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1982 was the inaugural season for what would become the NASCAR XFINITY Series.
NASCAR introduced this category to prepare drivers and teams to advance to the organization’s premier class -
the NASCAR Cup Series - currently called the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.
This division has evolved over time with changes made to the rules governing the cars and race formats.
Cars currently eligible to compete in the series include the Ford Mustang GT, Dodge Challenger R/T, Chevrolet Camaro SS, Toyota Camry and Toyota Supra. The vehicles utilize a tube frame chassis with a wheelbase of 110-inches and must not weigh less than 3,400-pounds with the driver. Engines are limited to 358-cubic inch pushrod V8. The naturally aspirated motor is equipped with a four-barrel carburetor which will produce 650-700-horsepower. The 2019 race season begins in February at Daytona International Speedway and ends at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November. There are twenty-two races conducted during the NASCAR XFINITY Series regular season. In 2016, the championship adopted the playoff format used by the NASCAR Cup Series. In the first twenty-two races, drivers who finish in the top twelve of the standings will compete in rounds twenty-three to twenty-nine. The eight highest finishing drivers will move on to the second round of the playoffs. Races thirty to thirty-two will determine the final four competitors advancing to the championship event for the NASCAR XFINITY title. Round twenty-one of the thirty-three 2019 NASCAR XFINITY Series was held at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. This was the championship’s seventh visit to the thirteen-turn 2.258-mile road course. The race would be conducted in stages – Stage 1: 20-laps, Stage 2: 20-laps and Stage 3: 35-laps. The B&L Transport 170 at Mid-Ohio attracted thirty-six competitors.
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The first lap into the ‘Esses’ and leading the field is the pole-sitter, Austin Cindric driving the No. 22 Ford Mustang. Behind Cindric is the Toyota Supra of the other front row starter, Jack Hawksworth. Trailing Hawksworth is another Toyota driven by Christopher Bell. Next in line is the No. 00 Ford Mustang of Cole Custer. Battling for the fifth position is the Mustang of Chase Briscoe and A.J. Allmendinger in a Chevrolet Camaro. |
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Austin Cindric has been labeled as ‘road course ringer’ based on his previous experience competing in the Continental Sportcar Championship and the Pirelli World Challenge Series. And, Cindric lived up to that billing. During the last round, on the road course, at Watkins Glen International, he captured his first victory of the season. In a repeat performance at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Cindric earned his second win of the year. |
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Finishing second at the Mid-Ohio was Christopher Bell in the No. 20 Rheem sponsored Toyota Supra. The previous weekend at Watkins Glen International, he also recorded a runner-up result. Bell made it to the second round of qualifying at Mid-Ohio where he was third quickest. He chased Cindric for much of the contest. His performance allowed him to close the points gap on the championship leader, Tyler Riddick, to within 28-markers. |
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The visit to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course provided some redemption for A.J. Allmendinger and the Kaulig Racing team. At Watkins Glen International, Allmendinger was second at the checkered flag, but during the post-race technical inspection, NASCAR Officials discovered that the rear of the Chevrolet Camaro was too low – resulting in disqualification. He would start the B&L Transport 170 in sixth place and finish third. |
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Tyler Reddick, the championship points leader, entered round twenty-one at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course with three victories – Talladega Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway and Michigan International Speedway. The wins along with his consistency put him at the top of the title chase. At Mid-Ohio, Reddick advanced to the final round of qualifying where he was tenth quickest. Reddick was fourth at the end of 75-laps. |
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An incident at the ‘Keyhole’ on lap-38 resulted in damage to the Chevrolet Camaros of Justin Allgaier, Aaron Quine and Noah Gragson. This incident would contribute to Quine’s retirement, but Allgaier and Gragson in the No. 9 Cessna / Beachcraft Chevrolet were able to continue. Gragson who qualified seventh did not lose too many positions as the result of the accident and bounced back for a fifth-place finish. |
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Jeffrey Earnhardt backed out of his contract with iK9 after competing in five NASCAR XFINITY Series races. Filling the seat vacated by Earnhardt in the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Supra was road racer, Jack Hawksworth. The former IndyCar driver won the GTD category in the IMSA race at Mid-Ohio in May. In qualifying, Hawksworth was second quickest and won the race’s second stage. He would finish fifteenth. |
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The winner of last year’s NASCAR XFINITY Series event at the Mid-Ohio was Justin Allgaier. This year, he has yet to visit victory circle. Allgaier returned to the 2019 season campaigning a Chevrolet Camaro out of the JR Motorsports stable. He was another of the contenders to secure a spot in the final knock-out qualifying session. Allgaier started eighth and despite an incident with his teammate, Noah Gragson, he finished sixth. |
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Chase Briscoe’s team decided to skip the first round of pit-stops. This strategy paid off as Briscoe won Stage 1 and collected a valuable Playoff point. Racing the No. 98 Ford Performance sponsored Ford Mustang, he started the 170-mile contest in the fifth position. Early in the event, Briscoe maintained pace with the leaders. In the final stage, he led three laps but would fall to a seventh place finish. |
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The driver of the No. 00 Stewart Haas Racing Ford Mustang, Cole Custer finished second in last season’s NASCAR XFINITY championship. Entering Mid-Ohio, Custer was third in the title chase and shared this season’s highest number of wins to date, at five, with Christopher Bell. Custer was gridded fourth for the start but suffered damage when he was rear-ended by Chris Dyson on the lap-33 restart. Despite the contact, Custer finished eighth. |
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| FINISH | START | DRIVER | SPONSOR / CAR | LAPS | RETIREMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Austin Cindric | PPG / Ford Mustang | 75 | - |
| 2 | 3 | Christopher Bell | Rheem / Toyota Supra | 75 | - |
| 3 | 6 | A.J. Allmendinger | Leaf Filter Gutter Protection / Chevrolet Camaro | 75 | - |
| 4 | 10 | Tyler Reddick | Nationwide Children's Hospital / Chevrolet Camaro | 75 | - |
| 5 | 7 | Noah Gragson | Cessna / Chevrolet Camaro | 75 | - |
| 6 | 8 | Justin Allgaier | Brandt Professional Agriculture / Chevrolet Camaro | 75 | - |
| 7 | 5 | Chase Briscoe | Ford Performance / Ford Mustang | 75 | - |
| 8 | 4 | Cole Custer | Haas Automation / Ford Mustang | 75 | - |
| 9 | 13 | Justin Haley | Leaf Filter Gutter Protection / Chevrolet Camaro | 75 | - |
| 10 | 9 | Brandon Jones | Menards / Toyota Supra | 75 | - |
| 11 | 11 | Jeremy Clements | RepairableVehicles.com / Chevrolet Camaro | 75 | - |
| 12 | 22 | Will Rodgers | Kelly Benefit Strategies / Chevrolet Camaro | 75 | - |
| 13 | 21 | Michael Annett | TMC Transportation / Chevrolet Camaro | 75 | - |
| 14 | 16 | Gray Gaulding | SS Green Light Racing / Chevrolet Camaro | 75 | - |
| 15 | 2 | Jack Hawksworth | iK9 / Toyota Supra | 75 | - |
| 16 | 14 | Ryan Sieg | Midstate / Chevrolet Camaro | 75 | - |
| 17 | 20 | Josh Bilicki | RSS Racing / Chevrolet Camaro | 75 | - |
| 18 | 18 | Tommy Joe Martins | Gusset.com / Toyota Supra | 75 | - |
| 19 | 26 | Ray Black, Jr | Suba Life / Chevrolet Camaro | 75 | - |
| 20 | 28 | Garrett Smithley | JD Motorsports / Chevrolet Camaro | 75 | - |
| 21 | 12 | Regan Smith | Fire Alarm Services / Chevrolet Camaro | 75 | - |
| 22 | 23 | Josh Williams | Star Brite/Sleep Well / Chevrolet Camaro | 75 | - |
| 23 | 37 | Patrick Gallagher | B.J. McLeod Motorsports / Chevrolet Camaro | 74 | - |
| 24 | 32 | Brandon Brown | Vero True Social / Chevrolet Camaro | 74 | - |
| 25 | 35 | Vinnie Miller | B.J. McLeod Motorsports / Chevrolet Camaro | 74 | - |
| 26 | 33 | B.J. McLeod | JD Motorsports / Chevrolet Camaro | 73 | - |
| 27 | 25 | Timmy Hill | Motorsports Business Management / Toyota Camry | 65 | - |
| 28 | 19 | Lawson Aschenbach | GoPro Motorplex / Chevrolet Camaro | 63 | Accident |
| 29 | 17 | Scott Heckert | Pit Viper Sunglasses / Chevrolet Camaro | 57 | Accident |
| 30 | 31 | Aaron Quine | Mike Harmon Racing / Chevrolet Camaro | 42 | Accident |
| 31 | 15 | John Hunter Nemechek | Chevy Accessories / Chevrolet Camaro | 41 | Accident |
| 32 | 24 | Stephen Leicht | JD Motorsports / Chevrolet Camaro | 36 | Accident |
| 33 | 29 | David Starr | Means Motorsports / Chevrolet Camaro | 36 | Accident |
| 34 | 27 | Chris Dyson | Thedford / Chevrolet Camaro | 31 | Accident |
| 35 | 34 | Chad Finchum | MBM Motorsports / Toyota Camry | 13 | Brakes |
| 36 | 30 | Joey Gase | MBM Motorsports / Toyota Camry | 8 | Oil Line |
| 37 | 36 | J.J. Yeley | RSS Racing / Chevrolet Camaro | 2 | Brakes |
| 38 | 38 | Max Tullman | Means Motorsports / Chevrolet Camaro | 2 | Fuel Pressure |
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