Michigan
Michigan Race Report
After starting P17 at Michigan International Speedway, Parker Kligerman has earned three straight top 10s for the first time this season for Big Machine Racing’s Spiked Light Coolers 48 Chevy. Dating back to Chicago, he has five top 10s in the last six races.
“P8 at Michigan,” exclaimed Parker, “We had a bit more speed than that, but had some restarts that didn’t go our way. Proud of this team. We are only 18 points out and tons to play for .” Kligerman’s point total increased to 534.
Overcoming an early wreck and a late caution, John Hunter Nemechek got his fifth victory of the season and the seventh of his career—all at different tracks. He and Austin Hill are now tied for the series lead. Nemechek owns the potential tiebreaker with five victories to Hill’s four.
Results:
(10) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota, 125.
(1) Josh Berry, Chevrolet, 125.
(14) Brandon Jones, Chevrolet, 125.
(8) Ty Gibbs(i), Toyota, 125.
(4) Sam Mayer, Chevrolet, 125.
(5) Riley Herbst, Ford, 125.
(11) Ross Chastain(i), Chevrolet, 125.
(17) Parker Kligerman, Chevrolet, 125.
(24) Parker Retzlaff #, Chevrolet, 125.
(23) Jeb Burton, Chevrolet, 125.
(3) Austin Hill, Chevrolet, 125.
(15) Sheldon Creed, Chevrolet, 125.
(22) Ryan Sieg, Ford, 125.
(2) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 125.
(16) Daniel Hemric, Chevrolet, 125.
(13) Cole Custer, Ford, 125.
(12) Brett Moffitt, Ford, 125.
(18) Anthony Alfredo, Chevrolet, 125.
(21) Kyle Sieg, Ford, 125.
(6) Chandler Smith #, Chevrolet, 125.
(25) Kaz Grala, Toyota, 124.
(29) Josh Williams, Chevrolet, 124.
(35) Ryan Ellis, Chevrolet, 124.
(34) Jeffrey Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 124.
(33) Sage Karam, Ford, 124.
(27) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 124.
(28) Joe Graf Jr., Ford, 124.
(32) Dawson Cram, Chevrolet, 124.
(37) Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, 123.
(26) Garrett Smithley, Chevrolet, 123.
(30) Stefan Parsons, Chevrolet, 123.
(7) Carson Hocevar(i), Chevrolet, 123.
(38) Blaine Perkins #, Chevrolet, 123.
(36) Patrick Emerling, Ford, 120.
(20) Kyle Weatherman, Chevrolet, Electrical, 91.
(19) Connor Mosack, Toyota, Accident, 39.
(31) Mason Maggio(i), Ford, Accident, 16.
(9) Sammy Smith #, Toyota, Accident, 11.
Average Speed of Race Winner: 124.931 mph.
Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 0 Mins, 4 Secs. Margin of Victory: 1.495 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 7 for 31 laps.
Lead Changes: 7 among 6 drivers.
Lap Leaders: J. Berry 0;J. Allgaier 1-32;T. Gibbs(i) 33-54;J. Nemechek 55-96;R. Herbst 97;B. Moffitt 98-101;S. Karam 102;J. Nemechek 103-125.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): John Hunter Nemechek 2 times for 65 laps; Justin Allgaier 1 time for 32 laps; Ty Gibbs(i) 1 time for 22 laps; Brett Moffitt 1 time for 4 laps; Sage Karam 1 time for 1 lap; Riley Herbst 1 time for 1 lap.
Stage #1 Top Ten: 7,8,00,16,98,9,21,39,1,78
Stage #2 Top Ten: 20,7,19,98,21,00,8,1,9,25
The first stock car stint on the street course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is up next, Saturday August 12 at 5:30 eastern.
Watch it on USA Network and the NBC Sports App. Hear it on Sirius XM Channel 90 and the IMS Radio Network.
Overview
Event: MIS 250
Date: August 5, 2023
Time: 3:30 p.m. eastern
Location: Michigan International Speedway, 2626 US-12, Brooklyn, MI
Layout: 2 mile oval Banking: Turns 18°, Start/Finish 12°, Backstretch 5°
Laps: 125 laps
Miles: 250
Stage Lengths: 30/60/125 laps
TV: NBC
Radio: Sirius XM Channel 90 and MRN. Find the station near you here.
Driver Points: 505, ranked #12
News and notes:
“After being so close last week and thinking we had our first win for about 100 feet,” says Parker Kligerman, “I am so excited to get back to the track at Michigan this weekend, as its one of my favorite tracks.”
“It’s big, it’s fast and you’re in the throttle a ton, making it one of the coolest tracks we go to. We have been putting the work in on the sim to continue our top10 speed, that we are bringing every week.”
“I am very excited for all the tracks in the month ahead. Bring it on!”
See Parker’s interview with the Macomb Daily here.
NASCAR Xfinity Series revs up for Michigan
Michigan International Speedway has hosted 30 NASCAR Xfinity Series races since 1992, producing 22 different race winners and 23 different pole winners. Only three races have been won from the pole or first starting position, most recently by Brad Keselowski in 2010.
Eight different drivers are tied for the most wins at the Michigan in the Xfinity Series with two victories each - Todd Bodine (1992, 2000), Kyle Busch (2004, 2015), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (1999, 2006), Denny Hamlin (2007, 2017), Carl Edwards (2008, 2011), Brad Keselowski (2009, 2010), Mark Martin (1993, 1995) and Ryan Newman (2001, 2005). Of the 22 former winners at Michigan International Speedway, only two are entered this weekend- AJ Allmendinger (2021) and Ty Gibbs (2022). Both will be pulling double duty this weekend, running in both the Cup Series and Xfinity Series races.
NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers will kick off their weekend with practice on Friday, August 4 at 3:35 p.m. ET followed by qualifying at 4:05 p.m. ET. Both will be televised on the USA Network.
Hot, Hot, Hot: Michigan winners streak could continue on Saturday
Michigan International Speedway is currently riding a wave of different winners in the NASCAR Xfinity Series that has reached 12 drivers in Victory Lane and dates back to 2010. This weekend, the race has the chance to produce another new winner bringing the total to a baker’s dozen 13 and keep the streak going.
The streak of different winners began in 2010 with Brad Keselowski, then Carl Edwards (2011), Joey Logano (2012), Regan Smith (2013), Paul Menard (2014), Kyle Busch (2015), Daniel Suárez (2016), Denny Hamlin (2017), Austin Dillon (2018), Tyler Reddick (2019), AJ Allmendinger (2021), and Ty Gibbs (2022). The series did not compete at Michigan in 2020 due to the pandemic.
Only two drivers will have the opportunity to break the streak – AJ Allmendinger and Ty Gibbs – but many in the field will be looking to keep the streak very much alive.
Justin Allgaier has been dominant on Michigan’s two-mile track, posting three top fives and seven top 10s in his 11 starts. Last season, he came extremely close to finally adding a Michigan trophy to his trophy case, finishing second only to Ty Gibbs. Allgaier heads into the weekend with one win (Charlotte), nine top fives, 12 top 10s and 274 laps led this season thus far.
Another driver who has done well at Michigan and is hungry for a win this season is Allgaier’s teammate Brandon Jones. The 26-year-old driver has made six starts at the track, posting two top fives and five top 10s. Like Allgaier, Jones has also come extremely close to tasting victory at Michigan International Speedway, finishing runner-up in 2021 after racing his way up from the 24th position.
Sam Mayer takes the checkered flag at home track
It appears that the stars aligned for Sam Mayer last weekend as he posted his first NASCAR Xfinity Series win at none other than his home track, Road America.
The Franklin, Wisconsin native, Mayer, definitely had his work cut out for him in the dash for the win, running three-wide in the second overtime start before finally emerging out front and snagging the checkered flag.
With his win, he kept the different winners streak alive at Road America, joining Carl Edwards (2010), Reed Sorenson (2011), Nelson Piquet Jr. (2012), AJ Allmendinger (2013), Brendan Gaughan (2014), Paul Menard (2015), Michael McDowell (2016), Jeremy Clements (2017), Justin Allgaier (2018), Christopher Bell (2019), Austin Cindric (2020), Kyle Busch (2021) and Ty Gibbs (2022).
Mayer will be looking to keep this momentum going as the series heads to Michigan International Speedway. The 20-year-old has only made two starts at the two-mile track. Although he hasn’t had the best of luck at Michigan, finishing 33rd in both of his starts, he has proved that he can perform well on other two-mile tracks. He finished runner-up at Auto Club earlier this season and sixth at his debut at the track in 2022.
Xfinity Playoffs loom with six race left in the regular season
Sam Mayer became the eighth different driver to earn a spot in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs this season by virtue of his big hometown victory at Road America last weekend. Mayer’s win leaves just four spots left in the 12-driver Playoff field as the series has just six races left in the regular season.
The eight drivers in the 2023 Playoffs on wins are Austin Hill, John Hunter Nemechek, Cole Custer, Justin Allgaier, Chandler Smith, Sam Mayer, Jeb Burton and Sammy Smith.
The drivers currently occupying the remaining four spots in the Playoff outlook are Josh Berry (ninth, +107 points above the cutline), Daniel Hemric (10th, +74 points above the cutline), Riley Herbst (11th, +25 points), Sheldon Creed (12th, +22 points). Creed sits in the 12th and final transfer spot on points, up 22 points on Parker Kligerman in the 13th position – the first spot outside the cutoff.
Looking ahead to Michigan, of the five drivers long the Playoff cutline, Josh Berry has the best average finish at the 2-mile track with a 5.0, followed by Creed (11.0), Hemric (15.2), Herbst (17.6), and Kligerman (25.0).
Looking ahead to 2025
NASCAR Xfinity Series to be aired on The CW – Starting in 2025, The CW Network will become the exclusive home to the NASCAR Xfinity Series and will extend through the 2031 season. The NASCAR Productions group will work closely with The CW Network to produce all races and content.
“Landing the NASCAR Xfinity Series is a game changer for The CW and our CW Sports division and represents another important building block in our programming strategy,” said Dennis Miller, President of The CW. “Live sports are the most watched television content and with The CW’s national reach, moving NASCAR Xfinity Series to The CW will transform and elevate the viewing experience for the series and its fans.”
Brian Herbst, Senior Vice President, Media and Productions for NASCAR said: “CW’s leadership shared a compelling vision for cultivating the next generation of NASCAR talent by bringing the NASCAR Xfinity Series exclusively to broadcast television and we are thrilled for the opportunity to partner with them. With more than 1 million viewers tuning in each week to see NASCAR’s future stars battle some of its biggest names at our most legendary tracks, the NASCAR Xfinity Series consistently delivers the moments that excite current fans and create new fans of our great sport.”
NASCAR Announces NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2024, Landmark Award
Johnson, Knaus, Allison Voted Into Hall’s 14th Class
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (August 2, 2023) – NASCAR announced today the inductees who will comprise the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2024. The three-person group – the 14th since the inception of the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2010 – consists of Jimmie Johnson, Chad Knaus and Donnie Allison. In addition, Janet Guthrie was named the recipient of the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR.
Members of the NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Panel met today in an in-person closed session at the Charlotte Convention Center to debate and vote upon the 15 nominees for the induction class of 2024 and the five nominees for the Landmark Award.
Ten nominees appeared on the Modern Era ballot, which was selected by the traditional Nominating Committee. The same committee selected the five Landmark Award nominees. The Pioneer ballot, which included five nominees whose careers began in 1964 or earlier, was selected by the Honors Committee. Beginning with the Class of 2021, each Hall of Fame class features two inductees from the Modern Era ballot and one from the Pioneer ballot.
The Class of 2024 was determined by votes cast by the Voting Panel, including representatives from NASCAR, the NASCAR Hall of Fame, track owners from major facilities and historic short tracks, media members, manufacturer representatives, competitors (drivers, owners, crew chiefs), recognized industry leaders, a nationwide fan vote conducted through NASCAR.com and the reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion (Joey Logano). In all, 57 votes were cast, with two additional Voting Panel members recused from voting as potential nominees for induction (Jeff Burton and Ricky Rudd). The accounting firm of EY presided over the tabulation of the votes.
Johnson received 93% of the Modern Era ballot votes; Knaus received 81%. Harry Gant finished third, followed by Ricky Rudd and Carl Edwards. Donnie Allison received 53% of the Pioneer ballot votes. Banjo Matthews finished second.
Results for the NASCAR.com Fan Vote were: Donnie Allison (Pioneer); Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus (Modern Era).
The two Modern Era inductees came from a group of 10 nominees that included: Neil Bonnett, Tim Brewer, Jeff Burton, Carl Edwards, Harry Gant, Harry Hyde, Jimmie Johnson, Chad Knaus, Larry Phillips and Ricky Rudd.
Nominees for the Pioneer Ballot included: Donnie Allison, Sam Ard, A.J. Foyt, Banjo Matthews and Ralph Moody.
Nominees for the Landmark Award included Janet Guthrie, Alvin Hawkins, Lesa France Kennedy, Dr. Joseph Mattioli and Les Richter.
The Class of 2024 Induction Ceremony is set for Friday, Jan. 19, 2024 at the NASCAR Hall of Fame and Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. Tickets for the Induction Ceremony will be on sale at 10 a.m. ET on NASCARHall.com.
Class of 2024 Inductees:
Jimmie Johnson
Jimmie Johnson’s seven career NASCAR Cup Series championships famously tie him with Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt for most in series history; his five consecutive titles are a NASCAR record. Johnson’s on-track accomplishments behind the wheel of a stock car put him on the short list in the "Greatest of All Time" discussion. He has 83 wins at 20 different race tracks, including multiple wins in every NASCAR crown jewel event: two Daytona 500s (2006, ’13), four Brickyard 400s (2006, ’08-09, ’12), four Coca-Cola 600s (2003-05, ’14), two Southern 500’s (2004, ’12) and four All-Star Race wins (2003, ’06, ’12-13). Currently the co-owner of NASCAR team LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, Johnson was named one of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers in 2023.
Chad Knaus
Leading his father to multiple track championships as a teenager, Chad Knaus was destined to be a successful crew chief at stock car racing’s highest level. His NASCAR start came at Hendrick Motorsports as an assistant in the body shop, learning under Hall of Famer Ray Evernham as part of the "Rainbow Warriors." His breakthrough came in 2002 when he was paired with rookie driver Jimmie Johnson on a fourth Hendrick team – the start of one of the most productive partnerships in sports history. The pair combined for seven NASCAR Cup Series championships, including a NASCAR-record five in a row. They won 81 races over 19 seasons, including the 2013 Daytona 500, two Southern 500s, four Coca-Cola 600s and four Brickyard 400s. Knaus won his 82nd – and final – race with William Byron in 2020. He trails only Dale Inman and Leonard Wood for all-time wins by a crew chief. Knaus currently serves as Vice President of Competition for Hendrick Motorsports.
Donnie Allison
A member of NASCAR’s famed “Alabama Gang” and an ambassador for the sport for more than 50 years, Donnie Allison had never planned to be a race car driver. But like his brother (and NASCAR Hall of Famer) Bobby, Donnie got his start racing modifieds and worked his way to the top level of stock car racing. After winning the 1967 Cup Series Rookie of the Year, Allison partnered with famed mechanic Banjo Matthews where he experienced his most success. In 1970, Allison won three races for Matthews, including the Coca-Cola 600. But Allison might be best-known for his role in NASCAR’s most famous moment – his 1979 Daytona 500 fight with Cale Yarborough. An intense battle for the win ended with both drivers wrecked, scuffling in the infield. It all happened on the first nationally-televised NASCAR race and made headlines across America. The publicity was instrumental to the growth of NASCAR and remains one of the defining moments in the sport’s history.
Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR:
Janet Guthrie
Janet Guthrie moved on from a successful career as an aerospace engineer in the early 1960s, trading equations for a wheel to become a full-time racer in 1972. A true pioneer in motorsports, Guthrie became the first woman to compete in a NASCAR premier series superspeedway race when she drove to a 15th-place finish in the 1976 World 600. The next year, she piloted cars in the Daytona 500 and Indianapolis 500, becoming the first female to participate in both events. Guthrie steered her car to a sixth-place finish at Bristol in 1977, one of five career top-10 finishes. Overall, the University of Michigan graduate made 33 premier series starts. Guthrie was a member of the first class inducted into the International Women’s Sports Hall of Fame. Her helmet and firesuit are on display at the Smithsonian Institution.