ROCKINGHAM — When the NASCAR Xfinity Series rolls into Rockingham Speedway, it’s a guarantee that it won’t be a Kyle Larson show like it was at Bristol last Saturday.
Larson, who won the 2013 Craftsman Truck Series race at the Rock, isn’t on the driver list for the N.C. Education Lottery 250.
However, one fan favorite is coming to the Rock this weekend with the HendrickCars blue and white scheme.
After more than a decade, Kasey Kahne is looking to pick up another win at Rockingham, having won in the 2012 Craftsman Truck Series race. He was the runner-up to Matt Kenseth in the 2004 NASCAR Cup Series race.
Kasey Kahne walks through the media center at Rockingham Speedway on Jan. 28.
William R. Toler - Richmond Observer
While Kahne is already the favorite among the fans, it’s the up and coming talent of the Xfinity regulars that will look to play upset this weekend.
To recap the season so far, the Xfinity Series has seen seven winners across nine races. All but two have come from series regulars competing for the championship.
Jesse Love, who just made his Cup Series debut at Bristol, was the first to pick up a victory this season at Daytona. He currently boasts two top fives and six top 10s on the season, though a smudge is on the did not finish column from Martinsville, which might be the reason why he’s just third in the standings heading into Rockingham.
Despite having two wins, Austin Hill is fourth in the standings. His two DNFs come from Daytona and Phoenix. His wins at Atlanta and Martinsville have kept him in contention for the regular season championship and has him sitting pretty for the playoff picture. Hill currently has five top fives and five top 10s and is a stage point magnet, having captured four stage wins on the season.
The other two-win driver this season is defending series champion Justin Allgaier, who is also leading by a whopping 83 points. Allgaier has seven top five finishes — including back-to-back wins at Las Vegas and Miami-Homestead — with zero DNFs. He also has led the most laps this season at 334, with second place more than 120 laps behind.
Representing the lone Toyota in the top 10 in points, Brandon Jones could be looking to make a play for the win. Toyota was not a manufacturer in the sport in 2004, the last time the Xfinity Series (formerly Busch Series) raced at The Rock. But the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Chevrolet was present, driven by Mike Bliss. It was a 13th place finish then.
Jones will look to improve on that finish this Saturday. He currently sits seventh in points and boasts five top 10 finishes, including three in the top five. His lone win comes from Darlington Raceway and his only DNF happened at Atlanta. Rockingham has been loosely compared to the Lady in Black, as the exit of turn 2 of Darlington was recently repaved with similar asphalt that was used for The Rock.
Brandon Jones gives an interview following a Goodyear tire test at Rockingham Speedway.
William R. Toler
Jones and Allgaier were at the track, along with Sheldon Creed, for a private Goodyear tire test late last year and got some practice laps in January.
The last series driver on the win list is Connor Zilisch, having taken the checkered flag at the Circuit of the Americas road course in Austin, Texas.
Zilisch had a rough start to this season despite being in the top five in points. His two DNFs come from Daytona and Atlanta.
Lucky for him, Rockingham is not a superspeedway style track despite having faster speeds with the repave. He currently has three top 10 finishes, including just one in the top five.
In the manufacturer battle, Chevy has more than half of the top 10 to its name with Ford having three, and Jones being the only Toyota driver.
William R. Toler - Richmond Observer
In the last Xfinity Series race at The Rock, it was Dodge that haunted victory lane with Jamie McMurray taking the last three races. McMurray did get Chevy its last win in the fall of 2002 before switching rides. Ford leads the series with 14 wins. Mark Martin alone matches Chevy’s 10 wins.
Top 10 in Standings
The N.C. Education Lottery 250, scheduled to start at 4 p.m., will be preceded by the Rockingham ARCA 150 at 1 p.m.
William R. Toler contributed to this story.
