Winners: Denny Hamlin (Cup); Justin Allgaier (Xfinity); Corey Heim (Trucks) William Sawalich (ARCA)
NASCAR Cup
Denny Hamlin caps off strong night at Bristol, wins to conclude Round of 16
Denny Hamlin landed a knockout punch in the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Taking the lead off pit road on Lap 366 of 500, Hamlin beat Kyle Larson to the finish line by 2.462 seconds. Hamlin led the final 135 laps in the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, 142 overall, and second only to the 187 circuits led by pole winner and third-place finisher Christopher Bell.
Led by Hamlin, all five playoff Toyota drivers advanced to the next round.
“Can’t thank this whole FedEx team enough,” said Hamlin, who won for the third time this season, the third time at Bristol and the 51st time in his career. “They’ve really kicked ass this whole first round. Really amazing how our team has been. So happy about the way we’re running. Can’t wait to keep going.
“It’s our year. I just feel like we’ve got it all put together. We’ve got the speed (at) every single type of race track. Nothing to stop us at this point.”
Denny Delivers ⚔️#BassProNightRace #ItsBristolBaby pic.twitter.com/5GbQt2IxPW
— Bristol Motor Speedway (@ItsBristolBaby) September 17, 2023
Pole: Christopher Bell
Next Race: The Cup Series will return on Sunday, Sept. 24 3:30 PM ET for the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Texas Motor Speedway.
NASCAR Xfinity
Justin Allgaier takes lead late, wins Xfinity playoff race at Bristol
On an ambivalent night for JR Motorsports, Justin Allgaier took advantage of a brilliant strategic call by crew chief Jim Pohlman to win Friday night‘s Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway, the first event in the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series.
Charging from 13th after restart on Lap 257 of 300, Allgaier passed Daniel Hemric for the lead on Lap 288 and pulled away to win by 1.695 seconds, securing a spot in the Round of 8 of the Playoffs.
The victory was Allgaier‘s second at the 0.533-mile short track and his first since his initial Xfinity Series win in 2010. Between victories, Allgaier led plenty of laps but couldn‘t return to Victory Lane — until Friday night.
“This team has done an amazing job at this race track since I started at JR Motorsports,” Allgaier said. “We led a lot of laps, and the monkey was definitely on our back. The pit strategy there… coming down pit road by myself was nerve-wracking, right?
“I‘m speechless, man. This place, Jim Pohlman and I circled this place on our calendar when we started the year, before we ever even took a green flag lap, we said we want to win Bristol. Man, we won Bristol! It‘s Bristol, baby — let‘s go!”
Let’s rewind it back to last night!#ItsBristolBaby #FoodCity300 #NASCARPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/hmtP7GY9lE
— Bristol Motor Speedway (@ItsBristolBaby) September 16, 2023
Pole: Cole Custer
Next Race: The Xfinity Series will return on Saturday Sept. 23 3:30 pm ET for the Andy's Frozen Custard 300 at Texas Motor Speedway.
NASCAR Trucks
Corey Heim wins Truck Series playoff race at Bristol
After stealing a victory last Saturday at Kansas Speedway, Christian Eckes got his pocket picked by Corey Heim on Thursday night at Bristol Motor Speedway.
On Lap 195 of 200 of the UNOH 200 presented by Ohio Logistics, Heim forced his way beneath Eckes‘ No. 19 Chevrolet — with the lapped truck of Eckes‘ Tricon Garage teammate, Tanner Gray, to the outside — took the lead and claimed the victory by .218 seconds over his disappointed rival.
With his third NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory of the season, his first at Bristol and the fifth of his career, Heim, the Regular Season Champion, moved one step closer to another possible title. The win propelled him into the Championship 4 race, scheduled for Nov. 3 at Phoenix Raceway.
“This is insane,” said Heim, who led only the last six laps. “I felt like I‘ve given so many away this year, to win one like that at the end is so special … Like I said, we‘ve given so many away, and we finally got one back …
“Gosh, it‘s just so awesome to know we‘re in Phoenix.”
Hear from your winner @CoreyHeim_ following his late-race move for the win. #NASCARPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/KWtOLX6Kl7
— NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Trucks (@NASCAR_Trucks) September 15, 2023
Pole: Christian Eckes
Next Race: The Truck Series will return on Saturday, Sept. 30 1:00 PM ET for the Love's RV Stop 250 at Talladega Superspeedway.
ARCA
William Sawalich continues the efficient legacy of the No. 18 with a championship in the ARCA Menards Series East
For the third consecutive season, the iconic No. 18 secured an ARCA Menards Series East championship at Bristol Motor Speedway.
It wasn’t easy, but William Sawalich enjoyed a nearly perfect night Thursday at Bristol Motor Speedway.
The driver of the No. 18 Starkey-Sound Gear Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing captured not only the Bristol 200 for his fifth ARCA platform victory of the season, but also the 2023 ARCA Menards Series East championship.
“We’ve worked all year to get to this point,” Sawalich said. “This Joe Gibbs Racing team has done an amazing job all year.”
“The season has gone great,” Sawalich said. “I’ve learned a lot, and we’ve had speed everywhere we’ve been. There was only one track where we weren’t in contention for the win, so I’m really proud of [our speed]. I’m learning and the team is learning, but we’re having good success.”
Victory Lane as the race winner and CHAMPION! ⚔️đ@WilliamSawalich #BushBeans200 #ItsBristolBaby pic.twitter.com/PvsQJoZRVb
— Bristol Motor Speedway (@ItsBristolBaby) September 15, 2023
Pole: William Sawalich
Next Race: The ARCA Series will return on Saturday, Sept. 30 7:41 p.m. ET for the Atlas 200 at Salem Speedway
Next Race: The ARCA West Series will return on Saturday, Sept. 30 10:45 p.m. ET ET for the NAPA Auto Parts 150 at All American Speedway.
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