The official 2024 Drive for the Cure 250 NASCAR XFINITY Series entry list features top NASCAR drivers set to compete at Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course, highlighting the full lineup of race participants and teams.
Saturday, October 12th, 2024
Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course, Concord, NC
It would be difficult to imagine a tighter race for the final spots in the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ Round of 8 entering Saturday’s Drive for the Cure 250 Presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course.
Only 23 points separate seventh-place AJ Allmendinger from 12th-place Parker Kligerman as the series prepares to trim its Playoff field from 12 drivers to eight. Justin Allgaier, who entered the Playoffs as the top seed, is seven points below the cut in ninth place, followed by Shane van Gisbergen (-10), Sam Mayer (-13) and Kligerman.
Initially, all eyes will turn to Allmendinger, who is undefeated in four Xfinity starts at the 17-turn, 2.280-mile circuit, which has undergone significant changes to Turns 6, 7 and 16 since last year’s race.
“I’m always super pumped to get to the Roval,” said Allmendinger, who did not run last year’s Xfinity race but picked up his first NASCAR Cup Series win there. “The last five years we’ve made such great memories, and hopefully we can continue to make some more.
“The new layout will be a little bit different compared to what we have run in the past, so that will be a new challenge. Overall, we’re going there with the mentality to try to get as many points as possible in the stages and get the best finish we can to hopefully get us into the next round of the Playoffs.”
Allmendinger’s main competition is likely to come from his Kaulig Racing teammate, Van Gisbergen, who like Allmendinger, also is racing in the Cup series this weekend. The three-time Australian Supercars champion has three Xfinity Series road course victories this season—at Portland, Sonoma and the Chicago Street Course.
“It’s going to be a big challenge, as it’s not like anything I’ve ever driven before,” Van Gisbergen said. “The track is a hybrid, not really a road course, and the cars are compromised to run on the oval as well. Going to be a fun weekend, but also going to be tough.
“We are on the other side of the playoff cut line than we want to be on, so just want to be up there at the front and get as many points as possible, which should hopefully put us in a good position for an awesome result in my WeatherTech Chevy.”
Mayer, who won last year’s Roval Playoff race from the pole, hopes to erase his 13-point deficit. Both Sammy Smith and Chandler Smith already have clinched spots in the Round of 8, leaving six berths up for grabs on Saturday.
ENTRY | # | DRIVER | HOMETOWN | DOB | AGE | MAKE | SPONSOR | TEAM | CREW CHIEF |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 16 | AJ Allmendinger | Los Gatos, CA | Dec 16, 1981 | 42 | Chevrolet | Campers Inn RV | Kaulig Racing | Alex Yontz |
2 | 20 | Aric Almirola | Tampa, FL | Mar 14, 1984 | 40 | Toyota | He Gets Us | Joe Gibbs Racing | Tyler Allen |
3 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | Riverton, IL | Jun 6, 1986 | 38 | Chevrolet | Jarrett Logistics | JR Motorsports | Jim Pohlman |
4 | 48 | Parker Kligerman | Westport, CT | Aug 8, 1990 | 34 | Chevrolet | Big Machine Spiked Coolers | Big Machine Racing | Patrick Donahue |
5 | 27 | Jeb Burton | Halifax, VA | Aug 6, 1992 | 32 | Chevrolet | BG Products | Jordan Anderson Racing | Shane Whitbeck |
6 | 38 | Matt DiBenedetto | Grass Valley, CA | Jul 27, 1991 | 33 | Ford | Malvern Panalytical | RSS Racing | Kevin Johnson |
7 | 43 | Ryan Ellis | Torrence, CA | Nov 29, 1989 | 34 | Chevrolet | Classic Collision | Alpha Prime Racing | Keith Wolfe |
8 | 15 | Dylan Lupton | Wilton, CA | Dec 7, 1993 | 30 | Ford | Lupton Excavation | AM Racing | Ryan London |
9 | 28 | Ryan Sieg | Tucker, GA | Jun 20, 1987 | 37 | Ford | TBA | RSS Racing | Matt Noyce |
10 | 44 | Brennan Poole | Sacramento, CA | Apr 11, 1991 | 33 | Chevrolet | Macc Door Systems | Alpha Prime Racing | Frank Kerr |
11 | 00 | Cole Custer | Ladera Ranch, CA | Jan 23, 1998 | 26 | Ford | Andy's Frozen Custard | Stewart Haas Racing | Jonathan Toney |
12 | 19 | Josh Bilicki | Menomonee Falls, WI | Jun 3, 1995 | 29 | Toyota | Insurance King | Joe Gibbs Racing | Seth Chavka |
13 | 91 | Alex Labbe | Saint-Albert, Canada | Apr 29, 1993 | 31 | Chevrolet | TBA | DGM Racing | Mario Gosselin |
14 | 21 | Austin Hill | Winston, GA | Apr 21, 1994 | 30 | Chevrolet | Bennett Transportation | Richard Childress Racing | Andy Street |
15 | 9 | Brandon Jones | Atlanta, GA | Feb 18, 1997 | 27 | Chevrolet | Menards/Delta Faucets | JR Motorsports | Adam Wall |
16 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Spartanburg, SC | Jan 16, 1985 | 39 | Chevrolet | Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet | Jeremy Clements Racing | Mark Setzer |
17 | 11 | Josh Williams | Port Charlotte, FL | Aug 3, 1993 | 31 | Chevrolet | Alloy Employer Services | Kaulig Racing | Eddie Pardue |
18 | 98 | Riley Herbst | Las Vegas, NV | Feb 24, 1999 | 25 | Ford | Monster Energy | Stewart Haas Racing | Davin Restivo |
19 | 5 | Anthony Alfredo | Ridgefield, CT | Mar 1, 1999 | 25 | Chevrolet | Our Motorsports | Our Motorsports | Joshua Graham |
20 | 50 | Preston Pardus | New Smyrna Beach, FL | Feb 15, 1997 | 27 | Chevrolet | Chinchor Electric Inc. | Pardus Racing, Inc | Dan Pardus |
21 | 18 | Sheldon Creed | Alpine, CA | Sep 30, 1997 | 27 | Toyota | Friends of Jaclyn Foundation | Joe Gibbs Racing | Sam McAulay |
22 | 29 | Blaine Perkins | Bakersfield, CA | Feb 28, 2000 | 24 | Ford | To The POINT | RSS Racing | Steve Addington |
23 | 39 | Kyle Sieg | Tucker, GA | Apr 16, 2001 | 23 | Ford | Sci Aps | RSS Racing | Joe Williams |
24 | 1 | Sam Mayer | Franklin, WI | Jun 26, 2003 | 21 | Chevrolet | QPS Employment Group | JR Motorsports | Mardy Lindley |
25 | 92 | Dawson Cram | San Diego, CA | Sep 12, 2001 | 23 | Chevrolet | Trade With the Pros | DGM Racing | Bryan Berry |
26 | 07 | Sage Karam | Nazareth, PA | Mar 5, 1995 | 29 | Chevrolet | TBA | SS-Green Light Racing | Paul Clapprood |
27 | 81 | Chandler Smith | Talking Rock, GA | Jun 26, 2002 | 22 | Toyota | Wheelers | Joe Gibbs Racing | Jeff Meendering |
28 | 31 | Parker Retzlaff | Rhinelander, WI | May 21, 2003 | 21 | Chevrolet | Carolina Cowboys | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chad Kendrick |
29 | 45 | Brad Perez | Hollywood, FL | Jan 21, 1997 | 27 | Chevrolet | TBA | Alpha Prime Racing | Kase Kallenbach |
30 | 88 | Connor Mosack | Charlotte, NC | Jan 20, 1999 | 25 | Chevrolet | Apollo Pex | JR Motorsports | Andrew Overstreet |
31 | 8 | Sammy Smith | Johnston, IA | Jun 4, 2004 | 20 | Chevrolet | Pilot Flying J | JR Motorsports | Phillip Bell |
32 | 42 | Leland Honeyman Jr | Phoenix, AZ | Feb 23, 2005 | 19 | Chevrolet | TBA | Young's Motorsports | Andrew Abbott |
33 | 26 | Ed Jones | Dubai, United Arab Emirates | Feb 12, 1995 | 29 | Toyota | Toyota Racing Development | Sam Hunt Racing | Kris Bowen |
34 | 2 | Jesse Love | Menlo Park, CA | Jan 14, 2005 | 19 | Chevrolet | Whelen | Richard Childress Racing | Danny Stockman |
35 | 97 | Shane van Gisbergen | Aucklund, New Zealand | May 9, 1989 | 35 | Chevrolet | WeatherTech | Kaulig Racing | Kevin Walter |
36 | 32 | Austin Green | Concord, NC | Mar 26, 2001 | 23 | Chevrolet | 3Dimensional.com | Jordan Anderson Racing | Jody Measamer |
37 | 14 | Nathan Byrd | Litchfield Park, AZ | Jan 6, 2000 | 24 | Chevrolet | ASAP Commercial Doors | SS-Green Light Racing | Jason Miller |
38 | 35 | Thomas Annunziata | Colts Neck, NJ | Jun 14, 2005 | 19 | Toyota | NFPA | Joey Gase Motorsports | Mike Hillman Sr |