From The Trussville Tribune staff reports
NASCAR’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS), NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series and the ARCA Menards Series took on Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, while the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) was at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa, this past weekend. Below is a recap of the events.
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
- In an event that went into overtime, Denny Hamlin conserved just enough fuel to drive to the checkered flag, leading a 1-2-3 finish for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) and posting his third Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) victory of the season on Sunday at Pocono.
- Teammate Erik Jones crossed the line second, .341 seconds behind, with JGR’s Martin Truex Jr. in third.
- The rest of the top 10 included: William Byron, Kyle Larson, Kevin Harvick, Daniel Hemric, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch (Stage 1 winner) and Ryan Blaney.
- Hamlin, along with Truex, Harvick, Keselowski, Busch, Joey Logano, Kurt Busch, Alex Bowman and Chase Elliott have clinched spots in the MENCS Playoffs with wins this season.
- Talladega Superspeedway’s second MENCS race of 2019 is set for Sunday, Oct. 13, with the running of the 1000Bulbs.com 500, and will be the second race in the Round of 12 of the playoffs.
NASCAR Xfinity Series
- Chase Briscoe made his first trip to victory lane this season (second overall) in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) event at Iowa Speedway, ending Christopher Bell’s two-race win streak at the 7/8-mile track.
- Bell led a dominant 234 out of 250 laps and won the first two stages, but crossed the line second, 1.069 seconds behind Briscoe.
- John Hunter Nemechek, Noah Gragson and Tyler Reddick rounded out the top five.
- With wins this season, Briscoe, Bell, Reddick, Cole Custer and Michael Annett have secured spots in the NXS Playoffs.
NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series
- After a dominating performance, Ross Chastain soared to his third victory of the season on Saturday in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series race at Pocono.
- Chastain (led 54 of 60 laps) held off runner-up Tyler Ankrum by 1.007 seconds at the line.
- Harrison Burton, Christian Eckes and Brett Moffitt completed the top five.
- Fairhope, Alabama’s Grant Enfinger wound up 10th and still sits atop the point standings (winless this season). Chastain, Ankrum, Moffitt, Austin Hill and Johnny Sauter are locked in the Gander Trucks season-ending playoffs with victories this season. Two races remain in the regular season and Burton (fifth in the standings) trails Stewart Friesen by 13 points for the final playoff spot.
- The Gander Truck Series visits Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday, Oct. 12, with the running of the Sugarlands Shine 250, the first race in the Round of 6 of NASCAR’s Playoffs for the series.
ARCA Menards Series
- Christian Eckes scored his second ARCA Menards Series win of the season on Friday at Pocono (fifth overall) and moved to second in the series standings (-90), closing the gap on leader and teammate Michael Self.
- General Tire Pole Award winner Todd Gilliland, who led a race-high 31 laps of the 60-lap event, finished runner-up, 13.027 seconds behind Eckes. Gilliland (Talladega Superspeedway’s 2019 General Tire 200 victor) lost the lead after being penalized for a blend line violation after his only pit stop of the day.
- Bret Holmes (Munford, Ala.) finished seventh and moved to third in the point standings, 110 points from the leader.
