Monday, March 14, 2022

NASCAR / ARCA Race Weekend Recap for Phoenix Raceway

NASCAR / ARCA Race Weekend Recap for Phoenix Raceway

Winners: Chase Briscoe (Cup); Noah Gragson (Xfinity); and Taylor Gray (ARCA West)

 

 

NASCAR Cup

Chase Briscoe Scores First Cup

Chase Briscoe Scores First Cup

 

Stewart-Haas Racing’s Chase Briscoe had to hold off the field on not one, but two late-race restarts on the one-mile desert oval, including the final restart with three laps remaining to earn his first career NASCAR Cup Series win in the Ruoff Mortgage 500.

 

The 27-year-old Briscoe is the 200th different winner in NASCAR’s premier series and last year’s Rookie of the Year earned the victory- by .771-seconds over Ross Chastain  – in only his 40th start.

 

“It’s unbelievable,’’ said Briscoe, who drives the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford.

 

“I was crying the whole last lap. This is definitely a team win, but I’ve got to thank everybody that’s got me to this point. Just seven years ago I was sleeping on couches, volunteering at race shops and was literally driving home to give up.

 

“Unbelievable,’’ he continued, smiling. “So blessed to be here driving for this organization this team and this car that was my hero’s (NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart) growing up.

 

“To everybody that’s believed in me, it’s unbelievable.’’

 

 

Next Race: The Cup Series will return on March 20th 2022 for the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

 

Pole: Ryan Blaney

Click Here for Race Results

 

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NASCAR Xfinity

Noah Gragson Claims First Win of 2022

Noah Gragson Claims First Win of 2022

 

Noah Gragson started the year so close to winning but kept falling short.

 

He was third at Daytona before consecutive runner-up finishes at Auto Club Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Gragson led a race-high 114 of 200 laps to clinch his first win of the NASCAR Xfinity Series season at Phoenix Raceway on Saturday afternoon.

 

Gragson, now a six-time Xfinity Series winner, made the final pass for the lead with 14 laps to go after rallying past Brandon Jones after the final round of green-flag pit stops and remains the series points leader.

 

“Caught the track on fire, which was awesome,” Gragson told FOX Sports. “But the pit crew executed great. This team has been on a roll so far this year, all top-three finishes in the first four races. I can’t thank everybody enough for all their hard work and try and keep it going.”

 

 

Next Race: The Xfinity Series will return on March 19th 2022 for the Nalley Cars 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

 

Pole: Trevor Bayne

Click Here for Race Results
 

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ARCA

Taylor Gray scores Emotional #ARCA Win

Taylor Gray scores Emotional #ARCA Win

 

Racing with a heavy heart after the loss of David Gilliland Racing hauler driver Steven Stotts in traffic accident on Tuesday, Taylor Gray earned his first ARCA Menards Series victory Friday night during the General Tire 150 at Phoenix Raceway.

 

The 16-year-old Gray had to withstand multiple challenges throughout Friday’s race. He first battled with defending ARCA Menards Series East champion Sammy Smith and later battled his way past GMS Racing’s Daniel Dye during a restart on lap 138 to take the lead for the final time.

 

“It felt like they didn’t want me to win tonight,” said Gray, who led a race-high 76 laps. “All those guys are really tough to beat. We just had a really good race car tonight.”

 

 

Next Race: The ARCA Menards Series West season resumes Saturday, March 26 with the running of the NAPA Auto Parts 150 presented by the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame at California’s Irwindale Speedway. Racing is slated to begin at 7:05 p.m. PT / 10:05 p.m. ET.

 

Pole: Sammy Smith

Click Here for Race Results

 

source: NASCAR Media

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