Here is what drivers had to say after Sunday’s Cup race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway:
William Byron — Winner: “I felt like in practice we had a good car. I was a little bit nervous about the wind today and how that would change what we had going on and whether or not we’d be as strong, but just kind of the consensus, I guess, in the garage and then talking to some of the drivers, they were pretty confident about what we had going on. I was happy about that. Yeah, started the race good. I thought Kyle (Larson) was really strong. He could stay close to me for a lot of the runs in the first and second stage, and I felt like I was a little bit tight, but just trying to navigate lap traffic and navigate the wind and how that would change the handling. Just happy with getting the first win of the year. It’s been a while since we’ve won. It’s been almost a year, and it’s nice to kind of just get back to what I feel like we’re capable of. It’s been up and down, but I feel like this is what we’re capable of every week. … I speak for everyone in the fact that we miss Chase (Elliott) out here. He’s a big contributor to feedback and our debriefs and he’s a great race car driver. Has a lot to offer there. I think there was a void there, but I think we were able to fill it with just kind of coming together as a team, and having Josh come on board, he’s obviously a great race car driver, too, and I know him from the past. … It was an important day. I felt that for sure. I texted (team owner Rick Hendrick) after practice and felt really good about the car and just wanted to reassure that we’re going to go out there and try to win for him because it was a tough week.”
Kyle Larson — Finished 2nd: “It’s just part of Cup racing. It seems like kind of (count) laps down, lap by lap, and then sure enough, the yellow lights come on. Yeah, you’ve just got to get over that and then try to execute a good pit stop, and I thought I did a really good job getting to my sign, and getting to the commitment line, I had a gap to William behind me, and their pit crew must have just did a really good job and got out in front of us, and that gave up the front row to us. I knew I was in trouble with (Martin Truex Jr.) staying out. I felt like William was going to get by him. Yeah, just a bummer that we didn’t end up the winner, but all in all, William probably had a little bit better car than I had today, and their pit crew executed when they needed to there at the end.”
Alex Bowman — Finished 3rd: “I think I got us too tight in stage 3 and just tried to be really aggressive and make for it there on that last restart. Yeah, had a shot at it, just a couple rows too far back to start. But really proud of Hendrick Motorsports. To be one, two, three is really awesome. Our Allied Camaro was really good, especially Stage 2. Just asked for the wrong adjustments probably. Just excited with the way the year has started, and hopefully we keep the momentum rolling next week at Phoenix.
Bubba Wallace — Finished 4th: “Really thought we had a much better car in the race than what we had in practice. Just couldn’t get the front end to work and we tried everything. We went the other way on air, went the opposite way on air and just could never figure it out so we have a lot of work to do for our mile-and-a-half stuff. Happy for our Columbia Toyota Camry TRD team. Never stop fighting and never give up. I almost came over the radio and was like, ‘Hey, good job, we finished sixth.’ Then the caution came out and I perked up again and got some.”
Christopher Bell — Finished 5th: “Honestly, the finish to that ended up about as good as we could have asked. … Strange day for us because we took off and I felt really good and drove right to top-five and I didn’t feel like I had anything for the Hendrick cars. It seemed like we were the best of the rest and then we lost the handling.”
Austin Cindric — Finished 6th: “A bit of a team effort there honestly. Definitely didn’t have the strength early on in the race. The second stage we definitely fell back even a little bit further. Got the lucky dog, honestly thanks to the pit crew which was able to get us back out front. Caution comes out … just made the car better all day. Felt like we earned a top 15 from the depths of hell for awhile, but going two tires on the restart, getting a good launch and being able to be in a position in the green-white-checkered. So, a little bit of strategy, a little bit of good pit stops – some good restarts on my end and a good recovery. You’ve got to run up-front in these things to expect to win, but when we don’t have it, it’s good to know that we can get back.”
Martin Truex Jr. — Finished 7th: “If you can somehow get a good restart, get to the white flag and they crash, then you win the thing. It almost happened. We were second at the white, we were second going into Turn 1 on the last lap and just got tight and got in a bad spot coming off of Turn 2 and lost momentum down the back. … Could never quite get it where we need it. I think we were about a third-place car, maybe fourth. Just a good, solid day. We’re in Vegas, we might as well roll the dice and like everybody says, we come here to gamble. I was proud of James (Small, crew chief) for that. Last year we didn’t and it bit us. We gave up a few spots, but all in all it was a solid day.”
Justin Haley — Finished 8th: “We had a really good long run car today and this is our Fontana car. We’re one of like three teams, three individual cars that repaired our stuff and brought it this week. I’m proud of the effort and the grind. They hung a body in this thing in the snow in Fontana a few days ago. That’s pretty awesome for our little team. I appreciate Matt (Kaulig), Chris (Rice), and everyone at Leaf Filter. This was a good run for us, especially with the start of season we’ve had.”
Daniel Suarez — Finished 10th: “It was a roller coaster. We had a fast car all day. Some runs were better than others. I felt like at times that we had a car capable of fighting for the win. For some reason, I felt like we had a set of tires that was a little weird there and we lost some track position. Then we had a bad stop on the last one and lost another few seconds. It was a little difficult because we had to overcome a lot. But overall the car had speed and the car was capable of running in the top-five. That is very promising.”
Ryan Blaney — Finished 13th: “We didn’t start off very good. We struggled really bad the first two stages. Thought we got a little better there the last couple runs. I think we were about eighth before the last caution, started back racing and just went backwards. It’s unfortunate. We worked hard all day to get faster. The last restart pit-stops didn’t go our way.”
Kyle Busch — Finished 14th: “I’m proud of everyone at Richard Childress Racing for their hard work today. We started the race fifth in our Alsco Chevrolet and battled a tight-handling condition right off the bat. Crew chief Randall Burnett and the guys worked on the handling of our Chevy throughout the day, but long green-flag runs hindered our opportunities. When we did pit, the No. 8 team performed and gained us spots on pit road. We just never seemed to get the balance to where it needed to be to contend for the win. We’ll take this 14th-place finish, regroup and focus on Phoenix Raceway.”
Erik Jones — Finished 19th: “Not the finish we deserved today. The guys gave me a fast Allegiant Chevy and we were running really well, even made our way to the top 10. Unfortunately, we got behind and made some adjustments to free up our car in traffic, but ended up making ourselves too loose for when we were on clean air. We had some tire issues late and that put us in the back and wrecked on the last lap. We just need to clean things up and come back stronger next week at Phoenix.”
Austin Dillon — Finished 27th: “We started the race deeper in the field than any of us would have preferred, and long green-flag runs early in the race made it difficult to work on handling issues. We just didn’t hit on the balance today. At the end of the first run, we were pretty good. Just too free. Then, our Chevy got tightened up and I couldn’t get through the bumps very well.We salvaged what we could. We ended up with damage during a multi-car wreck on the last lap, but luckily, we were able to finish the race. I had nowhere to go. It was a tough day, but this team has a lot of fight. I’m looking forward to getting back on track at Phoenix Raceway.”
Josh Berry — Finished 29th: “It was a lot of fun. Really I thought the first half of the race went pretty well. We were really close, right on the edge of staying on the lead lap or not. We just needed a couple more cautions to just give ourselves a better chance. The second half of the race, we had an issue going on with the throttle or something because every time I was letting off, it was hanging wide-open. I was just trying to nurse it home and keep it out of trouble.”
Noah Gragson — Finished 30th: “An up-and-down day. I felt like we had good speed, just lost a couple of laps on the first pit stop speeding on pit road, making mistakes and speeding again on my pass-through penalty during the first green-flag pit stop, and that put us behind all day. … I felt like we had good speed, just a couple of laps down at the end. We’ll keep working on it.”
Joey Logano — Finished 36th: “Considering how we’ve been here in the past, you kind of expect it a little bit more performance today than what we had. Just off on overall speed. We had the balance somewhat close – just not fast. We have to go back to the drawing board for when we come back here. (On if Brad Keselowski pinched him a bit in the incident) Yeah, he did. I’m sure he didn’t mean to do it. It is what it is. What are you going to do, right? We got fenced.”
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FAQs
Who will drive JGR Xfinity in 2023? ›
HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (February 8, 2023) - Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) announced Wednesday that Myatt Snider will pilot the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) No. 19 Toyota GR Supra for six races in 2023. Snider will kick off the season for JGR in the season opener at Daytona International Speedway (DIS) on February 18.
Who is driving for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2023? ›This announcement leaves the No. 19 Toyota open for just 13 of 33 races on the schedule, as Joe Gibbs Racing had already confirmed three other drivers for this year: Ryan Truex, Connor Mosack, and Joe Graf Jr. Truex is set to return for six races while Mosack is set to return for three.
Who is R Truex in Xfinity Series? ›Ryan M. Truex (born March 18, 1992) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He currently competes part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 19 Toyota Supra for Joe Gibbs Racing. Truex's older brother Martin was the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion. Statistics current as of March 12, 2023.
Who will John Hunter Nemechek drive for in 2023? ›CONCORD, N.C. – Joe Gibbs Racing supplemented its driver lineup for the NASCAR Xfinity Series on Thursday, moving John Hunter Nemechek into a full-time role in 2023. Nemechek is set to drive the No. 20 Toyota next season, with Ben Beshore serving as the team's crew chief.
Who drives 6 in Xfinity? ›| Car No. | Driver(s) |
|---|---|
| 6 | Ryan Vargas (25 Races) Ty Dillon (Portland, Road America, Indy GP) Brennan Poole (Texas 2, Homestead, Phoenix 2) Gray Gaulding (Portland) Spencer Pumpelly (Watkins Glen) Bobby McCarty (Bristol) |
| 7 | Justin Allgaier |
| 8 | Josh Berry |
| 9 | Noah Gragson |
Comcast raising prices on Xfinity broadband plans
Most customers will see their bills go up by $3, including those on promotional contracts. Most customers will see their bills go up by $3, including those on promotional contracts.
In the NASCAR Cup Series, the team currently fields four full-time entries: the No. 11 Toyota Camry for Denny Hamlin, the No. 19 Camry for Martin Truex Jr., the No. 20 Camry for Christopher Bell, and the No. 54 Camry for Ty Gibbs.
Who is Martin Truex driving for in 2023? ›Martin Truex Jr. on why he decided to remain at Joe Gibbs Racing for 2023.
Who is the new owner for Gibbs racing? ›Joe Gibbs Racing ultimately decided to replace him with Ty Gibbs, the reigning Xfinity Series champion and grandson of team owner Joe Gibbs.
Who is the best Xfinity Series driver? ›| Pos | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ty Gibbs | 4040 |
| 2 | Noah Gragson | 4035 |
| 3 | Justin Allgaier | 4034 |
| 4 | Josh Berry | 4024 |
Who was the most popular driver in the Xfinity Series? ›
| Year | Driver | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports |
| 2019 | Justin Allgaier | |
| 2020 | ||
| 2021 |
Justin Allgaier competes full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for JR Motorsports, driving the No. 7 Chevrolet.
Who will drive the 18 car in 2023? ›Kyle Busch
2022 ride: Finished his final season in the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota with a win and a playoff berth. New ride in 2023: Busch filled the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet seat vacated by Tyler Reddick, who helped RCR take a step forward.
Petty GMS Motorsports announced Tuesday it had hired veteran crew chief Luke Lambert to serve to lead its No. 42 Cup team next season. The team had previously announced that Gragson would join the team in 2023 as driver.
Are there any female Xfinity drivers? ›Shawna Robinson
Robinson has run eight Sprint Cup races, 61 XFINITY races and three Camping World Truck Series races since the start of her career.
No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Ryan Preece was hired by Stewart Haas Racing prior to the 2022 season as a fill-in driver if needed.
It depends on the same factors of skill, sponsorship and marketability. NASCAR Xfinity and Truck Series drivers can expect to get anywhere from $100,000 to $300,000 as a main salary based on their seniority and marketability, on top of around $200,000 or so of additional prize money.
How to lower your Xfinity bill 2023? ›- Choose a TV package with fewer channels.
- Lower your internet speed.
- Stop going over your data cap.
- Get rid of rental equipment.
- Negotiate your monthly cost.
Xfinity Internet + Xfinity Mobile for $30/mo. You're already getting the best WiFi at home. Now, get the best wireless network by adding Xfinity Mobile.
Why is Xfinity getting more expensive? ›Why did my Xfinity price go up? The most common reason for Xfinity customer bills to go up is the removal of first-year discounts. This typically increases the bill amount by about $20 per month.
Why did Tony Stewart leave Joe Gibbs Racing? ›
However, the Joe Gibbs Racing team handed him his debut in 1999 and he raced with them until 2008. Along the way, he bagged two Cup Series titles in 2002 and 2005. However, he soon decided that he wanted a new challenge and set up his new team, saying that Joe Gibbs inspired him to be a car owner.
Why did Joe Gibbs retire? ›Gibbs retired as head coach and president in January 2008, citing family obligations. During Gibbs' four-year return to the Redskins, the team qualified for the playoffs twice, once more than it qualified for the playoffs during his 11-year absence. He was succeeded as head coach by Jim Zorn.
Does Denny Hamlin drive for Joe Gibbs Racing? ›James Dennis Alan Hamlin (born November 18, 1980) is an American professional stock car racing driver and NASCAR team owner. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 11 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing.
Who will drive the 42 car in 2023? ›The legend of Noah Gragson continues to grow, as the Xfinity Series superstar will move up to the Cup Series in 2023 as a Rookie of the Year contender and the new driver of the Petty No. 42 for Legacy Motor Club.
Who will Denny Hamlin drive for in 2023? ›Interstate Batteries expanded sponsorship at Joe Gibbs Racing will include all four Cup cars. Image from Joe Gibbs Racing. Denny Hamlin's No. 11 FedEx Toyota for the 2023 season.
Who will drive the 88 car next year? ›Dale Earnhardt Jr., former most popular Cup Series driver and current Xfinity Series team owner, announced that he will drive the No. 88 NASCAR Chevy Camaro ZL1 in the Xfinity Series event at Bristol Motor Speedway in September 2023.
Is Joe Gibbs Racing shutting down? ›Joe Gibbs Racing's future lineups in NASCAR remain unsolved
Joe Gibbs Racing has seen an incredible amount of news during the 2022 season and that is not going to stop anytime soon. This is due to the NASCAR Xfinity Series program needing a complete driver rebuild. Jones is leaving the organization to drive the No.
Gibbs is set to drive the No. 54 Toyota for the team owned by his grandfather, Coach Joe Gibbs. The 20-year-old driver will bring the car number he campaigned in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with him, marking a departure from the No. 18 that's been with the JGR organization since its Cup Series debut in 1992.
Did Kyle Busch leave Joe Gibbs Racing? ›Plus, a look at why Busch left Joe Gibbs Racing due to sponsors. Kyle Busch will be driving the No. 8 car for Richard Childress Racing during the 2023 NASCAR season and beyond after leaving Joe Gibbs Racing due to his former sponsor, Mars, pulling out of the sport.
Who are the top four drivers in the Xfinity Championship? ›| DRIVER | BACK | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ty Gibbs #54 | - |
| 2 | Noah Gragson #9 | -5 |
| 3 | Justin Allgaier #7 | -6 |
| 4 | Josh Berry #8 | -16 |
Who is the Xfinity driver with a broken foot? ›
Nascar driver Kyle Busch smashed into the infield barrier at the Daytona International Speedway following contact with another car. He was racing in the Xfinity Series season opener on Saturday and suffered a compound fracture of his lower right leg, as well as a mid-foot fracture of his left foot.
Who are the top four in the Xfinity Series? ›| POS | DRIVER |
|---|---|
| 1 | 54Ty Gibbs* |
| 2 | 9Noah Gragson* |
| 3 | 7Justin Allgaier* |
| 4 | 8Josh Berry* |
At number one sits Mario Andretti, the Italian-American race car legend who transcended motorsport. A household name all over the world, Mario Andretti is one of only two drivers to win races in Formula One, Indy Car, World Sportscar Championship and NASCAR.
Who is the most famous NASCAR driver of all time? ›1. Dale Earnhardt. Why He's Here: Earnhardt won only one Most Popular Driver award, and it came posthumously after his death in the last-lap accident in the 2001 Daytona 500.
Who was voted most popular driver? ›NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Chase Elliott didn't have the finish he wanted to 2022 despite five Cup Series victories this year, but he continued as a winner off the race track as well. Elliott was named Thursday as the Most Popular Driver for the fifth consecutive year.
How many cars can an Xfinity team have? ›The teams below all compete in NASCAR at various levels, from the NASCAR Cup Series to the NASCAR Xfinity Series and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Organizations are limited to a maximum of four cars in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Who is the oldest driver in the Xfinity Series? ›...
| Morgan Shepherd | |
|---|---|
| Achievements | 1980 NASCAR Late Model Sportsman Division Champion Oldest driver to start a NASCAR Cup Series race (72 years, 9 months, and 1 day) |
| Awards | 2005 NMPA Man of the Year |
| NASCAR Cup Series career | |
| 517 races run over 29 years | |
The organization will not compete in the Cup Series during the 2023 season, even as a part-time team in select events, such as the Chicago Street Course.
Who is leaving JR Motorsports? ›Competition director Ryan Pemberton leaves JR Motorsports - NBC Sports.
Is Jimmie Johnson going to race in NASCAR in 2023? ›Although Johnson will drive a limited schedule in 2023 for the NASCAR team he now co-owns with Maury Gallagher, his schedule will be busy. The 47-year-old native of El Cajon could also be inducted into both the NASCAR and International Motorsports halls of fame.
Who is the new driver for JR Motorsports? ›
Coming off his first full-time season, Josh Berry will pair back up with Taylor Moyer for 2023. The duo won together for the first time at Martinsville Speedway in 2021.
What drivers are confirmed for 2023? ›- Logan Sargeant to use number 2 in F1. ...
- Daniel Ricciardo confirmed as Red Bull reserve driver. ...
- Logan Sargeant confirmed at Williams F1 for 2023. ...
- Hülkenberg replaces Schumacher at Haas F1. ...
- Logan Sargeant to race for Williams in 2023. ...
- De Vries gets full-time F1 drive with AlphaTauri for 2023.
What cars will race in Supercars 2023? The 2023 Repco Supercars Championship will feature the newest Chevrolet Camaros and Ford Mustangs. Currently, 14 Camaros and 11 Mustangs will make up the championship grid.
Who is replacing Noah Gragson? ›Brandon Jones will join JR Motorsports in the Xfinity Series in 2023, the team announced Wednesday morning. The 25-year-old Jones will drive the No. 9 car at JR Motorsports. He replaces Noah Gragson, who will drive for Petty GMS in the Cup Series in 2023.
What team will Noah Gragson drive for next year? ›NASCAR Xfinity Series regular Noah Gragson will move up to the Cup Series next season to drive car No. 42 for Petty GMS Motorsports, the team announced Wednesday. Gragson will replace Ty Dillon, who announced recently his planned departure from the team at the end of the season.
What team is Noah Gragson going to next year? ›Petty GMS Racing announced Wednesday that the team has hired Noah Gragson to join their NASCAR Cup Series team beginning in 2023. Gragson will move up from the NASCAR Xfinity Series to drive the No. 42 Petty GMS Chevrolet, becoming the first confirmed rookie driver in Cup next season.
Who is going to drive 18 Cup car in 2023? ›Now Joe Gibbs Racing have confirmed the first driver in their NASCAR Xfinity Series lineup for the 2023 season. Sammy Smith, who competed for the team behind the wheel of the No. 18 Toyota, also known as the “star car”, in nine races during the 33-race 2022 season is set to drive the No. 18 Toyota full-time in 2023.
Who drives for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Xfinity Series? ›In the Xfinity Series, the team currently fields three full-time entries: the No. 18 Toyota Supra for Sammy Smith, the No. 19 Supra for Ryan Truex including drivers to be announced, and the No. 20 Supra for John Hunter Nemechek.
What are the driver changes for 2023? ›Driver changes in 2023
Ty Gibbs will replace Kyle Busch and the car number will change to #54. Ty Dillon more from Petty GMS to the #77 of Spire Motorsports. Kurt Busch steps away from full-time; Tyler Reddick takes over the #45 for 23XI. Ryan Preece replaces Cole Custer in the #41 for Stewart-Haas.
It's official: Ty Gibbs will replace Kyle Busch at Joe Gibbs Racing in 2023.
Who will Austin Dillon drive for in 2023? ›
Richard Childress Racing announced that Bass Pro Shops will return to the team to sponsor Austin Dillon in multiple races during the 2023 Cup Series season.
Who will drive the 8 car next year? ›After 15 years, 56 wins, and two NASCAR Cup series championships, Kyle Busch made it official on Tuesday morning that he will not return to Joe Gibbs Racing after this season. The announcement came as Busch confirmed his next team will be Richard Childress Racing beginning in 2023.
Which car production will stop in 2023? ›- 17 cars and SUVs that will be discontinued in India from April 1, 2023. Dec 23, 2022. ...
- Nissan Kicks. The first car on the list is the Nissan Kicks SUV. ...
- Tata Altroz Diesel. ...
- Honda WR-V. ...
- Honda CIty 4th gen. ...
- Honda City Diesel. ...
- Mahindra Marazzo. ...
- Mahindra KUV 100.
Joe Gibbs Racing ultimately decided to replace him with Ty Gibbs, the reigning Xfinity Series champion and grandson of team owner Joe Gibbs.
How many wins does Joe Gibbs Racing have in the Xfinity Series? ›Along with five Cup Series championships, Gibbs has also won three Xfinity Series championships and one ARCA Racing Series crown. The team has amassed 200 NASCAR Cup Series victories, 194 Xfinity Series wins, and 23 ARCA Racing Series victories.