The Xfinity Series kicks off a busy weekend of racing at Kentucky Speedway and an Xfinity Series doubleheader.
The first of five races – two Xfinity races, one ARCA race, one Truck Series race, and a NASCAR Cup race to cap off the weekend.
Noah Gragson will sit on the pole after a random draw that was set by car owner points. Watermelon Man Ross Chastain will start alongside Gragson on the front row.
With temperatures topping out in the mid nineties, the drivers will run the Shady Rays 200 on a hot summer night under the lights.
Anthony Alfredo has an issue with his car even before the race gets started.
Having won the past two races, Chase Briscoe starts the race from the seventh position and is looking for win number six of the 2020 racing season.
The crew finally gets the steering wheel issue fixed on Anthony Alfredo’s car and he gets moving.
Stages one and two of the race are just 30 laps each with stage three lasting 74 laps for a total of 134 laps.
NASCAR has called for a competition caution on lap 15.
Noah Gragson brings the field down for the green flag start of the race from the inside lane and jumps out in front for the lead.
Going into turn one, Brandon Jones gets turned around after Jeb Burton gets loose. In a racing event Jones hit the sideways Burton. Burton gets airborne after he was hit.
A doubleheader weekend, the drivers have to use the same car for both races unless the car was damaged too badly. Any team who goes to a second car will have to start the second race from the back of the field.
Jeb Burton’s team gets the car repaired and he is back on the track three laps down. Brandon Jones is out of the race.
Noah Gragson brings the field down for the green flag restart from the inside lane on lap eight and goes nose to nose with Ross Chastain before taking the lead on turn two.
Drivers are reporting that the track is very slick and dirty.
Lap nine, the top five are Noah Gragson, Ross Chastain, Michael Annett, Austin Cindric, and Harrison Burton.
Lap eleven, Noah Gragson has a lead of nearly a second on Austin Cindric; Michael Annett, Chase Briscoe, and Harrison Burton round out the top five.
Lap 13, Austin Cindric has closed the gap on leader Noah Gragson to under half a second; Michael Annett, Chse Briscoe, and Harrison Burton round out the top five.
Austin Cindric has caught up to leader Noah Gragson.
At the end of lap 15, NASCAR throws the competition caution. As the “lucky dog”, Jeb Burton gets one of his laps back.
Chase Briscoe is one of only a few drivers who came down pit road for service.
Taking the outside lane, Noah Gragson brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 20 and jumps out in front for the lead with Austin Cindric on his bumper.
With 10 laps remaining in stage one, Noah Gragson leads the race with Austin Cindric on his bumper; Harrison Burton, Ross Chastain, and Anthony Alfredo round out the top five.
After restarting the race in 27th place, Chase Briscoe has moved up to 20th in only three laps.
Lap 24, Austin Cindric challenges Noah Gragson for the lead but Gragson holds on to the lead.
Lap 26, Noah Gragson has a second and a half lead on Harrison Burton; Austin Cindric, Ross Chastain, and Anthony Alfredo round out the top five.
With two laps remaining in stage one, Noah Gragson has pulled out to a lead of over two seconds on Harrison Burton.
With a three second lead, Noah Gragson wins stage one for his series leading sixth stage win of the season.
The top 10 at the end of stage one:
Noah Gragson
Harrison Burton
Austin Ciondric
Ross Chastain
Anthony Alfredo
Michael Annett
Justin Haley
Justin Allgaier
Ryan Sieg
Brett Moffitt
Drivers bring their cars down pit road for service. Noah Gragson wins the race off of pit road with Harrison Burton out second.
Harrison Burton had to make a second trip down pit road for an uncontrolled tire.
Brett Mofitt, Matt Mills, and Kyle Weatherman all had crew member come over the wall too soon and will have to restart the race from the back of the field.
After staying out on the track, Chase Briscoe brings the field down for the green flag start of stage two on lap 37 and goes side by side with Noah Gragson before Gragson takes the lead.
Lap 39, Noah Gragson is in the lead with Chase Briscoe in second; Austin Cindric, Ross Chastain, and Brandon Brown round out the top five.
Lap 41, Noah Gragson has pulled out to a lead of nearly half a second on Chase Briscoe; Austin Cindric, Ross Chastain, and Riley Herbst round out the top five.
When Noah Gragson’s team removed his first set of tires, they were corded all the way around. NASCAR has issued five sets of tires to each team.
Lap 45, Noah Gragson has a lead of over half a second on Chase Briscoe; Austin Cindric, Ross Chastain, and Riley Herbst round out the top five.
Lap 50, Noah Gragson continues to dominate the race with a lead of over a second on Chase Briscoe; Austin Cindric, Ross Chastain, and Riley Herbst round out the top five.
Chase Briscoe is reporting a vibration in his car.
Lap 54, Noah Gragson holds on to his one second lead on Chase Briscoe with 29 cars on the lead lap.
Jeb Burton and Tommy Joe Martins are off the track with Stephen Leicht and Brandon Jones out of the race.
Five laps to go in stage two; Noah Gragson has a one second lead on Austin Cindric; Chase Briscoe, Ross Chastain and Riley Herbst round out the top five.
Lap 58, Noah Gragson is lapping cars; there are only 22 cars on the lead lap.
With a lead of over a second, Noah Gragson wins stage two for the stage sweep.
The top 10 at the end of stage two:
Noah Gragson
Austin Cindric
Chase Briscoe
Ross Chastain
Riley Herbst
Justin Allgaier
Michael Annett
Ryan Sieg
Brandon Brown
Anthony Alfredo
Drivers bring their cars down pit road for service. Noah Gragson is reporting a vibration.
Noah Gragson edges out Chase Briscoe to win the race off of pit road.
Noah Gragson brings the field down for the green flag start of stage three on lap 68 and gets out in front to dontiue his dominance of the race with Chase Briscoe in second; Austin Cindric, Riley Herbst, and Jusitn Allgaier round out the top five.
On lap 72, Noah Gragson has just run his fastest lap of the race.
Gragson has a quarter of a second lead on Austin Cindric; Chase Briscoe, Riley Herbst, and Justin Allgaier round out the top five.
Lap 75, Austin Cindric has closed the gap on leader Noah Gragson to just a tenth of a second; Chase Briscoe, Riley Herbst, and Justin Allgaier round out the top five.
Lap 81, Noah Gragson is getting challenged for the lead by Austin Cindric; with the help of a lapped car, Gragson holds on to the lead.
Lap 85, Noah Gragson has a quarter of a second lead on Austin Cindric; Chase Briscoe, Justin Allgaier, and Riley Herbst round out the top five with 22 caes on the lead lap.
Alex Labbe gets loose on the track but he saves the car and the track stays green.
Brandon Brown gets loose and into the wall and brings out the caution flag on lap 89.
The drivers are in their fuel window to make it to the end of the race with 45 laps remaining in the race.
Taking only two tires, Justin Haely and Jeremy Clements win the race off of pit road with Noah Gragson coming out third.
Justin Haley brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 93 with Haley edging out for the lead.
Austin Cindric comes from fourth place to take the lead; Justin Haley, Chase Briscoe, Harrison Burton, and Michael Annett round out the top five. Noah Gargaon is back in traffic in eithgh place.
Lap 100, Austin Cindric has pulled out to a second and a half lead on Justin Haley; Chase Briscoe, Harrison Burton, and Michael Annett round out the top five.
Ross Chastain and Brett Moffitt make contact and get lose, but save the cars. Leaving debris on the track, NASCAR puts out the sixth caution flag of the race.
Austin Cindric brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 106 with Austin Cindric and Justin Haley battling for the lead. Austin Cindric gets out in front for the lead with Chase Briscoe in second; Harrison Burton, Justin Haley, and Justin Allgaier round out the top five.
With just 20 laps remaining in the race, Austin Cindric has a near two second lead on Chase Briscoe; Harrison Burton, Justin Allagier, and Justin Haley round out the top five.
Austin Cindric is running laps a second fasther than the rest of the field.
Fifteen to go, Austin Cindric has a near two second lead on Chase Briscoe; Harrison Burton, Justin Allgaier, and Noah Gragson round out the top five.
Colby Howard gets into the wall and brings out the caution flag.
Austin Cindric brings the field down for the green flag restart with just nine laps remaining in the race. The cars are getting three and four wide across the track with Austin Cindric getting out in front for the lead; Chase Briscoe, Noah Gragson, Justin Allgaier, and Riley Herbst round out the top five.
Five to go, Austin Cindric has pulled out to a lead of nearly a second on Chase Briscoe; Noah Gragson, Justin Allgaier, and Riley Herbst round out the top five.
Harrison Burton brings out the eighth caution flag of the race when h gets loose and spins out.
Austin Cindric brings the field down for the overtime finish and the first attempt at a green/white/checker finish. Austin Cindric gets out in front for the lead.
Austin Cindric takes the white flag with Riley Herbst in second.
Winning his first oval race in the 2020 season, Austin Cindric wins his third race of the season while Justin Allgaier and Ronny Bassett Jr wreck and hit the wall. Both drivers are out of the cars. Bassett’s car got off the ground when it hit the wall.
The unofficial results of the Shady Rays 200:
Austin Cindric
Riley Herbst
Ross Chastain
Chase Briscoe
Anthonly Alfredo
Michael Annett
Justin Haley
Kyle Weatherman
Ryan Sieg
Brett Moffitt
Noah Gragson
Jeremy Clements
Joe Graf Jr
Jesse Little
Myatt Snider
Chad Finchum
Harrison Burton
BJ McLeod
Ronnie Bassett JR
Justin Allgaier
Timmy Hill
Bayley Currey
Vinnie Miller
Alex Labbe
Kody Vanderwal
Josh Williams
Brandon Brown
Mason Massey
Jeffrey Earnhardt
Matt Mills
Garrett Smithely
Colby Howard
Tommy Joe Martins
Jeb Burton
Stephen Leicht
Brandon Jones