XFINITY SERIES NOTEBOOK 8/26/15

NASCAR XFINITY SERIES

Points Tighten As Dillon Capitalizes On Buescher’s Fuel Mileage Mistake At Bristol

When Chris Buescher’s Roush Fenway Racing Ford faltered on the front row of the green-white-checkered restart last weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway, the points leader faded to an 11th-place finish, as championship contender Ty Dillon motored to a third-place showing, closing the standings lead gap between first and second to 19 points.

Buescher was visibly upset about his finish outside the top 10; his sixth in the last eight races.

“It’s unfortunate. I’m really upset,” Buescher said. “We had the speed, but it wasn’t meant to be.  I’m glad we took the chance. I wouldn’t change it if we could do it over again, but unfortunately it (gamble on fuel) knocked us right out of a top-10 and out of a win.”

Dillon who jumped to second in the standings and closed the points lead gap to 19 sang a different tune.

“This race was an overall great points day for us,” said Ty Dillon after posting his seventh top five of the season and qualifying for the final round of the NASCAR XFINITY Series Dash 4 Cash next week at Darlington.

On Saturday, the series heads to Road America (Plymouth, Wisc.) for the Road America 180 Fired Up by Johnsonville (3 p.m. on NBCSN) - the third and final road course race on the XFINITY Series schedule. Buescher’s slide could continue as he struggled in his only start at Road America last season. He started ninth but finished 18th. Dillon also had a negative place differential at Road America in his series track debut last season starting seventh but finishing 19th.

“Road America is a very difficult and unique road course,” Buescher said. “I love road racing and look forward to the challenge.”

On a high note, Dillon and Buescher are the only two drivers who have top-five finishes in the previous two road course races this season.

Wisconsin Native Paul Menard Moonlighting In XFINITY Series This Weekend

While most of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers are enjoying their last off weekend of the 2015 season, Eau Claire, Wisconsin native Paul Menard will be strapping into the Richard Childress Racing No. 33 Chevrolet for the Road America 180 Fired Up by Johnsonville on Saturday. 

Menard has made five series starts this season in the No. 33 RCR Chevrolet posting one top five, four top 10s and an average finish of 8.6. His season-to-date driver rating is 107.7.

Menard has made one series start at Road America in 2010, driving for car owner Jack Roush; he started eighth and finished 16th.

Menard’s hometown of Eau Claire is almost four hours (232 miles) northwest from where Road America is located in Plymouth, Wisconsin. 

Odds Are Road America’s Streak Of Different Winners Continues 

In the last five NASCAR XFINITY Series races at Road America there have been five different winners, and since only one of the former winners (Brendan Gaughan) is entered, odds are we will see a sixth this weekend in the Road America 180 Fired Up by Johnsonville.  The odds of a repeat winner this weekend are a 1 in 40 chance or 2.5%-meaning there is a 97.5% chance for a sixth different winner. 

The five former Road America winners are Carl Edwards (2010), Reed Sorenson (2011), Nelson Piquet Jr. (2012), AJ Allmendinger (2013) and Brendan Gaughan (2014).

Two drivers to watch this weekend who might become the sixth different winner at Road America are Chase Elliott and Elliott Sadler.

Chase Elliott is currently third in points and looking for his first win of the season. Elliott has only made one start at Road America (2014), starting 12th and finishing fourth. In 2015, Elliott has an average finish of sixth on road courses – third-best among championship contenders.

Sadler is currently fifth in the points and also looking for his first win of the season. Sadler (9.2) and Gaughan are the only two drivers with more than one start at Road America with an average finish inside the top 10. He has finished ninth at Road America the last two seasons.

Though the odds are against him, don’t count out Gaughan just yet, he can become the first driver to be a repeat winner at Road America this weekend. Among active drivers with more than one start at Road America he has the best average finish (5.0). In three starts at Road America, Gaughan has posted one win (his first XFINITY Series victory) and two top fives.

Sunoco Rookie Update: Suarez’s Hot Streak Continues With Dash 4 Cash Prize

Daniel Suarez is so hot he sizzles these days. Not only does the Monterrey, Mexico native lead the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings by 27 points over second-place Darrell Wallace Jr., but he also padded his wallet this past weekend when he took home the $100,000 cash prize from the third round of the NASCAR XFINITY Series Dash 4 Cash program. The Dash 4 Cash win automatically qualifies Suarez to compete in the final round of the program at Darlington as well. 

“I didn’t win it (Dash 4 Cash prize), we won it,” Suarez said. “We are a great team. Everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing – all these guys who help to put this program together, I’m very, very thankful for them. All the hard work looks like it’s paying off. I’m very happy.”

In 22 starts this season, Suarez has posted two Coors Light poles, five top fives, 10 top 10s and an average finish of 12.6.

This will be Suarez’s series track debut at Road America this weekend.

Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings following Bristol: Daniel Suarez (232), Darrell Wallace Jr (205), Ross Chastain (159), Cale Conley (141), Harrison Rhodes (125), Peyton Sellers (97), Josh Reaume (55).

Dylan Kwasniewski Making Most Of Obaika Racing Opportunity

The first year team, Obaika Racing, owned by African businessman Victor Obaika has fielded the No. 97 Chevrolet this season with four different drivers – Peyton Sellers, Johanna Long, Josh Reaume and this weekend Dylan Kwasniewski. 

Kwasniewski competed full-time last season for Turner Motorsports but was not resigned for the 2015 season.  Kwasniewski earned his chance at a seat last season with Turner after he became the first driver to win the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West (2012) and East (2013) championships.

Kwasniewski has made two previous starts for Obaika Racing this season posting a best finish of 32nd last weekend at Bristol. He has made one XFINITY Series career start at Road America (last season); he started second but finished 26th. 

Third Time’s A Charm: Road America, Site Of Final Road Course On The Schedule

The third and final road course on the NASCAR XFINITY Series schedule is upon us. The four-mile multi-elevation track holds fourteen turns to challenge the drivers this weekend in the Road America 180 Fired Up by Johnsonville.

The first two road courses have brought lots of action and this weekend is expected to be more of the same. In one lap a driver will experience around 171 feet in elevation changes.

Road America is a track of firsts. Three drivers have posted their first XFINITY Series career Coors Light pole at Road America: Michael McDowell (2011), Nelson Piquet Jr. (2012), and AJ Allmendinger (2013). Three drivers have also posted their first XFINITY Series career win at Road America: Nelson Piquet Jr. (2012), AJ Allmendinger (2013) and Brendan Gaughan (2014).

Qualifying will be very important for the competitors this weekend because three of the five NXS Road America races (60%) have been won from the Coors Light pole. The deepest a Road America winner has started is 12th-place (Reed Sorenson, 2011).  

Road America has a streak of five different winners, as well as five different NXS Coors Light pole winners: Carl Edwards (2010), Michael McDowell (2011), Nelson Piquet Jr. (2012), AJ Allmendinger (2013) and Alex Tagliani (2014).  None of the previous five pole winners are entered this weekend.

NASCAR XFINITY Series Etc.:

NASCAR In Wisconsin – There have been 40 NASCAR national series races (NSCS 1, NXS 24, NCWTS 15) among two tracks (Road America, six races; Milwaukee Mile, 34 races) in the state of Wisconsin. The first time NASCAR competed in Wisconsin was the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Road America in 1956, the event was won by Tim Flock (73.858 mph, 03:29:50). The first NASCAR XFINITY Series race held in Wisconsin was at the Milwaukee Mile in 1984, the event was won by Sam Ard (97.206 mph, 02:03:26). The first race at Road America for the NASCAR XFINITY Series was in 2010 and won by Carl Edwards (68.501 mph, 02:57:17). One-hundred fourteen different drivers have competed in the NASCAR XFINITY Series at Road America, and 52 have participated in more than one race. Brian Scott, Eric McClure and Mike Bliss are the only three drivers who have competed in all five XFINITY Series races at Road America.

Drivers From Wisconsin – A total of 49 drivers have competed in a NASCAR national series race with their home state recorded as Wisconsin. Of the 49 Wisconsin drivers, 30 have competed in the NASCAR XFINITY Series. Of the 30, only five have won in the NASCAR XFINITY Series: Matt Kenseth (29), Scott Wimmer (6), Johnny Sauter (3), Paul Menard (2) and Dick Trickle (2).

Said and Habul Return For JGR – They’re back and ready for Road America. For the third time this season Joe Gibbs Racing has called on the road course skills of veterans Boris Said and Kenny Habul. Said will pilot the No. 54 Toyota and Habul take the wheel of No. 20 Toyota.

Milestones: Chase Elliott will attempt to post his 25th career top-five XFINITY Series finish this weekend. Elliott is currently tied with Dick Trickle, Rob Moroso and Trevor Bayne for 68th on the all-time XFINITY Series top fives list.