XFINITY SERIES 5/20/15

NASCAR XFINITY SERIES

With Big Win Buescher Takes Series Standings Lead From Dillon

Chris Buescher posted the 93rd victory – series’ most – for the No. 60 Roush Fenway Racing Ford team this past weekend at Iowa Speedway and in the process took the NASCAR XFINITY Series standings lead from Richard Childress Racing’s Ty Dillon. Buescher now sits eight points ahead of Dillon as the series heads to Charlotte Motor Speedway for the Hisense 300 on May 23 (on FOX Sports 1 at 2:30 p.m. ET).

His win last weekend was the second of his career in the NXS. He leads the series in average finish with a 7.8 and is tied with Chase Elliott for the most top-five finishes (five each) this season. His season-to-date loop data has him ranked fourth in driver rating (101.1) and second in Average Running Position (8.831).  

Buescher has three starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway posting two top 10s and an average finish of 17.7.  He finished ninth in this event last season.

Long Road Ahead In the Points For Third-Place Elliott

Chase Elliott has a long road ahead of him in the NASCAR XFINITY Series points standings to catch series standings leader Chris Buescher (-31) and second-place Ty Dillon with how well they are running this season.

Last weekend at Iowa, Elliott led the most laps but lost the lead on the final restart and ultimately finished second to Buescher.

Elliott is still looking for his first victory in 2015; this time last year he had already banked two (Texas and Darlington) wins and had a firm hold on the series points lead.  Success this season hasn’t come quite as quickly, but consistency has been the key for the 19-year-old driver posting five top fives, and a series leading eight top 10s this season.

Charlotte has brought mixed success for Elliott in his brief career. In this race last season he finished 37th but then returned to Charlotte in the fall and posted an eighth-place finish.

Dash 4 Cash kicks off at Charlotte Motor Speedway

A $1 million prize is on the line again for the NASCAR XFINITY Series. In its seventh consecutive year, the “Dash 4 Cash” program is back and new tracks highlight its schedule.

For the first time, Charlotte Motor Speedway will host the “Dash 4 Cash” qualifier, which will determine the four eligible drivers that will compete for one of four $100,000 payouts throughout the season. Following Saturday’s Hisense 300, the four Dash 4 Cash events will include: Dover (May 30), Indianapolis (July 25), Bristol (August 21) and Darlington (September 5). At Charlotte, the top four finishers who are eligible to receive NASCAR XFINITY Series driver points will qualify for the first Dash 4 Cash race at Dover.

Sunoco Rookie Update: Wallace Opens Up Rookie Points Lead Over Suarez

Darrell Wallace Jr. tied his series career-best finish (sixth) last weekend at Iowa Speedway and extended his lead in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings over second-place Daniel Suarez by seven points.

Wallace has posted three top 10s and an average finish of 11.3 this season.

Not only does he lead the rookie standings but he is also ranked fourth in the series driver standings just 37 points behind series points leader Chris Buescher and six points back from third-place Chase Elliott.

This weekend will be Wallace’s series debut at Charlotte Motor Speedway – though he is familiar with the 1,5-mile speedway, making two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start there with a best finish of 26th in 2014.

Sunoco Rookie Points following Iowa:  Darrell Wallace Jr. (119), Daniel Suarez (112), Ross Chastain (87), Cale Conley (82), Harrison Rhodes (66), Peyton Sellers (31) and Josh Reaume (18).

Loaded Entry List Has The Hisense 300 Looking Star-Studded

This weekend’s Hisense 300 entry lists features a healthy mix of NASCAR XFINITY Series championship contenders and big named NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers – like 2015 Sprint All-Star Race winner Denny Hamlin, the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Kevin Harvick, Austin Dillon, Kasey Kahne, Kyle Larson and Aric Almirola.

Denny Hamlin pocketed a cool million last weekend after he won the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and this weekend he will strap into the No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Hamlin’s last series start a few weeks back at Richmond was a dominating performance where he won from the pole. Hamlin has made five starts this season posting one win, two top fives and three top 10s.  Hamlin has nine series starts at Charlotte, but has yet to win, his average finish is 15.0.

Kevin Harvick returns to the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet this weekend at Charlotte. Harvick has made five starts this season for JR Motorsports, posting two wins, three top fives and four top 10s. Harvick has made 25 series starts at Charlotte posting seven top fives, 16 top 10s and average finish of 10.7.

Austin Dillon will be making his ninth start of the season this weekend at Charlotte in the No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. Dillon has one win, five top fives, six top 10s and three poles this season.  In four series starts at CMS he has posted three top five and an average finish of 4.0.

Kasey Kahne won the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Charlotte last weekend, a race that tied for the second closest victory in series history (.005 seconds). This weekend Kahne hopes to carry his momentum to the No. 5 JR Motorsports Chevrolet team for the Hisense 300. Kahne has made 20 series starts at Charlotte posting one win (2007), five top 10s and an average finish of 19.8.

Kyle Larson returns to the No. 42 Chevrolet this weekend for his fourth start of the season. In his previous three starts in 2015 he posted three top 10s. He has made four series starts at Charlotte posting one win (2014), three top fives and an average finish of 5.8. 

Aric Almirola will be back in Fred Biagi’s No. 98 Ford this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Almirola has made seven series starts at Charlotte posting one top five and three top 10s.

Busch Is The NXS King Of The 1.5-Mile Tracks, But Harvick Is A Close Second

When it comes to dominating the 1.5-mile tracks on the NASCAR XFINITY Series schedule, Kyle Busch is king. Busch leads series in wins on 1.5-mile tracks with 23 victories. Busch is not entered this weekend in the Hisense 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, but the driver with the second most NXS wins (18) on 1.5-mile tracks is – Kevin Harvick.

Harvick has made 25 starts at Charlotte posting seven top fives, 16 top 10s and an average finish of 10.7.   He also ranks in the top 10 in the following key categories: Driver Rating (101.4); Average Running Position (10.753); Laps In The Top 15 (2,482 laps, 73.5%); Laps Led (207).   

Harvick’s 18 wins at 1.5-mile tracks: Texas (5), Atlanta (4), Chicago (3), Kentucky (2), Las Vegas (2), Homestead-Miami (1) and Kansas (1).

Blaney Making Most Of Every Series Start In Penske’s No. 22

Team Penske’s No. 22 Ford team has been lights out in this season’s first 10 races, posting three wins, seven top-two finishes, nine top fives, and 10 top 10s. The team’s worst finish this season … eighth. As a result, Team Penske’s No. 22 team is head, neck and shoulders above their competition in the NASCAR XFINITY Series owner point standings – second-place Roush Fenway Racing’s No. 60 Ford team is 64 points back from the No. 22 Ford team after 10 races.   

While most of the success can be attributed to the crew chief Greg Irwin, much of it comes from the stellar driver lineup of Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney. For the second week in a row Blaney will be behind the wheel of the No. 22 Ford after posting a fifth-place finish last weekend at Iowa. Blaney has two series career starts at Charlotte posting one top five and an average finish of 9.0.

NASCAR XFINITY Series Etc.

Youth Movement Continues:  The NASCAR XFINITY Series is experiencing a youth movement in 2015. The average age of the drivers in the top five in points is 22.4-years-old and the average of the drivers in the top 10 in points is 26.6-years-old. …

NXS Milestones: Landon Cassill will attempt to make his 100th NASCAR XFINITY Series career start this weekend at Charlotte. Cassill is ranked 121st on the all-time NXS starts lists; four starts behind two-time series champ Martin Truex Jr. . … Roush Fenway Racing’s Ryan Reed will attempt to make his 50th NASCAR XFINITY Series career start this weekend at Charlotte.  … Kevin Harvick (174) will attempt to tie Kyle Busch (175) for the all-time series’ most top five finishes this weekend at Charlotte.