TC Daily Pit Stop: Austin Hill and Sheldon Creed Tangle as Allgaier Wins to Secure Championship 4 Berth; Almirola Leaving Stewart-Haas in 2024; Truex on Cup Series Pole; Sunday's TV Schedule

TC Daily Pit Stop: Sunday, October 29th, 2023

Toby Christie

Oct 29, 2023

Photo Credit: Jonathan Bachman, Getty Images

Justin Allgaier will once again compete in the Championship 4 as the NASCAR Xfinity Series heads to Phoenix Raceway next weekend following a dramatic photo finish win over Sheldon Creed on Saturday night at Martinsville.

But with how close the finish was, that story paled in comparison to the story of Richard Childress Racing teammates using each other up on the overtime restart, which led to Allgaier taking the win.

Austin Hill, and Sheldon Creed, who were both looking to move into the Championship 4, lined up from the front row on the final restart of the race, but in the end, neither driver advanced.

Video: RCR Teammates Austin Hill and Sheldon Creed Get Into It on Overtime Restart

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Video: Andy Petree Confronts Sheldon Creed After Xfinity Race; Creed Talks About Discussion and Run-in With Austin Hill

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“Pretty Excited for Him To Go to His Next Adventure at Gibbs,” Says Disgruntled Austin Hill on Sheldon Creed

Austin Hill took exception to how he was raced by his Richard Childress Racing teammate at Martinsville on Saturday night, and he let his thoughts be known in his post-infield care center interview.

Aric Almirola: “I’m Ready for the Next Adventure”

Photo Credit: Jonathan McCoy, TobyChristie.com

On Saturday morning, Aric Almirola released a statement on social media, which states he will not return to Stewart-Haas Racing in 2024.

Following Almirola’s announcement, Smithfield Foods announced that it would no longer be continuing its NASCAR sponsorships next season, and in a media availability at Martinsville Speedway, Almirola explained that he is looking for a better work/life balance and will be seeking part-time driving opportunities next season.

“I’m excited just about having some weekends off, to go back to doing some late model racing like I used to do when I was a kid,” Almirola said. “If there’s an opportunity to run a handful of Truck races here and there, or something like that, or run some Xfinity races, I think the door is open. I’ve had a lot of amazing conversations over the last four to six months about different opportunities, so I want to stay involved in this industry. I love this industry. I love the people in the industry. This industry has afforded me and my family a wonderful life and I don’t want to just walk away from it.”

Martin Truex Jr. to Lead Field to Green in Penultimate NASCAR Cup Race of 2023

Photo Credit: Matthew T. Thacker, LAT Images, Courtesy of Toyota Racing

Martin Truex Jr., who enters Sunday’s next-to-last NASCAR Cup race of the season 17 points below the Playoff cutline, will start from the pole position. Truex, who won the regular-season championship, has had a rough go at things in the Playoffs, but he’s still alive and if he is able to advance to compete for his second career NASCAR Cup Series championship, his qualifying run on Saturday will play a big hand in it.

Truex narrowly defeated his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Ty Gibbs for the pole position by 0.008 sec.

Here is where the eight Playoff Drivers Will start Sunday’s race:

Martin Truex Jr. (1st), Denny Hamlin (4th), Kyle Larson (5th) LOCKED IN, Christopher Bell (7th) LOCKED IN, Ryan Blaney (11th), William Byron (16th), and Tyler Reddick (19th).

NASCAR TV and Stream Schedule Sunday, October 29

It is NASCAR Cup Series race day on Sunday, October 29th. Here is the complete TV schedule for the day so you don’t miss any of the pre-race, race, or post-race coverage:

11:00 AM ET: Race Hub: Best of Radioactive (FS1 / FOX Sports App)
11:30 AM ET: Masters of the Clock: The Legend of Martinsville (FS1 / FOX Sports App)
12:30 PM ET: NASCAR RaceDay Martinsville (FS1 / FOX Sports App)
2:00 PM ET: NASCAR Cup Series Race (NBC / NBC Sports App)
6:00 PM ET: NASCAR Cup Series Post-Race (Peacock)