2019 Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200
The 2019 Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 is a NASCAR Xfinity Series race held on August 31, 2019, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. Contested over 147 laps on the 1.366-mile (2.198 km) egg-shaped oval, it was the 24th race of the 2019 NASCAR Xfinity Series season.
| Race details[1][2][3] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 24 of 33 in the 2019 NASCAR Xfinity Series season | |||
| Date | August 31, 2019 | ||
| Location | Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.366 mi (2.198 km) | ||
| Distance | 147 laps, 200 mi (323 km) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Team Penske | ||
| Time | 28.696 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | |
| Laps | 70 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 00 | Cole Custer |
Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | NBC | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | MRN | ||
Background
Track
Darlington Raceway is a race track built for NASCAR racing located near Darlington, South Carolina. It is nicknamed "The Lady in Black" and "The Track Too Tough to Tame" by many NASCAR fans and drivers and advertised as "A NASCAR Tradition." It is of a unique, somewhat egg-shaped design, an oval with the ends of very different configurations, a condition which supposedly arose from the proximity of one end of the track to a minnow pond the owner refused to relocate. This situation makes it very challenging for the crews to set up their cars' handling in a way that is effective at both ends.
Entry list
The entry list included semi-retired driver Dale Earnhardt Jr., who decided to participate in the race despite being in a plane accident in mid-August 2019.
Practice
First practice
Cole Custer was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 29.340 seconds and a speed of 167.607 mph (269.737 km/h).[4]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste Racing | Ford | 29.340 | 167.607 |
| 2 | 18 | Denny Hamlin (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 29.381 | 167.373 |
| 3 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.423 | 167.135 |
Final practice
Noah Gragson was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 29.575 seconds and a speed of 166.276 mph (267.595 km/h).[4]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | Noah Gragson (R) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.575 | 166.276 |
| 2 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.673 | 165.726 |
| 3 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 29.704 | 165.553 |
Qualifying
Ryan Blaney scored the pole for the race with a time of 28.696 seconds and a speed of 171.369 mph (275.792 km/h).[5]
Qualifying results
Race
Summary
Ryan Blaney started on pole and led early, holding off Tyler Reddick. After John Hunter Nemechek spun and caused a caution, Blaney pitted and gave the lead to Reddick, who won Stage 1. After Brandon Brown spun and hit the inside wall, Blaney and Justin Allgaier caught up to Reddick, with Blaney taking the Stage 2 victory. Allgaier and Cole Custer battled Reddick for top positions, while Denny Hamlin (who started at the rear of the field) caught up to the top 5.
Blaney left pit road with Custer and Hamlin behind him. Hamlin got by Custer and then slid past Blaney for the lead with 27 remaining. The final caution occurred with around 15 laps remaining, stacking up the field. Hamlin stayed in the lead while Custer took the second position. The restart happened with 10 laps to go. Hamlin took off and retained the lead, while Custer chased him closely.
On the final lap, Custer got right up to Hamlin's back and dove into turn 3. Custer was unable to make it stick, causing Hamlin to cross the finish line in first place and take the apparent victory. Although Hamlin was later disqualified, which gave Custer the race win despite him not leading a single lap.[6][7]
Stage Results
Stage One Laps: 45
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 12 | Ryan Blaney (i) | Team Penske | Ford | 0 |
| 3 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 98 | Chase Briscoe (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 11 | Justin Haley (R) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 01 | Landon Cassill | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1 |
Stage Two Laps: 45
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Ryan Blaney (i) | Team Penske | Ford | 0 |
| 2 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 2 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 6 |
| 6 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 98 | Chase Briscoe (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 22 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 9 | Noah Gragson (R) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1 |
Final Stage Results
Stage Three Laps: 57
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 147 | 52 |
| 2 | 6 | 2 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 147 | 53 |
| 3 | 1 | 12 | Ryan Blaney (i) | Team Penske | Ford | 147 | 0 |
| 4 | 2 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 147 | 47 |
| 5 | 14 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 147 | 41 |
| 6 | 5 | 98 | Chase Briscoe (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 147 | 42 |
| 7 | 7 | 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 147 | 36 |
| 8 | 8 | 9 | Noah Gragson (R) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 147 | 30 |
| 9 | 4 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 147 | 43 |
| 10 | 9 | 22 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 147 | 29 |
| 11 | 12 | 11 | Justin Haley (R) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 147 | 28 |
| 12 | 20 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 147 | 25 |
| 13 | 10 | 1 | Michael Annett | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 147 | 24 |
| 14 | 13 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 147 | 23 |
| 15 | 15 | 08 | Gray Gaulding | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 147 | 22 |
| 16 | 18 | 07 | Ray Black Jr. | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 147 | 21 |
| 17 | 17 | 90 | Alex Labbé | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 147 | 20 |
| 18 | 11 | 01 | Landon Cassill | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 147 | 20 |
| 19 | 23 | 4 | B. J. McLeod | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 147 | 18 |
| 20 | 22 | 93 | Camden Murphy | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 146 | 17 |
| 21 | 16 | 23 | John Hunter Nemechek (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 146 | 16 |
| 22 | 21 | 99 | Stefan Parsons | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Toyota | 146 | 15 |
| 23 | 27 | 66 | Timmy Hill | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 146 | 14 |
| 24 | 28 | 36 | Josh Williams | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 144 | 13 |
| 25 | 26 | 35 | Joey Gase | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 144 | 12 |
| 26 | 24 | 15 | Stephen Leicht | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 144 | 11 |
| 27 | 33 | 52 | David Starr | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | 144 | 10 |
| 28 | 36 | 78 | Vinnie Miller | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 143 | 9 |
| 29 | 29 | 0 | Garrett Smithley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 143 | 8 |
| 30 | 33 | 61 | Chad Finchum | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 133 | 7 |
| 31 | 34 | 5 | Matt Mills | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 128 | 6 |
| 32 | 35 | 74 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing | Chevrolet | 114 | 5 |
| 33 | 19 | 86 | Brandon Brown (R) | Brandonbilt Motorsports | Chevrolet | 85 | 4 |
| 34 | 25 | 17 | Joe Nemechek (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 72 | 0 |
| 35 | 32 | 13 | Tommy Joe Martins | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 61 | 2 |
| 36 | 30 | 38 | J. J. Yeley | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 34 | 1 |
| 37 | 38 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Chevrolet | 27 | 1 |
| 38 | 37 | 18 | Denny Hamlin (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 147 | 0 |
After the race
Denny Hamlin was disqualified and stripped of his race win when his car failed a pair of height requirements, being deemed too low in the left front and too high in the right rear, ultimately giving the race win to runner-up Cole Custer.[8] This was the first disqualification of an Xfinity Series race winner and the fourth overall disqualification in the Xfinity Series this season since the 2019 rules were established.
References
- "2019 NASCAR Xfinity Series Schedule". Official Site Of NASCAR. Retrieved May 5, 2019.
- "Darlington Raceway". August 17, 2017. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
- Kristl, Mark (August 26, 2019). "Entry List: 2019 Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200". Retrieved August 26, 2019.
- Nolen, Bryan (August 30, 2019). "Cole Custer, Noah Gragson Lead Xfinity Practice Sessions at Darlington". Retrieved August 30, 2019.
- Gillispie, Zach (August 31, 2019). "Ryan Blaney Nabs Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 Pole". Retrieved August 31, 2019.
- Tywalk, Nick (September 1, 2019). "Xfinity Breakdown: Denny Hamlin Goes Back to Front to Back". Retrieved September 1, 2019.
- Cheek, Adam (August 31, 2019). "Bringing Back Buckshot: Denny Hamlin Disqualified, Cole Custer Wins at Darlington". Retrieved September 1, 2019.
- Albert, Zack (August 31, 2019). "No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota fails post-race inspection in Xfinity". Retrieved August 31, 2019.
| Previous race: 2019 CTECH Manufacturing 180 |
NASCAR Xfinity Series 2019 season |
Next race: 2019 Indiana 250 |