TC Daily Pit Stop: Nemechek Wins in Overtime at Atlanta; Heim Triumphs in Gauntlet at Mid-Ohio; Almirola Earns Cup Pole; Several Saturday Highlights
TC Daily Pit Stop: Sunday, July 9th, 2023
John Hunter Nemechek Pounces on Kaulig Teammates in Overtime to Win at Atlanta
All throughout the second half of Saturday’s Xfinity Series event at Atlanta Motor Speedway, it looked like Kaulig Racing was in control of its own destiny, with Justin Haley, Chandler Smith, and Daniel Hemric in the top-three spots.
However, when the field crossed under the start-finish line to take the checkered flag, it was John Hunter Nemechek, driving the No. 20 Toyota GR Supra for Joe Gibbs Racing, who got there first.
Daniel Hemric finished second, with Cole Custer, Justin Haley, and Sam Mayer completing the top-five. Ty Gibbs, Kyle Sieg, Parker Kligerman, Josh Williams, and Sammy Smith completed the top-10.
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RACE RESULTS
DRIVER POINTS
OWNER POINTS
INSPECTION REPORT
Austin Hill Peeved at RCR Alliance Teams; Feels ‘They Do All They Can to Screw Him’
You could sense the disappointment oozing from Austin Hill after he climbed from his No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Camaro following Saturday night’s Alsco Uniforms 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
The 29-year-old, who has emerged as the best superspeedway racer in the NASCAR Xfinity Series over the last couple of seasons, was outnumbered by the field once his only drafting help — teammate Sheldon Creed — fell from the race on Lap 88.
As the race drew to a close, Hill was trying to single-handedly defeat three Kaulig Racing teammates, as virtually everybody else in the field seemed in no hurry to push Hill to the front, or even pull out and make a move themselves. Hill admitted that he was miffed that other drivers in the race seemed content to rest on a solid top-five or top-10 finish and seemed in no hurry to pull out of line to try to advance forward.
“It sucks because we still had a shot at winning the race. We just needed somebody to go with us,” Hill explained after the race. “Everybody just wanted to fall in line and follow the leader. I guess they were just going to let the three Kaulig cars finish 1-2-3. Everybody is just too scared to pull out of line. So, pretty pathetic that nobody wants to go out and race. They just want to sit there and follow each other. Pretty lame to me.”
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Video: Massive Crash Erupts Behind Riley Herbst, Who Had Trouble
Well. The NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers and teams had done a masterful job of avoiding multi-car collisions in Saturday’s Alsco Uniforms 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway for a large portion of the event.
But on Lap 88, it all went south in a hurry.
Riley Herbst appeared to have a flat tire or some sort of issue ahead of Ryan Sieg and others, and with the closing rate and minimal room to avoid carnage, a massive pileup ensued.
When all of the dust settled, there were 11 cars with crinkled body work. Those involved in the crash included Sam Mayer, Blaine Perkins, Sheldon Creed, Brennan Poole, Brandon Jones, Kyle Weatherman, Ryan Sieg, Jeffrey Earnhardt, Anthony Alfredo, Josh Williams and Riley Herbst.
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Corey Heim Triumphs in Weather-Plagued Gauntlet from Mid-Ohio
As the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series approaches its post-season, Corey Heim is widely considered to be the championship favorite this season. However, after an impressive victory in Saturday’s event at Mid-Ohio, his stock may have increased even more.
In a gauntlet-style event, which can only be described as pure chaos, the TRICON Garage driver was able to keep himself in check and work himself back to the lead, after scoring another pole position at the 2.258-mile road course.
A native of Marietta, Georgia, Heim was able to keep himself in the conversation for the victory throughout the entire afternoon, as drivers struggled to navigate the tricky on-track conditions.
Zane Smith finished second, with Christian Eckes, Stewart Friesen, and Ben Rhodes rounding out the top-five. Matt Crafton, Ty Majeski, Matt DiBenedetto, Nick Sanchez, and Tyler Ankrum rounded out the top-10.
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RACE RESULTS
DRIVER STANDINGS
OWNER STANDINGS
INSPECTION REPORT
‘It Stinks,’ Ryan Vargas, Spencer Boyd Talk Lack of Respect After Rowdy Truck Race at Mid-Ohio
It was a wild, chaotic, and dirty afternoon for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, which began with the entirety of the race’s first stage being run on wet weather tires.
After a long-winded 67 laps at the 2.258-mile road course in Lexington, Ohio, tempers were running quite high in the garage, especially amongst those who finished in the mid-field.
TobyChristie.com’s Ben Branscum spoke to Ryan Vargas, driver of the No. 30 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro for On Point Motorsports in Saturday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 150, to discuss his race, which started on a slick track.
He wasn’t the only one who held some frustration with the field. Spencer Boyd, who finished 25th after getting stuck in the gravel trap mid-race, also had some thoughts on the lack of respect, which he told TobyChristie.com’s Taylor Kitchen.
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Aric Almirola Bests Ryan Blaney For Atlanta NASCAR Cup Series Pole
Aric Almirola, the driver of the No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang will start Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Quaker State 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway from the pole after turning the best lap of the day in the second round of Saturday’s qualifying session.
Almirola’s fast lap was a 31.261 sec. circuit around the 1.54-mile track, which equates to an average speed of 177.346 mph. The pole is the first of the 2023 season for Almirola, and it is the fifth pole of the Tampa, Florida native’s NASCAR Cup Series career.
Ryan Blaney will start in second, with Chase Briscoe, Joey Logano, and Harrison Burton will round out the top-five starters for Sunday’s 400-mile contest. Kevin Harvick, Ty Gibbs, Kyle Larson, Todd Gilliland, and Austin Cindric completed the top-10.
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STARTING LINEUP
Three Cars Fail NASCAR Cup Pre-Race Inspection Multiple Times at Atlanta
Three cars failed pre-race inspection for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Quaker State 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, and the issues in the inspection bay will potentially impact all three teams’ chances at snagging a win in the race.
The No. 8 Richard Childress Racing team, the No. 23 23XI Racing team, and the No. 31 Kaulig Racing team were all flagged multiple times in pre-race inspection following Saturday’s qualifying session at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
As a result, all three teams will lose a team member for the weekend and all three will also lose their pit selection as well.
The No. 8 team has lost its car chief Clay Alexander, the No. 23 team has lost its car chief Zachary Marquardt and the No. 31 team has lost its engineer Garrett Peterson for the remainder of the race weekend.
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