Denny Hamlin hopes 23XI Racing can ‘stop the bleeding’ this week

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MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Friday was step forward and Saturday provides an opportunity for 23XI Racing to shake off a rough spell that has co-owner Denny Hamlin agitated.

While Hamlin won last weekend at Richmond, his two cars at 23XI Racing struggled. Kurt Busch’s stalled car brought out the caution 11 laps into the race. He went back to the garage for repairs and placed 35th, finishing 109 laps behind Hamlin. Bubba Wallace was 26th after a series of issues with his pit crew, which is supplied by Joe Gibbs Racing. 

Richmond marked Busch’s second consecutive finish of worse than 30th. Wallace’s result was the fourth time in the last five races he’s placed outside the top 20. 

So what needs to be done at 23XI Racing?  

“Trying to stop the bleeding there,” Hamlin said Friday at Martinsville Speedway. “… I was really excited (after the win) until you get out of the car and you look down the pylon and say ‘What the -—-?’ What’s going on? It’s agitating because it’s different things on different teams. It’s just a two-week slump we got to get out of. 

“We’re trying to address all the issues there (are). (Wallace’s) pit crew is not doing well. In a meeting with Joe Gibbs Racing, I thank them for everything they do for me and then we walk out of that meeting into another and I’m cussing them out. Just not doing a good enough job over there. 

“ … Then the freak thing happens with (Busch’s car). We’ve got a new sponsor over there and the car is sitting in the garage for 100 laps. It’s agitating. Hopefully, we look back on this two months from now and say, ‘It’s just a little bump in the road,’ because, certainly, it’s not acceptable by any means.”

Busch understands there is a time to be honest and a time to try to lift a team’s spirits.  

Busch sought to have some fun by having his face superimposed on John Belushi’s character from “Animal House” when Belushi’s character gives a comedic motivational speech.

“There are moments of seriousness on the facts,” Busch said Friday. “Then there’s the group rally moment, which I posted on social media for my guys of a fun, humorous, self-deprecating approach, but then the next day I’m at the shop working out with the guys during lunch break and pushing through the tough spots.”

Wallace said he’s learned to better handle frustrating moments. 

“We had a couple of slow stops last week at Richmond, and we finally had the one that sent us back, which was the loose wheel,” Wallace said. “In those moments before, I would flip out on the radio.”

He didn’t this time.

“Every weekend is a new opportunity, and you sit there on the grid before the race and it’s like ‘one of these guys is going to win,'” he said. 

For 23XI Racing, just snapping its slump would be a good start.

More rain postpones conclusion of Charlotte Xfinity race

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CONCORD, N.C. — Despite an improving forecast, rain continued to plague NASCAR and its drivers Monday at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The twice-rescheduled Xfinity Series race was stopped twice because of weather Monday after finally getting the green flag, and the conclusion of the 300-mile race was postponed until after the completion of Monday’s rescheduled 600-mile Cup Series race.

Forty-eight of the race’s scheduled 200 laps were completed before weather and the impending scheduled start of the Cup race intervened.

When (or if) the race resumes Monday night, it will be broadcast by FS2, the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

After 48 laps, Ty Gibbs, John Hunter Nemechek and Justin Allgaier are in the top three positions.

Gibbs won the first stage.

Monday Charlotte Cup race: Start time, TV info, weather

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After two days of soaking rains, the longest race on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is set for a 3 p.m. ET start Monday at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The 600-mile marathon was scheduled for a 6:21 p.m. start Sunday, but persistent rain forced a postponement to Memorial Day.

A look at the Monday Cup schedule:

Details for Monday’s Cup race at Charlotte Motor Speedway

(All times Eastern)

START: The command to start engines will be given at 3:12 p.m. by USO official Barry Morris and retired drivers Jeff Burton, Dale Jarrett and Bobby Labonte. … The green flag is scheduled to be waved at 3:23 p.m.

PRERACE: Driver introductions are scheduled at 2:30 p.m. … The invocation will be given by retired Air Force Master Sergeant Monty Self at 3 p.m. … The national anthem will be performed by U.S. Marine Corps Lance Corporal Elizabeth Marino at 3:04 p.m.

DISTANCE: The race is 400 laps (600 miles) on the 1.5-mile track.

STAGES: Stage 1 ends at Lap 100. Stage 2 ends at Lap 200. Stage 3 ends at Lap 300.

STARTING LINEUP: Charlotte Cup starting lineup

TV/RADIO: Fox will broadcast the race at 3 p.m. … Performance Racing Network coverage begins at 3 p.m. and can be heard on goprn.com. … SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will carry the PRN broadcast.

STREAMING: Foxsports.com

FORECAST: Weather Underground — The forecast calls for overcast skies with a high of 71. There is a 15% chance of rain at the start of the race.

LAST TIME: Denny Hamlin won last year’s 600 as the race was extended to two overtimes, making it the longest race in distance in Cup history.

Monday Charlotte Xfinity race: Start time, TV info, weather

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Charlotte Motor Speedway’s rescheduled NASCAR Xfinity Series race is set for an 11 a.m. start Monday.

The race originally was scheduled Saturday, but was postponed by weather to noon Monday. After Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 Cup Series race also was postponed to Monday, the Xfinity Series race was moved to an 11 a.m. start.

A look at the Monday Xfinity schedule:

Details for Monday’s Xfinity race at Charlotte Motor Speedway

(All times Eastern)

START: The command to start engines will be given at 11:01 a.m. by representatives of race sponsor Alsco Uniforms … The green flag is scheduled to be waved at 11:12 a.m.

PRERACE: Xfinity garage opened at 8 a.m.

DISTANCE: The race is 200 laps (300 miles) on the 1.5-mile track.

STAGES: Stage 1 ends at Lap 45. Stage 2 ends at Lap 90.

STARTING LINEUP: Charlotte Xfinity starting lineup (Justin Haley will replace Kyle Busch in the No. 10 Kaulig Racing car).

TV/RADIO: FS1 will broadcast the race at 11 a.m. … Performance Racing Network coverage begins at 11 a.m. and can be heard on goprn.com. … SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will carry the PRN broadcast.

STREAMING: Foxsports.com

FORECAST: Weather Underground — The forecast calls for overcast skies with a high of 71. There is a 15% chance of rain at the start of the race.

LAST TIME: Josh Berry won last May’s Xfinity race. Ty Gibbs was second and Sam Mayer third.

Justin Haley replaces Kyle Busch in Kaulig car for Xfinity race

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Justin Haley will drive Kaulig Racing’s No. 10 car in Monday morning’s scheduled NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Haley replaces Cup Series regular Kyle Busch, who was scheduled to drive for Kaulig in the 300-miler. The race was postponed from Saturday to Monday because of weather, giving NASCAR a 900-mile doubleheader at the track.

Busch decided to concentrate on the Coca-Cola 600 Cup race, scheduled for a  3 p.m. start.

Haley also will race in the 600.

Ty Gibbs is scheduled to run in both races.