Entry List : New Hampshire Motor Speedway

• Thursday, June 20th, 2024
• NASCAR Wire Service - Holly Cain

Playoff spots are running out in the Xfinity Series

With 11 races remaining in the NASCAR Xfinity Series regular season and five Playoff-eligible positions still to be decided, Saturday’s SciApps 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (3:30 p.m. ET, USA Network, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) could play a big role in setting the title vibe.

Only two drivers in the field – Justin Allgaier and NASCAR Cup Series regular Christopher Bell – have won at New Hampshire previously. Allgaier scored his win in 2022 and has an impressive nine top-10 finishes in 12 starts and hasn’t finished worse than seventh since 2018. The driver of the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet is fourth in the championship with a victory at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway.

Bell, a two-time winner in the NASCAR Cup Series this season, is looking to improve on an already stellar Magic Mile resume – winning the Xfinity race in all three of his starts (2018, 2019 and 2021). He will be driving the No. 20 Toyota this weekend for his NASCAR Cup Series team, Joe Gibbs Racing.

Saturday’s race marks a chance at redemption for JGR’s Chandler Smith, who finished runner-up last year at New Hampshire. The JGR team has won seven of the last eight races, including John Hunter Nemechek’s victory last season. Smith is one of four drivers with two wins this season and sits only a single-point behind championship leader Cole Custer in the standings.

The reigning series champion Custer, driver of the No. 00 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford, is still competing for his first win of the year, but certainly has a good history at this New England track. He became the youngest winner in NASCAR’s national series history (16 years, 7 months, 28 days) when he claimed a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race win at the track in 2014. He’s earned three top-10s in four NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at New Hampshire with a best showing of runner-up in 2019.

Chandler Smith leads the Playoff picture, followed by two-time winners Austin Hill, Sam Mayer and Shane van Gisbergen. Allgaier and rookie Jesse Love also have secured a shot at the 2024 title with a win this year.

In addition to Custer, drivers also currently Playoff bound based on points are Sheldon Creed, Riley Herbst, A.J. Allmendinger, Parker Kligerman and Sammy Smith.

This weekend the series regulars will have some added competition with three-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Justin Bonsignore set to make his series debut driving for JGR.

• Saturday, June 22nd, 2024
• NASCAR Wire Service - Holly Cain

Christopher Bell goes four-for-four in Xfinity Series at New Hampshire

Christopher Bell kept it dramatic at New Hampshire Motor Speedway Saturday afternoon, relying on a last lap pass in overtime to claim the SciAps 200 victory – giving him a perfect four-for-four track record in NASCAR Xfinity Series races at the 1.058-mile track.

Bell’s No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota pulled off a daring three-wide move with two corners to go and ultimately pulled away to a .254-second win over fellow JGR team driver Sheldon Creed. The runner-up showing for the Xfinity Series championship contender Creed was the 10th of his career, tying him with NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett and former series champion Daniel Hemric for most runner-up finishes before a series win.

Bell, a fulltime NASCAR Cup Series competitor for JGR who has already scored two wins in the sport’s premier series this year, now ties Xfinity Series regular A.J. Allmendinger with four Xfinity Series wins in four starts at a single track – and is the fourth different driver to earn a victory in the No. 20 JGR Toyota this season. It is Bell’s 18th win in the NASCAR Xfinity Series scoring his wins at New Hampshire in 2018, ’19, ’21 and now 2024.

“I was just really fortunate, that’s for sure,” said Bell of that race-winning pass on Creed. “I feel so bad for Sheldon. He’s been really, really close to winning these things and today he did everything right to win that race. He re-started in the right lane and gave Cole [Custer] a good push. And coming to the white flag, he got Cole loose and that’s what opened the door for me.

“Very fortunate to keep my undefeated streak alive,” he continued with a smile. “We got really lucky there.”

Despite the recurring near-misses, Creed offered a smile and insisted he was encouraged that a win was close.

“I don’t know, running out of ways to lose them,” Creed said, mustering a smile before adding, “I can think of a million things I could do, that is not a stat I wanted to tie, 10 seconds before a win. …but overall, a great day and proud of everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing. Been in the hunt the past four weeks so just going to keep working hard at it.”

Stewart-Haas Racing’s Custer led the most laps on the day – 114 of the 203 total – and finished third despite having the lead on that final overtime restart. The result was tough to take, but big picture, still good enough to keep him in the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship lead by 15 points now over JGR’s Chandler Smith, who finished 15th.

While the reigning series champion Custer was out front for much of the overcast New England day – he was forced to hold off the field in four restarts in the final 22 laps hoping to claim that first victory of the season. He leaves without a trophy, but won his third stage of the season and maintains that championship advantage.

“I would have done the same thing, you know, you’re racing for the win, it is what it is,” Custer said of the tight racing between him and Creed competing for the win on the final lap. “Man, it just stings. I felt like we had the best car of the day. And that’s not easy to do at these flat short tracks.

“Our guys brought such a fast car. But you get put in those late race restarts, eventually it’s probably not going to go your way. But I’m gonna re-live what I could have done.

“Just gotta keep digging,” he continued. “We’ve got the points lead, just gotta keep knocking on the door.”

JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier rallied to finish fourth with teammate, 21-year-old rookie Carson Kvapil rounding out the top-five. He led 24 laps and used pit strategy to run among the leaders late in the race, which featured 15 lead changes among 10 drivers.

Ryan Sieg, Parker Kligerman, Riley Herbst, Alex Bowman and Cory Heim rounded out the top-10 with season-long title-contenders Smith finishing 15th and Austin Hill, 25th – both being involved in incidents.

Justin Bonsignore finished 23rd in his series debut, but that finishing position was not indicative of his afternoon work. He won his third NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race at New Hampshire Saturday morning and then impressively ran among the top-five in the Xfinity Series all afternoon – making a bold outside pass at one point early in the race to get into the top-five after starting 25th in the 38-car field.

He was ultimately collected in a late race incident that diminished his finish, but he still climbed out of his No. 19 JGR Toyota feeling rightly encouraged – his Modified team trackside cheering him on.

“Just really good pace and unfortunate we got turned around here,” Bonsignore said. “We had good pace all day long and just wished it would have stayed green there [at the end]. We were fifth and right there with Sheldon [Creed]. It’s tough. These late race restarts bunch everyone up, but all in all it was a great experience. … Hopefully we can put something together and do some more.”

• Drivers Entered: 39 (1 drivers will not make the race)
• Laps Scheduled: 200
• Laps Actual: 203 - NASCAR OVERTIME!
• Margin of Victory: 0.254 Seconds
• Time of Race: 2 Hours 35 Minutes 21 Seconds
• Average Speed: 82.951
• Cautions: 11 for 58 laps
• Lead Changes: 15
• Green Flag Passes: 2,147 (14.8 passes per green flag lap)

• SciAps 200
• Race Winner: Christopher Bell
• Age: 29
• Team : No 20 - Mobil 1 Toyota
• Owner: Joe Gibbs
• Crew Chief: Tyler Allen
• Christopher Bell won the SciAps 200, his 18th victory in 78 NASCAR Xfinity Series races
• This is his first victory and first top-10 finish in 2024
• This is his fourth victory and fourth top-10 finish in four races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway
• Sheldon Creed (second) posted his second top-10 finish in three races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway It is his 10th top-10 finish in 2024
• Cole Custer (third) posted his fourth top-10 finish in five races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway
• Jesse Love (13th) was the highest finishing rookie
• Cole Custer leads the point standings by 15 points over Chandler Smith