XFINITY: Loose steering issue hands Ryan Sieg first last-place finish since 2019

ALL PHOTOS: Brock Beard

by Brock Beard

LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief

Ryan Sieg picked up the 2nd last-place finish of his NASCAR XFINITY Series career in Saturday’s Alsco Uniforms 302 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway when his #39 CMRroofing.com / A-Game Ford fell out with steering issues after 32 of 201 laps.

The finish, which came in Sieg’s 298th series start, was his first of the season and first since September 14, 2019, 104 races ago, when he was disqualified from this same race after his car was found to be too low. In the XFINIY Series’ last-place rankings, it was the 3rd due to the steering, the 10th for the #39, and the 160th for Ford. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it was the 21st for the #39, 33rd from steering, and the 999th for Ford.

Just last week on the Charlotte “Roval,” Ryan Sieg came tantalizingly close to extending arguably the best Playoff push of his career. Still in search of an elusive first career victory, Sieg had made the Playoff cut after a hard-fought late-race battle in Bristol. He then finished 9th at Texas, avoiding the day’s many accidents, and secured a 4th-place Talladega finish in a race with no margin for error – everyone finished under power, and within 18 laps of the leader. This put Sieg on the Playoff bubble in 8th – six points to the good over Daniel Hemric. In the final laps of the “Roval” race, Sieg was running 9th, needing to gain two more points with fellow Playoff contender Brandon Jones just ahead. But Sieg ran out of time, and he joined Riley Herbst, Daniel Hemric, and Jeremy Clements in failing to advance.

Undaunted, Sieg looked ahead to Las Vegas, where his RSS Racing team would enter three cars for the first time since Daytona in August. With only 38 cars for that many starting spots, it would also mark the first time since Michigan that all three would start the race. Sieg ranked 14th in practice and secured 13th in qualifying with a lap of 178.318mph (30.283 seconds), ranking him fifth among non-Playoff drivers in the race. Further back were teammates C.J. McLaughlin, who secured 34th in the #38 Sci Aps Ford, and younger brother Kyle Sieg in the #28 CMRroofing.com / A-Game Ford, which would roll off 38th and last.

After practice, Kyle Sieg’s #28 was pushed backwards behind the wall, where the crew addressed a clutch line issue as they looked under the rear of the car. Moments later, David Starr’s #08 Amptricity Ford was pushed to the garage with power steering issues. During the session itself, Riley Herbst spun his #98 Monster Energy Ford and limped behind the wall without setting a time. The three would occupy the final three starting spots and each incur unapproved adjustments penalties along with 29th-place Mason Massey in the #91 Apollo Energy / Power Center Chevrolet and 35th-place Ryan Vargas in the #6 Swann Security / Best Buy Chevrolet.

Sieg goes behind the wall after two pit stops.

When the race began, the last row belonged to David Starr, who was on the inside of Kyle Sieg. By the end of Lap 1, Sieg had dropped Starr to last, and was working over Vargas for 36th, but by Lap 3, both had cleared Mason Massey. Massey then caught and passed Vargas around Lap 4, at which point both Massey’s #91 and Vargas’ #4 trailed the field by open track. During this same run, C.J. McLaughlin slipped to 37th behind Massey and into the clutches of Vargas. McLaughlin soon had a rear-view mirror full of Vargas’ Chevrolet. At the line to start Lap 12, Vargas got under the #38 and cleared him for position. The leaders caught and lapped the duo by Lap 21, at which point Vargas had opened an advantage over McLaughlin with Massey now several car lengths ahead in 36th. Kyle Sieg, the original last-place starter, climbed to 27th by Lap 23. He’d ultimately finish 26th.

Ryan Sieg entered the last-place battle quite suddenly on Lap 25, when he pitted from 14th with a reported steering issue. He returned to the track off the pace, and soon took last from teammate McLaughlin. During this same run, Sheldon Creed’s #2 Whelen Chevrolet developed a flat engine note. Sieg made a second stop on Lap 35, and returned to the track five laps down. But the issue still wasn’t resolved, and he pulled behind the wall on Lap 39. Both Sieg and his crew set to work under the hood, at first putting the car on jack stands and removing the right-front wheel.

“Just came up about halfway through that run and it started feeling odd,” said Sieg. “Tried to put tires on to diagnose, but it kept going on with whatever’s going on. It’s like it has a whole bunch of play in the steering wheel. So, I didn’t want to tear our car up. This is next week’s car [for Homestead].”

Sheldon Creed lost a valve shortly after Sieg's isues.

During our interview, Sheldon Creed pulled his #2 to the back of his hauler and climbed out. No crew members worked on the car for several moments until an ECR Engines crewman came by to  examine the engine. After removing both valve covers, a member of Creed’s crew said they lost a valve, and were soon the first car out of the race. At the time, Creed was in 37th, a full 20 laps ahead of Ryan Sieg. Sieg’s crew continued to work until Lap 105, when the NBC broadcast indicated the #39 was out of the race. Moments later on Lap 119, Sieg’s crew was bringing their pit equipment back to the garage, and the shop wheels were put on the #39. By this point, Creed’s car was loaded onto its hauler.

Taking 36th was J.J. Yeley, whose engine soured on the #66 Diamondback Land Surveying Toyota. Yeley pulled behind the wall on Lap 87 with the crew pushing his car directly to the hauler. The car had hit the wall at least once on its final run as the Goodyear markings on the right sides were both rubbed off. Finishing 35th was Matt Mills, six laps down in B.J. McLeod’s #5 J.F. Electric Chevrolet, followed by 34th-place Josh Williams in the #36 Alloy Employer Services Chevrolet.

In her first-ever XFINITY Series start, Hailie Deegan finished a strong 13th, driving the same #07 team that had finished last in the previous two consecutive XFINITY races at Las Vegas. Deegan’s #07 Pristine Auction Ford came home just one spot behind reigning ARCA Menards Series champion Nick Sanchez, who followed up a career-best 11th in Texas with a 12th on Saturday.

LASTCAR STATISTICS

*Saturday marked the first time a XFINITY Series driver finished last due to steering issues (not “power steering”) since October 7, 2017, the day Jeff Green – also driving for RSS Racing – scored his record 100th XFINITY Series last-place finish after 2 laps around Charlotte. 

THE BOTTOM FIVE

38) #39-Ryan Sieg / 32 laps / steering

37) #2-Sheldon Creed / 52 laps / engine

36) #66-J.J. Yeley / 82 laps / engine

35) #5-Matt Mills / 195 laps / running

34) #36-Josh Williams / 195 laps / running

2022 LASTCAR XFINITY SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Alpha Prime Racing (4)

2nd) B.J. McLeod Motorsports, JR Motorsports (3)

3rd) JD Motorsports, Mike Harmon Racing, Motorsports Business Management, Our Motorsports, Sam Hunt Racing (2)

4th) Big Machine Racing, Brandonbilt Motorsports, DGM Racing, Jesse Iwuji Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, Kaulig Racing, Richard Childress Racing, RSS Racing, SS-Green Light Racing, Stewart-Haas Racing (1)

2022 LASTCAR XFINITY SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Chevrolet (22)

2nd) Toyota (5)

3rd) Ford (3)

2022 LASTCAR XFINITY SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

PREVIEW: Deegan’s debut, Jaskol’s return, and two of ARCA’s best among Las Vegas entrants

IMAGE: Joe Gibbs Racing

by Brock Beard

LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief

LASTCAR TRACKSIDE COVERAGE

This weekend’s action in Las Vegas marks my return to trackside coverage for the first time since Sears Point. I will be following the last-place action for both the NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Cup Series, so be sure to stay tuned to my Twitter @LASTCARonBROCK for updates!

Saturday, October 15, 2022 (3:00 P.M. ET, NBC)

XFINITY Race 30 of 33

Round of 8: Race 1 of 3

Alsco Uniforms 302 at Las Vegas

2021 Last-Place Finisher: Joe Graf, Jr.

ENTRY LIST

A spot in the Championship Four is at stake for both this weekend’s races in Las Vegas, starting with the XFINITY Series, where 38 drivers will contest the 38-car starting grid, meaning none will be sent home.

DRIVER CHANGE: #5-B.J. McLeod Motorsports

Matt Mills returns to the driver’s seat for the first time since his solid 16th-place performance in Texas, taking the place of 22nd-place Charlotte finisher Scott Heckert. Seven of Mills’ previous eight XFINITY starts at Las Vegas have come in this same #5 for B.J. McLeod, including his track-best 24th in this race in 2019.

DRIVER CHANGE: #13-Motorsports Business Management

SPONSOR UPDATE: #66-Motorsports Business Management

For just the second time this year, Matt Jaskol will run a XFINITY Series race, returning for the first time since his career-best 18th at Portland. He will again drive for Carl Long with Auto Parts 4 Less as sponsor, returning to the site where he skydived into the track before last year’s race. Auto Parts 4 Less is among several Nevada-based sponsors to back MBM this week. Teammate J.J. Yeley in the #66 will carry logos for Diamondback Land Surveying, Modern Concrete, Inc., and Rollin’ Smoke Barbecue.

DRIVER CHANGE: #18-Joe Gibbs Racing

It’s a birthday-themed paint scheme for Trevor Bayne as sponsor Devotion Nutrition celebrates their seventh anniversary. Bayne, who takes the place of surprising 4th-place Charlotte finisher James Davison, will run his next-to-last XFINITY race of the season. His only other scheduled start will be next week in Homestead.

DRIVER CHANGE: #26-Sam Hunt Racing

John Hunter Nemechek is back in the XFINITY Series for the first times since Texas, where he was challenging for the lead before a crash off Turn 2. This time, he carries with him sponsorship from Berry’s Bullets, a longtime Nemechek backer, on Sam Hunt’s #26 in place of Daniil Kvyat, who finished a solid 15th on the Roval in his series debut. John Hunter has finished no worse than 12th in his three previous XFINITY starts here.

RETURNING: #28-RSS Racing

For the first time since their DNQ from the August Daytona race, RSS Racing is fielding their part-time third entry, the #28, which last took the green at Michigan with a 21st-place finish. Kyle Sieg, who ran that day in Michigan, is again in the #28 Ford this week. Kyle finished 23rd in his most recent XFINITY start at Darlington last month, taking 23rd in RSS’ #38.

DRIVER CHANGE: #34-Jesse Iwuji Motorsports

MISSING: #47-Mike Harmon Racing

Kyle Weatherman is back in Jesse Iwuji’s #34 this week, set to make his seventh Las Vegas start. Weatherman finished a track-best 18th in this race last year, one of his last starts for Mike Harmon Racing, which isn’t entered this week after Gray Gaulding DNQ’d in Charlotte. Weatherman takes the place of Kaz Grala, who was sidelined by a crash in Charlotte that left him 35th.

DRIVER CHANGE: #35-Emerling-Gase Motorsports

Jeffrey Earnhardt welcomes back returning sponsor Kitty Kat Coin on the #35 as he makes his first start since Talladega, where he ran next-to-last as he was lapped by the leaders as they crossed the finish line. Earnhardt has likewise never DNF’d in any of his previous five XFINITY starts at Las Vegas, where his best finish was a 19th in the spring of 2021. He takes the place of Brad Perez, who finished 23rd despite late-race damage on the “Roval.”

DRIVER SWAP: #36-DGM Racing

MISSING: #92-DGM Racing

One week after Alex Labbe turned in a strong 6th-place finish on the Charlotte “Roval,” he will  not be making the trip to Las Vegas. Also not on the entry list is the #92 entry with which Josh Williams finished next-to-last after track bar issues marred his effort. Williams will run in Labbe’s place in the #36, bringing his Alloy Employer Services sponsor with him.

DRIVER CHANGE: #38-RSS Racing

C.J. McLaughlin returns for the first time since Talladega, where he ran 29th, and again carries the Sci Aps colors on RSS Racing’s second entry, the #38. He takes the place of Patrick Gallagher, who finished 33rd after he lost the engine on the “Roval.” The last time McLaughlin ran on a 1.5-mile track was in Texas, where he finished a career-best 10th.

DRIVER CHANGE: #44-Alpha Prime Racing

Las Vegas marks the fifth career XFINITY start for rookie Rajah Caruth, who must be eager to finish a full race. His last start came in the rain-shortened Kansas event, where he finished 25th, while a mechanical issue and a first-lap mistake handed him last-place finishes at both Dover and Pocono, respectively. Fresh off a strong 3rd-place rank in the ARCA Menards Series, which concluded last week in Toledo, Caruth takes over the #44 for Josh Bilicki, who ran 34th after issues on the “Roval.”

DRIVER CHANGE: #48-Big Machine Racing

Speaking of ARCA, Saturday’s entry list also includes the series’ newly crowned champion, Nick Sanchez, who happens to be Caruth’s teammate at ARCA’s Rev Racing. Sanchez, who finished an impressive 11th his last time out in Texas, takes over for Marco Andretti, whose NASCAR debut ended with a mid-race tangle with Jeb Burton.

MISSING: #52-Jimmy Means Racing

The Jimmy Means effort will not be in Las Vegas after Brennan Poole came up short of making the cut on the “Roval.”

DRIVER CHANGE: #78-B.J. McLeod Motorsports

For the first time since November 10, 2018 at Phoenix, Brandon Brown will not be starting a XFINITY Series race. Taking Brown’s place in the #78 with which he finished 20th in Charlotte is Garrett Smithley, who carries continuing sponsorship from Top Tier Solar Solutions on the Chevrolet. Smithley has seven prior XFINITY starts in Las Vegas with a best finish of 18th twice in 2018 and 2019.

DRIVER CHANGE: #91-DGM Racing

Mason Massey returns to the driver’s seat for the first time since his unusual last-place finish at Talladega, where his crew diagnosed an electrical fault and got him back on track, only to finish 38th in a race where everyone’s car was still running. Massey takes the place of Preston Pardus, who finished 21st on the Roval after a late-race spin down the backstretch.

DRIVER CHANGE: #02-Our Motorsports

Parker Retzlaff never got to show what he could do for Our Motorports at Texas, where damage to the nose on the initial start put him multiple laps down. For the first time since, he again runs the #02, one week after Sage Karam ran 3rd for much of the “Roval’s” late stages, only to fall back to 30th after a spin. Saturday will be Retzlaff’s seventh career XFINITY start.

DRIVER CHANGE: #07-SS-Green Light Racing with Jeff Lecourt

Making many headlines already is the announced XFINITY debut of Truck Series driver Hailie Deegan, who this week takes the wheel of the #07 with sponsorship from Pristine Auction. Deegan, whose best finish in 44 Truck Series starts is a 6th two weeks ago in Talladega, takes the place of Joe Graf, Jr., who finished 27th in Charlotte.

DRIVER CHANGE: #08-SS-Green Light Racing with Jeff Lecourt

Joining Deegan at the SS-Green Light team is David Starr, who takes the place of 31st-place “Roval” finisher Andy Lally. Starr carries sponsorship from Amptricity in what will be his first XFINITY start since a 25th-place showing in Talladega. It will be Starr’s 11th XFINITY start at Las Vegas, a track where his best run of 17th came in 2015 for TriStar Motorsports.

CUP INVADERS: None

Sunday, October 16, 2022 (2:30 P.M. ET, NBC)

CUP Race 33 of 36

Round of 8: Race 1 of 3

South Point 400 at Las Vegas

2021 Last-Place Finisher: J.J. Yeley

ENTRY LIST

The Cup Series sees just the 36 Chartered drivers entered for 40 starting spots, marking the 32nd short field in 33 races this season, and the smallest-ever field for a Cup race at Las Vegas.

DRIVER SWAP: #15-Rick Ware Racing

DRIVER CHANGE: #51-Rick Ware Racing

After his ankle injury from Texas sidelined him from the Charlotte “Roval,” Cody Ware is set to return in Las Vegas, where he earned a track-best 26th there this past spring. He takes the place of teammate J.J. Yeley, who after a 32nd-place “Roval” run slides back to the RWR #15 in place of Joey Hand, sidelined by a tangle with Austin Cindric that left him 38th.

TEAM UPDATE: #16-Kaulig Racing

TEAM UPDATE: #48-Hendrick Motorsports

The Las Vegas race was set to be hometown driver Noah Gragson’s next in the #16 car, but that will change as Alex Bowman tweeted on Wednesday he would not run these next three races following his concussion from Texas and subsequent elimination from the Playoffs. Bowman's status for Phoenix is still to be determined. Gragson will instead run the #48 for a third-straight race, keeping 4th-place “Roval” finisher A.J. Allmendinger in the #16 for another week.

MISSING: #26-Team Hezeberg

MISSING: #27-Team Hezeberg

MISSING: #50-The Money Team

The three “open” teams that brought the Roval field to 39 cars are not entered this week. Of these, Loris Hezemans finished best in the Hezeberg #27, taking 33rd ahead of 34th-place Daly for The Money Team and last-place Daniil Kvyat in the #26.

DRIVER CHANGE: #77-Spire Motorsports

Landon Cassill will pull double-duty this weekend as he returns in place of 29th-place “Roval” finisher Mike Rockenfeller in the #77 Chevrolet, bringing Voyager: Cryptos for All as sponsor once more. This will be Cassill’s 10th Cup start in Vegas, a track where his best finish of 18th came with StarCom Racing in 2018.

DRIVER CHANGE: #78-Live Fast Motorsports

B.J. McLeod resumes driving duties this week, returning to the Cup garage for the first time since his 33rd-place showing in Talladega. He takes the place of Josh Williams, who focuses on XFINITY this week for DGM Racing after a 31st-place finish on the “Roval.”

Saturday, October 22, 2022

TRUCKS Race 22 of 23

Round of 8: Race 3 of 3

Baptist Health 200 at Homestead

2020 Last-Place Finisher: Bryant Barnhill

Next week, the Truck Series returns in Homestead to set their own “Championship Four.”

TODAY IN LASTCAR HISTORY (October 13, 2002): Jason Hedlesky picked up the 1st last-place finish of his NASCAR Winston Cup Series career in the UAW-GM Quality 500 at Charlotte – the same race where Jamie McMurray won in just his second start. Hedlesky drove for Junie Donlavey in the #90 Lucas Oil Ford – Donlavey’s 863rd and final as a Cup Series team owner. Hedlesky, who drove for Donlavey in ARCA, has since become a spotter for various NASCAR teams. 

CUP: Daniil Kvyat’s strong XFINITY debut followed by first last-place finish

PHOTO: @TeamHezeberg

by Brock Beard

LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief

Daniil Kvyat picked up the 1st last-place finish of his NASCAR Cup Series career in Sunday’s Bank of America Roval 400 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway “Roval” Road Course when his #26 Hezeberg Systems Toyota lost the engine after 17 of 112 laps.

The finish came in Kvyat’s third series start. In the Cup Series’ last-place rankings, it was the 26th for the #26, the 181st for Toyota, and the 714th from engine issues. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it was the 48th for the #26, the 387th for Toyota, and the 1,128th from engine woes.

NASCAR has had its share of Formula One drivers take their turns behind the wheel, most notably Juan Pablo Montoya – winner of seven Grands Prix before he began his nine seasons in Cup Series competition – and Christian Fittipaldi, who in 2003 drove for Petty Enterprises. Kvyat – born in Russia the year Fittipaldi made his last F1 start – is of a new generation. From 2014 through 2020, he made 110 starts, predominately for Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso. He scored three podium finishes, including a career-best runner-up finish to Sebastian Vettel in the 2015 Hungarian Grand Prix.

On Sunday, the day Max Verstappen secured his second consecutive Formula One World Championship for the Red Bull effort, Kvyat was preparing to make his third career NASCAR Cup Series start. He took notice of the series after testing a car for NASCAR’s Whelen Euro Series, where drivers like Alon Day and Loris Hezemans have made their way into NASCAR’s three American divisions. It was with Hezemans that Kvyat would run a second car for Team Hezeberg. Alongside the flagship #27, Kvyat would campaign the #26 – the same number he raced to his best finish in F1.

Kvyat made his NASCAR debut in July’s Cup Series race at the Indianapolis Grand Prix Circuit, making him the first driver from Russia to start a NASCAR race in the United States. Adding further intrigue was his Toyota’s engine, prepared by Dutch company APP Racing. The engine held up, but suspension issues at one point left him stranded in a run-off lane, and he finished 36th. His next attempt at a rain-dampened Watkins Glen was another learning experience. This time, he lost 32 laps as the crew addressed an issue with the power steering, and he again finished 36th.

At Charlotte, Kvyat would pull double-duty for the first time, entering both the XFINITY and Cup Series races. His Saturday ride was with Sam Hunt Racing, bringing sponsorship from Nemaco on their #26 Toyota Supra. After a chaotic 72 laps, Kvyat brought his car home an impressive 15th. Since 2019, only 16 of SHR’s combined 74 entries have finished better. 

On the Cup side, Kvyat and the Team Hezeberg group ranked 36th of 39 entrants in practice and qualified 33rd – the fourth-slowest to complete a lap in qualifying. Three other drivers didn’t take time: The crew for the #10 Smithfield Ford of 37th-place Aric Almirola had to change engines after the belts slipped before qualifying. Taking 38th was Josh Williams, whose multiple inspection failures on the #78 Alloy Employer Services Ford would require him to serve a pass-through after taking the green flag. In 39th was Conor Daly, making his Cup debut for a returning The Money Team Racing. An apparent steering issue in practice caused Daly’s #50 Bitnile Chevrolet to veer straight into the wall exiting the backstretch chicane. Daly’s crew managed repairs, but incurred an unapproved adjustment penalty. 

While Almirola, Williams, and Daly incurred tail-end penalties, four other drivers were also docked for unapproved adjustments: 10th-place Ross Chastain in the #1 Worldwide Express Chevrolet, 21st-place Chris Buescher with his #17 Fastenal Ford, 31st-place Brad Keselowski in the #6 Castrol Ford, and Kvyat’s teammate Loris Hezemans, set to start 37th in the #27 Hezeberg Systems Ford.

When the race started, Conor Daly remained in last place, 4.272 seconds back of the leader and about a half-second back of new 38th-place runner Almirola. Williams, preparing to make his pass-through after the start, took the green in 36th, another two-tenths ahead of Almirola. Coming out of the backstretch chicane, Williams’ spotter told him to “wave off,” and he dropped to last place as the field crossed the stripe, 22.274 seconds back of the lead and 7.883 behind now 38th-place Daly. Williams remained last on Lap 3, even after Austin Dillon served a pass-through penalty of his own for not coming to a complete stop for cutting a corner. On Lap 4, Dillon’s #3 Get Bioethanol Chevrolet was down to 38th, still 3.965 ahead of Williams.

Crews were still working around Kvyat's car as
the checkered flag fell.
SCREENSHOT: NASCAR Drive

On Lap 6, Bubba Wallace made an unscheduled stop in his #45 Root Insurance Toyota after he flat-spotted his tires overshooting a chicane and, unlike Dillon, came to a satisfactory stop on the track before resuming. Wallace took over last place on Lap 7, then returned to the track 43.196 back of the lead and 5.568 back of 38th-place Williams. Wallace and his fresh tires then gained ground quickly, cutting the deficit to Williams down to 3.369 on Lap 8, 1.726 on Lap 9, then was just 0.195 behind as the two crossed the stripe for Lap 10. The next time around, Williams was back to last and Wallace had opened up a 2.126 second advantage. As Wallace continued to pass more cars, Wallace soon set his sights on Loris Hezemans’ #27, which Wallace dropped to 38th on Lap 14 en route to a sterling 7th-place finish. Williams closed from 4.432 behind Hezemans’ Ford to 2.678 two circuits later.

Williams was still reeling in Hezemans on Lap 19, when both dropped Kvyat to last place. According to NBC, Kvyat had come in for a four-tire stop at 15.5 seconds, but the crew was now addressing a mechanical issue. The crew removed the passenger-side window and peered in, hearing the car had lost oil pressure. As they looked under the car for leaking oil, Kvyat said the engine sounded rough. He shut off the engine, then re-fired it, and went behind the wall on Lap 20. The next time by, with their car now five laps down, someone on the radio said “Guys, we’re done,” followed by a report that the motor had failed. The car remained in the garage area on Lap 28 with several people looking under the hood, and the team discussed selling their remaining tires. On Lap 32, NASCAR declared Kvyat the first car out of the race. Kvyat’s on-board camera remained operational for the rest of the race, during which time several people looked over the engine, including multiple crew members with GMS Racing uniforms.

Through Stages 1 and 2, attrition remained so light that Kvyat was the only retiree and the remaining 38 starters were on the lead lap. It wasn’t until Lap 63 that Conor Daly lost two laps due to an electrical fire from the wiring to his rear-view camera. Daly returned to the race and later revealed right-front fender damage from an apparent blown tire.  By race’s end, he just managed climb out of the Bottom Five. Taking 38th was Joey Hand, whose #15 Ford BlueOval City Ford was rear-ended by Austin Cindric heading into the backstretch chicane, stuffing Hand’s right-front into the outside wall. The resulting suspension damage was enough to put him out of the race, the day’s only other retiree. Trackhouse Racing teammates Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez took the next two spots, the result of a toe link failure after striking the Turn 1 wall with the right-rear and a complete loss of power steering, respectively. Suarez struggled with his #99 CommScope Chevrolet as far back as Lap 65 before he finally received repairs. The two were joined by fellow Playoff contender Kyle Larson, whose #5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet also lost laps for repairs to his right-rear, ultimately knocking both Larson and Suarez out of the Playoffs along with Cindric and Alex Bowman. Bowman did not start due to his ongoing concussion symptoms suffered in Texas.

LASTCAR STATISTICS

*This marked the first last-place finish for the #26 in a Cup race since August 10, 2014, when Cole Whitt’s BK Racing entry crashed after 9 laps at Watkins Glen.

*Kvyat is the first driver born in Russia to finish last in any of NASCAR’s top three national series.

THE BOTTOM FIVE

39) #26-Daniil Kvyat / 17 laps / engine

38) #15-Joey Hand / 79 laps / crash

37) #1-Ross Chastain / 103 laps / running / led 3 laps

36) #99-Daniel Suarez / 107 laps / running

35) #5-Kyle Larson / 107 laps / running

2022 LASTCAR CUP SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Live Fast Motorsports (6)

2nd) Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing (4)

3rd) 23XI Racing, Spire Motorsports (3)

4th) Penske Racing, Stewart-Haas Racing, Team Hezeberg, Trackhouse Racing (2)

5th) Kaulig Racing, NY Racing Team, Richard Childress Racing, Rick Ware Racing (1)

2022 LASTCAR CUP SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Chevrolet, Ford (12)

2nd) Toyota (8)

2022 LASTCAR CUP SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

XFINITY: Hard hit in early laps leaves Kris Wright last for first time

SCREENSHOT: NASCAR on NBC

by Brock Beard

LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief

Kris Wright picked up the 1st last-place finish of his NASCAR XFINITY Series career in Saturday’s Drive For The Cure 250 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway “Roval” Road Course when his #68 F.N. B Corporation Chevrolet was involved in a single-car accident after 7 of 72 laps.

The finish came in Wright’s 12th series start. In the XFINITY Series’ last-place rankings, it was the 6th for the #68, the 372nd from a crash, and the 607th for Chevrolet. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it was the 29th for the #68, the 1,310th for a crash, and the 1,864th for Chevrolet.

The Pennsylvania-born Wright is not only a relative newcomer to NASCAR, but to racing. His first athletic pursuits were in golf, but he soon threw himself into flying, then in 2015 the sports car ranks of the Pirelli World Challenge. He’s since competed internationally in open-wheel racing, and in sports cars made the jump to IMSA prototypes. Driving for Performance Tech Motorsports in the 2019 Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona, Wright finished second in LMP2 with co-drivers Cameron Cassels and Kyle and Robert Masson.

Eager to race just about anything, Wright soon found his way to stock car racing, running a mix of late model and ARCA Menards Series races on both road courses and bullrings. In 2020, he finished 15th in his first ARCA Menards Series East race at Bristol, and scored a pair of 7th-place showings in ARCA’s national series. That same year, with loyal sponsorship from First National Bank (F.N.B. Corporation), iHeart Radio, and Big Dog Energy, Wright made his Truck Series debut on the Daytona Road Course. Relying on his experience from IMSA, he finished 25th for GMS Racing.

Wright increased his Truck Series schedule with first Young’s Motorsports, then Niece Motorsports, but the transition proved difficult. His best finish in the series remains a 12th-place showing in 2021’s opener at Daytona, and seven of his eight DNFs have been due to crashes. Midway through this season, Wright parted ways with Niece Motorsports. He then found his way to Brandonbilt Motorsports, a team struggling with sponsorship all season. In August, Wright signed with the team to run nine XFINITY races – his first since an equally challenging seven-race stint for Sam Hunt Racing and JD Motorsports in 2021 – bringing F.N.B. as sponsor. After coming up just short of a win and a Playoff spot at Daytona, Brandon Brown’s final start with his family’s #68 team came just last week at Talladega. Wright would take over again in Charlotte, where Brown would again run for B.J. McLeod. In his four previous starts out of the #68 where Wright ran in his place, Brown had finished ahead of him each time.

At Charlotte, Wright joined an entry list of 41 drivers set to fill a field of 38. He ranked 32nd in opening practice after running five laps, but then needed a transmission change which kept him from qualifying. The team’s rank in Owner Points was just enough to secure him the 38th and final starting spot, sending home Gray Gaulding in Mike Harmon Racing’s #47 Chevrolet, Brennan Poole in Jimmy Means Racing’s #52 Chevrolet, and Austin Wayne Self in Jordan Anderson Racing’s second entry, the #32 AM Technical Solutions Chevrolet.

Wright’s transmission change would incur him a redundant tail-end penalty for unapproved adjustments. Also docked for the same reason were 26th-place Scott Heckert in the #5 Malco Automotive Chevrolet and 36th-place Ryan Vargas in the #6 Chevrolet. Also penalized was Noah Gragson, who during the early minutes of practice crashed his #9 Bass Pro Shops TrueTimber BRCC Chevrolet in Turn 2, sending him to a backup car.

When the green flag dropped, Heckert’s penalized car was last across the stripe, 4.655 seconds back of the lead with Gragson already up to 35th past 34th-place starter Timmy Hill in the #13 Coble Enterprises / CrashClaimsR.us Toyota and 35th-place starter Joe Graf, Jr. in the #07 Bucked Up Energy Ford. Gragson then went three-wide to work his way past Wright, 33rd at the stripe. “9’s going to be middle, let him go,” said Wright’s spotter. Heckert remained last at the end of Lap 1, 14.645 seconds back of the leader and just 0.208 back of Graf, and had pulled to the inside of Graf’s #07 at the stripe. 

As Heckert’s crew relayed messages about possible issues with their engine, 3rd-place runner Daniel Hemric was just 1.442 seconds back of the lead when he ran wide in Turn 3 and slammed the tire barriers flush with the driver’s side. Hemric continued to roll with a noticeable fender rub and made it to pit road, taking over last on Lap 4. Hemric’s crew made quick repairs and sent him back out to reach minimum speed, which he did on Lap 5. At the time, Hemric was still barely on the lead lap, 57.94 seconds back of the lead and 29.107 back of Graf, who had fallen to 37th after Heckert cleared him for position on track.

On Lap 6, NASCAR alerted teams to a car slowing on the backstretch into the chicane. This was Wright, who was having issues with his replaced transmission. He pitted, taking over last from Hemric on Lap 7, and shut off the engine as he tried to shift the car into gear. The transmission then started working again, and after the team confirmed he had all four gears, he returned to the track one lap down on Lap 8. 

Two laps later, as J.J. Yeley slipped to 36th after a single-car spin of his #66 WorkPro Breast Cancer Awareness Toyota, the caution came out. Again, it was for Wright, whose tires locked on the approach to Turn 1. “Hold the brakes, hold the brakes, spin to the right,” said his spotter as Wright struck a bend in the SAFER barrier with the right-front of his car. Wright was uninjured, and as the caution came out, asked if he could drive it back around the track. At first, the spotter said, “No – I don’t want you to move,” but then decided to let him back around. But it was only a few seconds later when Wright stopped again and the team called for a tow. “Sorry guys,” said the driver. “I went in there, hit the brakes, and nothing.” Wright’s crew headed to the garage, where the car was brought on by Lap 12. The team discovered the tie rod was stuck in the oil pump pulley, the belt off the pump itself, and were done for the day.

Finishing 37th was Josh Williams, whose #92 Alloy Employer Services Chevrolet had track bar issues after Stage 1. Marco Andretti, making his NASCAR debut in Big Machine Racing’s #48 Big Machine Spiked Coolers Chevrolet, saw his race come to an end when Jeb Burton’s #27 Arrowhead Brass Chevrolet spun ahead of him. While Andretti slammed into Burton’s right-rear, causing pain in Andretti’s healing wrist, Burton recovered to finish 18th. Kaz Grala’s one-off for Jesse Iwuji Motorsports ended with crash damage on his #34 eRacing Association Chevrolet. Rounding out the Bottom Five was Josh Bilicki, whose Top 20 run in Alpha Prime Racing’s #44 Insurance King / Susan G. Komen Foundation Chevrolet was spoiled by a broken axle. Bilicki lost six laps for repairs and returned to the track on Lap 46 under the Andretti caution, ultimately climbing to 34th.

Labbe and Kvyat finish strong; Parsons and Karam’s top fives end in chaos

Bilicki’s teammate, Stefan Parsons, continued a string of strong late-season finishes in the #45 Keffer Volkswagen Chevrolet, climbing as high as 5th and surviving several late-race incidents among the leaders. He was still running 7th on the final overtime finish when contact sent him into a spin that left him 25th at the checkered flag. 

Also impressive was Sage Karam, who took the controls of Our Motorsports’ #02 Chevrolet. Other than a late-race tangle with Sheldon Creed that sent Creed into a spin, Karam was enjoying an excellent race where he climbed to 3rd. He was still running in that spot on Lap 64 when he spun off Turn 6, ultimately backing into a barrier and damaging his rear clip. This spin, which had lifted Parsons from 6th to 5th at he time, left Karam a disappointing 30th.

Through all the chaos, Alex Labbe finished a strong 6th in DGM Racing’s #36 Can-Am Chevrolet – his third top-ten finish in five starts on the Roval, site of his career-best 4th in 2020. Some distance behind in 15th came Daniil Kvyat, who in his first XFINITY Series start after a pair of difficult Cup efforts with Team Hezeberg piloted Sam Hunt Racing’s #26 Nemaco Toyota to a 15th-place finish.

LASTCAR STATISTICS

*This marked the first last-place finish for the #68 in a XFINITY Series race since August 21, 2021, when Brandon Brown picked up his first last-place finish in his 108th series start following a crash at Michigan.

THE BOTTOM FIVE

38) #68-Kris Wright / 7 laps / crash

37) #92-Josh Williams / 35 laps / track bar

36) #48-Marco Andretti / 45 laps / crash 

35) #34-Kaz Grala / 59 laps / crash

34) #44-Josh Bilicki / 66 laps / running

2022 LASTCAR XFINITY SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Alpha Prime Racing (4)

2nd) B.J. McLeod Motorsports, JR Motorsports (3)

3rd) JD Motorsports, Mike Harmon Racing, Motorsports Business Management, Our Motorsports, Sam Hunt Racing (2)

4th) Big Machine Racing, Brandonbilt Motorsports, DGM Racing, Jesse Iwuji Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, Kaulig Racing, Richard Childress Racing, SS-Green Light Racing, Stewart-Haas Racing (1)

2022 LASTCAR XFINITY SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Chevrolet (22)

2nd) Toyota (5)

3rd) Ford (2)

2022 LASTCAR XFINITY SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

PREVIEW: IndyCar stars Andretti and Daly join Karam in adding further intrigue to elimination weekend at the Charlotte “Roval”

IMAGE: @tmtracing50

by Brock Beard

LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief

Saturday, October 8, 2022 (3:00 P.M. ET, NBC)

XFINITY Race 29 of 33

Round of 12: Race 3 of 3

Drive for the Cure 250 at the Charlotte Roval

2021 Last-Place Finisher: Gray Gaulding

ENTRY LIST

The XFINITY Series closes out the “Round of 12” with 41 drivers entered for 38 starting spots, meaning three will fail to qualify.

DRIVER CHANGE: #5-B.J. McLeod Motorsports

This weekend’s final road course race of the season means the return of several road course “ringers” in NASCAR’s top two series, starting with Scott Heckert, whose best of four previous starts this year with B.J. McLeod’s team was a 13th at rainy Portland. This week, he takes the place of Joey Gase, who finished 21st in Talladega.

DRIVER CHANGE: #18-Joe Gibbs Racing

Rich Mar Florist has become an increasingly prolific sponsor in NASCAR these last couple seasons, but their paint scheme on the #18 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing will be their first with a multi-hued flower print against a black backdrop. Behind the wheel is James Davison, making his first XFINITY start since August 14, 2021 at Indianapolis, where he ran 18th for B.J. McLeod, his first NASCAR start since a 34th-place run in Cup for Carl Long at Talladega, and his first for JGR’s XFINITY team since 2018 when he ran 8th at Road America. Davison takes the place of Trevor Bayne, who after an aggressive start at Talladega finished 13th.

MISSING: #24-Sam Hunt Racing

Joe Nemechek is not entered in the second Sam Hunt car that was withdrawn from Talladega.

DRIVER CHANGE: #26-Sam Hunt Racing

Running the primary Sam Hunt machine is Daniil Kvyat, who will pull double-duty on the “Roval” following his only two previous starts in NASCAR’s national series – 36th-place finishes in this year’s Cup races at Indianapolis and Watkins Glen. Nemaco is the listed sponsor of his #26 Toyota.

RETURNING: #32-Jordan Anderson Racing / AM Racing

As team owner Jordan Anderson continues to recuperate from his burns suffered in last week’s Truck Series race at Talladega, Austin Wayne Self will attempt to get his part-time second entry into a race for the first time this year. Self’s Truck Series effort, AM Racing, is backing the effort with AM Technical Solutions following as sponsor. Self seeks his first career XFINITY Series start following a DNQ in Watkins Glen.

DRIVER CHANGE: #34-Jesse Iwuji Motorsports

This week, it is Kaz Grala and not Kyle Weatherman in the #34 entry with which team co-owner Jesse Iwuji finished 28th in Talladega. Grala’s previous eight XFINITY Series starts this year have come with fellow Chevrolet efforts Alpha Prime Racing and Big Machine Racing, including his season-best 5th his last time out at Watkins Glen. Grala finished 8th in the 2018 inaugural “Roval” race for Fury Race Cars.

DRIVER CHANGE: #35-Emerling-Gase Motorsports

MISSING: #53-Emerling-Gase Motorsports

Brad Perez returns seeking his second career XFINITY Series start. This time, he runs the bright colors of sponsor Green Tech as he takes the place of 37th-place Talladega finisher Jeffrey Earnhardt in the flagship Emerling-Gase Motorsports entry, the same team with which Perez finished 20th at Watkins Glen in his series debut. Earnhardt is not entered this week along with the second Emerling-Gase car, #53, which was withdrawn from Talladega.

DRIVER CHANGE: #36-DGM Racing

RETURNING / DRIVER SWAP: #92-DGM Racing

Alex Labbe is back for the first time since his 17th-place showing in Texas and is running the #36 with sponsorship from Can-Am for the first time since Bristol. This moves Josh Williams to DGM’s part-time third effort, the #92. Both teammates have enjoyed strong runs on the “Roval” with Williams taking 11th last year and Labbe never finishing worse than 14th in his four previous starts with a best of 4th in 2020.

DRIVER CHANGE: #38-RSS Racing

Patrick Gallagher returns for his fifth XFINITY Series start of the year, looking to improve on his season-best 19th at Road America. He takes the place of C.J. McLaughlin, 29th in Talladega, in the #38 Ford with sponsorship from Belle Haven.

DRIVER CHANGE: #44-Alpha Prime Racing

Josh Bilicki and longtime sponsor Insurance King are among the teams carrying pink paint schemes for the Susan G. Komen Foundation this weekend. Recovering from an injury that kept him from running the Cup race at Bristol, Bilicki makes his first XFINITY start since Watkins Glen, where he steered Alpha Prime’s #45 to a 17th-place finish. Bilicki takes the place of Howie DiSavino III, whose superspeedway debut at Talladega yielded a 32nd-place finish.

DRIVER CHANGE: #45-Alpha Prime Racing

Stefan Parsons has enjoyed the strongest stretch of his young XFINITY Series career in recent weeks, taking 12th in his most recent road course start at Watkins Glen, then 17th at Darlington, 26th in Kansas, 8th at Bristol, and 13th in Texas. As in four of those five starts, Parsons again drives for Alpha Prime, this time in place of 31st-place Talladega finisher Caesar Bacarella.

DRIVER CHANGE: #47-Mike Harmon Racing

As of this writing, there is no driver listed for the #47, which was piloted last week by team owner Mike Harmon to a 34th-place finish in Talladega.

DRIVER CHANGE: #48-Big Machine Racing

Fresh off his championship in this year’s Superstar Racing Experience, third-generation IndyCar star Marco Andretti will make his NASCAR debut this weekend in no less than Scott Borchetta’s #48 Chevrolet, a team that’s been on the rise the last couple weeks following Nick Sanchez’ 11th-place performance at Texas and Parker Kligerman’s 6th-place outing in Talladega.

RETURNING: #52-Jimmy Means Racing

For the second time this year and first since Bristol, Brennan Poole will again attempt to get team owner Jimmy Means into his first race of the 2022 season. Poole has yet to qualify for a XFINITY Series race on the Charlotte “Roval.”

DRIVER CHANGE: #68-Brandonbilt Motorsports

DRIVER SWAP: #78-B.J. McLeod Motorsports

Last Saturday in Talladega marked Brandon Brown’s final start with Brandonbilt Motorsports, the team with which he won the same race just one year earlier. After a 33rd-place finish, the ride goes back to Kris Wright, who seeks his fifth start of the year and first since a 25th-place showing in Bristol. Brown moves to B.J. McLeod’s #78, taking McLeod’s own spot with the team that finished 26th in Talladega.

MISSING: #77-Bassett Racing

Ronnie Bassett, Jr. is not entered after his family’s team withdrew from Talladega.

DRIVER CHANGE: #91-DGM Racing

Taking the place of Talladega last-place finisher Mason Massey, plagued by electrical issues in the early laps last week, is returning Spec Miata standout Preston Pardus. Pardus finished 21st his last time out at Watkins Glen and ran 7th his last time out on the “Roval,” again running for Mario Gosselin’s DGM effort.

DRIVER CHANGE: #02-Our Motorsports

Welcoming fellow open-wheeler Marco Andretti into the XFINITY Series is Sage Karam, who eyes his ninth start of the season and first since Bristol, when he finished a solid 18th in his first start for the Chris Our team. Karam takes the place of Blaine Perkins, who ran the #02 last time out at Talladega for a 36th-place finish.

DRIVER CHANGE: #08-SS-Green Light Racing with Jeff Lecourt

Completing the XFINITY Series’ “road ringer” contingent is Andy Lally, who brings sponsors Engine Parts Plus and DB Automotive to the second SS-Green Light effort, swapping in for 25th-place Talladega finisher David Starr. Lally has run the #08 in three of his previous four XFINITY starts this year including his season-best 14th at Road America and 19th his last time out in Watkins Glen. But he hasn’t run the XFINITY “Roval” race since the 2018 inaugural, when a crash driving for Mario Gosselin left him 37th.

CUP INVADERS: None

Sunday, October 9, 2022 (2:00 P.M. ET, NBC)

CUP Race 32 of 36

Round of 12: Race 3 of 3

Bank of America ROVAL 400 at the Charlotte Roval

2021 Last-Place Finisher: Ryan Newman

ENTRY LIST

The Cup Series will likewise eliminate four drivers from Playoff contention this Sunday as title contenders complete an entry list of 39 drivers for 40 spots. It’s still the 31st short field in 32 races, but only the fourth time the series has come up just one car short of filling all 40 spots, the first since Watkins Glen in August.

DRIVER CHANGE: #15-Rick Ware Racing

DRIVER SWAP: #51-Rick Ware Racing

Back with the Ware team for the first time since his 31st-place showing at Watkins Glen is Joey Hand, who enjoyed a strong 9th-place qualifying run at Road America earlier this summer. Hand takes the place of J.J. Yeley, who was 31st last week at Talladega, in what was the site of Hand’s Cup debut last fall. That day, Hand finished 27th in RWR’s #52 entry. Yeley will still run this Sunday in RWR’s #51. While Cody Ware was able to finish 32nd at Talladega despite his ankle injury suffered in his frightening crash at Texas, on Tuesday, Ware elected not to run this weekend’s road course race. As of this writing, Ware expects to return next week in Las Vegas.

DRIVER CHANGE: #16-Kaulig Racing

Just announced to be returning to full-time Cup competition in 2023, A.J. Allmendinger returns to the Cup garage for the first time since his 7th-place showing at Bristol as one of the clear favorites for victory. Allmendinger takes the place of Daniel Hemric, whose late-race electrical issues in Talladega left him stranded on pit road in 34th.

RETURNING: #26-Team Hezeberg

RETURNING: #27-Team Hezeberg

The second half of Daniil Kvyat’s double-duty effort comes with the returning Team Hezeberg group, which has brought both its cars to the track for the third time this year. Kvyat will again run the #26 Toyota with flagship driver Loris Hezemans in the #27 Ford. The pair most recently ran at Watkins Glen, where Hezemans took 33rd ahead of 36th-place Kvyat.

TEAM UPDATE: #48-Hendrick Motorsports

It was reported Tuesday that Alex Bowman, out at Talladega due to his Texas concussion, will again be out of the car this week in the “Roval,” eliminating Bowman from a chance at winning his way into the “Round of 8.” Bowman will again be replaced by Noah Gragson, who pulls double-duty following his 19th-place run in Talladega.

RETURNING: #50-The Money Team Racing

Welcome back The Money Team, which hasn’t attempted a Cup race since their season-best 23rd-place performance at the Coca-Cola 600 on this same Charlotte track this past May. Carrying new sponsorship from Bitnile.com is second-generation open-wheel driver Conor Daly, who makes his Cup Series debut. Daly is no stranger to NASCAR as he has a combined three starts in XFINITY and Truck Series competition, most recently last year’s Truck race in Las Vegas, where he finished last (LINK).

MISSING: #62-Beard Motorsports

The Beard family’s team, a regular on NASCAR’s superspeedways, has likely wrapped up their 2022 campaign after Justin Allgaier took the controls for Noah Gragson at Talladega, yielding a 30th-place finish for the #62.

DRIVER CHANGE: #77-Spire Motorsports

After Landon Cassill’s sterling 11th-place run in Talladega where he also led a lap, Mike Rockenfeller looks to rebound from a difficult 30th-place debut in Watkins Glen. Rockenfeller carries sponsorship from Bon Secours and Swamp Rabbits on his Chevrolet.

DRIVER CHANGE: #78-Live Fast Motorsports

The “Roval” will also see Josh Williams make his third career Cup Series start with the Live Fast Motorsports team, bringing Alloy Employer Services on board for a double-duty effort with the XFINITY Series. Williams, who finished 25th in his prior two races at Bristol and Indianapolis, takes the place of B.J. McLeod, who ran 33rd in Talladega.

Saturday, October 22, 2022

TRUCKS Race 22 of 23

Round of 8: Race 3 of 3

Baptist Health 200 at Homestead

2020 Last-Place Finisher: Bryant Barnhill

The Truck Series returns in two weeks to compete at Homestead for the first time in more than two years. It will be the semifinal race to determine which four drivers will compete for the championship in the finale at Phoenix.

TODAY IN LASTCAR HISTORY (October 6, 1996): Jeremy Mayfield picked up the 1st career last-place finish of his NASCAR Winston Cup Series career in the UAW-GM Quality 500 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway when his #37 Kmart / Little Caesar’s Ford blew a right-front tire and crashed after 17 laps. Mayfield started 3rd on the grid but was one of many drivers to crash in practice, sending him to a backup car. This was his fifth start for team owner Michael Kranefuss after leaving Cale Yarborough Motorsports in a ride swap with John Andretti.