The NASCAR Xfinity Series gets a busy Saturday at Charlotte Motor Speedway started with practice and qualifying for the Bet MGM 300 set for later in the day.
A total of 40 drivers are looking to fill 38 starting spots. Among the field is Connor Zilisch making his return after a back injury at Talladega, Katherine Legge comes to Charlotte as she continues to switch her focus from IndyCar to NASCAR, and Cup Series drivers Austin Dillon, Chase Briscoe, and William Byron.
The drivers have been divided into two groups for a 25 minute practice session each before making a qualifying fun.
A Memorial Day weekend event, there are some 20 cars with red, white, and blue paint schemes.
With practice early in the day and the race beginning in late afternoon, some of the car are set up free and the drivers are “on the edge” of spinning out. There have been several “saves” during practice.
Justin Allgaier tops the leaderboard after Group 1 practice.
Sixth overall, William Byron driving the number 17 car, tops the leaderboard in Group 2 practice.
The first driver on the track to make a qualifying run is Austin Dillon who posted a time of 31.182 seconds.
The first driver to break the 31 second mark is Christian Eckes with a time of 30.970 seconds around the mile and a half track.
Carson Ware will not make a qualifying run with an engine issue.
Brennan Poole is making Xfinity Series start 250 today!
With a time of 30.598 seconds, Taylor Gray puts his number 54 car on the pole with returning Connor Zilisch starting alongside on the front row.
The starting lineup for the Bet MGM 300:
Taylor Gray
Connor Zilisch
Austin Hill
William Byron
Brandon Jones
William Sawalich
Ryan Sieg
Sheldon Creed
Chase Briscoe
Justin Allgaier
Sam Mayer
Carson Kvapil
Sammy Smith
Jeb Burton
Christian Eckes
Matt DiBenedetto
Anthony Alfredo
Nick Sanchez
Jesse Love
Austin Dillon
Blaine Perkins
Jeremy Clements
Dean Thompson
Daniel Dye
Harrison Burton
Brennan Poole
Josh Williams
Kyle Sieg
JJ Yeley
Ryan Ellis
Leland Honeyman
Katherine Legge
Kris Wright
Parker Retzlaff
Garrett Smithley
Brad Perez
Nick Leitz
CJ McLaughlin
Carson Ware and Dawson Cram failed to qualify for the race.
Stages one and two of the race are 45 laps each with stage three lasting 110 laps for a total of 300 miles. Drivers can run 62 to 65 laps on a single load of fuel.
Parker Retzlaff and Anthony Alfredo will start the race from the back of the field after crews made some unapproved adjustments to the cars.
Taylor Gray brings the field down for the green flag start of the race Connor Zilisch alongside. Gray jumps out in front for the lead. Connor Zilisch spun the tires on the race start and clogged up the outside lane.
Matt DiBenedetto is slowed on the track with a smoking car and works his way to pit road.
Lap four, Taylor Gray leads the race with Austin Hill in second; Connor Zilisch, William Byron, and Sam Mayer round out the top five.
Matt DiBenedetto is in pit road and reports are that the cockpit is filling with smoke. He takes the car to the garage.
Connor Zilisch gets slideways but saves the car as he battles with William Byron for third.
Lap 12, Taylor Gray has pulled out to a lead of over a second on Connor Zilisch; William Byron, Austin Hill, and Sam Mayer round out the top five.
Lap 17, Taylor Gray has a near second and a half lead on Connor Zilisch.
The caution flag comes out on lap 19 when Krus Wright spins out and gets into the wall. Wright saved a spin during practice but was unable to save the car this time.
Pit road is open but only a few of the drivers came down pit road for service.
Some of the drivers are having intermittent radio issues.
Taylor Gray brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 24with Connor Zilisch alongside. Gray gets out in front to hold on to the lead with William Byron in second.
Lap 24 William Byron comes up on the outside to pass Taylor Gray for the lead with Connor Zilisch on his bumper.
The top five are William Byron, Connor Zilisch, Taylor Gray, Sam Mayer, and Sheldon Creed.
Driveers are getting three wide across the track.
The caution flag comes out on lap 26 when Brad Perez is stalled on the track.
The drivers are racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway, but they are riding the high line like they were running at Darlington and scraping the wall.
William Byron brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 32 with Connor Zilisch alongside. Byron and Zilisch go side by side before Byron gets out in front. Drivers are three wide across the track.
The top five are William Byron, Connor Zilisch, Ryan Sieg, Justin Allgaier, and Taylor Gray.
Lap 34, Taylor Gray and Christian Eckes battle.
Parker Retzlaff must make a passthrough penalty after making an unscheduled trip down pit road.
Lap 36, Justin Allgaier passes Sam Mayer for third.
William Byron has a lead of over half a second on Connor Zilisch.
Matt DiBenedetto returns to the race 37 laps down.
Lap 40, William Byron has pulled out to a lead of a second and a half on Connor Zilisch; Justin Allgaier, Sam Mayer, and Ryan Sieg round out the top five.
Lap 43, William Byron has increased his lead to nearly two seconds on Connor Zilisch.
Lap 44, Justin Allgaier passes Connor Zilisch for second. The crew is telling jokes on the radio.
William Byron wins stage one.
The top 10 at the end of stage one.
William Byron
Justin Allgaier
Connor Zilisch
Sam Mayer
Jeb Burton
Ryan Sieg
Taylor Gray
Nick Sanchez
Brandon Jones
Jesse Love
Drivers come down pit road for service with William Byron winning the race off of pit road; Justin Allgaier comes out in second.
William Sawalich was charged with an uncontrolled tire on pit road and will have to restart the race from the back of the field.
William Byron brings the field down for the green flag start of stage two with Justin Allgaier alongside on lap 52. Byron edges out in front for the lead.
Lap 54, the top five are William Byron, Justin Allgaier, Taylor Gray, Connor Zilisch, and Sam Mayer.
Parker Retzlaff is on pit road and the crew is pushing the car to the garage.
Lap 58, William Byron holds on to a narrow lead over Justin Allgaier; Connor Zilisch and Taylor Gray battle for third with Zilisch taking the spot.
Lap 60, the top five are William Byron, Justin Allgaier, Connor Zilisch, Taylor Gray, and Nick Sanchez.
Lap 66, William Byron has a near half second lead on Justin Allgaier; Connor Zilisch, Taylor Gray, and Sam Mayer round out the top five.
Lap 69, William Byron has a one second lead on Justin Allgaier; third place driver Connor Zilisch is over four seconds back.
Parker Retzlaff is out of the race.
Lap 73, William Byron continues to expand his lead on Justin Allgaier and is now a second and half out in front.
Lap 75, the top five are William Byron, Justin Allgaier, Connor Zilisch, Taylor Gray, and Sam Mayer.
Lap 81, Taylor Gray and Connor Zilisch battle for third; William Byron has a lead of over a second on Justin Allgaier.
Lap 83, William Byron has increased his lead on Justin Allgaier to two seconds.
With six laps remaining in stage two, William Byron is among traffic and is passes slower cars; there are 28 cars on the lead lap.
William Byron wins stage two by over two seconds to sweep the stages.
The top 10 at the end of stage two:
William Byron
Justin Allgaier
Connor Zilisch
Taylor Gray
Sam Mayer
Brandon Jones
Ryan Sieg
Jesse Love
Sheldon Creed
Sammy Smith
With stage three lasting 110 laps, the drivers will have to make a pit stop during the stage.
Drivers come down pit road for service with William Byron winning the race off of pit road followed by Justin Allgaier.
William Byron was caught speeding on pit road and will have to restart the race from the back of the field.
Justin Allgaier brings the field down for the green flag from the inside lane on lap 98 with Taylor Gray alongside. Drivers get three wide with Allgaier taking the lead.
Jesse Love was charged with jumping the restart line and will have to serve a passthrough penalty.
Lap 100, the top five are Justin Allgaier, Taylor Gray, Sam Mayer, Connor Zilisch, and Ryan Sieg.
William Byron is working his way through the field and passing cars.
Lap 103, Justin Allgaier has a half second lead on Taylor Gray; Connor Zilisch, Sam Mayer, and Ryan Sieg round out the top five.
Lap 105, William Byron has passed eleven cars since the restart.
Lap 107, Justin Allgaier now has a two second lead on Connor Zilisch; William Byron has entered the top 15.
Lap 110, Justin Allgaier has a lead of over two seconds on Connor Zilisch; Sam Mayer, Taylor Gray, and Ryan Sieg round out the top five; William Byron is up to 14th.
Lap 114, William Byron passes Nick Sanchez for 12th. Justin Allgaier has a two second lead on Connor Zilisch.
Leland Honeyman makes a pit stop.
Lap 120, Sheldon Creed comes down pit road after getting into the wall.
Lap 121, Justin Allgaier has a near two second lead on Connor Zilisch; Sam Mayer, Taylor Gray, and Ryan Sieg round out the top five; William Byron is now in the top 10.
Lap 126, teammates Sammy Smith and Carson Kvapil continue their battle of swapping positions.
Lap 127, Justin Allgaier has pulled out to a two second lead on Connor Zilisch; Sam Mayer, Taylor Gray, and Sammy Smith round out the top five. William Byron is in eighth.
Matt DiBenedetto takes his car to the garage.
Lap 134, Justin Allgaier is running away wit the lead and is now over four seconds out in front of Connor Zilisch.
Lap 136, with a lead of over five seconds, Justin Allgaier is “driving it like he stole it”!
Lap 137, the top five are Justin Allgaier, Connor Zilisch, Sam Mayer, Taylor Gray, and Sammy Smith. William Byron is mired back in eighth place. Three of the top five cars are JR Motorsports drivers.
There are 21 cars on the lead lap.
With 62 laps remaining in the race, the drivers are now within their pit window to make it to the end of the race.
Sixty to go, Justin Allgaier has a near six second lead on Connor Zilisch.
Lap 142, Austin Dillon brings his car down pit road to begin the cycle of green flag stops. William Byron also comes down pit road.
Lap 144, green flag pit stops continue. Anthony Alfredo had a slow stop with a jack issue.
Lap 146, leader Justin Allgaier makes his green flag pit stop and gives the lead over to Connor Zilisch.
Taylor Gray has to make an unscheduled trip down pit road with a flat tire.
The caution flag comes out on lap 147 for debris on the track.
The top seven drivers have yet to make a pit stop.
William Sawalich was caught speeding on pit road and will have to restart the race from the back of the field.
Drivers who had not made a pit stop come down pit road for service.
Justin Allgaier brings the field down for the green flag restart with Connor Zilisch alongside on lap 154. Allgaier gets out in front for the lead with Connor Zilisch in second; Dean Thompson, Harrison Burton, and Brandon Jones round out the top five.
Austin Dillon was held on pit road after coming down pit road for fuel after taking the wave around.
The caution flag comes out on lap 157 for Sam Mayer who got into the wall with a flat tire.
Justin Allgaier brings the field down for the green flag restart with just 38 laps to go with Harrison Burton alongside. Allgaier jumps out in front for the lead. Drivers are getting three wide back in the field.
Lap 153, the top five are Justin Allgaier, Sheldon Creed, Dean Thompson, Connor Zilisch, and Harrison Burton.
With 35 laps to go, Justin Allgaier has a half second lead on Sheldon Creed.
Ryan Ellis and Chase Briscoe make contact but the track stays green.
Chase Briscoe brings his 19 car down pit road.
Thirty to go, Justin Allgaier has a one second lead on Sheldon Creed; Connor Zilisch, Dean Thompson, and Jesse Love round out the top five. Jesse Love passes Dean Thompson for fourth.
William Byron is back in the top 10.
Lap 173, Justin Allgaier’s lead is now up to a second and a half on Sheldon Creed.
Carson Kvapil battles with Nick Sanchez and Dean Thompson.
The seventh caution flag comes out on lap 178 when Carson Kvapil gets loose and spins out.
Austin Dillon is the “lucky dog” for 22 cars on the lead lap.
Many of the drivers come down pit road for fresh tires with 20 laps remaining in the race; but the leaders stayed out.
Justin Allgaier brings the field down for the green flag restart with Sheldon Creed alongside with just 17 laps remaining in the race. Allgaier gets out in front as the drivers get three wide and a big crash ensues to bring out the eighth caution flag of the race.
Harrison Burton, Blaine Perkins, Ryan Sieg, Nick Sanchez, Brandon Jones, Sammy Smith, Christian Eckes, Jesse Love, William Sawalich, Jeremy Clements, and Josh Williams were all involved in the crash.
Justin Allgaier brings the field down for the green flag restart with Jeb Burton alongside on lap 188. Drivers immediately spread out three and four wide with Allgier in the lead.
The caution flag comes out for the ninth time when JJ Yeley, Kris Wright, and Katherine Legge were all involved.
Justin Allgaier brings the field down for the green flag restart with just six laps remaining in the race; Jeb Burton is alongside. Allgaier edges out in front as the drivers get three wide through the field.
The cauiotn flag comes out on lap 196 for a wreck involving Kyle Sieg, Brandon Jones, and Leland Honeyman. Leland Honeyman’s car is stopped with the driver’s side against the wall.
The race goes into overtime!
The top five drivers are Justin Allgaier, Connor Zilisch, William Byron, Nick Sanchez, and Dean Thompson.
There’s a tire rolling around the track from Daniel Dye’s car.
Justin Allgaier brings the field down for the overtime shootout for the win. Drivers are three wide with Justin Allgaier getting out in front but Willaim Byron comes up on the outside to take the lead.
William Byron takes the white flag.
William Byron wins the race with Connor Zilisch in second. Justin Allgaier finishes fourth.
Brennan Poole and Jeb Burton are stopped with torn up cars.
The unofficial results of the Bet MGM 300:
William Byron
Connor Zilisch
Nick Sanchez
Justin Allgaier
Sammy Smith
Dean Thompson
Josh Williams
Austin Hill
Ryan Ellis
Christian Eckes
Sheldon Credd
Jesse Love
Sam Mayer
Austin Dillon
Ryan Sieg
Jeremy Clements
William Sawalich
Carson Kvapil
Kris Wright
Brandon Jones
Jeb Burton
Harrison Burton
Brennan Poole
Chase Briscoe
Blaine Perkins
Anthony Alfredo
Garrett Smithley
Nick Leitz
JJ Yeley
CJ McLaughlin
Taylor Gray
Daniel Dye
Leland Honeyman
Kyle Sieg
Katherine Legge
Brad Perez
Matt DiBenedetto
Parker Retzlaff