The Xfinity Series kicks off the last full weekend in September with a doubleheader from Texas Motor Speedway in the first race of the playoffs with the Andy’s Frozen Custard 300.

Thirty-eight teams brought cars to the track; so all of the drivers will make the race.

After having some engine issues, Garrett Smithley and Akinori Ogata did not make a qualifying run and will start the race from the back of the field.



Joining Akinori Ogata at the back of the field are Garrett Smithley after an engine change; and Bayley Currey, David Starr, Tommy Joe Martins, Ty Gibbs, and JJ Yeley after the crews made some unapproved adjustments to the cars.  Bayley Currey will have to serve a pass through penalty once the green flag drops.

After posting a time of 29.069 seconds, Brandon Jones puts his number 19 car on the pole with Noah Gragson starting alongside on the front row.  The pole position is half a second faster than the pole time for the spring race in May.  This is Jones’ third pole in the last four races.

The starting lineup for the Andy’s Frozen Custard 300:
Brandon Jones
Noah Gragson
Daniel Hemric
John Hunter Nemechek
Sam Mayer
Justin Allgaier
AJ Allmendinger
Ty Gibbs
Austin Hill
Jeremy Clements
Riley Herbst
Landon Cassill
Sheldon Creed
Ryan Sieg
Kyle Weatherman
Josh Berry
Jeb Burton
Bayley Currey
Joe Graf Jr
Nicholas Sanchez
Brennan Poole
Brandon Brown
Parker Retzlaff
Stefan Parsons
Anthony Alfredo
Alex Labbe
Jeffrey Earnhardt
JJ Yeley
Tommy Joe Martins
Josh Williams
Myatt Snider
Matt Mills
Mason Massey
David Starr
CJ McLaughlin
Joey Gase
Garrett Smithley
Akinori Ogata

Stages one and two of the race are 45 laps each with stage three lasting 110 laps for a total of 200 laps around the mile and a half track.  The drivers can run around 60 laps on a single load of fuel.

On a hot Texas Saturday afternoon, Brandon Jones brings the field down for the green flag start of the race with Brandon Jones getting out in front but spins out after some contact from Daniel Hemric and the track stays green.  With the hottest Texas race in Xfinity Series history, air temperatures are approaching 100 degrees.

Lap three, Noah Gragson has a lead of over half a second on John Hunter Nemechek; Justin Allgaier, Daniel Hemric, and Landon Cassill round out the top five.

Lap five, after falling back to 20th place after the spin, Brandon Jones is now in 18th place,

Parker Retzlaff is on pit road.  Bayley Cureey is one lap down after serving a pass through penalty at the start of the race.

Lap seven, John Hunter Nemechek has closed the gap on leader Noah Gragson to under half a second.

Lap eight, TY Gibbs was among several drivers who had to start the race from the back of the field, he has moved up to 27th since race start.

Lap 10, Noah Gragson has just a two tenths of a second lead on John Hunter Nemechek; Justin Allgaier, Daniel Hemric, and Landon Cassill round out the top five.

Lap eleven, John Hunter Nemechek passes Noah Gragson for the lead.

Lap 12, Parker Retzlaff returns to the track eight laps down.

Justin Allgaier reports that the track feels like it has oil all over it.

Lap 14, Brandon Jones has moved up to 14th and Ty Gibbs is in 21st.

The first caution flag of the race comes out on lap 19 when Jeffrey Earnhardt gets into the wall and causes significant damage to both ends of his car.

A few drivers from the back of the field come down pit road for fresh tires.

Lap 25, John Hunter Nemechek brings the field down for the green restart from the inside lane with Noah Gragson on the outside.  Justin Allgaier gives teammate Noah Gragson a push to put him out in front but Nemechek come up to retake the lead.

Landon Cassill falls back in the field after  some contact with Sam Mayer.

Lap 27, John Hunter Nemechek has a lead of over half a second on Noah Gragson; Daniel Hemric, Justin Allgaier, and AJ Allmendinger round out the top five.

Lap 31, there are 34 cars on the lead lap with Jeffrey Earnhardt out of the race.

Noah Gragson reports that his car has grip, then no grip…back and forth.

Lap 34, Ty Gibbs enters the top 10 after starting the race form the back of the field.

The second caution flag of the race comes out when CJ McLaughlin spins out.  Bayley Currey is the “lucky dog” and gets his lap back.

Several drivers come down pit road to short pit the end of the stage including Noah Gragson who wins the race off of pit road.

John Hunter Nemechek pitted from the lead but overshot his pit box and had to back up before service could begin. Riley Herbst’s crew was charged with coming over the wall too soon and will have to restart the race from the back of the field.

After staying out on the track, Daniel Hemric brings the field down for the green flag restart with just three laps remaining in stage one.  Hemirc jumps out for the lead with Justin Allgaier in second; AJ Allmendinger, Josh Berry, and Austin Hill round out the top five.

Daniel Hemric wins stage one for his third stage win of the season.

The top 10 at the end of stage one:
Daniel Hemric
Justin Allgaier
Austin Hill
Noah Gragson
AJ Allmendinger
Josh Berry
John Hunter Nemechek
Ryan Sieg
Ty Gibbs
Kyle Weatherman

Drivers who did not pit during the caution flag come down pit road for service.  Noah Gragson had to make another trip down pit road for loose lug nuts.  He also changed two tires and wins the race off of pit road but will be mired back in the field on restart.

Back out in front, John Hunter Nemechek brings the field down for the green flag start of stage two on lap 52 from the inside lane and gets out in front for the lead.

John Hunter Nemechek, Ty Gibbs, Nicholas Sanchez, Brandon Jones, and Landon Cassill round out the top five.

Lap 53 Ty Gibbs passes John Hunter Nemechek for the lead with pole sitter Brandon Jones in third.

Noah Gragson reports that he still feels a vibration.

Lap 56, John Hunter Nemechek passes Ty Gibbs to retake the lead; Brandon Jones, Landon Cassill, and Nicholas Sanchez round out the top five.  Noah Gragson has entered the top 10 in eighth place.

Lap 59, John Hunter Nemechek continues to lead the race but is getting a challenge from Ty Gibbs.  Noah Gragson is moving through the field and has entered the top five.

Lap 62, CJ McLaughlin and Parker Retzlaff are the only drivers the only drives on the track not on the lead lap.

Austin Hill is reporting a vibration; Noah Gragson reports that his vibration is continuing and is maybe a little worse.

Lap 68, John Hunter Nemechek has a lead of nearly two seconds on Ty Gibbs; Noah Gragson, Brandon Jones, and Landon Cassill round out the top five.

Lap 78, David Starr gets into the wall with a flag tire and brings out the fourth caution flag of the race. 

Lap 79, Jeremy Clements loses power on the track and has to get a push to pit road.

Some of the drivers come down pit road to pit before the end of the stage including the leaders.  Landon Cassill is caught speeding on pit road.  Josh Berry’s crew was charged with having an uncontrolled tire on pit road.

Team owner and broadcaster Brad Daugherty said that he was confused, asking if the Andy’s Frozen Custard 300 meant that he was supposed to eat 300 of them or was the race 300 miles.  He said that he was up to “a lot.”

Noah Gragson wins the race off of pit road but several drivers have stayed out on the track.

Brandon Jones had a close call on pit road when a wedge wrench from Alex Labbe’s crew comes out on pit road and Jones runs over it.

Jeremy Clements’ crew pushes his car to the garage for repairs.

Daniel Hemric brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 86 from the outside lane with AJ Allmendinger on the inside.  Allmendinger gets out in front for the lead.  Akinori Ogata spins out but the track stays green.

With four laps remaining in stage two, AJ Allmendinger leads the race with Daniel Hemric in second; Noah Gragson, John Hunter Nemechek, and Ryan Sieg round out the top five.

AJ Allmendinger wins stage two with a lead of over a second on Noah Gragson for his third stage win of the season.

The top 10 at the end of stage two:
AJ Allmendinger
Noah Gragson
John Hunter Nemechek
Daniel Hemric
Ty Gibbs
Austin Hill
Ryan Sieg
Justin Allgaier
Brandon Jones
Sam Mayer

Drivers who did not make a pit stop during the caution now come down pit road for service.  Of the drivers who made a pit stop, AJ Allmendinger wins the race off of pit road.

Noah Gragson brings the field down for the green flag start of stage three on lap 97 from the inside lane with John Hunter Nemechek on the outside.  Gragson gets out in front for the lead with Nemechek in second; Ty Gibbs, Austin Hill, and Justin Allgaier round out the top five.

David Starr is out of the race.

There are 32 cars on the lead lap.

Lap 100, half way, Noah Gragson has just a two tenth of a second lead on John Hunter Nemechek; Ty Gibbs, Austin Hill, and Justin Allgaier round out the otp five.

Jeremy Clements is out of the race with mechanical issues.

Lap 104, Akinori Ogata spins out again but this time he brings out the sixth caution flag of the race.

Coming to the choose box, Nicholas Sanchez ran over the box and will have to move to the back of the field.

Noah Gragson brings the field down for the green flag restart from the inside lane on lap 109.  Gragson gets out in front for the lead with Nemechek in second.  Brandon Brown spins out and starts a wreck involving AJ Allmendinger, Landon Cassill, Ryan Sieg, and Stefan Parsons which brings out the seventh caution flag of the race. 

Some of the drivers come down pit road for service; however, with some 90 laps remaining in the race, the drivers cannot finish the race without making at least one more pit stop.

Noah Gragson brings the field down for the green flag restart from the inside lane on lap 117.  Austin Hill comes up to make it a three wide battle and then a four wide battle for the lead when Justin Allgaier sticks his nose going in to turn two; John Hunter Nemechek gets loose and takes out several drivers with a big wreck.  Brennan Poole, Justin Allgaier, Joe Graf Jr, Daniel Hemric, John Hunter Nemechek, Brandon Jones, Kyle Weatherman, Josh Williams, and Mason Massey were all involved.  Noah Gragson is the leader.

Some drivers come down pit road but they are still outside of their pit window to make it to the end of the race.  Justin Allgaier, John Hunter Nemechek, Daniel Hemric, and Brandon Jones are out of the race.

Noah Gragson brings the field down for the green flag restart from the inside lane with Austin Hill alongside on lap 126.  Hill and Gragson go side by side before Gragson gets out in front for the lead.  Garrett Smithley gets into the wall and brings out the caution flag.

With 68 laps remaining in the race, Noah Gragson brings the field down for the green flag restart and jumps out in front for the lead.  Ty Gibbs and Austin Hill battle for second; Riley Herbst and Nicholas Sanchez round out the top five.

Lap 136, Noah Gragson leads the race by nearly a second over Ty Gibbs; Austin Hill, Riley Herbst, and AJ Allmendinger round out the top five.

Lap 140, Noah Gragson continues to lead the race by three quarters of a second on Ty Gibbs; Austin Hill, Riley Herbst, and AJ Allmendinger round out the top five.

Lap 146, Noah Gragson continues to lead the race with Austin Hill in second; Ty Gibbs, Riley Herbst, and AJ Allmendinger round out the top five.

With 53 laps to go, the top six drivers are playoff drivers.

There are only 17 cars on the lead lap.  Tommy Joe Martins is the last car on the lead lap.

Fifty to go,  Noah Gragson is dominating the race as he looks to make it four in a row.  The last driver to win four races in a row in the Xfinity Series was Steve Ard – 39 years ago.

Lap 152, Noah Gragson has a lead of nearly three seconds on Austin Hill; Ty Gibbs, AJ Allmendinger, and Josh Berry round out the top five.

Lap 155, Noah Gragson comes down pit road for his green flag pit stop with a lead of over three second on Austin Hill. Austin Hill is the new leader.

Lap 157, Austin Hill makes his pit stop and gives the lead over the AJ Allmendinger.

Noah Gragson returns to the track in 14th place, one lap down.  He is the first car one lap down and will retake the lead once all of the green flag pit stops cycle through.

Lap 167, AJ Allmendinger has a near one second lead on Josh Berry with Sam Mayer, Bayley Currey, and Jeb Burton rounding out the top five as green flag pit stops continue.  Noah Gragson is still one lap down but is now in ninth place.

Thirty to go, AJ Allmendinger continues to lead the race but still has to make his pit stop.

With 27 laps to go, there are only seven cars on the lead lap.

Lap 175, With just five cars on the lead lap, Noah Gragson is in sixth place.

Lap 176, Noah Gragson is in sixth place but is on the bumper of teammate and second place driver Josh Berry; hoping to pass Berry and aim for AJ Allmendinger to unlap himself.

Just 21 laps to go and there are only fur cars on the lead lap with AJ Almendinger over a second in front of Josh Berry; Jeb Burton and Stefan Parsons are also on the lead lap and need to make a pit stop.

With just 18 laps remaining in the race, AJ Allmendinger and Josh Berry come down pit road for fuel; Jeb Burton is the new leader.  Noah Gragson is back on the lead lap in third place.  There are 12 cars on the lead lap.  Allmendinger takes fuel only.

Lap 184, Jeb Burton is the only driver who has not made a pit stop and has a lead of over three seconds on Noah Gragson.  There are only 21 cars still on the track.

Lap 188, Noah Gragson passes Jeb Burton for the lead; Austin Hill, Ty Gibbs, and AJ Allmendinger round out the top five.

Ten to go, Jeb Burton finally makes his pit stop.

Eight laps remain, Noah Gragson has a lead of nearly a second and a half on Austin Hill.

Just five laps remain with Noah Gragson over a second and a half out in front of Austin Hill with just nine cars on the lead lap.

Noah Gragson takes the white flag with a lead of nearly a second and a half.

Noah Gragson wins his fourth race in a row and his seventh race this season.  And the car disappears in a cloud of smoke with the burnout.  Noah comes through the roof hatch to exit the car before thanking everyone for coming out to the race and climbing the fence.

After a race, Noah and the crew like to eat at the local Waffle House.  After the Bristol race and a trip to the Waffle House, Noah paid for the dinners of everyone in the restaurant.

Noah Gragson becomes the first driver to secure a spot in the next round of hte playoffs.

The unofficial results of the Andy’s Frozen Custard 300:
Noah Gragson
Austin Hill
Ty Gibbs
AJ Allmendinger
Riley Herbst
Josh Berry
Sheldon Creed
Sam Mayer
Ryan Sieg
CJ McLaughlin
Nicholas Sanchez
Bayley Currey
Stefan Parsons
Tommy Joe Martins
Jeb Burton
Matt Mills
Alex Labbe
Joe Graf Jr
Anthony Alfredo
Myatt Snider
Parker Retzlaff
Kyle Weatherman
Garrett Smithley
Brandon Brown
Joey Gase
Josh Williams
Brandon Jones
John Hunter Nemechek
Justin Allgaier
Daniel Hemric
Brennan Poole
Mason Massey
Landon Cassill
JJ Yeley
AKinori Ogata
Jeremy Clements
David Starr
Jeffrey Earnhardt