Kyle Busch Wins at Phoenix, as Championship 4 XFINITY Field is Set

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It was just another routine Saturday at Phoenix International Raceway for Kyle Busch.

But nothing else in the Ticket Galaxy 200 was at all ordinary.

All the drama unfolded behind Busch, as eight drivers scrambled for four positions in the NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase’s Championship 4 Round at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Busch led 190 of 200 laps on the way to his tenth NASCAR XFINITY Series victory of the season, his tenth at the one-mile track and the 86th of his career, extending his own series record.

Busch beat runner-up Austin Dillon to the finish line by 6.115 seconds. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. ran third in his first XFINITY Series start since 2013. Continue reading

NASCAR XFINITY Series Championship 4 Clinch Scenarios for Phoenix

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Daniel Suarez, driver of the #19 Juniper Networks Toyota, practices for the NASCAR XFINITY Series Axalta Faster. Tougher. Brighter. 200 at Phoenix International Raceway on March 11, 2016 in Avondale, Arizona. Photo - Sean Gardner/Getty Images

Daniel Suarez, driver of the #19 Juniper Networks Toyota, practices for the NASCAR XFINITY Series Axalta Faster. Tougher. Brighter. 200 at Phoenix International Raceway on March 11, 2016 in Avondale, Arizona. Photo – Sean Gardner/Getty Images

This weekend at Phoenix International Raceway, NASCAR XFINITY Series Round of 8 elimination begins with the Ticket Galaxy 200 on Saturday to decide who will qualify for the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Below are the clinch scenarios for these drivers.

Daniel Suarez (0 Wins, 3075 Points) – Would clinch on points with 26 Points (15th and no laps led, 15th and led at least one lap, 16th and led most laps). With a win, would clinch a spot on wins.

Elliott Sadler (0 Wins, 3074 Points) – Would clinch on points with 26 Points (15th and no laps led, 15th and led at least one lap, 16th and led most laps). With a win, would clinch a next round spot on wins.

Erik Jones (0 Wins, 3065 Points) – Would clinch on points with 36 Points (5th and no laps led, 6th and led at least one lap, 7th and led most laps).  With a win, would clinch a next round spot on wins.

Blake Koch (0 Wins, 3059 Points) – If there is a winner who has already been eliminated or is currently in a transfer spot, would clinch with a 2nd place finish.  With a win, would clinch a spot. Could clinch on points with a new winner and help.

The following drivers can only guarantee a spot with a win. Each could also clinch on points with help:

Justin Allgaier (0 Wins, 3058 Points)

Ryan Reed (0 Wins, 3054 Points)

Darrell Wallace Jr (0 Wins, 3039 Points)

Brendan Gaughan (0 Wins, 3036 Points)

Larson Holds Off Keselowski for NASCAR XFINITY Series Win at Texas

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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

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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

Todd Gilliland Wraps Up Historic Season

Todd Gilliland at 9:30 pm ET on Monday, October 17, 2016 Photo - Jonathan Moore/Getty Images

Todd Gilliland at 9:30 pm ET on Monday, October 17, 2016 Photo – Jonathan Moore/Getty Images

Todd Gilliland and Ryan Partridge are our guests on Fan4Racing NASCAR & Race Talk on Monday, October 17, 2016 at 9:30 and 8:40 pm ET. Call 929-477-1790 or tweet @Fan4RacingSite or @Sal_Sigala with any questions or comments during our LIVE broadcast.

Gilliland Becomes Youngest NASCAR Champ; Partridge Wins K&N West Finale

Todd Gilliland started the season with a historic winning streak. Wrapping it up Saturday night, an eighth-place finish was more than enough for the teenager to add to the record books. Continue reading