The Hisense 4K 300 at Charoltte Motor Speedway is set to start at 2:30 pm E.T. on FS1. The competitors will turn a total of 200 laps around the 1.5 mile oval. Sprint Cup Series mainstay Austin Dillon led 61 laps and won this event a year ago. The #2 Rheem chevrolet has posted fast practice times in the first two rounds. Considering he swept the races here last year he has to be a favorite to capture the checkered flag again on Saturday.
The juggernaut called Joe Gibbs Racing continues to hammer out talent in NASCAR and its newest addition, Erik Jones, hasn’t disappointed . With 10 full starts this season, the youngster has two victories at Bristol International Raceway and Dover. The #20 Game Stop Toyota has collected two Dash 4 Cash wins totaling $200,000 of bonus money and six top fives. Because of the 19 year old’s efforts, he is virtually locked into the NASCAR Xfinity Series Chase due to his multiple wins. Jones will start from the pole for the Hisense 4K 300.
There are just three points separating Daniel Suarez’ from the Xfinity Series standings lead. Suárez is over-due for his first win. The #19 ARRIS Toyota has posted four top fives and nine top 10’s. The Joe Gibbs Racing’s speedster has an average finish of 6.6 is tied with points leader Elliott Sadler for the best among series title contenders. At Dover, Suárez started fourth and raced his way up to second before fading in the latter stages of the race and ultimately finishing ninth.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s JR Motorsports veteran driver Elliott Sadler, has plenty of momentum heading into the Hisense 4k 300. With Ten races completed the Xfinity Series season, Sadler sits three points ahead of second place driver Daniel Suárez. The 41 year-old veteran continues to impress in 2016. He has one win at Talladega Super Speedway and four top fives with nine top 10’s. I expect Sadler will be in the running for the lead when the Hisense 4K 300 reaches its conclusion.
Ty Dillon will be starting in the 10th position and will look to improve on his sixth place finish here in the fall race. The #3 Baas Pro Shops Chevrolet owned by his grandpa Richard Childress was the fastest of the field in the final practice round on Friday. today is a chance for the grandson to honor his grandpa with a win after he just got inducted into the Hall of Fame.
“I think at first, I called him probably five minutes after I found out — I’m sure he was getting all kinds of calls — it seemed like it hadn’t set in for him yet,” Dillon said of his first communication with his grandfather after learning Childress had made the Hall of Fame. “He’s a hard worker so he’s always thinking about what’s going on next. I saw him this morning (at an appearance at Bass Pro Shops). First thing I did was just give him a big hug because I was proud of him. He’s very happy today and excited, and it’s well-deserved.”
The #42 ENEOS Chevrolet driven by Kyle Larson will start in the fifth position. Larson was impressive here last weekend in the Sprint Cup All-Star race and has been building momentum as the Xfinity season progresses. The competitor raced his way to top ten speeds in both practices and will be a factor throughout the contest.
Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano both qualified inside the top ten for the Hisense 4K 300 on Saturday. Both Sprint Cup drivers are pulling double duty this weekend and hope that valuable information can be obtained for the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday. This will be Hamlin’s first Xfinity start of the race. The 2016 Daytona 500 winner has shown speed with the seventh quickest practice time and has to be considered a favorite Saturday.
Joey Logano will once again be racing his way to the front in his #22 Discount Tire Ford. The one thing that Joey Logano knows how to do is get around the 1.5 oval in a hurry. He won the Coca-Cola 600 back in 2015 and won the All-Star race a week ago. He was 11th fastest in the final practice but should be there in the deciding moments of the event.
Xfinity Points Leaders Heading into the Hisense 4K 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway:
1Elliott Sadler1 Chevrole t3492
Daniel Suarez Toyota 3463
Ty Dillon Chevrolet 3194
Justin Allgaier Chevrolet 3175
Erik Jones Toyota 3096
Brendan Gaughan Chevrolet 3057
Brandon Jones Ford 2908
Brennan Poole Chevrolet 2829
Darrell Wallace Jr.Ford 26810
Ryan Reed Ford 24411
Jeb Burton Ford 23012
Ryan Seig Chevrolet 2231
3Blake Koch Toyota 21314
Jeremy Clements Chevrolet 20515
Ross Chastain Chevrolet 20516
Dakoda Armstrong Toyota 18817
J.J. Yeley Toyota 16118
Ryan Preece Chevrolet 16119
Garrett Smithley Ford 15920
Ray Black Jr. Chevrolet1 4521
BJ McLeod Ford 13122
David Starr Toyota 11223
Joey Gase Chevrolet 11224
Justin Marks Cheverolet 9225
Mario Gosselin Chevrolet 9226
Corey Lajoie Ford 6327
Derrike Cope Chevrolet 6228
Harrison Rhodes Ford 6129
Mike Harmon Chevrolet 6030
Ryan Ellis Chevrolet 4531
Alex Bowman Chevrolet 39
