A break in the action: Charlotte Motor Speedway up next for the Xfinity Series
After a wild finish at Darlington Raceway last weekend that saw NASCAR Cup Series star Kyle Larson in the No. 10 Chevrolet for Kaulig Racing snatch the checkered flag from Joe Gibbs Racing’s John Hunter Nemechek on the final lap, the NASCAR Xfinity Series will be taking a break before heading back to the action at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 27 for the Alsco Uniforms 300 (FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
There have been 77 NASCAR Xfinity Series races at Charlotte Motor Speedway dating back to the inaugural event on May 29, 1982, which was won by Harry Grant.
The track has produced 38 different Xfinity race winners and 50 different pole winners. Twelve Xfinity Series races at Charlotte have been won from the pole or first starting position, most recently by Brad Keselowski in 2018.
As with many tracks, Kyle Busch is etched in the Charlotte Motor Speedway record books with the most wins (nine), top fives (19), top 10s (22), lead lap finishes (22) and laps led (1,475).
The defending Charlotte Motor Speedway winner is JR Motorsports’ Josh Berry, a victory he snagged over Ty Gibbs by an impressive 18.039 seconds.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series’ on-track action at the 1.5-mile Charlotte Motor Speedway will kick off with practice at 3:35 p.m. ET followed by qualifying at 4:05 p.m. ET on Friday, May 26.
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Next Race: Alsco Uniforms 300
The Place: Charlotte Motor Speedway
The Date: Saturday, May 27
The Time: 1 p.m. ET
The Purse: $1,317,391
TV: FS1, 12:30 p.m. ET
Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 300 miles (200 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 45),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 90), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 200)
JR Motorsports ready for Charlotte Motor Speedway
JR Motorsport’s Josh Berry will be looking to post a back-to-back wins at Charlotte Motor Speedway and his first victory of the 2023 season, but he will be sure to have some tough competition.
JRM teammate Justin Allgaier is no rookie when it comes to the 1.5-mile Charlotte, N.C. track, having 20 starts under his belt. In those 20 starts, he’s posted five top fives, 11 top 10s and has led 77 laps. Like Berry, Allgaier is still looking to land himself in Victory Lane this season and if his performances at Dover (third place) and Darlington (second place) are any indication of how he’ll run next weekend at Charlotte, he has a good chance of taking the checkered flag.
Another member of the JRM team that could put on a show this weekend is Sam Mayer. The 19-year-old posted his first start at Charlotte Motor Speedway last year, snagging the pole and walking away with a third-place finish. Although he’s still a newbie when it comes to running on the Charlotte oval, he’s proved he can handle himself on 1.5-mile tracks. Earlier this season on Las Vegas Motor Speedway’s 1.5-mile track, he posted a seventh-place finish and in his three starts at Texas Motor Speedway’s 1.5-mile track, he’s posted one top five and two top 10s.
Brandon Jones, who is in his first season with JR Motorsports, has nine Charlotte Motor Speedway starts in the books. In those nine starts, he’s posted three top 10 finishes. He’s put up some good finishes at other 1.5-mile tracks – Las Vegas (13 starts, two top fives and nine top 10s), Texas (14 starts, two top fives and six top 10s).
Standings Shakeup: Nemechek takes the lead
After several weeks of Austin Hill sitting atop the NASCAR Xfinity Series driver standings, there is a new leader – John Hunter Nemechek. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver snags the top spot with 424 points, just one point ahead of Hill who sits with 423.
JR Motorsports teammates Justin Allgaier (-53) and Josh Berry (-57) take up the third and fourth place spots, respectively, with Stewart-Haas Racing’s Cole Custer sitting close behind in fifth with 365 points (-59).
Kaulig Racing rookie Chandler Smith sits in sixth with 340 points and Richard Childress Racing’s Sheldon Creed slides in next with 330 points, followed by Joe Gibbs Racing rookie Sammy Smith with 323.
SHR’s Riley Herbst takes the ninth spot with 313 points, followed by Sam Mayer (-115), Daniel Hemric (-150) and Parker Kligerman (-151).
Jeb Burton, who took the checkered flag at Talladega to secure his spot in the Playoffs comes in next with Brandon Jones (-160) still fighting for his spot in the 2023 Playoffs.
NASCAR Xfinity Series, Etc.
Kaulig Racing Tags Road-Racing Expert Jordan Taylor for Portland – Kaulig Racing has announced road racing ace Jordan Taylor will pilot the No. 10 Chevrolet Camaro for his first NASCAR Xfinity Series start at Portland International Raceway.
The 32-year-old is a seasoned veteran when it comes to road and street courses world-wide, currently competing full-time as a Corvette factory driver in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Taylor made his first-ever NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) start earlier this year at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) while filling in for an injured Chase Elliott.
“I am really pumped to make my first Xfinity series start with Kaulig Racing, a team that has shown it can dominate at road courses,” said Taylor. “I’ve been fortunate in my racing career to compete at so many different tracks, and I’m looking forward to checking Portland off my list.”
