Posted on May 16, 2021May 16, 2021 by Holly Cain

Say this about Alex Bowman, the pilot of the No. 48 Chevrolet has got his timing right. The Hendrick Motorsports driver took the lead off pit road after his final pit stop with 97 of 400 race laps remaining, held off the field on two more race restarts and earned his second victory of the year in Sunday’s Drydene 400 at Dover International Speedway.

The win punctuated a historic Hendrick Motorsports day at the famed 1-mile track, with the team becoming the third organization in NASCAR Cup Series history to finish 1-2-3-4 in a single event; joining Peter DePaolo Racing (Dec. 30, 1956 at Titusville; April 7, 1957 at North Wilkesboro Speedway) and Roush Fenway Racing (Nov. 20, 2005 at Homestead-Miami Speedway). Bowman held off his teammate Kyle Larson by 2.017 seconds. Chase Elliott (third) and William Byron (fourth) finished just behind, marking the first time in the organization’s 267-victory history it has had a four-car sweep atop the scoreboard.

It was actually Larson who paced the field most of the day – leading a race best 263 of the opening 303 laps and sweeping both Stage 1 and Stage 2 victories – his series-best fifth and sixth stage wins of the season. And at one point, Sunday, he led the field by a full eight seconds.

But Bowman’s team turned in the single fastest pit stop of the entire 2021 season during a late-race caution period and got the car back on track just in front of Larson. Bowman held off his teammate on the restart and pulled away to a comfortable win.

“You guys won that race not me,” Bowman excitedly shouted to his team after taking the checkered flag. “I’m so proud of you.”

The No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet had a track record 11 previous victories at Dover – all with driver Jimmie Johnson, who retired from full-time NASCAR competition at the end of the 2020 season. The 28-year-old Tucson, Arizona, native, Bowman, just started piloting the No. 48 this year, winning at Richmond Raceway last month – again turning in a late-race rally – leading only the final 10 laps en route to that win.

Certainly, the Hendrick Motorsports organization showed early-on Sunday it was ready to settle the trophy among its drivers. In all, Bowman, Larson and Byron combined to lead 381 of the 400 laps.

As the laps wound down, TV cameras captured team owner Rick Hendrick nervously pacing on pit road, well aware of the significance of his four cars atop the scoring pylon.

“I can guarantee you this is the most nervous I’ve ever been in a race,” Hendrick said. “Great day for the organization. And Alex, congratulations to him. This is a sign of the guys working together and bringing good stuff to the track.

“I don’t think it will hit me until tomorrow that we were able to finish one, two, three, four. That’s pretty hard to do, things can happen, pit stops, tires, anything. That’s a first and we’ll take it. It was a great day for us.”

Not only was it a win for Bowman, a seriously strong effort by Larson, but it was also another statement-making day for the 23-year-old Byron. It marks his 11th straight top-10 finish – making him the youngest in series history to put together a string of excellence like that.

Team Penske’s Joey Logano finished fifth, followed by Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick (sixth) and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin (seventh).

Richard Childress Racing’s Tyler Reddick turned in his sixth top-10 finish of the season with an eighth-place finish. Daniel Suarez finished ninth – his second top 10 for the new Trackhouse Racing Team and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Cole Custer earned his second top 10 of the season.

With his work this weekend, Byron moves into second place in the NASCAR Cup Series driver standings – 101 points behind Hamlin. Three-race winner Martin Truex Jr., who finished 19th, is now third, 102 points behind Hamlin.

The showing at Dover marks the 11th time in 13 races this season Hendrick Motorsports has had at least two drivers finish in the top 10. Six times now, three of the team’s four drivers have earned top-10 finishes in the same race.

“We won Richmond and then had a really rough couple of weeks there,” Bowman said. “We went to some really good racetracks for us and struggled. I told the guys last week, ‘We’re still the same team that did it at Richmond.’ This is another really good place for us.

“I’m just so pumped for (sponsor) Ally. It feels right to put the 48 back in Victory Lane here after how many races that this car has won here.”

All three of NASCAR’s national series will debut at the Circuit of The Americas next week in Austin, Texas. The EchoPark Texas Grand Prix will start at 2:30 p.m. ET next Sunday (FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

NOTE: The race-winning No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet of Alex Bowman passed NASCAR’s post-race inspection. There were four cars with one lug nut not safe and secure: the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet (driver Tyler Reddick), the No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford (driver Chris Buescher), the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet (driver William Byron) and the No. 37 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet (driver Ryan Preece). There were no other issues.

Posted on May 16, 2021May 16, 2021 by Staff Report

Which channels have NASCAR programming this week? We answer that and give the weekly NASCAR television listings here in the NASCAR TV schedule.

Note: All times are ET.

MORE: How to find NBCSN | Get the NBC Sports App | How to find FS1 | Get FOX Sports App

Monday, May 17
3:30 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of Radioactive — Dover (re-air), FS1
4:30 a.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Drydene 400 at Dover International Speedway (re-air), FS1
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

Tuesday, May 18
Noon, NASCAR Race Hub: Best of Radioactive — Dover (re-air), FS2
12:30 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: Drydene 200 at Dover International Speedway (re-air), FS2
2:30 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Drydene 400 at Dover International Speedway (re-air), FS2
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
7 p.m., NASCAR Race Classics: 1994 Coke 600 (re-air), FS1

Wednesday, May 19
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
7 p.m., eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series: Circuit of the Americas (COTA), FS1
8:30 p.m., Blink of an Eye (re-air), FS1
10:30 p.m., eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series: COTA (re-air), FS1

Thursday, May 20
Midnight, Blink of an Eye (re-air), FS1
5:30 p.m., Dale Jr. Download, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

Friday, May 21
12:30 a.m., ARCA Menards Series East: General Tire 125 at Dover International Speedway (tape delay), NBCSN
3 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: Practice, FS1
4 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: Practice, FS1
5 p.m., NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour: Miller Lite 200 at Riverhead Raceway (tape delay), NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

Saturday, May 22
6 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: Practice (re-air), FS1
7 a.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: Practice (re-air), FS1
9 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: Qualifying, FS2
10 a.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Practice, FS2
11 a.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: Qualifying, FS1
Noon, NASCAR RaceDay: NCWTS at COTA, FS1
1 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: Toyota Tundra 225 at COTA, FS1
3:30 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay: Xfinity at COTA, FS1
4 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: Pit Boss 250 at COTA, FS1 (Canada: TSN 3)
6:30 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: Post-race show, FS1
11 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: Pit Boss 250 at COTA (re-air), FS1

On MRN:
12:30 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: Toyota Tundra 225 at COTA

On PRN:
3:30 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: Pit Boss 250 at COTA

Sunday, May 23
1 a.m., NASCAR Presents: Trackhouse — Get Ready (re-air), FS1
9 a.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: Pit Boss 250 at COTA (re-air), FS2
11 a.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Qualifying, FS1
1 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay: Cup Series at COTA, FS1
2:30 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: EchoPark Texas Grand Prix at COTA, FS1 (Canada: TSN 5)

On PRN:
11 a.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Qualifying
1:30 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: EchoPark Texas Grand Prix at COTA

Posted on May 16, 2021May 16, 2021 by Staff Report

Reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Chase Elliott will start from the rear of the field for Sunday’s Drydene 400 at Dover International Speedway (2 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) due to multiple pre-race inspection failures.

Due to inspection issues, the No. 9 team will start from the rear of the field today at the @MonsterMile.

— Hendrick Motorsports (@TeamHendrick) May 16, 2021

The No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet failed pre-race inspection twice and will start at the rear of the field per the NASCAR Rule Book.

Elliott was slated to line up eighth for the 400-lap race this afternoon. He comes into this race with two straight top-seven finishes on the season and ranks eighth in the points standings. He has a 11.3 average finish at the “Monster Mile” with one win and seven top fives in 10 starts there.

Due to a driver change, the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet entry that will now be driven by Josh Berry — it was originally slated to be Justin Haley — will start at the rear as well. Haley is out for this race due to COVID-19 protocols.

Ryan Newman also started from the rear for unapproved adjustments. Newman was slated to start 13th in the No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford.

Posted on May 15, 2021 by Staff Report

RIVERHEAD, N.Y. — Doug Coby can be forgiven if he lost track of how many different ways wins at Riverhead Raceway slipped away.

Finally, Saturday night, the six-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion would be denied no longer.

Coby wrestled the lead away from Justin Bonsignore with 25 laps to go and drove to the win in the Miller Lite 200. It was Coby’s 30th career win and the first in 20 starts at the quarter-mile billring on the eastern tip of Long Island.

RELATED: Doug Coby Career Wins

Coby’s No. 10 Mayhew Tools Ford crossed the finish line 3.119 seconds in front of Patrick Emerling. Bongisnore, who was fastest in practice, won the Mayhew Tools Pole Award and led the first 175 laps in pursuit of his fifth straight win at his home track, finished third.

NEW. RACE. LEADER.@Doug_coby | @RiverheadRacewy pic.twitter.com/juFwzW6NDk

— NASCAR Roots (@NASCARRoots) May 16, 2021

Coby is the first driver outside of Long Island to win a tour race at Riverhead since Ryan Preece in 2013.

Kyle Bonsignore finished fourth and Woody Pitkat was fifth.

Chuck Hossfeld, Ron Silk, Eric Goodale, Dylan Slepian and Dave Sapienza rounded out the top 10.

Emerling and Goodale are tied for the championship lead after three races with 125 points apiece. Coby is seven points back, while Justin Bonsignore is nine. Kyle Bonsignore is fifth, three points behind his cousin.

NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Preece, the last Connecticut driver to win a tour race at Riverhead, had a top-10 run end on lap 133 with a cut left front tire while battling with Hossfeld. Preece finished 23rd.

Can’t turn the car with a flat left front.@RyanPreece_ | #NWMT pic.twitter.com/RN83APVlg8

— NASCAR Roots (@NASCARRoots) May 16, 2021

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour heads west to Pennsylvania for the Jennerstown Salutes 150 presented by DGV at Jennerstown Speedway.

The Miller Lite 200 streamed live on TrackPass on NBC Gold, and will re-air on NBCSN on Friday, May 21, at 5 p.m. ET.

Doug Coby, driver of #10 Mayhew Tools Chevrolet takes a victory lap after winning the Miller Lite 200 for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour at Riverhead Raceway in Riverhead, New York on May 15, 2021. (Kathryn Riley/NASCAR)

Posted on May 15, 2021 by Staff Report

RIVERHEAD, N.Y. — Justin Bonsignore keeps putting challengers in the rear view at Riverhead Raceway.

After posting the fastest time in NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour practice, the Holtsville, New York, driver backed it up by winning the Mayhew Tools Pole Award Saturday for the evening’s Miller Lite 200.

Bonsignore piloted the No. 51 NCoastal Fiber LLC Chevrolet around the quarter-mile bullring in 11.431 seconds for a speed of 78.733 mph.

Ron Silk qualified second at 11.438 (78.685), followed by Doug Coby at 11.443 (78.651).

Patrick Emerling and Timmy Solomito qualified fourth and fifth, respectively.

Eight of his 29 career wins have come at his home track, including his first career win in 2011 and the last four trips for the tour to the Long Island track.

It is Bonsignore’s 15th career pole, but remarkably just his second at Riverhead.

Kyle Bonsignore qualified sixth Saturday, followed by Anthony Nocella, Tommy Catalano, Craig Lutz and JB Fortin.

Championship points leader Eric Goodale qualified 17th, while NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Preece – another former multi-race winner at Riverhead – qualified 13th.

The Miller Lite 200 will run at 8 pm and stream live on TrackPass on NBC Gold.

Posted on May 15, 2021May 15, 2021 by Pat DeCola

Drydene 400 at Dover International Speedway (⏰ 2 p.m. ET | 📺 FS1 | 📻 MRN, SiriusXM)

Everything you need to know for Sunday’s race, the 13th points-paying NASCAR Cup Series event of the 2021 season.

Where: Dover International Speedway, a 1-mile track located in Dover, Delaware
Green flag: 2:11 p.m. ET
TV/Radio: FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Forecast: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 9 p.m. ET. Partly cloudy, with a low around 53. Chance of precipitation is 30%, according to NOAA.gov
Race Distance: 400 laps, 400 miles
Stages: 120 | 240 | 400
Pit-road speed: 35 mph
Caution car speed: 45 mph
Dover 101: Get the full lowdown
Starting lineup: See the full lineup
Pit-stall assignments: See who is pitting where | Expert breaks down pit selections

Sean Gardner | Getty Images

Five to watch

Here are five big story lines we’ll be following at Dover International Speedway.

1. It’s entirely possible Martin Truex Jr. wins out the rest of the month of May after his win at Darlington Raceway last Sunday. The only multi-winner at the Cup level this season — he has three victories — Truex enters the weekend as the race favorite at 7-2 odds. It’s for good reason, too, as the 2021 stalwart is also a three-time Dover winner and has finished in the top two in each of the last four races at the “Monster Mile.” He’ll also be among the favorites at the other two tracks in May (Charlotte Motor Speedway, three wins; Circuit of the Americas, four career road-course wins). The Summer of Marty is here.

2. If there’s a driver primed to put Truex’s show on hold, however, it’s Kyle Larson. The No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports driver is fresh off another runner-up finish at Darlington — the 24th of his 235-race career — and owns the best average finish all time at Dover with a keen 7.4. After a late-race contest last weekend, it could come down to these two drivers once again, and expect Larson to be a little more aggressive this time in search of win No. 2 on the season.

3. Quickly becoming one of the most intriguing drivers to watch every week, William Byron‘s breakout season has been so strong he’s riding a streak that last saw him finish outside the top 10 in February. At Daytona International Speedway. Yes, you read that correctly. Dover is a track that can change a driver’s fortune in a hurry, but the fourth-year talent is well on his way to a career high in top 10s with 10 already (previous high is 14) and he placed fourth in the most recent “Monster Mile” race.

4. All three of its drivers have a victory in the first third of the season, but is Team Penske showing signs of a slump? It could certainly look that way after this weekend. Brad Keselowski has been up and down of late, fighting an ill-handling car to a 24th-place finish from the Darlington pole. Bristol Dirt Race winner Joey Logano has been shut out of the top 10 in three straight races. He has never won at Dover, either, and his 41 laps led in 24 starts there are the fewest he has at any track. And don’t expect much from Ryan Blaney this weekend — he has just one top 10 in the last nine Dover races, with just four lead-lap finishes in his career there.

5. While Penske might be on the downturn, Ford stablemate Stewart-Haas Racing could be on the rise finally. Kevin Harvick is the most recent Dover victor and a threat to win every weekend, so he could certainly hoist trophy No. 1 of the season this weekend. His young teammates could be top-10 threats this weekend as well, and Dover always marks a spot where Aric Almirola might turn things around. Cole Custer won at Dover in the Xfinity Series in 2019 and has averaged a 10.5 finish in two Cup starts, while Chase Briscoe tied his best career finish (11th) last week and won the Xfinity Dover race a year ago. Almirola was seventh at Dover last fall and notched a pair of top fives in 2015, so he could potentially improve on his 24.4 average finish in 2021.

Race-day staples

Our biggest pieces of the week — get covered for race day from all angles.

• Power Rankings: Larson heating up; Dover domination ahead? | Scope the ranks
• Paint Scheme Preview: Check out the designs taking on Dover | See the schemes
• Fantasy Fastlane: See which drivers to use, avoid | Full Fantasy advice | Set your roster
• Preview Show: Jonathan Merryman and Alex Weaver preview the race | Watch the show

Get in on the action

Think you know NASCAR? Put your mettle to the test with gaming, fantasy.

• Betting odds for Dover race | See the odds
• Dover betting: How bettors benefit from lack of practice, qualifying | Find out why
• Take a shot at winning cash prizes with the free-to-play Jackpot Races app | Hit the jackpot
• Full guide to 2021 NASCAR Fantasy Live game | Get the FAQ

Track history

Every track has a story to tell. Here’s what we’ve seen go down at Dover in the past.

Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images

• Remember this?: Memorable moments from Dover | See the moments
• Spring winners: All-time winners in Dover spring race | See the list
• Front of the field: See who has led the most “Monster Mile” laps | Dover lap leaders

Fast facts

Hard-hitting, race-relevant statistics, brought to you by the experts at Racing Insights.

• The 2018 fall race winner, Chase Elliott‘s seven Dover top fives are his most at any track.
• Aric Almirola has only one top-10 finish this season. He had four at this point last year and 18 at the end of 2020.
• Daniel Suarez has finished in the top 10 in four of his eight Dover starts and won there in the Xfinity Series in 2016.
• Alex Bowman is slumping lately but could rebound at Dover — he has finished in the top five in three of the last five races there.
• Erik Jones is battling for top 20s at the moment and should have a good shot at one this weekend. He has finished top 20 in seven of his eight Dover starts.

Catch the pack

Read up on all the headlines from the week leading up to Sunday’s race.

• Ready to retire: Texas Motor Speedway president Eddie Gossage to step down after All-Star Race | Track release
• Vote now, vote often: NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race Fan Vote open now | Cast your ballot
• Wolfe out: No. 22 crew chief suspended for lug violation | Read more
• Sense of normalcy: NASCAR no longer requiring masks in outside area | Read more
• No. 2 crew chief out: Jeremy Bullins once again sidelined for Dover race | Read more

Say what?

Notable quotes from the stars of the sport heading into Sunday’s race.

“(Catching Denny Hamlin atop the standings is) doable for sure. It’s obviously going to take a little bit of rough luck on their part. We’ve had a couple bad races and that’s really the difference. Wrecked at Daytona, wrecked at Talladega and a flat tire on the last green-white-checkered at Bristol really hurt us. We’ve had a couple really bad finishes and that’s really the difference. They’re going to need to have a few of those I think for us to catch them. We’ll see how it plays out. Obviously, feeling great about where we are as a team and what we’re doing. If we can keep winning races, we’ll do what we need to do points-wise.” — Martin Truex Jr., driver of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Sean Gardner | Getty Images

“There’s things (about Dover) that really separate it from the others; but to me, those features are things that weren’t, I guess, new to me coming from dirt racing and seeing a lot of different tracks. That sensation you have driving off of the banking down into the corner is a lot more than a lot of the tracks that we do go to. But I’ve raced a lot of different tracks at a lot of different places, so those sensations that you have at Dover, they never really jumped out at me when I first went there. Probably the biggest one is I feel like you have to be aggressive to make some good lap times, but you can burn your tires up. But at the same time, if you do make that mistake off of Turn 2 or Turn 4 and overcorrect it or bounce off the fence, it’s very easy once you’ve lost control to find yourself spun around backward or heading towards the inside wall.” — Tyler Reddick, driver of the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

“I thought we had a couple decent runs (at Dover) last year. I don’t think we’ve been in contention for a win, but I feel like this year we’ve learned a lot of stuff where we can go back and see what we’ve got, so I’m looking forward to this weekend, trying to get another Miles. That’s my Xfinity one (behind on the desk), so hopefully we can get a Cup one here.” — Ryan Blaney, driver of the No. 12 Team Penske Ford

“First of all, I think everybody at Hendrick has given us a great race car to work with. So, our product, to start with, has been very good. So, we start with a good product and we tune on it and William has been very involved in all the set-ups and what wasn’t good before and going well and what we can do better. By bringing small pieces here and there, we’ve just made some really good decisions. We’ve had some good luck and we’ve capitalized.” — Rudy Fugle, crew chief of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet for William Byron, on the team’s top-10 finish streak

Posted on May 15, 2021May 16, 2021 by Zack Albert

Josh Berry finished second for the second consecutive Saturday in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, but this time a six-figure Dash 4 Cash prize that his race team has monopolized this year was waiting at the end.

Berry was the runner-up to race winner Austin Cindric in Saturday’s Drydene 200 at Dover International Speedway, but he was best among the four eligible drivers for the Dash 4 Cash $100,000 bonus. Berry led 48 of the 200 laps and topped JR Motorsports teammate Justin Allgaier (third place), 15th-place finisher Noah Gragson and early retiree Brandon Jones (35th).

Saturday marked the last of the four races in this year’s Dash 4 Cash program. Gragson won the previous three bonuses for JRM — cashing in at Martinsville, Talladega and Darlington — and Berry’s finish rounded out a 4-for-4 sweep for the Dale Earnhardt Jr.-owned organization. In the moments after the finish, Berry said he wasn’t sure what he’ll do with his share of the bonus check.

RELATED: Race results | Dover weekend schedule

“No, not yet. It’s still amazing for JR Motorsports,” said the 30-year-old Berry. “I’ve learned throughout my opportunity this year how big of a deal that is, and we can’t thank Xfinity enough for putting that on and doing that. JR Motorsports won all four of them, so that’s amazing combined with Noah’s. I think we’re going to talk about what we want to do with it, but it’s still really cool to do.”

It was already a big weekend planned for Berry at the Monster Mile. The circumstances were unfortunate, but he was tapped to make his NASCAR Cup Series debut for Spire Motorsports in Sunday’s Drydene 400 (2 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM) after Justin Haley was ruled out of the No. 77 ride by COVID protocols. Allgaier said he was also considered as a substitute for Spire, but with his wife, Ashley, close to her due date with the couple’s second child, he said he made a prudent choice to limit his time away from home.

Credit Berry’s work in a part-time role with JRM’s No. 8 Chevrolet team for being among the top fill-in candidates. Three of his last four races have produced finishes of first, second and second — including an emotional breakthrough triumph last month at Martinsville Speedway. Given his chance to perform on the national-series level, the reigning NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series champion is making the most of the spotlight.

“I think it was a huge confidence-booster for all of us, a huge weight off our shoulders,” said Berry, who now has 16 career Xfinity Series starts. “I think I made it pretty clear how bad I wanted to win and these guys did, too. Really, going into this opportunity, I felt like, man, if I won, that was like the epitome, the best possible scenario of winning a race. Really, we’ve had the chance to win several. These races are hard to win, the series is tough. I mean, there’s a lot of experience here, so just really thankful to be doing it. I think we’re attracting a lot of attention and that’s amazing.”

Allgaier led the most laps — 94 — but his No. 7 JRM Chevrolet faded after Cindric took command for keeps on Lap 150. Gragson dropped off the lead lap after a late pit stop to tighten lug nuts on his No. 9 Chevy. Jones exited during Stage 2 when his Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19 Toyota collided with the No. 11 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet of Zane Smith, ending his race after 68 laps.

Next to Berry, Allgaier emerged as the strongest contender for both the race win and the Dash 4 Cash prize. Allgaier won Stage 1, and Berry iced Stage 2, and Allgaier had regained the top spot before Cindric’s late surge to the checkered flag.

“It’s hard to be disappointed when you run up front all day and you finish third,” said Allgaier, who won for the second time this season in last weekend’s race at Darlington. “It’s still a great day for us. Yeah, I would have loved to have won the race, I would have loved to have won the Dash 4 Cash, but we got beat by two cars and two drivers that were better at the end of the race there. I can’t be super-disappointed in that. I’ve got to take the positives and go on to next week.”

Allgaier added that he was happy to see the Dash 4 Cash bonus stay within the JR Motorsports fold, tipping his cap to Berry, who had never competed on Dover’s rugged 1-mile layout until a runner-up finish Friday in the ARCA Menards Series East race.

“Yeah, super difficult,” Allgaier said of Berry making his first Dover start without the benefit of practice or qualifying. “Obviously, this was a big one for them. They came up yesterday and got to run the ARCA race and that’s been Josh’s biggest thing is just not having experience at these race tracks. I thought that was really good for them yesterday, but he’s done a great job. His preparation’s great. He’s obviously an incredible race car driver. Throughout the years watching him race Late Models, it’s obvious he’s a great race car driver but then to come and do what he’s doing is really, really cool.”

Posted on May 15, 2021May 15, 2021 by Staff Report

RIVERHEAD, N.Y. — Justin Bonsignore is looking to defend his home turf. He started strong with practice Saturday afternoon.

The two-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion topped the charts at Riverhead Raceway with a lap of 11.539 seconds (77.996 mph) in his No. 51 Coastal Fiber LLC Chevrolet around the quarter-mile bullring.

Bonsignore has won seven of the last 10 tour stops at his home track. Saturday night’s Miller Lite 200 is the third race of the 2021 season and the first of three tour races at Riverhead.

RELATED: Complete Practice Results

Doug Coby, who briefly topped the charts halfway through the one-hour session, wound up second quick. He had a lap of 11.547 – just .008 behind Bonsignore. The six-time tour champion is looking for his first win at Riverhead.

Ron Silk was third quick at 11.553, followed by Patrick Emerling and Jon McKennedy.

Championship poins leader Eric Goodale was sixth, followed by Craig Lutz, Tommy Catalano, Chuck Hossfeld and Timmy Solomito. Goodale (2014) and Solomito (2016 and twice in 2017) are the only drivers beside Bonsignore to win at Riverhead since 2014.

NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Preece, a three time Riverhead winner between 2012-13, was 14th fastest.

Qualifying for the Miller Lite 200 is scheduled for 6 p.m., with the race at 8 p.m. live on TrackPass on NBC Gold.

Posted on May 15, 2021May 15, 2021 by Holly Cain

After steadily making his way forward for most of the race, reigning NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Austin Cindric wrangled the lead from Justin Allgaier with 51 laps remaining and then checked out on the field to claim his third trophy of the season in Saturday’s Drydene 200 at Dover (Del.) International Speedway.

Josh Berry passed his JR Motorsports teammate Allgaier with 28 laps to go finishing runner-up and winning the prized Xfinity Dash 4 Cash $100,000 bonus check. Allgaier held onto third, followed by Kaulig Racing driver AJ Allmendinger and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Ty Gibbs, who led all 125 laps en route to the ARCA Menards Series win at the Dover one-miler on Friday.

RELATED: Race results | Dover weekend schedule

For much of the race it looked like the JR Motorsports teammates, Allgaier and Berry, would settle the trophy between themselves. Allgaier won the first stage and Berry the second stage – their first stage wins of the season. Allgaier, a two-time Dover winner and the only driver in Saturday’s field with a previous win at the track, led a race best 94 of the 200 laps. Berry led 48.

But it was the methodical work of Cindric, 22, who was eighth at the end of Stage 1 and third in Stage 2 – who ultimately rallied for his series’ best third victory. His 3.786-second margin of victory indicative of what the No. 22 Team Penske Ford was able to do once Cindric got out front.

“I’m fired up man, I love this race track more than anywhere else we go,” said a smiling Cindric, who now has 11 career Xfinity Series wins. “I love coming here.”

“It is hard to believe but starting 16th at this joint, it isn’t easy to pass,” Cindric continued. “We just kept at it the whole time. We made the right adjustments on pit stops and I feel like I have learned a lot about this race track, enough to get the Car Shop Ford Mustang into Victory Lane.”

Harrison Burton, Michael Annett, Ryan Sieg, Daniel Hemric and Brandon Brown rounded out the top-10 finishers.

There were eight caution periods on the afternoon – including a 10-minute red flag period to clean-up after a wreck involving Jesse Little, Matt Mills, Matt Jaskol and Josh Williams. But it was a caution-free affair once Cindric wrestled the lead from Allgaier in a tight door-to-door battle.

Allgaier, who won his second race of the season last week at Darlington and joins Cindric as the series only multi-time winners of 2021, told his team he had some tire rub in that close-quarter racing with Cindric for the lead. And Allgaier’s JR Motorsports teammate Berry was able to get by 22 laps later, settling the Dash 4 Cash prize.

“It could have been one spot better, we were so good today,” Berry said. “That last run we just fired off too free. Me and Justin got racing each other and the 22 (Cindric) got away. We just weren’t quite as good in that last run as the run before. It’s tough. But when you’re in the top-two or three all day, there’s still a lot to be proud of.”

Berry was the top finisher in a field of four eligible drivers in the final race of the year for the Dash 4 Cash program. Berry topped JR Motorsports teammates Allgaier and Gragson (who placed 15th), plus Joe Gibbs Racing’s Brandon Jones — the first retiree among the group. Jones completed just 68 laps after contact with Zane Smith’s No. 11 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet sent both cars into the outside retaining wall. Smith was a late fill-in for Justin Haley, who is sitting out Dover’s doubleheader weekend because of COVID-19 protocols.

This marks the first win at the notoriously tough Dover “Monster Mile” for Cindric and it’s his first win since a torrid streak to open the year including wins in the season-opener at Daytona and another at the Phoenix one-miler.

“Every win means so much and of everyone that is in this series – I have the unique opportunity to know what I’m doing in the future,” Cindric said. “I respect that the guys that I am racing around are trying to get to the top level. I know I have that for me down the road, but I have to bring that same energy that I am racing against.

“These wins are really hard to come by. It sucks that we have had some bad races recently, but that makes this one feel so much better.”

With the victory, Cindric increased his Xfinity Series championship lead to 62 points over Hemric in second and 74 over Harrison Burton in third.

Next Saturday, the series makes its debut at the Circuit of The Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas. The Pit Boss 250 on the 3.4-mile road course starts at 4 p.m. ET (FS1, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Note: No issues were found in post-race inspection and Cindric was confirmed as the winner of the race.

Contributing: Staff reports

Posted on May 15, 2021 by Staff Report

The following article is brought to you by BetMGM.

Once again, it’s time to attempt to conquer the “Monster Mile.” NASCAR folks, it’s Dover time.

The NASCAR Cup Series invades the Delaware track this weekend and the expected favorites most likely won’t surprise anybody. Four drivers — Martin Truex, Jr., Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, and Ryan Newman — have won three career races apiece at Dover International Speedway, and they’ll be racers to keep an eye on for those who like to bet NASCAR online.

They are all expected to be factors Sunday in the Drydene 400. Another five drivers who are in this weekend’s field have won at least one career race at the 1-mile track. Harvick and Denny Hamlin captured the two races last year.

So who else figures prominently into the NASCAR odds this week at Dover? We give you an idea and also take a look at a few drivers who may not be on your radar yet.

THE FAVORITE

Martin Truex, Jr. (+350)

In 2007, Truex won his first NASCAR Cup Series race, and it happened to be at Dover — a track that is very close to his New Jersey roots. While he has been a frequent series winner in recent seasons (30 career victories), he didn’t win a whole lot back in the early years — and it would take him six years to win again in the sport’s highest series (2013 at Sonoma Raceway).

So, Dover is a special place for Truex. He also won there in 2019 and 2016, and he owns an 11.5 average finish at the track, taking 18 top-10 finishes in 30 career starts. Couple that with his two wins in the NASCAR Xfinity Series circuit, and it’s apparent he likes the place.

Along with his great record at Dover, he also has raced well in 2021. He has three wins this year at Phoenix Raceway, Martinsville Speedway and last week at Darlington Raceway, and he is currently second in the season’s standings behind Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Hamlin. Truex will start No. 1 in the race based on NASCAR’s 2021 start formula (the sport hasn’t done traditional pole qualifying this year).

OTHERS: While Truex is a solid choice to place a few dollars on, so is Kyle Larson (+450). Larson is right behind Truex in the NASCAR betting lines and is just ahead of Hamlin (+500). Larson is intriguing because he has nine top 10s in 12 career starts and a NASCAR-best 7.4 when it comes to average place/finish. Larson has won at Dover in both the Cup and Xfinity Series and is a viable threat. Hamlin will start No. 2 and Larson No. 4.

THE DARK-HORSE THREAT

Joey Logano (+1400)

While Logano may not perch atop the racing odds this week, he’s traditionally strong at Dover (14 top 10s in 24 starts). He’s more consistent at only one other track left on the NASCAR Cup Series regular-season schedule, and that’s Michigan International Speedway (17 career top 10s).

Logano also has four NASCAR Xfinity Series wins at the track. He’ll start in the No. 9 position and should be a factor. After a couple of tough outings the past few weeks (no top 10s the past three races), one can be sure he would like to start a new trend. He is currently fourth in the series standings, behind Hamlin, Truex and William Byron.

OTHERS: It has been a while since Brad Keselowski’s lone career win at Dover (2012), but he has been pretty reliable at the track (10 top 10s in 22 starts) and also won at the Delaware track in the Xfinity series. Keselowski (+1400) starts No. 15 on the grid.

THE INTRIGUING LONG SHOT

Daniel Suarez (+12500)

Suarez was solid at Dover when he was with Joe Gibbs Racing in 2017 and 2018, finishing in the top 10 in all four races held those two seasons. He also won a race at the track in the Xfinity Series (2016). It is arguably his best track, as he has the most career top 10s there and one of his top average-finish marks (13.8). Can he recapture that success? It wasn’t that long ago he found success at Dover. He starts in the No. 24 spot.