Latest news with #XfinityFastestLap
Gulf Today
07-04-2025
- Automotive
- Gulf Today
Brandon Jones ends long victory drought at Darlington
After diligently working through a 98-race winless streak over the last three NASCAR Xfinity Series seasons, Joe Gibbs Racing's Brandon Jones reminded his competitors -- and his fans -- Saturday that he's still a race winner and a title contender. The well-liked 28-year-old Atlanta native took the lead on a re-start with 12 laps remaining in Saturday's Sports Clips Haircuts VFW Help A Hero 200 at the historic Darlington (S.C.) Raceway -- beating 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion Chase Elliott to the finish line by a healthy 1.105-seconds to hoist his first trophy since April, 2022 -- a span of 98 races. The 1.366-mile Darlington track may be nicknamed "Too Tough To Tame," but it certainly presented a tamer race than the series produced a week ago on the typically wild and wooly Martinsville half-miler. This weekend featured 14 lead changes among nine drivers -- none of the changes up front a result of overly aggressive driving. Brandon Jones celebrates in victory lane. AFP Instead, strategy, a fast car and unwavering belief in himself and his team made the difference for Jones. "It's nice for my confidence, right, but it's also to prove to the haters and people that said I was incapable of doing it, wrong again," said Jones, whose No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota led 24 of the races 137 laps. Justin Allgaier, who led the most laps (56) on the afternoon and won Stage 2, finished third in the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet, followed by teammates Ross Chastain and rookie Carson Kvapil. The team, co-owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his sister Kelley Earnhardt Miller, had all five of its Chevys in the top 10 with rookie Connor Zilisch finishing sixth and Sammy Smith ninth. Rookies punctuated the top 10 despite it being the first time most of them had ever raced at the famously challenging venue. In addition to Kvapil and Zilisch, rookies Christian Eckes and Nick Sanchez claimed seventh and eighth place with Smith and veteran Sheldon Creed rounding out the top 10. Brandon Jones speaks to the media. AFP Harrison Burton's AM Racing team won the opening stage and JGR's Taylor Gray was credited with the Xfinity Fastest Lap (160.706 mph) of the day. "I am proud of Brandon Jones, I know how hard the kid has worked, he's done a good job and I'm happy to see him get to victory lane" said the reigning series champion Allgaier, who has now tied NASCAR Hall-of-Famer Mark Martin with nine-consecutive top 10s in Xfinity Series races at Darlington. It's been that kind of year for Allgaier. He's finished top 10 in six of the last seven races of 2025, including back-to-back victories at Las Vegas and Homestead-Miami in March and a runner-up finish at Atlanta in February. The series' popular Dash 4 Cash incentive program returns with next week's SciApps 300 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, marking the first spring race at Bristol since 2019. Christopher Bell was the race winner. The highest finisher among Richard Childress Racing's Austin Hill, Haas Factory Team's Creed, Allgaier and Alpha Prime Racing's Brennan Poole will win the Dash 4 Cash $100,000 bonus check from Xfinity, having earning eligibility based on their results in the Martinsville (Va.) Speedway race last week.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Comcast renews partnership with NASCAR, extends Xfinity Series title sponsorship
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 4, 2025) — NASCAR and Comcast today announced the renewal of their decade-long partnership, with Comcast continuing its role as both a Premier Partner of the NASCAR Cup Series and title sponsor of the Xfinity Series. The Comcast and NASCAR relationship began in 2014 and the collaboration between the two companies has significantly contributed to the sport's growth and fan engagement. The Premier Partnership has been renewed for multiple years with the Xfinity Series title sponsorship being extended for one year. RELATED: | New to the sport starting in 2025, race fans can look forward to the 'Xfinity Fastest Lap,' a program that awards one race point to the eligible driver and owner with the fastest single lap in each race, adding extra intensity and strategy to the competition. This new feature will be part of all three national series — Cup Series, Xfinity Series and Craftsman Truck Series — enhancing the competitive landscape and fan experience. 'We're not just entering year 11 of our partnership. We're embarking on year one of a renewed relationship with NASCAR filled with fresh energy and exciting opportunities to enhance the competition on the track in a way that has never been done before, and continue to connect with fans in new and engaging ways,' said Matt Lederer, Vice President of Brand Partnership & Engagement at Comcast. Comcast is expanding its NASCAR partnership to include more of its connectivity and entertainment brands — Xfinity Mobile and Xumo. Xfinity Mobile is joining the partnership as an Official Wireless Partner of NASCAR. Xumo, Comcast's and Charter's streaming platform joint venture, will become an Official Video and Streaming Partner of NASCAR, with plans to offer its customers immersive viewing experiences and unique content. 'NASCAR is incredibly appreciative of Comcast's continued partnership and their commitment to innovation and fan engagement within our sport,' said Michelle Byron, Executive Vice President and Chief Partnership and Licensing Officer at NASCAR. 'Their contributions over the past decade, from enhancing the fan experience to supporting community initiatives, have been invaluable. We look forward to building on the success of our partnership during the 2025 season and beyond.' MORE: Comcast's commitment to NASCAR extends beyond the track and is woven into its activations. From the title sponsorship of the Xfinity 500 to the Comcast Community Champion of the Year program, which recognizes individuals within the NASCAR community who demonstrate exceptional dedication to philanthropic endeavors, Comcast has consistently championed the sport and its values. This program underscores Comcast's commitment to social responsibility and its alignment with NASCAR's values of community engagement. This renewed partnership ensures that Comcast and NASCAR will continue to deliver thrilling racing action and engaging fan experiences for years to come.
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
NASCAR loses Xfinity 'series' while gaining Xfinity 'fastest lap'
Some of the old-timers never quit calling it the Busch Series. Others had eventually gotten accustomed to saying Xfinity. Now we'll once again need to learn the new name of NASCAR's second-tier racing league. Xfinity, part of the Comcast family, has had its name attached to the series for the past decade, but after this year, its naming rights disappear — though Xfinity is still very much involved with NASCAR. The company will remain one of NASCAR's 'premier' partners, along with Busch Light and Coca-Cola (Geico dropped its premier sponsorship last season). Buy our Daytona 500 book here Also, Xfinity will gain visibility in the big-league Cup Series. Announced this week, the driver who turns the fastest lap in each race will earn one bonus point for turning the 'Xfinity Fastest Lap' — the same incentive is being enacted in the Xfinity and Trucks series. Name changes are nothing new for the Xfinity Series, which was born as the Sportsman Division in 1950, NASCAR's third season as a sanctioning body after its founding in Daytona Beach in late 1947. A rundown of the name changes: 1968: Late Model Sportsman Series 1984: Busch Grand National Series 2003: Busch Series 2008: Nationwide Series 2015: Xfinity Series 2026: ??? Who's next? Maybe no one. In 2020, after a few name changes of its own during this century, NASCAR's top division, which had been the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series since 2017, dropped all corporate attachments and became the NASCAR Cup Series. June 19, 2003: NASCAR entered a new era when they announced that Nextel would replace Winston as Cup Series title sponsor — nascarman (@nascarman_rr) June 19, 2024 Keeping the 'Cup' in the name traces back to the change to Winston Cup in the early 1970s. If there isn't a new corporate naming-rights deal, what name will NASCAR run with? Well, chances are, there will be another corporate label for the series. But there's no doubting this: All options for 2026 and beyond are being discussed in the corner offices, even before the 2025 season begins. This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: NASCAR Xfinity Series going away (in a way). Bring back Busch Series!
