'Dinger Rolls the ROVAL™

(CONCORD, NC – SEP 28, 2019 – RIS) AJ Allmendinger overcame disappointments earlier in the season to take his third career Xfinity Series race, the second Xfinity race on Charlotte's ROVAL™ and his first win for the 2019 season.

In Victory Lane following the race, Allmendinger commented: "Whew....I'm out of breath. I can't thank Matt Kaulig (team owner) enough. He's believed in me. He wanted me to come here and try and help build this team.

"The last few years have been rough. I just wanted to win so bad for these guys. We have been so close. I really got to thank Tyler Reddick. He told me when I got here I needed to help him on the road courses. I knew with him behind me, I could keep someone on the right side of me and Tyler wouldn't shove it down in there. I appreciate that. I was just trying to change up the restarts every time, and you can only do so much. Once we got out in clean air this thing was good."

He added comments about the track: "But this track is so fun. It takes me back to my Champ Car days. It's a street course that if you make a mistake it can have consequences.

"It was so important to get out front. I started using my tires up and I kind of had to dictate my own pace. So I had to be very aggressive on Christopher (then leader Bell) to get around him. I felt like once I got around him I could dictate my own pace and see what kind of speed we had. The last how-ever-many restarts, I just tried to change it up enough. I knew I needed about a half-car going into Turn 1. For me, all I can do is go out there and drive the wheels off of it."

Winning crew chief Chris Rice agreed with AJ's opinion of the Kaulig Racing team: "We have a great team. Our engineer spent a lot of time on the ROVAL set up. It has just paid off. A.J. Allmendinger has made Kaulig Racing so much better along with Justin Haley and Ross Chastain and Elliott Sadler. I just can't thank them enough. 

"We hated that the 11 (team car Justin Haley) had trouble early and we had our spirits dampened for about half the race," said team owner Matt Kaulig. "But when the 10 car (Allmendinger) was up in front, A.J. was the fastest guy on the track. We are really proud of A.J., Chris Rice (crew chief) and this whole team. We have been through a lot this year. And to have two trophies now, we couldn't be more excited. We definitely have more plans with A.J. He can help us in many areas. We just signed him to all our road courses and some speedway races until he doesn't want to do it anymore. All we ask for is a chance. You just want to be in a position to win at the end."

Second place driver Tyler Reddick made an early error in the No. 2 Emerson Chevrolet "A lot happened (at the beginning of the race), for sure. Just made a mistake there. We've been getting better on these road courses and the cars have been really fast for me. But still, I lack the knowledge I need to keep myself on the safe side at the beginning of the race. Just an inexperienced move, not keeping om top pf thee brake bias there for a little bit warmer temperature and everything else that was going on. Looking back, I definitely know what to do going into the race to be a little bit on the safe side, but I just didn't want to flat-spot the front tires. I thought I had a pretty happy spot with the brake bias, so I hate to see that, but we still had a really good day, a good rebound."

Austin Cindric took third place in his No. 22 MoneyLion Ford Mustang, in spite of late race handling woes:"Yeah, the right-rear shock's gone. Totally missing, gone, just not there. I was probably the most aggressive on the curbs today. We had a pretty decent MoneyLion Ford.

 “I wish I had a chance to fight the 10 there at the end, but under caution I felt a shock mount break.  The right-rear shock was clean off the race car before I even restarted the race, so I’m glad I didn’t wreck and I’m glad I finished third.  I guess all of that is positive, but at the same time I felt like we had a good shot, especially if the thing would have gone green and try to pressure him into a mistake or getting a good lunge, but, all in all, a great points day, a great day for the MoneyLion Ford Mustang.  We’ve got to keep it going this way.”

Stefan Parsons got an unexpected bonus in the race when Cody Ware decided to exit the car with the effects of the hot day. Parsons ran to his truck, tossed on his firesuit and helmet and during a caution, replaced Ware in the No. 99 Camaro. "It wasn't the way I'd planned my day, Parsons smiled, "but everything worked out. We caught a Lucky Dog and finished 24th."

Unofficial Results: 38th Annual Drive for the Cure 250 presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina - September 28, 2019

Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course - Concord, NC - 2.32 - Mile Paved

Fin, Str, Driver, Car, Laps, St1, St2, Tms Led, Laps Led, Playoff Pts, Pts, Status
1) 5, A J Allmendinger, No. 10 Digital Ally Chevrolet, 67, , , 1, 20, 5, 40, Running
2) 2, Tyler Reddick (P), No. 2 Emerson Chevrolet, 67, , 3, 1, 1, , 43, Running
3) 3, Austin Cindric (P), No. 22 MoneyLion Ford, 67, 2, 9, 1, 1, , 45, Running
4) 7, Justin Allgaier (P), No. 7 ARMOUR Vienna Sausages Chevrolet, 67, 3, 4, , , , 48, Running
5) 12, Noah Gragson # (P), No. 9 Suave Men Chevrolet, 67, 9, 5, , , , 40, Running
6) 6, Alex Labbe, No. 90 Larue/Hotel Le Concord Chevrolet, 67, 4, 7, , , , 42, Running
7) 14, John H. Nemechek # (P), No. 23 Fire Alarm Services Inc. Chevrolet, 67, 6, , , , , 35, Running
8) 4, Cole Custer (P), No. 00 Autodesk Fusion 360 Ford, 67, 10, 1, 2, 5, 1, 40, Running
9) 1, Chase Briscoe # (P), No. 98 Ford Performance Ford, 67, 1, 2, 1, 21, 1, 47, Running
10) 13, Ryan Truex, No. 8 Marquis Chevrolet, 67, 7, , , , , 31, Running
11) 8, Jeremy Clements, No. 51 Travers Tool Chevrolet, 67, 5, 10, , , , 33, Running
12) 11, Christopher Bell (P), No. 20 Rheem - Gemaire Toyota, 67, , 8, 2, 19, , 28, Running
13) 22, Harrison Burton(i), No. 18 DEX Imaging Toyota, 67, , , , , , 0, Running
14) 19, Lawson Aschenbach, No. 0 teamjdmotorsports.com Chevrolet, 67, , , , , , 23, Running
15) 23, Michael Annett (P), No. 1 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet, 67, , , , , , 22, Running
16) 15, Brandon Jones (P), No. 19 Juniper Toyota, 67, 8, 6, , , , 29, Running
17) 35, Brandon Brown #, No. 68 Mid Atlantic Wrecker Services Chevrolet, 67, , , , , , 20, Running
18) 21, Timmy Hill, No. 66 LeithCars.com Toyota, 67, , , , , , 19, Running
19) 26, Stephen Leicht, No. 01 teamjdmotorsports.com Chevrolet, 67, , , , , , 18, Running
20) 20, Josh Williams, No. 36 Circle Track Warehouse Chevrolet, 67, , , , , , 17, Running
21) 33, Joey Gase, No. 35 Agri Supply Toyota, 67, , , , , , 16, Running
22) 30, Joe Nemechek(i), No. 74  Chevrolet, 67, , , , , , 0, Running
23) 34, BJ McLeod, No. 15 teamjdmotorsports.com Chevrolet, 67, , , , , , 14, Running
24) 32, Cody Ware, No. 99  Chevrolet, 67, , , , , , 13, Running
25) 36, Vinnie Miller, No. 5 Pit Viper Sunglasses Chevrolet, 67, , , , , , 12, Running
26) 28, Josh Bilicki, No. 93 Insurance King Chevrolet, 67, , , , , , 11, Running
27) 16, Preston Pardus, No. 43 Chincor Electric Inc. Chevrolet, 67, , , , , , 10, Running
28) 10, Will Rodgers, No. 86 Kelly Benefit Strategies Chevrolet, 67, , , , , , 9, Running
29) 17, Gray Gaulding, No. 08  Chevrolet, 67, , , , , , 8, Running
30) 25, Ryan Sieg (P), No. 39 Night Owl Contractors Chevrolet, 65, , , , , , 7, Running
31) 9, Justin Haley # (P), No. 11 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet, 61, , , , , , 6, Running
32) 24, Ray Black II, No. 07 ISOKERNFireplaces&Chimneys/ScubaLife Chev, 60, , , , , , 5, Accident
33) 27, Garrett Smithley, No. 4 Contec Chevrolet, 54, , , , , , 4, Transmission
34) 31, David Starr, No. 52 DrownOutCancer/CircleTrackWarehouse Chev, 28, , , , , , 3, Running
35) 18, Tommy Joe Martins, No. 61 Diamond Gusset Jeans Co. Toyota, 26, , , , , , 2, Suspension
36) 37, Chad Finchum, No. 13 MBM Motorsports Toyota, 26, , , , , , 1, Brakes
37) 38, Bayley Currey(i), No. 38 RSS Racing Chevrolet, 10, , , , , , 0, Rear Gear
38) 29, JJ Yeley, No. 78 BringYourBible.org Toyota, 5, , , , , , 1, Accident
(i) Ineligible for driver points in this series, (#) Rookie, (P) Playoffs qualified

Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 6 Mins, 30 Secs.
Race Length: 67 Laps, 155.44 Miles
Average Speed: 73.726 MPH
Margin of Victory: 2.386 Seconds

Stage 1 Top 10: 98, 22, 7, 90, 51, 23, 8, 19, 9, 00
Stage 2 Top 10: 00, 98, 2, 7, 9, 19, 90, 20, 22, 51

Race Comments: AJ Allmendinger won the Drive for the Cure 250 presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course. His third victory in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

Prior to the start of the race, the following vehicle(s) dropped to the rear of the field under penalty for the reasons indicated: Nos. 08, 35, 38, 18 (unapproved adjustments), Nos. 1, 99, 43, 9 (backup car).

Caution Flags: 7 for 14 laps;
Laps: 4-5 (No. 52 Stopped On Track [78]);
22-24 (Stage 1 Conclusion [15]);
42-43 (Stage 2 Conclusion [15]);
45-46 (No. 23, 00, 7, 8, 19 Incident Turn 1 [99]);
50-50 (No. 07, 0 Incident Turn 1 [5]);
59-60 (No. 20, 98 Incident Turn 2 [5]);
63-64 (No. 07, 36 Incident Turn 17 [39]).

Lead Changes: 7 among 6 drivers:
C. Briscoe # (P) 1-21;
A. Cindric (P) 22;
C. Custer (P) 23;
C. Bell (P) 24-37;
C. Custer (P) 38-41;
T. Reddick (P) 42;
C. Bell (P) 43-47;
A. J. Allmendinger 48-67.

Cure 250 presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina, Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course

Track Qualifying Record: Austin Cindric: 09/29/18, 79.1456 sec, 105.527 mph

Qualifying Round: 1
Pos, , Driver, Car, Time, Speed, Lap #, # Laps, -Fastest, -Next
1) , Cole Custer (P), No. 00 Autodesk Fusion 360 Ford, 83.169 sec, 100.422 mph, 1, 1, 0.000, 0.000
2) , A J Allmendinger, No. 10 Digital Ally Chevrolet, 83.465, 100.066, 1, 1, 0.296, 0.296
3) , Tyler Reddick (P), No. 2 Emerson Chevrolet, 83.498, 100.026, 1, 1, 0.329, 0.033
4) , Christopher Bell (P), No. 20 Rheem - Gemaire Toyota, 83.766, 99.706, 1, 1, 0.597, 0.268
5) , Austin Cindric (P), No. 22 MoneyLion Ford, 83.851, 99.605, 1, 1, 0.682, 0.085
6) , Jeremy Clements, No. 51 Travers Tool Chevrolet, 83.980, 99.452, 1, 1, 0.811, 0.129
7) , Alex Labbe, No. 90 Larue/Hotel Le Concord Chevrolet, 83.994, 99.436, 1, 1, 0.825, 0.014
8) , Justin Haley # (P), No. 11 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet, 84.081, 99.333, 2, 2, 0.912, 0.087
9) , Justin Allgaier (P), No. 7 ARMOUR Vienna Sausages Chevrolet, 84.138, 99.265, 1, 1, 0.969, 0.057
10) , Chase Briscoe # (P), No. 98 Ford Performance Ford, 84.466, 98.880, 1, 1, 1.297, 0.328
11) , Will Rodgers, No. 86 Kelly Benefit Strategies Chevrolet, 84.812, 98.477, 3, 3, 1.643, 0.346
12) , Noah Gragson # (P), No. 9 Suave Men Chevrolet, 84.831, 98.455, 1, 1, 1.662, 0.019
13) , Ryan Truex, No. 8 Marquis Chevrolet, 84.858, 98.423, 3, 3, 1.689, 0.027
14) , John Hunter , No. 23 Fire Alarm Services Inc. Chevrolet, 84.875, 98.404, 1, 3, 1.706, 0.017
15) , Brandon Jones (P), No. 19 Juniper Toyota, 84.940, 98.328, 1, 3, 1.771, 0.065
16) , Preston Pardus, No. 43 Chincor Electric Inc. Chevrolet, 84.991, 98.269, 2, 2, 1.822, 0.051
17) , Gray Gaulding, No. 08  Chevrolet, 85.142, 98.095, 1, 3, 1.973, 0.151
18) , Tommy Joe Martins, No. 61 Diamond Gusset Jeans Co. Toyota, 85.426, 97.769, 1, 1, 2.257, 0.284
19) , Lawson Aschenbach, No. 0 teamjdmotorsports.com Chevrolet, 85.758, 97.390, 2, 3, 2.589, 0.332
20) , Josh Williams, No. 36 Circle Track Warehouse Chevrolet, 85.768, 97.379, 1, 2, 2.599, 0.010
21) , Timmy Hill, No. 66 LeithCars.com Toyota, 85.841, 97.296, 2, 2, 2.672, 0.073
22) , Harrison Burton(i), No. 18 DEX Imaging Toyota, 85.904, 97.225, 3, 3, 2.735, 0.063
23) , Michael Annett (P), No. 1 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet, 85.914, 97.213, 1, 3, 2.745, 0.010
24) , Ray Black II, No. 07 ISOKERN Fireplaces & Chimneys Chevrolet, 85.944, 97.180, 1, 2, 2.775, 0.030
25) , Ryan Sieg (P), No. 39 Night Owl Contractors Chevrolet, 86.028, 97.085, 2, 2, 2.859, 0.084
26) , Stephen Leicht, No. 01 teamjdmotorsports.com Chevrolet, 86.155, 96.942, 1, 1, 2.986, 0.127
27) , Garrett Smithley, No. 4 Contec Chevrolet, 86.377, 96.692, 1, 3, 3.208, 0.222
28) , Josh Bilicki, No. 93 Insurance King Chevrolet, 87.064, 95.929, 1, 1, 3.895, 0.687
29) , JJ Yeley, No. 78 BringYourBible.org Toyota, 87.501, 95.450, 1, 1, 4.332, 0.437
30) , Joe Nemechek(i), No. 74  Chevrolet, 87.503, 95.448, 1, 2, 4.334, 0.002
31) , David Starr, No. 52 Drown Out Cancer/Circle Track Chevrolet, 88.016, 94.892, 2, 3, 4.847, 0.513
32) , Cody Ware, No. 99  Chevrolet, 88.248, 94.642, 3, 3, 5.079, 0.232
33) , Joey Gase, No. 35 Agri Supply Toyota, 88.595, 94.272, 3, 3, 5.426, 0.347
34) OP, BJ McLeod, No. 15 teamjdmotorsports.com Chevrolet, 89.279, 93.549, 1, 1, 6.110, 0.684
35) OP, Brandon Brown #, No. 68 Mid Atlantic Wrecker Services Chevrolet, 90.307, 92.485, 1, 4, 7.138, 1.028
36) OP, Vinnie Miller, No. 5 Pit Viper Sunglasses Chevrolet, 91.827, 90.954, 1, 1, 8.658, 1.520
37) OP, Chad Finchum, No. 13 MBM Motorsports Toyota, 92.212, 90.574, 2, 3, 9.043, 0.385
38) OP, Bayley Currey(i), No. 38 RSS Racing Chevrolet, 0.000, 0.000, 0, 0, -----, -----
(i)Ineligible for driver points in this series, (#) Rookie, (P) Playoffs qualified
*Required to qualify on time, OP - Top 30 in Owner Points, PC - Past Champion 

Qualifying Round: 2
Pos, Driver, Car, Time, Speed, Lap #, # Laps, -Fastest, -Next
1) Chase Briscoe # (P), No. 98 Ford Performance Ford, 83.232 sec, 100.346 mph, 1, 1, 0.000, 0.000
2) Tyler Reddick (P), No. 2 Emerson Chevrolet, 83.247, 100.328, 1, 1, 0.015, 0.015
3) Austin Cindric (P), No. 22 MoneyLion Ford, 83.369, 100.181, 1, 3, 0.137, 0.122
4) Cole Custer (P), No. 00 Autodesk Fusion 360 Ford, 83.439, 100.097, 1, 1, 0.207, 0.070
5) A J Allmendinger, No. 10 Digital Ally Chevrolet, 83.567, 99.944, 1, 1, 0.335, 0.128
6) Alex Labbe, No. 90 Larue/Hotel Le Concord Chevrolet, 83.638, 99.859, 1, 1, 0.406, 0.071
7) Justin Allgaier (P), No. 7 ARMOUR Vienna Sausages Chevrolet, 83.772, 99.699, 1, 1, 0.540, 0.134
8) Jeremy Clements, No. 51 Travers Tool Chevrolet, 84.407, 98.949, 1, 1, 1.175, 0.635
9) Justin Haley # (P), No. 11 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet, 84.709, 98.596, 1, 1, 1.477, 0.302
10) Will Rodgers, No. 86 Kelly Benefit Strategies Chevrolet, 85.056, 98.194, 1, 1, 1.824, 0.347
11) Christopher Bell (P), No. 20 Rheem - Gemaire Toyota, 99.367, 84.052, 2, 2, 16.135, 14.311
12) Noah Gragson # (P), No. 9 Suave Men Chevrolet, 0.000, 0.000, 0, 0, -----, -----
(i)Ineligible for driver points in this series, (#) Rookie, (P) Playoffs Qualified
*Required to qualify on time, OP - Top 30 in Owner Points, PC - Past Champion,

Starting Line Up: 38th Annual Drive for the Cure 250 presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina, Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course
Pos, Driver, Car, Time, Speed
1) Chase Briscoe # (P), No. 98 Ford Performance Ford, 83.232 sec, 100.346 mph
2) Tyler Reddick (P), No. 2 Emerson Chevrolet, 83.247, 100.328
3) Austin Cindric (P), No. 22 MoneyLion Ford, 83.369, 100.181
4) Cole Custer (P), No. 00 Autodesk Fusion 360 Ford, 83.439, 100.097
5) A J Allmendinger, No. 10 Digital Ally Chevrolet, 83.567, 99.944
6) Alex Labbe, No. 90 Larue/Hotel Le Concord Chevrolet, 83.638, 99.859
7) Justin Allgaier (P), No. 7 ARMOUR Vienna Sausages Chevrolet, 83.772, 99.699
8) Jeremy Clements, No. 51 Travers Tool Chevrolet, 84.407, 98.949
9) Justin Haley # (P), No. 11 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet, 84.709, 98.596
10) Will Rodgers, No. 86 Kelly Benefit Strategies Chevrolet, 85.056, 98.194
11) Christopher Bell (P), No. 20 Rheem - Gemaire Toyota, 99.367, 84.052
12) Noah Gragson # (P), No. 9 Suave Men Chevrolet, 84.831, 98.455
13) Ryan Truex, No. 8 Marquis Chevrolet, 84.858, 98.423
14) John Hunter Nemechek # (P), No. 23 Fire Alarm Services Inc. Chevrolet, 84.875, 98.404
15) Brandon Jones (P), No. 19 Juniper Toyota, 84.940, 98.328
16) Preston Pardus, No. 43 Chincor Electric Inc. Chevrolet, 84.991, 98.269
17) Gray Gaulding, No. 08 Chevrolet, 85.142, 98.095
18) Tommy Joe Martins, No. 61 Diamond Gusset Jeans Co. Toyota, 85.426, 97.769
19) Lawson Aschenbach, No. 0 teamjdmotorsports.com Chevrolet, 85.758, 97.390
20) Josh Williams, No. 36 Circle Track Warehouse Chevrolet, 85.768, 97.379
21) Timmy Hill, No. 66 LeithCars.com Toyota, 85.841, 97.296
22) Harrison Burton(i), No. 18 DEX Imaging Toyota, 85.904, 97.225
23) Michael Annett (P), No. 1 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet, 85.914, 97.213
24) Ray Black II, No. 07 ISOKERN Fireplaces & Chimneys Chevrolet, 85.944, 97.180
25) Ryan Sieg (P), No. 39 Night Owl Contractors Chevrolet, 86.028, 97.085
26) Stephen Leicht, No. 01 teamjdmotorsports.com Chevrolet, 86.155, 96.942
27) Garrett Smithley, No. 4 Contec Chevrolet, 86.377, 96.692
28) Josh Bilicki, No. 93 Insurance King Chevrolet, 87.064, 95.929
29) JJ Yeley, No. 78 BringYourBible.org Toyota, 87.501, 95.450
30) Joe Nemechek(i), No. 74 Chevrolet, 87.503, 95.448
31) David Starr, No. 52 DrownOutCancer/CircleTrackWarehse Chev, 88.016, 94.892
32) Cody Ware, No. 99 Chevrolet, 88.248, 94.642
33) Joey Gase, No. 35 Agri Supply Toyota, 88.595, 94.272
34) BJ McLeod, No. 15 teamjdmotorsports.com Chevrolet, Owner Points, 
35) Brandon Brown #, No. 68 Mid Atlantic Wrecker Services Chevrolet, Owner Points, 
36) Vinnie Miller, No. 5 Pit Viper Sunglasses Chevrolet, Owner Points, 
37) Chad Finchum, No. 13 MBM Motorsports Toyota, Owner Points, 
38) Bayley Currey(i), No. 38 RSS Racing Chevrolet, Owner Points,
(i) Ineligible for driver points in this series, (#) Rookie, (P) Playoffs Qualified

Track Race Record: Chase Briscoe: 09/29/18, 01:32:35 sec, 81.267 mph

(RIS photos by John Davison)

John Davison

Long-time RIS staffer, beginning in the mid-80s. Charlotte, NC area local contact.

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Volume 2019, Issue 9, Posted 9:02 PM, 09.28.2019