2017 Drive for the Cure 300
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 29 of 33 in the 2017 NASCAR Xfinity Series | |||
| Date | October 7, 2017 | ||
| Official name | 36th Annual Drive for the Cure 300 presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina | ||
| Location | Concord, North Carolina, Charlotte Motor Speedway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.5 mi (2.41 km) | ||
| Distance | 200 laps, 300 mi (482.803 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 200 laps, 300 mi (482.803 km) | ||
| Average speed | 122.685 miles per hour (197.442 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Joe Gibbs Racing | ||
| Time | Set by 2017 owner's points | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Laps | 111 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 42 | Alex Bowman | Chip Ganassi Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | NBCSN | ||
| Announcers | Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Performance Racing Network | ||
The 2017 Drive for the Cure 300 presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina was the 29th stock car race of the 2017 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, the third and elimination race of the Round of 12, and the 36th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, October 7, 2017, in Concord, North Carolina at Charlotte Motor Speedway, a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) permanent quad-oval. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete. Alex Bowman, driving for Chip Ganassi Racing, would control the late stages of the race to win his first and to date, only career NASCAR Xfinity Series victory and his only win of the season.[1] To fill out the podium, Sam Hornish Jr. and Ryan Blaney, both driving for Team Penske, would finish second and third, respectively.
The eight drivers to advance to the Round of 8 were William Byron, Justin Allgaier, Elliott Sadler, Daniel Hemric, Cole Custer, Brennan Poole, Ryan Reed, and Matt Tifft. [2]
Background[edit]
The race was held at Charlotte Motor Speedway, located in Concord, North Carolina. The speedway complex includes a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) quad-oval track that was utilized for the race, as well as a dragstrip and a dirt track. The speedway was built in 1959 by Bruton Smith and is considered the home track for NASCAR with many race teams based in the Charlotte metropolitan area. The track is owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports Inc. (SMI) with Marcus G. Smith serving as track president.
Entry list[edit]
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
- (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
Practice[edit]
First practice[edit]
The first practice session was held on Friday, October 6, at 3:00 PM EST. The session would last for 55 minutes.[3] Justin Allgaier, driving for JR Motorsports, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.721 and an average speed of 181.690 mph (292.402 km/h).[4]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.721 | 181.690 |
| 2 | 42 | Alex Bowman (i) | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 29.889 | 180.668 |
| 3 | 9 | William Byron (R) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.892 | 180.650 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Second and final practice[edit]
The final practice session, sometimes known as Happy Hour, was held on Friday, October 6, at 6:00 PM EST. The session would last for 55 minutes.[3] Sam Hornish Jr., driving for Team Penske, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.602 and an average speed of 182.420 mph (293.577 km/h).[5]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Sam Hornish Jr. | Team Penske | Ford | 29.602 | 182.420 |
| 2 | 22 | Ryan Blaney (i) | Team Penske | Ford | 29.728 | 181.647 |
| 3 | 19 | Matt Tifft (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 29.762 | 181.439 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
Qualifying[edit]
Qualifying was originally scheduled to be held on Saturday, October 7.[3] However, inclement weather would cancel the session. The starting lineup was determined by the current owner's points. As a result, Daniel Suárez, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would win the pole.[6]
Full starting lineup[edit]
Race results[edit]
Stage 1 Laps: 45
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | Erik Jones (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 0 |
| 2 | 18 | Daniel Suárez (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 0 |
| 3 | 22 | Ryan Blaney (i) | Team Penske | Ford | 0 |
| 4 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 21 | Daniel Hemric (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 9 | William Byron (R) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 42 | Alex Bowman (i) | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 8 | 2 | Austin Dillon (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 9 | 00 | Cole Custer (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 12 | Sam Hornish Jr. | Team Penske | Ford | 1 |
Stage 2 Laps: 45
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 | Daniel Suárez (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 0 |
| 2 | 20 | Erik Jones (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 0 |
| 3 | 12 | Sam Hornish Jr. | Team Penske | Ford | 8 |
| 4 | 22 | Ryan Blaney (i) | Team Penske | Ford | 0 |
| 5 | 42 | Alex Bowman (i) | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 6 | 21 | Daniel Hemric (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 9 | William Byron (R) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 00 | Cole Custer (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 2 | Austin Dillon (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 0 |
Stage 3 Laps: 110
Standings after the race[edit]
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
References[edit]
- ^ "Alex Bowman stuns at Charlotte, as Ryan Reed stays alive in NASCAR XFINITY Playoff". ESPN.com. October 8, 2017. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
- ^ "Who's in, who's out: XFINITY Series Playoffs Round of 8 field set". Official Site Of NASCAR. October 8, 2017. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
- ^ a b c "2017 NASCAR XFINITY Charlotte Race Info". ESPN.com. 2017-10-09. Retrieved 2022-07-20.
- ^ Bonkowski, Jerry (2017-10-06). "Justin Allgaier fastest in first Xfinity practice at Charlotte". NASCAR Talk | NBC Sports. Retrieved 2022-07-20.
- ^ McFadin, Daniel (2017-10-06). "Sam Hornish Jr. tops final Xfinity practice at Charlotte". NASCAR Talk | NBC Sports. Retrieved 2022-07-20.
- ^ "Rain alters Saturday schedule at Charlotte; XFINITY race set for night time". Official Site Of NASCAR. 2017-10-07. Retrieved 2022-07-20.
- ^ "2017 Drive for the Cure 300 - The Third Turn". www.thethirdturn.com. Retrieved 2022-07-19.