Results, point standings after Xfinity playoff opener

By Daniel McFadinSep 21, 2018, 10:36 PM EDT

Christopher Bell punched his ticket to the second round of the Xfinity playoffs by winning Friday’s race at Richmond.

It’s Bell’s fifth win of the season.

He beat Ross Chastain, Daniel Hemric, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Matt Tifft.

Earnhardt led a race-high 96 laps and won Stage 2 in his first NASCAR start since last year.

Points

With his win, Bell is the only driver who doesn’t have to worry about next weekend’s race on the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval.

He’s the first driver to lock a spot in the second round of the playoffs.

While Bell leads the standings, Hemric is second (-28 points).

The top five is completed by Justin Allgaier (-34), Chastain (-37) and Sadler (-38).

Austin Cindric (-62) and Ryan Reed (-63) are in the 11th and 12th spots.

Click here for the point standings.

Christopher Bell wins Richmond Xfinity race; Dale Jr. places fourth

By Daniel McFadinSep 21, 2018, 9:53 PM EDT

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Christopher Bell opened the Xfinity Series playoffs with a win in Friday night’s race at Richmond Raceway.

Bell took the lead from Matt Tifft on a restart with 14 laps to go and didn’t look back, as he beat Ross Chastain, Daniel Hemric, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Tifft.

The win is the fifth for Bell this year and the first in seven races. He completes a sweep of the season’s races at Richmond. It’s also his first win from the pole.

“It’s not very often that you get to win with a car that’s not a winning car, we’ll take it,” Bell told NBCSN. “Man, I’m just pumped.”

Earnhardt, who made his first NASCAR start since retiring from full-time Cup competition 10 months ago, led a race-high 96 laps and won Stage 2.

“It got my expectations all messed up,” Earnhardt told NBCSN. “I was like, ‘Dang, I got to win now.’ We didn’t have the car at the end. Restarting on the outside is kind of tough. … We’ll try to do another one next year and see where we go.”

Elliott Sadler finished sixth in his last start at his home track.

STAGE 1 WINNER: Daniel Hemric

STAGE 2 WINNER: Dale Earnhardt Jr.

MORE: Results, point standings

WHO HAD A GOOD NIGHT: Ross Chastain placed second after having to start from the rear for unapproved adjustments. It was his third and final scheduled start for Chip Ganassi Racing … Ryan Reed placed 10th after also starting from the rear for unapproved adjustments. It’s his first top 10 in six races.

WHO HAD A BAD NIGHT: Ty Majeski wrecked with three laps left in Stage 2 following contact with Roush Fenway Racing teammate Ryan Reed. It’s the 11^th DNF for the No. 60 team this season due to a wreck … Katherine Legge placed 28th after causing two cautions in the final stage … No. 1 seed Justin Allgaier wrecked out from contact with Cole Custer on a restart with 25 laps to go.

QUOTE OF THE NIGHT No. 1: “That’s the first stage win of my career.” – Dale Earnhardt Jr. after winning Stage 2.

QUOTE OF THE NIGHT No. 2: “To be the last time on this track, I don’t have a win, but I have a lot of great memories here.” – Elliott Sadler, who competed in his last race at his home track.

WHAT’S NEXT: Drive for the Cure 200 on the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval at 3 p.m. ET Sept. 29 on NBCSN.

Christopher Bell wins Xfinity Richmond pole; Dale Earnhardt Jr. qualifies 2nd

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By Daniel McFadinSep 21, 2018, 5:35 PM EDT

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Christopher Bell will start first for tonight’s Xfinity race at Richmond Raceway (7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN) after posting a top qualifying speed of 118.990 mph around the short track.

The pole is Bell’s fourth of the year.

“That was a very stressful qualifying session,” Bell told NBCSN. “Out of our four wins this year we haven’t won from the pole. Hopefully we can break that streak tonight.”

The rookie will be joined on the front row by Dale Earnhardt Jr., who qualified second with a speed of 118.896 mph.

Earnhardt is making his first and only start of the year.

“Man, I almost got the pole, that would’ve been cool,” Earnhardt told NBCSN. “I was talking to my teammate up there in the booth, Jeff Burton, about watching these guys lay back in qualifying at some of these tracks like Darlington and so forth. I’m like, ‘I’ve never tried that before.’ I’d be too nervous, right? I might screw up. I thought I’ve got nothing to lose here, so I tried going easy in that first round. … Ran it just fast enough and maybe saved a little bit of our tire to be able to run better.”

The top five is completed by Ross Chastain, Cole Custer and Justin Allgaier.

Elliott Sadler qualified 13th for his last start at his home track.

He was followed by Tyler Reddick, Spencer Gallagher and Michael Annett.

Click here for results.

Tonight’s Xfinity race at Richmond: Start time, lineup and more

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By Dustin LongSep 21, 2018, 5:30 PM EDT

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The Xfinity Series playoffs get underway tonight at Richmond Raceway. Justin Allgaier enters as the points leader with 2,039 points. Christopher Bell is next at 2,032. Allgaier has a series-high five wins this season. Bell has four victories.

Here is all the info for tonight’s race:

(All times are Eastern)

START: PWBA Tour Championship winner Maria Jose Rodriguez, PWBA finalists Liz Kuhlkin, Bryanna Cote and Shannon O’Keefe with Elliott Sadler‘s two children, will give the command to start engines at 7:37 p.m. The green flag is scheduled to wave at 7:43 p.m.

DISTANCE: The race is scheduled for 250 laps (187.5 miles) around the 0.75-mile speedway.

STAGES: Stage 1 ends on Lap 75. Stage 2 ends on Lap 150.

PRERACE SCHEDULE: Garage opened at 7:30 a.m. Qualifying at 4:35 p.m. Driver/crew chief meeting is at 5:40 p.m. Driver introductions are at 7 p.m.

NATIONAL ANTHEM: First Sergeant Stephanie Doehr, 392nd Army Band, Fort Lee, will perform the anthem at 7:31 p.m.

TV/RADIO: NBCSN will broadcast the race beginning at 7:30 p.m. Coverage begins with Countdown to Green at 7 p.m. on NBCSN. Motor Racing Network’s radio broadcast begins at 7 p.m. and can be heard at mrn.com. SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will have the MRN broadcast.

FORECAST: wunderground.com calls for a high of 78 degrees and a 2 percent chance of rain at the start of the race.

LAST TIME: Christopher Bell led 120 of 250 laps to win this event in April. He was followed by Noah Gragson and Elliott Sadler. Last September, Brad Keselowski won and was followed by Kyle Busch and Ty Dillon.

STARTING LINEUP: Click here.

Friday’s NASCAR schedule at Richmond

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By Daniel McFadinSep 21, 2018, 8:00 AM EDT

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The NASCAR race weekend begins today at Richmond Raceway and includes Cup qualifying and the Xfinity Series playoff opener.

Here’s the day’s full schedule with TV and radio info:

(All times are Eastern)

7:30 a.m. – Xfinity garage opens

8:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m. – Cup garage opens

8:30 – 9:15 a.m. – Xfinity practice (NBC Sports App)

10:10 – 10:55 a.m. – Final Xfinity practice (NBC Sports App)

11:35 a.m. – 12:25 p.m. – Cup practice (NBCSN, Motor Racing Network)

1:30 – 2:20 p.m. – Final Cup practice (NBCSN, MRN)

4:35 p.m. – Xfinity qualifying; multi-car/three rounds (NBCSN)

5:40 p.m. – Xfinity driver-crew chief meeting

6:05 p.m. – Cup qualifying impound; multi-car/three rounds (NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

7 p.m. – Xfinity driver introductions

7:30 p.m. – GoBowling 250; 250 laps/187.5 miles (NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)