NASCAR Rant Report - Monday, May 5th

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Major headlines out of the weekend:

Joey Logano Survives Texas Chaos
Xfinity & Trucks Race in Texas

Plus, miscellaneous topics so far this week.

Joey Logano Survives Texas Chaos:

The NASCAR Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday, was a chaotic event that saw Joey Logano emerge victorious, securing his first win of the season in an overtime finish. Logano, who started 27th, methodically worked his way through the field, ultimately taking the lead with four laps remaining after a fierce battle with Michael McDowell. McDowell, who had taken the lead on a two-tire strategy, crashed shortly after being passed by Logano and Ryan Blaney, sending the race into overtime. Logano held off Ross Chastain and Blaney in the final laps to claim victory.

The race featured 12 cautions, including significant incidents involving several drivers. Denny Hamlin's day ended early when his engine blew up in flames on lap 75, marking his first DNF of the season and ending his streak of 21 consecutive lead-lap finishes. Josh Berry, who led 41 laps early in the day, crashed after hitting a bump in Turn 4, finishing 32nd. Carson Hocevar, the youngest ever polesitter at Texas, led 22 laps but was involved in a late-race crash with Ryan Preece and Cody Ware, finishing 24th.

Kyle Larson led a race-high 90 laps and won Stage 2 but faded to fourth after losing the lead on a late restart. Austin Cindric won Stage 1 and led 60 laps but finished 25th after being caught in a multi-car crash. Erik Jones celebrated his 300th career start with a fifth-place finish, his first top-five result of the season. Other notable finishes included Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in sixth, Austin Dillon in seventh, and John Hunter Nemechek in eighth.

Check out our Source Materials Page for more on this topic.

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NASCAR Sponsorship Flashback

Xfinity & Trucks Race in Texas:

Corey Heim secured his third win of the season in the SpeedyCash.com 250, surviving double overtime and multiple late-race incidents. Heim led a race-high 96 of 174 laps and faced intense competition from Daniel Hemric and Rajah Caruth in the final laps. Despite numerous cautions and a red flag, Heim managed to fend off challenges and clinch the victory by 0.279 seconds over Hemric. The race featured 11 cautions, including significant crashes involving Giovanni Ruggiero, Brandon Jones, and Kaden Honeycutt. Frankie Muniz also had a frustrating night, crashing out with 25 laps to go. The chaotic nature of the race highlighted the treacherous conditions at Texas Motor Speedway.

Kyle Larson, filling in for the injured Connor Zilisch, won the Andy's Frozen Custard 300 in double overtime. Larson, who started 20th, worked his way through the field and took advantage of a late pit stop to secure his second Xfinity win of the season. Justin Allgaier led a race-high 99 laps but crashed out after a collision with Kris Wright. Larson faced competition from Sam Mayer, Taylor Gray, and Riley Herbst in the final laps but managed to pull away and win by 1.265 seconds. The race was marked by 11 cautions and multiple incidents, including crashes involving Corey Day and Jeremy Clements.

Check out our Source Materials Page for more on this topic.

Miscellaneous:

Kasey Kahne's Future in NASCAR: Kasey Kahne, an 18-time NASCAR Cup Series winner, expressed his desire to return to NASCAR after a strong performance at Rockingham earlier this year. Despite not having concrete plans, Kahne enjoyed his experience and is open to future opportunities. He continues to stay active in sprint car racing and misses the weekly grind and the challenge of improving as a driver.

Ryan Blaney's Ownership Role: Ryan Blaney has joined the ownership group of Sharon Speedway in Ohio, alongside his father, Dave Blaney, and businessman Will Thomas III. The ⅜-mile dirt track, known for hosting major racing events, will begin its season under the new ownership on May 10th. Blaney, a successful NASCAR driver, is currently ranked seventh in the Cup Series standings.

Talladega Disqualifications: NASCAR officials displayed the spoilers from Joey Logano's and Ryan Preece's cars at Texas Motor Speedway following their disqualifications at Talladega. Logano's car had a missing nut and an unsecured fastener on the spoiler brace, while Preece's car had an unapproved number of spoiler shims. Both violations could affect spoiler deflection at high speeds.

Kevin Harvick's Hall of Fame Induction: Kevin Harvick was inducted into the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame, celebrating his successful career, including nine wins at Texas Motor Speedway across NASCAR's three national series. Harvick, now a NASCAR on FOX analyst, reflected on his career highlights and the significance of his achievements at Texas.

Jeffrey Earnhardt's Additional Xfinity Starts: Jeffrey Earnhardt will make additional Xfinity Series starts at Nashville and Bristol with Sam Hunt Racing. Earnhardt, who finished 32nd at Talladega, will be sponsored by ForeverLawn in both races.

Patrick Emerling's Truck Series Race: Patrick Emerling announced his participation in the Window World 250 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at North Wilkesboro with Henderson Motorsports. Emerling's primary sponsor will be Black Rhino Manufacturing, with additional support from Just Wing It Backstreet Bar and Grill and Granite State De-Icing Supply.

Joey Gase and Donate Life Texas: Joey Gase and Donate Life Texas celebrated the 20th anniversary of the organization during the race weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. Gase's car honored organ donors and recipients, highlighting the importance of organ, eye, and tissue donation.

Road America's NASCAR Return: Road America president Mike Kertscher expressed interest in bringing NASCAR back to the Wisconsin track. Although there are no immediate plans, Kertscher emphasized the track's suitability for NASCAR events and its positive history with the sport.

NASCAR Channel on Xumo Play: Xumo announced the launch of the NASCAR Channel on Xumo Play, offering round-the-clock NASCAR content, including classic races, re-airs of events, original series, and documentaries. The channel aims to expand NASCAR's digital footprint and provide fans with easy access to a wide range of NASCAR programming.

Check out our Source Materials Page for more on these topics.

Thumbnail image credits on our Source Materials Page.

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