Tag: Xfinity Series

Bristol race schedule: Cup, Xfinity, and Truck Series start times

Check out the weekend schedule at Bristol Motor Speedway for the NASCAR Cup, Xfinity, and Truck Series!

NASCAR is heading to Bristol Motor Speedway in what is set to be an incredibly tense weekend of racing for the sport’s top-3 series. The Cup Series will take on the final race of the Round of 16 while the Xfinity Series is ready for the beginning of the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Truck Series is gearing up for the Round of 8 with four championship spots on the line.

The Truck Series kicks off the weekend on Thursday night as the Xfinity Series races on Friday night. Then, the Cup Series will close out the weekend with the Bass Pro Shops Night Race on Saturday night. Only two drivers, Kyle Larson and Tyler Reddick, have clinched spots in the Round of 12 as of this point.

Here’s the full weekend schedule for Bristol, with start times and broadcast information for each session:

NASCAR Cup Series:

Friday: Practice (4:35 p.m., ET, USA Network), Qualifying (5:20 p.m., USA Network)

Saturday: Bass Pro Shops Night Race (7:30 p.m. ET, USA Network)

NASCAR Xfinity Series:

Friday: Practice (2:35 p.m., ET, USA Network), Qualifying (3:10 p.m., USA Network), Food City 300 (3:00 p.m., USA Network)

NASCAR Truck Series:

Thursday: Practice (4:00 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 2), Qualifying (4:35 p.m., FOX Sports 2), UNOH 200 presented by Ohio Logistics (9:00 p.m., FOX Sports 1)

JR Motorsports reveals update for 2024 Xfinity Series driver lineup

JR Motorsports reveals an update for its 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series driver lineup ahead of this year’s playoffs.

[autotag]JR Motorsports[/autotag] has at least one decision to make with its 2024 driver lineup as Josh Berry will leave the NASCAR Xfinity Series program to drive the No. 4 Cup car for Stewart-Haas Racing. Berry will replace Kevin Harvick, who is set to retire at the conclusion of the 2023 season. This means the No. 8 Xfinity car is open for next year.

On Tuesday morning, JR Motorsports announced a portion of its 2024 driver lineup; however, it was not for the No. 8 car. The organization announced that Sam Mayer would return to the No. 1 car for a third full-time season with the race team. Mayer has won two races during the 2023 season after not winning any Xfinity Series races in his previous years.

The driver of the No. 1 car enters the Xfinity Series playoffs with a nine-point advantage to the cut-line as the fifth-highest seed. Mayer will look to push for his first Xfinity Series championship and a ride confirmation for the 2024 season will help him fully focus on that goal.

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NASCAR entry lists at Bristol, notable entries for Cup, Xfinity, and Truck

Check out NASCAR’s entry lists for this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway, including notable entries in the Cup, Xfinity, and Truck Series.

NASCAR is heading to the only pavement weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway and the entry lists are stacked. Starting with the Cup Series, Ryan Newman returns to the No. 51 car for Rick Ware Racing while Carson Hocevar continues his stretch of race with Legacy Motor Club in the No. 42 car.

Most notably in the Xfinity Series, Dale Earnhardt Jr. makes his return to stock car racing by wheeling the No. 88 car for JR Motorsports. It will be his first race at Bristol since 2017. Next, Trevor Bayne will make his second start in the No. 19 car for Joe Gibbs Racing this season. Finally, Derek Kraus is listed as the driver of the No. 11 car for Kaulig Racing.

In the Truck Series, there are 38 entries, which should set up for a fun qualifying session. Carson Kvapil makes his NASCAR debut in the No. 7 truck for Spire Motorsports while William Sawalich receives another start in the No. 1 truck for TRICON Garage. Parker Kligerman will also participate in the No. 75 truck for Henderson Motorsports.

The entry lists are stacked with an incredible amount of big names and this weekend’s NASCAR racing at Bristol should exceed the hype. It will kick off on Thursday night with the Truck Series on FS1.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. resumes NASCAR driving career at Bristol in 2023

Dale Earnhardt Jr. will resume his NASCAR driving career at Bristol Motor Speedway as he races in the Xfinity Series event on Friday night.

[autotag]Dale Earnhardt Jr.[/autotag] retired from full-time racing in the NASCAR Cup Series at the conclusion of the 2017 season; however, that has not stopped the Hall-of-Fame member from competing for his own race team. Earnhardt has driven an entry in the NASCAR Xfinity Series since the 2001 season and that will continue this weekend.

The JR Motorsports co-owner will drive the No. 88 car for the organization in the Xfinity Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway. It will mark Earnhardt’s first start at Bristol since his retirement in 2017. The No. 88 car will be sponsored by Hellman’s and the paint scheme for the event has already been revealed.

Earnhardt’s best finish since his full-time retirement was fourth place at Richmond Raceway in 2018 and if the JR Motorsports driver can gain three more spots on Friday night, it would be one of the most memorable victories in recent memory.

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NASCAR sets 12-driver playoff grid for the 2023 Xfinity Series playoffs

NASCAR has set the 12-driver playoff grid for the 2023 Xfinity Series playoffs following the regular season finale in Kansas City, Kansas.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series has finished the 2023 season and it has set up for what will be a great postseason. Austin Hill claimed the regular season title while John Hunter Nemechek finished with six victories, which is the most of any driver in the series.

Meanwhile, Riley Herbst failed to make the 2023 Xfinity Series playoff after an epic points battle with Parker Kligerman. Outside of Herbst, Brandon Jones is the most notable driver to miss the show. As for other prominent drivers who missed the playoffs, Ryan Sieg, Jeremy Clements, Brett Moffitt, and Kaz Grala rounded out the list.

Twelve drivers will now fight it out for the 2023 Xfinity Series championship. Each driver and their respective playoff points are listed below.

NASCAR Xfinity Series playoff drivers (2023):

  1. No. 20 John Hunter Nemechek – 49 playoff points
  2. No. 21 Austin Hill – 39 playoff points
  3. No. 7 Justin Allgaier – 26 playoff points
  4. No. 00 Cole Custer – 17 playoff points
  5. No. 1 Sam Mayer – 15 playoff points
  6. No. 16 Chandler Smith – 9 playoff points
  7. No. 8 Josh Berry – 9 playoff points
  8. No. 2 Sheldon Creed – 8 playoff points
  9. No. 18 Sammy Smith – 6 playoff points
  10. No. 27 Jeb Burton – 6 playoff points
  11. No. 10 Daniel Hemric – 3 playoff points
  12. No. 48 Parker Kligerman – 2 playoff points

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John Hunter Nemechek dominates at Kansas for sixth Xfinity win in 2023

John Hunter Nemechek dominates at Kansas Speedway for his sixth NASCAR Xfinity Series victory of the 2023 season.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series has finished the 2023 regular season and [autotag]John Hunter Nemechek[/autotag] firmly established himself as the championship favorite. Nemechek dominated at Kansas Speedway for his series-leading sixth victory of the year. The driver of the No. 20 car blew out the rest of the field and cruised to an easy victory.

Nemechek beat Brandon Jones, who was in a must-win situation to make the 2023 playoffs. Also, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver won both stages for a total of seven playoff points and led 154 of the 200 laps. It was simply another statement win by the driver who will be behind the wheel of the No. 42 Cup car for Legacy Motor Club next season.

Now, the Xfinity Series will step foot into the Round of 12 as it kicks off next weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Kansas Lottery 300 top-10 finishing order:

  1. No. 20 John Hunter Nemechek
  2. No. 9 Brandon Jones
  3. No. 2 Sheldon Creed
  4. No. 48 Parker Kligerman
  5. No. 21 Austin Hill
  6. No. 8 Josh Berry
  7. No. 25 Brett Moffitt
  8. No. 11 Derek Kraus
  9. No. 19 Joe Graf Jr.
  10. No. 26 Kaz Grala

Austin Hill clinches 2023 Xfinity Series regular season championship

Austin Hill has clinched the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series regular season championship at Kansas Speedway.

[autotag]Austin Hill[/autotag] entered the 2023 NASCAR season looking to improve upon an already successful rookie campaign and immediately showed he will be a force to be reckoned with all year. Hill won three times in the first five races of the season and then followed it up with another win at Pocono Raceway later in the summer. This all led up to Saturday afternoon at Kansas Speedway.

The Richard Childress Racing driver officially clinched the 2023 Xfinity Series regular season championship over John Hunter Nemechek at Kansas in the finale. Hill officially earned 15 playoff points, which equals out to three victories, for accomplishing the feat. It has been a massive season for the driver of the No. 21 car.

Now, Hill will enter the Round of 12 with 39 playoff points. The Richard Childress Racing driver has been one the most consistent drivers during the regular season and he has finally been rewarded with the highest honor at this point in the year. The chase for a first Xfinity Series title begins next weekend.

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Joe Gibbs Racing’s next steps for its Xfinity Series lineup in 2024

This is what Joe Gibbs Racing should do with its NASCAR Xfinity Series lineup as John Hunter Nemechek leaves the program in 2024.

[autotag]Joe Gibbs Racing[/autotag]’s program in the NASCAR Xfinity Series will have a different look for the 2024 season. It was announced on Wednesday evening that John Hunter Nemechek would leave the organization for a ride in the NASCAR Cup Series with Legacy Motor Club starting next year. It marked the end of a multi-year journey for Nemechek to return to the Cup Series.

Now, Joe Gibbs Racing needs to make some changes. Sammy Smith should return to the No. 18 car but that only leaves one full-time driver for the organization with the No. 20 car becoming vacant and the No. 19 car being used as an “All-Star” entry. However, there is one move that makes sense for everyone involved.

Ryan Truex will return to Joe Gibbs Racing with hopes for a full-time season. It makes all of the sense in the world to make Truex the full-time driver of a second entry alongside Smith. The focus right now is finding the needed sponsorship but there isn’t a driver that deserves an opportunity at a full-time ride for Joe Gibbs Racing more than Truex.

There are other names that also make sense for Joe Gibbs Racing, such as Trevor Bayne and Corey Heim. With Bayne, he has competed in the All-Star entry several times over the last two seasons and would bring veteran experience. As for Heim, he is a rising driver who currently drives in the NASCAR Truck Series for TRICON Garage. Both would make sense for next year.

Either way, Joe Gibbs Racing will need to make some changes to its lineup and if everything goes according to plan, Truex should be the one that claims Nemechek’s spot as a full-time driver. It will be interesting to see what happens next as Joe Gibbs Racing represents one of the powerhouse organizations in the Xfinity Series.

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Kansas race schedule: Cup, Xfinity, and Truck Series start times

Check out the weekend schedule at Kansas Speedway for the NASCAR Cup, Xfinity, and Truck Series!

NASCAR is heading to Kansas Speedway in what is set to be a very intense weekend of racing for the sport’s top-3 series. The Cup Series is set to take on the second race of the Round of 16 while the Xfinity Series is ready for the regular season finale. Meanwhile, the Truck Series is about to conclude the Round of 10 as two drivers will be eliminated this weekend.

The Truck Series kicks off the weekend on Friday night as the Xfinity Series races on Saturday afternoon. Then, the Cup Series will close out the weekend with the Hollywood Casino 400 on Sunday afternoon. Only one driver, Kyle Larson, has clinched a spot in the Round of 12 after his win at Darlington Raceway.

Here’s the full weekend schedule for Kansas, with start times and broadcast information for each session:

NASCAR Cup Series:

Saturday: Practice (Noon, ET, USA Network), Qualifying (12:45 p.m., USA Network)

Sunday: Hollywood Casino 400 (3:00 p.m. ET, USA Network)

NASCAR Xfinity Series:

Saturday: Practice (10:05 a.m. ET, USA Network), Qualifying (10:35 a.m., USA Network), Kansas Lottery 300 (3:00 p.m., NBC)

NASCAR Truck Series:

Friday: Practice (3:35 p.m. ET, No TV), Qualifying (4:05 p.m., No TV), Kansas Lottery 200 (9:00 p.m., FOX Sports 1)

Derek Kraus listed as driver of No. 10 Xfinity car for Kaulig Racing at Kansas

Derek Kraus is listed as the driver of the No. 10 car for Kaulig Racing in next weekend’s Xfinity Series race at Kansas Speedway.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series has two races remaining in the 2023 regular season as drivers are looking to set themselves up for a run at the championship. The first of those races is at Darlington Raceway, which also represents the final race that NASCAR Cup Series drivers can race due to Kansas Speedway being the finale. For teams who utilize Cup Series drivers, this can be a big change.

[autotag]Kaulig Racing[/autotag] has done that with its No. 10 Xfinity car as Kyle Busch is set to compete at Darlington; however, the organization is prepared for next weekend. According to the NASCAR Roster Portal on September 1, [autotag]Derek Kraus[/autotag] is listed as the driver of the No. 10 car for Kaulig Racing in Kansas. This would be Kraus’ fifth Xfinity Series start of the season.

The Kaulig Racing driver has two top-10 finishes in four starts with the organization. If Kraus is tapped to do several races throughout the 2023 playoffs, it could represent a great opportunity for him to truly showcase his talent on a weekly basis.

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