SMITHLEY 26th AT DARLINGTON

DARLINGTON, S.C. – Garrett Smithley turned in a steady race at Darlington Raceway Saturday and finished 26th in the Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 Xfinity Series event.

Smithley started 32nd and sailed through nine cautions to finish on the lead lap in his second race at tough ol’ Darlington.

“We had a good day,” Smithley said. “We would have liked a higher finish, but to hang onto the lead lap here against a great field of cars means something. It was a good afternoon on a very hard track.”

Smithley is 23rd in Xfinity driver points.

Denny Hamlin won the race, and Elliott Sadler kept the point lead.

Two races remain in the Xfinity regular season.

The series races next Sept. 8 at Richmond, Va.
 

RHODES 24th AT DARLINGTON

DARLINGTON, S.C. – Harrison Rhodes finished 24th in Saturday’s Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 at Darlington Raceway.

The race was Rhodes’ third at one of motorsports’ most challenging speedways.

“A pretty strong finish for us,” Rhodes said. “There was a lot of action on the track today (nine caution flags), and to bring the car home on the lead lap is a big plus. Hopefully, we can build on today.”

Rhodes sits 25th in Xfinity Series driver points.

Denny Hamlin won the race, and Elliott Sadler kept the point lead.

The series moves on to Richmond, Va. for a Sept. 8 race.
 

CHASTAIN ROLLS INTO DARLINGTON

DARLINGTON, S.C. – Darlington Raceway is acknowledged as one of the toughest tracks in all of motorsports, but Ross Chastain likes it.

Chastain scored a 10th-place finish at Darlington in 2015 and says he likes the challenge of spinning fast laps on the egg-shaped oval.

“Darlington doesn’t give you a thing,” Chastain said. “You have to earn everything. You have to stay off the wall and keep your car in one piece so you’ll have something for the close of the race. Getting to that point is a big part of the challenge.”

Chastain will drive the S.C. Education Lottery No. 4 Chevrolet in Saturday’s Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 at Darlington.

With three races left in the Xfinity Series regular season, Chastain is 14th in driver points.

Practice is scheduled at Darlington at noon and 2:30 p.m. (ET) Friday. Qualifying is set for 12:05 p.m. Saturday, with the race to follow at 3:30 p.m.

SMITHLEY SET FOR LADY IN BLACK

DARLINGTON, S.C. – Garrett Smithley is ready for his second meeting with the Lady in Black – tough old Darlington Raceway – this weekend.

Smithley will drive the JD Motorsports with Gary Keller No. 0 Chevrolet in Saturday’s Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 at Darlington.

Smithley made his Darlington debut last year, finishing 22nd in the track’s Xfinity race.

“I learned a lot last year,” Smithley said. “Darlington is a track you approach with a mix of caution and aggression. You have to run up near the wall to have a good lap, but you also have to be careful not to bang up the car and take yourself out of it early. It’s a rough track to get a handle on.”

Smithley is 23rd in Xfinity driver points entering the race.

Seven Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers are entered Saturday, making the competition that much more difficult.

Darlington practice is scheduled at noon and 2:30 p.m. (ET) Friday. Qualifying is set for 12:05 p.m. Saturday. The race will get the green flag at 3:30 p.m.

RHODES IN THIRD RACE AT DARLINGTON

DARLINGTON, S.C. – Harrison Rhodes will return to the driver’s seat of the JD Motorsports with Gary Keller No. 01 Chevrolet this weekend for Saturday’s Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 Xfinity Series race.

The 200-lap event will be Rhodes’ third appearance at Darlington, perhaps the toughest track on the Xfinity schedule.

The egg-shaped facility tests drivers’ patience and daring.

“Darlington demands that you race up close to the outside wall, but if you have a good car you can fly around there,” Rhodes said. “It’s definitely a driver’s sort of track, and you have to race the track, not the competition, for most of the race. If you can stay in good shape all afternoon, you race everybody else near the end. But the first part is about survival and staying in the race.”

Rhodes is 25th in Xfinity driver points entering the weekend.

Xfinity teams are scheduled to practice at noon and 2:30 p.m. (ET) Friday. Qualifying is scheduled for 12:05 p.m. Saturday, with the race to follow at 3:30 p.m.

JD MOTORSPORTS, ROSS CHASTAIN ANNOUNCE DARLINGTON THROWBACK, SC EDUCATION LOTTERY ON BOARD THE NO. 4 CHEVROLET

JD Motorsports with Gary Keller will be paying tribute to a South Carolina racing legend this weekend at Darlington Raceway. Ross Chastain’s No. 4 Chevy Camaro will have a paint scheme reminiscent of Mike Duvall’s No. 5 Camaro that raced in Daytona in 1978, 1979, and 1980 in the NASCAR Modified series. The South Carolina Education Lottery will return as the primary sponsor of the No. 4 in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200. The team plans to have Duvall’s original racecar on display in the garage at Darlington.

Mike Duvall is one of the most successful racers to come from Gaffney, SC, home of JD Motorsports and team owner Johnny Davis. Duvall began his racing career in 1965 and scored 1,036 wins on dirt during his racing career, including the coveted World 100 at Eldora Speedway in 1982. He is a member of the 2001 class of inductees to the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame.

“The South Carolina Education Lottery is thrilled its brand will once again be represented on the No. 4,” said Jay Johnson, Director of Marketing and Product Development for the South Carolina Education Lottery. “It’s fitting that a car honoring a South Carolina racing legend will carry the recognition of all 1.7 million lottery-funded scholarship recipients across our great state.”

“I love Darlington Throwback Weekend and I’m very excited to have the SC Education Lottery on board again,” said Chastain. “JD Motorsports always brings their a-game to Darlington, and we’ve had some great runs there the past couple years. I can’t wait to see what the No. 4 team has for the Lady in Black this weekend.”

“Mike was one super racecar driver,” said Johnny Davis. “My uncle owned a gas station and would support Mike’s dirt racing career by giving him a free tank of gas every now and then, so that’s how I first met him as a teenager. I’m very proud to be able to use the Darlington Throwback weekend to honor some of the great racers to come from my hometown in Gaffney.”

CHASTAIN 13th AT ROAD AMERICA

ELKHART LAKE, Wisc. – Ross Chastain continued his string of fine performances by finishing 13th in Sunday’s Johnsonville 180 Xfinity Series race at Road America.

The run is Chastain’s 11th straight top-20 finish.

 Chastain turned in the good finish despite being involved in an accident on the final lap of the race’s second stage.

  He sits 14th in Xfinity points with three races remaining in the regular season.

“It was another pretty good day for us,” Chastain said. “We’ve had a really good summer. We just need to close out the regular season strong over these next few weeks.”

Jeremy Clements won the race, and Elliott Sadler kept the point lead.

The series rolls on to Darlington Raceway in South Carolina for a Sept. 2 race.

SMITHLEY 27th IN JOHNSONVILLE 180

ELKHART LAKE, Wisc. – Garrett Smithley finished 27thSunday in the Johnsonville 180 Xfinity Series race over the Road America course.

Smithley rolled home on the lead lap after qualifying 29th.

“We had a good car today,” Smithley said. “This is a tough road course, and it’s hard to move through the field. The guys did a great job, and we learned a lot for here next time.”

Smithley is 23rd in Xfinity driver points with three races left in the regular season.

Jeremy Clements won the race, and Elliott Sadler kept the point lead.

Darlington Raceway hosts the next Xfinity race Sept. 2.

CREED 38th AT ROAD AMERICA

ELKHART LAKE, Wisc. – A strong run by Sheldon Creed in Sunday’s Johnsonville 180 Xfinity Series race at Road America was derailed by a vibration issue.

Creed parked the United Rentals No. 01 Chevrolet 18 laps into the 45-lap event. He finished 38th.

Creed ran well in the race’s early going, finishing 10th in the first stage. But he was ultimately forced to the garage.

The race was Creed’s second this season in the 01 car and only the second Xfinity race of his career.

Jeremy Clements won the race, and Elliott Sadler kept the point lead.

The series moves on to Darlington (S.C.) Raceway for a Sept. 2 race.

CHASTAIN READY FOR THE ROAD

ELKHART LAKE, Wisc. – Ross Chastain will drive the JD Motorsports with Gary Keller No. 4 Chevrolet in Sunday’s Johnsonville 180 at Road America, the third and final road-course event on this season’s Xfinity Series schedule.

       Chastain has had good runs in road-course competition this year, finishing 19th at Watkins Glen, N.Y. and 15th at Lexington, Ohio.

       Sunday’s race will be more important, as Chastain sits on the outside looking in in the race for Xfinity playoff spots, 43 points below the cutoff line.

       “We’ve had good luck in road-course races this year,” Chastain said. “Now we need another good effort at Road America. It’s a tough track but one that I like.”

       The race will be Chastain’s third on the four-mile, 14-turn course.

       Practice is scheduled at Road America at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. (ET) Saturday. Qualifying is set for 11:45 a.m. Sunday, with the race to follow at 3 p.m.