KANSAS CITY, Kan. (October 17, 2020) – Chase Briscoe has dominated the 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series season. And Saturday was no different as took the checkered flag in the Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway, punching his ticket into the Xfinity Series Championship 4 at Phoenix Raceway on November 7. For Briscoe, it was his series-leading ninth win of the year, including his second of the Playoffs and his third victory in the last five races.
“First off, I just want to dedicate this to Brian Egans. He lost his life last week and was a close family friend’s brother-in-law,” said Briscoe. “I am happy we got him in victory lane. I am super happy to be locked into Phoenix. It is going to be a lot less stressful the next two weeks. That will be nice. I can’t say thank you enough to everybody at Stewart-Haas Racing. This Ford Performance Racing School Mustang was lights-out. This is the car we had at Vegas. I want to take it to Phoenix because of how good it was. It has been an unbelievable year but we have three more to go get.”
In addition to the race win, Briscoe, also won the first two stages. In the process he became second driver in series history to win nine races in 30 races joining Kyle Busch (2010, 2013, 2016). The win also gives Briscoe’s team the next few weeks to concentrate on the championship race in Phoenix.
“It allows the guys at least to focus on the car,” said Briscoe, who led 159 of the 200-lap race. “I am glad after all the chaos at the beginning of the race, a lot of those guys are going to be in scary points situations. I am glad we don’t have to deal with that. It is crazy to win nine races this year. It has been an unbelievable year and hopefully we can finish it out strong.”
The complexion of the race changed drastically early on when the cars of Playoff contenders Austin Cindric and Noah Gragson tangled, causing extensive damage to the No. 9 Chevrolet of Gragson, forcing the pole-sitter from the race after completing just 16 laps, 13 of which he led. Gragson entered the race in 4th spot in the Playoff standings. Cindric, who was 2nd in the points standings entering the Round of 8, was not able to recover, as his car also sustained severe damage, finishing the race in 28th spot.
Outside of Briscoe, Ryan Sieg had the highest finish among the drivers still in the Playoff hunt, as he placed third, his third top-5 finish in the last three races.
“To start the Round of 8 in the top-3 is an awesome start for our team,” Sieg said. “I couldn’t be prouder of Cowboy (crew chief Kevin Starland). The pit calls that he did make I was a little worried. But they worked out. We just needed a few more laps to try to get the 98 (Chase Briscoe). It was an awesome run for our family run team.”
The top-5 was rounded out by Daniel Hemric (2nd), Justin Haley (4th) and Austin Hill (5th).
The race had 10 lead changes among six drivers and 10 cautions for 45 laps, including four in the race’s final stage.
Two races remain in the Xfinity Series Round of 8. With three spots still to be filled in Championship 4, Justin Allgaier is 11 points above the cutline, followed by Brandon Jones (+9), and Cindric (+2). Justin Haley (-2), Ross Chastain (-12), Sieg (-17) and Gragson (-33) currently find themselves on the outside looking in.
Kansas Speedway’s fall race weekend will be capped off on Sunday with the running of the NASCAR Cup Series Hollywood Casino 400, starting at 1:30 pm (NBC). That race will also mark the start in the Round of 8 for the Playoffs in the Cup Series. A limited number of fans will be in attendance for the race in accordance with enhanced safety protocols and procedures to provide a safe experience. All available inventory for the race is sold out. All guests will be screened before entering the facility and must maintain six-feet of social distancing throughout the venue. Guests three years of age and older will be required to wear face coverings at all times. In addition, tailgating and coolers will not be permitted (clear bags up to 18″x18″x14″ in size will be allowed). Guests with grandstand seats will be assigned a designated entry time and gate for entering the venue. Detailed fan protocols can be found at www.kansasspeedway.com/return.
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About Kansas Speedway
Kansas Speedway is a premier motorsports facility in the Midwest. The track, which opened in 2001, hosts two NASCAR Cup Series weekends each year, along with approximately 200 other event days each year. The Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway, which opened in 2012, overlooks Turn 2 of the track.
About NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States and owner of 16 of the nation’s major motorsports entertainment facilities. NASCAR consists of three national series (NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR Xfinity Series™, and NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series™), four regional series (ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East & West and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour), one local grassroots series and three international series. The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. NASCAR also owns Motor Racing Network, Racing Electronics, Americrown Service and ONE DAYTONA. Based in Daytona Beach, Florida, with offices in eight cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico and Europe. For more information visit www.NASCAR.comand www.IMSA.com, and follow NASCAR on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat (‘NASCAR’).