NASCAR XFINITY Series News and Notes – Friday, May 20, 2016

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NASCAR XFINITY Series teams are taking a break and will return next week for the Hisense 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 28th. Fans can watch the entire 300 miles in 200 lap event on FOX Sports 1 starting at 2 pm ET with a green flag around 2:30 pm ET. Radio listeners can tune into PRN or SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

 

Gibbs has a Good One in Erik Jones

Joe Gibbs Racing continues to shell out talent in NASCAR and its latest prodigy, Erik Jones, has broken the mold.

In ten starts this season, Jones has two victories at Bristol and Dover, two Dash 4 Cash wins totaling $200,000 of bonus money and six top-fives. Plus, the 19-year-old is virtually locked into the NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase due to his multiple wins, provided he stays in the top-30 in points.  Continue reading

Denny Hamlin Clarifies Need for Rules Package Change at Sprint All-Star Race

Photo - Getty Images

Photo – Getty Images

This weekend kicks off ten ‘Days of Thunder’ at Charlotte Motor Speedway starting with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on Friday, May 20th, then the Sprint Showdown and All-Star races on Saturday, May 21st. Days of Thunder will close with the Sprint Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday, May 29th.

The defending winner of last year’s Sprint All-Star race is Denny Hamlin and he says that recent changes in the format and rules package will bring plenty of strategy into play this weekend and he’s optimistic about the quality of racing fans will see on Saturday night. Continue reading

Kenseth Holds Off Larson to Win Thriller at Dover

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Matt Kenseth’s luck took a turn for the better, after Jimmie Johnson’s No. 48 Chevrolet took a turn that wrecked half the field in Sunday’s AAA 400 Drive for Autism at Dover International Speedway.

In a thrilling 35-lap run to the finish that featured Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott in hot pursuit of Kenseth – and of each other – Kenseth manhandled a loose race car to the stripe, arriving 0.187 seconds ahead of Larson to win his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race of the season.

Elliott came home third, a career-best finish for the Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender. Kasey Kahne and Kurt Busch completed the top-five.
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Kyle Busch Breaks Jinx with Sprint Cup Win at Kansas

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Kyle Busch finally overcame his gremlins at Kansas Speedway in a race that left Martin Truex Jr. overcome with frustration.

On Saturday night—in stark contrast to many of his earlier misadventures at the 1.5-mile track—Busch waited until after the Go Bowling 400 to destroy his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, a feat he accomplished during his celebratory burnout.

Busch took the lead for good on lap 231 of 267 after Truex, who led a race-high 172 laps, brought his car back to pit road on lap 215 because of a loose wheel, the result of a bolt that broke and prevented the tire from mounting properly during a green-flag stop three laps earlier. Continue reading

Edwards Bumps Teammate Kyle Busch to Win at Richmond

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The honeymoon at Joe Gibbs Racing may be over.

Yes, on Sunday at Richmond International Raceway, Carl Edwards won his second straight NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race in the Toyota Owners 400 and the fourth in a row for JGR, but he did so with a last-lap bump-and-run on teammate Kyle Busch, who was seeking his third victory in four events.

“We did everything right – be smart,” Busch was told on his radio, after Edwards moved the No. 18 Toyota up the track in turns three and four and beat Busch to the finish line by 0.675 seconds.

Busch took the advice. No doubt seething inside at the loss of a race he seemed poised to win, he maintained radio silence.
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