In the heart of the road course section of their schedule, the NASCAR Xfinity Series will get a week of reprieve as they return to an oval, though another bump-and-run for the lead would’t come as a surprise.
NASCAR released the preliminary entry list for the Aug. 21 Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway. The list includes 40 teams, meaning every team will make the race.
Joe Gibbs Racing will bring two of their best drivers as the team looks for their first win since Indianapolis. Kyle Busch will return to the No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota driven by Boris Said at Watkins Glen and Mid-Ohio. Denny Hamlin will join the effort, piloting the No. 20 Hisense Toyota. Series regular Daniel Suarez will drive the No. 18 Juniper Toyota to fill out the JGR stable.
Defending race winner Ryan Blaney will return to the NXS, driving the No. 22 Discount Tire Ford for Team Penske. Blaney will join Busch as the only two drivers competing in the Camping World Truck Series, NXS, and Sprint Cup Series races at the Bristol, Tenn. track.
FOX Sports announcer Hermie Sadler will step away from the microphone and into a racecar, driving the No 26 Virginia Lottery Toyota for JGL Racing. Sadler, 46, last competed in the series at Richmond in 2014, finishing 27th.
Kevin Harvick will return to JR Motorsports, driving the No. 88 Hunt Brothers Pizza Chevrolet.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series will return to action at the Last Great Coliseum on Friday, Aug. 21, for a 145-minute final practice session at 9 a.m. The field will return to the track at 3:45 p.m. ET for Coors Light Pole Qualifying. Coverage of the Food City 300 will begin at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN and MRN.
2015 FOOD CITY 300 ENTRY LIST
| Car No. | Driver | Sponsor | Manufacturer | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Harrison Rhodes | Flex Seal | 15 Chevy | Andrea Nemechek |
| 01 | Landon Cassill | GK Services | 15 Chevy | Johnny Davis |
| 1 | Elliott Sadler | OneMain Financial | 15 Ford | Jack Roush |
| 2 | Brian Scott | Shore Lodge | 15 Chevy | Richard Childress |
| 3 | Ty Dillon | Bass Pro Shops / TRACKER Boats | 15 Chevy | Richard Childress |
| 4 | Ross Chastain | Flex Shot | 15 Chevy | Gary Keller |
| 6 | Darrell Wallace Jr | Ford EcoBoost | 15 Ford | Jack Roush |
| 7 | Regan Smith | Dale's Pale Ale | 15 Chevy | Kelley Earnhardt-Miller |
| 8 | Blake Koch | Ingersoll Rand | 15 Toyota | Mark Smith |
| 9 | Chase Elliott | NAPA Auto Parts | 15 Chevy | Dale Earnhardt Jr |
| 13 | Brad Teague | Scag Lawn Mower/ JD Metal Roofing | 15 Toyota | Derek White |
| 14 | Cale Conley | IAVA | 15 Toyota | Mark Smith |
| 15 | TBA | Lilly Trucking | 15 Chevy | Rick Ware |
| 16 | Ryan Reed | Lilly/American Diabetes Association | 15 Ford | Jack Roush |
| 18 | Daniel Suarez | Juniper | 15 Toyota | Joe Gibbs |
| 19 | Jeff Green | TRISTAR MOTORSPORTS | 15 Toyota | Mark Smith |
| 20 | Denny Hamlin(i) | Hisense | 15 Toyota | Joe Gibbs |
| 22 | Ryan Blaney | Discount Tire | 15 Ford | Roger Penske |
| 24 | Eric McClure | Reynolds Wrap | 15 Toyota | Mark Smith |
| 25 | John Wes Townley(i) | Zaxby's | 15 Chevy | Tony Townley |
| 26 | Hermie Sadler | Virginia Lottery | 15 Toyota | James Whitener |
| 28 | J J Yeley | JGL Racing | 15 Toyota | Gregg Mixon |
| 33 | Brandon Jones(i) | Tide / Menards | 15 Chevy | Richard Childress |
| 39 | Ryan Sieg | FLASR | 14 Chevy | Rod Sieg |
| 40 | Carl Long | Braille Battery / Grafoid | 15 Dodge | Derek White |
| 42 | Kyle Larson(i) | ENEOS | 15 Chevy | Harry Scott Jr |
| 43 | Dakoda Armstrong | Winfield | 15 Ford | Richard Petty |
| 44 | David Starr | ZACHRY | 15 Toyota | Mark Smith |
| 51 | Jeremy Clements | Allsouthelectric.com-RepairableVehicles.com | 15 Chevy | Tony Clements |
| 52 | Joey Gase | 15 Chevy | Jimmy Means | |
| 54 | Kyle Busch(i) | Monster Energy | 15 Toyota | J D Gibbs |
| 60 | Chris Buescher | Roush Performance Products | 15 Ford | Jack Roush |
| 62 | Brendan Gaughan | South Point | 15 Chevy | Richard Childress |
| 66 | Benny Gordon | Somerset Regional Water Resources/VSI Racing | 15 Toyota | Larry Mostoller |
| 70 | Derrike Cope | Amenitek | 14 Chevy | Mary Louise Miller |
| 74 | Mike Harmon | 14 Dodge | Mike Harmon | |
| 88 | Kevin Harvick(i) | Hunt Brothers Pizza | 15 Chevy | Rick Hendrick |
| 89 | Morgan Shepherd | 15 Chevy | Morgan Shepherd | |
| 90 | Mario Gosselin | CrashClaimsR.us | 15 Chevy | Michelle Gosselin |
| 97 | Peyton Sellers | VroomBrands | 15 Chevy | Victor Obaika |
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Kyle’s poaching again. Another nail in the coffin for the series.
NBC has been drooling over Kyle as much as the booth buffoons at FOX do. They don’t get that Kyle is ruining the lower series’, especially the Xfinity series, as the Toyota Xfinity car is very similar in construction to the Toyota Cup car. Add to this, he shows up with his Cup pitcrew to service him. And have you ever noticed when he gets sent to the back of the pack, how easy it is for him to charge through the field? He runs for a team with cup-level financing, and is running in a series where more than half the field’s combined yearly financial resources is less than what Kyle and Coach Phoney-Joe has for one Xfinity race. Oh ya, he really helps out the series by showing up to inflate his already too big ego. Nice to know I now have Friday night free, as I won’t waste my time watching NBC’s Kyle Busch lovefest.
It appears that NASCAR would rather let both of the lower series fade away rather than get the Cup drivers OUT and see if any fans come back. Is it stupid or stubborn, I’m just not sure.