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By Adam Carabine

By Adam Carabine The Cup Series wrapped up their practice and qualifying at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday. Some of the drivers were available to the media afterward, here’s what they had to say: Joey Logano on having the best Average Finish of all the Cup Drivers at Las Vegas: “It’s been a good track since the get-go for me. Even when I first started as a rookie, it just was one of those tracks that, I don’t know why, it just suits my style a little bit. I figured out what I needed. Even earlier in my career when I wasn’t good anywhere, I was still able to run good at Vegas. So, I hope that’s the case still, that it continues, but it’s been a good one for me for sure.” Tyler Reddick on his transition to 23XI Racing’s #45 Car a year earlier than expected: “The only thing that really shifts and changes, it was going to be a new team either way, but now I’m going to be working with Toyota a year earlier than I thought, too. Just having that transition from being at [Richard Childress Racing] to a different team, different organization, with a different manufacturer, all of that just kind of moves up. I knew there was going to be some change, it’s just going to be a little bit more than maybe I initially thought was going to happen. It’s all good things, though, I’m excited about it.” Christopher Bell on whether having your back up against the wall is better than a conservative approach: “Definitely whenever it came to that, it was a matter of winning or going home. There was some advantage to that, because if we were just there to try to get a Top 10, I don’t think our strategy was the same as what it was whenever we were going to win. But yeah, let’s not try not to get that at Martinsville.” Chase Elliott on whether Martinsville will live up to expectations in a few weeks: “I think what you saw in the spring is what you’re going to get. Like I told you guys last week, you’d better qualify well. That can be a big game changer, for sure. Not the Martinsville we’ve seen in years past, but it’s what we have to work with right now, so try to make it better moving forward. I think that was the goal of the test we did there a month or so ago. And I think it will get better, as we go forward, but right now it’s what we’ve got. It’s probably going to look a lot like what we saw earlier.” Chase Briscoe on what the strategy is to make the Final Four: “You’ve got to perform at your best. Strategy wise, you can’t eliminate yourself. Some guys have unbelievable speed, I think you’ve been able to have one bad race and make up for it. But in this round, I don’t think you can have a bad race at all. You almost have to be in a must-win from the get-go in this round. It’s just hard to have one bad race. I think the biggest thing for us is we just have to maximize stage points. That’s something we haven’t done the greatest job of throughout the playoffs. When you look at the difference maker a lot of the times in moving on and advancing, it is the stage points and that’s something we need to do better of. That starts with qualifying, I think we’re 15th or something. So we’ve got a shot to get a couple points. I think there’s only 4 playoff guys even in the Top 10. Just need to capitalize on that. It’s kind of the opposite of how our regular season went, where we would get a lot of stage points but then we would never finish. Now we’re getting the finishes and not the stage points. So just need to put the whole thing together, and if we can do that, the cars are what they are at the end of it all.” The Cup Series will take the green flag on Sunday, October 15th @ 11:30am local time (2:30pm ET).

By Crystal Clay and Adam Carabine Saturday morning, an emotional Kurt Busch formally announced that he is stepping away from full-time racing in the NASCAR Cup Series at a press conference at his home track, Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In a prepared statement Busch said, “As I continue to focus on my health and work towards being cleared, I will be stepping away from full-time NASCAR Cup Series competition in 2023. My long-term health is priority number one, and I don’t feel committing at this point to compete for a championship next year is in my best interest or the best interest of the team.” The statement also announced that Tyler Reddick would take over driving his #45 full-time in 2023. Kurt Busch posted the statement on Twitter. In front of a near-capacity media center, Kurt Busch was visibly choked up while making his announcement. However, in the question and answer session that followed, he retained an optimistic tone, interrupted with some laughter. “For me, I will get back to 100%, I promise. I will keep pushing myself and my health to get back that priority first, and then we can decide about racing afterwards.” The decision was mainly made by doctors not clearing him to race, but he also iterated that he felt it was the right thing to do for his team, 23XI Racing. His contract was originally for two years, expected to expire at the end of 2023. “I should be better by now, and I haven’t been cleared. This is more of being unselfish and respecting what has to happen in this industry, and that’s to know how to make a team move forward. I believe in 23XI, and everyone here.” Team owner Denny Hamlin was also on hand to confirm that Ty Gibbs will continue to fill in for the remainder of 2022. Hamlin also said that he has given Kurt Busch the green light to compete for 23XI Racing in the occasional race, once he has been cleared by doctors to return behind the wheel. “I told Kurt, never feel like you owe the team anything, if anything, the team owes you. Any race he wants to participate in, I will certainly field a third car for him.”

Hendrick Motorsports PR CONCORD, N.C. – Hendrick Motorsports has named Blake Harris as the crew chief for Alex Bowman and the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 team for the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season. In 2022, the 35-year-old Harris has led driver Michael McDowell to a career-best season with 12 top-10 finishes in 32 Cup Series starts. He will complete his first year as a crew chief with the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports team before joining Hendrick Motorsports in mid-November. Harris will replace current No. 48 crew chief Greg Ives, who announced in August that he will step down from the role at the end of the season. “Blake brings a tremendous amount of talent to our organization,” said Jeff Andrews, president and general manager of Hendrick Motorsports. “In our conversations, it quickly became clear that he’s an excellent culture fit and believes in the way we approach competing and winning. He and Alex have already developed a relationship, so we’re excited to see how they grow together. Greg has assembled a winning team, and we believe Blake is the perfect person to continue that work.” A native of Maypearl, Texas, Harris began driving race cars at age 11 and moved to North Carolina immediately after high school to pursue a career in NASCAR. At just 18 years old, he joined Evernham Motorsports (later Richard Petty Motorsports) in 2006, working in both the engine and chassis departments. In 2010, Harris transitioned to Furniture Row Racing, where he became the car chief for drivers Kurt Busch (2013) and Martin Truex Jr. (2014-2018). He was an integral part of Furniture Row’s 2017 championship season when the No. 78 team won eight races and led 2,253 laps. In 2019, Harris followed Truex to Joe Gibbs Racing, where he served as car chief for the No. 19 team before accepting the crew chief role at Front Row Motorsports for 2022. “The opportunity to work with a winning driver like Alex, an engaged sponsor like Ally and a championship team like Hendrick Motorsports is huge,” said Harris, who as a car chief won 29 races and made five Championship 4 playoff appearances. “When I moved to North Carolina in 2005, my goal was to become a crew chief for a top-caliber organization that could win races and compete for titles. I’m grateful for the chance to fulfill that dream and look forward to building something special with the No. 48 team.” Bowman, 29, has driven for Hendrick Motorsports full-time since 2018, earning a playoff berth in each of his five seasons. The Tucson, Arizona, native, who is currently recovering from a concussion, has won seven races over the past four years, including five victories in the last two. “I’m pumped about the chance to work with Blake,” Bowman said. “He’s a great fit for me, for our No. 48 group and for the way Hendrick Motorsports operates week in and week out. With Blake and everyone who supports this Ally Racing team, I know we can build on what Greg started and take this to the next level.”

UPDATE October 2022 - Blake Harris will join Alex Bowman for the 2023 Cup Season. Click here for more ------- Coming off of the recent vacancy announcement, Front Row Motorsports announced the selection of Blake Harris as the crew chief for Michael McDowell and the No. 34 Ford Mustang team. Harris, 34, joins FRM from previous winning stints at Furniture Row Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing with NASCAR Cup Series champion, Martin Truex, Jr. “Blake has proven to be championship leader who is ready to take McDowell and our No. 34 team to the next level,” said Jerry Freeze, General Manager, Front Row Motorsports. “He’s young but has a wealth of knowledge and experience with one of the best teams in the NASCAR Cup Series. He played a key role in wins and a championship. Blake is the type of person we want to help us continue to contend.” He has past experience with other racing teams including most recently where he was a part of Joe Gibbs Racing. In 2021 he was a car chief for Front Row Motorsports.

` (Image credit: FIA on Twitter) The pouring rain in Suzuka could not drown out the championship celebration that ensued at the end of the 50 minute Japanese Grand Prix for the now two-time champion Max Verstappen. After a two lap stretch began the race, the event was postponed due to very heavy rain and unsafe driving conditions to take the full 53 lap event that was scheduled to a 50 minute heat race in Japan. The first incident of the day took place on lap one after Carlos Sainz hydroplaned and went right side first into the wall which ended his day. From then on the initial 3 hour race window winded down until there were 50 minutes left with the time limit to have our second rolling start of the 2022 season. Once the race restarted, Verstappen was able to pull away and win his 12th race of the year and his 6th win in the last seven races with a margin of victory of 27 seconds over his Red Bull Racing teammate, Sergio Perez. Charles Leclerc was able to finish on the podium as well in third place even with a penalty assessed at the end of the race for cutting the final chicane on the last lap which dropped him to that position. With the points lost by dropping the position, it secured the championship title for Verstappen. But, what is a race without a little controversy. During the cleanup from the accident of Sainz, Pierre Gasly passed within a few car lengths of on-track safety personnel and their equipment. Now this normally wound not be an issue in dry conditions but in wet conditions, paired with poor visibility, this created a very dangerous situation that harkens back to the incident with Jules Bianchi a few years ago in which he lost his life after impact with safety equipment. Hopefully this will be reviewed and measures will be put in place to endure this never happens again. For Formula One, the series takes a couple weeks off before the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas on October 23rd. For more news and opinion in the world of open-wheel racing, stay tuned to Racing Refresh

By Adam Carabine

(Photo Credit: FIA on Twitter) After an almost three year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the hunt for the 2022 Formula One World Championship comes to one of the most popular race tracks on the calander for fans and drivers alike for the 2022 Japanese Grand Prix at the famed Suzuka Circuit. Up until now, the season has been dominated by Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing as the team has not finished outside the top spot since the Austrian Grand Prix all the way back in early July. With a strong run for Verstappen in Japan, he could leave the land of the rising sun with the drivers championship secured for the second year in a row. Below is everything you need to know for the 2022 Japanese Grand Prix. Event History: Mario Andretti took the first ever win in the Japanese Grand Prix all the way back in 1976. After the 1977 season, Formula One did not return to Japan until 1987 and has remained on the schedule ever since. Traditionally one of the last races of the season every year, the event has crowned 12 different drivers as world champion by the end of the event. Most recent of them has been Lewis Hamilton in 2018. The famed Micheal Schumacher has the most wins in event history with six wins and Hamilton leads all active drivers with five. Joining Hamilton as winners in the event are Valtteri Bottas, Sebastian Vettel, and Fernando Alonso. 2019 Event: Like the Canadian Grand Prix earlier this year, we have to go back to 2019 to look at the last time drivers took to the Suzuka Circuit. Sebastian Vettel was at the front of the field as the lights went out but due to a very poor start Valtteri Bottas was able to pass him off the start and was able to retain the lead for all 53 laps as he went on to win by a margin of 13 seconds over Vettel. For Lewis Hamilton, he finished third in the event and went on to win his sixth drivers championship towards the end of the season. Track Facts: As one of the oldest circuits on the Formula One schedule, the Suzuka Circuit is liked by mmany drivers and fans alike for its challenging sections of tracks that push man and machine to the absolute limit. Being only one of two tracks in the world that the has the FIA Grade One desgination while being in a figure eight layout, the first piece of track drivers have to navigate through is the famous esses that make up turns three through seven. One of the biggest passing sections on the track would be the turn eleven hairpin that is the slowest corner on the track. The most famous section of track is the famed turn fifteen, also known as 130R, one of the fastest turns in all of Formula One as drivers can take it flat out through the right-hand turn. Suzuka only has one DRS zone and that is on the pit straight heading into turn one. Tire Allocation: (C1 -> Hardest/Softest <- C5) C1 (2 sets) C2 (3 sets) C3 (8 sets) Weather: Expect cloudy conditions for race day as highs will only get to around 65 during the day. There is a chance for rain as it gets later in the day with a 40% chance of rain as the checkered flag flies in Japan. Where to watch: You can watch the Japanese Grand Prix on ESPN2 at 12:00 A.M. CST

Press Release / Chevrolet / Hendrick Motorsports Alex Bowman will not compete in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL due to continued concussion symptoms. Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Hendrick Motorsports, was evaluated by physicians this afternoon in Charlotte. The ROVAL will mark the second consecutive event he will miss due to the injury, which was suffered in a Sept. 25 accident at Texas Motor Speedway. “Alex’s health is our first priority,” said Jeff Andrews, president and general manager of Hendrick Motorsports. “We’re focused on supporting his recovery and seeing him back in his race car when the time is right. Alex has a long career ahead of him, so we will invest the necessary time and take our guidance from medical experts. We’re putting no pressure on him to return before he’s 100% ready.” Noah Gragson, 24, will again be the substitute driver for Bowman. The Las Vegas native qualified seventh and finished 19th in the No. 48 Chevrolet on Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway. Charlotte will be Gragson’s first career road course start at the Cup level. He has finished in the top 10 in 17 of his 20 NASCAR Xfinity Series road races, including all three ROVAL appearances.

NASCAR Truck Series competitor Hailee Deegan shared major news with fans on her social media accounts earlier today regarding the next run in her motor racing ladder. Driving for SS Greenlight Racing and longtime motorsports partner Pristine Auction, she will drive the #07 Ford Mustang at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In recent years, Deegan has been known for her below-expected NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series results. After a total of 44 career attempts, her best results include only 3 career top 10's, however one of those is her best finish ever, a 6th place at Talladega which she earned just last weekend. Further information on her 2023 plans have not been announced regarding Xfinity Series competition.

By Holly Cain NASCAR Wire Service TALLADEGA, Ala. – Always the unquestionable fan favorite at NASCAR’s famed Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, Georgia-native Chase Elliott made a last-lap pass to claim the NASCAR Cup Series YellaWood 500 victory Sunday afternoon – having to better one of his best friends, Ryan Blaney, to earn the first automatic bid into the next round of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. With a lap to go, Elliott pulled his No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet from the bottom lane to the top lane and got a huge push from behind by Petty GMS Racing driver Erik Jones – the momentum enough to edge fellow Playoff competitor Blaney by a slight .046-second at the line and give him a chance to hoist his series-best fifth trophy of the season; 18th of his seven-year NASCAR Cup Series career. "Moments like that, you have to really cherish and you guys are what makes this special to me," Elliott, 26, told the cheering fans. "So, thank you sincerely, I really appreciate it." "It was a wild last couple laps. I wasn’t super crazy about being on the bottom and fortunately I got just clear enough off of [Turn] 2 to slide up in front of Erik [Jones] and he gave me some great shoves, obviously a Team Chevy partner there. Just had a good enough run to get out front and then was able to stay far enough in front of Ryan [Blaney] at the line to get it done. "These things are so so hard to win, you gotta enjoy them and just appreciate everyone’s effort today." Former Daytona 500 winner Michael McDowell was third, followed by two more Playoff drivers, Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin. Chastain and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Aric Almirola led the most laps on the day – each out front 36 laps – in an afternoon that featured the most lead changes of the season (57) set by 17 different drivers. Although it was a typically dramatic superspeedway ending, the action was tame by Talladega standards. Only one of the six caution periods was for a multi-car accident. Two were scheduled “stage breaks” and the other two for single car incidents. The final caution -which set up the two-lap shootout ending – came for Daniel Hemric’s stalled car on pit road. That bunched up the field again and ultimately positioned Elliott (who restarted on the inside of the third row) to make his run forward. Blaney, who led 31 laps in the No. 12 Penske Racing Ford , had been trading the lead with Jones in the laps immediately before that final caution flag. "I thought about it," Blaney said, of making a different move for the lead. "The second lane was kind of the strongest, definitely the second half of the race. And I thought about (throwing a block on Elliott) but when you go to the middle without a Ford or teammate behind you, the chances of getting split are so high. "As much as I trust Chase, I don’t trust him enough for him not to take me three-wide and leave me in the middle so I chose to stay down in front of (fellow Ford driver) Michael (McDowell). He was awesome at pushing me on the last restart and giving me great shots. Just a little bit too late. "Maybe I could have faked the top and gone to the bottom there on the front stretch, but I don’t know if I could have gotten there anyway, but overall, not a bad day. Just probably going to replay in my head five different things I could have done different." It was a big boost for Elliott, who had a rough outing last week in the opening race of this Playoff round in Texas. Elliott crashed out and finished 32nd and came into Talladega ranked eighth – after earning the regular season championship and leading the standings for a season-best 23 weeks prior to Sunday. The opening four 2022 Playoff races have been won by non-Playoff drivers – an unprecedented occurrence. So Elliott’s advancement to the next round is the first “automatic” move by a Playoff-eligible driver. Beyond Elliott, Blaney now leads the points standings – 32 points ahead of Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate Austin Cindric in ninth place with the top eight drivers advancing to the Round of 8 next Playoff round. Chastain is ranked third, followed by Hamlin and Penske Racing’s Joey Logano, who finished 27th on Sunday. Reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion, Hendrick Motorsports’ driver Kyle Larson – who finished 18th at Talladega – is ranked sixth in the standings, followed by Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suarez and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Chase Briscoe in that final eighth place position. Cindric is tied with Briscoe in points. William Byron (-11), Christopher Bell (-33) and Alex Bowman (-54) complete the current Playoff 12. The Hendrick Motorsports driver Bowman did not race this week as he is recovering from concussion-like symptoms after an accident in Texas last week. Team owner Rick Hendrick said Bowman would be re-examined by doctors this week in hopes of getting clearance to return to competition. The next race, the Bank of America ROVAL 400, is Sunday at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL (2 p.m. ET, NBC, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) – the final road course event of the season. Larson is the defending race winner. Blaney won the inaugural race at the Charlotte ROVAL and Elliott is a two-time winner there as well (2019 and 2020). ---30--- NASCAR Cup Series Race - 54th Annual YellaWood 500 Talladega Superspeedway Talladega, Alabama Sunday, October 2, 2022 1. (16) Chase Elliott (P), Chevrolet, 188. 2. (19) Ryan Blaney (P), Ford, 188. 3. (29) Michael McDowell, Ford, 188. 4. (6) Ross Chastain (P), Chevrolet, 188. 5. (3) Denny Hamlin (P), Toyota, 188. 6. (12) Erik Jones, Chevrolet, 188. 7. (34) Todd Gilliland #, Ford, 188. 8. (14) Daniel Suarez (P), Chevrolet, 188. 9. (17) Austin Cindric # (P), Ford, 188. 10. (5) Chase Briscoe (P), Ford, 188. 11. (33) Landon Cassill(i), Chevrolet, 188. 12. (9) William Byron (P), Chevrolet, 188. 13. (20) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 188. 14. (4) Aric Almirola, Ford, 188. 15. (21) Justin Haley, Chevrolet, 188. 16. (27) Bubba Wallace (P), Toyota, 188. 17. (1) Christopher Bell (P), Toyota, 188. 18. (2) Kyle Larson (P), Chevrolet, 188. 19. (7) Noah Gragson(i) (P), Chevrolet, 188. 20. (26) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 188. 21. (28) Cole Custer, Ford, 188. 22. (25) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet, 188. 23. (30) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 188. 24. (18) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 188. 25. (23) Chris Buescher, Ford, 188. 26. (22) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 188. 27. (11) Joey Logano (P), Ford, 188. 28. (8) Tyler Reddick, Chevrolet, 187. 29. (24) Kevin Harvick, Ford, 187. 30. (31) Justin Allgaier(i), Chevrolet, 186. 31. (36) JJ Yeley(i), Ford, 184. 32. (37) Cody Ware, Ford, 184. 33. (35) BJ McLeod(i), Ford, 182. 34. (13) Daniel Hemric(i), Chevrolet, Electrical, 180. 35. (32) Corey LaJoie, Chevrolet, Accident, 44. 36. (15) Harrison Burton #, Ford, Accident, 23. 37. (10) Ty Gibbs(i), Toyota, Accident, 23. Average Speed of Race Winner: 153.569 mph. Time of Race: 3 Hrs, 15 Mins, 23 Secs. Margin of Victory: 0.046 Seconds. Caution Flags: 6 for 25 laps. Lead Changes: 57 among 17 drivers. Lap Leaders: C. Bell (P) 0;A. Almirola 1-2;R. Chastain (P) 3-5;A. Almirola 6-7;R. Chastain (P) 8-13;E. Jones 14-15;R. Chastain (P) 16;E. Jones 17-20;R. Chastain (P) 21-22;E. Jones 23-25;C. LaJoie 26;K. Busch 27-29;D. Suarez (P) 30;C. Elliott (P) 31-33;D. Suarez (P) 34;A. Almirola 35;D. Hamlin (P) 36-38;A. Almirola 39;D. Hamlin (P) 40-42;A. Almirola 43;D. Hamlin (P) 44-50;C. Custer 51-52;D. Hamlin (P) 53-55;W. Byron (P) 56;D. Hamlin (P) 57-59;R. Blaney (P) 60-61;M. Truex Jr. 62;K. Larson (P) 63-64;E. Jones 65-66;R. Blaney (P) 67-71;E. Jones 72;A. Almirola 73-76;T. Gilliland # 77;E. Jones 78;A. Almirola 79-103;T. Reddick 104-110;K. Larson (P) 111-112;T. Reddick 113-115;K. Larson (P) 116;T. Reddick 117;K. Larson (P) 118-119;C. Elliott (P) 120-122;L. Cassill(i) 123;C. Elliott (P) 124-126;E. Jones 127;C. Buescher 128;R. Chastain (P) 129-152;R. Blaney (P) 153-160;D. Hamlin (P) 161;K. Larson (P) 162;R. Blaney (P) 163-168;E. Jones 169;R. Blaney (P) 170;E. Jones 171;R. Blaney (P) 172-179;E. Jones 180-186;R. Blaney (P) 187;C. Elliott (P) 188. Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): Ross Chastain (P) 5 times for 36 laps; Aric Almirola 7 times for 36 laps; Ryan Blaney (P) 7 times for 31 laps; Erik Jones 10 times for 23 laps; Denny Hamlin (P) 6 times for 20 laps; Tyler Reddick 3 times for 11 laps; Chase Elliott (P) 4 times for 10 laps; Kyle Larson (P) 5 times for 8 laps; Kyle Busch 1 time for 3 laps; Daniel Suarez (P) 2 times for 2 laps; Cole Custer 1 time for 2 laps; Corey LaJoie 1 time for 1 lap; Landon Cassill(i) 1 time for 1 lap; Martin Truex Jr. 1 time for 1 lap; William Byron (P) 1 time for 1 lap; Todd Gilliland # 1 time for 1 lap; Chris Buescher 1 time for 1 lap. Stage #1 Top Ten: 12,11,9,2,22,47,18,5,48,43 Stage #2 Top Ten: 9,31,5,99,43,1,77,17,16,14

By Holly Cain NASCAR Wire Service TALLADEGA, Ala. – Three times A.J. Allmendinger has led the white flag lap on a superspeedway track and not been able to lead that next lap to earn the big trophy. On Saturday, the veteran waited and pulled ahead of the field in the final feet coming to the Sparks 300 checkered flag at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway and edged 19-year old Sam Mayer by .015-second – about three feet - in a photo finish to earn his first NASCAR Xfinity Series win at NASCAR’s biggest track. It marked the regular season champ Allmendinger’s fourth victory in the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet this season and first ever at a superspeedway venue. Most importantly, the win - coming in the second race of the opening round of the Playoffs - is an automatic ticket through to the next round of Xfinity Series Playoff competition. "Let’s gooooooo," an absolutely elated Allmendinger screamed into the grandstands after climbing out of his car and accepting the checkered flag at the iconic track. "Gosh, we’ve been so close to winning one (superspeedway race) and I feel like I keep giving them away. Thought I might have given it away. I’m still learning, trying to know what too big of a lead is. But honestly, all credit to (Kaulig teammate) Landon Cassill. "He kept shoving me. He stuck with me. That’s what is great about Kaulig Racing, when you have teammates like Landon and Daniel (Hemric) that you know wherever you go, they’ll go with you. So thank you Landon. "Man, I just wanted to win a superspeedway and finally got it," added a grinning Allmendinger, who now claims 14 career Xfinity Series victories. Cassill finished third, followed by Ryan Sieg and JR Motorsports driver Josh Berry – all Playoff contenders. Parker Kligerman was sixth, followed by Playoff drivers Ty Gibbs, Daniel Hemric, Brandon Jones and Noah Gragson. It marked quite the comeback for Gibbs, who qualified on the front row, but was involved in the only on-track yellow flag for an incident on the afternoon. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver’s No. 54 Toyota was tagged from behind by Justin Allgaier while racing in a tight pack up front only three laps into the 113-lap race. Gibbs spun out but was remarkably untouched by any other car. A quick pit stop and impressive pit strategy later, Gibbs was running around the Top-10 in the closing laps of the race and managed to recover to that seventh place final effort. Gragson, driver of the No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet, was looking to become the first driver in NASCAR Xfinity Series history to win five consecutive races and was running among the Top-3 with 10 laps to go. His ultimate move forward for the win in the closing laps was blocked and he instead finished 10th. Although just short of that historic victory nod, he had already earned his automatic ticket to the Playoffs second round by virtue of his victory last week at Texas (his seventh on the season and fourth in a row). "We’re going to keep it going," Gragson said after the race. "I have a super motivated team... you want to win them all, but you can’t do that sometimes." Polesitter and series rookie Austin Hill, who swept the two stage wins and for the second straight race led the most laps – 60 on Saturday – also dropped out of the lead group in the waning laps to the checkered flag. He finished 14th. With Allmendinger and Gragson having earned automatic bids in ton the next round of the Playoffs, Gibbs (-21) and Hill (-27) are ranked third and fourth in the standings, followed by Berry, Allgaier - who finished 15th Saturday – Mayer and Sieg in that eighth and final transfer position. Defending series champion Hemric (-6), Brandon Jones (-10), Riley Herbst (-10) and Jeremy Clements (-47) are ranked ninth through 12th heading into the final race of this Playoff round. Up next is the Drive for the Cure 250 presented by BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina on Saturday (3 p.m. ET, NBC, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). A.J. Allmendinger has won the last three races. --30-- NASCAR Xfinity Series Race - 3rd Annual Sparks 300 Talladega Superspeedway Talladega, Alabama Saturday, October 1, 2022 1. (8) AJ Allmendinger (P), Chevrolet, 113. 2. (13) Sam Mayer (P), Chevrolet, 113. 3. (18) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 113. 4. (14) Ryan Sieg (P), Ford, 113. 5. (7) Josh Berry (P), Chevrolet, 113. 6. (9) Parker Kligerman(i), Chevrolet, 113. 7. (2) Ty Gibbs (P), Toyota, 113. 8. (12) Daniel Hemric (P), Chevrolet, 113. 9. (5) Brandon Jones (P), Toyota, 113. 10. (6) Noah Gragson (P), Chevrolet, 113. 11. (23) Riley Herbst (P), Ford, 113. 12. (3) Sheldon Creed #, Chevrolet, 113. 13. (11) Trevor Bayne (P), Toyota, 113. 14. (1) Austin Hill # (P), Chevrolet, 113. 15. (4) Justin Allgaier (P), Chevrolet, 113. 16. (20) Anthony Alfredo, Chevrolet, 113. 17. (16) Jeb Burton, Chevrolet, 113. 18. (35) JJ Yeley, Chevrolet, 113. 19. (30) Josh Williams, Chevrolet, 113. 20. (37) Jeremy Clements (P), Chevrolet, 113. 21. (25) Joey Gase, Ford, 113. 22. (19) Joe Graf Jr., Ford, 113. 23. (26) Derek Griffith, Toyota, 113. 24. (24) Bayley Currey, Chevrolet, 112. 25. (33) David Starr, Ford, 112. 26. (32) BJ McLeod, Chevrolet, 112. 27. (36) Timmy Hill(i), Chevrolet, 112. 28. (22) Jesse Iwuji #, Chevrolet, 112. 29. (28) CJ McLaughlin, Ford, 112. 30. (10) Ryan Vargas, Chevrolet, 112. 31. (31) Caesar Bacarella, Chevrolet, 112. 32. (34) Howie Disavino III, Chevrolet, 112. 33. (17) Brandon Brown, Chevrolet, 112. 34. (38) Mike Harmon, Chevrolet, 111. 35. (21) Myatt Snider, Chevrolet, 111. 36. (15) Blaine Perkins(i), Chevrolet, 110. 37. (27) Jeffrey Earnhardt, Ford, 109. 38. (29) Mason Massey, Chevrolet, 95. Average Speed of Race Winner: 158.827 mph. Time of Race: 1 Hrs, 53 Mins, 33 Secs. Margin of Victory: 0.015 Seconds. Caution Flags: 3 for 11 laps. Lead Changes: 20 among 11 drivers. Lap Leaders: A. Hill # (P) 1-7;J. Allgaier (P) 8-13;A. Hill # (P) 14-26;T. Hill(i) 27;A. Hill # (P) 28-30;T. Bayne (P) 31-40;S. Creed # 41-42;A. Hill # (P) 43-51;B. Currey 52;T. Bayne (P) 53-55;N. Gragson (P) 56;B. Jones (P) 57;R. Sieg (P) 58;A. Allmendinger (P) 59;R. Sieg (P) 60-69;B. Currey 70-80;A. Hill # (P) 81-108;S. Mayer (P) 109-110;A. Allmendinger (P) 111;S. Mayer (P) 112;A. Allmendinger (P) 113. Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): Austin Hill # (P) 5 times for 60 laps; Trevor Bayne (P) 2 times for 13 laps; Bayley Currey 2 times for 12 laps; Ryan Sieg (P) 2 times for 11 laps; Justin Allgaier (P) 1 time for 6 laps; AJ Allmendinger (P) 3 times for 3 laps; Sam Mayer (P) 2 times for 3 laps; Sheldon Creed # 1 time for 2 laps; Timmy Hill(i) 1 time for 1 lap; Brandon Jones (P) 1 time for 1 lap; Noah Gragson (P) 1 time for 1 lap. Stage #1 Top Ten: 21,2,11,19,18,16,7,54,68,1 Stage #2 Top Ten: 21,7,16,18,27,1,68,19,39,8

By Holly Cain NASCAR Wire Service TALLADEGA, Ala. - It took a lot of last lap gumption on the Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway high banks and an official “race finish review” afterward, but longtime competitor Matt DiBenedetto earned his first NASCAR national series race victory in Saturday’s Chevy Silverado 250 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race. Because the race ended under caution, NASCAR officials reviewed video to determine who was leading when an accident froze the field coming to the checkered flag. Ultimately, it marked the first and only lap the former NASCAR Cup Series driver DiBenedetto had ever led in the truck series – and it delivered his first trophy. NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship competitor Ben Rhodes was scored runner-up with young rookie – and Alabama native – Bret Holmes in third place. It marked the fifth consecutive Talladega truck race that the winner led only the last lap. "Oh man, it’s been such a long time coming," said the 31-year old Californian DiBenedetto, who recently renewed his contract with the No. 25 Rackley WAR Chevrolet team. "I’m so thankful. "It just seems so surreal," DiBenedetto added before offering good wishes to fellow driver Jordan Anderson, who was transported to the hospital after an accident on Lap 19. "I think my heart rate was higher waiting for that than [taking] the white flag." It was a typically competitive afternoon at Talladega – with 11 leaders and 25 lead changes in the 95-lap race – only to end with a dramatic push for the checkered flag in a green-white-checkered overtime finish. The 25-year old Holmes – the 2020 ARCA Menards Series champion - led the white flag lap and thought he was ahead when the final yellow and checkered flags waved and pulled up to the trophy stand, where DiBenedetto later pulled alongside. "It definitely showed we deserve to be here," Holmes said. "Tough to lose that one for sure." Ryan Preece and Playoff driver Christian Eckes rounded out the Top-5. Hailie Deegan – the only full-time woman competitor in the series - earned a career best sixth-place finish. Chase Purdy, Colby Howard, Parker Kligerman and Tyler Ankrum rounded out the Top-10. Anderson, who emerged from a fiery single-truck crash on Lap 19, was transported to a local hospital where he was reported awake and alert. As for the Playoffs, only two driver championship contenders – Rhodes and Eckes - finished among the Top-10. With Ty Majeski’s win at Bristol Motor Speedway on Sept. 15, he is the only driver to have already secured a position in the Championship 4. Chandler Smith was 14th , Zane Smith, 17th and Stewart Friesen was 20th. Majeski finished 23rd and polesitter John Hunter Nemechek – who won Stage 1 – was 24th. The Playoff standings continue to be very tight beyond Majeski. Chandler Smith holds a 12-point edge on Zane Smith with reigning series champion Ben Rhodes in that important fourth position, 27 points behind Chandler Smith. Eckes and Friesen are both three points behind Rhodes. Nemechek is five points from the cutoff line and Grant Enfinger, who was involved in an accident on Saturday afternoon is now 26 points behind Rhodes. While not running the season title this season, DiBenedetto will leave Talladega with a full heart and lots of hope for next year thanks to securing this memorable first victory. "We’ve come so close so many times at this track, I’ve felt like Talladega – more than Bristol or any of those places – owes me one so pretty sweet," DiBenedetto said adding, "The wait was well worth it." The final Playoff race to decide which four drivers advance to the series Championship will be Oct. 22 at Homestead-Miami Speedway (1 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The trucks last raced at the South Florida track in June, 2020 where Kyle Busch earned his third series win at the track. --30— NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race - 17th Annual Chevy Silverado 250 Talladega Superspeedway Talladega, Alabama Saturday, October 1, 2022 1. (30) Matt DiBenedetto, Chevrolet, 95. 2. (15) Ben Rhodes (P), Toyota, 95. 3. (23) Bret Holmes, Chevrolet, 95. 4. (10) Ryan Preece (P), Ford, 95. 5. (13) Christian Eckes (P), Toyota, 95. 6. (27) Hailie Deegan, Ford, 95. 7. (26) Chase Purdy, Toyota, 95. 8. (7) Colby Howard, Chevrolet, 95. 9. (21) Parker Kligerman, Chevrolet, 95. 10. (20) Tyler Ankrum, Toyota, 95. 11. (36) Kaden Honeycutt, Toyota, 95. 12. (25) Clay Greenfield, Toyota, 95. 13. (8) Derek Kraus, Chevrolet, 95. 14. (2) Chandler Smith (P), Toyota, 95. 15. (33) Timmy Hill, Toyota, 95. 16. (29) Parker Retzlaff(i), Chevrolet, 95. 17. (4) Zane Smith (P), Ford, 95. 18. (28) Kaz Grala, Chevrolet, 95. 19. (14) Jack Wood #, Chevrolet, 95. 20. (18) Stewart Friesen (P), Toyota, 95. 21. (32) Bayley Currey(i), Chevrolet, 95. 22. (5) Matt Crafton, Toyota, 95. 23. (6) Ty Majeski (P), Toyota, 95. 24. (1) John Hunter Nemechek (P), Toyota, 95. 25. (19) Johnny Sauter, Toyota, 95. 26. (12) Corey Heim # (P), Toyota, Accident, 94. 27. (24) Blaine Perkins #, Chevrolet, Accident, 94. 28. (3) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet, 94. 29. (16) Grant Enfinger (P), Chevrolet, 94. 30. (17) Austin Wayne Self, Chevrolet, Accident, 78. 31. (11) Tanner Gray, Ford, Accident, 78. 32. (31) Jennifer Jo Cobb, Chevrolet, Clutch, 73. 33. (34) Lawless Alan #, Chevrolet, Accident, 32. 34. (35) Dean Thompson #, Chevrolet, Accident, 32. 35. (22) Bryan Dauzat, Chevrolet, DVP, 32. 36. (9) Jordan Anderson, Chevrolet, Accident, 18. Average Speed of Race Winner: 114.286 mph. Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 12 Mins, 40 Secs. Margin of Victory: Under Caution Seconds. Caution Flags: 9 for 36 laps. Lead Changes: 25 among 11 drivers. Lap Leaders: J. Nemechek (P) 1-2;Z. Smith (P) 3;T. Majeski (P) 4;J. Nemechek (P) 5-22;M. Crafton 23;C. Smith (P) 24-37;B. Rhodes (P) 38-39;C. Smith (P) 40-42;C. Purdy 43-45;B. Holmes 46-48;C. Purdy 49;C. Eckes (P) 50;C. Purdy 51-52;B. Holmes 53-54;C. Eckes (P) 55-56;C. Hocevar 57;C. Eckes (P) 58-62;D. Kraus 63-65;C. Eckes (P) 66-70;C. Hocevar 71;C. Eckes (P) 72;C. Hocevar 73-75;C. Eckes (P) 76-77;C. Hocevar 78-84;C. Eckes (P) 85-93;B. Holmes 94-95. Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): Christian Eckes (P) 7 times for 25 laps; John Hunter Nemechek (P) 2 times for 20 laps; Chandler Smith (P) 2 times for 17 laps; Carson Hocevar 4 times for 12 laps; Bret Holmes 3 times for 7 laps; Chase Purdy 3 times for 6 laps; Derek Kraus 1 time for 3 laps; Ben Rhodes (P) 1 time for 2 laps; Zane Smith (P) 1 time for 1 lap; Ty Majeski (P) 1 time for 1 lap; Matt Crafton 1 time for 1 lap. Stage #1 Top Ten: 4,38,42,18,15,91,99,51,16,98 Stage #2 Top Ten: 18,4,52,99,23,98,16,51,38,66

By Adam Carabine

Written By: Matt Marr Photo By: James Gilbert/Getty Images Brad Keselowski won the pole, and with Joey Logano alongside him they brought the field to the green flag to start the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. Tire problems caused mayhem for Joe Gibbs Racing in the first stage as both Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch each brought out a caution, Busch would go to the garage and be done after only 48 laps. With 9 laps to go in Stage 1, Alex Bowman suffered a right rear tire failure that sent him into the outside wall. Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin battled door-to-door but Larson was able to fend off Hamlin to win Stage 1. After some differing pit strategies, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Michael McDowell led the start of Stage 2 on lap 111. On lap 166, Cody Ware also had tire issues, causing him to hit the outer wall with great force and at an awkward angle. He then caromed from the wall down onto pit road, where he eventually came to a stop. Ware exited his vehicle under his own power, but was clearly very shaken up. He was treated and released by the safety crews on-site. More tire issues plagued playoff drivers in Stage 2 as both Christopher Bell and Chase Elliott collected heavy damage to the their cars after a rear tire failure. Ryan Blaney would go on to win the second stage. Michael McDowell and Erik Jones brought the field to green to start the final stage on lap 224. With 82 laps to go, leader Kevin Harvick blew a tire and smacked the outside wall to bring out another caution. Tyler Reddick led Joey Logano off a restart with 24 laps to go and he wouldn't look back as he would win the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 500 Top 5: 1. Tyler Reddick 2. Joey Logano 3. Justin Haley 4. Ryan Blaney 5. Chase Briscoe