CHASTAIN 25th AT KANSAS SPEEDWAY

KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Ross Chastain finished 25th Saturday in the Kansas Lottery 300 Xfinity Series race at Kansas Speedway. 

Chastain ran in mid-pack much of the race, and his finish kept him in ninth place in the Xfinity driver standings. 

“It wasn’t our best run at Kansas, and we were looking to finish quite a bit better,” Chastain said. “But we got the car home in one piece and learned a bunch for next time.” 

Chastain drove the JD Motorsports with Gary Keller No. 4 Chevrolet. 

John Hunter Nemechek won the race, and Daniel Hemric has the series point lead by nine. 

The series moves on to Texas Motor Speedway for a Nov. 3 race.

HOUFF RETURNS TO JD MOTORSPORTS AT KANSAS

KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Virginia driver Quin Houff will return to the JD Motorsports with Gary Keller team for Saturday’s Kansas Lottery 300 Xfinity Series race at Kansas Speedway. 

Houff, who will be driving in his seventh career Xfinity race, will pilot the No. 15 Chevrolet for JDM. He raced in September for the team at Richmond Raceway, finishing 31st, and now will finish the season in the car. 

“I am very excited to have the opportunity to get back in a car with JDM,” Houff said. “Kansas will be a great track to start our four-race spurt together since I ran there last year. I am eager to learn on track and continue to build a relationship with the race team. I can’t thank all those who helped me get here and JDM enough for the opportunity.” 

Houff, 21, started racing Limited Late Models at the age of 13 and advanced into Super Late Models and then into the Automobile Racing Club of America series. 

Practices are scheduled at Kansas at 3:05 p.m. (ET) and 5 p.m. Friday. Qualifying is set for 11:40 a.m. Saturday, with the race to follow at 2:55 p.m.

CHASTAIN ROLLS ON TO KANSAS

KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Ross Chastain is set for his fourth Xfinity Series race at Kansas Speedway. 

Rolling into the final weeks of the season, Chastain sits ninth in Xfinity points entering Saturday’s Kansas Lottery 300 and will be trying to protect a spot in the top 10. 

Chastain’s best finish at Kansas is 13th, in 2016. 

“Kansas is a really fast track but also one where you have to be alert about picking lanes and picking the best places to pass,” Chastain said. “It’s always fun to race there. I’m sure we’ll have a fast Chevrolet this week.” 

Chastain will drive the No. 4 Chevy for JD Motorsports with Gary Keller. 

There are four races remaining in the 2018 season. 

Practices are scheduled at Kansas at 3:05 p.m. (ET) and 5 p.m. Friday. Qualifying is set for 11:40 a.m. Saturday, with the race to follow at 2:55 p.m.

SMITHLEY SET FOR KANSAS

KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Garrett Smithley will drive the No. 0 Chevrolet for JD Motorsports with Gary Keller in Saturday’s Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway. 

The race will be Smithley’s third in the Xfinity Series at Kansas. His best finish at the 1.5-mile track is 18th. 

“Kansas is a track that gets your attention because the speeds are up there,” Smithley said. “The laps and miles go by really quickly. Sometimes you feel like you’re hanging on for dear life, but it’s still a fun track to challenge.” 

There are four races remaining in the 2018 season. 

Practices are scheduled at Kansas at 3:05 p.m. (ET) and 5 p.m. Friday. Qualifying is set for 11:40 a.m. Saturday, with the race to follow at 2:55 p.m.

CHASTAIN BARELY MISSES PLAYOFF ADVANCE

DOVER, Del. – Ross Chastain gave the attempt his very best effort, but he fell short Saturday of advancing in the Xfinity Series playoffs. 

After a tough late-race battle with Matt Tifft with a second-round playoff spot on the line, Chastain finished 13th in the Bar Harbor 200 at Dover International Speedway and missed moving along in the playoffs by one position. He is ninth in points, three points away from qualifying for the next playoff round. 

In the closing laps, Chastain raced Tifft hard for position. Their cars touched, Tifft’s moved up the track, and the contact resulted in Chase Briscoe being pushed into the outside wall. 

After the race, Chastain, who drove the Delaware Office of Highway Safety “Use Your Melon, Drive Sober Arrive Alive DE” campaign Chevrolet, refused to apologize for his aggressive driving in the final miles. 

“I’m not sorry at all,” he said. “This is awesome. I don’t apologize for what I do on the racetrack. It was racing, and we were in the heart of it.” 

Chastain drove for JD Motorsports with Gary Keller and praised his team after the race. 

“This 4 car and what we’ve done with JD Motorsports and Chip Ganassi Racing has been great,” he said. 

Point leader Christopher Bell won the race. 

The series rolls on to Kansas Speedway for an Oct. 20 race, the opener of the next round of the playoffs.

SMITHLEY 23rd IN BAR HARBOR 200

DOVER, Del. – Garrett Smithley finished 23rd Saturday in the Bar Harbor 200 Xfinity Series race at Dover International Speedway. 

Smithley drove the JD Motorsports with Gary Keller No. 0 Chevrolet with sponsorship from Heroes Haven.  

“It wasn’t the finish we were looking for today,” Smithley said. “We dropped off the lead pace and couldn’t make up time. We brought it home, though, and learned some stuff here. We’ll be ready at Kansas.” 

Smithley is 19th in Xfinity driver points. 

Point leader Christopher Bell won the race. 

The series rolls on to Kansas Speedway for an Oct. 20 race, the opener of the next round of the playoffs.

CASSILL PARKS LATE IN DOVER RACE

DOVER, Del. – Landon Cassill finished 26th in Saturday’s Bar Harbor 200 at Dover International Speedway after parking his JD Motorsports with Gary Keller No. 01 Chevrolet late in the race. 

Cassill completed 189 of the race’s 200 laps but wound up in the garage with drivetrain issues. 

“Unfortunately, we couldn’t run it all the way to the end,” Cassill said. “We were looking for more here today, but I enjoyed being with Johnny (team owner Johnny Davis) and the guys again. It’s always a kick to race with them.” 

The race was Cassill’s third with JD Motorsports this season. 

Point leader Christopher Bell won the race. 

The series rolls on to Kansas Speedway for an Oct. 20 race, the opener of the next round of the playoffs.

CHASTAIN LOOKING TO ADVANCE IN PLAYOFFS

DOVER, Del. – The first round of the NASCAR Xfinity Series will end Saturday at Dover International Speedway, and Ross Chastain is pointing toward a spot in the second round. 

Entering Saturday’s Bar Harbor 200, Chastain sits eighth in playoff points. After Saturday’s 200-miler, the top eight drivers will advance to the second round and will be the only drivers remaining in the hunt for the championship. Chastain is nine points in front of Austin Cindric for the eighth spot. 

Chastain, driving in the playoff group for the first time this season, will be in the No. 4 JD Motorsports with Gary Keller Chevrolet Saturday. His car is being sponsored by the Delaware Office of Highway Safety and its “Use Your Melon, Drive Sober Arrive Alive DE” campaign. 

Chastain has raced in seven Xfinity events at the Dover mile track and has a best finish of 12th – twice. 

“It’s a big weekend for us, obviously,” Chastain said. “It’s difficult to predict what might happen with the other guys in the playoffs, but we probably need a good finish to move into the second round. You can get in trouble really easily at Dover, so we’ll have to be on our toes.” 

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

CASSILL TEAMS WITH JD MOTORSPORTS AGAIN

DOVER, Del. – Landon Cassill, who has logged many laps at Dover International Speedway, will run the Monster Mile again this weekend with the JD Motorsports with Gary Keller team. 

Cassill will be in the team’s No. 01 Chevrolet for Saturday's Bar Harbor 200, the final race in the first round of the Xfinity Series playoffs. 

Cassill has raced in 10 Xfinity events at Dover and has a top finish of 14th. 

The race will be Cassill’s third with JD Motorsports this season. He finished 14th at Las Vegas and 14th at Darlington. 

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

DOVER BIG TEST FOR SMITHLEY

DOVER, Del. – Garrett Smithley rolls into Dover International Speedway this weekend carrying the colors of Heroes Haven. 

Smithley’s JD Motorsports with Gary Keller No. 0 Chevrolet will ride with sponsorship from Heroes Haven, which supports injured veterans and first responders. Soldier Philip Cooper will be the team’s special guest this weekend as Smithley hits the track for the Bar Harbor 200 Xfinity Series race. 

Smithley has raced on the tough “Monster Mile” at Dover five times with a best finish of 24th. 

“Dover has been a tough track for me,” Smithley said. “It’s really fast, and you hardly have time to think about what you’re going to do next. Race traffic is a constant flow, and it’s hard to avoid wrecks. We just have to bear down and try to get a good finish.” 

The race is the third in the Xfinity playoffs. 

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