After six months of ovals, the NASCAR Xfinity Series is preparing for the first of three August road-course races.
NASCAR released the preliminary entry list for the Aug. 8 Zippo 200 at Watkins Glen International earlier today (Aug. 3). The entry list includes 39 drivers, meaning everyone will make Saturday’s feature.
Looking to claim a victory in the event, Team Penske has elected to field both Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski in the event. Keselowski will drive the team’s familiar No. 22 Discount Tire Ford, while Logano will pilot the No. 12 Snap-On Ford.
While not as prevalent as in recent years, a few road-course aces will take to the Watkins Glen, N.Y. speedway. Boris Said will lead the way for the ringers, piloting the No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. Said will be joined by fellow specialist Kenny Habul and regular Daniel Suarez to complete the JGR stable. Other road-course ringers will compete as well, including Kevin O’Connell and Tomy Drissi.
Sprint Cup Series regulars Paul Menard and Kyle Larson will lead the way for Chevrolet. Menard will pilot the No. 33 Richmond/Menards Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing, while Kyle Larson will hop behind the wheel of the No. 42 Chevrolet for HScott Motorsports with Chip Ganassi.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series will make their first right turns of 2015 beginning with two practice sessions on Friday, Aug. 7. The field will return on Saturday for Coors Light Pole Qualifying at 11:15 a.m. ET. Coverage for the Zippo 200 will begin at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN.
2015 ZIPPO 200 ENTRY LIST
| Entry | Car# | Driver | Sponsor | Manu | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | Harrison Rhodes | teamjdmotorsports.com | 15 Chevy | Andrea Nemechek |
| 2 | 1 | Landon Cassill | teamjdmotorsports.com | 15 Chevy | Johnny Davis |
| 3 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | OneMain Financial | 15 Ford | Jack Roush |
| 4 | 2 | Brian Scott | Shore Lodge | 15 Chevy | Richard Childress |
| 5 | 3 | Ty Dillon | Yuengling Light Lager | 15 Chevy | Richard Childress |
| 6 | 4 | Ross Chastain | teamjdmotorsports.com | 15 Chevy | Gary Keller |
| 7 | 6 | Darrell Wallace Jr | Cheez-It | 15 Ford | Jack Roush |
| 8 | 7 | Regan Smith | TaxSlayer.com | 15 Chevy | Kelley Earnhardt-Miller |
| 9 | 8 | Blake Koch | LeafFilter Gutter Protection | 15 Toyota | Mark Smith |
| 10 | 9 | Chase Elliott | NAPA Auto Parts | 15 Chevy | Dale Earnhardt Jr |
| 11 | 12 | Joey Logano(i) | Snap-On | 14 Ford | Roger Penske |
| 12 | 13 | Carl Long | Braille Battery / Grafoid | 15 Dodge | Derek White |
| 13 | 14 | Cale Conley | IAVA | 15 Toyota | Mark Smith |
| 14 | 15 | Kevin O'Connell | RWR | 15 Chevy | Rick Ware |
| 15 | 16 | Ryan Reed | Lilly/American Diabetes Association | 15 Ford | Jack Roush |
| 16 | 18 | Daniel Suarez | ARRIS | 15 Toyota | Joe Gibbs |
| 17 | 19 | Jeff Green | TriStar Motorsports | 15 Toyota | Mark Smith |
| 18 | 20 | Kenny Habul | Sun Energy | 15 Toyota | Joe Gibbs |
| 19 | 22 | Brad Keselowski(i) | Hertz | 15 Ford | Roger Penske |
| 20 | 24 | Eric McClure | Reynolds Wrap | 15 Toyota | Mark Smith |
| 21 | 25 | John Wes Townley(i) | Zaxby's | 15 Chevy | Tony Townley |
| 22 | 26 | Tomy Drissi | Straight Outta Compton | 15 Toyota | James Whitener |
| 23 | 28 | J J Yeley | HSG/CodeBlue | 15 Toyota | Gregg Mixon |
| 24 | 33 | Paul Menard(i) | Richmond / Menards | 15 Chevy | Richard Childress |
| 25 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | Uncle Bob's Self Storage | 14 Chevy | Rod Sieg |
| 26 | 40 | Derek White | Braille Battery / Grafoid | 15 Dodge | Derek White |
| 27 | 42 | Kyle Larson(i) | 15 Chevy | Harry Scott Jr | |
| 28 | 43 | Dakoda Armstrong | 15 Ford | Richard Petty | |
| 29 | 44 | David Starr | Zachry | 15 Toyota | Mark Smith |
| 30 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Allsouthelectric.com - RepairableVehicles.com | 15 Chevy | Tony Clements |
| 31 | 52 | Joey Gase | 15 Chevy | Jimmy Means | |
| 32 | 54 | Boris Said | Monster Energy | 15 Toyota | J D Gibbs |
| 33 | 60 | Chris Buescher | Ford EcoBoost | 15 Ford | Jack Roush |
| 34 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan | South Point | 15 Chevy | Richard Childress |
| 35 | 70 | Derrike Cope | Amenitek | 14 Chevy | Mary Louise Miller |
| 36 | 74 | Bobby Reuse | 14 Dodge | Mike Harmon | |
| 37 | 88 | Ben Rhodes | Alpha Energy Solutions | 15 Chevy | Rick Hendrick |
| 38 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | 15 Chevy | Morgan Shepherd | |
| 39 | 90 | Andy Lally | 15 Chevy | Michelle Gosselin |
Aaron Bearden is a Frontstretch alumnus who’s come back home as the site’s Short Track Editor. When he isn’t working with our grassroots writers, he can be found talking about racing on his Morning Warmup newsletter, pestering his wife/dog or convincing himself the Indiana Pacers can win an NBA title.
I get that Ryan Blaney probably isn’t all that good at road racing, but for crying out loud Roger, he should be in the 22 this weekend. At least give him some road racing time. Heck, if he needs some instruction, send him out to your old buddy Bob (Bondurant) for a few days.
Oh good, Cup drivers. That should keep it uninteresting. How empty do the stands have to be and how low do the TV ratings have to fall before someone at SPECAR figures out the series is in serious trouble.