PREVIEW: Five drivers set to run both this weekend’s Roval races, including all three from Rick Ware Racing
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| PHOTO: @RPMotorsports |
XFINITY Race 28 of 33
Drive for the Cure 200 at Charlotte Roval
Round of 12 – Race 2 of 3
2018 Last-Place Finisher: J.J. Yeley
ENTRY LIST
There are 38 drivers entered for as many spots in Saturday’s return to the Roval.
DRIVER CHANGE: #0-JD Motorsports
DRIVER SWAP: #4-JD Motorsports
DRIVER SWAP: #01-JD Motorsports
Road racer Lawson Aschenbach rejoins the XFINITY circuit this week and drives the #0 Chevrolet, marking the first time he’d run two XFINITY races in the same year. Aschenbach, 28th at Mid-Ohio, bumps Garrett Smithley to the #4, and Smithley bumps Stephen Leicht from the #4 to the #01. Leicht bumps out Ryan Repko from the #01, who isn’t entered. B.J. McLeod remains the driver of the #15.
DRIVER CHANGE: #8-JR Motorsports
Ryan Truex will make his fifth XFINITY start of the year and first since Las Vegas earlier this month, where he finished a season-worst 14th. He takes the place of Zane Smith, who ran 8th in Richmond.
RETURNING: #10-Kaulig Racing
Another road race means A.J. Allmendinger is back, along with the second part-time Kaulig Racing team. Allmendinger carries sponsorship from Digital Ally this time around, one year after he finished 7th in the Cup race on the Roval.
DRIVER SWAP: #13-Motorsports Business Management
DRIVER CHANGE: #61-Motorsports Business Management
Tommy Joe Martins returns to action in the #61, bumping Chad Finchum back to the #13. Finchum takes the place of Stan Mullis, who isn’t entered.
MISSING: #17-Rick Ware Racing
DRIVER SWAP: #74-Mike Harmon Racing
The preliminary entry list did not show the Rick Ware #17 among the entrants and had no driver listed for Mike Harmon’s #74, which wrecked last week with Tyler Matthews driving. By Wednesday, it was Joe Nemechek, who ran the #17 last week, who will attempt double-duty starting in Harmon’s #74. This marks the first time Nemechek has driven for Harmon.
MISSING: #21-Richard Childress Racing
Not making the trip this week is RCR’s part-time #21 team, which Joe Graf, Jr. drove to a 14th-place finish in Richmond.
DRIVER CHANGE: #38-RSS Racing
Welcome back Bayley Currey, who takes the place of C.J. McLaughlin in a deal worked out with Rick Ware Racing. This will be Currey’s ninth XFINITY start of the season and first since he was withdrawn at Bristol due to a failed drug test caused by a pre-workout supplement.
RETURNING: #43-Pardus Racing, Inc.
Preston Pardus and his family’s team are back in action for the first time since their strong qualifying run at Road America. Pardus’ #43 Chevrolet carries sponsorship from Chinchor Electric Inc.
DRIVER CHANGE: #66-Motorsports Business Management
Timmy Hill returns to drive the #66 in place of Mike Marlar, who isn’t entered after his last-place finish at Richmond. Leith Cars returns as sponsor after backing Hill in this race last year, where Hill finished 32nd, and will also back Bubba Wallace in the Cup race. Hill also runs double-duty for MBM in Cup (see below).
RETURNING: #68-Brandonbilt Motorsports
DRIVER CHANGE: #86-Brandonbilt Motorsports
Will Rodgers returns to action in the #86 with Kelly Benefit Strategies as sponsor. Rodgers’ return bumps Brandon Brown from his familiar #86 to the returning part-time #68, one week after a rare engine failure left Brown 34th at the finish in Richmond. Brown carries sponsorship from Mid Atlantic Wrecker Service.
MISSING: #89-Shepherd Racing Ventures
Landon Cassill will focus on the Cup side of the garage this weekend as Morgan Shepherd has elected not to enter the Roval race.
DRIVER CHANGE: #90-DGM Racing
Alex Labbe is in for Dillon Bassett, who had a fine run in Richmond, finishing a career-best 13th. The Gosselin team has also attracted new sponsorship for the weekend as Labbe carries backing from Dilly’s and teammate Josh Williams in the #36 will welcome back his Mid-Ohio and Road America sponsor Harkin Construction.
DRIVER CHANGE: #93-RSS Racing
One week after Hermie Sadler earned a 24th-place finish in Richmond, Josh Bilicki is back with the Sieg team for another run on a road course. Bilicki seeks his 20th XFINTIY start of the year and first since Indianapolis, where he finished 21st. That run was his third-straight finish of 21st or better in the series. Bilicki ran 24th in this Roval last year for JP Motorsports.
DRIVER CHANGE: #99-B.J. McLeod Motorsports
Cody Ware will go double-duty on the Roval, taking the place of Matt Mills who isn’t entered for the first time since Road America. It will be Ware’s third XFINITY start of the year and first since Watkins Glen, where he drove for the same team. He finished 21st that day, matching his season debut in Las Vegas.
CUP INVADERS: None.
Sunday, September 29, 2019
CUP Race 29 of 36
Bank of America ROVAL 400 at Charlotte Roval
Round of 16 – Race 3 of 3
2018 Last-Place Finisher: Stanton Barrett
ENTRY LIST
There are 40 drivers entered for as many spots, marking the first “full” field since Indianapolis, three races ago, and just the seventh 40-car grid all season.
SPONSOR UPDATE: #3-Richard Childress Racing
Austin Dillon carries sponsorship from Jack Daniel’s, who backed RCR’s #07 car from 2006 through 2009. The Roval marks the first time the brand has backed a Cup car since the Homestead finale on November 22, 2009, where Casey Mears finished 19th.
TEAM UPDATE: #17-Roush-Fenway Racing
TEAM UPDATE: #37-JTG-Daugherty Racing
On Wednesday came news of Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.’s release from the Roush-Fenway Racing team at the end of 2019, ending a partnership that began in the XFINITY Series in 2009. Taking Stenhouse’s place will be Chris Buescher, who will make the move from the JTG-Daugherty Racing #37 five years after he earned an XFINITY title with Roush-Fenway in 2015. Buescher’s replacement at JTG has not been announced yet.
DRIVER CHANGE: #27-Premium Motorsports
Joe Nemechek will run double-duty this weekend as he takes the place of Quin Houff, who ran 35th last week in Richmond.
DRIVER CHANGE: #51-Rick Ware Racing
Cody Ware’s double-duty includes driving for his father’s team on Sunday, taking the place of 32nd-place Richmond finisher Austin Theriault.
DRIVER CHANGE: #52-Rick Ware Racing
As reported earlier this month on LASTCAR, Garrett Smithley is back in action at the Roval for his next race with Victory Lane Quick Lane Oil Change as sponsor. Smithley takes the place of J.J. Yeley, who ran 33rd in Richmond.
DRIVER CHANGE: #53-Rick Ware Racing
The preliminary entry list did not have a driver listed to take the place of Spencer Boyd, who finished 34th in his second Cup start last week in Richmond. By Wednesday, it was Josh Bilicki on the list, joining Cody Ware, Joe Nemechek, Timmy Hill, and Garrett Smithley in running both Roval races. It will be Bilicki’s seventh Cup start and first since Indianapolis, where he ran a season-best 29th.
RETURNING: #66-Motorsports Business Management
Timmy Hill takes a turn in MBM’s Cup car this week after Joey Gase ran the team’s most recent two rounds in Darlington and Las Vegas. The result is Hill’s first Cup start since this past spring in Kansas, where he ran 39th. Duracap Asphalt joins the team as sponsor.
SPONSOR UPDATE: #77-Spire Motorsports
Aquesta Bank has joined Reed Sorenson as sponsor this week, backing the #77 Chevrolet.
TEAM UPDATE: #95-Leavine Family Racing
On Tuesday came official confirmation of the long-rumored Cup debut in 2020 for Christopher Bell, who brings his Rheem sponsorship to the LFR team next year.
RETURNING: #96-Gaunt Brothers Racing
Parker Kligerman is back in Cup for the first time since Indy, but unlike Spire and MBM, still does not have a listed sponsor for the Gaunt Brothers Toyota. This will be Kligerman’s first race on the Roval.
Saturday, October 12, 2019
TRUCKS Race 20 of 23
Sugarlands Shine 250 at Talladega
Round of 6 – Race 1 of 3
2018 Last-Place Finisher: Clay Greenfield
The Truck Series returns two weeks from Saturday.
LASTCAR STAT OF THE WEEK
Today in LASTCAR history (September 26, 1987): Morgan Shepherd picked up the second last-place finish of his NASCAR XFINITY Series career in the Nationwise 150 at Martinsville when his #09 Burnette Racing Oldsmobile fell out with handling issues after 1 lap. It was the first XFINITY last-place finish for car #09, and one of only four for the number in series history. The number hasn’t finished last in the series since May 23, 1992 when Scott Herberg’s Luck’s Foods Pontiac crashed after 10 laps at Charlotte.
