Phoenix Xfinity Race Results – November 10, 2017

There’s a story to tell before this race goes green. JR Motorsports doesn’t have their pit crew today. Those 3 JRM drivers are using a fill-in crew. The regular pit crew is stranded in Arkansas with a grounded flight.

Related: JR Motorsports pit crews have yet to make it to Phoenix

Erik Jones and William Byron lead the field to green.

Stage 1

Green flag, Erik Jones picks the outside lane. He’s clear well before turn 1. Trouble at the back! Brendan Gaughan is around in turn 3! Caution is out already. Gaughan was on the inside of Michael Annett, he skated up the banking. He doored Annett and spun. Gaughan radio, “That was entirely my fault.”

Green, Byron hangs with Jones this time. However, Erik Jones completes the pass on the outside of turn 3.

Lap 18, Ryan Blaney is moving to the front. The MENCS regular just moved around William Byron in turn 3. Blaney takes the 2nd position.

Lap 30, trouble! The lapped car of Caesar Bacarella is making his first NXS start. He missed his entry to turn 1. He washed up the banking and into Cole Custer.

The bottom opened up and Brennan Poole filled it. Then Caesar came back down the banking. Poole was sent right into the wall. He was 4th in points!

Related: Sometimes ‘the right’ to be on the NASCAR circuit should be revoked

Poole’s crew has used all 5 minutes of the 5 minute crash clock. Poole is sent back on track with a damaged car but he’s going to give it a go. Trouble already, he hasn’t even caught the tail of the field, Poole is in the wall again. The car wouldn’t turn off turn 4. We’re still under caution.

Green, Jones gets the early jump on Blaney. The Penske driver is hanging with the Toyota. Blaney looks for a lane on the apron through 3-4, it doesn’t stick. Blaney has finished 2nd to Erik Jones 3 times in 2017 alone.

Lap 34, Erik Jones runs slow through the center of 3-4. Blaney gets to his bumper, light bump and Blaney cuts under him on the exit. Blaney to the lead.

Jones fights back! He’s to the right rear quarter panel at the exit of the turn. He’s pulling him down the back. Erik Jones takes the lead back on the outside of turns 3-4!

Blaney isn’t done either. He drives is hard into turn 3. He clears him and slides up the banking, taking the lane way. Blaney back to the lead.

Blaney wins stage 1!

Stage 1 Results: 1. Ryan Blaney; 2. Daniel Hemric; 3. Erik Jones; 4. Austin Dillon; 5. Cole Custer; 6. Justin Allgaier; 7. Alex Bowman; 8. Christopher Bell; 9. Ty Dillon; 10. Matt Tifft;

Stage 2

The field hits pit road. The fill-in JR Motorsports crew members will get their first shot. There’s a few errors for each crew. Byron’s crew missed the jack. They had to jack the left side, twice. Blaney is first on pit road and first off.

Green, Ryan Blaney selects the outside. Blaney clears Daniel Hemric before turn 1.

Lap 78, William Byron lost 9 positions on pit road. He’s now +5 on this short run. He’s looking for 2 more in a second.

7 to go in stage 2. Ryan Blaney leads Erik Jones by 2.6 seconds.

Blaney won stage 1, not he’s also won stage 2.

Stage 2 Results: 1. Ryan Blaney; 2. Erik Jones; 3. Daniel Hemric; 4. Cole Custer; 5. Ty Dillon; 6. Christopher Bell; 7. Justin Allgaier; 8. William Byron; 9. Blake Koch; 10. Matt Tifft;

Stage 3

Blaney is first on, first off. JR Motorsports drivers only lost 2-3 positions this time around.

Green, Blaney gets the early jump on Erik Jones. Jones is hard on the gas off turn 2, easy in and hard off. He pulls alongside through the dog leg. Blaney holds him off. Byron is taking the shortcut to gain positions he lost on pit road.

Lap 145, due to the attrition of the field, William Byron has clinched his spot in the Championship 4.

Lap 179, now Justin Allgaier has clinched his spot in the championship race. Points as they run; Sadler (3rd); Hemric (4th); Custer (5th; Tifft (6th); Poole (7th); Reed (8th);

Lap 181, Brendan Gaughan is in the wall. He blew a tire at the exit of turn 4 and slammed the front straight away wall as the car went straight. The caution is out.

The field hits pit road. William Byron comes out first, he took two tire. As did Daniel Hemric and Erik Jones. Blaney is off 4th, with 4 new tires.

Green flag, 14 laps remain. Byron gets the jump. Blaney is pushing Byron, at the same time Jones is pushing Hemric. Byron gets away off turn 2. Three wide for 2nd through the dog leg. Blaney comes out with 2nd.

Cole Custer is all over Hemric for 4th. He takes the bottom and moves by. These two are 4th and 5th in the standings and the race. 1 point separates them for the 4th and final transfer spot. Right now, Hemric has the final transfer position but Christopher Bell is closing on both these guys.

2 to go, Custer, Hemric and Bell are now nose to tail. Hemric puts the bumper to Custer. He pulls to his inside. Custer pinches him and Bell drives around the outside of the both of them. Hemric fights for the position, he takes it from Custer.

William Byron wins at Phoenix Raceway!

Author: Shane Walters

Championship 4
NASCAR Xfinity Series

1. William Byron
2. Justin Allgaier
3. Elliott Sadler
4. Daniel Hemric

Phoenix Xfinity Race Results

1. William Byron
2. Ryan Blaney
3. Erik Jones
4. Christopher Bell
5. Daniel Hemric
6. Blake Koch
7. Cole Custer
8. Alex Bowman
9. Austin Dillon
10. Justin Allgaier
11. Matt Tifft
12. Casey Mears
13. Ty Dillon
14. Ryan Reed
15. Brandon Jones
16. Michael Annett
17. Spencer Gallagher
18. Elliott Sadler
19. Ross Chastain
20. JJ Yaley
21. Ryan Sieg
22. Corey LaJoie
23. Jeremy Clements
24. Ray Black II
25. Garrett Smithley
26. Mario Gosselin
27. Harrison Rhodes
28. Timmy Hill
29. David Starr
30. Caesar Bacarella
31. John Graham
32. Brendan Gaughan
33. Joey Gase
34. Morgan Shepherd
35. Joe Nemechek
36. Carl Long
37. Jeff Green
38. Brennan Poole
39. Mike Harmon
40. Gray Gaulding

Links

Phoenix Raceway | NASCAR | Shane Walters