Rinnai 250 Tag

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Correspondent The first NASCAR Xfinity Series top-10 finish for Jeffrey Earnhardt was a decade in the making. Earnhardt had a chance at a better finish in the Rinnai due to a late-race caution, but the worn racing surface of Atlanta Motor Speedway prevented him from capitalizing. Earnhardt’s No. 18 Extreme Concepts / iK9 Toyota Supra had been running inside the top-five when John Hunter Nemechek spun off turn two with seven laps to go. He exited pit road second on and restarted on the outside onRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service HAMPTON, Ga. – To hear Christopher Bell describe his race in Victory Lane, you’d never know that he had just won it. “I felt pretty sloppy there as a driver sometimes,” Bell said after leading 143 of 163 laps in winning Saturday’s Rinnai 250 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. “Running the yellow line (at the bottom of the track) is so hard. “I don’t know, I would just struggle on the longer runs there.” Struggling, of course, is a relative thing. AfterRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Air hose woes proved to be costly for Tyler Reddick, who was just getting the run on eventual race winner Christopher Bell before the final caution came out, and had to settle for fifth in Saturday’s Rinnai 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. In the closing laps, Reddick’s No. 2 Pinnacle Financial Partners Chevrolet Camaro was making a hard charge on the bottom, to the point of clipping the apron in the corners at times, just to catch the dominant Bell and started looking like Reddick wasRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Correspondent The NASCAR Xfinity Series returns to the track this weekend for the Rinnai 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Last weekend, Michael Annett scored his first career NASCAR victory after dominating the NASCAR Racing Experience 300 at Daytona International Speedway. The last time the Xfinity Series had back to back first-time winners was 2017 with Alex Bowman and Christopher Bell. An old racing surface, the possibility of inclement weather, and tire wear are just some of the stories heading into the Rinnai 250. Ryan Preece is theRead More

By: Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service HAMPTON, Ga. – Kevin Harvick put on a driving clinic in Saturday’s Rinnai 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The driver of the No. 98 Ford dominated the action on the track, leading 141-of-163 laps and winning both stages before taking the checkered flag 4.183 seconds ahead of runner-up Joey Logano. Harvick collected his fifth NASCAR XFINITY Series victory at Atlanta and the 47th of his career. He has won four of the last six events at the 1.54-mile track, where he also has won for four differentRead More

By Seth Eggert, Staff Writer No one passed more cars than John Hunter Nemechek in the Rinnai 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Nemechek’s NASCAR Xfinity Series debut was an up and down day as he encountered some early troubles. He ultimately rebounded from being a lap behind the leaders to finish fourth. Nemechek fell a lap down early, after cutting a tire with seven laps left in the first stage. A strategy call by crew chief Mike Shiplett, allowed Nemechek to take the wave around in his No. 42 FireRead More

By Brian Eberly, Contributing Writer In a final round of qualifying that featured a great mix of veteran and youth, Christopher Bell turned a lap at 181.76 mph (30.60 seconds) to take the top spot for Saturday afternoon’s NASCAR XFINITY Series Rinnai 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Bell, in his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, edged out Joey Logano to earn his second series pole in just his 10th start. “This one’s probably a little bit more enjoyable,” Bell said with a large grin when asked if this poleRead More

By Seth Eggert, Staff Writer  Just one week after a record-setting finish, the NASCAR Xfinity Series is back in action at Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Rinnai 250. Cup drivers, debuts, series regulars looking to rebound, and stage racing are just some of the storylines heading into the second race of the season. Coverage for the Rinnai 250 is scheduled to start Saturday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. ET. Atlanta has hosted the second race of the season since the 2015 season. In 26 races at the 1.54-mile D-Shaped Oval, 18Read More

By Seth Eggert, Staff Writer  Joe Gibbs Racing is beginning to complete their Xfinity Series drivers’ lineup as they add Kyle Benjamin to the fold. Benjamin will drive the JGR No. 18 Toyota Camry at Atlanta Motor Speedway on February 24, and Iowa Speedway on July 28. At Atlanta, he will carry the PEAK Antifreeze & Coolant sponsorship. Benjamin competed in five races last year for JGR. He qualified an impressive second in his debut at Richmond Raceway. Benjamin went on to score two pole positions at Pocono Raceway andRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service HAMPTON, Ga. – It took Kyle Busch 13 years to get his first NASCAR XFINITY Series victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway. It took him one more year to get the second. The pole winner at Atlanta for the sixth time, Busch pulled away after a restart on Lap 148 of 163 and beat Brad Keselowski to the finish line by .605 seconds to score his second straight victory at the 1.54-mile track in Saturday’s Rinnai 250. “It took so long to get here toRead More