Las Vegas
Race Report:
The Spiked Light Coolers team qualified 7th and grabbed a pile of stage points. Just had an unfortunate pit stop on the Green Flag cycle and finished P11 which also is where Parker Kligerman is in points for the season with 76 total. “Solid day, good speed,” said Parker. “We keep building!” John Hunter Nemecheck won the race and Austin Hill is on top in the points race.
Event: The LiUNA!
Date: Saturday March 2, 2024
Time: 5:00 p.m. eastern
Location: Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Layout: 1.5 mile tri-oval
Laps: 200
Miles: 300
Stage Lengths: 45/90/200
TV: FS1
Radio: Sirius XM Channel 90 and PRN
Driver Points: 44, ranked #15
Notes of Interest:
Last year, Parker finished 11th in March and 13th in October in Las Vegas.
“Although we didn’t get the result we deserved,” says Parker Kligerman, “last week we were once again in the conversation for the win. Which if we keep it up, eventually we will breakthrough. This makes me truly excited for Vegas this weekend, easily one of my favorite 1.5 mile tracks in NASCAR and a place we have been very fast. Our team executed at such a high level at Atlanta over the whole weekend, it’s made my prep for Vegas very enjoyable. I’m having so much fun this year already. Let’s go get a checkered flag .”🏁
Eyes on the prize at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
The Las Vegas, Nevada track has hosted 33 Xfinity Series races, producing 24 different race winners and 20 different pole winners. Six races have been won from the pole or first starting position, most recently by Chase Briscoe in 2020.
A few drivers have etched their names in the Las Vegas Motor Speedway record books:
Most wins: Mark Martin – 4
Most poles: Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth, Mark Martin, AJ Allmendinger, Cole Custer – 2
Most top fives: Justin Allgaier – 10
Most top 10s: Justin Allgaier – 16
Most lead lap finishes: Justin Allgaier – 17
Most laps led: Kyle Busch – 623
Race record: Josh Berry – 145.613 mph (10/15/22)
Qualifying record: Kyle Busch – 185.58 mph (3/11/17)
Drivers will start their engines for practice today at 6:35 p.m. ET followed by qualifying at 7:05 p.m. ET on FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Austin Hill wants to make it three-in-a-row
Driver of the No. 21, Austin Hill, kicked off his season at Daytona International Speedway with a trip to Victory Lane – a season-opening trip he’s made for three consecutive years (2022, 2023, 2024). Then the Winston, Georgia native, went to his home track of Atlanta Motor Speedway last weekend and pulled off yet another win – his third career win at the 1.54-mile track. With the two wins to open the season, Hill became the fourth different driver in NASCAR Xfinity Series history to win the first two races of a season; joining Dale Earnhardt (1986), Chad Little (1995) and Tony Stewart (2008). Now, the 29-year-old is looking to become the first driver in series history to win the first three races of NASCAR Xfinity Series season.
This weekend, Hill heads to Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a track that has treated him well, making five career starts posting one win (2023) and three top 10s.
Roll The Dice: Who has had some luck in Vegas?
Fans are in for a treat this weekend as there are multiple drivers who have conquered Las Vegas Motor Speedway entered in this weekend’s The LiUNA on Saturday, March 2 including AJ Allmendinger, Austin Hill, and Riley Herbst.
AJ Allmendinger has made four Xfinity Series starts at Las Vegas, posting one win (2021), one top five and three top 10s.
Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Hill has made five Xfinity Series starts at Las Vegas, posting one win (2023), one top five and three top 10s.
Riley Herbst has made nine Xfinity Series starts at Las Vegas, posting one win (2023), one top five and four top 10s.
Two drivers to keep an eye on this weekend that have yet to win at Las Vegas are Justin Allgaier and John Hunter Nemechek, both finished runner-up in the two Xfinity Las Vegas races last season.
Sunoco Rookie of the Year Class heads into week three
Following the second race of the season, the 2024 Sunoco Rookie of the Year class is heading to Las Vegas Motor Speedway to post their third start of the season. After Atlanta, Jesse Love is the rookie point standings leader.
Jesse Love: Love had a standout race in Atlanta, leading 157 of the 169 laps and ultimately finishing 12th. Love will be making his series track debut at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend.
Shane Van Gisbergen: Van Gisbergen had a great race in Atlanta, finishing third and winning the Sunoco Rookie of the Race Award. This weekend he will also be making his series track debut at the 1.5-mile Nevada track.
Dawson Cram: Cram will be looking to rebound this weekend as he finished 31st at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Cram has made just one Xfinity Series start at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where he again finished 31st.
Hailie Deegan: Deegan finished the Xfinity Series race at Atlanta in 27th. Deegan will be looking forward to this weekend in Vegas. She made her track debut in the Xfinity Series last season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway where she posted a 13th-place finish – the best finish by a female in their Xfinity Series career debut.
Leland Honeyman Jr.: Honeyman Jr. raced his way up to a 21st-place finish after starting from the 35th position at Atlanta Motor Speedway last weekend. This weekend, he will be making his debut at the Las Vegas track.
NASCAR Xfinity Series competition highlights following Atlanta – The NASCAR Xfinity Series is off to a feverish pace and below are a few of the highlights as to why.
Both races this season have ended with a Margin of Victory of less than a second. The average Margin of Victory for the two races this season is 0.349 second.
A total of 16 different drivers have led laps in the NASCAR Xfinity Series this season, led by Richard Childress Racing’s Jesse Love with 191 laps led.
The first two races of the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series season have produced 30 lead changes.
The first two races of the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series season have produced 100 Green Flag Passes for the Lead – the third-most since the inception of the stat in 2005, behind 2015 (156) and 2023 (142).
The first two races of the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series season have produced 5,386 Total Green Flag Passes - the seventh-most since the inception of the stat in 2005. The Xfinity Series record for the first two races of the season was set in 2023 with 11,833 Total Green Flag Passes.
Herbst looks to become second driver all-time to win back-to-back Xfinity races at Vegas – Riley Herbst is the most recent NASCAR Xfinity Series winner at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, taking his first victory at the track last October. Now Herbst returns to Las Vegas looking to join his fellow SHR teammate Chase Briscoe (2020 sweep) as just the second driver to win consecutive races in the Xfinity Series at Las Vergas Motor Speedway.