Category Archives: Xfinity Series

Ryan Reed Remains within Striking Distance in XFINITY Series Chase after Texas

Posted on by
Ryan Reed, driver of the #16 Lilly Diabetes/American Diabetes Association Ford, stands on the grid during qualifying for the NASCAR XFINITY Series O'Reilly Auto Parts Challenge at Texas Motor Speedway on November 5, 2016 in Fort Worth, Texas. Photo - Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images

Ryan Reed, driver of the #16 Lilly Diabetes/American Diabetes Association Ford, stands on the grid during qualifying for the NASCAR XFINITY Series O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge at Texas Motor Speedway on November 5, 2016 in Fort Worth, Texas. Photo – Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images

Ryan Reed and the No. 16 Lilly Diabetes/American Diabetes Association team earned a top-15 finish on Saturday afternoon at Texas Motor Speedway, crossing the finish line in 12th.  The finish keeps Reed within striking distance in the NASCAR XFINITY Series (NXS) Chase approaching next weekend’s cutoff race at Phoenix International Raceway.

After two practice sessions on Friday, the NXS set the starting lineup with a three-round qualifying session on Saturday morning.  Reed made it past the first round of qualifying, but with just a handful of seconds left in the second round was bumped from the top-12 and ultimately earned a 13th-place starting position. Continue reading →

Larson Holds Off Keselowski for NASCAR XFINITY Series Win at Texas

Posted on by

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Grabbing the lead after a restart on lap 171 of 200, Kyle Larson moved to the top of the track just in time to hold off polesitter Brad Keselowski for the victory in Saturday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge at Texas Motor Speedway.

In a race that saw Joe Gibbs Racing drivers Erik Jones and Daniel Suarez open some breathing room in the inaugural NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase with respective fourth- and fifth-place finishes, Larson got a push from sixth-place finisher Elliott Sadler on the decisive restart and kept Keselowski behind him for the final 30 laps.

Despite brushing the outside wall in turn one with eight laps left, Larson’s No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet got to the finish line .385 seconds ahead of Keselowski’s No. 22 Team Penske Ford, as the winner worked traffic over the closing five laps. Continue reading →

NASCAR XFINITY Series O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge at Texas Preview

Aside

OReillyChallenge_2011

NASCAR XFINITY Series teams are racing 300 miles over 200 laps in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge at Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday, November 5th at 3:30 pm ET. Television coverage is on NBC with radio coverage on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

 

What to Watch For: Texas marks the penultimate race of the NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase Round of 8. Elliott Sadler (12 points above Erik Jones on the cutoff line) leads the Chase Grid, followed by Daniel Suarez (+12), Blake Koch (+5), Justin Allgaier (0, currently holds tiebreaker over Erik Jones), Erik Jones (0), Ryan Reed (-2), Brendan Gaughan (-17) and Darrell Wallace Jr. (-18).

The Round of 8 drivers’ career average finishes at Texas: Erik Jones (2.3), Elliott Sadler (12.1), Justin Allgaier (12.5), Daniel Suarez (13.3), Darrell Wallace Jr. (13.3), Ryan Reed (16.2), Brendan Gaughan (19.4) and Blake Koch (31.5). Jones is the lone Chase contender who has won at Texas Motor Speedway (2015). Continue reading →

Texas, the Next Stop on Kyle Busch’s Title Defense Tour

Posted on by
Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M's Halloween Toyota, looks on prior to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Goody's Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway on October 30, 2016 in Martinsville, Virginia. Photo - Jerry Markland/Getty Images

Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M’s Halloween Toyota, looks on prior to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Goody’s Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway on October 30, 2016 in Martinsville, Virginia. Photo – Jerry Markland/Getty Images

No driver has swept a track in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series this season.

Kyle Busch will attempt to become the first as he continues his championship defense in Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway at 2 pm ET on NBC. Busch enters the race off a fifth-place finish in the Round of 8 opener at Martinsville last Sunday and is four points ahead of Joey Logano for the final advancement spot to the Championship 4 race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He visited Victory Lane in the April Texas race by speeding away from the field on a restart with 33 laps left to break Jimmie Johnson’s three-race wins streak at the 1.5-mile track. A win on Sunday would mean an automatic berth in the Championship 4, and a chance for a repeat championship. Continue reading →

Jones Hopes to Capture Championship 4 Berth at Texas

Posted on by
rik Jones, driver of the #20 Reser's Main Street Bistro Toyota, looks on prior to the NASCAR XFINITY Series Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway on October 15, 2016 in Kansas City, Kansas. Photo - Jeff Curry/Getty Images

#rik Jones, driver of the #20 Reser’s Main Street Bistro Toyota, looks on prior to the NASCAR XFINITY Series Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway on October 15, 2016 in Kansas City, Kansas. Photo – Jeff Curry/Getty Images

Texas Motor Speedway is the site of many memories for Erik Jones.

In 2014, he received his diploma on the driver introductions stage prior to the June NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at the 1.5-mile track. Last season, he won his first career NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Texas and took the checkered flag again when he returned for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race in November.

Jones will try to make another Lone Star state memory by winning Saturday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge at Texas Motor Speedway at 3:30 pm ET on NBC. In three career NASCAR XFINITY Series starts at TMS, Jones has finished first (spring 2015), fourth (fall 2015) and second (spring 2016). Continue reading →