TC Daily Pit Stop: Sam Mayer Spins Ty Gibbs and Wins; Hamlin on Pole for Cup Race; Childers Travels Back to North Carolina; Highlights from Saturday at Watkins Glen
TC Daily Pit Stop: Sunday, August 20th, 2023
Sam Mayer Spins (Ty Gibbs) and Wins Amidst Late-Race Chaos in Xfinity Race at Watkins Glen
Things got interesting in the closing stages of Saturday’s Shriners Children’s 200 at Watkins Glen International, and it led to a fantastic finish. What looked like a run-away victory for Ty Gibbs, quickly turned into a fiasco, with drivers spinning everywhere, and a great battle for the win.
Sam Mayer, who won earlier in the year at Road America, lunged into the first corner on the final restart - in double overtime - and spun the No. 19 He Gets Us Toyota GR Supra, after Gibbs had raced him aggressively the prior restart.
Then, the JR Motorsports driver came out of the first corner in second, but had to chase down Sheldon Creed, who slipped in oil on-track in turn seven, relinquishing the lead and the victory.
Creed ended up in second, while Parker Kligerman, Ross Chastain, and Connor Mosack completed the top-five. John Hunter Nemechek, Cole Custer, Chandler Smith, Alex Bowman, and Jeb Burton completed the top-10.
RACE RECAP
RACE RESULTS
DRIVER POINTS
OWNER POINTS
INSPECTION REPORT
Video: Sam Mayer Sends Ty Gibbs Spinning From Lead on Final Restart
Ty Gibbs was unquestionably the dominant driver in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series Shriners Children’s 200 at Watkins Glen International. Heading into an overtime finish, Gibbs had led 70 laps on the day. However, on the previous restart, Gibbs roughed up Sam Mayer.
Mayer took exception to it, and on the final restart of the race, Mayer launched his car into Turn 1, and made contact with Gibbs.
It appeared that Mayer didn’t intend to hit Gibbs as hard as he did, as the No. 1 car noticeably began to wheel hop as he closed in on Turn 1, but as the two made contact, Gibbs spun from the lead, and Austin Hill would pile into it.
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Video: 11-Car Melee Breaks Out in Xfinity Race at Watkins Glen
The late stages of these road course races in the NASCAR Xfinity Series are nothing but wild, as proven on Saturday in the Shriners Children’s 200 at Watkins Glen.
On the first of two overtime restarts, an 11-car melee broke out at the exit of the Inner Loop, which collected several competitors including Cole Custer, Justin Allgaier, Josh Berry, Brandon Jones, Alex Bowman, Sammy Smith, John Hunter Nemechek, Connor Mosack, Kaz Grala, Jeb Burton, and Parker Kligerman.
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Denny Hamlin Earns 40th Career NASCAR Cup Series Pole at Watkins Glen
Denny Hamlin will lead the NASCAR Cup Series field to green for Sunday’s Go Bowling at The Glen, a 90-lap contest around the 2.45-mile road course known as Watkins Glen International.
Posting a stellar time of 70.392 seconds (125.298mph), Hamlin blasted to the 40th NASCAR Cup Series pole of his career, after putting down two incredible runs in the final round of qualifying.
It’s Hamlin’s third pole on a road course this season, a feat he had only accomplished twice in his entire NASCAR Cup Series career prior to Saturday’s qualifying session.
William Byron, Michael McDowell, Ty Gibbs, and Kyle Larson rounded out the top-five starters while Christopher Bell, Tyler Reddick, Kyle Busch, and Corey LaJoie completed the top-10.
For LaJoie, who scored the pole in Friday’s ARCA Menards Series event at the 2.45-mile road course, the 10th-place starting spot is the best qualifying effort of his career, and the best in the history of Spire Motorsports at NASCAR’s top-level.
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STARTING LINEUP
Rodney Childers Travels Home to North Carolina Due to Family Emergency
Rodney Childers will not be present in Watkins Glen, New York for Sunday’s Go Bowling at The Glen, after the long-time crew chief had to travel back to North Carolina for a family emergency.
In a social media post, Childers explains that he returned to North Carolina on Saturday upon learning his mother had a medical emergency, which caused her heart to stop. As of Sunday, the long-time crew chief says “she is stable and her vitals are doing ok.”
The championship-winning crew chief mentions that he plans to be in the war room at Stewart-Haas Racing for Sunday’s 90-lap event, where he will be in constant communication with interim crew chief Stephen Doran.
Doran, an engineer for Stewart-Haas Racing, has four previous races of crew chief experience with Kevin Harvick, after taking on the interim role following a four-race suspension in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs in 2022.
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NASCAR and ARCA TV Schedule: Sunday, August 20, 2023
2:00 PM ET - ARCA Menards Series Race at Springfield - FS1 / FloRacing
2:30 PM ET - NASCAR Cup Series Pre-Race: Watkins Glen - USA
3:00 PM ET - NASCAR Cup Series Race: Watkins Glen - USA / NBC Sports App
5:30 PM ET - NASCAR Cup Series Post-Race: Watkins Glen - USA / Peacock
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