TC Daily Pit Stop: Byron on Cup Pole; Hill and SVG Tussle, Larson Scoots by for Xfinity Win; Corey Heim Wins Truck Race at COTA; Rear End Housing Flies Out of Andretti Truck; Sunday's TV Schedule
TC Daily Pit Stop: Sunday, March 24, 2024
William Byron Smashes COTA Track Record; Earns Fifth Road Course Pole
William Byron picked up his second consecutive Circuit of the Americas NASCAR Cup Series pole position on Saturday as he shattered the track record with a lap time of 129.636 seconds (94.696 mph) to narrowly defeat Ty Gibbs by 0.015 sec. for the top starting spot.
Byron was also the fastest car in the opening round of qualifying, and the cumulative two-round practice session earlier in the day.
Tyler Reddick, the defending winner of this race, will start on the inside of Row 2 from the third position, and he’ll be joined by Christopher Bell.
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STARTING LINEUP / QUALIFYING RESULTS
PRACTICE RESULTS
Kyle Larson Scores First Win for Hendrick No. 17 in Intense Battle at COTA
As Shane van Gisbergen and AJ Allmendinger became consumed with each other while battling for the lead in the closing laps of Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series Focused Health 250 at Circuit of the Americas, Kyle Larson was on fresher tires, and was ready to pounce when the two drivers made a mistake
It happened, as SVG and Hill made big-time contact, which sent them slightly off course, and Larson took the lead on the final lap and never looked back. Larson scored the first NASCAR Xfinity Series win for Hendrick Motorsports since the 2009 season.
SVG, who came home in the runner-up spot, would be credited with a 27th-place finish after a cutting-the-course penalty on the final lap. Austin Hill would be named the official runner-up finisher.
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OFFICIAL RACE RESULTS
DRIVER STANDINGS
OWNER STANDINGS
ROOKIE STANDINGS
MANUFACTURER STANDINGS
Corey Heim Wins XPEL 225 Truck Series Race at Circuit of the Americas
There were concerns over whether he had enough fuel in the tank, as Saturday’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series XPEL 225 at COTA moved into a double overtime finish, but Corey Heim had just what he needed to pull off the win.
While Heim led 31 of the 46 laps in the race, and also won Stage 2, he was nervous on the final restart of the race.
“Yeah, I was super nervous,” Heim stated afrter the race. “On the last lap of the last restart, I stuttered a little bit on the right-handers, because the fuel pick up is on the other side. The whole fuel load would go to the other side. I thought I was going to be out by the time I came around, but luckily I had a couple of left-handers at the end of course – and I had fuel.”
With the win, Heim becomes the fifth different driver to win through the opening five races of the 2024 Truck Series season.
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OFFICIAL RACE RESULTS
DRIVER STANDINGS
OWNER STANDINGS
ROOKIE STANDINGS
MANUFACTURER STANDINGS
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS
Video: Polesitter Connor Zilisch Locks up Brakes in Turn 1 at COTA
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VIDEO: Marco Andretti’s Truck Loses….the Entire Rear End Housing???
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Gio Ruggiero Gets It Done In Five Flags, Wins The Pensacola 150
Gio Ruggiero scored his first career ARCA Menards Series East win in just his second career start as he held off William Sawalich in Saturday night’s Pensacola 150 at Five Flags Speedway.
“Just hats off to everybody at Venturini Motorsports. I’m glad we won here it’s a good track for me…It was kind of like Phoenix in reverse…We got better on restarts, and that’s how we beat them,” the Seekonk, MA native said post-race.
Bubba Pollard, who is one of the most decorated drivers in Five Flags Speedway history, came home in third.
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NASCAR TV Schedule: Sunday, March 24 at COTA
Saturday was fun, but it’s now time for the main event, as the NASCAR Cup Series is set to compete on Sunday, March 24 at Circuit of the Americas:
2:00 PM ET: NASCAR Cup RaceDay (FS1 / FOX Sports App)
3:00 PM ET: NASCAR Cup RaceDay (FOX / FOX Sports App)
3:30 PM ET: NASCAR Cup Series Race at COTA (FOX / FOX Sports App)