Sunoco Rookie Austin Cindric starts 2022 season off with a big win

Team Penske’s Austin Cindric kicked down the door to his NASCAR Cup Series rookie season with a massive victory in the season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway.

With the victory, Cindric became the first rookie to win the prestigious event and the ninth different driver to win his first NASCAR Cup Series race in the Daytona 500; joining Tiny Lund (1963), Mario Andretti (1967), Pete Hamilton (1970), Derrike Cope (1990), Sterling Marlin (1994), Michael Waltrip (2001), Trevor Bayne (2011), Michael McDowell (2021). He also is the second youngest winner of the Daytona 500 at 23 years, 5 months, and 18 days behind Trevor Bayne, who won the event at the age of 20.

Now Cindric is looking to join Matt Kenseth (2009: Daytona, Auto Club), Jeff Gordon (1997: Daytona, Rockingham), David Pearson (1976: Riverside, Daytona), Bobby Welborn (1959: Champion, Daytona) and Marvin Panch (1957: Lancaster, Concord) as the fifth different driver to start a season with back-to-back wins.

This weekend will be Cindric’s series career track debut at Auto Club Speedway. The 23-year-old has three NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at 2-mile track posting a best finish of third in 2020.


Cindric and Keselowski are tied atop the NASCAR Cup Series driver standings

After a wild season-opening Daytona 500 that concluded in overtime, the NASCAR Cup Series finds itself with a tie atop the driver standings with Team Penske driver and Daytona 500 champion Austin Cindric tied with RFK Racing’s Brad Keselowski with 54 points each. Cindric’s victory at Daytona gives him the tiebreaker heading into this weekend at Auto Club Speedway.

Cindric’s win has locked him into the Playoffs, and now the rising star is tasked with becoming the sixth different driver to win the Daytona 500 and the series championship in the same season; joining Lee Petty (1959), Richard Petty (four times: 1964, 1971, 1974, 1979), Cale Yarborough (1977) and Jeff Gordon (1997), Jimmie Johnson (2006, 2013). If Cindric accomplishes the feat, he would be the first rookie to do so.

Rookie Austin Cindric wins 2022 Daytona 500

By Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – On the 85th birthday of his car owner, Roger Penske, 23-year-old NASCAR Cup Series rookie Austin Cindric beat Bubba Wallace to the finish line by .036 seconds in overtime to win Sunday’s 64th running of the Daytona 500.

 

In a thrilling run to the finish in NASCAR’s new Next Gen race car at Daytona International Speedway, Cindric held off Wallace and Chase Briscoe (.091 seconds behind) to notch his first Cup victory in his eighth start in the series.

 

Cindric got the win in chamber-of-commerce weather with a sold-out crowd jamming the grandstands.

 

“Oh, my God—do you know what makes this even better? A packed house,” Cindric exulted after climbing from his car. “A packed house at the Daytona 500. “Oh, my God, I’ve got so many people to thank. First and foremost, Roger Penske. Happy Birthday!

 

“Everyone has worked so hard on this Next Gen car and through the whole process. I am so excited. This makes up for losing a championship in the last race I was in (2021 Xfinity Series season finale at Phoenix Raceway).

 

“I’m surrounded by great people, that’s all there is to it. I know there’s going to be highs and lows, being a rookie. I’m just grateful for the opportunity and excited to climb the mountain ahead of us on the No. 2 team. We’re in the Playoffs—that’s one box checked. My gosh, what an awesome group of fans; what an awesome race car. I’m just really thankful.”

 

A three-car wreck in Turn 4 on Lap 195 of a scheduled 200 wiped out the No. 47 Chevrolet of Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who was leading for a restart on that same lap but was turned by a push from Brad Keselowski. The incident forced the race to overtime, requiring one extra lap for Cindric to claim victory.

 

An earlier six-car accident on Lap 190 had eliminated reigning series champion Kyle Larson, Kevin Harvick, Todd Gilliland, Erik Jones and Noah Gragson, who was making his first start in NASCAR’s top division.

 

Cindric was the leader when the race restarted on Lap 200, and at the end of a wild two-lap scramble—after blocking a strong run from Team Penske teammate Ryan Blaney—he arrived at the finish line roughly three feet ahead of Wallace, who was runner-up in the Great American Race for the second time.

 

“I thought our Toyota teammates did good work until they got picked off 1, 2, 3 throughout the race, so we just had to survive,” said Wallace, who finished .260 seconds behind race winner Austin Dillon in the 2018 Daytona 500.

 

“Great Speedweeks, though. We’ll come home second. I’m going to be pissed off about this one for a while. I was happy on the first second place we got a couple years ago. This one sucks when you’re that close, but all-in-all, happy for our team, happy for our partners, and on to California.”

 

Blaney came home fourth, followed by Aric Almirola, who will leave full-time racing at the end of the season. Kyle Busch, Michael McDowell, David Ragan, Keselowski and Chase Elliott completed the top 10.

 

Less than three laps from the end of the first stage, a push from Keselowski turned the No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford of Harrison Burton sideways at the head of the outside lane. Burton’s Mustang nosed down the track into the No. 24 Chevrolet of William Byron, whose car slammed nose-first into the inside wall on the backstretch.

 

Kyle Busch spun sideways during the ensuing eight-car wreck. Denny Hamlin’s Toyota sustained terminal suspension damage, eliminating the field’s only multiple winner of the Daytona 500. The No. 1 Chevrolet of Ross Chastain was also knocked out of the race.

 

After the impact with Byron’s car and a jolt from the Toyota of Christopher Bell, Burton’s Ford turned upside down and landed on top of the Chevrolet of Alex Bowman, who had started the race on the outside of the front row. The impact righted Burton’s car, which a wrecker towed to the garage. Bowman lost four laps as his crew tried to return the No. 48 Camaro to raceable condition.

 

“I’m fine—I’ve hit a lot harder before, that’s for sure,” Burton said after a trip to the infield care center. “It’s just unfortunate. I hate it for the Wood Brothers group. They brought a really fast Ford Mustang down here and ended up on our lid, so that’s never good…

 

“I don’t know, I just got pushed and didn’t take it the right way—the car didn’t take it the right way or got pushed in the wrong spot. I’m not sure. I couldn’t really tell. I was looking out front to see what I had to do next to side draft the next guy that was on me, so just a bummer. I don’t really know what we could have done different, but we’ll move on and get better from it.”

 

From Hamlin’s standpoint, it was clear what happened.

 

“The 6 (Keselowski) was pushing the 21 (Burton) and you could see the 21 was kind of getting out of control there,” said Hamlin, who failed to finish a Daytona 500 for the first time in 17 starts and lost his chance for a fourth visit to Victory Lane. “So you know the mind-set was that you’ve got to back off, but I think the 6 was just insistent on pushing him at all costs and eventually turned the 21 around.

 

“Tough, you know, considering it was just for the stage. We were kind of boxed in there where I noticed that something was going to happen, but I was boxed in, I was behind a teammate (Kyle Busch), and I wanted to try to help. Again, just too aggressive pushing right there when they weren’t lined up and in control.”

 

Truex won the first stage under caution and then claimed victory in the second stage, which ran under green-flag conditions from the restart on Lap 72 to the conclusion on Lap 130. Truex came from third to first on the final lap to grab the stage win.

 

Keselowski, however, was first off pit road under caution for the stage break and led the field to green for a restart on Lap 138. Keselowski held the top spot until Tyler Reddick’s Chevrolet broke loose in Turn 4 on Lap 151 and started a wreck that damaged the contending cars of Truex, Joey Logano and Kurt Busch.

 

The NASCAR Cup Series returns to the track next week at Auto Club Speedway for the Wise Power 400 on February 27, 2022.

 

NASCAR Cup Series Race – 64th Annual DAYTONA 500

Daytona International Speedway

Daytona Beach, Florida

Sunday, February 20, 2022

 

1. (5)  Austin Cindric #, Ford, 201.
2. (16)  Bubba Wallace, Toyota, 201.
3. (9)  Chase Briscoe, Ford, 201.
4. (7)  Ryan Blaney, Ford, 201.
5. (38)  Aric Almirola, Ford, 201.
6. (10)  Kyle Busch, Toyota, 201.
7. (6)  Michael McDowell, Ford, 201.
8. (34)  David Ragan, Ford, 201.
9. (3)  Brad Keselowski, Ford, 201.
10. (11)  Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 201.
11. (26)  Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 201.
12. (33)  Daniel Hemric(i), Chevrolet, 201.
13. (14)  Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 201.
14. (24)  Corey LaJoie, Chevrolet, 201.
15. (27)  Landon Cassill(i), Chevrolet, 201.
16. (4)  Chris Buescher, Ford, 200.
17. (32)  Cody Ware, Ford, 200.
18. (21)  Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet, 199.
19. (17)  Kurt Busch, Toyota, 199.
20. (31)  Cole Custer, Ford, 199.
21. (20)  Joey Logano, Ford, 198.
22. (40)  Jacques Villeneuve, Ford, 198.
23. (25)  Justin Haley, Chevrolet, 198.
24. (2)  Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 197.
25. (36)  Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 197.
26. (35)  Kaz Grala(i), Chevrolet, 196.
27. (37)  BJ McLeod, Ford, 196.
28. (18)  Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet, Accident, 194.
29. (13)  Erik Jones, Chevrolet, Accident, 191.
30. (22)  Kevin Harvick, Ford, DVP, 191.
31. (39)  Noah Gragson(i), Chevrolet, Accident, 190.
32. (1)  Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, Accident, 190.
33. (29)  Todd Gilliland #, Ford, Accident, 190.
34. (12)  Christopher Bell, Toyota, Accident, 152.
35. (15)  Tyler Reddick, Chevrolet, Accident, 151.
36. (28)  Greg Biffle(i), Chevrolet, 136.
37. (30)  Denny Hamlin, Toyota, Accident, 63.
38. (23)  William Byron Jr., Chevrolet, Accident, 62.
39. (8)  Harrison Burton #, Ford, Accident, 62.
40. (19)  Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, Accident, 62.

 

Average Speed of Race Winner:  142.295 mph.

Time of Race:  3 Hrs, 31 Mins, 53 Secs. Margin of Victory:  .036 Seconds.

Caution Flags:  7 for 37 laps.

Lead Changes:  35 among 13 drivers.

Lap Leaders:   K. Larson 0;B. Keselowski 1-6;K. Busch 7;B. Keselowski 8-26;K. Busch 27-31;B. Keselowski 32;K. Busch 33-37;R. Stenhouse Jr. 38;H. Burton # 39;J. Logano 40;K. Busch 41-57;W. Byron Jr. 58;H. Burton # 59-60;M. Truex Jr. 61-67;A. Dillon 68;E. Jones 69-71;R. Blaney 72-107;M. Truex Jr. 108;B. Wallace 109;B. Keselowski 110-124;K. Larson 125;B. Keselowski 126-129;M. Truex Jr. 130-132;B. Wallace 133;B. Keselowski 134-155;B. Wallace 156;A. Cindric # 157-162;B. Wallace 163-166;A. Cindric # 167-168;B. Wallace 169-170;A. Cindric # 171-175;B. Wallace 176-177;R. Stenhouse Jr. 178;B. Wallace 179;R. Stenhouse Jr. 180-193;A. Cindric # 194-201.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  Brad Keselowski 6 times for 67 laps; Ryan Blaney 1 time for 36 laps; Kyle Busch 4 times for 28 laps; Austin Cindric # 4 times for 21 laps; Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 3 times for 16 laps; Bubba Wallace 7 times for 12 laps; Martin Truex Jr. 3 times for 11 laps; Harrison Burton # 2 times for 3 laps; Erik Jones 1 time for 3 laps; Joey Logano 1 time for 1 lap; William Byron Jr. 1 time for 1 lap; Austin Dillon 1 time for 1 lap; Kyle Larson 1 time for 1 lap.

Stage #1 Top Ten: 19,6,38,47,22,3,45,43,5,9

Stage #2 Top Ten: 19,22,23,6,47,2,17,4,5,38

 

Odds to win 2020 Pennzoil 150 at Indianapolis

Chase Briscoe is 7/1 to win Saturday at Indianapolis.

WESTGATE LAS VEGAS SUPERBOOK

NASCAR XFINITY SERIES

ODDS TO WIN 2020 PENNZOIL 150

INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

SATURDAY, JULY 4, 2020 - 3:15 PM ET

Austin CINDRIC 7/5
AJ ALLMENDINGER 5/2
Justin ALLGAIER 7/1
Chase BRISCOE 7/1
Noah GRAGSON 12/1
Ross CHASTAIN 25/1
Justin HALEY 25/1
Harrison BURTON 60/1
Brandon JONES 60/1
Jeremy CLEMENTS 50/1
Alex LABBE 80/1
Michael ANNETT 80/1
Jeb BURTON 80/1
Anthony ALFREDO 100/1
Riley HERBST 100/1
Brett MOFFITT 200/1
Ryan SIEG 200/1
Myatt SNIDER 200/1
Brandon GDOVIC 200/1
Brandon BROWN 300/1
Josh BILICKI 300/1
Josh WILLIAMS 1000/1
Timmy HILL 1000/1
Jeffrey EARNHARDT 2000/1
Joe GRAF JR 2000/1
FIELD (all others) 50/1

Xfinity Series: Odds to win 2019 B&L Transport 170 at Mid-Ohio

Austin Cindric won at Watkins Glen course last week.

WESTGATE LAS VEGAS SUPERBOOK
ODDS TO WIN 2019 B&L TRANSPORT 170
MID-OHIO SPORTS CAR COURSE
SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, 2019 - 3:15 PM ET

Austin CINDRIC 2/1
AJ ALLMENDINGER 5/2
Justin ALLGAIER 7/1
Cole CUSTER 10/1
Christopher BELL 10/1
Regan SMITH 12/1
Tyler REDDICK 20/1
Chase BRISCOE 20/1
Justin HALEY 40/1
Noah GRAGSON 40/1
Michael ANNETT 40/1
Jeffrey EARNARDT 40/1
John Hunter NEMECHEK 40/1
Brandon JONES 80/1
Jeremy CLEMENTS 100/1
Ryan SIEG 200/1
Scott HECKERT 500/1
FIELD (all others) 40/1

Xfinity Playoff Outlook: Who’s in & who’s out

Quickly approaching is the conclusion of the regular season, and several drivers’ fates haven’t been decided. With just six races to go, six different drivers have won this season – leaving six spots still up for grabs as the series prepares for this Saturday’s B&L Transport 170 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

The six drivers who have enjoyed the spoils of Victory Lane this year are Christopher Bell (five wins), Cole Custer (five wins), Tyler Reddick (three wins), Austin Cindric, Chase Briscoe and Michael Annett (one win each). But with six races remaining there are scenarios where the drivers with only one win could still be knocked out of Playoff contention.

The remaining six drivers without wins in the Top 12 of NASCAR Xfinity Series driver standings who currently have an opportunity to make the Playoffs on points are Justin Allgaier, Noah Gragson, Justin Haley, John Hunter Nemechek, Ryan Sieg and Brandon Jones. Allgaier is the defending winner of last season’s Mid-Ohio race.

Brandon Jones is currently 12th in the NASCAR Xfinity Series driver standings also known as the ‘Playoff hotseat,’ although this season, with his sizable 102-point lead over the postseason cutoff, the seat is mostly lukewarm. But if a driver outside the top 12 on the Playoff outlook were to win over these next six races, Jones could find himself on the outside-looking-in for the postseason.

Below is a detailed look at who is in and who is out for the Xfinity Playoffs as the series heads to Mid-Ohio Sports Car course for the second of four road courses on the 2019 schedule.

Rank	Driver	Points	Starts	Attempts	Race Wins	Stage Wins	Playoff Points	Points From Cutoff
1	Christopher Bell	857	20	20	5	13	38	In On Wins
2	Cole Custer	790	20	20	5	6	31
3	Tyler Reddick	889	20	20	3	3	18
4	Austin Cindric	698	20	20	1	1	6
5	Chase Briscoe #	663	20	20	1	0	5
6	Michael Annett	629	20	20	1	1	6
7	Justin Allgaier	742	20	20	0	4	4	310
8	Noah Gragson #	661	20	20	0	1	1	229
9	Justin Haley #	627	20	20	0	1	1	195
10	John H. Nemechek #	605	20	20	0	0	0	173
11	Ryan Sieg	538	20	20	0	1	1	106
12	Brandon Jones	534	20	20	0	1	1	102
13	Gray Gaulding	432	20	20	0	0	0	-102
14	Jeremy Clements	386	20	20	0	0	0	-148
15	Brandon Brown #	380	20	20	0	0	0	-154
16	Josh Williams	312	19	20	0	0	0	-222
17	Ray Black II	312	20	20	0	0	0	-222
18	Garrett Smithley	303	20	20	0	0	0	-231
19	Stephen Leicht	285	20	20	0	0	0	-249
20	David Starr	230	20	20	0	0	0	-304
21	Vinnie Miller	226	20	20	0	0	0	-308
22	Joey Gase	177	19	20	0	0	0	-357

Drivers want to know: Can I clinch?

With six races remaining in the regular season, the opportunity for six new drivers to win is still an option. So, while the three drivers with multiple wins – Christopher Bell (five), Cole Custer (five) and Tyler Reddick (three) - have all clinched their spots in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs, the contenders with only one victory still have a chance to be ushered out of the postseason.

Possible Clinch Scenarios For Mid-Ohio:

Austin Cindric (1 win, 698 points, +459 points ahead of 21st) has already clinched a Top 20 spot in the driver standings. If he should win or if there is a repeat winner this weekend, he would clinch a Playoff spot on wins.

Cindric is coming off his first career NASCAR Xfinity Series win at Watkins Glen International last weekend. This season has been a breakout year for Cindric as the 20-year old has put up a victory, seven top fives and 14 top 10s. The Team Penske driver’s road course prowess also has him as a favorite for this weekend at Mid-Ohio. The North Carolina native made his series track debut at Mid-Ohio last season, winning the pole and leading a race-high 59 laps and finishing second to Justin Allgaier.

Chase Briscoe (1 win, 663 points, +424 points ahead of 21st) has already clinched a Top 20 spot in the driver standings. If he should win or if there is a repeat winner this weekend, he would clinch a Playoff spot on wins.

Briscoe has stepped up with his opportunity this season to compete for a championship with Stewart-Haas Racing with Fred Biagi. The Indiana native has posted one win (Iowa-2), eight top fives and 15 top 10s; including a sixth-place finish last weekend at Watkins Glen. Last season, Briscoe made his series track debut at Mid-Ohio driving for Roush Fenway Racing – he started 18th and finished 14th.

Michael Annett (1 win, 629 points, +390 points ahead of 21st) has already clinched a Top 20 spot in the driver standings. If he should win or if there is a repeat winner this weekend, he would clinch a Playoff spot on wins.

Annett looks to be a true championship contender this season having put up a win (Daytona-1), five top fives and 14 top 10s in 20 starts; including an eighth-place finish on the Watkins Glen road course last weekend. But the Iowa native will have his work cut out for him this Saturday’s B&L Transport 170 at Mid-Ohio, as the JR Motorsports driver has made three starts on the multi-elevational road course, posting a best finish of 18th last season.  

Justin Allgaier (0 wins, 742 points, +503 points ahead of 21st) has already clinched a Top 20 spot, but even with a win he would not clinch due to the possibility of a winless regular season champ. If he can't clinch with a win, no winless driver below him in the NASCAR Xfinity Series driver championship standings could clinch either.

Allgaier is the defending Mid-Ohio winner heading into Saturday’s race, but what adds even more pressure is the series veteran is still looking for his first victory of 2019. As the regular season comes to a close, the pressure will just continue to mount, but the Illinois native is no stranger to it as he won five races last season and the regular season championship. Allgaier and his JR Motorsports No. 7 team have been heading in the right direction this season and just haven’t been able to close out a win, but have amassed nine top fives and 12 top 10s; including a third-place finish last weekend at Watkins Glen. 

“I’m really looking forward to getting back to Mid-Ohio. It’s a challenging road course, but we were able to bounce back from spinning in last year’s race to get our BRANDT Professional Agriculture Camaro to Victory Lane, so I’m confident we can go there and contend for the win again,” said Justin Allgaier. “Jason Burdett (crew chief) made great calls in the pits last weekend at Watkins Glen and we were able to come home with a solid top-three finish. Our goal is to continue that positive momentum through this road-course stretch.”

The 34-year old Allgaier has made four series starts at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course posting one win (2018), two top fives, three top 10s and an average finish of 11.2.

Mid-Ohio could see seventh different winner in as many races

The NASCAR Xfinity Series has been competing on the multi-elevation road course known simply as the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course since 2013, and each event since has produced a different winner, six in total. This season three of the former Mid-Ohio Xfinity Series winners, AJ Allmendinger (2013), Regan Smith (2015) and Justin Allgaier (2018), are entered in this Saturday’s (Aug. 10) B&L Transport 170 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, forcing the question – ‘Will we see a seventh different winner?’

NASCAR Xfinity Series
Active Road Course Winners
Active Road Course Winners	Wins
Justin Allgaier	3
AJ Allmendinger	2
Austin Cindric	1
Chase Briscoe	1
Jeremy Clements	1
Morgan Shepherd	1
Regan Smith	1

The six different Xfinity winners at Mid-Ohio are A.J. Allmendinger (2013), Chris Buescher (2014), Regan Smith (2015), Justin Marks (2016), Sam Hornish Jr. (2017) and Justin Allgaier (2018).

Plus, entered this weekend are seven former Xfinity Series road course winners; led by Justin Allgaier with three Xfinity road course wins.

As noted, three former Mid-Ohio winners are entered this weekend; including road course ace AJ Allmendinger who will be making his third start of the season with Kaulig Racing. Allmendinger is hoping this third-time is the charm as the former fulltime Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver turned TV analyst’s previous two starts with Kaulig Racing have resulted in two consecutive post race disqualifications (Daytona-2 and Watkins Glen). Allmendinger can bounce back this weekend at Mid-Ohio though, as in his lone start at the track he qualified second and led a race high 73 laps en route to a victory. A win would be a welcomed result as Kaulig Racing’s owner Matt Kaulig has made it clear that bringing Allmendinger in was part of a quest to go ‘trophy hunting’.

Much like Kaulig Racing, JR Motorsports has also called on a road course extraordinaire who was a former fulltime Monster Energy Series driver now turned TV analyst in Regan Smith to pilot the No. 8 Chevrolet this weekend at Mid-Ohio. Smith, a former winner at Mid-Ohio is ecstatic about his opportunity.

“I’m thrilled to be back in the car for JR Motorsports, especially at a road course where I’ve already won,” said Smith. “My background is at road courses — I just love it. Mid-Ohio is challenging, but I know with Taylor (Moyer, crew chief) and the entire No. 8 team, we have a shot to get that Fire Alarm Services Chevy into Victory Lane.”

The New York native has made four series starts at Mid-Ohio, posting one win (2015), two top fives and an average finish of 11.5. He has also led 19 laps. 

Smith’s JRM teammate Justin Allgaier is also a former Mid-Ohio winner looking to repeat and end the different winners streak this weekend. Allgaier grabbed his Mid-Ohio victory last season, one of his three road course wins in his career – most among active drivers.  Allgaier has made four series starts at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course posting one win (2018), two top fives, three top 10s and an average finish of 11.2.

First-Time Winners Are Common On Xfinity Road Courses

NASCAR Xfinity Series
First-Time Winners On Road Courses
First-Time Winners	Track	Date
Chase Briscoe	Charlotte ROVAL	9/29/2019
Jeremy Clements	Road America	8/27/2017
Michael McDowell	Road America	8/27/2016
Justin Marks	Mid-Ohio	8/13/2016
Chris Buescher	Mid-Ohio	8/16/2014
Brendan Gaughan	Road America	6/21/2014
AJ Allmendinger	Road America	6/22/2013
Nelson Piquet Jr	Road America	6/23/2012
Boris Said	Montreal	8/29/2010
Marcos Ambrose	Watkins Glen	8/9/2008
Juan Pablo Montoya	Mexico City	3/4/2007
Denny Hamlin	Mexico City	3/5/2006
Ron Fellows	Watkins Glen	6/28/1998
Bill Elliott	Watkins Glen	6/26/1993

Since 1982, there have been 14 total; and in the last 11 seasons, road courses in the NASCAR Xfinity Series have produced 10 first-time series winners; including Chase Briscoe’s first career win last season at the Charlotte ROVAL.

Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course stakes claim to two of those 10 first-time winners – Chris Buescher (2014) and Justin Marks (2016). 

In this Saturday’s (Aug. 10) B&L Transport 170 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, there are 24 drivers entered in the field are looking for their first NASCAR Xfinity Series win.

Nine entered this weekend will be making their series track debut at Mid-Ohio – Lawson Aschenbach, Brandon Brown, Patrick Gallagher, Gray Gaulding, Noah Gragson, Justin Haley, Matt Mills, John Hunter Nemechek, and Josh Williams. 

Regular Season Wrap: Time is running short with six races to go

The diversity of the next six tracks on the schedule to round out the regular season is astounding and the ability of the NASCAR Xfinity Series competitors to navigate these different facilities at such a high level is quite impressive. This weekend the series heads to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for the B&L Transport 170 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course – follows The Glen as the second of four road courses on the schedule this season. Though both are labeled as multi-elevational road courses, that’s where the similarities between Mid-Ohio and The Glen end. Mid-Ohio is a 2.258-mile course with 13 different turns located in Lexington, Ohio. Drivers will compete for 75 laps (169.35 miles) in the event with the first stage ending on Lap 20 and the second stage ending on Lap 40. Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course has hosted six NASCAR Xfinity Series races, producing four different pole winners and six different race winners. JR Motorsport’s Justin Allgaier won the Xfinity Series Mid-Ohio race last season. This year’s B&L Transport 170 at Mid-Ohio is scheduled for Saturday, August 10 at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Bristol Motor Speedway – will be the last short track the NASCAR Xfinity Series competes on in the regular season and the second time the series has visited the track this year. Nestled in Thunder Valley, Bristol Motor Speedway, is a short track that is 0.533-mile in length with variable banking of 24 to 28 degrees in the turns. Set for 300 laps (159.9 miles) total, the first stage will end on Lap 85 and the second stage will end on Lap 170. Bristol has hosted 74 NASCAR Xfinity Series races, producing 48 different pole winners and 47 different race winners. Chip Ganassi Racing’s Kyle Larson won last season’s Xfinity Series Bristol August race and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell won at the half-mile track earlier this season. This season’s Food City 300 is scheduled for Friday night, August 16 at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Road America – is the last road course the NASCAR Xfinity Series will compete on in the regular season and is the third of four scheduled on the year. Known as one of the drivers’ favorite courses to race on, Road America is a multi-elevation four-mile road course with 14 different turns located in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. This year’s event will be 45 laps (180 miles) with the first stage ending on Lap 10 and the second stage ending on Lap 20. Road America has hosted nine NASCAR Xfinity Series races, producing six different pole winners and nine different race winners. JR Motorsport’s Justin Allgaier won this event at Road America in 2018. This season’s CTECH Manufacturing 180 is scheduled for Saturday, August 24 at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Darlington Raceway – is one of the most historic and admired tracks in NASCAR history; largely due to the unique 1.366-mile egg-shaped layout. Located in Darlington, South Carolina, with 25 degrees of banking in Turns 1-2 and 23 degrees of banking in Turns 3-4, the distinctive shaped facility offers a one-of-a-kind challenge to the competitors. The event will be 147 laps (200.8 miles) with the first stage ending on Lap 45 and the second stage ending on Lap 90. Darlington has hosted 58 NASCAR Xfinity Series races, yielding 28 different poles winners and 30 different race winners. Team Penske’s Brad Keselowski won the 2018 Xfinity Series race at Darlington.  This season’s Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 is scheduled for Saturday, August 31 at 4 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway – is considered one of the most prestigious and historic tracks in American racing history. The almost rectangular-shaped four corner track is 2.5-miles in length with nine degrees of banking in the turns and located in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Indiana 250 will be 100 laps (250 miles) with the first stage ending on Lap 30 and the second stage ending on Lap 60. Indianapolis Motor Speedway has hosted seven NASCAR Xfinity Series races, putting together three different pole winners and five different race winners. JR Motorsport’s Justin Allgaier won the 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Indianapolis.  This season’s Indiana 250 is scheduled for Saturday, September 7 at 4 p.m. ET on NBCSN, IMS and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Las Vegas Motor Speedway – will close out the 2019 NASCAR Xfinity Series regular season not only deciding who makes Playoffs but also who is this year’s regular season champion. Las Vegas Motor Speedway is a 1.5-mile track with 20 degrees of banking in the turns located just north of Las Vegas, Nevada. The event will be 200 laps (300 miles) with the first stage ending on Lap 45 and the second stage ending on Lap 90. Las Vegas Motor Speedway has hosted 24 NASCAR Xfinity Series races, producing 17 different pole winners and 17 different race winners. Chip Ganassi Racing’s Ross Chastain won last season’s regular season finale and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch won the Xfinity Series race at Las Vegas earlier this season. This season’s DC Solar 300 is scheduled for Saturday, September 14 at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Xfinity’s Big 3 looking to regain traction

After winning 13 of the first 18 races of the 2019 season, including nine straight (Races 7 through 15) the Big 3 must be feeling a little out of place as they haven’t been to Victory Lane in the last two events. But that could all change this weekend as the powerhouse trio heads to the 2.258-mile, 13 turn Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for the B&L Transport 170 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Don’t get it twisted, the Xfinity ‘Big 3’ have challenged for the last two wins, they just didn’t win them. Last weekend at Watkins Glen International, the first of four road courses the series visits this season, Christopher Bell finished second, Reddick was fifth and Custer was seventh. 

Turning their focus to this weekend in Ohio, Custer once again has the most experience at the track having made two series starts and posting a best finish of seventh last season. Bell and Reddick both made their series track debuts at Mid-Ohio last season, Bell finished 11^th and Reddick finished 31^st after being caught in an incident.

Jack Hawksworth to make NASCAR national series debut

Joe Gibbs Racing announced on Wednesday that Jack Hawksworth will be piloting the No. 18 Toyota at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course this weekend, replacing Jeffrey Earnhardt who tweeted earlier in the day that he would not be in the car.

Despite his newness to NASCAR, the 28-year-old native of Bradford, England, has a history at Mid-Ohio – and knows where Victory Lane is. Earlier this season, Hawksworth co-piloted a Lexus RV F GT3 to the win in the GTD class in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Challenge race. It was the first of two IMSA wins this year for Hawksworth, who competes fulltime in the series.

He also made a start last year at Mid-Ohio in IMSA, finishing fourth.

Over the course of three fulltime seasons in IndyCar (2014-2016), Hawksworth made three starts at the 2.4-mile road course. He recorded a best finish of eighth in 2015 while driving for the legendary AJ Foyt.

Regarding making his NASCAR debut this weekend, Hawksworth said, “It’s a fantastic opportunity in a completely different series, against completely different competition and in a different type of racing. From a personal perspective, I’m very excited to experience something new and to be challenged in a new way. It’s going to be very different, I’m sure it’s going to be difficult and there’s going to be a bit of a learning curve with it, but I’m going into it with a championship-winning organization so that gives me a lot of confidence.”

Parade Laps: Insights ahead of this week’s driver media breakouts

This weekend’s media breakout session will have four NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers participating at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course prior to B&L Transport 170 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (3 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The session is scheduled for Friday, August 9 from 3:15 - 3:30 p.m. ET. This week’s participants will include Team Penske’s Austin Cindric, JR Motorsport’s Justin Allgaier, Kaulig Racing’s Justin Haley and RSS Racing’s Ryan Sieg. 

Austin Cindric (No. 22 Team Penske Ford Mustang)

Birthdate: September 2, 1998

Driver’s Age: 23

Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Hobbies: Mountain biking, water sports, listening to music

Team: Team Penske

Crew Chief: Brian Wilson

Xfinity Career Highlights:

• Won his first career NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Watkins Glen International last weekend.
• Ran a full Xfinity season in 2018, splitting time with Roush Fenway Racing and Team Penske, making the Playoffs and ultimately finishing eighth in championship standings.
• In 2017, he made his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut at Road America driving for Team Penske; he started on the pole but finished 16th.

2019 Season Highlights:

• Currently fifth in the NASCAR Xfinity driver points standings, 191 points back from the series standings lead. Can clinch a spot in the 2019 Playoffs with a win or a repeat winner this weekend.
• In 20 starts this season he has posted one pole, one win (Watkins Glen), seven top fives and 14 top 10s.

Mid-Ohio Performance:

• Cindric made his series track debut at Mid-Ohio last season. He started from the pole and led a race-high 59 laps but finished second to Justin Allgaier. 

Justin Allgaier (No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro)

Birthdate: June 6, 1986

Driver’s Age: 33

Hometown: Riverton, Illinois

Hobbies: R/C cars, wakeboarding, graphic design, dirt racing

Team: JR Motorsports

Crew Chief: Jason Burdett

Xfinity Career Highlights:

• In 2018, he won the NASCAR Xfinity Series regular season championship and made the Playoffs for the third consecutive season after posting a career-high five wins on the season.
• In 2016 and 2017, made the Championship 4 in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs.
• In 2011, 2016 and 2017, scored career-best third-place finish in NASCAR Xfinity Series standings.
• Won first career NASCAR Xfinity Series race in 2010, at Bristol in March. Currently has 10 career Xfinity wins.
• Won 2009 NASCAR Xfinity Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors.

2019 Season Highlights:

• Currently fourth in the NASCAR Xfinity driver points standings (highest ranked driver without a win), 147 points back from the series standings leader Tyler Reddick and 48 points back from third place Cole Custer.
• In 20 starts this season he has posted nine top fives, 12 top 10s and an average finish of 11.2.

Mid-Ohio Performance:

• Has made four series starts at Mid-Ohio posting one win (2018), two top fives and three top 10s.
• Average start, 10.2 and his average finish, 11.2.

Justin Haley (No. 11 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet Camaro)

Birthdate: April 28, 1999

Driver’s Age: 20

Hometown: Winamac, Indiana

Hobbies: Muscle car restoration, sports car racing, surfing, fishing and hunting, triathlons,

mountain biking, fitness, graphics & design, anything competitive

Team: Kaulig Racing

Crew Chief: Lennie Chandler

Xfinity Career Highlights:

• Signed with Kaulig Racing in the off season to run his first full season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2019 – a Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate.
• Posted series career-best finish of runner-up – this season at Daytona in July.
• Made NASCAR Xfinity Series career debut last season - making three starts for GMS Racing posting a best finish of 12th at Iowa Speedway.

2019 Season Highlights:

• Currently ninth in the NASCAR Xfinity driver championship standings, 262 points back from the series standings leader Tyler Reddick, but only two points behind eighth place Michael Annett.
• In 20 starts this season he has posted two top fives, 14 top 10s and an average finish of 9.8.
• Currently third in Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings, 36 points back from Chase Briscoe in the rookie standings lead.

Mid-Ohio Performance:

• This weekend he will be making his series track debut at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

Ryan Sieg (No. 39 RSS Racing Chevrolet)

Birthdate: June 20, 1987

Driver’s Age: 32

Hometown: Tucker, Georgia

Team: RSS Racing

Crew Chief: Shane Wilson

Xfinity Career Highlights:

• Finished a career-best ninth in the Xfinity Series championship standings in 2016.
• Has made 189 NASCAR Xfinity Series career starts posting five top-five finishes; including a career-best finish of runner-up at Iowa Speedway in 2017.
• Made NASCAR Xfinity Series debut in 2013 at ISM Raceway with Jeremy Clements Racing.

2019 Season Highlights:

• Currently 11th in the NASCAR Xfinity Series driver championship standings, 351 points behind the series standings lead and 106 points ahead the Playoff cutoff.
• In 20 starts this season he has posted two top fives, eight top 10s and an average finish of 13.6.

Mid-Ohio Performance:

• Has made five series starts at Mid-Ohio posting a best finish of 12th in 2017.
• He finished 34^th in last season race due to a transmission failure.