The O’Reilly Auto Parts Series kicks off a doubleheader weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with The LiUNA!
This is the first of eight 1.5 mile tracks on the schedule this season. Drivers will be running in excess of 170mph around the track.
Forty-one teams brought cars to Las Vegas for 38 starting spots. Kyle Larson is in the 88 Hendrickcars.com car this week. Cole Custer, Connor Zilisch, and Chase Briscoe are also among the drivers in the race.
Still not old enough to race on the 1.5 mile tracks, Chase Briscoe is taking over the driving duties for 17 year old Brent Crews this week.
The drivers get a full 50 minute practice session before making a qualifying run on a hot Saturday afternoon. The teams get one set of tires for practice.
Temperatures are already at 90 degrees when the drivers take to the track for practice on Saturday morning.
Dawson Cram is on pit road with a smoking car. Officials have displayed the red flag to check the track for fluid.
NASCAR has added five minutes to practice after having to clean the track from Dawson cram’s car.
One of the cleanup trucks got loose on the track and saved the truck.
Connor Zilisch is reporting a very tight condition in his car; describing it as plowing. A rookie in the Cup Series, Zilisch said that he doesn’t really consider himself one of the Cup brigade cars but identifies more with the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series drivers.
Carson Kvapil finds himself in the third different car in as many weeks. This week Kvapil is in the nine car with Connor Zilisch in the one car this week and Kyle Larson in the 88. Kvapil has earned stage points in every stage so far this season.
Patrick Staropoli ran the most laps during practice with 41. Jeremy Clements topped the leaderboard with a single lap time of 29.963 seconds with Jesse Love topping the leaderboard in a multiple lap run.
The first driver on the track to make a qualifying run is Chad Finchum in the number 35 car and posted a time of 31.161 seconds.
Dawson Cram did not make a qualifying run after some engine issues during practice.
The first driver to break the 30 second mark is William Sawalich with a time of 29.956 seconds.
Patrick Staropoli slaps the wall but keeps going and still posts a sub 31 second lap!
When the green flag drops, Jeremy Clements will make career start number 535 – second on the all time start list.
Posting a lap time of 29.462 seconds, Sam Mayer came on the radio saying, “I felt that one in my bones!”.
With a time of 29.462 seconds Sam Mayer put his number 41 car on the pole with Kyle Larson alongside on the front row.
The starting lineup for the LiUANA:
Sam Mayer
Kyle Larson
Sheldon Creed
Sammy Smith
Brandon Jones
Taylor Gray
Jesse Love
Rajah Caruth
Justin Allgaier
Jeremy Clements
Corey Day
Parker Retzlaff
Austin Hill
William Sawalich
Jeb Burton
Cole Custer
Connor Zilisch
Carson Kvapil
Austin Green
Ryan Sieg
Nick Sanchez
Patrick Staropoli
Chase Briscoe
Harrison Burton
Dean Thompson
Brennan Poole
Daniel Dye
Chandler Smith
Kyle Sieg
Lavar Scott
Anthony Alfredo
Josh Williams
Blaine Perkins
Nathan Byrd
Ryan Ellis
Joey Gase
Mason Maggio
Josh Bilicki
Myatt Snider, Chad Finchum, and Dawson Cram failed to qualify for the race.
After missing the race for the past two weeks, Josh Williams is in the race.
Stages one and two of the race are 45 laps each with stage three lasting 110 laps for a total of 200 laps – 300 miles – around the1.5 mile track.
Sam Mayer brings the field down for the green flag start of the race with Kyle Larson alongside on the outside lane. Mayer jumps out in front after a push from Sheldon Creed.
Sheldon Creed is getting a bit of grief from his crew after running out of gas on his way from Anaheim to Las Vegas.
The caution flag comes out quickly on just the second laps of the race when Jeremy Clements gets loose and spins out after contact from Connor Zilisch.
The top five are Sam Mayer, Sheldon Creed, Brandon Jones, Jesse Love, and Kyle Larson.
Sheldon Creed brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap seven with Sheldon Creed alongside. Mayer gets out in front with Sheldon Creed in second; Jesse Love, Sammy Smith, and Brandon Jones round out the top five.
Sammy Smith and Brandon Jones battle back and forth for fourth place.
Back in eighth place, Kyle Larson is having some balance issues in his car.
Lap eleven, Chase Briscoe has moved up 13 spots since the start of the race.
Lap 12, Sam Mayer has a half second lead on teammate Sheldon Creed; Jesse Love Sammy Smith, and Justin Allgaier round out the top five.
The second caution flag of the race comes out on lap 15 when Cole Custer gets loose and collects up Austin Green in the spin.
Chandler Smith and Lavar Scott also made contact.
Sam Mayer brings the field down for the green flag restart with Sheldon Creed alongside on lap 20. Mayer holds on to the lead as he jumps out in front.
The top five are Sam Mayer, Sheldon Creed, Justin Allgaier, Jesse, and Taylor Gray.
Lap 24, Sam Mayer has a near one second lead on Sheldon Creed; Justin Allgaier, Chase Briscoe, and Taylor Gray round out the top five.
Chase Briscoe started the race in 23rd; on laps 26 he is in fourth.
Justin Allgaier and Sheldon Creed battle for second.
Lap 30, Justin Allgaier passes Sheldon Creed for second.
Lap 32, Justin Allgaier is closing the gap on leader Sam Mayer and is now just over half a second back.
Lap 35, Justin Allgaier passes Sam Mayer for the lead.
Eight laps remain in stage one, Justin Allgaier leads the race with Sam Mayer in second; Sheldon Creed, Chase Briscoe, and Taylor Gray round out the top five.
Thursday and Friday night Kyle Larson and Corey Day battled it out on the dirt track with each driver taking a win. They continue their battle on the asphalt of Las Vegas Motor Speedway; battling back and forth in seventh and eighth.
Chase Briscoe and Taylor Gray battle for third.
Justin Allgaier wins stage one for his 85th career stage win.
The top 10 at the end of stage one:
Justin Allgaier
Sam Mayer
Chase Briscoe
Taylor Gray
Sheldon Creed
Jesse Love
Kyle Larson
Corey Day
Cole Custer
Brandon Jones
Sma Mayer is having power issues and is getting a push to pit road.
Drivers come down pit road for service with Jesse Love winning the race off of pit road. Allgaier comes out in third.
Sam Mayer takes his car behind the wall.
Jesse Love brings the field down for the green flag start of stage two with Taylor Gray alongside on lap 54. Getting a push from Justin Allgaier, Jesse Love gets out in front for the lead.
Justin Allgaier and Taylor Gray battle for second.
Drivers get three wide across the track.
Lap 56, the top five are Jesse Love, Justin Allgaier, Taylor Gray, Kyle Larson, and Chase Briscoe.
The news is Sam Mayer has a fuel pickup issue in his car and will get back in the race laps down.
The caution flag comes out on lap 58 for Jeremy Clements who spins out with a flat tire but is able to get down pit road.
Jesse Love has some debris on his grille.
Jesse Love brings the field down for the green flag restart with Taylor Gray alongside on lap 64. Love edges out for the lead after a push from Justin Allgaier.. Allgaier takes second.
The top five are Jesse Love, Justin Allgaier, Chase Briscoe, Taylor Gray, and Corey Day.
Lap 66, Justin Allgaier passes Jesse Love for the lead.
Lap 68, Chase Briscoe passes Jesse Love for second.
Taylor Gray passes Jesse Love for third.
Lap 69, Justin Allgaier has a lead of over half a second on Chase Briscoe; Taylor Gray, Jesse Love, and Corey Day round out the top five.
Sheldon Creed got loose but saves the car and the track stays green.
Lap 73, Kyle Larson passes Corey Day for sixth.
Lap 76, Justin Allgaier has a one second lead on Chase Briscoe; Taylor Gray, Jesse Love, and Sheldon Creed round out the top five.
Just nine laps remain in stage two; Justin Allgaier has a one second lead on Chase Briscoe; Taylor Gray, Jesse Love, and Sheldon Creed round out the top five.
The wind has picked up around the track.
Five laps remain in stage two with Justin Allgaier over a second out in front of Chase Briscoe.
Justin Allgaier wins stage two for the stage sweep.
The top 10 at the end of stage two:
Justin Allgaier
Chase Briscoe
Taylor Gray
Jesse Love
Kyle Larson
SHeldon Creed
Corey Day
Connor Zilisch
Austin Hill
Carson Kvapil
Drivers come down pit road for service with Jesse Love winning the race off of pit road; followed by Justin Allgaier.
With over 100 laps in stage three, the drivers will have to make a pit stop during the stage.
Jesse Love brings the field down for the green flag start of stage three with Justin Allgaier alongside on lap 97. Love edges out for the lead.
Justin Allgaier and Sheldon Creed battle for second.
Halfway, 100 laps to go, Jesse Love leads the race with Justin Allgaier in second; Sheldon Creed, Taylor Gray, and Kyle Larson round out the top five.
Chase Briscoe gets into the wall but keeps going and the track stays green. He may have a tire going down and needs to get to pit road.
Chase Briscoe finally gets to pit road after missing it the lap before.
Lap 104, Justin Allgaier passes Jesse Love for the lead.
Lap 105, the top five are Justin Allgaier, Jesse Love, Sheldon Creed, Taylor Gray, and Corey Day.
Las Vegas Motor Speedway is the sight of JR Motorsports first win in 2008 with Mark Martin behind the wheel.
Lap 109, Jesse Love passes Justin Allgaier for the lead after Allgaier got loose. He reports a loose condition in the car.
With 87 laps to go Taylor Gray passes Sheldon Creed for third.
The 25 car driven by Nick Sanchez was charged with passing through too many pit boxes on pit road and will have to serve a passthrough penalty.
The caution flag comes out with 82 laps to go for Dean Thompson who gets loose and spins out after some on track contact with Patrick Staropoli.
With 81 laps to go, the drivers are outside the pit window to make it to the end of the race.
Drivers come down pit road for service. Justin Allgaier reports that he is way loose. Jesse Love wins the race off of pit road but Justin Allgaier loses four spots and will restart in fifth place.
Jesse Love has been charged with a safety violation during his pit stop and will have to restart the race from the back of the field. Taylor Gray is the new leader. Danny Stockman fell over the pit wall trying to retrieve a tire that was getting away.
Taylor Gray brings the field down for the green flag restart with Sheldon Creed alongside with 78 laps remaining in the race. Gray jumps out in front with Connor Zilisch in second; Sheldon Creed, Kyle Larson, and Corey Day round out the top five.
Sheldon Creed and Connor Zilisch battle for second with Creed getting the spot.
Sheldon Creed makes a run to battle with Taylor gray for the lead.
Corey Day has moved up to third with Kyle Larson for fourth.
Connor Zilisch gets into the wall but the track stays green.
With 73 laps to go Taylor Gray has a narrow lead on Sheldon Creed; Corey Day, Kyle Larson, and Justin Allgaier round out the top five.
The wind is gusting at 25mph; there was no forecast for wind today.
Lap 129, Justin Allgaier passes Kyle Larson for fourth.
The caution flag comes out with 69 laps remaining in the race for Josh Bilicki and Patrick Staropoli after Bilicki makes contact with Staropoli and spin out. Both drivers made a run through the grass.
Drivers are still outside their pit window to make it to the end of the race.
Some of the drivers back in the field come down pit road for service. Jesse Love barely avoids a commitment cone violation coming down pit road.
Taylor Gray brings the field down for the green flag restart with Corey Day alongside with 63 laps remaining in the race. Gray jumps out in front for the lead.Corey Day and Sheldon Creed battle for second.
The top five are Taylor Gray, Corey Day, Sheldon Creed, Kyle Larson, and Justin Allgaier.
With 61 to to, Justin Allgaier passes Kyle Larson for fourth.
Sixty to go, Corey Day passes Taylor Gray for the lead!
With 57 laps to go, Corey Day leads the race with Taylor Gray in second; Sheldon Creed, Justin Allgaier, and Kyle Larson round out the top five.
Nick Sanchez takes his car to the garage with a mechanical issue.
The eighth caution flag comes out with 52 laps to go for Taylor Gray who gets into the wall after some contact with Sheldon Creed going into the corner. ou Creed admitted guilt; adding you can only get blocked so many times.
With 50 laps remaining in the race, the drivers are now in their pit window to make it to the end of the race. Drivers come down pit road for service with Sheldon Creed winning the race off of pit road. Justin Allgaier loses two spots again.
After staying out on the track, Brandon Jones leads the race with Anthony Alfredo in second. Sheldon Creed in fourth place is the first driver who made a pit stop.
Brandon Jones brings the field down for the green flag restart with Anthony Alfredo alongside with 47 laps remaining in the race. Jones takes the lead but Kyle Larson makes a run for the lead on outside lane with Corey Day on his bumper.
The top five are Kyle Larson, Corey Day, Sammy Smith, Brandon Jones, and Carson Kvapil. Justin Allgaier is back in 10th.
Drivers are getting three and four wide on the track.
Forty-one to go, Sammy Smith passes Corey Day for second.
Sheldon Creed passes Corey Day for third with 37 laps to go.
With 36 laps to go, Chase Briscoe passes Corey Day for fourth.
Kyle Larson has a lead of over half a second on Sammy Smith; Sheldon Creed, Chase Briscoe, and Corey Day round out the top five.
Just 33 laps to go, Justin Allgaier passes Corey Day for fifth over two seconds behind leader Kyle Larson.
With 28 laps to go, Justin Allgaier and Chase Briscoe battle for fourth.
Just 25 laps to go, Sheldon Creed passes Sammy Smith for second. Leader Kyle Larson is amidst slower traffic.
Twenty to go, the top five are Kyle Larson, Sheldon Creed, Chase Briscoe, Justin Allgaier, and Sammy Smith.
Chase Briscoe passes Sheldon Creed for second.
Just 17 laps to go, Sheldon Creed and Justin Allgaier battle for third.
Fifteen to go, leader Kyle Larson continues to lap slower traffic.
Dean Thompson is smoking with a flat tire but makes it to pit road and the track stays green.
Nine laps to go with Kyle Larson holding on to the lead nearly three seconds in front of Chase Briscoe; Sheldon Creed, Justin Allgiaer, and Sammy Smith round out the top five.
Five to go, Kyle Larson has a lead of over two seconds on Chase Briscoe; Sheldon Creed, Justin Allgaier, and Sammy Smith round out the top five.
Kyle Larson takes the white flag.
Kyle Larson wins the race and remains undefeated in the number 88 JR Motorsports car.
The unofficial results of the LiUANA:
Kyle Larson
Chase Briscoe
Sheldon Creed
Justin Allgaier
Sammy smith
Jesse Love
Connor Zilisch
Corey Day
William Sawalich
Austin Hill
Carson Kvapil
Parker Retzlaff
Brandon Jones
Kyle Sieg
Daniel Dye
Josh Williams
Harrison Burton
Cole Custer
Rajah Caruth
Brennan Poole
Patrick Staropoli
Blaine Perkins
Josh Bilicki
Jeremy Clements
Austin Green
Lavar Scott
Jeb Burton
Mason Maggio
Joey Gase
Ryan Ellis
Dean Thompson
Nathan Byrd
Ryan Sieg
Anthony Alfredo
Sam Mayer
Chandler Smith
Taylor Gray
Nick Sanchez