SMITHLEY SCORES 24th AT CMS

 CONCORD, N.C. – Garrett Smithley advanced solidly through the field and finished 24th in Saturday’s Hisense 4K TV 300 Xfinity Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

       Smithley started 34th on the grid in the adapt 2k Chevrolet but was strong from the race’s beginning. He raced along in mid-pack and then finished 24th on the lead lap.

       “We didn’t have a good starting spot, but the car got better as we went along,” Smithley said. “We hung in there and stayed out of trouble and got a pretty good finish out of it.”

       Ten races into the season, Smithley is 21st in Xfinity driver points.

       Ryan Blaney won the race, and Elliott Sadler kept the series point lead.

       Dover International Speedway hosts the next Xfinity race June 3.

RHODES 34th IN HISENSE 300

CONCORD, N.C. – Harrison Rhodes scored a 34th-place finish in the Flex Tape Chevrolet in Saturday’s Hisense 4K TV 300 Xfinity Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

“It was a tough day for us,” Rhodes said. “Not the kind of finish we wanted here at one of our top tracks. We’ll learn from the laps and be better here next time.”

Rhodes is 22nd in Xfinity driver points 10 races into the season.

The race was slowed by 12 cautions.

 Ryan Blaney scored the win, and Elliott Sadler retained the point lead.

 The next Xfinity Series race is June 3 at Dover International Speedway.

BREAKING NEWS: CHASTAIN DEBUTS IN CUP SERIES WITH BOOST FROM DELAWARE OFFICE OF HIGHWAY SAFETY

GAFFNEY, S.C. – Ross Chastain is going racing in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, and the Delaware Office of Highway Safety will be along for the ride.

Chastain is scheduled to make his debut in the Cup Series in the AAA 400 Drive for Autism June 4 at Dover International Speedway. He also will drive in the June 3 OneMain Financial 200 Xfinity Series race and the June 2 Bar Harbor 200 Camping World Truck Series race. His vehicles in all three events will carry sponsorship from the OHS in support of safe driving.

Chastain’s entries will carry the familiar theme of “Protect Your Melon” for the Dover races. Chastain is involved with Florida watermelon growers, so the idea of buckling up and “protecting your melon” fits perfectly.

“As a race team we spend a lot of time on the road,” said team owner Johnny Davis, “and it is almost a daily occurrence to see someone not obeying the rules of the road and to see people young and old not wearing their seat belts. I am very thankful that OHS has chosen us to help share their message, and I believe that it will help save some lives.”

Jana Simpler, director of the Delaware Office of Highway Safety, said, “We are very excited to partner with JD Motorsports and Ross Chastain again this year to promote the Protect Your Melon Buckle Up DE campaign.  Our partnership with Dover International Speedway and JD Motorsports allows us to remind fans that wearing your seatbelt is important in saving lives.”

OHS will employ a comprehensive marketing approach to engage with racing enthusiasts and loyal NASCAR fans through on-track, hands-on, traditional, digital and social media messaging during the NASCAR season.

“This partnership is extra exciting to me because OHS and JDM have found a way to promote two causes that are closest to my heart -- safe driving and agriculture,” said Ross Chastain. “We have a lot of ideas for the ‘Protect Your Melon’ campaign that will get the fans at Dover involved. I can’t wait to see more watermelons at the track, and more people wearing seatbelts everywhere.”

Watermelons labeled with “Protect your Melon” and “#BuckleUpDE” will be in grocery stores and farmers markets throughout Delaware.

Chastain, 24 and a native of Alva, Fla., has experience in the Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series but will be driving in Cup for the first time. He will drive an entry fielded by Premium Motorsports.

“This wasn’t something I was exactly searching for, but it presented itself and I’m ready,” Chastain said of the Cup opportunity. “I want to thank Johnny Davis for putting it all together. He has helped me so much in this sport and now is helping me get into the Cup series, so I can’t thank him enough.

“My goal Sunday is to finish all the laps and minimize mistakes. Anything else will be a bonus. I’m not looking at it as an audition by any means, but it’s a chance for me to get some great experience.”

CHASTAIN SET FOR CHARLOTTE

CONCORD, N.C. -- Ross Chastain has plenty of experience – and some success – at Charlotte Motor Speedway, site of Saturday’sHisense 4K TV 300 Xfinity Series race.

Chastain has raced in six Xfinity races and three Camping World Truck events at the 1.5-mile track. In 2013, he finished ninth driving a truck.

“I feel like I know the track top to bottom,” Chastain said. “That should give us a leg up Saturday in the Flex Seal Chevrolet.”

The track will be different in some aspects, however, as officials have put a sticky resin on the upper groove in an effort to boost the concept of side-by-side racing. “That’s new, and it will be interesting to see how it develops,” Chastain said.

Chastain, 22nd in Xfinity Series points, finished 19th in the most recent Xfinity race at Talladega, Ala.

Practice is scheduled at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. (ET) Thursday at CMS. Qualifying is set for Saturday at 10:05 a.m., with the race to follow at 1 p.m.

SMITHLEY RETURNS TO CHARLOTTE

 CONCORD, N.C. – After scoring a solid finish in the last Xfinity Series race at Talladega Superspeedway, Garrett Smithley will drive the No. 0 JD Motorsports with Gary Keller Chevrolet in Saturday’s Hisense 4K TV 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The series has had two weeks off since Smithley rolled home 21st at Talladega.

“This will be my third Xfinity race at Charlotte, and I feel like I know the track well,” Smithley said. “There have been changes, though, so we’ll see how it goes.”

After last week’s Monster Energy All-Star Race at CMS, track officials decided to add a sticky resin to the upper groove of the speedway, thus, in theory, making that part of the track more attractive to drivers and enhancing the possibility of side-by-side racing.

Smithley is 21st in Xfinity driver points entering the 300-miler.

Practice is scheduled at CMS at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. (ET) Thursday. Friday is an off day, with qualifying set for 10:05 a.m. Saturday and the race for 1 p.m.

RHODES ROLLS INTO CMS

CONCORD, N.C. – Harrison Rhodes will make his fifth run at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Saturday’s Hisense 4K TV 300 at the track.

The 10th Xfinity Series race of the season arrives after a two-week break in the schedule.

“I’m ready to get back to racing,” said Rhodes, who will drive the No. 01 Chevrolet for JD Motorsports with Gary Keller. “It seems like forever since we ran at Talladega (where Rhodes finished 22nd).

 Rhodes is 19th in Xfinity driver points entering the race.

Xfinity teams are scheduled to practice at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. (ET) Thursday. Qualifying is set for 10:05 a.m. Saturday, with the race to follow at 1 p.m.