Xfinity Series News (7053)
NASCAR Xfinity Series News
|
"At the beginning of this race, we had a great No. 3 South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet Camaro, quickly picking up about 10 positions in the first few laps. I could see cars hesitating getting into Turn One so I attacked the corner, and I was able to leapfrog a lot of cars there. Unfortunately, I got spun out late in Stage 2 and had to pit for fresh tires. That set us back in field, and we really could not catch a break after that. On the restart of the final stage, they started wrecking in front of me in Turn One and I had no where to go. I tried to gain as many positions as I could, but unfortunately I didn't get the finish this team deserves. This was my final race of the season with this No. 3 team and I can't thank them enough for the effort they have put into giving me fast, competitive race cars this season. I'm grateful everyone at Richard Childress Racing and ECR let me wheel this No. 3 South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet at these road courses, just disappointed in the results." -Brendan Gaughan |
|
Daniel Hemric Leads Laps, Wins Stage in Inaugural Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval Event |
|
"I didn't make a mistake all weekend and, unfortunately, when I didn't need to make one, I did. I just wheel-hopped it going into the last chicane chasing the No. 98 (Chase Briscoe) for the lead and ran through the grass. That led to a stop-and-go penalty on the track and dropped us well outside the top 10 with only a handful of laps to go. I'm frustrated with myself and no one else. I had a car that should have won this race today. I'm proud of everyone on this South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet team for putting forth the effort and for giving me a race car that I could contend with. This thing was unbelievable longer into a run. I was struggling taking off and I put a lot of rear brake in it to help, I just didn't put it back. I got in the corner and wheel-hopped it because of what I did with the brake bias. I know better. It's all on me. I thought I could catch him. What I am not frustrated with is how hard these RCR guys are working to bring fast race cars week-in and week-out. If we can limit our mistakes, we will keep contending for wins and we hope to do that to close out this first round of the playoffs next weekend at Dover." -Daniel Hemric |
RCR PR
Chase Brsicoe won today's Blue Cross & Blue Shield 200 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval.
"This is unbelieveable," Briscoe told NBC Sports following his win.
Rounding out the top five were Justin Marks in second, Austin Cindric in third, Brandon Jones in fourth and Christopher Bell in fifth.
Saturday's win marked Briscoe's first win in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
This was Briscoe's third win of his career.
His other two wins came at Homestead and Eldora in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
Recap of Stage's 1 & 2:
After Stage 1, Daniel Hemric would lead over Cole Custer. Rounding out the top five were Tyler Reddick in third, Austin Cindric in fourth and Justin Marks in fifth. The average speed of Stage 1 was 91.166 mph. Stage 1 would see a total of one lead change and 1 caution.
After Stage 2, Christopher Bell would lead over Cole Custer. Rounding out the top five were Tyler Reddick in third, Brandon Jones in fourth and Elliott Sadler in fifth. The average speed of Stage 2 was 89.378 mph. Stage 2 would see a total of three lead changes and two cautions.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series heads to Dover next Saturday at 3:00 p.m. Eastern on NBCSN.
Stage 1 Winner: Daniel Hemric
Stage 2 Winner: Christopher Bell
Race Winner: Chase Briscoe
LeithCars.com Sponsors NASCAR Xfinity Team at Charlotte's New Roval
29 Sep 2018 Written by Steven B. WilsonAfter unveiling a unique tribute design on the No. 66 Toyota Camry driven by Timmy Hill for MBM Motorsports September 18th at Leith Toyota, LeithCars.com now has its sights set on the first-ever #ROVAL NASCAR race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, September 29th.
Not only is Charlotte's new road course + oval (ROVAL) a brand new track set-up, the NASCAR Xfinity Series Drive for the Cure 200 will also see the first ever sponsorship of a NASCAR stock car by LeithCars.com based in Raleigh, the Capital City.
LeithCars.com is one of the most recognized websites for consumers searching for new or used cars, trucks, and SUV's in the Triangle area as well as across the state and east coast. Leith, Inc. is the parent company, operating over 25 automobile dealerships in Raleigh, Cary, Wendell, and Aberdeen featuring 22 distinct automotive brands.
2019 will mark Leith, Inc.'s 50th anniversary of serving the automotive needs and dreams of the local community, earning the reputation as "The Name You Can Trust."
For Saturday's Xfinity Series race at Charlotte, LeithCars.com chose MBM Motorsports out of Statesville, N.C. and their No. 66 Toyota Camry driven by 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year, Timmy Hill.
Hill was enthusiastic at the unveiling of his car during an interview for the YouTube automotive series "Zero To 60."
"Great time with the Leith Cars people and everyone who came out this evening! For those who didn't get the chance to make it out, here is what our Leith Cars Toyota will look like for next week's race at the Charlotte Roval!"
The Number 66 Toyota carries a special design scheme that pays tribute to a local NASCAR Grand National Cup driver who competed in a sky blue Dodge in the mid-sixties. Gene Hobby, out of Apex, North Carolina became a friend of the LeithCars.com marketing team last fall during a production shoot with Our State Magazine.
Follow the LeithCars.com team on social media September 29th (@leithcars) for the first-ever #ROVAL NASCAR race. We'll have videos and more posted before, during and after the event.
LeithCars.com PR
Gase Prepares for the First Ever Running of the Charlotte ROVAL
28 Sep 2018 Written by Steven B. WilsonThe NASCAR circuit has seen its fair share of road courses throughout the years; but none like the ROVAL. This weekend will be the inaugural running of the ROVAL at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The combination of the oval and the road course will present many challenges for everyone. The 2.85 mile track includes 30 feet of elevation change to go with 17 different turns.
The NASCAR XFINITY Series had not had a single second of testing on the track leading up to the weekend. However, NASCAR allowed two 2-hour practice session yesterday afternoon that were optional for teams to run. Gase was able to go out and get some laps in to get himself familiar with the new track and prepare for the 55 lap dash to the checkered on Saturday.
We sat down with Gase earlier today to get his thoughts on the new road course after testing. "It's going to be very interesting," Gase replied with a smile. "A lot of the track is actually relatively slow and very technical. Then you also have very high speed parts of the track with bus stops that make it very difficult. The fans are going to get their money worth this weekend that's for sure!"
TV / Radio:
The first NASCAR XFINITY Series running of the ROVAL can be seen live Saturday, September 29th on NBCSN as well as streaming on the NBC Sports App. You can also listen live on PRN as well as Sirius XM Radio, channel 90. Coverage for the Drive for the Cure 200 will begin at 3:00 p.m. ET.
Joey Gase PR
Katherine Legge will return to familiar – but strange – territory this weekend.
Legge is a veteran of sports car racing on road courses, and that’s where she’ll compete in Saturday’s Drive for the Cure 200 Xfinity Series race. But the course – the track’s new “roval” combining parts of the CMS oval and the infield course – will be all new to Legge. And to everyone else in the field.
Legge will drive the JD Motorsports with Gary Keller No. 15 Chevrolet Saturday.
“Everybody is going to be playing a guessing game to a certain extent,” said team owner Johnny Davis. “Although some teams have had some test laps on the track, the race itself will be a whole new deal. We’ll give Katherine the best car we can prepare and shoot for a great finish.”
The race will be Legge’s fourth for JD Motorsports this season. She finished 30th at Mid-Ohio, 14th at Road America and 28th last week at Richmond Raceway in her NASCAR oval debut.
Practice is scheduled at 1:05 and 3:05 p.m. Friday. Qualifying is set for 12:10 p.m. Saturday, with the race to follow at 3 p.m.
JDM PR
Garrett Smithley knows Saturday’s first race on the new road course-oval combination at Charlotte Motor Speedway will be a big challenge.
But, as Smithley points out, it will be the same challenge for everyone in the Drive for the Cure 200 field.
“Nobody really knows what’s going to happen,” Smithley said. “That’s what’s crazy about this weekend. The track is brand new. There are no secrets. No one knows much about the right setup. It’s going to be a big test.”
The track has 17 turns and is 2.28 miles in length. The race is 55 laps, or 125 miles. Because of the combination of high speeds on the oval portion of the track and tight passing conditions around the infield road course, some level of mayhem is expected.
Smithley will drive the No. 0 Chevrolet for JD Motorsports with Gary Keller.
Practice, which will be particularly important this week, is scheduled at 1:05 and 3:05 p.m. Friday. Qualifying is set for 12:10 p.m. Saturday, with the race to follow at 3 p.m.
JDM PR
Maryland driver Lawson Aschenbach will return to the cockpit of a JD Motorsports with Gary Keller Chevrolet this week.
Aschenbach will drive the No. 01 Chevrolet in Saturday’s Drive for the Cure 200 at the new “roval” at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The 2.28-mile track is made up of portions of the CMS oval and infield road course and will be raced for the first time in Saturday’s Xfinity event.
Aschenbach, 34, has driven one race for JD Motorsports. He finished 23rd at Road America in 2015.
Aschenbach has been racing professionally for a dozen years and has four Pirelli World Challenge championships.
Practice for Saturday’s race is scheduled at 1:05 and 3:05 p.m. Friday. Qualifying is set for 12:10 p.m. Saturday, with the race to follow at 3 p.m.
JDM PR
Ross Chastain takes on a totally new challenge this weekend as he shoots for a spot in the Round of 8 in the NASCAR Xfinity Series playoffs.
Chastain will drive the JD Motorsports with Gary Keller No. 4 Chevrolet in Saturday’s Drive for the Cure 200, which will be the first race on Charlotte Motor Speedway’s new “roval,” which combines the CMS oval with portions of the infield road course.
“The road course at Charlotte is a new challenge for the entire sport, and no matter how it ends up for our No. 4 car I’ll enjoy the challenge of it,” Chastain said. “It definitely took some brave men and women at NASCAR to put this idea into motion. Our goal is the obvious goal everyone has -- to finish. Rolling the car back in the hauler at the end of the day will be a huge success.”
Chastain sits fourth in the playoff standings and has an 18-point edge over ninth-place Cole Custer, who sits in the first spot outside the Round of 8 cutoff. Chastain finished second to Christopher Bell last week at Richmond Raceway.
Chastain has led a career-high 272 laps this year and has completed 97.7 percent of the scheduled laps. He can clinch a spot in the Round of 8 on points this weekend with some help, and also could with a win.
Practice, which will be particularly important this week, is scheduled at 1:05 and 3:05 p.m. Friday. Qualifying is set for 12:10 p.m. Saturday, with the race to follow at 3 p.m.
JDM PR
Spencer Boyd Brings Inspiration of Cancer Survivor to Drive for the Cure 200
25 Sep 2018 Written by Steven B. WilsonSpencer Boyd knew the story of Liz’s battle with cancer having been part of the Grunt Style family for three seasons now. What he didn’t know was the inspiration it could bring to many other women faced with the same situation. “It is a part of her life that I wanted to know more about,” said Boyd. “What I didn’t know is how much it would affect my outlook on life, so I wanted to use the platform I have to retell her story hoping that many more can benefit.”
Liz and her husband Daniel started Grunt Style in 2009 working tirelessly to build their business and the brand. Long days, sleepless nights, and bringing their young son Ethan along for the ride was the norm for this young family fresh out of the Army. What wasn’t part of the business plan was the stage three aggressive breast cancer diagnosis Liz was given on December 1, 2014. The cancer was discovered via an annual visit because for a woman in her thirties, feeling anything other than worn out was just part of her career and taking care of a five year old. The following year would change Liz’s life forever…
“I wasn’t ashamed by the diagnosis. It’s not contagious,” remarked Liz in an interview. “I knew I had a rough road ahead of me so I used Facebook as a tool to let everyone know. I felt connected with my friends and family as the outpouring of support came in. At the same time, I didn’t want it to consume my life. I still woke up at 5:30 to work out. I went to the office every day. I changed my diet and focused on healthy living to help me through what I knew was coming next.”
Liz would undergo six rounds of chemotherapy in the ensuing months, a lumpectomy to remove the masses, and radiation every day after the surgery. “There were definitely ups and downs during treatment,” reflected Alarik. “I lost my hair 2 weeks into treatment which was devastating emotionally for me. Certainly the diagnosis was hard to deal with at first, but my hair is a major part of my femininity and what makes me feel pretty. I decided to shave my head and get a wig. The boys, Ethan and Daniel, shaved theirs as well to show their love and support.”
In follow up visits in November and December of 2015, Liz was given a clean bill of health by her doctors. Her experience gave her insight into how she wanted to continue the healthy living lifestyle she had developed over the previous year. “Everyone deals with it differently. Some survivors say ‘I made it through that scare’ and continue on with their life. That’s okay. I wanted to live better and enjoy what is important. I realized not only that I wanted to spend more time with family and friends, but that I’m important too. I take more time for myself and have since retired from my position at Grunt Style so that I can see Ethan grow up. Cancer didn’t define me…it was hard to deal with, but it has made me a better person. I challenge all the women out there who have been diagnosed with this question, ‘What are you going to do after that day?’ and let your innermost reason for living shine for the rest of your life.
