2016 Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300
The 2016 Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300 was the seventh stock car race of the 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series season and the 34th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, April 16, 2016, in Bristol, Tennessee at Bristol Motor Speedway, a 0.533 miles (0.858 km) permanent oval-shaped racetrack. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete, with the first 100 laps being split into two 50-lap heats of 20 cars. At race's end, Erik Jones, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would complete a late race charge on the final restart with three to go to win his third career NASCAR Xfinity Series win and his first of the season.[1] To fill out the podium, Kyle Busch, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, and Kyle Larson, driving for Chip Ganassi Racing, would finish second and third, respectively.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 7 of 33 in the 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series | |||
| Date | April 16, 2016 | ||
| Official name | 34th Annual Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300 | ||
| Location | Bristol, Tennessee, Bristol Motor Speedway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 0.533 mi (0.828 km) | ||
| Distance | 200 laps, 106.6 mi (171.556 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 200 laps, 106.6 mi (171.556 km) | ||
| Average speed | 93.829 miles per hour (151.003 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Joe Gibbs Racing | ||
| Grid positions set by heat results | |||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | |
| Laps | 94 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | Fox Sports 1 | ||
| Announcers | Adam Alexander, Michael Waltrip, Brad Keselowski | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Performance Racing Network | ||
Background
The Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway, is a NASCAR short track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961. Despite its short length, Bristol is among the most popular tracks on the NASCAR schedule because of its distinct features, which include extraordinarily steep banking, an all concrete surface, two pit roads, and stadium-like seating. It has also been named one of the loudest NASCAR tracks.
Dash 4 Cash format and eligibility
In 2016, NASCAR would announce changes to its Dash 4 Cash format. The format would now include heat races to determine qualifiers. Each driver would qualify for heats in knockout qualifying, with odd-position drivers driving in heat #1, and even-position drivers competing in heat #2. The top two finishers of each heat would compete for the Dash 4 Cash in the main race after the heats.[2]
Entry list
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
- (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
Practice
First practice
The first practice session was held on Friday, April 15, at 12:30 PM EST. The session would last for one hour and 25 minutes.[3] Austin Dillon, driving for Richard Childress Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a time of 15.570 and an average speed of 123.237 miles per hour (198.331 km/h).[4]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Austin Dillon (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 15.570 | 123.237 |
| 2 | 42 | Kyle Larson (i) | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 15.588 | 123.095 |
| 3 | 33 | Brandon Jones (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 15.598 | 123.016 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Second and final practice
The final practice session, sometimes known as Happy Hour, was held on Friday, April 15, at 3:00 PM EST. The session would last for 55 minutes.[3] Blake Koch, driving for Kaulig Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a time of 15.516 and an average speed of 123.666 miles per hour (199.021 km/h).[5]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | Blake Koch | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 15.516 | 123.666 |
| 2 | 18 | Kyle Busch (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 15.554 | 123.364 |
| 3 | 2 | Austin Dillon (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 15.555 | 123.356 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
Heat qualifying
Qualifying for the two preliminary heat races was held on Saturday, April 16, at 9:30 AM EST.[3] Since Bristol Motor Speedway is under 2 miles (3.2 km) in length, the qualifying system was a multi-car system that included three rounds. The first round was 15 minutes, where every driver would be able to set a lap within the 15 minutes. Then, the second round would consist of the fastest 24 cars in Round 1, and drivers would have 10 minutes to set a lap. Round 3 consisted of the fastest 12 drivers from Round 2, and the drivers would have 5 minutes to set a time. Whoever was fastest in Round 3 would win the pole.[6]
Erik Jones, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would win the pole for heat #1, setting a time of 15.239 and an average speed of 125.914 miles per hour (202.639 km/h) in the third round. Meanwhile, Austin Dillon, driving for Richard Childress Racing would win the pole for heat #2, setting a time of 15.284 and an average speed of 125.543 miles per hour (202.042 km/h) in the third round.[7]
Two drivers would fail to qualify: Morgan Shepherd and Carl Long.
Full qualifying results
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time (R1) | Speed (R1) | Time (R2) | Speed (R2) | Time (R3) | Speed (R3) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | Erik Jones (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 15.363 | 124.897 | 15.299 | 125.420 | 15.239 | 125.914 |
| 2 | 2 | Austin Dillon (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 15.485 | 123.913 | 15.383 | 124.735 | 15.284 | 125.543 |
| 3 | 42 | Kyle Larson (i) | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 15.283 | 125.551 | 15.326 | 125.199 | 15.337 | 125.109 |
| 4 | 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 15.422 | 124.420 | 15.352 | 124.987 | 15.347 | 125.028 |
| 5 | 18 | Kyle Busch (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 15.363 | 124.897 | 15.464 | 124.082 | 15.355 | 124.963 |
| 6 | 22 | Joey Logano (i) | Team Penske | Ford | 15.370 | 124.841 | 15.456 | 124.146 | 15.431 | 124.347 |
| 7 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15.337 | 125.109 | 15.458 | 124.130 | 15.440 | 124.275 |
| 8 | 98 | Aric Almirola (i) | Biagi-DenBeste Racing | Ford | 15.430 | 124.355 | 15.354 | 124.971 | 15.440 | 124.275 |
| 9 | 33 | Brandon Jones (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 15.609 | 122.929 | 15.453 | 124.170 | 15.477 | 123.978 |
| 10 | 3 | Ty Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 15.466 | 124.066 | 15.450 | 124.194 | 15.549 | 123.403 |
| 11 | 4 | Ross Chastain | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15.499 | 123.802 | 15.464 | 124.082 | 15.570 | 123.237 |
| 12 | 88 | Kevin Harvick (i) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15.508 | 123.730 | 15.426 | 124.387 | 15.610 | 122.921 |
| Eliminated in Round 2 | ||||||||||
| 13 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 15.606 | 122.953 | 15.472 | 124.018 | - | - |
| 14 | 11 | Blake Koch | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 15.584 | 123.126 | 15.493 | 123.849 | - | - |
| 15 | 6 | Bubba Wallace | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 15.531 | 123.546 | 15.496 | 123.826 | - | - |
| 16 | 43 | Jeb Burton | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 15.257 | 125.765 | 15.538 | 123.491 | - | - |
| 17 | 48 | Brennan Poole (R) | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 15.550 | 123.395 | 15.545 | 123.435 | - | - |
| 18 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 15.465 | 124.074 | 15.569 | 123.245 | - | - |
| 19 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15.535 | 123.515 | 15.571 | 123.229 | - | - |
| 20 | 90 | Mario Gosselin | King Autosport | Chevrolet | 15.576 | 123.190 | 15.657 | 122.552 | - | - |
| 21 | 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 15.532 | 123.539 | 15.662 | 122.513 | - | - |
| 22 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 15.594 | 123.047 | 15.698 | 122.232 | - | - |
| 23 | 10 | Matt DiBenedetto (i) | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 15.605 | 122.961 | - | - | - | - |
| 24 | 93 | Josh Wise (i) | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 15.616 | 122.874 | - | - | - | - |
| Eliminated in Round 1 | ||||||||||
| 25 | 28 | Dakoda Armstrong | JGL Racing | Toyota | 15.637 | 122.709 | - | - | - | - |
| 26 | 01 | Ryan Preece (R) | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15.694 | 122.263 | - | - | - | - |
| 27 | 15 | Jeff Green | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 15.714 | 122.108 | - | - | - | - |
| 28 | 14 | J. J. Yeley | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 15.726 | 122.014 | - | - | - | - |
| 29 | 24 | Matt Tifft (i) | JGL Racing | Toyota | 15.746 | 121.860 | - | - | - | - |
| 30 | 44 | David Starr | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 15.753 | 121.805 | - | - | - | - |
| 31 | 46 | Brandon Gdovic | Precision Performance Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15.754 | 121.798 | - | - | - | - |
| 32 | 78 | B. J. McLeod (R) | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Ford | 15.756 | 121.782 | - | - | - | - |
| 33 | 52 | Joey Gase | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | 15.775 | 121.635 | - | - | - | - |
| 34 | 07 | Ray Black Jr. (R) | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 15.803 | 121.420 | - | - | - | - |
| 35 | 25 | Harrison Rhodes | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 15.812 | 121.351 | - | - | - | - |
| 36 | 0 | Garrett Smithley (R) | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15.827 | 121.236 | - | - | - | - |
| 37 | 13 | Timmy Hill (i) | MBM Motorsports | Dodge | 15.934 | 120.422 | - | - | - | - |
| 38 | 97 | Ryan Ellis | Obaika Racing | Chevrolet | 16.018 | 119.790 | - | - | - | - |
| 39 | 74 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing | Dodge | 16.054 | 119.522 | - | - | - | - |
| 40 | 70 | Derrike Cope | Derrike Cope Racing | Chevrolet | 16.311 | 117.638 | - | - | - | - |
| Failed to qualify | ||||||||||
| 41 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Chevrolet | 15.776 | 121.628 | - | - | - | - |
| 42 | 40 | Carl Long | MBM Motorsports | Dodge | 15.844 | 121.106 | - | - | - | - |
| Official qualifying results | ||||||||||
| Heat #1 lineup | ||||||||||
| Heat #2 lineup | ||||||||||
Heat #1 results
Heat #1 was held on Saturday, April 16, at 12:30 PM EST. The race took 50 laps to complete. Erik Jones, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would dominate the race to win the heat and the overall pole.[8] Kyle Larson would complete the two drivers in the heat eligible for the Dash 4 Cash.
Heat #2 results
Heat #2 was held on Saturday, April 16, at approximately 1:10 PM EST. The race took 50 laps to complete. Austin Dillon, driving for Richard Childress Racing, would dominate the race to win the outside pole.[10] Ty Dillon would complete the two drivers in the heat eligible for the Dash 4 Cash.
Main race lineup
Main race results
Standings after the race
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References
- "Jones rallies to win XFinity race at Bristol". ESPN.com. 2016-04-16. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
- "Enhanced Xfinity Series 'Dash 4 Cash' features heat races for $100K bonus". www.sportingnews.com. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
- "Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site - Bristol XFINITY Race Info Page". Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on May 10, 2016. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
- Bonkowski, Jerry (2016-04-15). "Austin Dillon is fastest in first of 2 Xfinity practices at Bristol". NASCAR Talk | NBC Sports. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
- Bonkowski, Jerry (2016-04-15). "Blake Koch fastest in 2nd Xfinity practice at Bristol". NASCAR Talk | NBC Sports. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
- "NASCAR Qualifying Rules". ESPN.com. 2018-02-07. Retrieved 2021-11-03.
- Bonkowski, Jerry (2016-04-16). "Erik Jones, Austin Dillon earn top spots for Xfinity heat races". NASCAR Talk | NBC Sports. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
- Bonkowski, Jerry (2016-04-16). "Erik Jones leads all 50 laps to win first Xfinity heat race at Bristol". NASCAR Talk | NBC Sports. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
- "2016 Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300 Heat Race 1 - The Third Turn". www.thethirdturn.com. Retrieved 2022-06-13.
- Bonkowski, Jerry (2016-04-16). "Austin Dillon leads wire-to-wire in second Xfinity heat race at Bristol". NASCAR Talk | NBC Sports. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
- "2016 Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300 Heat Race 2 - The Third Turn". www.thethirdturn.com. Retrieved 2022-06-13.
- "2016 Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300 - The Third Turn". www.thethirdturn.com. Retrieved 2022-06-13.