NASCAR XFINITY Series
Next Race: Hisense 250
The Place: Atlanta Motor Speedway
The Date: Saturday, Feb. 28
The Time: 2 p.m. (ET)
TV: FOX Sports 1, 1:30 p.m. (ET)
Radio: PRN, Sirius XM Ch. 90
Distance: 251.02 miles (163 laps)
Roush Fenway Racing Off to a Fast Start
Ryan Reed and Chris Buescher’s performance on NASCAR’s biggest stage was incomparable. Their 1-2 finish puts the spotlight squarely on the young Roush Fenway Racing drivers as the series heads to Atlanta Motor Speedway.
At 21 years of age, Reed not only has all the attributes of a young superstar, but also the qualities to be an inspiration for young people with health challenges all over the world. Four years ago Reed was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes and was told by doctors he would never race again. Through perseverance and a very stringent diet and lifestyle he was able to work his way back to competition and ultimately win at Daytona International Speedway.
Reed has made one start at Atlanta, starting 12th and finishing 18th. He has a pre-race driver rating of 66.9 and an average running position of 20.2 heading into Atlanta.
Chris Buescher led the series in pre-race driver rating heading into Daytona this past weekend and backed it up with a second-place finish. He has made two starts at Atlanta, posting his best finish (13th-place) last season. Buescher has a pre-race driver rating of 82.1 and an average running position of 14.0 at Atlanta.
NASCAR Drive for Diversity Crew Member Shines in Daytona
Ryan Reed wasn’t the only winner on Saturday. Kevin Richardson, front tire carrier on the No. 16 Ford, is a graduate of the NASCAR Drive For Diversity Crew Member Development program. The wins was Richardson’s first in NASCAR national series competition.
He is a former starting running back for the Appalachian State Mountaineers for the 2005-2007 seasons and holds school records for the most career rushing yards (4,804), the most rushing yards in a single season (1,676 in 2006), the highest career all-purpose yardage (6,104), and the most rushing touchdowns in a single season (30 in 2006). Richardson was a key contributor to three seasons of unprecedented success for the Mountaineers. Additionally, he scored multiple touchdowns in all three of the team’s FCS championship victories, and rushed for 88 yards in the Mountaineers’ 34-32 upset victory over the then No. 5 Michigan Wolverines.
Dillon’s Championship Focus Is Unwavering
Twenty-two year old Ty Dillon has entered this season with a chip on his shoulder and the only cure – a NASCAR XFINITY Series title.
Dillon closed out 2014 finishing third in the series standings, after posting one win (Indianapolis), seven top fives, 24 top-tens and an average finish of 9.5.
This season, Dillon knows he will need to win races to reach his championship goal.
Dillon made his first series start at Atlanta last season starting 14th and finishing ninth. He also won a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race from the pole at Atlanta in 2012. His pre-race driver rating is 99.2 and his average running position is 8.0 at Atlanta.
Veteran David Starr’s Daytona Finish Career Best Season Start
Veteran driver David Starr kicked off 2015 in stellar fashion driving the TriStar Motorsports No. 44 to a sixth-place finish at Daytona – a career best for Starr in the XFINITY Series season opener.
Starr has made two series starts at Atlanta finishing 27th both times.
Wheelmen Stack Atlanta XFINITY Series Entry List
It’s no surprise the fans love to see the biggest stars in NASCAR and this weekend will be no exception. Six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers – Matt Kenseth, Paul Menard, Kyle Larson, Kevin Harvick, Sam Hornish Jr. and the 2015 Daytona 500 champion Joey Logano – are all scheduled to join the NASCAR XFINITY Series this weekend in the Hisense 250 at Atlanta.
The last two XFINITY Series races at Atlanta have been won in dominant fashion by 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick. Harvick is tied with Mark Martin for the series’ most wins at Atlanta with three each.
Sunoco Rookie Spotlight: Chastain, Wallace Jr. Out Front Early
Ross Chastain: Fort Myers, Florida native Ross Chastain now leads the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings by three points over Darrell Wallace Jr. following his impressive performance in the season opener at Daytona.
The savvy 22 year-old, Chastain, drove his No. 4 JD Motorsports Chevrolet from 21st to fourth, and is now fifth in the overall NASCAR XFINITY Series standings, just 12 points behind the standings leader Ryan Reed.
This will be Chastain’s series début at Atlanta this weekend. However, he is familiar with the track; he made a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start there in 2012, starting 16th and finishing 20th.
Darrell Wallace Jr.: Hot off a four-win season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2014, Darrell Wallace Jr. continues to be a top prospect for not only the Sunoco Rookie of the Year but also a series championship in 2015.
Last weekend, Wallace started 26th and battled his way to the front, ultimately leading 18 laps before finishing 12th. Wallace will be making his NASCAR national series début at Atlanta this weekend.
XFINITY Lineup Enhances NASCAR Fan Experience
To kick off the 2015 NASCAR season, Comcast has made additions to its X1 Entertainment Operating System that will enhance the viewing experience for NASCAR fans. The company has added new NASCAR content to its XFINITY On Demand platform and expanded its X1 Sports App to include scheduling information for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR XFINITY Series and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
Available to all X1 customers, the X1 Sports app gives viewers the opportunity to tune directly to network race broadcasts or an option to set a recording for later viewing. NASCAR and Comcast will work together on future enhancements of the app that may include content such as race-specific data including leaderboards, live news feed / ticker and schedules.
XFINITY On Demand now provides highlights of the ten most exciting Daytona 500 races of all time, and will continue to be updated as the season progresses with race highlights, upcoming race previews, garage cams and more.
Hometown Heros from Georgia
Four drivers entered in this weekend’s NASCAR XFINITY Series event call Georgia their home state: 2014 NASCAR XFINITY Series champion Chase Elliott (Dawsonville), Jon Wes Townley (Watkinsville), Ryan Sieg (Tucker) and Chris Cockrum (Conyers).