Tag Archives: Erik Jones

Daniel Suarez’s Mentors have Something Else on their Minds

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Daniel Suarez, driver of the #19 Arris Toyota, talks to the media during media day for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship at the Loews Hotel on November 17, 2016 in Miami Beach, Florida.Daniel Suarez, driver of the #19 Arris Toyota, talks to the media during media day for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship at the Loews Hotel on November 17, 2016 in Miami Beach, Florida. Photo - Chris Trotman/Getty Images

Daniel Suarez, driver of the #19 Arris Toyota, talks to the media during media day for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship at the Loews Hotel on November 17, 2016 in Miami Beach, Florida.Daniel Suarez, driver of the #19 Arris Toyota, talks to the media during media day for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship at the Loews Hotel on November 17, 2016 in Miami Beach, Florida. Photo – Chris Trotman/Getty Images

Throughout the 2016 season, Daniel Suarez has leaned heavily on the wisdom of fellow Joe Gibbs Racing drivers Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards.

Frequent phone conversations have been the norm as Suarez tries to learn the nuances of the various race tracks on the circuit—but not this week.

While Suarez has been preparing to race for a NASCAR XFINITY Series title on Saturday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Busch and Edwards have been readying to compete for a bigger prize—the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship. Continue reading →

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)

Matt Tifft 2017 XFINITY Series Program Confirmed with Joe Gibbs Racing

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Matt Tifft, driver of the #11 Waste Connections Inc/BrainGear Toyota, stands on the grid during Salute to Veterans Qualifying Fueled by Texas Lottery for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Striping Technology 350 at Texas Motor Speedway on November 4, 2016 in Fort Worth, Texas. Photo - Jerry Markland/Getty Images

Matt Tifft, driver of the #11 Waste Connections Inc/BrainGear Toyota, stands on the grid during Salute to Veterans Qualifying Fueled by Texas Lottery for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Striping Technology 350 at Texas Motor Speedway on November 4, 2016 in Fort Worth, Texas. Photo – Jerry Markland/Getty Images

NASCAR NEXT Class Participant Overcomes Health Trials to Earn Full-Season Opportunity

JGR Introduces Matt Beckman as 2017 XFINITY Series Crew Chief

Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) announces today Ohio-native Matt Tifft will pilot a Toyota Camry full-time in 2017, across all 33 races of the NASCAR XFINITY Series. The 20-year old rookie, a part-time driver currently in the Joe Gibbs Racing stable, who accomplished his first top-five result and first pole-qualifying run in only nine races in 2016, has now earned a larger opportunity to compete in NASCAR’s XFINIY series, appropriately themed “Names are Made Here.”

Tifft has run a limited schedule in both the XFINITY Series and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series over the last three seasons, making a combined 31-career starts. In these early stages of his career Tifft has recorded one top-five and eight top-ten finishing spots in the Camping World Tuck Series and one top-five, five top-ten finishes and a pole-qualifying position in the XFINITY Series. Tifft has also recorded time in NASCAR’s K&N Pro West, K&N Pro East and ARCA Series and the X-1R Pro Cup Series. Continue reading →

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 →