PREVIEW: Atlanta sees return of XFINITY newcomers, new sponsors for Cup underdogs
by Brock Beard / LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief
PHOTO: Colby Evans, @StartAndParkCar
Saturday, September 7, 2024 (3:00 P.M. ET, USA)
XFINITY Race 24 of 33
Focused Health 250 at Atlanta
2023 Last-Place Finisher: Greg Van Alst
ENTRY LIST
With two races to go until the XFINITY Series regular season finale in Bristol, 37 drivers are entered for 38 spots, so all will qualify. This marks the fewest starters in a XFINITY Series race since November 6, 2021 at Phoenix, when it was among the races NASCAR capped at 36 starters. It’s also the first time a XFINITY Series race hasn’t filled all the available spots since August 3, 2019, when 37 cars arrived for 38 spots at Watkins Glen.
DRIVER SWAP: #14-SS-Green Light Racing
DRIVER CHANGE: #35-Joey Gase Motorsports
While the entry list showed Mason Massey entered in place of Chad Ficnchum, who finished 33rd in Darlington, that has since changed to David Starr, who finished 24th at Darlington in the Joey Gase entry. Saniserv and the Byron Superstore are the listed sponsors of the Starr car. Taking Starr’s place at the Gase team is Mason Maggio, who will make his first XFINITY start of the year. He last took 31st last fall at Homestead driving for RSS Racing.
DRIVER CHANGE: #15-AM Racing
Lawless Alan showed impressive speed in his XFINITY Series debut at Martinsville before a crash in Turn 1 left him in 35th place. As the full-time Truck Series competitor continues to hone his skills in the ARCA Menards Series, Alan returns for his first start since, taking the place of Darlington last-place finisher Joey Logano, who had early engine trouble. Not one of the five Cup Series regulars from Darlington are entered this week as the Cup Series Playoffs kick off on Sunday.
MISSING: #17-Hendrick Motorsports
Also out of the field is the Hendrick Motorsports entry with which Playoff contender Chase Elliott finished 4th at Darlington.
DRIVER CHANGE: #19-Joe Gibbs Racing
Taylor Gray returns to action for his tenth series start and first since Michigan, where he qualified 3rd and finished 8th following a 5th-place run in his previous start at Pocono. Gray finished 4th in this year’s Truck Series race at the Atlanta track. He takes the place of Joe Graf, Jr., who claimed an 11th-place run in Darlington.
DRIVER CHANGE: #20-Joe Gibbs Racing
Dover and Daytona winner Ryan Truex is back for his 99th series start and first since that most recent checkered flag in Florida. Truex finished 9th in this year’s Atlanta race where he qualified in 8th. He takes the place of Cup regular Christopher Bell, who both dominated and stole a win last week in Darlington.
MISSING: #30-Rette Jones Racing
Noah Gragson and the Rette team are not among this week’s entrants following a 15th-place finish in Darlington.
RETURNING: #53-Joey Gase Motorsports
ARCA Menards Series competitor Morgen Baird missed the cut in his first XFINITY Series attempt at Michigan, but with this week’s short field is now locked-in to drive the second Gase car with Airo Steel as sponsor.
TEAM UPDATE: #74-Mike Harmon Racing
Also benefitting from the short field is Dawson Cram, last week’s post-entry at Darlington who failed to make show. This is just the third start of the year for Harmon and the second for Cram, the pair finishing last at Pocono after a costly Turn 1 wreck on Lap 2. The preliminary entry list had no driver listed for this car.
MISSING: #88-JR Motorsports
Carson Kvapil and the part-time JRM car are not among this week’s entrants following a 14th-place finish in Darlington. Among the team’s upcoming runs will be Dale Earnhardt, Jr.’s at Bristol, followed by Connor Zilisch’s series debut at Kansas with KOA Kampgrounds as sponsor.
DRIVER CHANGE: #92-DGM Racing
Saturday marks the fifth series start for Nick Leitz, who we last saw finish a career-best 17th in the spring race at Phoenix with this same sponsorship from Precision Measurements, Inc. Leitz takes the place of Cup regular Ross Chastain, who finished 12th in Darlington.
DRIVER CHANGE: #07-SS-Green Light Racing
C.J. McLaughlin returns to the XFINITY series for the first time since last month’s race in Daytona, where he drove SS-Green Light’s #14 entry to a season-best 19th. This week, he drives the other Bobby Dotter entry, the #07, with Main Street Auto a sponsor. He takes the place of last year’s last-place finisher Greg Van Alst, who finished 29th in Darlington.
CUP INVADERS: None
Sunday, September 8, 2024 (3:00 P.M. ET, USA)
CUP Race 27 of 36
Round of 16: Race 1 of 3
Quaker State 400 available at Walmart at Atlanta
2023 Last-Place Finisher: Austin Hill
ENTRY LIST
The Cup Series Playoffs begin with 38 drivers entered for 40 spots, marking the 23rd short field in 27 races this season.
DRIVER CHANGE: #15-Rick Ware Racing
After Kaz Grala finished 34th in his return to Cup last Sunday in Darlington, Cody Ware is back behind the wheel of the #15. Ware carries a new paint scheme from sponsor Mighty Fire Breaker for his first Cup start since his career-best 4th last month in Daytona.
RETURNING: #44-NY Racing Team
The NY Racing Team is back once again, this time bringing in longtime driver J.J. Yeley for his fourth start of the year and first since he took 35th in Pocono. Like Ware, he debuts a new paint scheme and sponsor in the U.S. Aviation Academy. It was at this Atlanta track two years ago that Greg Biffle turned in a solid 20th-place finish for the #44 team.
MISSING: #66-Motorsports Business Management
Not making the trip to Atlanta is MBM with which Timmy Hill took home 35th after late-race steering issues in the Southern 500.
RETURNING: #78-Live Fast Motorsports
The second “open” car joining the action on Sunday is B.J. McLeod, who returns for the first time since his season-best 19th last month in Daytona. He, too, brings on new sponsorship for the #78 Chevrolet in Delgado Stone.
Thursday, September 19, 2024
TRUCKS Race 18 of 23
Round of 10: Race 2 of 3
UNOH 200 Presented by Ohio Logistics at Bristol
2023 Last-Place Finisher: Jack Wood
Two more weeks until the Truck Series returns to continue the Round of 10 in Bristol.
TODAY IN LASTCAR HISTORY (September 6, 1982): Lennie Pond picked up his second career Winston Cup Series last-place finish when his #24 Carolina Bank & Trust Buick suffered an a-frame failure after 34 laps of the Southern 500 at Darlington. It was Pond’s first last-place finish in five years.
