NASCAR First Alert

MIKE DINOVO, USA TODAY SPORTS By NASCAR Communications NASCAR today announced the 15 nominees for the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s Class of 2023, a group that will comprise the first Hall of Fame ballot in two years following the COVID-19 pandemic. Matt Kenseth (2003 Cup Series champion) and Tim Brewer (two-time Cup Series champion crew chief) join the Modern Era Ballot for the first time; A.J. Foyt (seven-time Cup winner) is added to the Pioneer Ballot along with Sam Ard, who was a nominee for the Class of 2020. This is the second nomination class under the redesigned format. Ten nominees appear on the Modern Era ballot, five on the Pioneer ballot – designed to honor those whose careers began more than 60 years ago. Two Modern Era candidates and one Pioneer candidate will be elected as the Class of 2023.   Lesa France Kennedy joins the Landmark Award ballot, an award given for outstanding contributions to the sport. Award winners are also eligible for NHOF enshrinement.   The NASCAR...

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA - APRIL 03: Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Express Toyota, celebrates in the Ruoff Mortgage victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway on April 03, 2022 in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images) By Holly Cain NASCAR Wire Service Perhaps there was no better place for Denny Hamlin to finally notch his first win of 2022. Much to the pleasure of the fans at Richmond Raceway, the hometown favorite from Chesterfield, Virginia took the lead of the Toyota Owners 400 from William Byron with five laps remaining and held off the field for a .552-second victory over Kevin Harvick and Byron. It was amazingly Hamlin’s first top 10 of the 2022 season, though it marked his fourth NASCAR Cup Series victory at the 0.75-mile track – the very place the driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota grew up watching NASCAR as a young fan. It is the sixth win for the JGR Toyota team in the last eight races at the Richmo...

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA - APRIL 02: Ty Gibbs, driver of the #54 Monster Energy Toyota, celebrates in the Ruoff Mortgage victory lane after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series ToyotaCare 250 at Richmond Raceway on April 02, 2022 in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images) By Holly Cain NASCAR Wire Service Ty Gibbs bumped his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate John Hunter Nemechek out of the lead on the final lap to claim his third NASCAR Xfinity Series race win of the season – by a mere .116-seconds over Nemechek in the ToyotaCare 250 at Richmond Raceway. The two JGR drivers dominated the afternoon – combining to lead all but one of the 250 laps on the .075-mile track – the first short track test of the season. Nemechek paced the field for a race high 135 laps in the No. 18 JGR Toyota and was within checkered flag sight when Gibbs got into him, pushing Nemechek’s Toyota high up the track and then motoring on for his series best third win of the season and seventh of his young career....

AUSTIN, TEXAS - MARCH 26: AJ Allmendinger, driver of the #16 Nutrien Ag Solutions Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series Pit Boss 250 at Circuit of The Americas on March 26, 2022 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images) By Holly Cain NASCAR Wire Service A.J. Allmendinger was fast and agile when he needed to be Saturday afternoon negotiating the famed Circuit of The Americas and reminding the field just why he’s considered one of NASCAR’s road course superstars. Allmendinger’s No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet took the checkered flag by 2.039-seconds over Austin Hill’s No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet in the first road course race of the year. It was the 40-year-old veteran’s first NASCAR Xfinity Series win of the 2022 season and 11th of his career. He has seven road course wins on six different road course tracks (series-most). He led early and he led late, just when he needed to, holding off the field on two late, and dicey rac...

AUSTIN, TEXAS - MARCH 26: Zane Smith, driver of the #38 Speedco Ford, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series - XPEL 225 at Circuit of The Americas on March 26, 2022 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images) By Holly Cain NASCAR Wire Service Ultimately, Zane Smith was out front when it paid off Saturday afternoon at the Circuit of The Americas road course. He led only 11 of the 46 laps  – winning Stage 1, Stage 2 and then took the race lead with two laps remaining in the second overtime period to earn the victory in the XPEL 225 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race. It marked Smith’s second win of the 2022 season – fifth of his career – and the second consecutive win at the 3.41-mile, 20-turn COTA circuit for his Front Row Motorsports team, who celebrated in Victory Lane last year with driver Todd Gilliland. Veteran Kyle Busch – who led a race best 31 laps – led the vast majority of the race and held the point on the start of tha...

AUSTIN, TEXAS - MARCH 26: Ryan Blaney, driver of the #12 Menards/Richmond Water Heaters Ford, poses in front of the signed Busch Light Pole Award backdrop after winning the pole award during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series Echopark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas on March 26, 2022 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images) By Holly Cain NASCAR Wire Service Ryan Blaney wins the pole for the Circuit of The Americas Team Penske driver Ryan Blaney will start from pole position in Sunday’s EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) – becoming the first multi-time pole winner of the 2022 season. It’s his second pole this year and eighth in his career. Blaney’s lap of 92.759 mph around the 3.41-mile road course in the No. 12 Team Penske Ford held up to a late session charge by Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suarez, who edged Stewart-Haas Racing’s Cole Custer for the outside of the front row but was still just .026-seconds off ...

HAMPTON, GEORGIA - MARCH 20: William Byron, driver of the #24 Liberty University Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 20, 2022 in Hampton, Georgia. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) By Reid Spencer NASCAR Wire Service It was superspeedway racing with all the trimmings. “New” Atlanta Motor Speedway produced a fifth different 2022 winner—William Byron, who managed to keep an angry pack of drafting cars behind him for the final 10 laps of Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500. In a race that produced 46 lead changes among 20 drivers—both track records—Byron crossed the finish line .109 seconds ahead of Christopher Bell and .145 seconds ahead of Ross Chastain. Bell, however, was penalized for passing below the boundary line on the backstretch on the final lap and was demoted to 23rd, the last position on the lead lap. That elevated Chastain to his second straight runner-up finish. Byron to...