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Chandler Smith – No. 81 Wheelers Toyota GR Supra Preview – Focused Health 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway

by MikeSeptember 5, 2024

SMITH AT ATLANTA: Georgia-native Chandler Smith will return to his home track this weekend as the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) races at Atlanta Motor Speedway (AMS). Smith has one top-five finish in three starts at AMS, which came earlier this year when he finished in second.

DARLINGTON RECAP: Smith started the latest NXS race at Darlington Raceway in fifth and struggled with handling for most of the race. The No. 81 earned an eighth-place finish.

ON THE PITBOX: Crew Chief of the No. 81, Jeff Meendering has visited Victory Lane 10 times as a NXS crew chief, most recently with Smith at Richmond in March 2024. His teams have collected 67 top-five finishes, 138 top-10 finishes, and 14 pole positions under his leadership. (more…)

Taylor Gray – No. 19 Operation 300 Toyota GR Supra Preview – Focused Health 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway

by MikeSeptember 5, 2024

GRAY AT ATLANTA: Taylor Gray started 19th and finished fourth in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway earlier this year. That race was his only experience at the 1.54-mile track so far.

GRAY XFINITY SEASON: Gray has claimed a pair of top-five finishes and three top-10s in nine NASCAR Xfinity Series starts this season. He made an incredible first impression with a third-place finish in his debut at Richmond Raceway in March. More recently, Gray posted top-five qualifying efforts in his last two starts at Pocono Raceway and Michigan International Speedway on the way to back-to-back top-10 finishes. (more…)

JR Motorsports — NXS Atlanta II Preview

by MikeSeptember 4, 2024

JR Motorsports — NXS Atlanta II Preview (more…)

Denny Hamlin – No. 11 Mavis Tire Toyota Camry XSE Preview – Quaker State 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway

by MikeSeptember 4, 2024

HAMLIN AT ATLANTA: Denny Hamlin owns one win in 28 starts at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Overall, he has posted six top-five finishes, 10 top-10s, and 452 laps led at the 1.54-mile track. Hamlin has led in six of the past seven Atlanta races, including 15 laps when the series visited in February. Earlier this year, Hamlin finished 23rd at Atlanta after being collected in multiple accidents during the 400-mile race.

REGULAR SEASON RECAP: During the 26-race regular season, Hamlin scored three wins, nine top-five finishes, 12 top-10s, three pole awards, and 917 laps led. According to Loop Data provided by NASCAR, Hamlin leads the series in green flag speed, fastest on restarts, fastest drivers late in a run, and laps in the top 15. He also ranks second in laps led, average running position, driver rating and laps run on the lead lap. (more…)

Young’s Motorsports Darlington Raceway August Xfinity Team Preview

by MikeAugust 30, 2024

Movin’ on Up!: In January, Young’s Motorsports announced it would graduate from the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series to the NASCAR Xfinity Series full-time in 2024 with rising star Leland Honeyman Jr. behind the wheel of the team’s No. 42 Young’s Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro for the entire 33-race season continuing with Saturday afternoon’s Sport Clips Haircuts Help a Hero 200 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway.

About Leland: The Phoenix, Ariz. native began honing his racing skills at the tender age of two racing Quads. By four years old, he moved into Trophy Karts and then collected three series championships in off-road racing Trophy Karts.

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RCR Race Preview: Darlington Raceway

by MikeAugust 30, 2024

Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series at Darlington Raceway… In 145 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Darlington Raceway, Richard Childress Racing has eight wins, all by Dale Earnhardt. Earnhardt claimed the checkered flag in 1986 (spring), both races in 1987, 1989 (fall), another sweep in 1990 plus spring events in 1993 and 1994. RCR drivers have 26 top-five and 48 top-10 finishes at the historic South Carolina speedway.

Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at The Lady in Black… Richard Childress Racing is looking to find Victory Lane for the first time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Darlington Raceway. Austin Hill owns back-to-back second-place finishes in his two most recent starts at the track. The Welcome, N.C. based team has 14 top-five and 32 top-10 finishes.

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AM Racing | Christian Rose The DuQuoin State Fairgrounds ARCA Preview

by MikeAugust 30, 2024

Welcome Back: AM Racing returns to the ARCA Menards Series full-time in 2024 with sophomore Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) driver Christian Rose behind the wheel of the team’s No. 32 Ford Mustang, continuing with Sunday night’s Southern Illinois 100 at the DuQuoin (ll.) State Fairgrounds.

The 2024 ARCA Menards Series season will mark the first time that AM Racing has competed back-to-back full-time in the NASCAR-owned development series since three-time ARCA Menards Series winner Gus Dean drove for the organization during the 2017 – 2018 seasons, respectively. (more…)

Joe Graf Jr. / No. 19 G-Coin Toyota GR Supra Preview – Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help a Hero 200 at Darlington Raceway

by MikeAugust 30, 2024

GRAF JR. 2024 NXS 3^rd Race of Season: The August 31^st race at Darlington Raceway will mark Joe Graf Jr.’s 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) 3^rd race thus far in the season. With 2 of the 4 scheduled starts for Graf Jr. behind him, Joe has returned to the Xfinity series better than ever. With an average finish through the first two races of 14.5, he is on pace to shatter his previous season’s number of 25.3. Joe will look to continue his success thus far at Darlington.

RETURN TO JGR: Graf Jr. competed in the full, 33 race NXS season in 2023 where he had three impressive top-10 performances at Daytona, Homestead, and Kansas, highlighted by a best finish of seventh at Daytona.

DAYTONA RECAP: Joe Graf Jr. started off his weekend strong in Daytona qualifying in 4^th position. The No. 19 Reagan Toyota GR Supra even got to start front row due to the 21 car making an adjustment to their race car. Joe kept it clean and managed to secure a strong finish of 12^th for his team. (more…)

Sheldon Creed / No. 18 Friends of Jaclyn Foundation Toyota GR Supra Preview – Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help a Hero 200 at Darlington Raceway

by MikeAugust 30, 2024

CREED AT DARLINGTON: Sheldon Creed heads to Darlington Raceway this weekend for the Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help a Hero 200. Creed has claimed Darlington as one of his favorite tracks throughout his Xfinity Series career, making this weekend a highlight on his 2024 schedule. As he heads into his seventh NXS start at the lady in black, Creed holds one top-five, three top-10s. and 47 laps led. He narrowly missed his first career win at the track in 2022 as he lost the lead on a pass in the final corner by Noah Gragson. In his last run at Darlington in the spring, Creed came home in ninth.

DAYTONA RECAP: In typical Daytona fashion, Creed had an up-and-down day under the lights of Daytona, but he showed up when it mattered. After starting seventh, Creed raced his way to a fourth-place finish in stage one and a seventh-place finish in stage two, thus securing a crucial 11 stage points on the day. After falling back in the lead pack during the third stage, Creed worked his way back up to an eighth-place finish, which secured his 14^th top-10 on the year. (more…)

William Sawalich – No. 18 Starkey/SoundGear Toyota Camry Preview – Southern Illinois 100 at DuQuoin State Fairgrounds

by MikeAugust 30, 2024

SAWALICH ON DIRT: William Sawalich claimed his first victory on dirt two weeks ago at Springfield. Last year, the 17-year-old earned the pole for the race at DuQuoin and finished fifth after suffering damage during the race.

LAST TIME OUT: Sawalich claimed his second-consecutive victory at the Milwaukee Mile last weekend. Sawalich won the pole and led all but two laps on his way to the win. The 17-year-old has won his last four starts across ARCA Menards Series (AMS) – Salem Speedway, Elko Speedway, Springfield Mile, and the Milwaukee Mile. His strong day at Milwaukee helped him gain six points in the ARCA Menards Series East (AMSE) driver standings. He now sits 16 points behind the leader headed into the AMSE season finale at Bristol Motor Speedway in September. (more…)