PREVIEW: Talladega sees several drivers and teams eager to break through amid Playoff storylines

PHOTO: JD Motorsports

by Brock Beard

LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief

Saturday, October 1, 2022 (12:30 P.M. ET, FS1)

TRUCKS Race 21 of 23

Round of 8: Race 2 of 3

Chevy Silverado 250 at Talladega

2021 Last-Place Finisher: Jack Wood

ENTRY LIST

The Truck Series returns for the first time since Bristol with 40 drivers entered for 36 spots, meaning four will fail to qualify.

RETURNING: #3-Jordan Anderson Racing

For the first time since Knoxville, where Dylan Westbrook finished 17th, Jordan Anderson Racing returns to the Truck Series. And for the first time since Gateway, where he finished 16th, Jordan Anderson is piloting his #3 Dometic Outdoor Chevrolet. Anderson has two top-ten finishes in five Truck starts at Talladega, taking 7th in 2018 and a track-best 6th in 2020.

MISSING: #7-Spire Motorsports

Rajah Caruth is not entered along with the Spire entry with which he finished 34th after an early crash at Bristol.

RETURNING: #10-Jennifer Jo Cobb

Jennifer Jo Cobb makes just her third attempt of the 2022 season and first since Nashville, where mechanical issues ended her bid at making the field. Cobb has not started a Truck Series race since last fall at Martinsville, where she finished 36th of 40 starters.

DRIVER CHANGE: #17-David Gilliland Racing

Ryan Preece looks to continue his strong part-time Truck Series campaign for the Gilliland team with which he’s finished 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in his last three starts at Nashville, Pocono, and Kansas. In fact, Preece has yet to finish worse than 11th all year. Taking the place of Taylor Gray, who ran 16th in Bristol, Preece is sponsored by RaceChoice and Tavern on the Trax.

DRIVER CHANGE: #20-Young's Motorsports

After last week’s XFINITY effort at Texas was hampered by nose damage on the initial start, Parker Retzlaff seeks his Truck Series debut following his otherwise impressive half-dozen races in XFINITY. Retzlaff takes the place of Bristol’s 29th-place finisher Leland Honeyman, who made his series debut in the #20 Chevrolet.

RETURNING: #28-FDNY Racing

Another driver and team returning for some superspeedway racing is Jim Rosenblum’s FDNY Racing, which puts Bryan Dauzat and the #28 Chevrolet on the entry list for the first time since Pocono, where they DNQ’d. The team seeks their first start since this year’s Daytona opener, where Dauzat qualified and finished 23rd.

DRIVER CHANGE: #32-Bret Holmes Racing

Bret Holmes returns to drive his #32 Chevrolet for the first time since Kansas, taking the place of 31st-place Bristol finisher Connor Mosack. Holmes, who finished 17th his last time out, made his first Talladega Truck Series start last year. That day, he led twice for 11 laps and came home a solid 15th.

DRIVER CHANGE: #33-Reaume Brothers Racing

Canada’s Jason White reunites with the Reaume Brothers team for his first attempt since his 20th-place run in this year’s Daytona opener. He takes the place of Chris Hacker, whose suspension issues at Bristol left him 33rd.

MISSING: #35-McAnally-Hilgeman Racing

Not among this week’s entries is Jake Garcia, who ran 22nd at Bristol in the part-time third entry from the McAnally stable.

RETURNING / WITHDREW: #37-AM Racing

The preliminary entry list indicated AM Racing would bring back their second entry, the #37, with a driver to be announced. However, that entry was withdrawn by Wednesday.

DRIVER CHANGE: #43-Reaume Brothers Racing

One month after she ran out of time getting NASCAR to approve her sponsor Diesel Beverages for a XFINITY run at Daytona, Natalie Decker has now obtained that approval, and the brand will be on the Reaume team’s second truck for Talladega. Decker takes the place of team owner Josh Reaume, who received medical attention after his early crash with Rajah Caruth at Bristol. Decker seeks her 33rd Truck Series start and first since October 30, 2020, when she drove for Al Niece at Martinsville, taking 27th.

RETURNING: #46-G2G Racing

One team co-owner who is running as a driver this week is Tim Viens, who brings G2G Racing back for the first time since Kansas, where Brennan Poole finished 34th. Viens carries sponsorship from Turning Point USA on his #46 Toyota. Viens seeks his first Talladega Truck Series start and his first start in the series since October 25, 2020 at Texas, where he finished last after a crash.

RETURNING: #84-Cook Racing Technologies

Like Jennifer Jo Cobb, Clay Greenfield is returning for the first time since Nashville as the Cook Racing Technologies effort seeks its first start of the year following two previous DNQs. Greenfield’s most recent Truck start came here last year, when he ran 23rd for Spencer Davis Racing.

MISSING: #90-Terry Carroll Racing

Justin S. Carroll is not entered, and his pursuit of a first Truck Series start continues after a fifth DNQ of 2022 in Bristol.

DRIVER CHANGE: #02-Young's Motorsports

Bristol marked the final NASCAR start for Jesse Little, who piloted Randy Young’s #02 to a 25th-place finish. Taking his place this week is a returning Kaz Grala, who rejoins the team for the first time since his 18th-place showing in Kansas. Grala has not run this race since 2020, when he finished a strong 9th for Niece Motorsports. His only other Truck start here was in 2017, when he ran 29th for GMS Racing.

RETURNING / WITHDREW: #04-Roper Racing

Cory Roper was likewise on the preliminary entry list for this weekend’s race, but was withdrawn by Wednesday.

CUP INVADERS: None

Saturday, October 1, 2022 (4:00 P.M. ET, USA)

XFINITY Race 28 of 33

Round of 12: Race 2 of 3

Sparks 300 at Talladega

2021 Last-Place Finisher: David Starr

ENTRY LIST

After multiple withdrawals, there are 38 drivers entered for 38 spots, meaning none will fail to qualify.

PAINT SCHEME: #4-JD Motorsports

For the third time this season and second race in a row, Alka-Seltzer will sponsor Bayley Currey’s #4 Chevrolet at Johnny Davis’ team. This week, there’s an added twist as he will run a “throwback” paint scheme to Terry Labonte’s yellow Busch Series car from 1997.

DRIVER SWAP: #5-B.J. McLeod Motorsports

DRIVER CHANGE: #26-Sam Hunt Racing

DRIVER SWAP: #35-Emerling-Gase Motorsports

RETURNING / WITHDREW: #53-Emerling-Gase Motorsports

Derek Griffith returns to the Sam Hunt team for his fifth XFINITY race of the year and first since Kansas, where he ran 27th. He takes the place of Jeffrey Earnhardt, who finished last after a hard crash in Texas. Earnhardt was originally slated to run the second Emerling-Gase Motorsports entry, the #53, which hasn’t been entered since Shane Lee’s 14th-place performance in the spring race at this same Talladega track. But with weather expected from Hurricane Ian, those plans changed to putting Earnhardt in Emerling-Gase’s flagship #35, taking the place of the originally listed Joey Gase. Gase, who finished 25th last week in Texas, moves to the #5 from B.J. McLeod Motorsports in place of 16th-place Texas finisher Matt Mills, who isn’t entered.

DRIVER CHANGE: #6-JD Motorsports

Another distinctive paint scheme belongs to a returning Ryan Vargas as Reddit’s r/NASCAR page sponsors the #6 Chevrolet with added support from the National Craniofacial Association (FACES). Included on the scheme are nearly 1,400 r/NASCAR usernames on the rear bumper. Vargas, who’s back in a XFINITY car for the first time since his 33rd-place showing in Kansas, takes the place of Brennan Poole, who ran 31st in Bristol after a crash.

DRIVER CHANGE: #13-Motorsports Business Management

Talladega marks the return of Timmy Hill to MBM’s #13 entry for the first time since his career-best runner-up finish to Jeremy Clements under the lights at Daytona. Taking the place of Akinori Ogata, who finished 35th in Texas, Hill carries sponsorship from Buffalo Wild Wings along with returning backer Coble Enterprises.

RETURNING / WITHDREW: #24-Sam Hunt Racing

While he won’t be running against his son John Hunter Nemechek, as was planned last month before the rains at Daytona, Joe Nemechek will again seek his first NASCAR XFINITY Series start of 2022 in the #24 Fleetwing Toyota. This race in 2020 was Nemechek’s most recent start, when he finished a solid 16th for Mike Harmon Racing. UPDATE: This team has withdrawn.

DRIVER CHANGE: #34-Jesse Iwuji Motorsports

Jesse Iwuji is listed in place of Kyle Weatherman, who finished 22nd last week in Texas. This would be Iwuji’s first-ever XFINITY Series race at Talladega, though he has run both this year’s races at Daytona, site of his career-best 11th last month.

DRIVER CHANGE: #44-Alpha Prime Racing

Howie DiSavino III rejoins Alpha Prime for the first time since his 28th-place performance at Kansas, this time with the Travis Mills Foundation as sponsor. DiSavino takes the place of team co-owner Tommy Joe Martins, who claimed a solid 14th in Texas. This would be DiSavino’s first Talladega start.

DRIVER CHANGE: #45-Alpha Prime Racing

Caesar Bacarella continues his near-exclusive superspeedway schedule as he climbs aboard the second Alpha Prime Chevrolet in place of Stefan Parsons, who was 13th in Texas. This would be Bacarella’s sixth XFINITY start at Talladega, a track where he ran a best of 13th in this race two years ago.

RETURNING / DRIVER CHANGE: #47-Mike Harmon Racing

After Brennan Poole moved to JD Motorsports at Texas, Mike Harmon Racing withdrew. The team is again entered this week, but as of this writing has no driver listed. UPDATE: Mike Harmon drives his own car with Alabama Racing Pioneers as sponsor.

DRIVER CHANGE: #48-Big Machine Racing

Current ARCA Racing Series point leader Nick Sanchez enjoyed a career run last week in Texas, threading his way through the day’s biggest wreck to battle inside the Top Five before earning a career-best 11th. This week, Parker Kligerman takes a turn behind the wheel of the #48 in what will be his first XFINITY start since he was 37th on the Indianapolis road course earlier this year. Kligerman, a Talladega winner on the Truck side, has not run a XFINITY car at Talladega since 2013, when he finished 6th for Kyle Busch Motorsports.

TEAM UPDATE: #68-Brandonbilt Motorsports

Defending Talladega winner Brandon Brown will again run the #68 this week with returning sponsorship from Zero FG Energy in what is now his final start with the Brandonbilt Motorsports team. Brown revealed on Monday that he will no longer run the #68 car next season.

RETURNING / WITHDREW: #77-Bassett Racing

Ronnie Bassett, Jr. returns to the circuit seeking his first Talladega start in the #77 Chevrolet. Ronnie qualified the car his last time out at Bristol and finished in 28th. UPDATE: This team has withdrawn.

DRIVER CHANGE: #78-B.J. McLeod Motorsports

B.J. McLeod will run double-duty this week as he pilots his own #78 entry in place of Garrett Smithley, who took 23rd last week in Texas. 

MISSING: #92-DGM Racing

Alex Labbe is not entered this week following his 17th-place performance in Mario Gosselin’s part-time #92 entry. Josh Williams remains in the #36 with which he ran 26th after crash damage, carrying sponsorship from his longtime backers Star Tron and Alloy Employer Services.

DRIVER CHANGE: #02-Our Motorsports

Blaine Perkins returns to the site of his surprising Stage 2 victory last year, this time in Our Motorsports’ #02 instead of the #23 currently piloted by Anthony Alfredo. Perkins, who runs Saturday’s race after piloting CR7 Motorsports’ Truck Series effort in the morning, takes the place of Parker Retzlaff, who ran 21st after his early issues at Texas.

CUP INVADERS: None

Sunday, October 2, 2022 (2:00 P.M. ET, NBC)

CUP Race 31 of 36

Round of 12: Race 2 of 3

YellaWood 500 at Talladega

2021 Last-Place Finisher: Justin Allgaier

ENTRY LIST

For the first time in five races, there are more than 36 entries - but only 37 for 40 spots, marking the 30th short field in 31 races this year. The 37-car grid is the second-smallest for a Cup race at Talladega – just one more car than the 36-car field of the strike-marred 1969 inaugural.

DRIVER CHANGE: #15-Rick Ware Racing

J.J. Yeley will pull double-duty this weekend with Motorsports Business Management’s #66 entry on the XFINITY side as he pilots RWR’s #15 Ford in place of 23rd-place Texas finisher Garrett Smithley. This will be Yeley’s 16th Cup start at Talladega, a track where he finished 11th in 2006 for Joe Gibbs Racing.

DRIVER CHANGE: #16-Kaulig Racing

DRIVER SWAP: #48-Hendrick Motorsports

RETURNING / DRIVER SWAP: #62-Beard Motorsports

Daniel Hemric runs double-duty for Kaulig Racing this week as he pilots the #16 Chevrolet for the first time since his 23rd-place showing in the Southern 500. He takes the place of Noah Gragson, who rejoins Beard Motorsports for what may be the final time before his full-time 2023 effort with Petty-GMS Racing. UPDATE: On Thursday, Alex Blwman indicated he wasn't cleared to run Sunday due to concussion-like symptoms. Noah Gragson will run in his place, opening the #62 for defending last-place finisher Justin Allgaier.

TEAM UPDATE: #51-Rick Ware Racing

As of this writing, Cody Ware is still entered in the #51 following his brutal wreck at Texas.

TODAY IN LASTCAR HISTORY (September 29, 1974): Ferrum, Virginia’s Paul Radford picked up the 1st last-place finish of his NASCAR Winston Cup Series career in the Old Dominion 500 at Martinsville when his #90 Truxmore Industries 1972 Ford fielded by Junie Donlavey lost the engine after 20 laps. The 42-year-old Radford was one of six local NASCAR Modified and Sportsman Series drivers entered in the race. Taking the place of Charlie Glotzbach earlier that month, Radford qualified a strong 9th on Friday, then won Saturday’s Modified race by passing Satch Worley with 16 laps to go. This race, which saw Canadian driver Earl Ross score his only win, would be Radford’s only Cup Series start.

CUP: Kyle Busch’s crash the first of many in brutal Texas race

SCREENSHOT: @NASCARonFOX, captured from USA

by Brock Beard

LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief

Kyle Busch picked up the 10th last-place finish of his NASCAR Cup Series career in Sunday’s AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 500 at the Texas Motor Speedway when his #18 Interstate Batteries Toyota crashed after 48 of 334 laps.

The finish, which came in Busch’s 636th series start, was his second of the year and first since Pocono, nine races ago. In the Cup Series’ last-place rankings, it was the 37th for the #18, the 179th for Toyota, and the 636th from a crash. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it was the 52nd for the #18, the 385th for Toyota, and the 1,307th from a crash.

Since his most recent feature at this site, where he and teammate Denny Hamlin were disqualified following their 1-2 finish at Pocono, Kyle Busch has finally announced his plans for 2023 – a move to Richard Childress Racing’s #8 team was revealed on September 13 – while enduring a wildly inconsistent stretch run on the track. Finishes of 11th at Indianapolis, 9th at Richmond, and 10th at Daytona were offset by a 36th-place crash at Michigan and a 32nd at Watkins Glen. 

When the Playoffs began, Busch’s luck turned bad at the worst possible time. After leading 155 laps of the Southern 500, he blew the engine coming to the final restart, then ran 26th at Kansas before another engine let go at Bristol. Quite suddenly, Busch arrived at Texas as one of the first four drivers eliminated from the Playoffs.

Once again, only the 36 Chartered entries occupied the Texas garage area, resulting in the smallest field to ever start a Cup points-paying race there. Of these, Busch ranked 15th in practice and qualified 18th with a lap of 187.240mph (28.840 seconds). 

Cody Ware’s #51 Nurtec ODT Ford was the only car to not log a lap in qualifying, the team making repairs after Ware spun into the inside wall off Turn 2 during practice. He’d incur a redundant tail-end penalty for unapproved adjustments, to be joined by 31st-place Justin Haley in LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet and 34th-place B.J. McLeod in the #78 Boss Truck Stops Ford. Like Ware, Erik Jones spun in practice – his off Turn 4 – but his #43 Focus Factor Chevrolet didn’t incur a tail-end penalty for any repairs.

The hottest Cup race in the Texas track’s history began with Haley’s penalized car last across the stripe, 3.176 back of the lead and just a few hundredths behind McLeod. By the end of the first lap, Haley passed McLeod, who was 4.105 seconds back of the lead and just 0.176 back of new 35th-place runner Landon Cassill in the #77 WearMe Chevrolet. McLeod reeled in Cassill through Turns 1 and 2, but by Lap 5 had lost three-tenths to him when he was told of a car slowing up front. On Lap 7, Cody Ware’s #51 plummeted back to 36th in the high line as McLeod moved to 35th. As the run continued, Cassill opened up more than one second’s advantage over 35th-place McLeod as he caught and passed Ware’s teammate Garrett Smithley in the #15 Trophy Tractor Ford. Cassill dropped Smithley to 34th on Lap 12 with both McLeod and Ware catching him. Ware’s laps were trending toward 31 seconds, so team told him to aim for a 30.80-second lap.

But on Lap 14, 17th-place runner Bubba Wallace pitted his #45 MoneyLion Toyota out of 17th, citing issues with his steering feeling heavy. Mindful of the same issue that put them behind last week in Bristol, the crew changed four tires and sent him back out nearly two laps down, taking last on Lap 16. Wallace said his steering was still very stiff, but his fresh tires and fast car allowed him to climb past Ware, McLeod, and Smithley by Lap 22. On Lap 38, Wallace had a close call when Ty Dillon and Chase Briscoe were locked in a side-by-side battle for position and bounced off each other in Turn 2. Wallace cut low and cleared both cars, then by Lap 39 had put Ware back to last place when the caution fell for Martin Truex, Jr., whose #19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota spun into the infield grass off Turn 4. Under caution, Ware reported his car was extremely free as the tires’ grip fell off during the run.

On the Lap 45 restart, Truex cleared minimum speed without serious damage while last-place running Ware set his sights on teammate Smithley, who was now in 35th and on his same lap. On Lap 49, Ware had just passed Smithley, putting the #15 to last for the first time in the race, when both cleared a car stopped in the middle of the track off Turn 4. This was Kyle Busch, who was running 4th and trying to run the high line to battle teammate Denny Hamlin. But according to Busch, the traction compound in the high lane proved slicker than expected, and he spun 180 degrees and hit the wall with the left-rear corner, then the left-front. After dropping the window net, Busch made it to pit road, taking the last spot on Lap 50, but almost immediately pulled behind the wall, out of the race.

The ensuing stretch saw the racing turn as brutal as the weather. The hardest wreck belonged to Cody Ware, who on Lap 168 snapped loose in Turns 3 and 4 and slammed the outside wall nearly head-on. Ware’s car then skidded to a stop on pit road, nearly hitting a 90-degree barrier at the entrance to the garage. After a few tense moments, Ware climbed from the car, but fell soon after, requiring immediate medical assistance. Ware was transported by ambulance to the infield care center. Rick Ware Racing confirmed Ware had been checked and released from the infield care center during a later red flag for a lightning hold with 114 to go.

Cole Custer took 35th after he lost a tire on his #41 Autodesk / HaasTooling.com Ford and hit the outside wall with the right-front corner. Custer’s wreck saved Christopher Bell, whose #20 Rheem / Smurfit Kappa Toyota cut down a right-rear tire at the same instant. But later in the race, Bell lost another tire and this time hit the wall. The car suffered heavy damage to the right-front suspension, and the crew’s ten minutes of repairs expired with the wheel still removed. Rounding out the Bottom Five was Chase Elliott, whose #9 NAPA Auto Parts / Valvoline Chevrolet was one of the fastest cars. He was still leading on Lap 184 when the right-rear tire blew exiting Turns 3 and 4, putting him into the wall. He skidded to a stop in the infield grass and climbed from the car, apparently without serious injury.

J.J. Yeley's Interstate Batteries Chevrolet after his crash at Texas in 2007.

LASTCAR STATISTICS

*This marked the first last-place finish for the #18 in a Cup Series race at Texas since April 15, 2007, when J.J. Yeley picked up the first last-place finish of his career after a Lap 1 tangle with David Ragan and Ricky Rudd. Yeley was also running for Joe Gibbs Racing with Interstate Batteries as sponsor.

*Busch is now the fifth consecutive past Cup Series champion to finish last in a Cup race, following Martin Truex, Jr. (Bristol, 2017 champion), Kevin Harvick (Kansas, 2014), Chase Elliott (Darlington, 2020), and Kyle Larson (Daytona, 2021).

THE BOTTOM FIVE

36) #18-Kyle Busch / 48 laps / crash

35) #41-Cole Custer / 77 laps / crash

34) #20-Christopher Bell / 136 laps / dvp

33) #51-Cody Ware / 166 laps / crash

32) #9-Chase Elliott / 184 laps / crash

2022 LASTCAR CUP SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Live Fast Motorsports (6)

2nd) Joe Gibbs Racing (5)

3rd) Hendrick Motorsports (4)

4th) Spire Motorsports (3)

5th) Penske Racing, Stewart-Haas Racing, Trackhouse Racing (2)

6th) 23XI Racing, Kaulig Racing, NY Racing Team, Richard Childress Racing, Rick Ware Racing, Team Hezeberg (1)

2022 LASTCAR CUP SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Chevrolet, Ford (12)

2nd) Toyota (6)

2022 LASTCAR CUP SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

XFINITY: Jeffrey Earnhardt eliminated early in hard crash at Texas; Nick Sanchez and C.J. McLaughlin impress

SCREENSHOT: USA, capture by @NASCARONFOX

by Brock Beard

LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief

Jeffrey Earnhardt picked up the 5th last-place finish of his NASCAR XFINITY Series career in Saturday’s Andy’s Frozen Custard 300 at the Texas Motor Speedway when his #26 YesWay / ForeverLawn Toyota was eliminated in a crash after 17 of 200 laps.

The finish, which came in Earnhardt’s 142nd series start, was his first of the year and first in a XFINI0TY Series race since November 6, 2021, 27 races ago. In the XFINITY Series’ last-place rankings, it was the 16th for the #26, the 157th for Toyota, and the 371st from a crash. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it was the 47th for #26, the 384th for Toyota, and the 1,306th from a crash.

After parting ways with JD Motorsports last year, Jeffrey Earnhardt has scaled back to a part-time effort in the NASCAR XFINITY Series. Most notably was his effort at Talladega, where he and sponsor ForeverLawn made a one-off start for Richard Childress Racing. Running the iconic #3 with crew chief Larry McReynolds back atop the pit box for the first time since 2000, Earnhardt won the pole and finished a close 2nd to Noah Gragson – a new career-best. 

Other than another one-off with Emerling-Gase Motorsports at Phoenix, Earnhardt has shared the Sam Hunt Racing with seven different drivers. His best run in Hunt’s Toyota came this past summer at Nashville, where he crossed the line in 7th. For Texas, he’d carry associate sponsorship from YesWay and Allsup’s, two different convenience store chains based in nearby Fort Worth.

The preliminary entry list for Texas showed 39 cars, but by Wednesday that list was cut to 38 after the withdrawal of Mike Harmon Racing’s #47. Brennan Poole had been set to rejoin the Harmon effort after attempting to qualify Jimmy Means Racing’s #52 last week in Bristol, but secured a three-race deal to run the #6 Chevrolet for JD Motorsports, leading to the #47 team’s withdrawal. With that, the remaining 38 entrants were assured spots in Saturday’s field. Of these, Earnhardt ran 17th in practice and secured 27th on the track with a lap of 179.009mph (30.166 seconds).

Taking the 38th and final starting spot was Akinori Ogata, who rejoined Motorsports Business Management in the black-and-yellow #13 Mooneyes Toyota. Ogata ran slowest in practice when his engine picked up a stumble, and ended up not taking a lap in qualifying. Ogata’s team did not change engines, but Garrett Smithley’s team did as his #78 Trophy Tractor Chevrolet was the only car to not complete a timed lap in practice. With neither taking laps in qualifying, Smithley outranked Ogata for the 37th spot, and both would incur redundant tail-end penalties for their repairs. Also docked for unapproved adjustments were 8th-place Ty Gibbs in the #54 Interstate Batteries Toyota, 28th-place J.J. Yeley in the #66 Precision Construction & Roofing Ford, 29th-place Tommy Joe Martins in the #44 Market Rebellion Chevrolet, and 18th-place Bayley Currey in the #4 Hy-Vee Chevrolet. Currey would also have to serve a pass-through penalty after the green flag. Currey bounced back to come home 12th, following up his strong 11th-place showing last week in Bristol.

Shortly after the green flag dropped, all eyes were on polesitter Brandon Jones, who pulled off a dramatic save on the apron of Turn 1 after Daniel Hemric bumped his #19 Menards / Pelonis Toyota. Further back on the inside line, Parker Retzlaff’s #02 Funkaway Chevrolet ran in the back of a car in front of him, causing significant nose damage. As Currey came down pit road to serve his pass-through penalty, Retzlaff also came in and stopped in his stall, where his crew completed repairs. Retzlaff, making his first start since he parted ways with RSS Racing, returned to the track by Lap 10 a full seven laps down with Currey ahead of him in 37th, just one lap behind. This moved last-place starter Ogata up to 36th, though he was still about three seconds behind 35th place and the rest of the field.

On Lap 18, Jeffrey Earnhardt was up to 33rd and racing inside of Currey’s lapped car off Turn 2 when his #26 broke loose and smashed into the inside wall. Earnhardt climbed out uninjured, but his car suffered heavy damage to both ends of his car, and he was done for the afternoon. Retzlaff continued after his earlier damage, ultimately dropping Earnhardt to last on Lap 27. Retzlaff came home in in 21st, the last car under power, aided by two massive multi-car pileups that eliminated many of the leaders on consecutive restarts. The first of these wrecks happened after the Bottom Five was completed.

Taking 37th was David Starr, whose #08 CANTERA Design / TOP MFG Ford bounced off the wall coming off Turn 2. Jeremy Clements, whose Playoff spot was reinstated after his Daytona penalty was overturned, suffered a frustrating electrical issue that put his #51 Straitline Nitro Chevrolet behind the wall before the halfway point. Akinori Ogata took 35th due to suspension issues after his #13 trailed smoke down the backstretch late in the race. Rounding out the group was J.J. Yeley, whose #66 Ford lost the water pump.

Nick Sanchez enjoys breakout run; C.J. McLaughlin scores first Top Ten

C.J. McLaughlin overcame an early spin off Turn 2 and earned a career-best 10th in Saturday’s race – his first career top-ten finish in just his 26th series start. McLaughlin came home one spot behind teammate Ryan Sieg, giving RSS Racing their second double top-ten of the season, following Sieg and Parker Retzlaff’s 9th and 10th-place runs in Richmond.

But by far the biggest surprise was current ARCA Menards Series point leader Nick Sanchez, who in just his fourth career XFINITY start and one week after struggling in the early laps at Bristol enjoyed a career run in Big Machine Racing’s #48 Big Machine Spiked Coolers Chevrolet. During the first major pileup, Sanchez raced through a minefield of spinning cars down the backstretch and found himself challenging for a top-five finish. He ultimately finished one lap down in 11th, a massive improvement over his previous best of 26th.

LASTCAR STATISTICS

*This marked the first last-place finish for both Earnhardt and the #26 in a XFINITY Series race at Texas.

*Early attrition is so common in the XFINITY races at Texas that just six of the previous 43 series races run there saw the last-place finisher complete more than Earnhardt’s 17 laps.

THE BOTTOM FIVE

38) #26-Jeffrey Earnhardt / 17 laps / crash

37) #08-David Starr / 77 laps / crash

36) #51-Jeremy Clements / 79 laps / ignition

35) #13-Akinori Ogata / 99 laps / suspension

34) #66-J.J. Yeley / 99 laps / water pump

2022 LASTCAR XFINITY SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Alpha Prime Racing (4)

2nd) B.J. McLeod Motorsports, JR Motorsports (3)

3rd) JD Motorsports, Mike Harmon Racing, Motorsports Business Management, Our Motorsports, Sam Hunt Racing (2)

4th) Big Machine Racing, Jesse Iwuji Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, Kaulig Racing, Richard Childress Racing, SS-Green Light Racing, Stewart-Haas Racing (1)

2022 LASTCAR XFINITY SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Chevrolet (20)

2nd) Toyota (5)

3rd) Ford (2)

2022 LASTCAR XFINITY SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

PREVIEW: Eye-catching paint schemes and the return of Parker Retzlaff among entry list storylines for Texas

PHOTO: @MBMMotorsports

by Brock Beard

LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief

Saturday, September 24, 2022 (3:30 P.M. ET, USA)

XFINITY Race 27 of 33

Round of 12: Race 1 of 3

Andy’s Frozen Custard 300 at Texas

2021 Last-Place Finisher: J.J. Yeley

ENTRY LIST

There were originally 39 entrants for this week’s XFINITY Playoff opener, but after Mike Harmon Racing withdrew, all 38 remaining cars will qualify.

DRIVER SWAP: #5-B.J. McLeod Motorsports

DRIVER SWAP: #68-Brandonbilt Motorsports

DRIVER CHANGE: #78-B.J. McLeod Motorsports

Welcome back Matt Mills, who's slated to return after missing the last two races due to flu-like symptoms unrelated to COVID. Mills will not run the #78 he was slated to run at Bristol, but instead the #5 in place of Brandon Brown, who after his last-place run at Bristol returns to the #68 in place of Kris Wright, 25th in Bristol. The reason? A new sponsor has come aboard in CAT Trailer Sales, the black, yellow, and blue scheme unveiled on Wednesday. Taking the place of B.J. McLeod, who drove in Mills' relief in the #78 last week for a 34th-place run, is Garrett Smithley, who this week pulls double-duty (see below).

DRIVER CHANGE: #6-JD Motorsports

WITHDREW: #47-Mike Harmon Racing

MISSING: #52-Jimmy Means Racing

Ryan Vargas tweeted on Monday that he will not be running for JD Motorsports this weekend, nor at Homestead and Phoenix, as funded driver will take his place in those events. After it was originally a TBA, that driver is Brennan Poole, who will run all three of those races. Poole, who failed to qualify in Means Racing’s attempted return last week, had originally been listed in the #47, which Dawson Cram also DNQ’d with in Bristol. The #47 has since withdrawn, thus locking the remaining 38 entrants into the race. The sponsor for Poole’s #6 this week is MACC Door Systems. Poole takes the place of Bobby McCarty, who ran 31st in his series debut at Bristol. Still to be announced is the #6 team’s remaining schedule among the other four races still left to be run: Talladega, the Charlotte "Roval," Las Vegas, and Martinsville. 

DRIVER CHANGE: #13-Motorsports Business Management

Another late driver change involved Carl Long’s team Motorsports Business Management, which originally entered Timmy Hill to take the place of Bristol DNQ Chad Finchum. By Wednesday, that had changed to Akinori Ogata, who’s planned rollout of the #13 black-and-yellow Mooneyes Toyota has been moved up to this weekend. Ogata had originally planned to run this race, then moved it to Phoenix after his DNQ in Kansas. That plan has since changed again. With the withdrawal of the #47 team, Ogata is now assured his first XFINITY start on a track more than one mile in length.

DRIVER CHANGE: #18-Joe Gibbs Racing

John Hunter Nemechek and longtime sponsor Romco Equipment team up with the potent Joe Gibbs Racing #18 team this week, taking the place of 14th-place Bristol finisher – and last week’s ARCA Menards Series race winner – Sammy Smith. This will be Nemechek’s first XFINITY start since Darlington earlier this month, where he ran 9th, and his first in the #18 since early brake issues at Dover left him 37th.

TEAM UPDATE #34-Jesse Iwuji Motorsports

Jesse Iwuji’s name is on this week’s entry list, but Kyle Weatherman’s name is on the rear glass of the #34 Chevrolet as it was loaded on Wednesday. 

DRIVER CHANGE: #35-Emerling-Gase Motorsports

Continuing his long-standing efforts with the Donate Life Foundation, Joey Gase will run a vibrant paint scheme on his #35 Toyota, a combined effort with both Donate Life Texas and the Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency (LOPA). Gase, who most recently finished 30th in the rain-shortened Kansas race, takes the place of 27th-place Bristol finisher Patrick Emerling.

DRIVER SWAP: #36-DGM Racing

DRIVER SWAP: #92-DGM Racing

Mario Gosselin swaps two of his drivers this week, moving 26th-place Bristol finisher Alex Labbe to the #92 and 21st-place Bristol finisher Josh Williams to the #36. Mason Massey will remain in the #91.

DRIVER CHANGE: #44-Alpha Prime Racing

Tommy Joe Martins returns for the first time since a stray piece of debris through the radiator left him in last place at Darlington earlier this month, and drives one of his own Alpha Prime cars for the first time since the spring Darlington race, where he ran a season-best 17th. Martins takes the place of Ryan Ellis, who finished 19th in Bristol.

MISSING: #77-Bassett Racing

Ronnie Bassett, Jr. is not entered after his family’s team made the show in Bristol and finished 28th.

DRIVER CHANGE: #02-Our Motorsports

News broke recently that Parker Retzlaff had parted way with RSS Racing, with whom the impressive 19-year-old turned in three finishes of 12th or better in his first five career starts. This week, Retzlaff returns to the series for the first time since Nashville in July, and this time takes the wheel of Our Motorsports’ #02 Chevrolet with his Nashville sponsor Funkaway joining the effort. Retzlaff takes the place of Sage Karam, who ran a solid 18th under the lights last week.

CUP INVADERS: None

Sunday, September 25, 2022 (3:30 P.M. ET, USA)

CUP Race 30 of 36

Round of 12: Race 1 of 3

Autotrader Echo Park Automotive 500 at Texas

2021 Last-Place Finisher: Joey Gase

ENTRY LIST

Only the 36 Chartered entries are headed to Texas, set to form the smallest Cup field in the track’s history (which dates back to 1997). The previous mark was 37 in the spring of 2018. This is the 29th short field in 30 races, a season that while tying the modern era record of 19 different winners saw 40 cars take the green only in the Daytona 500.

DRIVER CHANGE: #15-Rick Ware Racing

In addition to his run for B.J. McLeod, Garrett Smithley will pull double-duty in Sunday’s Cup race, returning to the site of his run in the 10th-place finish in this year’s All-Star Open. It will be Smithley’s 75th career Cup start and his first since Atlanta in July, where he drove this same #15 team to a 27th-place finish. He takes the place of J.J. Yeley, who after suffering one of the night’s many flat tires at Bristol finished 23rd.

DRIVER CHANGE: #16-Kaulig Racing

Noah Gragson will also run both races, back in the #16 for the first time since his 18th-place showing in Kansas for his 13th career Cup start. This week, he welcomes new backing from the Ed Morse Automotive Group, whose Freedom dealership has a big presence in Texas. Gragson takes the place of A.J. Allmendinger, who ran a strong 7th in Bristol.

TEAM UPDATE: #77-Spire Motorsports

Josh Bilicki tweeted last week that he was not in the race at Bristol due to a hand injury. Bilicki will again be out of the Zeigler Auto / LoJak Chevrolet, which goes to Landon Cassill, 22nd in Bristol.

Saturday, October 1, 2022

TRUCKS Race 21 of 23

Round of 8: Race 2 of 3

Chevy Silverado 250 at Talladega

2021 Last-Place Finisher: Jack Wood

The Truck Series returns next week to kick off Talladega weekend.

TODAY IN LASTCAR HISTORY (September 22, 1996): Rusty Wallace picked up the 7th last-place finish of his Winston Cup career in the Hanes 500 at Martinsville. After winning the spring race at the track, Wallace started outside-pole and led the first 35 laps, only for his #2 Miller / 25 Years of Racing Ford lost the water pump after 148 laps.

OPINION: If F1 wanted an American driver badly enough, they would have one by now

PHOTO: @AutoRacing1

by Ben Schneider

LASTCAR.info Guest Contributor

On Thursday, I noticed a tweet from Sports Business Journal’s Adam Stern that stated, “@F1 is working on a yet-to-be-revealed plan to increase driver diversity in the series.” The tweet included a quote from Las Vegas Grand Prix CEO Renee Wilm, who stated: "Our focus is really on creating a more diverse pipeline of drivers. We’d love to see an American driver, women drivers, more drivers of diversity generally."

It was the first part of that last sentence that caught my attention. For anyone who has been following Formula One this season, the words “we’d love to see an American driver” ought to ring especially hollow for multiple reasons.

First, there’s the ongoing situation regarding Andretti Global. After their bid to purchase a stake in the current Alfa Romeo team fell through at the 11th hour, Mario and Michael Andretti, the United States’ most recent F1 World Champion and podium finisher respectively, have made plans to enter a brand new team beginning in 2024 that would not only be based in America, but would also employ an American F1 driver. While the group unveiled plans for a 575,000 square foot headquarters in Indiana as recently as last month, the team’s plans are subject to a license being granted them by the FIA.

For the most part, F1’s existing teams have made no secret about their desire to keep Andretti off the 2024 grid. In particular, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has argued that Andretti would need to prove their value beyond simply paying the nine-figure entry fee, as adding an 11th team to the grid would “dilute” the prize fund allocated to the existing ten. More recently, he has gone on record to say that a proposed Audi entry for 2026 would be a better option should the grid expand. As of right now, seven months after Mario revealed that Michael had submitted an application to the FIA, the proposed team’s status is still unclear at best.

Second, and perhaps more timely, is the ongoing battle to get Andretti Autosport’s IndyCar Series driver Colton Herta a FIA Super License. F1’s current rules require drivers to obtain a minimum of 40 Super License points in other major motorsports championships around the world over a three-year-period. While Formula 2’s top three points finishers are awarded the full 40 points required, only IndyCar’s champion is awarded 40 points, with points significantly decreasing for the rest of the top ten in the championship (see page 60 here for the full breakdown).

After finishing third in 2020’s championship, Herta faded to fifth in the points standings in 2021 before falling all the way to tenth in 2022. Due to the pandemic impacted 2020 season, drivers are currently allowed to take their three best results from the last four seasons. A seventh-place points finish in 2019 means Herta is currently sitting on 32 points. After 2023, Herta will only be able to use his results from the last three seasons, meaning he’ll have only five points to add onto his total from next season.

In short, with Red Bull and AlphaTauri now abandoning their efforts to get the FIA to grant him an exemption, Herta will essentially need to win the 2023 IndyCar championship to qualify for a Super License.

To be clear, Herta did have a down year by his standards. But it’s also important to remember that the IndyCar Series is perhaps the most competitive series in the world due to its diversity of track types and the strength of its competitors, many of whom are active Indianapolis 500 winners and series champions in the primes of their career.

On the contrary, F2’s drivers are almost all in their late teens and early 20s, only having experience in junior categories. With no disrespect to F2’s top drivers, should such a series really offer more Super License points than a series like IndyCar?

Herta’s talent has not gone unnoticed. At the age of 22, he already has seven wins in his first four seasons. McLaren’s F1 team have signed him as a test driver. And reports indicate that AlphaTauri are even willing to offer him a race seat next season should he be granted a Super License exemption from the FIA. But the FIA granting such an exemption appears to be unlikely.

Editorially, I believe that, in the vast majority of circumstances, drivers should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. If a team is willing to offer a contract to a driver, that decision should be a business deal between those two parties with little to no outside influence. Yet in its current form, the FIA have a system in place that does not grant IndyCar’s drivers the amount of respect they deserve.

For comparison’s sake, NASCAR’s Chase Elliott won the 2020 championship and finished fourth in points last season, worth 15 and seven Super License points respectively. Should Elliott win the Cup Series championship again this year, he will have 37 points to his name, five more than Herta’s current total.

Are we really supposed to believe that Elliott’s résumé in stock cars is more deserving of an F1 deal than Herta’s résumé in single-seater open-wheel cars?

Current points totals aside, it is clear that Herta is deserving of a seat in F1 given multiple teams’ interest in him. Even if McLaren and AlphaTauri weren’t interested, Herta would be a near lock for one of the two hypothetical Andretti Global seats in 2024.

Given the uncertainty surrounding either’s ability to enter F1 at the moment, it’s going to take quite a bit of work for F1 to convince me “we’d love to see an American driver.”

CUP: Bristol Night Race sees intense last-place war with Playoff implications

PHOTO: @speedwaydigest

by Brock Beard

LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief

Martin Truex, Jr. picked up the 9th last-place finish of his NASCAR Cup Series career in Saturday’s Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway when his #19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota fell out with steering issues after 198 of 500 laps.

The finish, which came in Truex’s 614th series start, was his first of the season and first since September 10, 2018 at Indianapolis, 147 races ago. In the Cup Series’ last-place rankings, it was the 25th from steering issues, the 47th for the #19, and the 178th from Toyota. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it was the 32nd from the steering, the 84th for the #19, and the 383rd for Toyota.

Saturday’s race marked the first time Truex has finished last in Joe Gibbs Racing’s #19 entry, a car he took over from Daniel Suarez in the 2019 season following the closure of Furniture Row Racing. That year saw him continue his championship form of the previous two seasons, scoring seven wins and finishing runner-up to his new teammate Kyle Busch. After scoring his lone win of the pandemic-affected 2020 campaign in Martinsville, he won another four times last year and was just one caution – and one pit stop – from beating Kyle Larson’s dominant Chevrolet for his second season title.

But, while still consistent on paper, this year’s campaign in the NextGen car has proven a struggle. Most noticeable has been his poor performance on the road courses – once the bread-and-butter of his best seasons. Following a 7th-place finish in COTA, he was just 26th in Sonoma, 13th in Road America, 21st at Indianapolis, and 23rd in Watkins Glen. While winless in a season with a record number of winners, he scored the second-most points of any winless driver through 26 races. Unfortunately, that still wasn’t quite enough to make the Playoff cut. After both he and challenger Ryan Blaney wrecked at Daytona, Blaney edged him for the spot. At Darlington, where hie led 48 laps only to suffer a late-race water pump failure, he looked on the verge of tears as he recalled the frustrations of this uncharacteristic season.

Truex’s weekend in Bristol began with the 24th-fastest lap of the 36 entrants, then qualified 22nd with a lap of 126.071mph (15.220 seconds). 

Rolling off 36th and last was J.J. Yeley in Rick Ware Racing’s #15 World Supercross Championship Ford. While no drivers were sent to the back for pre-race penalties, Yeley still took the green flag one-tenth ahead of 35th-place starter Landon Cassill, who raced in place of Josh Bilicki in the #77 Zeigler Auto / LoJack Chevrolet. By Lap 5, Cassill was still in last, 5.795 back of the lead, and now 0.251 back of new 35th-place runner B.J. McLeod in the #78 Down ‘n Dirty Ford. By Lap 10, Cassill pulled side-by-side with McLeod at the stripe and completed the pass two circuits later. Due to reception issues, McLeod’s crew had trouble checking timing and scoring as they gradually lost touch with Cassill and on Lap 27 became the first car one lap down, passed by polesitter Aric Almirola through Turns 3 and 4.

On Lap 39, Harrison Burton’s #21 Motorcraft Quick Lane Ford bounced off the wall in Turn 4, and two circuits later was told “We’ve gotta change that tire.” As Burton made it to pit road, the caution fell on Lap 43 as Yeley’s #15 also lost a tire and ran slow in the high lane. Yeley, already lapped at the moment of caution, took last from McLeod on Lap 44 as he fell two down. Yeley’s crew checked for evidence of tire rub, only to be told that the tire failed for reasons outside their control. On the restart, Yeley’s car was snapping loose on corner exit, but still ran his fastest lap of the race around Lap 56. By Lap 71, McLeod had also fallen two laps down, but their battle for last soon became a race for 34th.

Blaney (center) during his extended
stay on pit road
PHOTO: Austin Stombres

On Lap 82, Yeley was warned of a slow car off the corner. This was Austin Cindric, who was running inside the Top Ten when his #2 Freightliner Ford came down pit road with a flat right-front tire. Cindric made clear he didn’t make contact with another driver, and that the tire just went down. The green flag stayed out, and Cindric lost four laps as a result, putting him last on Lap 88 as he met minimum speed. Then on Lap 92, Cindric’s Penske teammate Ryan Blaney found trouble when his #12 Menards / Pennzoil Ford lost a right-front tire and bounced off the Turn 4 wall with Aric Almirola’s #10 Ford BlueOval City Ford spinning into the wall moments later. Blaney made it to pit road, only for the crew to leave the left-rear wheel loose and rolling down pit road. Both Blaney and Almirola’s crew checked the steering and returned to the track with Almirola on the lead lap in 30th and Blaney down to 32nd, one lap down. But Blaney’s damage proved much worse, and by Lap 105, his car was dragging sparks from beneath the rear diffuser. He made a quick pit stop on Lap 113 and fell four laps down, but the issue still wasn’t resolved. The next time by, NASCAR black-flagged Blaney for not meeting minimum speed. The resulting stop caused Blaney to take last from Cindric on Lap 116.

Blaney ended up spending several laps on pit road, sitting in one of the first stalls off Turn 4. He was there on Lap 126, when Stage 1 ended, and on Lap 130, a crewman said he couldn’t reattach the toe link because the suspension was so badly bent. By Lap 143, Blaney’s crew lifted the hood, and on Lap 172 had fallen 60 laps down to the leaders. 

Back on track on Lap 173, Bubba Wallace’s #45 MoneyLion Toyota erupted in smoke from behind the right-front, the driver saying he couldn’t turn the car. Wallace pulled into his stall – just a few stalls in front of Blaney’s – and on Lap 183 was joined by teammate Ty Gibbs, citing power steering issues on his #23 Monster Energy Toyota. On Lap 185, Blaney – now 72 laps down – backed up on pit road and became the first car to go behind the wall, where the team’s toolbox was waiting. Gibbs followed by Lap 195 while Wallace returned to the track 20 laps down in 35th. 

34) #23-Ty Gibbs OFF

35) #45-Bubba Wallace -20L

36) #12-Ryan Blaney OFF

On Lap 200, as Wallace was making up the ten laps he needed to pass Gibbs, NASCAR relayed that Martin Truex, Jr. had gone behind the wall. Truex reported he’d blown the seal out of the power steering system and lost all the fluid. During his interview, 35th-place Wallace returned to the garage area – just as he caught up to the same lap as 34th-place Gibbs. On Lap 215, Truex’s on-board camera was shut off, his #19 in 33rd a full 18 laps down. On Lap 240, Truex’s car was being loaded on the hauler, and the #19 was declared out on Lap 241. At that moment, he was still just 33rd – the cars of Wallace, Gibbs, and Blaney were still being worked on. Wallace’s crew replaced the entire steering rack.

33) #19-Martin Truex, Jr. OUT

34) #45-Bubba Wallace OFF

35) #23-Ty Gibbs OFF

36) #12-Ryan Blaney OFF

On Lap 257, Blaney was the first to return to the track. After serving a stop-and-go penalty incurred during his earlier repairs for too many crewmen over the wall, he merged into traffic 152 laps down – still in last place, but now under power and catching 23XI Racing teammates Wallace and Gibbs with Truex farther ahead. On Lap 270, the caution fell as Kyle Busch’s #18 M&M’s Toyota erupted in smoke – the result of his second engine failure in three races. Busch promptly pulled into the garage and climbed out, done for the day. Under the ensuing caution on Lap 273, as Busch’s car was pushed to the hauler, Wallace re-fired his engine and returned to the track 91 laps down in 35th place. Wallace immediately passed Gibbs, who was still in the garage, and now in 34th set his sights on Truex with Kyle Busch further ahead.

32) #18-Kyle Busch OUT

33) #19-Martin Truex, Jr. OUT

34) #45-Bubba Wallace -91L

35) #23-Ty Gibbs OFF

36) #12-Ryan Blaney -152L

Then on Lap 277 came the biggest wreck of the night, triggered by a spinning Daniel Suarez in the #99 Tootsies Orchid Lounge Chevrolet. The multi-car pileup aggravated a power steering issue on Alex Bowman’s #48 Ally Chevrolet, sending his smoking car behind the wall on Lap 280. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. – clipped by the spinning Suarez – joined him soon after in the #47 Kroger / Thomas’ Chevrolet. The wreck also damaged both Richard Childress Racing teammates Austin Dillon in the #3 Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Off Road Chevrolet and Tyler Reddick in the #8 Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet. Reddick was able to return to the track with the right-front fender removed and cleared the “Crash Clock” on Lap 292. But Dillon’s clock expired with both left-side wheels still off his Chevrolet, ending his night. He pulled behind the wall on Lap 300 – out under the Damaged Vehicle Policy (DVP). On Lap 332, NASCAR confirmed Dillon, Stenhouse, and Bowman were out along with Kyle Busch. All four were now positions to be gained by the closing Blaney and Wallace, who were still on track with more than 100 laps to go.

29) #3-Austin Dillon OUT

30) #48-Alex Bowman OUT

31) #47-Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. OUT

32) #18-Kyle Busch OUT

33) #19-Martin Truex, Jr. OUT

34) #45-Bubba Wallace -91L

35) #23-Ty Gibbs OFF

36) #12-Ryan Blaney -152L

On Lap 311, Blaney was within 25 laps of climbing past Ty Gibbs into 35th when Gibbs re-fired his engine and returned to the track. By Lap 317, Gibbs was back up to speed, 132 laps down – 21 laps ahead of Blaney and 15 laps from catching 34th-place Truex. Gibbs passed Truex and on Lap 354, Blaney finally dropped Truex to last, which the #19 would hold for the rest of the night. Blaney would incur a speeding penalty and cut down another tire, but remain on the track to the finish. This was problematic for Playoff contenders Kyle Busch and Austin Cindric, who after both struggled were now competing for the final spot in the “Round of 12.” But while Cindric was still running laps down, Busch was out – and completely at the mercy of the closing Blaney, Wallace, and Gibbs.

29) #3-Austin Dillon OUT

30) #48-Alex Bowman OUT

31) #47-Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. OUT

32) #18-Kyle Busch OUT

33) #45-Bubba Wallace -91L

34) #23-Ty Gibbs -132L

35) #12-Ryan Blaney -156L

36) #19-Martin Truex, Jr. OUT

On Lap 364, Wallace dropped Busch to 33rd, and on Lap 382, Gibbs was within around 20 laps of dropping Busch to 34th. But on Lap 402 – within just five laps of passing Busch – Gibbs pulled behind the wall and up to the hauler, done for the night. When Gibbs came down pit road, Joey Logano fell off the lead lap when his #22 Shell / Pennzoil Ford came down pit road with a flat right-front tire. In the same exact manner as teammate Blaney earlier in the race, Logano spent multiple laps in his stall as his crew attempted a toe link replacement on the right-rear. This may have helped Cindric secure his Playoff spot – but not as much as Blaney’s gradual rise through the field. 

29) #3-Austin Dillon OUT

30) #48-Alex Bowman OUT

31) #47-Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. OUT

32) #45-Bubba Wallace -92L

33) #18-Kyle Busch OUT

34) #12-Ryan Blaney -162L

35) #23-Ty Gibbs OUT

36) #19-Martin Truex, Jr. OUT

By Lap 430, Blaney had passed both Gibbs and Kyle Busch. On Lap 463, Logano’s crew still couldn’t get the toe link in place, and instructed Logano to go to the exact same spot in the garage as Blaney for further repairs. But after running a slow lap and pulling in on Lap 469, there were now just 31 laps to go – and likely more than 100 laps of repairs to complete. With that, Logano was done, settling for 27th. Both Wallace and Blaney managed to climb past the wrecked trio of Dillon, Bowman, and Stenhouse, but advanced no further, taking 29th and 30th, respectively. Reddick held onto 25th, but joined Busch, Dillon, and Harvick as the three drivers eliminated from the Playoffs. All three Penske Racing teammates of Cindric, Blaney, and Logano have advanced to the next round.

29) #45-Bubba Wallace -92L

30) #12-Ryan Blaney -162L

31) #3-Austin Dillon OUT

32) #48-Alex Bowman OUT

33) #47-Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. OUT

34) #18-Kyle Busch OUT

35) #23-Ty Gibbs OUT

36) #19-Martin Truex, Jr. OUT

LASTCAR STATISTICS

*This marked the first last-place finish for the #19 in a Cup race at Bristol since March 17, 2013, when Mike Bliss’ #19 Humphrey-Smith Racing Toyota fell out with a blown engine after 3 laps of the Food City 500. Bliss also scored the number’s most recent last-place finish in the night race the previous August, where he had power steering issues after 6 laps.

*Truex is only the second driver to finish last in a Cup race at Bristol due to steering issues (as opposed to specifically listed power steering issues). The other was Dave Blaney, whose #66 PRISM Motorsports Toyota fell out after 33 laps of the Food City 500 on March 22, 2009.

THE BOTTOM FIVE

36) #19-Martin Truex, Jr. / 198 laps / steering

35) #23-Ty Gibbs / 265 laps / steering

34) #18-Kyle Busch / 269 laps / engine

33) #47-Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. / 276 laps / crash

32) #48-Alex Bowman / 277 laps / crash

2022 LASTCAR CUP SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Live Fast Motorsports (6)

2nd) Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing (4)

3rd) Spire Motorsports (3)

4th) Penske Racing, Stewart-Haas Racing, Trackhouse Racing (2)

5th) 23XI Racing, Kaulig Racing, NY Racing Team, Richard Childress Racing, Rick Ware Racing, Team Hezeberg (1)

2022 LASTCAR CUP SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Chevrolet, Ford (12)

2nd) Toyota (5)

2022 LASTCAR CUP SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

XFINITY: Brandon Brown qualifies strong but wrecks out early at Bristol; Parsons and Currey impress

PHOTO: @TeamBJMcLeod

by Brock Beard

LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief

Brandon Brown picked up the 2nd last-place finish of his NASCAR XFINITY Series career in Friday’s Food City 300 at the Bristol Motor Speedway when his unsponsored #5 B.J. McLeod Motorsports Chevrolet was involved in an accident after 45 of 300 laps.

The finish, which came in Brown’s 145th series start, was his first of the season and first in a XFINITY race since August 21, 2021 at Michigan, 37 races ago. In the XFINITY Series’ last-place rankings, it was the 13th for the #5, the 370th from a crash, and the 605th for Chevrolet. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it was the 39th for the #5, the 1,305th from a crash, and the 1,861st for Chevrolet.

It's been an emotional rollercoaster for Brandon Brown, who not long after his only XFINITY last-place finish scored a thrilling first career victory at Talladega. After climbing from the car, an unrelated chant from fans overheard expressing their displeasure with President Biden gave the win added media coverage – but the attention ended up doing Brown more harm than good. He lost sponsor Larry’s Lemonade and was unable to capitalize on the Talladega phenomenon through a cryptocurrency NASCAR may or may not have approved, only to rescind that approval. Despite several solid finishes in 2022, Brown then found himself in exactly the same desperate situation where he’d found himself last year before the win – without a sponsor.

By August, Brown could no longer run for his own family’s Brandonbilt Motorsports effort full-time as the team needed to bring on funded driver Kris Wright to take his place. One of the few races Brown would run in the #68 was last month at Daytona, where he reunited with Larry’s as sponsor and found himself in position to take the win from Jeremy Clements – only for the caution to freeze him in a disappointing 4th. Otherwise, since Wright’s arrival from the Truck Series in August, Brown has pieced together his remaining schedule with Mike Harmon Racing, Our Motorsports, and at Bristol, B.J. McLeod Motorsports. As at Watkins Glen, Brown would run McLeod’s #5 with no primary sponsorship – this time in a plain white Chevrolet. He'd be teamed with McLeod himself, who stood in as relief driver for Matt Mills, whose flu-like symptoms kept him out of the #78 J.F. Electric Chevrolet for a second-straight race.

Brown was one of 41 drivers entered for 38 spots. Of that group, he climbed from just 30th in practice to an impressive 13th in qualifying, securing the inside of the seventh row with a lap of 120.195mph (15.964 seconds). The fastest of the three cars sent home belonged to Brennan Poole, who in the return of Jimmy Means Racing drew within just 0.023 second of getting the #52 team into its first race since October 30, 2021 at Martinsville. Instead, Poole’s #52 Chevrolet failed to qualify along with Dawson Cram in the #47 Michael Waltrip Brewing Co. Chevrolet and Chad Finchum in the #13 Finishing Touch / Food City Toyota.

Starting 38th and last in Friday’s field was Bobby McCarty, who after his DNQ with Mike Harmon Racing at Loudon made his XFINITY Series debut in JD Motorsports’ #6 Solid Rock Carriers Chevrolet. Joining McCarty in the rear of the field were two drivers docked for unapproved adjustments: 14th-place starter Stefan Parsons in the #45 Pursuit Church / Sokal Chevrolet and 37th-place Joe Graf, Jr. in the #07 Bucked Up LFG BURN Ford.

When the race started, Graf held down 38th place, about five seconds back of the leader. By Lap 4, the spot fell to C.J. McLaughlin in the #38 Sci Aps Ford. McLaughlin dropped Graf back to last on Lap 5, when the first caution fell. Nick Sanchez, making just his third career start, climbed aboard Big Machine Racing’s #48 Big Machine Racing Spiked Coolers Chevrolet, only to lose a right-front tire and nearly hit the Turn 2 wall. Sanchez came back to pit road without serious damage, returned on the lead lap, then came in for a second stop on Lap 9 for a wheel spacer. The team expressed concern that one of their tires was rubbing against the sway bar. Sanchez returned to the track, just barely catching the tail end of the field for the Lap 10 restart, and quickly dropped Graf back to last. 

Brown's wrecked car (center) in the
garage at Bristol.
PHOTO: Austin Stombres

On Lap 13, Sheldon Creed made contact with the #98 Resorts World Ford of Riley Herbst, and while Herbst avoided a spin, the caution came out for a second time. Here, too, Sanchez came down pit road for his third stop. “Put another eighth on it, inspect the inside of the tire, please,” said the crew. “No wedge or nothing.” The crew also cautioned Sanchez to not run so hard on the restarts. “You’re not gonna pass ‘em all in one corner,” they told him. As the caution period continued on Lap 15, the spot fell back to last-place qualifier Bobby McCarty, followed by Graf on Lap 16, when Sanchez made his fourth stop. “We’ll have to glue up this right-rear probably,” said the crew. Sanchez retook last on Lap 17 and remained in the spot through the Lap 19 restart, only dropping McCarty back to 38th on Lap 21.

On Lap 26, McCarty was encouraged by the team to track down new 37th-place runner Ronnie Bassett, Jr. in the #77 Jerry Hunt Supercenter Chevrolet. He was also told to hug the bottom lane as the leaders were fast approaching, ultimately putting the #6 the first car one lap down on the 31st go-round. Four laps later on Lap 35, trouble again found Nick Sanchez, who spun off Turn 2 but once again avoided contact. The driver reported he was free coming off the corner, and came in for four tires with the right-front flat-spotted. He took over last on Lap 36. Despite a lack of visible damage, one of these incidents had knocked a crush panel loose. The team considered taping it back in place, then called for a saws-all to cut it out. Now lapped as a result of both the spin and stop, Sanchez once again took his time climbing through the pack, passing McCarty for 37th on Lap 42.

On Lap 45, Brandon Brown had only lost five spots since the start, holding down the 18th spot when he apparently broke loose off Turn 2 and slammed into the inside wall with both the front and rear of his car, knocking the rear decklid loose so it dangled from its tethers. Brown made it to pit road, where the crew set to work, not knowing exactly how much time they had on the “Crash Clock.” They held off changing tires to jack up both sides of the car and drop the bent splitter on a lead block. They ultimately put right-side tires on during Lap 50, when they estimated they had 90 seconds remaining. He returned to the track on Lap 53, and while the team feared time had expired, NASCAR instead reportedly advised them to pick up their speed. But the crew wasn’t satisfied with their car, believing something else was broken. On Lap 56, Brown pulled behind the wall, one of the pace cars pulling out of the way to allow him to pass. “I don’t know,” said someone on the crew on Lap 75, “I don’t see anything obvious that would’ve caused it. Too late now.”

Attrition remained low, which played a direct role in determining the final few spots in the XFINITY Playoffs. Around the 100-lap mark, Landon Cassill’s #10 Voyager Chevrolet was running 10th when he suddenly slowed with what looked like a flat tire. But soon, his right-front hub caught fire, and he went behind the wall for lengthy repairs. The crew worked on the brake system, then the hub, then ultimately replaced the entire right-front spindle. Back on track, a bump from Noah Gragson sent Ty Gibbs’ #54 Monster Energy Toyota crashing into Sheldon Creed’s #2 Whelen Chevrolet, taking both out of the race. Cassill returned to the track on Lap 219, needing to pass both Gibbs and Creed to stay within striking distance of Ryan Sieg for the final Playoff spot. While three more drivers fell out in the final 100 laps, Cassill was 112 laps behind – too far back to catch any of them and settled for 35th. Cassill ultimately fell just five points short of taking a Playoff spot from Sieg. B.J. McLeod rounded out the Bottom Five after brake issues, still 42 laps ahead of Cassill at the checkered flag.

Stefan Parsons and Bayley Currey impress with strong performances

In a race dominated by Playoff storylines, a couple drivers outside the hunt earned surprising runs. One month after earning a career-best 12th at Watkins Glen, Stefan Parsons went one step further with his first career Top Ten. He bounced back from his pre-race penalty to charge to 8th at the finish, driving what was reportedly an old chassis the Alpha Prime team acquired from TriStar Motorsports. 

Not far behind in 11th came Bayley Currey, whose #4 Alka-Seltzer Chevrolet led for four laps on old tires, then held fast to 3rd for much of the run before he gradually slid back. The result is the best for JD Motorsports since Ryan Vargas’ 6th-place showing at Daytona last month and Currey’s best since his 10th in Loudon – all while coming in Currey’s 100th XFINITY start.

LASTCAR STATISTICS

*This marks the first last-place finish for the #5 in a XFINITY Series race at Bristol.

THE BOTTOM FIVE

38) #5-Brandon Brown / 45 laps / crash

37) #2-Sheldon Creed / 128 laps / crash / led 34 laps

36) #54-Ty Gibbs / 129 laps / crash / led 89 laps / won stage 1

35) #10-Landon Cassill / 188 laps / running

34) #78-B.J. McLeod / 220 laps / brakes

2022 LASTCAR XFINITY SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Alpha Prime Racing (4)

2nd) B.J. McLeod Motorsports, JR Motorsports (3)

3rd) JD Motorsports, Mike Harmon Racing, Motorsports Business Management, Our Motorsports (2)

4th) Big Machine Racing, Jesse Iwuji Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, Kaulig Racing, Richard Childress Racing, Sam Hunt Racing, SS-Green Light Racing, Stewart-Haas Racing (1)

2022 LASTCAR XFINITY SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Chevrolet (20)

2nd) Toyota (4)

3rd) Ford (2)

2022 LASTCAR XFINITY SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

TRUCKS: Debate over the DVP hands Spencer Boyd last place in Bristol; Ty Majeski scores emotional first victory

PHOTO: @SpencerBoyd

by Brock Beard

LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief

Spencer Boyd picked up the 3rd last-place finish of his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career in Thursday’s UNOH 200 Presented by Ohio Logistics at the Bristol Motor Speedway when his #12 Rimtyme Chevrolet was eliminated with crash damage after 25 of 200 laps.

The finish, which came in Boyd’s 86th series start, was his second of the season and first since IRP, three races ago. In the Truck Series’ last-place rankings, it was the 8th for the #12, the 177th from a crash, and the 427th for Chevrolet. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it was the 46th for the #12, the 1,304th from a crash, and the 1,860th for Chevrolet.

With the finish, Boyd takes the lead in the 2022 LASTCAR Truck Series Championship by a single bottom-five finish over Dean Thompson with just three races to go. Thompson had led the standings since his last-place finish in this year's Daytona opener.

Boyd’s most recent last-place finish occurred during an already difficult stretch of his 2022 season with Young’s Motorsports. He finished 32nd in the previous round at Pocono, then just 32nd and 33rd in the next races at Richmond and Kansas. For Bristol, he’d welcome back sponsor Rimtyme, which most recently backed his #12 at Nashville. Of the 37 entries, he ranked 36th ahead of Josh Reaume, who turned a session-fewest two laps in his #43 Colonial Countertops Toyota. Boyd then qualified 33rd with the second-slowest completed lap – again ahead of Reaume – clocking in at 116.673mph (16.446 seconds). The lone DNQ was Justin S. Carroll, who for the fifth time in as many attempts missed the show in his #90 Carroll’s Automotive Toyota.

Practice proved particularly wild for two Playoff contenders. Zane Smith ranked 20th in his #38 Speedco / Luber Finer Ford, but suffered a rear end seal failure that caused a leak, requiring repairs that kept him from turning a lap in qualifying. Also kept from qualifying was John Hunter Nemechek, whose #4 Pye-Barker Fire & Safety Toyota was 13th in practice. Nemechek looked to have a right-front tire go down in Turn 4 near the end of the session, putting him into the outside wall. His crew rolled out the backup, which interestingly was instead decorated with sponsorship from Mobil 1 and door numbers that were blue in place of the primary’s white. Pye-Barker’s logos were much smaller, placed on the lower quarter-panels of the flat black Toyota. Smith would roll off 35th with Nemechek 36th. 

Nemechek’s backup and Smith’s repairs would incur both redundant tail-end penalties along with the unapproved adjustments for 22nd-place Blaine Perkins in the #9 Raceline Chevrolet and Reaume Brothers teammates Chris Hacker, set to start 30th in the #33 Prima Chevrolet along with teammate Reaume in the sluggish #43. Reaume’s truck was last across the stripe, 4.366 seconds back of the leader and already nearly seven-tenths back of 35th-place Nemechek, who made quick work of Hacker’s #33 en route to a 12th-place finish. By Lap 4, Reaume was still 0.889 back of Hacker, but drew within 0.330 two circuit later. On Lap 11, Hacker clawed past Boyd for 34th, dropping Boyd’s #12 to within just 0.195 second of the still-closing Reaume. The gap stayed about the same around Lap 14, when Reaume was lapped by polesitter Derek Kraus who pulled to the high lane through Turns 3 and 4. Boyd, too, was lapped by the 17th circuit. On Lap 19, Reaume’s spotter found him an open spot in traffic, but he was soon caught by faster traffic once more. This was followed on Lap 24 by a message, “Got one slow on the front up high.”

The slow truck was Boyd’s, which had bounced off the outside wall with smoke coming from behind his right-front wheel. Reaume passed him for last on Lap 25, and someone on the #12 crew radioed, “It’s on fire. Right-front’s on fire.” An argument then ensued between two crew members – one reporting that the caliper was on fire and they needed to go behind the wall, while another reminded him that doing so would put them out of the race under the Damaged Vehicle Policy (DVP). The response was, “It don’t matter. I’ve gotta see why it’s on fire.” Now six laps down as Boyd made it to pit road, the #12 pulled behind the wall, where NASCAR radioed, “12 to the garage, DVP.” As Boyd radioed that “the brake pedal’s been stupid since the beginning,” and it was now on the floor, the first crew member who urged him to the garage asked, “How do you get a DVP for a flat tire?” The topic was further discussed on Lap 35. “I’m not sure how (DVP) works with brushing the wall – hell, everyone’d be under DVP at Darlington.” Boyd’s crew said “We’re done” on Lap 41, and NASCAR confirmed him out on Lap 65.

On Lap 37, Reaume’s night also took a turn for the worse when he lost control racing Blaine Perkins and backed into the outside wall. Seconds later, 14th-place Rajah Caruth spun his #7 Circle Chevrolet and slammed door-to-door with the side of his truck. According to Caruth’s crew, the spotter had warned Caruth of the accident, but the driver didn’t hear the message. Caruth said his spotter didn't say anything. Caruth avoided t-boning Reaume’s truck, but not a slide into the driver’s door, sending Reaume to a local hospital for further evaluation. Caruth reported a vibration in the driveline, the exhaust pipe exposed from the right side of his truck, and pulled behind the wall on Lap 47, out under the DVP. Both Caruth and Reaume were declared out by NASCAR in the same Lap 65 report with Boyd. 

Hacker took 33rd after suspension issue following a spin while Dean Thompson completed the Bottom Five. Thompson nursed old tires to one of his best runs of the year, climbing as high as 10th. But when throwing a block on Tanner Gray with just 20 laps to go, Gray held his line, putting Thompson rear-first into the outside wall and out of the race.

Ty Majeski scores emotional first victory

A few years ago, Ty Majeski was one of NASCAR’s most highly-anticipated prospects in stock car racing, a member of both the 2016-2017 class of NASCAR Next and the inaugural Alan Kulwicki Driver Development Program. He even hailed from Kulwicki’s home state of Wisconsin. After graduating from go-karts, Majeski’s #91 dominated the ARCA Midwest Tour, racking up four consecutive championships. He’s also won a Snowball Derby, two Slinger Nationals, and a trio at Oktoberfest in La Crosse. But despite a trio of ARCA Menards Series wins, the jump to NASCAR national competition wasn’t nearly so smooth. From 2017 to 2018, he languished in the closing years of Roush-Fenway’s XFINITY program, even while sharing the ride with Chase Briscoe and Austin Cindric, now winners in the Cup Series. He didn’t perform much better in the Truck Series with Al Niece, ultimately losing his ride midway through a turbulent 2020. There were questions whether he’d truly make it in the sport.

But all that started to change just last year when Majeski earned a part-time ride with ThorSport Racing in the #66. His 7th-place finish in his debut at Charlotte was already a new career-best, followed by another Top Ten in Nashville. A full-time ride followed, as did sponsorship from multiple backers, most prominently Road Ranger. And after winning the pole and finishing 7th at Daytona – a race where two years earlier he finished last after sliding on his roof – he has ranked no worse than 8th in points all season. He’s run his fastest since the start of the Playoffs, leading 71 laps at IRP, 73 at Richmond, and 14 at Kansas – each a victory that just slipped from his grasp. He led another 45 on Thursday, and this time it included the one that counted most. 

In his 40th Truck Series start, Ty Majeski is a winner. He even completed a “Polish Victory Lap” afterwards at the track where Alan Kulwicki scored two of his Cup wins en route to the Winston Cup Championship, and where he was mourned following his death in a airplane crash in 1993. Appropriately, this same win has punched Majeski’s ticket into the Championship 4, to be settled this November at Phoenix – site of Kulwicki’s maiden Cup win in 1988.

LASTCAR STATISTICS

*This marked the first last-place finish for the #12 in a Truck Series race at Bristol.

THE BOTTOM FIVE

36) #12-Spencer Boyd / 25 laps / crash

35) #43-Josh Reaume / 34 laps / crash

34) #7-Rajah Caruth / 44 laps / crash

33) #33-Chris Hacker / 165 laps / suspension

32) #40-Dean Thompson / 178 laps / crash

2022 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) G2G Racing (4)

2nd) Niece Motorsports, Reaume Brothers Racing, Young’s Motorsports (3)

3rd) AM Racing, David Gilliland Racing (2)

4th) Front Row Motorsports, Halmar Friesen Racing, McAnally-Hilgemann Racing (1)

2022 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Chevrolet (11)

2nd) Toyota (6)

3rd) Ford (3)

2022 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

PREVIEW: Jesse Little's finale, Means team's return, and McCarty and Honeyman's debuts just some of many Bristol storylines

Jesse Little's #02 Chevrolet for tonight's race.
IMAGE: RaceArtist.com, posted on @youngsmtrsports

by Brock Beard

LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief

Thursday, September 15, 2022 (9:00 P.M. ET, FS1)

TRUCKS Race 20 of 23

Round of 8: Race 1 of 3

UNOH 200 Presented by Ohio Logistics at Bristol

2021 Last-Place Finisher: Josh Reaume

ENTRY LIST

There are 37 drivers entered for 36 spots, meaning one will fail to qualify.

MISSING: #5-Hill Motorsports

The first of four teams which attempted the most recent race at Kansas but will not be in Bristol is the second Hill Motorsports entry with which Tyler Hill earned a 29th-place finish.

RETURNING: #7-Spire Motorsports

One week after running the XFINITY race at Kansas, taking 25th for Alpha Prime Racing, Rajah Caruth is back to attempt his third career Truck Series start and first since Richmond, where he finished 25th. As in that race – the most recent by the Spire #7 entry – Caruth carries sponsorship from Circle, and is the first of six drivers running both this week’s ARCA Menards Series race and at least one of the NASCAR national series races at Bristol this weekend.

MISSING: #14-Trey Hutchens Racing

Trey Hutchens III is not entered following his DNQ in Kansas, site of his lone Truck start this year in the spring, where he finished 29th.

DRIVER CHANGE: #17-David Gilliland Racing

Taking the place of Stewart-Haas Racing reserve driver Ryan Preece is Taylor Gray, who returns for the first time since his career-best 6th-place showing in Richmond. Dead On Tools is the listed sponsor for Gray, who will also run the ARCA race. Gray ranks 2nd in the East Series and 10th nationally.

DRIVER CHANGE: #20-Young's Motorsports

DRIVER SWAP: #02-Young's Motorsports

Two of Randy Young’s teams will represent career beginnings and endings. Driving the #20 – which until Wednesday had only “TBA” on the entry list – is 17-year-old Phoenix native Leland Honeyman, Jr. Running part-time in Young’s ARCA entries, Honeyman finished 6th earlier this year at Iowa and 11th on the Milwaukee Mile. LH Waterfront Construction, his ARCA sponsor, follows him to the #20. Honeyman takes the place of Jesse Little, who finished 28th in Kansas and this week takes the place of Kaz Grala in the #02 with sponsorship from David’s Electric. Little tweeted Wednesday evening that this will be his final race as a driver, following eight years of making a combined 104 Cup, XFINITY, and Truck Series starts (tonight will mark #105). He twice finished a career-best 6th in Trucks, twice finished a series-best 10th in XFINITY, and claimed 35th in a pair of Cup races back in 2018. The 25-year-old wrote, in part, “I’ll still be at the track, and I look forward to seeing you all there.”

DRIVER CHANGE: #22-AM Racing

Austin Wayne Self returns to the driver’s seat for the first time since his 27th-place run at Richmond, taking the place of Kansas last-place finisher Brett Moffitt.

MISSING: #26-Rackley-W.A.R.

The second Rackley entry of Tate Fogleman will not be in Bristol following their DNQ in Kansas.

DRIVER CHANGE: #32-Bret Holmes Racing

Connor Mosack seeks just the second Truck Series start of his career and first since his 34th-place series debut at Mid-Ohio, where he also drove Bret Holmes’ #32 with Nic Tailor as sponsor. Mosack reunites with both team and sponsor following a 15th-place finish in his most recent NASCAR outing – the XFINITY race at Watkins Glen. Mosack will also run the ARCA race in the #23 for Stacy Holmes.

DRIVER CHANGE: #33-Reaume Brothers Racing

“Hackerman,” Chris Hacker, returns for his ninth Truck Series start and first since IRP, where he ran 24th for On Point Motorsports. This time, he reunites with Reaume Brothers Racing for the first time since Nashville, and pilots the flagship #33 with sponsorship from PrimaFlyers.com. Hacker takes the place of Mason Maggio, who finished 32nd last week in Kansas. The Bristol track holds a special place in Hacker’s life, as just seven years ago, his parents surprised him with tickets to Bristol as a birthday present.

RETURNING: #35-McAnally-Hilgemann Racing

Jake Garcia returns in the part-time third entry for the McAnally team with returning sponsor Quanta Services. This would be Garcia’s fourth series start and first since Richmond, where he earned a career-best 20th.

DRIVER CHANGE: #43-Reaume Brothers Racing

After Josh Reaume took over for Armani Williams during the early laps at Kansas, where he ultimately took home 35th, Reaume will run the #43 from the start this week. He is the defending last-place finisher of this race.

MISSING: #46-G2G Racing

Not among the entries is G2G Racing, who during the dirt race here in the spring had a paperwork fowl-up, ultimately forcing their #46 to be entered as the #49 under the now-defunct CMI Motorsports. Brennan Poole, who finished 34th for the team last week in Kansas, is not entered and instead focuses on XFINITY (see below).

RETURNING: #90-Terry Carroll Motorsports

Justin S. Carroll continues his search for an elusive NASCAR national touring series debut in what will be his fifth attempt of the year in the #90 Carrroll’s Automotive Toyota. He is also entered in the ARCA race, where he’ll campaign the #91.

CUP INVADERS: None

Friday, September 16, 2022 (7:30 P.M. ET, USA)

XFINITY Race 26 of 33

Regular Season Finale

Food City 300 at Bristol

2021 Last-Place Finisher: Brett Moffitt

ENTRY LIST

There are 41 drivers entered for 38 spots, meaning three will fail to qualify.

DRIVER SWAP: #5-B.J. McLeod Motorsports

DRIVER CHANGE: #45-Alpha Prime Racing

DRIVER SWAP: #78-B.J. McLeod Motorsports

DRIVER CHANGE: #02-Our Motorsports

A game of musical chairs unfolded this week among four different Chevrolet teams. Kicking things off is a returning Sage Karam, back in a XFINITY car for the first time since his career-best 5th-place finish at Daytona. This time, Karam drives the #02 for Our Motorsports, replacing Brandon Brown, who was 17th in Kansas. Brown lands back in the #5 for B.J. McLeod, replacing Garrett Smithley, himself a last-minute substitute at Kansas for a flu-suffering Matt Mills. Mills was slated to run the #78 for McLeod this week, but on Wednesday reported he’s still feeling the after effects of his illness, putting McLeod himself in the #78. Mills hopes to be back for the upcoming race at Texas. The Mills / McLeod swap already replaced Stefan Parsons, the 26th-place runner in Kanas, who has landed in the Alpha Prime #45 in place of Rajah Caruth. Caruth will not run this week’s XFINITY race as he focuses on both ARCA and the Truck Series.

DRIVER CHANGE: #6-JD Motorsports

When we last saw late model driver Bobby McCarty, he’d failed to qualify at Loudon driving for Mike Harmon Racing. Now, McCarty makes his second attempt with JD Motorsports, replacing 33rd-place Kansas finisher Ryan Vargas. Vargas is excited about the next few races he has coming up in October, including the paint schemes.

DRIVER CHANGE: #13-Motorsports Business Management

Chad Finchum returns to his home track, looking to bounce back from his DNQ in his last attempt at Darlington in the #13, which also failed to qualify last week at Kansas with Akinori Ogata. Finchum carries sponsorship from Finishing Touch and longtime Bristol sponsor Food City on Carl Long’s white Toyota.

DRIVER CHANGE: #26-Sam Hunt Racing

We haven’t seen Jeffrey Earnhardt in a XFINITY car since the July race at Atlanta, where he finished 19th in Sam Hunt Racing’s #26 Toyota. This week, he returns, taking the place of 27th-place Kansas finisher Derek Griffith. Earnhardt has eight previous XFINITY starts at Bristol with a best finish of 12th in 2014.

TEAM UPDATE: #34-Jesse Iwuji Motorsports

Kyle Weatherman is entered in the #34, which he practiced and qualified 18th last week in Kansas before Jesse Iwuji took over and finished 36th. This week, Weatherman will be wearing a pair of the iconic Skeleton Gloves in support of the Dale Jr. Foundation – gloves that will be signed by both Weatherman and Earnhardt before they are auctioned off for charity. This will be only the fourth Bristol XFINITY start for Weatherman – a track where he earned a track-best 28th in his 2019 debut for Rick Ware Racing.

DRIVER CHANGE: #35-Emerling-Gase Motorsports

Patrick Emerling is back in the #35 for the first time since his 25th-place showing at Michigan, and returns to the site of a controversial crash in his only previous XFINITY start here in 2020. During the early days of Our Motorsports, Emerling’s XFINITY debut that evening came to an abrupt end when contact from Bayley Currey put him into the inside wall, leaving him 29th.

DRIVER CHANGE: #36-DGM Racing

RETURNING: #92-DGM Racing

Mario Gosselin brings back its part-time #92 entry for Josh Williams to run, moving over from the #36 with which he took 24th last week in Kansas for a returning Alex Labbe. Labbe brings returning sponsor Can-Am onto his Chevrolet for his first XFINITY start since his season-best 8th in the August race at Daytona. For Williams, this is a return to the site of his Cup Series debut this past spring, when he ran on the dirt surface for Live Fast Motorsports.

DRIVER CHANGE: #44-Alpha Prime Racing

Ryan Ellis rejoins the Alpha Prime team for the first time since his 22nd-place finish at Darlington in the Jeff Gordon “throwback” paint scheme. KeenParts.com is again the sponsor as Ellis takes the place of Howie DiSavino III, who ran 28th with this team in Kansas. This will be Ellis’ third XFINITY start at Bristol and first since 2016, when he ran 35th for Obaika Racing.

DRIVER CHANGE: #47-Mike Harmon Racing

RETURNING / DRIVER SWAP: #52-Jimmy Means Racing

Also returning to XFINITY for the first time since Darlington is Dawson Cram, who this time takes the wheel of Mike Harmon’s #47 with sponsorship from Michael Waltrip’s brewery. This would be just the third career XFINITY start for Cram and his first for Harmon since his 2021 debut at Loudon. Brennan Poole, who has run for MHR for much of this year, moves over to a returning Jimmy Means Racing, whose #52 has been absent from the series since Martinsville in April. The #52 team was entered in six of the season’s first eight races, failing to qualify for seven and withdrawing from Fontana.

DRIVER CHANGE: #48-Big Machine Racing

Current ARCA Menards Series point leader Nick Sanchez – a three-time winner on the circuit this year – will make his third career XFINITY start this week. Unlike his prior two with B.J. McLeod Motorsports at Phoenix and Charlotte, he will this time run for Big Machine Racing, taking the place of Cup regular Ross Chastain in the #48 Chevrolet.

TEAM UPDATE: #51-Jeremy Clements Racing

On Tuesday came news that Jeremy Clements’ L2 penalty from his Daytona win has been overturned, locking his underdog team back into next week’s Playoffs.

DRIVER CHANGE: #77-Bassett Racing

Ronnie Bassett, Jr. looks to make his first XFINITY start since his 36th-place finish after he was collected in Pocono’s multi-car crash off Turn 3. Dillon Bassett timed into the last two races for the #77 team, taking 34th at Michigan and 29th last week in Kansas.

DRIVER CHANGE: #07-SS-Green Light Racing w/ Jeff Lefcourt

Joe Graf, Jr. returns to the #07 this week in place of Brett Moffitt, who finished a strong 10th in the rain-shortened Kansas race. Two of Graf’s three XFINITY starts at Bristol saw him finish in the Top 20 with a 13th in 2020 and a 17th last summer.

CUP INVADERS: None

Saturday, September 17, 2022 (7:30 P.M. ET, USA)

CUP Race 29 of 36

Round of 16: Race 3 of 3

Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol

2021 Last-Place Finisher: Ryan Newman

ENTRY LIST

For the first time since August 26, 1995 - the night of Terry Labonte and Dale Earnhardt’s first of two last-lap tangles - only 36 cars will take the green in the Bristol Night Race. But unlike that 1995 race, which saw 43 drivers attempt to qualify, sending seven fully-funded teams home, only the Chartered teams fill the field. This marks the 28th short field in 29 races this season, and will determine the first four drivers eliminated from the Cup Series Playoffs.

DRIVER CHANGE: #16-Kaulig Racing

Defending XFINITY race winner at Bristol A.J. Allmendinger takes the place of 18th-place Kansas finisher Noah Gragson as he pulls double-duty for the Kaulig team.

DRIVER CHANGE: #77-Spire Motorsports

Josh Bilicki makes his 17th Cup start of the season and first since his 21st-place finish at Bristol as he takes the place of 24th-place Kansas finisher Landon Cassill. Zeigler Auto and LoJack return as sponsor as Bilicki seeks to improve his track-best finish of 31st here last summer – his only one of three career Cup starts at Bristol where he finished under power.

TODAY IN LASTCAR HISTORY (September 15, 1985): Bennie Davis of Canton, North Carolina picked up the 1st last-place finish of his NASCAR Busch Grand National Series career in the Coca-Cola 300 at North Wilkesboro when his #66 Davis Racing Pontiac lost the engine after 12 laps. Davis made just 14 series starts, and this was his only race at North Wilkesboro. His best finish was 7th at Hickory on June 11, 1983.