NASCAR XFINITY SERIES
New Batch Of Sunoco Rookies Keep Veterans on Toes
There’s a new crop of drivers looking to make their names during the 2017 NASCAR XFINITY Series season. The Sunoco Rookie of the Year class includes William Byron, Cole Custer, Spencer Gallagher, Daniel Hemric and Matt Tifft.
William Byron – No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro – is the pre-season favorite to win the 2017 Sunoco Rookie of the Year award purely based on how successful he was in his rookie campaign last season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. The Charlotte, North Carolina native, finished last season in the trucks with a series-rookie record seven wins driving for Kyle Busch Motorsports. This season, the JR Motorsports young gun will be looking to build on his recent success, and he will do that with the guidance of crew chief David Elenz. This weekend at Daytona the 19-year-old Byron will be making his series debut.
Cole Custer – No. 00 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang – Almost everything is new at Stewart-Haas Racing this season – the announcement of moving to Ford from Chevrolet, and the creation of a NASCAR XFINITY Series team that will field one of the sport’s budding talents, Cole Custer. Custer, the Ladera Ranch, California native, will be teamed with crew chief Jeff Meendering in 2017. Custer made five series starts last season for JR Motorsports with four different crew chiefs. In spite of the crew chief rotation, he was able to post one top five and two top 10s. The 19-year old Custer will be making his NASCAR XFINITY Series track debut at Daytona this weekend.
Spencer Gallagher – No. 23 GMS Racing Chevrolet Camaro – is leading the charge of expanding his family-owned organization, GMS Racing, and with that comes the newly formed NASCAR XFINITY Series No. 23 team. Gallagher, who calls Las Vegas, Nevada home, finished the 2016 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season 12th in points after posting eight top 10s. Now Gallagher has turned his focus to the NASCAR XFINITY Series and will be working with crew chief Joey Cohen. The duo started seven NXS races last season, posting one top-10 finish. The 27-year-old’s top 10 just happened to come at Daytona International Speedway last July where he started 27th and raced his way up to an eighth-place finish.
Daniel Hemric – No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Camaro – made the announcement last season that he would be jumping to the NASCAR XFINITY Series and joining Richard Childress Racing in 2017. Hemric is coming off a solid season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series where he made the playoffs and finished sixth in the final standings driving for Brad Keselowski Racing. The 26-year-old from Kannapolis, North Carolina will be working with crew chief Danny Stockman Jr. who led Austin Dillon to rookie of the year honors and a series title (2013). This weekend at Daytona will be Hemric’s NASCAR XFINITY Series debut.
Matt Tifft – No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota – returns to the NASCAR XFINITY Series after being sidelined due to health issues last season. Tifft ultimately recovered and returned to racing, competing in the final six NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races for Red Horse Racing, posting two top 10s during that span. This season, Tifft is looking to showcase his talent and bring the Rookie of the Year honors to JGR for the third consecutive season (Daniel Suarez, 2015; Erik Jones, 2016). Tifft has made 11 NASCAR XFINITY Series starts, logging one top five and six top 10s. He has made two restrictor-plate starts; finishing 23rd at Daytona and eighth from the pole at Talladega.
Annett, Reddick Looking To Make A Splash In Florida
Two drivers joining the NASCAR XFINITY Series garage this season are Michael Annett and Tyler Reddick, and what better way to start off the season then at Daytona.
Former Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Michael Annett signed with JR Motorsports over the offseason and will be driving the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro with crew chief Jason Stockert in the NXS in 2017. Annett is no stranger to the series having made 163 starts over six years from 2008-2013, posting seven top fives and 34 top 10s. His career best in the series final standings came in 2012 when he finished fifth.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series standout Tyler Reddick has leaped to the NASCAR XFINITY Series in 2017 and will drive for Chip Ganassi Racing. Reddick has competed in the NCWTS for the last four years, amassing three wins, 25 top fives and 40 top 10s. Reddick will be running a part-time schedule this season sharing the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet Camaro with Kyle Larson and Justin Marks.
NASCAR XFINITY Series Etc.:
Joe Gibbs Racing Goes For Six – After capturing its fifth NASCAR XFINITY Series owner title last season (2008, ’09, ’10, ’12 and ’16) the JGR organization immediately turned its attention to number six. This season Kyle Busch, Erik Jones, Matt Tifft and Daniel Suarez will contribute to the owner title winning cause. Jones, Tifft and Suarez will be competing this weekend at Daytona. Gibbs has four NASCAR XFINITY Series Daytona wins, but only once in the season opener (Tony Stewart, 2008).
JR Motorsports Looking To Take Back-To-Back Season Openers – Last season in a wild race that saw 32 green flag passes for the lead, former series champion Chase Elliott captured the victory for JR Motorsports. This season, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s crew is looking to go back-to-back. Not since 2010-2011 (Kevin Harvick Inc. with driver Tony Stewart) has a team burst open the season with back-to-back season opening wins. Michael Annett, Elliott Sadler, Kasey Kahne and Justin Allgaier will be blazing the JRM nameplate come Saturday.
Star-Studded Lineup Includes Some Monsters – A star-studded lineup of Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers will pull double duty this weekend, as Austin Dillon, Ty Dillon, Daniel Suarez, Brad Keselowski, Kasey Kahne and Aric Almirola will race in both the PowerShares QQQ 300 and Daytona 500.
Milestones
Starts – Jeff Green will attempt to make his 450th NASCAR XFINITY Series start this weekend at Daytona. Green is ranked fourth all-time on the series starts list behind Kenny Wallace (547), Jason Keller (520) and Mike Wallace (494). This will also be Green’s 24th series start at Daytona; which will tie him with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kenny Wallace for the fourth-most series starts at Daytona.
Daytona XFINITY Quick Facts
• Daytona International Speedway has hosted 50 NASCAR XFINITY Series races.
• 26 different drivers have won at Daytona International Speedway in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, led by Dale Earnhardt and Tony Stewart with seven wins each.
• Eight of the 26 series Daytona winners have multiple wins – none are active this weekend.
• Former winners active this weekend (four): Aric Almirola, Austin Dillon, Kasey Kahne, and Ryan Reed – all with one victory
• Race Record – Geoff Bodine (157.137 mph, 2/16/1985)
• 37 different drivers have won the pole, led by Joe Nemechek with five.
• Qualifying Record – Tommy Houston (194.389 mph, 2/14/1987)
• Former pole winners’ active this weekend (eight): J.J. Yeley (2), Austin Dillon (2), Aric Almirola, Dakoda Armstrong, Ty Dillon, Brad Keselowski, Elliott Sadler and Daniel Suarez each have one.
• All-time lap leader – Dale Earnhardt Jr., 560 Laps Led
• Single Race Laps Led Record – Joe Nemechek, 105 Laps Led (2/14/1998)