Part two of the triple header weekend of racing is the Xfinity Series for some Friday night racing and the Food City 300. This is the final race of the regular season for the Xfinity Series. By the end of the race, the playoff field will be set.
Thirty nine teams have brought cars to Bristol for 38 starting spots including Hall of Fame driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. As of today, Junior has no plans to run any races next season.
The last time Dale Jr was at Bristol there was a fire inside the car that singed the right leg of his fire suit.
Ryan Truex returns to drive the multi-driver Joe Gibbs Racing 20 car. So far this year, the number 20 car has won seven races with four different drivers.
NASCAR has divided the drivers into two groups for practice. Bristol is a half mile track and with the full field on the track at the same time does not offer the drivers a chance for some productive practice.
Jeffrey Earnhardt led the Group A drivers in the 15 minute practice session.
Justin Allgaier tops the chart in Group B. He is the defending champion of the race. Last year, Allgaier picked up car owner Dale Earnhart Jr to give Junior a ride on the way to victory lane.
Dawson Cram is the first driver on the track to make a qualifying run and posted a time of 16.620 seconds.
It will be a very busy weekend for Stefan Parsons who ran the Truck Series race on Thursday night, is running in the Xfinity Series, and will be spotting for Corey LaJoie in the Cup Series race on Saturday night.
The lone Tennessee driver, Chad Finchum, posted a time of 16.134 seconds to top the board of the 14 drivers that have made a qualifying run.
Anthony Alfredo is the first driver to break the 16 second lap with a time of 15.935 seconds.
Shane van Gisbergen says that he has never seen anything like Bristol before but adds, “what a place!”
Dale Jr posted a time of 16.075 seconds. At the moment, he is in the top five. As Junior passed by, Jesse Love tipped his cap to Junior.
With a time of 15.810 seconds. Chandler Smith – the last car on the track – puts his number 81 car on the pole. Cole Custer will start alongside Smith on the front row.
The starting lineup for the Food City 300:
Chandler Smith
Cole Custer
Anthony Alfredo
Justin Allgaier
AJ Allmendinger
Jeffrey Earnhardt
Jeremy Clements
Kyle Weatherman
Brandon Jones
Jesse Love
Parker Kligerman
Dale Earnhardt Jr
Ryan Sieg
Sheldon Creed
Riley Herbst
Ryan Truex
Austin Hill
Chad Finchum
Joe Graf Jr
Sam Mayer
Sammy Smith
Stefan Parsons
Josh Bilicki
Matt DiBenedetto
Jeb Burton
Ryan Ellis
Parker Retzlaff
Austin Green
Brenna Poole
Carson Ware
Leland Honeyman
Josh Williams
Blaine Perkins
Shane van Gisbergen
Logan Bearden
Kyle Sieg
Garrett Smithley
Greg van Alst
Dawson Cram failed to qualify for the race.
Sam Mayer, Josh Williams, Parker Retzlaff, and Leland Honeyman will all start the race from the back of the field after the crews made some unapproved adjustments to the cars. Stefan Parson will also start from the back of the field after the crew made an engine change. The crew was still working on Parson’s car as the drivers started moving around the track.
The final race of the regular season, 10 of the 12 playoff spots are locked in with race wins. At the moment Parker Kligerman and Sammy Smith are above the cut line.
Stages one and two are 85 laps each with stage three lasting 130 laps. The drivers can run 140 to 150 laps on a single load of fuel.
Chandler Smith brings the field down for the green flag start of the race from the outside lane with Cole Custer alongside. Smith gets out in front but Justin Allgaier comes up one the outside to battle for the lead. Cole Custer gets into the wall but keeps moving while reporting a flat tire. The caution flag comes out on lap two.
Dale Earnhardt Jr came down pit road with a radio issue and was caught speeding on pit road.
Justin Allgaier brings the field down for the green flag restart on la p10 and jumps out in front for the lead.
The top five are Justin Allgaier, Chandler Smith, Anthony Alfredo, Jeffrey Earnhardt, and AJ Allmendinger.
Lap 13, Chandler Smith battles with Justin Allgaier for the lead.
Lap 15, Stefan Parsons is finally joining the race.
Lap 17, Working his way through the field, Dale Jr is in 32nd place.
Lap 19, Justin Allgaier has a narrow lead on Chandler smith; Anthony Alfredo, Jeffrey Earnhardt, and AJ Allmendinger round out the top five.
Dale Jr’s radio issue continue; the crew had a backup helmet for Jr the next time he comes down pit road.
Lap 23, Justin Allgaier holds on to a two tenths of a second lead on Chandler Smith.
There are battle all through the field.
Lap, 27, Dale Jr is in 33rd place with 36 cars on the lead lap.
Lap 39, Justin Allgaier leads the race with Chandler Smith in second; Anthony Alfredo, Jeffrey Earnhardt, and Jesse Love round out the top five.
Lap 35, Dale Jr is in the top 30 in 27th place.
Lap 40, Justin Allgaier has led 39 laps and is now in fourth place all time of laps led in the Xfinity Series.
Lap 42, the top five are Justin Allgaier, Chandler Smith, Anthony Alfredo, Jesse Love, and Jeffrey Earnhart.
There are now 29 cars on the lead lap.
Dale Jr is up to 25th.
Lap 47, Justin Allgaier has pulled out to a lead of over a second on Chandler Smith; Anthony Alfredo, Jesse Love, and Jeffrey Earnhardt round out the top five.
The caution flag comes out on lap 53 for a crash involving Austin Green and Parker Retzlaff. Leader Justin Allgaier has the rear bumper of his car torn off as he passed the crash.
Dale Earnhart Jr notes that the radio issue was a loose connection in the helmet. He makes the switch and continues to get everything hooked up while driving under caution. Jr has to make another trip down pit road for additional repairs to the radio.
Justin Allgaier has to come down pit road for repairs to the car.
Ryan Sieg comes down pit road and does not plan to make a stop at the end of the stage.
Chandler Smith brings the field down for the green flag restart with Anthony Alfredo alongside on lap 66. Smith jumps out in front for the lead with Jesse Love taking second; Anthony Alfredo, AJ Allmendinger, and Sheldon Creed round out the top five.
Austin Green and Parker Retzlaff are out of the race.
Dale Jr i the last car on the lead lap in 26th place. Justin Allgaier is in 21st.
Justin Allgaier is working his way through the field.
Dale Jr reports that radio issue has been resolved.
Leland Honeyman and Gret van Alst nearly cause a wreck in front of Dale Jr.
With just seven laps remaining in stage one, Chandler Smith has a lead of nearly two seconds on Jesse Love.
Lap 79, Justin Allgaier has entered the top 20 in 19th.
With four laps to go, Chandler Smith has pulled out to a lead of over two seconds on Jesse Love.
Chandler Smith wins stage one for his sixth stage win of the season.
The top 10 at the end of stage one:
Chandler Smith
Jesse Love
Sheldon Creed
AJ Allmendinger
Anthony Alfredo
Jeremy Clements
Cole Custer
Jeffrey Earnhardt
Ryan Truex
Joe Graf Jr
Drivers come down pit road for service with several reports of a loose condition for some and a tight condition for others. Sheldon Creed wins the race off of pit road.
Joe Graf Jr was caught speeding on pit road.
The teams have only three sets of tires for the race.
Parker Kligerman was charged with an uncontrolled tire on pit road.
Ryan Sieg brings the field down for the green flag start of stage two on lap 96 with Brandon Jones alongside. Sam Mayer makes it a three way battle and gets out in front for the lead with Ryan Sieg in second.
Lap 97, the top five are Sam Mayer, Ryan Sieg, Justin Allgaier, Brandon Jones, and Jeb Burton. Dale Jr is in sixth place.
Lap 103, Justin Allgaier and Ryan sieg battle for second.
Lap 104, Dale Earnhardt Jr is now in the top five.
There are 27 cars on the elad lap.
Lap 107, Sam Mayer has a one second lead on Justin Allgaier; Brandon Jones, Dale Earnhardt Jr, and Ryan Sieg round out the top five.
Matt DiBenedetto is slowed on the track; reporting he has lost power. He works his way to pit road.
Lap 110, surrounded by cars with fresher tires, Dale Jr has dropped to ninth.
Lap 112, Justin Allgaier is closing the gap on leader Sam Mayer and has cut the lead to under half a second.
Lap 117, Sam Mayer leads the race with Justin Allgaier under half a second back; Brandon Jones, Cole Custer, and Sheldon Creed round out the top five.
Just as Justin Allgaier had caught leader Sam Mayer and began to battle for the lead, the caution flag comes out on lap 120 when Parker Kligerman went sliding down the track in a one car incident.
Sam Mayer brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 127. Mayer gets out in front with Justin Allgaier on his bumper.
Lap 129, Cole Custer and Justin Allgaier battle for second.
Lap 132, the top five are Sam Mayer, Justin Allgaier, Cole Custer, Sheldon Creed, and Chandler Smith.
Garrett Smithley and Matt DiBenedetto are off the track.
Lap 138, Sam Mayer leads the race with Cole Custer in second; Justin Allgaier, Sheldon Creed, and Chandler Smith round out the top five.
Lap 143, Cole Custer battles with Sam Mayer for the lead.
Lap 152, Cole Custer passes Sam Mayer for the lead. Sheldon Creed makes contact with Sam Mayer and sends Justin Allgaier spinning and into the wall to bring out the caution flag.
Drivers come down pit road for service with just 15 laps remaining in stage two. Cole Custer wins the race off of pit road.
Justin Allgaier leaves pit road with equipment. The saw is on the track. Allgaier comes back down pit road for repairs.
While on pit road, the crew handed Dale Jr his glasses that were left in the helmet with the broken radio.
Sam Mayer brings the field down for the green flag restart with Jeremy Clements alongside with just 10 laps remaining in stage two. Jeremy Clements leads the race.
After his crash, Parker Kligerman is in second place and battles with Brandon Jones for the spot.
Five laps remain in stage two; Jeremy Clements has a lead of over a second and a half.
Parker Kligerman slaps the wall but the track stays green.
Jeremy Clements wins stage two for his first stage win.
The top 10 at the end of stage two:
Jeremy Clements
Cole Custer
Ryan Truex
Sheldon Creed
Chandler Smith
Jesse Love
Riley Herbst
Parker Kligerman
Sam Mayer
Dale Earnhardt Jr
Parker Kligerman has clinched a spot in the playoffs in his final full time season. Only one playoff spot remains.
The saw that Justin Allgaier drug down the track still works!
Some of the drivers come down pit road for service.
Cole Custer brings the field down for the green flag start of stage three with Sheldon Creed alongside on lap 180. Cole Custer holds on to the lead.
Sheldon /creed passes Cole Custer for the lead.
The top five are Sheldon Creed, Cole Custer, Ryan Truex, Chandler Smith, and Jesse Love. Dale Dr is in eighth.
Dale Jr dropped the radio and the volume went up. He told his spotter TJ Majors to talk more quietly.
Garrett Smithley is out of the race.
Ryan Truex and Chandler smith battle for third.
There are 28 cars on the lead lap. Justin Allgaier is in 30th place, two laps down.
Lap 185, Sheldon Creed is looking for his first race win after breaking the record for the most second place spots – 12 – without a win.
Lap 188, the top five are Sheldon Creed, Cole Custer, Chandler smith, Jesse, and Ryan Truex/
Justin Allgaier brings out the seventh caution flag of the race with a flat tire.
When the race began, Justin Allgaier had a 43 point lead on Cole Custer to win the regular season championship. With Allgaier now three laps down, Allgaier’s lead is now just two points over Custer!
Some drivers come down pit road for service and that final set of tires.
Sheldon Creed brings the field down for the green flag restart with 94 laps remaining in the race with Chandler Smith alongside. Smith and Creed battle for the lead with Creed holding on to the lead.
Cole Custer and Sheldon Creed battle to for the lead with Custer in the lead. He now leads the championship battle for four points.
With 89 laps to go, the top five are Cole Custer, Sheldon Creed, Chandler smith, Jesse Love, and Ryan Truex. Dale Jr is in sixth place.
Eighty to go, Cole Custer has a near one second lead on Sheldon Creed; Chandler Smith, Jesse Love, and Ryan Truex round out the top five.
Jeffrey Earnhardt is on pit road with an extended stop.
With 75 laps to go, Cole Custer holds a new one second lead on Sheldon Creed; Chandler Smith, Jesse Love, and Ryan Truex round out the top five. Sixth place driver Dale Earnhardt Jr challenges Ryan Truex for fifth. Brandon Jones moves up closer to Earnhardt’s bumper.
Lap 239, Dale Jr continues to challenge and battle Ryan Truex for fifth place. Cole Custer continues to lead the race.
Just 56 laps to go, Cole Custer has a near one second lead with Sheldon Creed, Chandler Smith, and Jesse Love all in a battle for second. Ryan Truex is in fifth with a challenge from Dale Jr.
There are 23 cars on the lead lap. Jeffrey Earnhardt is out of the race.
Justin Allgaier is now seven laps down in 30th place.
With 42 laps to go, Dale Jr continues to battle with Ryan Truex for fifth with Brandon Jones on Jr’s bumper.
Just 37 laps to go, Cole Custer has a near two second lead on Sheldon Creed; Chandler smith, Jesse Love, and Ryan Truex round out the top five.
Brandon Jones passes Dale Jr for sixth.
Cole Custer has a five point lead on Justin Allgaier. The winner of the regular season gets 15 bonus points.
With 30 to go, there are only 19 cars on the lead lap.
With 26 laps to go, Brandon Jones, Ryan Truex, and Dale Jr all continue to battle for position. Truex has been holding up the field.
Twenty to go, Sheldon Creed has been cutting into leader Cole Custer’s lead; Custer is now only one second out in front of the field.
With 17 laps to go, Shane van Gisbergen is the last car on the lead lap in 18th. Cole Custer gets past Gisbergen to put him a lap down. There are now just 17 cars on the lead lap.
Twelve to go, Cole Custer holds on to the lead by over a second with Sheldon Creed in second.
The battle for fifth continues.
Chandler Smith has caught Sheldon Creed and is in a battle for second.
Cole Custer puts Justin Allgaier another lap down to make it 10 laps; Allgaier is in 30th place.
Just three points separates lead Cole Custer and Justin Allgaier in the point standings.
Two to go and the battles continue.
Cole Custer takes the white flag to win his second race of the season…and the regular season championship!
And Sheldon Creed extends the record with 13 second place finishes.
Dale Earnhardt Jr finishes the race in seventh place, behind his JR Motorsports driver Brandon Jones. Junior said that he is thrilled and had a lot of fun.
Sammy Smith is the final driver in the playoffs and made it on points; along with Parker Kligerman.
The unofficial results of the Food City 300:
Cole Custer
Sheldon Creed
Chandler Smith
Jesse Love
Ryan Truex
Brandon Jones
Dale Earnhardt Jr
Ryan Sieg
Sam Mayer
AJ Allmendinger
Anthony Alfredo
Jeremy Clements
Riley Herbst
Austin Hill
Sammy Smith
Parker Kligerman
Brennan Poole
Shane van Gisbergen
Joe Graf Jr
Josh Bilicki
Josh Williams
Blaine Perkins
Kyle Sieg
Ryan Ellis
Jeb Burton
Kyle Weatherman
Logan Bearden
Carson Ware
Greg van Alst
Justin Allgaier
Leland Honeyman
Chad Finchum
Stefan Parsons
Matt DiBenedetto
Jeffrey Earnhardt
Garrett Smithley
Parker Retzlaff
Austin Green
The 12 drivers in the playoffs are:
Justin Allgaier
Cole Custer
Austin Hill
Chandler Smith
Shane van Gisbergen
Jesse Love
Sam Mayer
Riley Herbst
Sheldon Creed
AJ Allmendinger
Sammy Smith
Parker Kligerman