NASCAR XFINITY Series, Alsco 300 at Kentucky Preview

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NASCAR XFINITY Series teams will race the Alsco 300 for 300 miles over 200 laps at Kentucky Speedway on Friday, July 8th.  Television coverage starts at 8:30 pm ET on NBCSN with radio coverage available at PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.

Brand New Kentucky Speedway Awaits the NASCAR XFINITY Series

Crew chiefs can toss out their old notes because Kentucky Speedway underwent a full repave during the off-season and its new surface debuts this weekend when all three of NASCAR’s national series head to The Bluegrass State.

In addition to the repave, turns one and two had their banking increased from 14 to 17 degrees. The racing groove narrowed in the process. Turns three and four stay at 14 degrees.

The track also added 3,200 feet SAFER barrier and made improvements to its drainage system. The XFINITY Series will get the chance to rubber up the newly repaved surface in Friday’s ALSCO 300.

Kentucky Speedway joined the XFINITY Series schedule in 2001 and Kevin Harvick (Chevrolet) won the inaugural event on June 6. Since then, Kentucky Speedway has hosted 19 series races, one per season from 2001 to 2011, and then two races per season since 2012.

Team Penske leads the series in wins with five at the track, while drivers Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano are even for most series wins at Kentucky with three apiece. Defending race winner, Brad Keselowski, will be in the No. 22 Team Penske Ford Fusion this weekend.

Qualifying for the Alsco 300 will take place on Friday, July 8 at 4:45 p.m. ET. 

Countdown to the Chase: Eleven Races until the Playoffs

image002 (4)Just 11 races remain for XFINITY Series drivers to secure a spot in the 2016 Chase. This weekend is big for the teams vying for a Chase spot because Kentucky Speedway is the first track in the XFINITY Series Chase.

The seven-race XFINITY Series Chase will begin at Kentucky Speedway on Sept. 24, and feature 12 drivers and two elimination rounds, with four drivers competing in the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Only three series title contenders have wins this season – Erik Jones with two, Elliott Sadler and Daniel Suárez each with one victory – leaving nine spots available by points.

Five drivers now sit on the Chase bubble. In tenth place is Roush Fenway Racing’s Ryan Reed who holds a 32-point cushion over 13th place. Just behind Reed sits Ryan Sieg in 11th, coming off his best finish of the season at third this past weekend at Daytona. Sieg holds a slim 16-point advantage over 13th. In 12th place, and with his back against the proverbial Chase wall, Blake Koch ranks seven points above the cut line. Ross Chastain (-7) in 13th place and Jeremy Clements (-35) in 14th are on the outside looking in.

Expect the five drivers on the Chase bubble to battle it out for points this weekend as four of the five have comparable average finishes at Kentucky: Reed (16.7), Sieg (18.2), Koch (30.2), Chastain (16.0) and Clements (22.0).

Suárez Sees Lead Diminish, But Not Disappear

Daytona wasn’t kind to XFINITY Series points leader Daniel Suárez. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver was in an accident that relegated him to a 32nd-place finish, and as a result, his 21-point lead over second-place Elliott Sadler dwindle to six points.

This weekend at Kentucky Speedway, the struggle to hold the lead in the standings could continue for Suárez. Suárez has made two starts at Kentucky, posting one top-five and an average finish of 13.5. In comparison, Sadler has made nine starts at Kentucky, amassing four top-fives, six top-tens and an average finish of 8.2.

“The new pavement will present challenges for all of us, but I think our ARRIS team is ready and will work hard during our practice sessions on Thursday to find the right set up,” Suárez said. “It’s important to have a good weekend and learn as much as we can as we kick-off the 2016 XFINITY Chase when we return in September. I’m really looking forward to the challenge.”

Suárez fans don’t fret, if he can keep a similar pace to last season over these next 11 races until the Chase he will be hard to beat. In the 11 races from Kentucky to Chicago last season, Suárez posted an average finish of 8.5, compared to Sadler, who posted a 12.2 average finish during those same events.

Former Series Race Winners Looking for First Victory of 2016

Four drivers inside the top-12 in the XFINITY Series standings are former winners looking for their first victory this season – Ty Dillon (62 races since his last win), Justin Allgaier (59), Brendan Gaughan (54) and Ryan Reed (47). One of these four could get a win and lock themselves into the Chase over the next several races.

Richard Childress Racing teammates Dillon and Gaughan are having solid 2016 seasons, sitting third and fifth in the standings, respectively.  In 15 starts this season, Dillon has managed five top-fives and nine top-tens. The 24-year-old is approaching some tracks he runs well at, including Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 23rd, the site of his first series win. Dillon has made four starts in the Bluegrass State, posting two top-fives, three top-tens and an average finish of 6.8. Among those solid finishes at Kentucky, he wrestled his Chevrolet to a runner-up finish last September.

For the veteran Gaughan, Kentucky Speedway is a welcomed sight. The 1.5-mile track is home to his last series win in 2014 and statistically is one of his best tracks. In seven starts at Kentucky, Gaughan has one win, four top-fives, seven top-tens and an average finish of 4.7.

JR Motorsport’s driver Justin Allgaier came just a fender shy of getting his first series win of the season last weekend at Daytona. The Riverton, Illinois native is now fourth in the standings after recording six top-fives and 12 top-tens. Though Allgaier has seven starts at Kentucky, he hasn’t competed there since 2013 in the series. He has two top-fives, four top-tens and an average finish of 10.7 at the 1.5-mile track.

Roush Fenway Racing’s Ryan Reed is still trying to find his footing in 2016 as he rests tenth in the points with one top-ten finish. Reed’s lone win came in the season-opening race at Daytona in 2015, and since then he has struggled to repeat his performance. But that could change this weekend, as Reed and the rest of the series will compete on a new surface at Kentucky. Reed has made four starts at Kentucky, logging an average finish of 16.8.

Sunoco Rookie Update – Erik Jones is sailing off into the sunset atop the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings as he’s opened up a 47-point lead over second-place Brandon Jones. Also, third-place Brennan Poole is closing in on Brandon Jones and the second spot. Poole is only four points out of second following Daytona.

XFINITY Series Car Owner Standings Update – The XFINITY Series car owner standings tightened up following Daytona. Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 18 Toyota team is now leading the JR Motorsports No. 88 Chevrolet team by four points. Kyle Busch (No. 18) and Cole Custer (No. 88) are competing for the two teams this weekend.

Bill France Performance Cup (OEM Standings) Update – Through 15 races this season, Toyota has posted nine wins and holds the manufacturer standings lead by 14 points over second-place Chevrolet with five wins. Ford is now third, 66 points back from Chevrolet and 80 points back from the standings leader Toyota.

Extra Seat Time – With a triple-header on the schedule this weekend it is no surprise several drivers from each series will be competing in another series. In the XFINITY Series race on Friday night, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series regulars Kyle Busch, Austin Dillon, Matt DiBenedetto, Ryan Blaney, Brad Keselowski and Josh Wise will be competing. Cole Custer and Travis Kvapil will add XFINITY Series duty to their regular NASCAR Camping World Truck Series rides. Three XFINITY Series regulars will be participating in the truck race Thursday night: Daniel Suárez, Brandon Jones and Garrett Smithley. Ty Dillon will also be competing in the Sprint Cup Series race Saturday night for Circle Sport-Leavine Family Racing.

Kentucky Drivers in NASCAR – A total of 42 drivers who have competed in at least one NASCAR national series race have their home state recorded as Kentucky. Of the 42 Kentucky drivers, 14 have competed in the XFINITY Series; led by Jeff Green with 433 starts. Of the 14 Kentucky drivers who have competed in the series only three have won: Jeff Green (16 wins), Michael Waltrip (11 wins) and David Green (nine wins). Brothers Danny Green (1994) and Jeff Green (2000) are both from Owensboro, Kentucky and are the only two Kentucky drivers to win XFINITY Series titles. Jeff Green is the only Kentucky native entered in this weekend’s event.

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