ourselves in, go to Phoenix and hoist that big trophy at the end of the year.”

Posted on by Reid Spencer

In a stunning upset on Thursday night at Bristol Motor Speedway, rookie Chandler Smith stole a victory from reigning NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion Sheldon Creed, clinched a spot in the Round of 8 of the Playoffs and eliminated Todd Gilliland from the postseason.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos

The entire tenor of the UNOH 200 presented by Ohio Logistics changed in the final five laps. On a restart on Lap 196 of 200, Smith powered his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota to the inside of Creed’s No. 2 GMS Racing Chevrolet and refused to cede the top spot.

After contact between the trucks, Creed slowed with a cut left-rear tire, spun and finished 19th as Smith parried charges from Kyle Busch Motorsports teammate John Hunter Nemechek and race runner-up Grant Enfinger, who finished .422 seconds behind the winner, with Nemechek taking third.

The victory was Smith’s first in the series, and it came at the most opportune time. As he approached the final restart, the 19-year-old driver knew his only remaining path to the Round of 8 was a victory.

“I’m speechless right now,” Smith said after climbing from his truck. “I’ve really been tested this last year or two and tested my faith. I have to thank everyone behind me… This is just incredible. It finally paid off. I’m just so happy right now.”

RELATED: Chandler Smith emotional after first career win

Creed led 189 laps and appeared headed for a sweep of all three races in the Round of 10 until he and Smith made side-to-side contact after the final restart.

“I was kind of at their mercy,” said Creed, who already had clinched a spot in the Round of 8 with wins at World Wide Technology Raceway and at Darlington. “I knew I was going to get hit—I just didn’t know where.

“They did what they had to do to win… I don’t know if they’re going to get away with that in the next round.”

Smith was not apologetic for the way he raced Creed after the final restart.

“I think any other driver that was in my situation would have done the exact same thing,” he asserted. “If you wouldn’t have done that, I think you’re in the sport for the wrong reasons.”

Austin Hill was eliminated from the Playoff after crashing out on Lap 189 and causing the 11th caution of the action-filled race. Gilliland fell from seventh to 10th after the final restart and missed advancing to the Round of 8 by two points.

“I really don’t know what happened,” Gilliland said. “They both slipped by me—the 21 (Zane Smith) and the 99 (Ben Rhodes). I’m just heartbroken. To miss by two points there—it really, really stings. Just heartbroken.”

RELATED: Todd Gilliland reacts to being eliminated

Zane Smith and Rhodes were the last two drivers to advance to the Round of 8, both finishing two points ahead of Gilliland. They join Creed, Nemechek, Chandler Smith, Matt Crafton, Stewart Friesen and Sunoco rookie Carson Hocevar as the series heads for Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sept. 24.

Friesen ran fourth on Thursday, followed by non-playoff driver Johnny Sauter, Hocevar, Crafton, Zane Smith and Rhodes.

NOTE: Post-race inspection in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series garage is complete with no issues, confirming Smith as the winner. The No. 88 of Crafton had one lug nut not safe and secure, resulting in a monetary fine to be announced next week.

Posted on by Team Release

Mooresville, NC (September 16, 2021) – Today, 23XI Racing announced veteran crew chief Mike Wheeler will move full time to Director of Competition, a role he has held since 23XI Racing’s inception, along with crew chief of the No. 23 Toyota Camry. With the move, Bootie Barker will step in as crew chief for Bubba Wallace for the remainder of the 2021 season.

As 23XI Racing continues to grow and move towards expanding in 2022 and beyond, this move allows Wheeler to fully focus on continuing to build the team, the team’s expansion in 2022 with the newly announced No. 45 team and work on the team’s future headquarters.

“Mike Wheeler (Wheels) has been a huge part of helping build 23XI Racing,” said 23XI President Steve Lauletta “From day one, Wheels has helped put this team together, with a focus on the competition side. As we move towards 2022, it’s important for us to put the right people in place that help continue the growth of 23XI to the next level. As we finish out the 2021 season, this move allows Wheels to focus on our overall vision for 23XI and allow Bootie (Barker) to help Bubba and the No. 23 team finish strong over the final eight races.”

RELATED: Steve Lauletta named 23XI Racing team president 

A veteran of the sport, Barker has been at 23XI Racing throughout the 2021 season and brings multiple years of crew chief experience to his new role. Throughout his career, Barker has served as crew chief in the NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series, Truck Series and the ARCA Series. Most recently in the Cup Series, Barker served as crew chief for Ty Dillon at Germain Racing in 2017.

“Being a part of 23XI Racing from when it was just an idea, to seeing the plans come to life, securing our temporary shop and working to build this team has been an amazing opportunity and one I’m excited to continue as the team grows and expands,” said Wheeler. “I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to be back on the box this season with the No. 23 team and Bubba, but to be able to solely focus on the next steps it takes to expand to a multi-car team, build a new shop and get this team to where it’s in contention to win each and every week is exciting for me and I’m ready to give it my full attention as we finish this season and move into 2022. Bootie (Barker) has been a great asset to 23XI Racing all season and with his experience, he was the right choice to step in and finish the 2021 season with Bubba and the No. 23 Toyota Camry team.”

The change is effective starting with this weekend’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday, September 18, 2021.

Posted on by Staff Report

Chip Ganassi Racing will revert to its original pit-crew lineup for this weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

RELATED: Playoff standings | Bristol weekend schedule

A majority of the over-the-wall crew for the Ganassi No. 1 Chevrolet and postseason-eligible driver Kurt Busch was sidelined last weekend at Richmond Raceway because of COVID-19 contact-tracing protocols. Team roster pages for Saturday’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Bristol showed those crew members are set to return, and a CGR spokesperson confirmed the team will “have all of our crew members back in their respective positions this weekend.”

The roster lineup also means the Ganassi No. 42 Chevy team and driver Ross Chastain will have its pit-crew lineup restored for Saturday night’s 500-lap race. The No. 42 crew had shifted over to the No. 1 team at Richmond, helping Busch gain one position and spring into the lead after the first pit-stop exchange last Saturday night. Busch exited with just 40 laps complete after a crash, but praised his team and the overall depth of the Ganassi pit-crew pipeline.

“Yeah, it seemed like there wasn’t even a blip on the radar with the problem that our pit crew faced with COVID protocols,” Busch told NASCAR.com. “We were out of the race early, it didn’t help anything, but overall the whole group really rallied together to make it seem seamless.”

Busch sits in a tie for 12th place — the final transfer spot — heading into Saturday’s Round of 16 finale in the Cup Series playoffs. Four drivers will be trimmed from the title-eligible field after Saturday night’s event at Bristol, where Busch is a six-time winner in his Cup Series career.

Chastain did not qualify for the 16-driver grid, but has been the top finishing non-playoff driver in each of the two postseason races thus far — placing third at Darlington and seventh last weekend at Richmond. Chastain’s No. 42 team used a pit-crew comprised of veteran Mike Metcalf, plus development crew members from Spire Motorsports and StarCom Racing at Richmond.

Posted on by Zach Sturniolo

Larger than life.

That was Ed Partridge, both in stature and in personality.

At 6-foot-7, you could never miss Partridge, whether in the garage of a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race or at the track he owned, Riverhead Raceway, on New York’s Long Island.

That’s because Partridge’s passion for racing, and for people, always made him so prevalent. And that’s what made the morning of Sept. 11 so difficult for the motorsports community.

Late Friday, Sept. 10, just hours after winning the Whelen Modified Tour race at Richmond Raceway with driver Ryan Preece behind the wheel, Partridge lost his life after suffering a heart attack. Partridge was 68-years-old.

Partridge’s belief in others propelled them far beyond the local roots of Riverhead, even beyond the Whelen Modified Tour. Preece was the perfect embodiment of that belief becoming reality.

By the end of 2015, Preece was a proven commodity on the tour — a 15-time winner and 2013 tour champion — and decided to fully chase his NASCAR dream, an opportunity that culminated in a full-time ride with JD Motorsports in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2016.

But after an unmemorable year outside an 11th-place finish at Road America and a 10th-place effort at Darlington Raceway, Preece moved back home in 2017, eager to rekindle whatever success he could back in a modified. The one man who believed in him was Eddie Partridge.

“I ended up going to work for him full time and maintaining the cars and setting them up,” Preece told NASCAR.com. “And people said to him, ‘he’s not capable.’ But Eddie didn’t say, ‘you know what, you’re right. Hey, we’re gonna do something different here, Ryan.’ He believed in me and gave me an opportunity to prove myself.”

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Ed Partridge (holding trophy) celebrates the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour owners championship in 2017, with driver Ryan Preece, wife Connie, and NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Series Director Jimmy Wilson. (NASCAR)

Preece did just that, winning five of the 14 races he entered in 2017, as well as helping lead Partridge to his second owners championship on the Tour, along with co-drivers Jon McKennedy and George Brunnhoelzl.

Simultaneously, Preece used the sponsorship money he had to get into Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 18 Xfinity Series car for four races — a gamble that resulted in his first career NXS win and four top fives.

Now a third-year driver in the NASCAR Cup Series for JTG Daugherty Racing, Preece credits Partridge as the catalyst for his triumphs today.

“His goals and my goals all aligned,” Preece said. “And we both did no matter what it took to achieve those goals. There’s not many people out there that are like him and are willing to do whatever it took.”

Preece isn’t the only product of Partridge to find current success in the NASCAR Cup Series.

Mike Wheeler and Freddie Kraft, crew chief and spotter respectively for Bubba Wallace’s No. 23 team, were both given their first true shots in racing by Partridge.

In the fall of 2000, Wheeler was a late-model racer trying to find his opportunity. Partridge’s modified team was struggling, but the team owner knew Wheeler was a talented mechanic. He soon asked ” Wheels” to help set up his shocks and measure roll centers and, shortly thereafter, Wheeler found himself working part-time for Partridge at night.

That eventually evolved into a full-time job for Wheeler, who was in the midst of his fall semester of his senior year at Kettering University. Before Wheeler came aboard full-time, Partridge’s team qualified for just eight of 19 races. In their first race together at Martinsville Speedway, the car rocketed up the leaderboard and qualified second.

“It was a big deal at the time because everybody thought we were cheating,” Wheeler said. “No one knew me. I was just a young kid in college. And I just went there to set the car up, make sure that bump steer was right, all the parameters were where they should be. We went down to Martinsville though, and no one had notes because it was the first and only time we went there that year and we ran really well.”

The work he did for Partridge didn’t go unnoticed, and it was just a few years later that Wheeler was hired by Joe Gibbs Racing to engineer for its Xfinity Series team, before coming up to the Cup Series in 2005 with the team’s debut of the No. 11 car.

Kraft said on the most recent episode of Dirty Mo Media’s “Door Bumper Clear” podcast Partridge gave him his first chance to spot any type of race car.

“He was the first one to ever give me a job spotting,” said Kraft, who also spots for Jeb Burton in the Xfinity Series and Derek Kraus in the Camping World Truck Series. “And it just opened the door for where I’m at today, honestly.”

Having three products of the modified tour so closely tied to Partridge as part of today’s Cup Series speaks to the legacy Partridge leaves behind, Kraft believes.

“[It’s] just a testament to what Eddie built as a program. (He was) just an unbelievable guy,” Kraft said. 

Partridge also fielded cars for some other top drivers, including Jimmy Blewett, who won five of his six career Whelen Modified Tour races with Partridge from 2006-2009. Those victories included a checkered flag at Martinsville Speedway in 2006, and Riverhead Raceway in 2008, just under a decade before Partridge would take ownership of the New York facility.

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Ed Partridge (left) celebrates winning a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race at Riverhead Raceway in 2008 with driver Jimmy Blewett (center) and his wife, Connie. (NASCAR)

And for all the racing triumphs and stories tied to Partridge, it’s his character that people remember most.

Ron Silk was the driver for Partridge’s his first championship in 2011, a season highlighted by wins at Stafford Motor Speedway, Delaware Speedway and New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The duo competed in SK Modified races, events at New Smyrna Speedway and found success outside the tour in those races.

But it’s the time they spent on the road traveling from race to race that stands out in Silk’s memory.

“Eddie had a presence,” Silk recalled. “Everyone respected him. And obviously he took racing very seriously and wanted to win — and we were able to do that — but he also had the ability when things didn’t go good, or you had a rough day, he was able to shake it off and still have fun. He never made you feel like you were letting him down. You just go to the next one and do better. It was a great atmosphere to be in.”

The relationships Partridge built during his time in the sport will last forever. That much is obvious in the lasting impact he’s had on those around him.

“There was a point [Sunday] when I was thinking about something that usually I pick up my phone and I call him and just start talking to him about it and what his thoughts were,” Preece said. “And now I can’t make that phone call. It’s gonna take some adjusting to.”

Silk entered Richmond Raceway on Sept. 10 having won each of the past two races on the tour schedule but crashed out late en route to a 19th-place finish.  

“I saw [Partridge] walking out of the track at Richmond the other night, and I had a rough night so I wasn’t in much of a mood to talk,” Silk said. “So I kept going and drove home and got the news while I was driving, and I wish I would have stopped for a few minutes and spoke to him and congratulated them on his last win. Just never think it’s gonna be the last time you get to talk to somebody.”

His legacy lives on though on Sept. 18, as the Whelen Modified Tour heads back to Riverhead Raceway (8 p.m. ET, TrackPass), a fitting, yet painful, next stop on the schedule. While emotions will be high just hours after his funeral, Silk believes it’s exactly where the tour should be.

“Hopefully he’s watching over us this coming Saturday at Riverhead and can be proud of the race that we put on,” Silk said. “Certainly life is so ironic that we’re going to Riverhead this week, but I know he’d be excited that we were headed there, that’s for sure.”

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Ed Partridge (right) celebrates the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship in 2012 with driver Ron Silk (left), and his wife, Connie. (NASCAR)

Posted on by Reid Spencer

There are three playoff spots still up for grabs as the NASCAR Xfinity Series heads for Friday night’s Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway (7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Three drivers are in unassailable positions above the current elimination line on points — Jeremy Clements, Riley Herbst and Brandon Jones. At least two of them — the two with the highest point totals among them after Bristol — are guaranteed to advance to the postseason.

RELATED: Bristol weekend schedule | Xfinity starting lineup

Their only vulnerability lies in the prospect of a driver outside the top 12 winning Friday’s race, a circumstance that would eliminate the lowest driver in points among those three.

The most intense battle on Friday involves the Regular Season Championship, with AJ Allmendinger leading reigning series champion Austin Cindric by five points. The regular-season winner gets a bonus of 15 playoff points. Second place gets 10.

“I’m pumped, but, as always, a bit nervous to go to Bristol,” Allmendinger says. “It’s the place where I made my first Cup Series start, so that race track will always be special. It’s one of those races that you know from start to finish you’re going to be in a grind, and you’re going to be in traffic.

“It’s a difficult race, but I think we’ll be really fast there. The Regular Season Championship is on the line this week, so it will be fun battling with Austin going for that title. Hopefully, we can execute all day and have a shot to win.”