Race two of the triple header at Kansas Speedway is the Xfinity Series with the Kansas Lottery 300.
It’s a cool and windy Saturday morning for practice and qualifying but the drivers will race in the heat of the day.
Thirty-nine teams are listed on the entry list for Kansas for 38 starting spots including Truck Series drivers Daniel Dye and last night’s race winner Corey Heim.
On Friday Mike Hammer Racing worked out a deal with Richard Childress Racing to acquire the points from the number 33 car. Those points will be applied to the number 47 car. While the move does not affect he playoff standings, it does move up the 74 car a few spots in the point standings.
For the Xfinity Series, it is the first race in round one of the playoffs with the focus on the 12 playoff drivers. Round one also includes Talladega and The Roval.
The drivers have been divided into two groups for practice. The playoff drivers have all been grouped in the second group.
Kansas is the first mile and a half track the drivers have seen since May!
Part time driver Connor Zilisch topped the leaderboard after practice but Justin Allgaier leads in the multiple lap times. Five of the top 10 drivers are in the playoffs.
The first driver on the track to make a qualifying run is Ryan Vargas with a time of 32.906 seconds. Last weekend Vargas was racing in Germany, he proposed to his girlfriend on Monday, and on Tuesday got the call to drive the 74 car.
Brad Perez spins out and makes a run through the grass.
The seventh driver out, Corey Heim is the first driver to break the 32 second mark with a time of 31.557 seconds.
Running the top of the track, Connor Zilisch just blew up the field for qualifying with a time of 30.885 seconds. Parker Kligerman called the lap “ginormous!”.
Leland Honeyman did not make a qualifying run.
With a time of 30.760 seconds non-playoff driver Brandon Jones wins the pole for his eleventh career pole with Chandler Smith starting alongside on the front row.
Only 38 of the 39 originally entered took to the track; all 38 will start the race.
The lineup for the Kansas Lottery 300:
Brandon Jones
Chandler Smith
Cole Custer
Connor Zilisch
Sam Mayer
Aric Almirola
Jesse Love
Parker Kligerman
Justin Allgaier
Austin Hill
Taylor Gray
Ryan Sieg
Sammy Smith
AJ Allmendinger
Sheldon Creed
Riley Herbst
Corey Heim
Josh Williams
Jeb Burton
Anthony Alfredo
Kyle Sieg
Shane van Gisbergen
Parker Retzlaff
Matt DiBenedetto
JJ Yeley
Jeremy Clements
Dawson Cram
Brennan Poole
Ryan Sieg
Daneil Dye
Logan Bearden
Blaine Perkins
Kyle Weatherman
Joey Gase
Patrick Emerling
Ryan Vargas
Ryan Vargas
Brad Perez
Leland Honeyman Jr
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.
Logan Bearden, Jeb Burton, Matt DiBenedetto, and Dawson Cram will all start the race from the back of the field after the crews made some unapproved adjustments to the cars.
Brandon Jones brings the field down for the green flag start of the race from the outside lane with Chandler Smith alongside. Chandler Smith gets out in front for the lead.
Conor Zilisch slides through turn four and saves the car to avoid a big crash.
Lap two the top five are Chandler Smith, Brandon Jones, Cole Custer, Aric Almirola, and Jesse Love.
Jeremy Clements was charged with a race start violation –changing lanes before the start/finish line – and will have to serve a pass through penalty.
Lap five, chandler Smith has a half second lead on Brandon Jones; Cole Custer, Aric Almirola, and Justin Allgaier round out the top five.
AJ Allmendinger makes contact with the rear of Sammy Smith’s car and has some damage to his car.
Lap seven, Sammy Smith brings out the first caution flag of the race when he gets loose and spins out.
A few drivers come down pit road for service including multiple trips from Sammy Smith for repairs with most of the field staying out on the track. Sammy Smith is very angry with AJ Allmendinger.
Chandler Smith brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap eleven from the inside lane. Getting a push, Smith holds on to the lead.
Cole Custer and Aric Almirola battle for third. Custer gets the spot and heads for second place driver Brandon Jones.
Lap 14, Brandon Jones is just one tenth of a second behind leader Chandler Smith.
Lap 16, Chandler Smith has a quarter of a second lead on Brandon Jones; Cole Custer, Aric Almirola, and Taylor Gray round out the top five.
Logan Bearden is the only driver not on the lead lap.
The crews have four sets of tires for today’s race. They can run about 60 laps on a single load of fuel.
Lap 20, Chandler Smith has pulled out to a near one second lead on Brandon Jones; Cole Custer, Aric Almirola, and Taylor Gray round out the top five.
Lap 22, Chandler Smith has pulled out to a lead of over a second on Brandon Jones.
Lap 23, Cole Custer passes Brandon Jones for second.
Lap 24, Brandon Jones and Cole Custer battle for second.
Chandler Smith is nearly two seconds out in front.
Lap 28, Chandler Smith continues to lead the race with Aric Almirola in seconds; Cole Custer, Brandon Jones, and Taylor Gray round out the top five. There are 36 cars on the lead lap.
Jesse Love is reporting a very tight condition in his car.
Lap 33, Chandler Smith ‘s lead is now down to under a second on Aric Almirola; Cole Custer, Brandon Jones, and Sam Mayer round out the top five.
Leaders are among slower traffic; there are now 31 cars on the lead lap.
Aylor Gray has lost a cylinder.
Lap 37, Aric Almirola and Chandler Smith battle for the lead with Almirola taking the lead.
Thirtieth place driver Jeremy Clements is the last car on the lead lap.
Six laps remain in stage one; Aric Almirola has a near one second lead on Chandler Smith. Not a full time driver, Almirola cannot earn playoff or stage points.
Five laps to go in stage one, Aric Almirola’s lead is now over a second and a half.
Teammates Brandon Jones and Sam Mayer battle for fourth.
There are 28 cars on the lead lap.
Taylor Gray brings out the caution flag on the final lap of stage one when he is smoking and leaving fluid on the track.
The top 10 at the end of stage one:
Aric Almirola
Chandler Smith
Cole Custer
Brandon Jones
Sam Mayer
Sheldon Creed
Austin Hill
Justin Allgaier
Riley Herbst
Parker Kligerman
Sammy Smith makes another trip down pit road as the crew continues to make repairs to the car.
Drivers come down pit road for service with Cole Custer winning the race off of pit road. Austin Hill advanced five spots after his pit stop. But Aric Almirola has a slow stop and drops six spots.
AJ Allmendinger was charged with an uncontrolled tire on pir road and will have to restart the race from the back of the field. He reports having no grip on the track, the crew pushed a spring rubber to help with the car.
Brandon Jones makes a second trip down pit road for loose lug nuts.
Cole Custer brings the field down for the green flag start of stage two on lap 54 with Austin Hill alongside. Custer takes the lead. The drivers get three wide.
The top five are Cole Custer, Sam Mayer, Chandler Smith, Austin Hill, and Riley Herbst.
There are just 26 cars on the lead lap.
Taylor Gray is off the track.
Lap 57, Cole Custer has pulled out to a lead of over half a second on Sam Mayer. Chandler Smith passes Sam Mayer for second.
Lap 60, Justin Allgaier and Aric Almirola battle for seventh. Allgaier reports that he cannot drive up the track.
Lap 62, Sheldon Creed passes Aric Almirola and Justin Allgaier to take sixth place.
Taylor Gray is out of the race.
Brad Perez is slowed on the track and brings out the caution flag on lap 66. Sammy Smith is the “lucky dog”.
Some of the drivers come down pit road for service. Jesse Love reports that he is way too tight.
Saying that he was very loose, Shane van Gisbergen made a pit stop. He was charged with having too many crew members over the wall and will have to restart the race from the back of the field.
Cole Custer brings the field down for the green flag restart with Sam Mayer alongside on lap 70. Drivers fan out three wide with Cole Custer getting out in front.
Justin Allgaier brings out the caution flag when he gets loos and hits the inside wall hard. Sheldon Creed got loose and stacked up Allgaier. Prior to the wreck, Allgaier reported that he had no grip. With significant damage to the car, there is a question of whether or not Justin Allgaier will be able to continue in the race.
Repairs have been made and Justin Allgaier is back on the track.
Cole Custer brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 76. Drivers are three wide with Sam Mayer getting out in front for the lead.
Justin Allgaier hits the wall with no brakes and a flat tire.
Lap 77, the top five are Sam Mayer, Cole Custer, Aric Almirola, Chandler smith, and Connor Zilisch.
There are 26 cars on the lead lap. Justin Allgaier is out of the race. Brad Perez is off the track.
Nine laps remain in stage two, Sam Mayer ahs a near one second lead on Aric Almirola; Cole Custer, Chandler Smith, and Connor Zilisch round out the top five.
Seven laps remain in stage two and Sam Mayer has pulled out to a lead of over a second.
Two laps remain in stage two, Aric Almirola has caught leader Sam Mayer and is in a battle for the lead.
Sam Mayer holds on to win stage two.
The top 10 at the end of stage two:
Sam Mayer
Aric Almirola
Cole Custer
Chandler Smith
Connor Zilisch
Austin Hill
Sheldon Creed
Brandon Jones
Matt DiBenedetto
Ryan Seig
Before crossing the finish line, Riley Herbst and Austin Hill make contact; sending Herbst around and into the grass.
With over 100 laps in stage three the drivers will have to make a pit stop during the stage.
Drivers come down pit road for service with Chandler Smith winning the race off of pit road.
Chandler Smith brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 97 with Cole Custer alongside. Getting a push from Sheldon Creed, Chandler Smith gets out in front for the lead; Cole Custer, Connor Zilisch, Sheldon Creed, and Austin Hill round out the top five.
Lap 100, Chandler Smith has a third of a second lead on Cole Custer; Connor Zilisch, Sheldon Creed, and Austin Hill round out the top five with 28 cars on the lead lap.
Aric Almirola had to make a second trip down pit road after a pit gun broke during the pit stop.
Just past halfway, six of the 12 playoff drivers have had on track issues during the race.
Lap 105, Chandler Smith has a lead of over a second on Cole Custer; Connor Zilisch, Sheldon Creed, and Austin Hill round out the top five.
After the contact, Riley Herbst was very angry at Austin Hill; Herbst even hesitated in front of Hill’s pit box on his way off of pit road. On the radio, Hill told his crew to apologize to Herbst; adding it was all on him. Hill had his attention on a different car and didn’t see Herbst. Herbst and Hill are side by side again.
Lap 110, Chandler Smith has domination the race today; winning stage one and leading a great deal of the race.
Lap 114, Chandler Smith has led 57 laps so far and has a lead of over a second on Cole Custer; Connor Zilisch, Sheldon Creed, and Austin Hill round out the top five
Brad Perez is out of the race.
Lap 120, Chandler Smith still holds on to the lead but it is now under a second over Cole Custer; 18 year old Connor Zilisch is making his second Xfinity Series start and runs in third with Sheldon Creed and Austin Hill rounding out the top five.
Corey Heim gets int the wall with a very loose car but the track stays green.
Aric Almirola also gets into the wall. He brings the car down pit road with crash damage and a flat tire.
Lap 127, there are 24 cars on the lead lap.
Lap 128, Chandler Smith’s lead is now down to just half a second on Cole Custer; Connor Zilisch, Sheldon Creed, and Austin Hill round out the top five.
With 70 laps remaining in the race, Cole Custer is slowly gaining on leader Chandler Smith. Custer is riding the high line, against the wall.
Lap 134, Cole Custer has caught leader Chandler Smith as they encounter slower traffic. There are 22 cars on the lead lap.
Lapa 137, Cole Custer battles with Chandler Smith for the lead with Custer getting back out in front.
With 62 laps to go, drivers are beginning to make their green flag pit stops.
There are 18 cars on the lead lap.
Sixty to go, Cole Custer has pulled out to a near one second lead on Chandler Smith; Connor Zilisch, Sheldon Creed, and Brandon Jones round out the top five after Austin Hill gives up fifth for his pit stop.
With 59 laps remaining in the race, more drivers are coming down pit road.
Lap 145, leader Cole Custer makes his pit stop when the caution flag comes out for a loose tire in the grass after rolling across pit road. The tire came form Parker Retzlaff’s pit stall.
Brandon Jones leads the race with 15 cars on the lead lap.
Cole Custer stayed on the lead lap in eighth place.
Leader Brandon Jones comes down pit road and brings a parade of drivers with him. With all the drivers making pit stops, Cole Custer retakes the lead.
Cole Custer brings the field down for the green flag restart with 50 laps remaining in the race with Austin Hill alongside. Custer gets out in front for the lead as drivers get three wide.
The top five are Cole Custer, Chandler Smith, Austin Hill, Connor Zilisch, and Aric Almirola with 22 cars on the lead lap and three cars out of the race.
With 46 to go, Connor Zilisch and Aric Almirola battle for fourth. Chandler Smith comes up on the inside to battle with Cole Custer for the lead.
Chandler Smith takes the lead.
With 44 laps to go, the top five are Chandler smith, Cole Custer, Austin Hill, Aric Almirola, and Connor Zilisch.
Lap 159, Aric Almirola passes Austin Hill for third. Connor Zilisch passes Austin Hill for fourth.
Daniel Dye makes an unscheduled trip down pit road after losing power.
With just 33 laps to go, Chandler Smith has a near one second lead on Cole Custer; Aric Almirola, Connor Zilisch, and Brandon Jones round out the top five with 21 cars on the lead lap.
Thirty to go, Cole Custer closes the gap on leader Chand Smith and is now just one third of a second back.
With 27 laps to go, Chandler Smith has a third of a second lead on Cole Custer; Aric Almirola is in third two seconds back with Connor Zilisch and Brandon Jones in third.
Daniel Dye returns to the trac but is 10 laps down.
With 24 laps to go, Cole Custer has begun to make his run on leader Chandler Smith. Aric Almirola is less than two seconds behind the leader.
Twenty to go! Cole Custer is just a tenth of a second behind chandler Smith with Aric Almirola less tha a second and a half behind.
Nineteen to go Cole Custer makes his move and battles with Chandler Smith for the lead; Aric Almirola is just one second back.
Seventeen to go, the top five are Chandler Smith, Cole Custer, Aric Almirola, Connor Zilisch, and Brandon Jones.
Dawson Cram is off the track.
Fourteen to go, Chandler Smith has a lead of less than a quarter of a second on Cole Custer; Aric Almirola, Connor Zilisch, and Brandon Jones round out the top five.
Ten to go, Chandler smith and Cole Custer battle to the lead with Aric Almirola less than a quarter of a second back with 19 cars on the lead lap.
Aric Almirola and Chandler Smith battle for second.
With eight laps to go, Cole Custer has a half second lead on Aric Almirola. Custer secured his spot in the playoffs and won the regular season championship last week after winning the race at Bristol.
Corey Heim is slowed on the track with no power. He makes it to pit road and the track stays green.
Five to go, Aric Almirola is just a tenth of a second behind leader Cole Custer!
Four to go, Aric Almirola battles with Cole Custer for the lead. Almirola takes the lead.
There are just 16 cars on the lead lap.
Aric Almirola takes the white flag.
Aric Almirola makes it a sweep of the number 20 drivers with all four of them earning two wins and giving Coach Gibbs his eighth Xfinity Series win in the 20 car.
The unofficial results of the Kansas Lottery 300:
Aric Almirola
Cole Custer
Chandler Smith
Connor Zilisch
Sheldon Creed
Brandon Jones
Austin Hill
Shane van Gisbergen
Jesse Love
Riley Herbst
Josh Williams
Parker Kligerman
Sam Mayer
Matty DiBenedetto
Anthony Alfredo
Ryan Sieg
AJ Allmendinger
Brennan Poole
Ryan Ellis
JJ Yeley
Parker Retzlaff
Jeb Burton
Kyle Sieg
Leland Honeyman
Kyle Weatherman
Jeremy Clements
Blaine Perkins
Ryan Vargas
Patrick Emerling
Corey Heim
Joey Gase
Logan Bearden
Daniel Dye
Dawson Cram
Justin Allgaier
Brad Perez
Taylor Gray
After losing over 40 points last week, Justin Allgaier had another bad day that took a blow to the points and lost another 29 points this week and finds himself one point below the cut line as they head into Talladega.