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Kyle Larson wins at Texas for first spot in NASCAR's championship four
Kyle Larson was willing to play it smart in the closing laps at Texas. He also had a fast car that stayed in front through all of the restarts to secure the first of the four championship-contending spots in NASCAR's season finale. Larson led 256 of 334 laps at the 1 1/2-mile track and got his eighth win this season. He led the final 218 laps, staying in front through seven restarts in the final stage that included three late after incidents involving playoff contenders Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. The seven remaining playoff contenders leave Texas with two more chances to get into the championship four, with Kansas and Martinsville left before the finale. Texas had always been the eighth of the final 10 races, and the middle race of the third and final elimination round, before this season.
John Hunter Nemechek's Xfinity win in Texas leaves final four spots open
All four spots in the championship round of the NASCAR Xfinity Series are still up for grabs after non-playoff qualifier ohn Hunter Nemechek overcame a late penalty Saturday to win at Texas Motor Speedway. Nemechek won the first of three races in the round of eight, leaving the eight playoff drivers with two more races in the semifinals, at Kansas and Martinsville, to qualify for the championship finale in Phoenix. Daniel Hemricled seven of the eight playoff qualifiers across the finish line next, taking second in the 117th race of his career without a victory.
Ty Gibbs pulls upset in Kansas, leaving NASCAR Xfinity championship race wide open
Gibbs, 19, passed reigning champion Cindric with 10 laps remaining at Kansas Speedway and cruised to yet another victory in his part-time Joe Gibbs Racing ride. He needed only to start the ARCA Series race later Saturday to clinch that championship.
Ben Rhodes captures first NASCAR Truck Series championship; Chandler Smith wins finale
Ben Rhodes finished third at Phoenix Raceway behind race winner Chandler Smith and Stewart Friesen. But he was the first championship contender to cross the finish line and claimed his first NASCAR championship.Chandler won for ThorSport Racing, a Truck Series team since 1996 based in Ohio. The team this year returned to Toyota, which claimed the first of three national series championships being awarded this weekend at Phoenix.
NASCAR to bring back practice, qualifying in 2022
NASCAR will return practice and qualifying to its weekend schedule for all three national series in 2022 after the on-track activity had been mostly scrapped the past two seasons amid the coronavirus pandemic. NASCAR traditionally hosted three-day weekends for its races but dropped all qualifying and practice when competition resumed in May 2020 after a 10-week shutdown due to the pandemic. Some practice sessions returned this year, and championship weekend this month at Phoenix was the closest yet to a pre-pandemic schedule. NASCAR will use a knockout-style format for qualifying in 2022 that will vary depending on both track type and series. The Cup field will be split into two groups for most races and participate in a two-hour practice and qualifying event.