Kyle Busch scores 100th career Xfinity win with Nashville triumph

By Dustin LongJun 19, 2021, 6:12 PM EDT

LEBANON, Tenn. – Kyle Busch held off Justin Allgaier on two restarts in the final 10 laps to score his record-extending 100th career Xfinity Series win Saturday at Nashville Superspeedway.

Busch’s victory comes in his first attempt to become only the third NASCAR national series driver to win 100 or more races. Richard Petty has a record 200 Cup wins. David Pearson has 105 Cup wins. Busch is next with his 100 Xfinity victories.

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Busch, who started on the pole, led 122 of the 189 laps in a race extended by one lap because of a late incident.

“Hell yeah, thank you boys!” Busch said on the radio to his team.

Love him or hate him, you must acknowledge @KyleBusch is on the short list of greatest race car drivers of all time. Congrats on the 💯

— Corey LaJoie (@CoreyLaJoie) June 19, 2021

Justin Allgaier finished second. He was followed by Harrison Burton, Josh Berry and AJ Allmendinger.

Cindric took the lead from pole-sitter Kyle Busch on the first lap and led all 45 laps to win the opening stage. Busch led the final 15 laps to win the second stage.

Cindric’s race ended with about 30 laps left when Michael Annett and Daniel Hemric made contact. Annett’s car came down and tagged Cindric’s car in the rear, sending it into the wall.

NBC Sports’ Marty Snider reported that front tire changer Jeremy Geiter was transported to a local hospital after he was struck by Bayley Currey‘s car on pit road.

It takes a ton of bravery to hop over the wall for a pit stop.@BayleyCurrey // #NASHCAR pic.twitter.com/8zZ2H3q5Al

— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) June 19, 2021

STAGE 1 WINNER: Austin Cindric

STAGE 2 WINNER: Kyle Busch

WHO HAD A GOOD RACE: Justin Allgaier’s runner-up finish was his second in a row. … Harrison Burton’s third-place finish was his first top 10 in the last three races. … Austin Hill finished ninth in his first series start of the season.

WHO HAD A BAD RACE: Brandon Brown finished 35th after brake issues. He fell to 48 points out of the final playoff spot.

NEXT: The series races June 27 at Pocono Raceway (noon ET on NBCSN)

COTA Xfinity Series results

By Dustin LongMar 25, 2023, 7:58 PM EDT

Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images

AJ Allmendinger led 28 of 46 laps Saturday to win the Xfinity Series race at Circuit of the Americas for the second year in a row.

Allmendinger held off William Byron to score his first victory of the year and 16th in the Xfinity Series.

MORE: COTA Xfinity results

Ty Gibbs placed third and was followed by rookie Sammy Smith and Justin Allgaier.

Smith, Allgaier, Daniel Hemric, who placed sixth, and Sam Mayer, who finished seventh, will be eligible for the $100,000 Dash 4 Cash next weeked at Richmond after being the top four full-time Xfinity finishers Saturday.

AJ Allmendinger wins Xfinity race at COTA

By Dustin LongMar 25, 2023, 7:41 PM EDT

Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images

AJ Allmendinger overcame damage from a restart to win Saturday’s Xfinity Series race at Circuit of the Americas.

This is the second year in a row he has won this race. It is Allmendinger’s first victory of the season and 16th career Xfinity win.

MORE: COTA race results

William Byron, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, finished second. Ty Gibbs placed third, Sammy Smith fourth and Justin Allgaier fifth.

Smith, Allgaier, sixth-place finisher Daniel Hemric and seventh-place finisher Sam Mayer — the top four full-time Xfinity drivers — will be eligible for the $100,000 Dash 4 Cash bonus next week at Richmond Raceway.

Allmendinger won the first stage and then pitted. When a caution came out shortly, it put him 21st in the field. On the Lap 20 restart, his car suffered damage when he was hit going into Turn 1.

Allmendinger worked his way through the field and took the lead from Sheldon Creed on Lap 33 when they made contact and Creed spun. Creed fell back to 23rd and finished the 46-lap race in ninth.

Stage 1 winner: AJ Allmendinger

Stage 2 winner: Sheldon Creed

Who had a bad race: Austin Hill, who had won three of the first five races this season, had mechanical issues early and finished 37th in the 38-car field.

Next: The series races April 1 at Richmond Raceway (1 p.m. ET on FS1)

COTA Truck race results: Zane Smith wins

By Dustin LongMar 25, 2023, 4:09 PM EDT

Reigning series champion Zane Smith won Saturday’s Craftsman Truck Series race at Circuit of the Americas for the second year in a row.

The victory is Smith’s second of this year.

MORE: COTA Truck race results

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Kyle Busch finished second and was followed by Ty Majeski, Tyler Ankrum and Ross Chastain.

The key moment came when Parker Kligerman‘s truck came to a stop on the frontstretch at Lap 28. Smith, running second, made it to pit road before it was closed. Busch, who was leading, had already passed pit road entrance.

Smith gained the lead with the move, while Busch had to pit under the caution and restarted 16th. Smith was able to build a lead and beat Busch by 5.4 seconds.

Stage 1 winner: Christian Eckes

Stage 2 winner: Kyle Busch

Who had a good race: Ty Majeski’s third-place finish is his best of the season. … Tyler Ankrum’s fourth-place finish is his best of the year. … Corey Heim has finished sixth two races in a row. … Rookie Nick Sanchez finished seventh, giving him back-to-back top 10s.

Who had a bad race: Parker Kligerman was running third when electrical issues forced him to stop on track just after the end of the second stage. … After winning the first stage, Christian Eckes had mechanical issues and had to pit for repairs, costing him several laps.

Notable: Front Row Motorsports has won the Truck COTA race all three years. Todd Gilliland won the race in 2021 and Zane Smith has won it the past two years.

Next: The series races April 1 at Texas Motor Speedway (4:30 p.m. ET on FS1).

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series XPEL 225 — *COTA winner Zane Smith’s truck catches fire after he did his burnout on the frontstretch. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)*

COTA Cup starting lineup

By Dustin LongMar 25, 2023, 1:05 PM EDT

Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron, who has won two of the first five races of the season, will lead the Cup field to the green flag Sunday at Circuit of the Americas.

Byron will be joined on the front row of the starting lineup by Tyler Reddick, the only driver to win multiple races at road courses last year.

MORE: COTA Cup starting lineup

Austin Cindric starts third and is joined in the second row by Jordan Taylor, who is filling in for the injured Chase Elliott in the No. 9 Hendrick car.

Taylor’s performance is the best qualifying effort by a driver making their Cup debut since Boris Said started second in his Cup debut at Watkins Glen in 1999.

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