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.

SMITHLEY HITS THE ROAD AGAIN

ELKHART LAKE, Wisc. – The Johnsonville 180 Xfinity Series race scheduled this weekend at Road America is a rarity for Xfinity drivers – an event on Sunday.

       With the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series enjoying an off weekend, Xfinity drivers and teams will be in the spotlight on Sunday at the four-mile, 14-turn track near Elkhart Lake.

       Garrett Smithley, driving the JD Motorsports with Gary Keller No. 0 Chevrolet, will be racing at the track for the second time. But the race will be almost like a first for Smithley, who was taken out in last year’s event by a crash on the second lap.

       “I’m anxious to get back to Road America and show what we can do,” Smithley said. “Last year was frustrating, to go all the way there and have to go to the garage a few minutes after the race started. We’re looking for better things this year.”

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

CREED RETURNS AT ROAD AMERICA

ELKHART LAKE, Wisc. – Sheldon Creed will be back in the JD Motorsports with Gary Keller No. 01 Chevrolet in Sunday’s Johnsonville 180 road-course race at Road America.

       Creed, driving with sponsorship from United Rentals, made his Xfinity Series debut two races ago at Mid-Ohio. A transmission problem early in the race forced him to the pits for repairs, and he finished 34th.

       Creed, 19, has won the Speed Energy Formula Off-Road Series for trucks championship twice. He also has raced in the K&N Pro Series East and West and in ARCA and has driven Camping World Truck Series races at Eldora Speedway.

       Sunday’s race is the only NASCAR national series race this weekend.

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

CHASTAIN MOVING UP POINT LIST

BRISTOL, Tenn. – Ross Chastain advanced two spots in the Xfinity Series point standings with a 15th-place finish in Friday night’s Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

       With the playoffs approaching, the strong run kept Chastain eligible to make the post-season. He is the first driver on the bubble, 43 points out of a qualifying spot.

       Friday’s finish was Chastain’s 10th straight in the top 20. During that stretch, he has advanced from 19th to 13th in points and is at his highest point standing of the season.

       “Another good run for the Flex Seal Chevrolet tonight,” Chastain said. “The car performed great. I love this track. I was able to hang with the front group most of the night.”

       Kyle Busch won the race, and Elliott Sadler remained in the point lead.

       The series next races Aug. 27 at Road America.