Texas
Parker Kligerman was fast in practice Saturday at Texas Motor Speedway. He took the P4 practice laps into qualifying where he put the car in P7 to start the race.
After running in the top 10 most of the day, Kligerman finished P2 behind race winner John Hunter Nemecheck, his second runner up finish this season.
“Ahh, I wanted it,” Kligerman said. “I want it bad. I can see it, feel it. Just, this one stings.”
The Spiked Light Coolers #48 has eight top-five and 15 top-10 finishes for the season and picked up points in the championship race. Parker has a shot to advance to the ‘Round of 8’ sitting just one point behind Daniel Hemric.
We take a weekend off, then the Playoffs resume in Charlotte on the ROVAL Saturday October 7 at 3:00 p.m. eastern for the Drive for the Cure 250 presented by BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina. Watch it on NBC and the NBC Sports App. Hear it on Sirius XM Channel 90 and PRN. For the station near you, click here.
NASCAR Xfinity Series Race – Andy’s Frozen Custard 300
Texas Motor Speedway
Fort Worth, Texas
Saturday, September 23, 2023
(11) John Hunter Nemechek (P), Toyota, 200.
(7) Parker Kligerman (P), Chevrolet, 200.
(15) Sammy Smith # (P), Toyota, 200.
(9) Chandler Smith # (P), Chevrolet, 200.
(1) Justin Allgaier (P), Chevrolet, 200.
(3) Cole Custer (P), Ford, 200.
(5) Austin Hill (P), Chevrolet, 200.
(24) Sheldon Creed (P), Chevrolet, 200.
(8) Brandon Jones, Chevrolet, 200.
(22) Brett Moffitt, Ford, 200.
(17) Ryan Sieg, Ford, 200.
(19) Kyle Sieg, Ford, 200.
(30) Ryan Ellis, Chevrolet, 200.
(33) Anthony Alfredo, Chevrolet, 200.
(12) Kyle Weatherman, Chevrolet, 200.
(36) Parker Chase, Toyota, 199.
(26) Daniel Dye(i), Chevrolet, 199.
(14) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 199.
(38) Layne Riggs, Chevrolet, 198.
(23) Josh Williams, Chevrolet, 198.
(25) Dawson Cram, Chevrolet, 198.
(32) David Starr, Chevrolet, 197.
(20) Sage Karam, Ford, 197.
(13) Daniel Hemric (P), Chevrolet, Accident, 195.
(37) CJ McLaughlin, Ford, 195.
(27) Joey Gase, Toyota, 194.
(4) Josh Berry (P), Chevrolet, 193.
(31) JJ Yeley, Ford, Accident, 183.
(16) Kaz Grala, Toyota, Accident, 183.
(18) Parker Retzlaff #, Chevrolet, Accident, 108.
(28) Jeb Burton (P), Chevrolet, Suspension, 108.
(34) Jeffrey Earnhardt, Chevrolet, Accident, 106.
(2) Trevor Bayne (P), Toyota, Accident, 97.
(21) Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, Accident, 55.
(29) Patrick Emerling, Chevrolet, Suspension, 24.
(35) Joe Graf Jr., Ford, DVP, 11.
(10) Riley Herbst, Ford, Accident, 2.
(6) Sam Mayer (P), Chevrolet, Accident, 0.
Overview
Event: Andy’s Frozen Custard 300
Date: Saturday September 23, 2023
Time: 3:30 p.m. eastern
Location: Texas Motor Speedway, 3545 Lone Star Circle, Fort Worth, Texas 76177
Layout: 1.5 mile quad oval with banked 20° in turns 1 and 2 and banked 24° in turns 3 and 4. The front straightaway juts outward slightly.
Laps: 200
Miles: 300
Stage Lengths: Stage 1 ends on Lap 45, Stage 2 ends on Lap 90, Final Stage ends on Lap 200
TV: USA Network and the NBC Sports App
Radio: Sirius XM Channel 90 and PRN. For the station near you click here.
Driver Points: 2012, ranked # 11 with seven top 5 finishes and fourteen top 10 finishes this season.
News and notes: "At Texas you have to favor turns one and two,” says Parker Kligerman. “That’s where you make or lose the most time. Because it’s so flat, it is hard to get the car to turn. And then from that point you go to turns 3 and 4 and you have to just hang on. I actually mentally tell myself to prepare that the car will wiggle. Let it move around. Let it have room to dance because it’s going to do that all day, every single lap. You’re just going to have to be comfortable being uncomfortable. And that is just the way this place is. But hey that’s why we’re race car drivers…"
Xfinity Series Playoffs continue in the Lone Star State
The NASCAR Xfinity Series kicked off the 2023 Playoffs last weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway, and the opening race saw Justin Allgaier take the checkered flag. With the win, Allgaier clinched his spot in the Playoffs’ Round of 8, which will start at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on October 14.
Although Texas Motor Speedway has been on the Xfinity Series Playoff circuit since its inception in 2016, this will be the first time the track will play host to the second race of the postseason. Texas has occupied four different spots on the Playoff schedule. Prior to this season Texas Motor Speedway hosted the fourth race in the Playoffs (or the Round of 8 opener) from 2016 – 2020, and then the third race of the Playoffs in 2021 and the postseason opener in 2022.
In total, the 1.5-mile Texas track has hosted 44 Xfinity Series races, producing 24 different race winners and 26 different pole winners. Six races have been won from the pole or first starting position, most recently by Ryan Blaney in 2016.
Kyle Busch has made quite the name for himself at Texas Motor Speedway, holding the record in almost all categories in the NASCAR Xfinity Series – most wins (10), poles (four), top fives (17), top 10s (18), lead lap finishes (20), and laps led (1,795).
There are only two previous winners entered in this weekend’s Andy’s Frozen Custard 300, and both happen to be Playoff drivers – Cole Custer, who snagged his win in 2018, and John Hunter Nemechek, who took the checkered flag in 2021.
Xfinity Series drivers will have an action-packed Saturday as they hit the track for practice at 10:35 a.m. ET, followed by qualifying at 11:05 a.m. ET on September 23 (streamed on the NBC Sports App).
Clinch Scenarios: The Playoff run continues
Justin Allgaier clinched his spot in the Round of 8 with his win at Bristol Motor Speedway last weekend, leaving 11 drivers competing for the seven remaining spots. Let’s take a look at clinch scenarios heading into the weekend:
Already Clinched
The following driver has clinched a spot in the 8-driver field of the next round: Justin Allgaier.
Can Clinch Via Points
If there is a repeat winner or a win by a driver who cannot advance to the next round, the following drivers could clinch by being 56 points above the 7th winless driver in the standings. The same point requirements listed below would hold true if a new win comes from among John Hunter Nemechek, Cole Custer, Austin Hill, Chandler Smith, Daniel Hemric or Sammy Smith.
John Hunter Nemechek: Would clinch with 45 points (46 points if Austin Hill or Chandler Smith wins; 47 points if Daniel Hemric; 49 points if Sammy Smith wins)
Cole Custer: Could only clinch with help
Austin Hill: Could only clinch with help
Chandler Smith: Could only clinch with help
Daniel Hemric: Could only clinch with help
Sammy Smith: Could only clinch with help
If there is a new winner from Sheldon Creed or another winless driver lower in the standings but still eligible to advance to the next round, the following drivers could clinch by being 56 points above the 6th winless driver in the standings.
John Hunter Nemechek: Would clinch with 49 points
Cole Custer: Could only clinch with help
Austin Hill: Could only clinch with help
Chandler Smith: Could only clinch with help
Daniel Hemric: Could only clinch with help
Can Clinch Via Win
The following drivers would clinch on their win alone: John Hunter Nemechek, Cole Custer, Austin Hill, Chandler Smith, Daniel Hemric, Sammy Smith, Sheldon Creed, Jeb Burton, Sam Mayer, Parker Kligerman, Josh Berry
Scouting the Playoff field at Texas
The NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers range in experience at Texas Motor Speedway, from veterans to rookies, so let’s take a look at how they’ve performed on the 1.5-mile track.
Justin Allgaier: Already clinched into the Round of 8, Allgaier heads to Texas with 25 starts under his belt. In those 25 starts, he’s posted five top fives, 13 top 10s, and has led 226 laps. His best finish was runner-up in 2021.
John Hunter Nemechek: Currently sitting in second in the Playoff standings, Nemechek heads into the weekend with five Texas Motor Speedway starts, posting one win (2021), three top fives, four top 10s, and has led 158 laps.
Cole Custer: Third in the Playoff standings, Custer has made six starts at the 1.5-mile Texas track, posting one win (2018), four top fives, five top 10s, and has led a total of 16 laps.
Austin Hill: Heading to Texas fourth in the standings, Hill will be making his fifth start on the track. In his four previous starts, he’s posted two top fives, two top 10s, and has led 17 laps. The 29-year-old will be sure to push for the win as he posted a runner-up finish in last year’s Texas Playoff race.
Chandler Smith: In his rookie season in the Xfinity Series, Smith sits in fifth in the Playoff standings. He will be making his series debut at Texas Motor Speedway this weekend.
Daniel Hemric: The 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion, Hemric, heads into the weekend sixth in the Playoff standings. He’s made eight starts at Texas Motor Speedway, posting three top fives, four top 10s, and has led 161 laps. In 2021, he posted a runner-up finish at the track.
Sammy Smith: The 19-year-old rookie currently sits in seventh in the Playoff standings. He will be making his series debut at the 1.5-mile Texas track this weekend.
Sheldon Creed: Currently eighth in the Playoff standings, Creed heads to the lone star state with two starts under his belt, posting one top 10 finish.
Jeb Burton: He heads to Texas ninth in the overall standings. He’s made 10 starts at Texas Motor Speedway, posting one to five, three top 10s, and has led 12 laps.
Sam Mayer: In his second Xfinity Series Playoff appearance, Mayer sits in 10th in the Playoff standings. In his three starts at the track, he’s posed one top-five and two top-10 finishes.
Parker Kligerman: In the 11th Playoff spot, Kligerman heads back to Fort Worth, Texas after a 10-year hiatus. He’s made three starts at the track, most recently in 2013 where he posted a 12th-place and 13th-place finish, respectively.
Josh Berry: In the final Playoff spot, Berry heads to Texas Motor Speedway with three starts on his resume, posting two top 10s and having led 46 laps.
Layne Riggs to make Xfinity Series debut at Texas . The 21-year-old will get behind the wheel of the No. 11 Chevrolet for his debut in the series. Although this will be his first stint in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, he has made a total of six starts in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, posting one top five and two top 10s.