Denny Hamlin wins Xfinity Series race at Darlington
DARLINGTON, S.C. – Denny Hamlin resumed his NASCAR Xfinity Series mastery of Darlington Raceway on Saturday, winning the Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help a Hero 200 to raise his victory total at the track to six in the series.
Hamlin passed series leader Austin Hill after a Lap 147 restart that pushed the race one circuit into overtime. Parker Kligerman’s consequential spin off Sam Mayer’s bumper on Lap 141 brought out the seventh caution of the race and set up the final two-lap shootout.
Ryan Truex rolls to first Xfinity Series win at Dover
By David Ball
Of all the places for Ryan Truex to turn in a career day, the 31-year-old led a dominant 124 of 200 laps at Dover Motor Speedway. He swept both stage wins and ultimately took the checkered flag by an impressive 4.82-second margin to claim his first career NASCAR Xfinity Series victory in Saturday’s A-GAME 200.
It was such a big day for the 31-year-old driver who has raced in NASCAR’s Xfinity Series – primarily part-time – for nine seasons and is scheduled to only make a handful of starts in 2023. Yet he parlayed this part-time opportunity driving the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota into a hugely sentimental victory at a special place – one that the Mayetta, N.J. native has claimed as his “home track.”
Ryan Newman to make select starts for Rick Ware Racing in 2023
Ryan Newman, winner of 18 NASCAR Cup Series races, has joined Rick Ware Racing for select events during the 2023 season.
Recently named one of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers, Newman will make his first start with the team at Darlington Raceway on May 12.
To date, Newman has made 725 Cup starts earning the 18 victories plus 51 poles, 117 top-five and 268 top-10 finishes.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to work with Rick Ware Racing and Ford,” Newman said. “I think this will be good for all of us with our combined experience and knowledge.
“Being part of the Throwback Weekend at one of my favorite tracks in Darlington is pretty special. After recently being named one of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers, it carries even some significance.”
Team owner Rick Ware recognized Newman’s talents early on.
“I remember watching ‘Thursday Night Thunder’ on ESPN and seeing Ryan compete against some stout competition in those days,” said Ware. “I became a fan then and when he first came to NASCAR, I knew he was going to be a great driver and win a lot of races.
“He brings great depth and insight to RWR while we continue to grow our team. Ryan’s been a great ambassador for our sport and Ford. We’re really looking forward to racing with him this season.”
In 26 starts at Darlington, Newman has recorded 7 top-five and 14 top-10 finishes, with an average finishing position of 12.3 during his career.
— Rick Ware Racing —
Grant Enfinger Takes to Craftsman Truck Series win at Kansas
By Darrell Payne
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series gets back on track Saturday at Kansas after a few weeks off.
Stage 1
Christian Eckes and Kyle Busch leads the filed to the green.
Eckes gets a good jump on the start and moves out to the lead over Kyle Busch.
On lap 7 Ben Rhodes passes Christian Eckes for the lead.
The first yellow flag came out on Lap 21 Nick Leitz gets loose off turn 2 and spins on the backstretch.
Pit row was open and on Lap 24 and all driver pitted but Zane Smith, Chase Purdy, Christian Eckes, Ty Majeski, Jake Garcia, Corey Heim, Brennan Poole stay out.
On the restart at Lap 29 Zane Smith leads the feald back to green.
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Kyle Busch wins at Talladega Superspeedway
By Kim Wright?TSN
Talladega Superspeedway is famous for its dramatic finishes, and the 2023 GEICO 500 only bolstered that reputation. Kyle Busch stole the win at Talladega after a double overtime restart, staying clear of a last lap crash to win the race under caution.
Busch failed to lead a single lap until double overtime, but he broke through when it mattered most for his 62nd career win, first at Talladega since 2008 and second this season. The RCR Racing driver last reached Victory Lane at Fontana in February.
"Sometimes, you got to be lucky," Busch said after the race. "Some of these races come down to that. You got to take them when they come your way."
Blaney finished second, a heart-breaking result considering he led much of the latter portion of the race. Blaney was involved in the late that led to Busch's win, as then-race leader Bubba Wallace blocked him before spinning and taking out numerous other drivers. If Blaney would've held on for the victory, it would've broken his 55-race winless streak.
Jeb Burton scores second career Xfinity win at Talladega
By :David Ball
T It was the kind of hard-nosed, impatient – and thrilling – competition that NASCAR fans have come to expect in the final laps of racing at Talladega Superspeedway. In the end, Jeb Burton took the checkered flag on a double overtime restart to claim the victory in Saturday’s Ag-Pro 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series race.
The victory was the Virginia native Burton’s second in this Spring event on the 2.66-mile Talladega high banks – both his career wins have come there – and he earned it by being fast, patient and, at times, truly fortunate. His No. 27 Jordan Anderson Racing Chevrolet led 20 of the race’s 121 laps on the afternoon, won the second stage and, most importantly, was able to hold off Sheldon Creed by a mere 0.113 seconds to earn the team its first-ever NASCAR Xfinity Series win.
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NASCAR team owners boycott meeting with sanctioning body over business model negotiations
NASCAR executives and its Cup Series team ownership were scheduled to meet Wednesday morning, but the ownership group informed NASCAR the night before they were not going to attend because the conversation they wanted to have wasn’t likely to take place.
The owners are banding together as frustration continues over the sport’s business model and negotiations over revenue from the next media rights deal.
In a statement about Wednesday’s action by the owners, NASCAR said, “NASCAR is committed to open and productive dialogue on a regular basis with all industry stakeholders. We remain committed to continuing discussions in the spirit of collaboration and with the shared goal of growing our sport for the benefit of all stakeholders.”
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Kyle Larson wins at Martinsville
John Hunter Nemechek dominates Xfinity Series race at Martinsville
MARTINSVILLE, Va. – John Hunter Nemechek led a dominant 198 of 250 laps to win Saturday night’s Call811.com Before You Dig 250 – besting his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Sammy Smith by 1.518 seconds to earn his second NASCAR Xfinity Series victory of the 2023 season and first win in his first series start at Martinsville Speedway.
The 25-year-old Nemechek, of Mooresville, North Carolina, took the lead for good on a race restart with 32 laps remaining after winning the first two stages of the race. He, Smith and third-place finisher Cole Custer were easily the class of the field all night running some version of 1-2-3 for most of the race.
Corey Heim wins rain-shortened Truck Series race at Martinsville
MARTINSVILLE, Va. – Corey Heim prevailed at Martinsville Speedway late Friday night to earn his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory of the season after persevering through both rain and dry conditions, two red flag periods for weather and multiple charges by the highly-motivated veteran Kyle Busch.
The 20-year-old Georgia native, Heim, led his first laps of the 2023 season at exactly the right time – holding the point for an impressive 82 of the 124 laps of the Long John Silver’s 200. Including the most important lap.
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NASCAR and Speedway Motorsports today announced details for the 2023 NASCAR All-Star Race to be held at North Wilkesboro Speedway on Sunday, May 21. The simplified format – featuring two heat races to set the starting lineup, a 100-lap All-Star Open and a 200-lap main event – puts the spotlight of the weekend on the historic .625-mile track, which will host its first NASCAR competition since 1996.
Christopher Bell wins Bristol Dirt Race
"I think we all really enjoy the concrete surface here at Bristol,” Larson revealed to Frontstretch prior to Sunday’s race. “I think the crowd’s typically bigger — it seems like at this point now for the concrete stuff. I don’t know. It’s up to the series and the promoters, but I would love to get back to running two races on the concrete here.”
Joey Logano Dominates Truck Series Race at Bristol Dirt
By: Kim Wright
Joey Logano didn’t come to play games in Saturday’s Weather Guard Truck Race on Dirt.
Driving for ThorSport Racing, the 32-year-old made quick work of the field, leading 138 of 150 laps to record his second career NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series victory.
It’s Logano’s second victory on the dirt at Bristol Motor Speedway. He won the inaugural Food City Dirt Race in 2021 in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Kyle Larson Calls On NASCAR To Drop Dirt Races
NASCAR officials issue indefinite suspension to Cody Ware after arrest
NASCAR officials issued an indefinite suspension of Cup Series driver Cody Ware on Monday.
The Iredell County (N.C.) Sheriff’s Office listed Ware in its jail records Monday, indicating he was held on a felony charge of “assault by strangulation — inflict serious injury” and a misdemeanor charge of “assault on female.” The sheriff’s records also indicated Ware’s bond was set at $3,000 after his arrest.
Ware sat out this weekend’s event at Bristol Motor Speedway’s dirt track, with Rick Ware Racing — the Cup Series’ team owned by his father — releasing a statement Saturday morning that the 27-year-old driver had stepped away “to focus on a personal matter.” Craftsman Truck Series regular Matt Crafton substituted for Ware in the No. 51 Ford, finishing 34th after an engine failure.
Ware has raced in the Cup Series since 2017. His best finish in 97 career starts is sixth place last August at Daytona International Speedway.
NASCAR Cup Series Drivers Take On North Wilkesboro In Goodyear Tire Test
Three of the drivers locked into the 2023 NASCAR All-Star Race enjoyed an advance look at North Wilkesboro Speedway on Tuesday, as Chris Buescher, Austin Dillon and Tyler Reddick participated in a Goodyear tire test before the NASCAR Cup Series returns to North Wilkesboro for the All-Star Race on May 21.
Dillon’s No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, Buescher’s No. 17 RFK Racing Ford, and Reddick’s No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota shook down the 0.625-mile track and tried different tire compounds to test tire wear and grip around Wilkesboro’s storied, abrasive surface.
The trio of drivers will be among a who’s-who of NASCAR luminaries attempting to capture the checkered flag in the first NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro. Tuesday’s action marked the first time the 75-year-old track had hosted a Cup Series-sanctioned event since the checkered flag last flew on a Cup Series race in 1996.
CHRIS BUESCHER, NO. 17 RFK RACING FORD: “To see the changes in the track (since a December 2019 cleaning for the iRacing simulation) is amazing. It’s so cool to see the progress made, and the mix of the old and the new. I know the fans are going to love it. I imagine everybody’s going to be pumped to come out here, and you’re going to have a very loyal fan base for this track, for a long time. It’s going to put on a good race, too. It was a lot of fun in the race car. We got to make several hundred laps in our race car, went through different tire options and learned a lot. It’s a track that’s rough around the edges. It’s got a ton of character.”
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING CHEVROLET: “It’s so cool. There’s so much history here. The track’s still the old track. It just teaches you short-track racing (techniques), being easy on that gas pedal and trying to take care of the rear tires. We had a blast and I can’t wait to come back. Just finally getting here was cool. This place was dormant forever and now it’s alive, and you can feel the energy and the momentum that’s building. It’s going to be electric (in May). It’s going to have that feel they had in the 1990s here, when they were packed out and fans were getting to enjoy a race near home. It’s rough out there. It’s gritty. It’s North Wilkesboro.”
TYLER REDDICK, NO. 45 23XI RACING TOYOTA: “When you’re on the race track, the surface, the elevation, it feels really old-school. It’s very much different from a lot of the race tracks that we have on the circuit, and I really enjoyed it. We didn’t do any sim work. We went in with the team’s best guess, I came in with an open mind and we went about taking on the day. I just really enjoyed making our 20- and 50-lap runs today. You really have to respect the race track and think long-term (with tire conservation). For me, more than anything, just the energy that will be here, I’m really excited to be a part of it.”
NASCAR All-Star Race week will include six days or nights of entertainment including:
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Tuesday, May 16: ASA Stars National Series
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Wednesday, May 17: CARS Pro and Late Model Stocks
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Friday, May 19: NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck and Cup Series practice; Concerts by Midland and Chase Rice
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Saturday, May 20: NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series qualifying and Tyson 250; NASCAR Cup Series qualifying
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Sunday, May 21: Dierks Bentley pre-race concert; NASCAR All-Star Open and NASCAR All-Star Race
Schedules are tentative and subject to change. Specific on-track schedules and the All-Star Race format will be released at a later date.