TC Daily Pit Stop: Chandler Smith Wins Xfinity Race; Cram and Gase Clash; Pollard, Gray, Bearden Have Excellent Debuts; Creed Frustrated; Larson on Pole; Sunday's TV Schedule
TC Daily Pit Stop: Sunday, March 31, 2024
Strategy Gamble Earns Chandler Smith Second Victory of 2024 at Richmond
Chandler Smith and Richmond Raceway, if there is a better combination, there aren’t many. Saturday in the Toyota Care 250, it was Smith that scored the NASCAR Xfinity Series win at the 0.750-mile short track again.
This time, the win came after a brilliant, yet gutsy pit call by his crew chief Jeff Meendering, who called Smith to pit road for his final set of sticker tires with 60 laps remaining in the race.
While there were a couple of close calls down the stretch, the event went green to the finish, and Smith was able to utilize the fresh tires to work his way to the front of the field and win the race.
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OFFICIAL RACE RESULTS
DRIVER STANDINGS
OWNER STANDINGS
ROOKIE STANDINGS
MANUFACTURER STANDINGS
Video: Joey Gases Crashes, Rips Rear Bumper Off No. 35 and Throws it at Dawson Cram
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Video: Brandon Jones Blows Engine and Spins; Sieg Spins in Fluid
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Bubba Pollard, Taylor Gray, and Logan Bearden Impress in Xfinity Series Debuts
What a day for drivers making their debuts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, huh? Taylor Gray scored a solid third-place finish in his debut, after starting back in the 27th position, while short track star Bubba Pollard started 37th and finished 6th in the No. 88 JR Motorsports entry.
While Logan Bearden came into the day with little fan fare, he also rebounded from a spin to score Stage Points and came home with a respectible 22nd place finish in the No. 14 SS-GreenLight Racing car.
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Sheldon Creed Frustrated at Richmond After Latest Mechanical Failure
A change of scenery from Richard Childress Racing to Joe Gibbs Racing in the offseason was supposed to elevate Sheldon Creed to his first NASCAR Xfinity Series win — and it very well might later this year. But after another mechanical issue on Saturday, the frustration is mounting for Creed, who has suffered as many mechanical problems as he has top-10 finishes (3) through the opening six races.
“I guess the right rear brake was dragging,” Creed explained. “I don’t know. Frustrated. That’s three weeks in a row that we’ve had car problems, and our teammates are out there leading the race. Pretty much all three weekends we have trouble. It’s so frustrating. We have so much potential on this No. 18 team, and to not be able to run all of the laps is just frustrating.”
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Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott Sweep Front Row for Hendrick Motorsports in Richmond Qualifying
Kyle Larson narrowly held off his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott for the pole Saturday at Richmond Raceway. The Hendrick duo will lead the field to green in Sunday night’s Toyota Owners 400.
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STARTING LINEUP / QUALIFYING RESULTS
PRACTICE RESULTS
OTHER STORIES
NASCAR TV Schedule Sunday, March 31
Time for some NASCAR Cup Series racing on Easter Sunday. Here is the complete TV schedule for Sunday so you don’t miss a thing.
1:30 PM ET: (Re-Air) NASCAR Cup Practice & Qualifying (FS1)
3:30 PM ET: (Re-Air) NASCAR Xfinity Race (FS1)
5:30 PM ET: NASCAR Cup RaceDay (FS1 / FOX Sports App)
6:00 PM ET: NASCAR Cup RaceDay (FOX / FOX Sports App)
7:00 PM ET: NASCAR Cup Race (FOX / FOX Sports App)