NASCAR
Xfinity Series Championship 4 Highlights NASCAR’s Next Generation of Stars
After the Round of 8 finale at Phoenix’s ISM Raceway, the Xfinity Series Championship 4 field is set. These 4 drivers represent 4 different teams, all 3 manufacturers, but surprisingly only 1 age group. NASCAR’s next generation of talent is here, and one of them is about to be crowned champion.
First Lap Crash at Kansas Shakes Up Standings
In the opening race of the Round of 8 at Kansas, the Playoff standings were drastically affected. 2nd-place starter Justin Allgaier got loose in turn 2, collecting several others around him in a major crash. Christopher Bell, Cole Custer, and Austin Cindric were other Playoff drivers in this incident. This sent 3 of these Playoff teams below the cut line, with only Bell safe by a single point.
With some of the fastest cars done on lap 1, Kansas was a big opportunity for many other drivers. Polesitter Daniel Hemric had a very fast car, looking for his first Xfinity Series win. It was previously announced that Hemric will be a Cup Series rookie next year, as NASCAR’s latest next generation young talent. However, it was another young driver who took the win. John Hunter Nemechek scored his first Xfinity win in Chip Ganassi Racing’s 42.
Texas Turns to Turmoil for Title Favorites
As crazy as the race at Kansas turned out to be, Texas was even more unpredictable. While the Kansas race had only 7 cautions, Texas had 13. Much like at Kansas, the first incident at Texas happened up front on lap 1. Polesitter Christopher Bell, trying to recover from the bad performance at Kansas, spun out by himself in turn 2. Miraculously, Bell did not hit anything, but he had a big mountain to climb.
Although he had made a nice recovery from the lap 1 spin, Bell would fail to finish Texas. This was due to contact with Austin Cindric that sent Bell spinning into the outside wall on lap 134. Bell, the championship favorite, failed to finish back-to-back races due to crashes. He would head to the Phoenix elimination race in a must-win scenario.
Once again, Daniel Hemric had a fast Chevrolet at Texas. For the second straight week, Hemric was in contention for his first ever NASCAR win. His chances at the victory would end after tangling with his teammate on lap 195.
The race for the win at Texas came down to a last lap pass between next generation stars. Cole Custer passed Tyler Reddick in turn 3 after slight contact. With the win, Custer locked himself into Homestead. He dominated the race at Homestead in 2017, despite not being a contender then. With this in mind, Custer was even more eager to make Homestead as a Playoff contender. While Custer was the big winner in Texas, there were some in deep holes. The 2 title favorites, Bell and Allgaier, would both head to Phoenix needing very strong performances.
Historic Performance in Phoenix Elimination Race
Coming into the final race of the Round of 8, the weekend did not start off well for Bell. Due to failing pre-qualifying inspection, the 20 started in the rear. Nobody had ever won a race at Phoenix from worse than 20th. Bell had to try to score the win from the 38th starting position.
While Bell was charging through the field, it was Justin Allgaier who was scoring max points. Allgaier was able to win both stages, scoring 20 points on a day where he needed a strong run.
Bell would take the lead for the first time on lap 94. He would lead all but 13 of the remaining laps en route to the win. While Bell was the strongest car in the final stage, the day went bad quickly for Allgaier. The winner of both stages would lose his brakes late in the race, in addition to damage from prior contact.
Previewing the Championship Battle in Homestead
By scoring the win at Phoenix, Christopher Bell secured his place in the Championship 4. Along with Bell and Custer, Daniel Hemric and Tyler Reddick made the finale based on points. These 4 drivers, all at less than 30 years old, represent the next generation of NASCAR stars. Hemric will move on to the Cup Series next year, while the other 3 will likely join him on Sundays in the coming years.
Bell has had the most speed all season long, with a series-high 7 wins in 2018. However, both Hemric and Reddick have shown more speed in recent weeks. Lastly, Custer was the fastest car in Homestead last year by a wide margin, winning by 13 seconds. Custer has all the confidence in the world heading into Homestead. The fight for the Xfinity Series Championship truly is a 4-way battle. Tune in Saturday night to see who comes out on top.
