2019 Drive for the Cure 250
# 2019 Drive for the Cure 250

The 2019 Drive for the Cure 250 presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina is a NASCAR Xfinity Series race held on September 28, 2019, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. Contested over 67 laps on the 2.28-mile (3.67 km) road course, it was the 28th race of the 2019 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, second race of the Playoffs, and the second race of the Round of 12.

## Background

### Track

Since 2018, deviating from past NASCAR events at Charlotte, the race will utilize a road course configuration of Charlotte Motor Speedway, promoted and trademarked as the "Roval". The course is 2.28 miles (3.67 km) in length and features 17 turns, utilizing the infield road course and portions of the oval track. The race will be contested over a scheduled distance of 67 laps, 245.803 kilometres (152.735 mi).

## Entry list

| No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
| - | - | - | - |
| 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste Racing | Ford |
| 0 | Lawson Aschenbach | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 01 | Stephen Leicht | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 1 | Michael Annett | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 2 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 4 | Garrett Smithley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 5 | Vinnie Miller | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 07 | Ray Black Jr. | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet |
| 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 08 | Gray Gaulding (R) | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet |
| 8 | Ryan Truex | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 9 | Noah Gragson (R) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 10 | A. J. Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet |
| 11 | Justin Haley (R) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet |
| 13 | Chad Finchum | MBM Motorsports | Toyota |
| 15 | B. J. McLeod | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 18 | Harrison Burton (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 22 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford |
| 23 | John Hunter Nemechek (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet |
| 35 | Joey Gase | MBM Motorsports | Toyota |
| 36 | Josh Williams | DGM Racing | Chevrolet |
| 38 | Bayley Currey (i) | RSS Racing | Chevrolet |
| 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet |
| 43 | Preston Pardus | Pardus Racing Inc. | Chevrolet |
| 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet |
| 52 | David Starr | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet |
| 61 | Tommy Joe Martins | MBM Motorsports | Toyota |
| 66 | Timmy Hill | MBM Motorsports | Toyota |
| 68 | Brandon Brown (R) | Brandonbilt Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 74 | Joe Nemechek (i) | Mike Harmon Racing | Chevrolet |
| 78 | J. J. Yeley | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Toyota |
| 86 | Will Rodgers | Brandonbilt Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 90 | Alex Labbé | DGM Racing | Chevrolet |
| 93 | Josh Bilicki | RSS Racing | Chevrolet |
| 98 | Chase Briscoe (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste Racing | Ford |
| 99 | Cody Ware | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| Official Entry List ||||

## Practice

### First practice

Christopher Bell was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 84.489 seconds and a speed of 98.853 mph (159.088 km/h).

| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1:24.489 | 98.853 |
| 2 | 22 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 1:24.536 | 98.798 |
| 3 | 10 | A. J. Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 1:24.570 | 98.758 |

### Final practice

A. J. Allmendinger was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 83.938 seconds and a speed of 99.502 mph (160.133 km/h).

| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 10 | A. J. Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 1:23.938 | 99.502 |
| 2 | 98 | Chase Briscoe (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste Racing | Ford | 1:24.367 | 98.996 |
| 3 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste Racing | Ford | 1:24.400 | 98.957 |

## Qualifying

Chase Briscoe scored the pole for the race with a time of 83.232 seconds and a speed of 100.346 mph (161.491 km/h).

### Qualifying results

| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 98 | Chase Briscoe (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste Racing | Ford | 1:23.232 |
| 2 | 2 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 83.247 |
| 3 | 22 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 83.369 |
| 4 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste Racing | Ford | 83.439 |
| 5 | 10 | A. J. Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 83.567 |
| 6 | 90 | Alex Labbé | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 83.638 |
| 7 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 83.772 |
| 8 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 84.407 |
| 9 | 11 | Justin Haley (R) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 84.709 |
| 10 | 86 | Will Rodgers | Brandonbilt Motorsports | Chevrolet | 85.056 |
| 11 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 99.367 |
| 12 | 9 | Noah Gragson (R) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 84.831 |
| 13 | 8 | Ryan Truex | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 84.858 |
| 14 | 23 | John Hunter Nemechek (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 84.875 |
| 15 | 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 84.940 |
| 16 | 43 | Preston Pardus | Pardus Racing Inc. | Chevrolet | 84.991 |
| 17 | 08 | Gray Gaulding (R) | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 85.142 |
| 18 | 61 | Tommy Joe Martins | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 85.426 |
| 19 | 0 | Lawson Aschenbach | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 85.758 |
| 20 | 36 | Josh Williams | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 85.768 |
| 21 | 66 | Timmy Hill | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 85.841 |
| 22 | 18 | Harrison Burton (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 85.904 |
| 23 | 1 | Michael Annett | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 85.914 |
| 24 | 07 | Ray Black Jr. | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 85.944 |
| 25 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 86.028 |
| 26 | 01 | Stephen Leicht | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 86.155 |
| 27 | 4 | Garrett Smithley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 86.377 |
| 28 | 93 | Josh Bilicki | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 87.064 |
| 29 | 78 | J. J. Yeley | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Toyota | 87.501 |
| 30 | 74 | Joe Nemechek | Mike Harmon Racing | Chevrolet | 87.503 |
| 31 | 52 | David Starr | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | 88.016 |
| 32 | 99 | Cody Ware | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 88.248 |
| 33 | 35 | Joey Gase | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 88.595 |
| 34 | 15 | B. J. McLeod | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 89.279 |
| 35 | 68 | Brandon Brown (R) | Brandonbilt Motorsports | Chevrolet | 90.307 |
| 36 | 5 | Vinnie Miller | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 91.827 |
| 37 | 13 | Chad Finchum | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 92.212 |
| 38 | 38 | Bayley Currey (i) | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 0.000 |

. – Playoffs driver

## Race

### Summary

Chase Briscoe started on pole and maintained his lead, winning Stage 1. Cole Custer overtook teammate Briscoe at the conclusion of Stage 1, and won Stage 2, which did not see any cautions. Alex Labbé notably won points in both stages and also had a career-best finish of 6th.

On lap 45, a caution occurred and four playoff drivers, including Brandon Jones and John Hunter Nemechek, were involved. Afterwards, Briscoe attempted to overtake Christopher Bell for second place. Briscoe drove hard into Bell, running him off the track. Bell was obligated to serve a penalty due to going off-track, but instead chased Briscoe down and deliberately spun him. Bell was ruled by NASCAR to have to restart at the rear of the field. Briscoe suffered as his team spent a long time repairing his car. Neither driver was able to fully recover from the incident, though Bell was already locked into the next round of the playoffs from his win at the previous week's race.

For the other playoffs drivers, Ryan Sieg dealt with fuel pressure issues early in the race, finishing two laps down. Justin Haley experienced mechanical issues and went to the garage for repairs, finishing six laps down.

A. J. Allmendinger had a strong run on the final restart, winning the race with a 2-second lead over Tyler Reddick.

Nemechek, Jones, Sieg, and Haley all exited the race below the cut line for the playoffs.

### Stage Results

Stage One Laps: 20

| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 98 | Chase Briscoe (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 22 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 90 | Alex Labbé | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 23 | John Hunter Nemechek (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 8 | Ryan Truex | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 9 | Noah Gragson (R) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 1 |

Stage Two Laps: 20

| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 98 | Chase Briscoe (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 2 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 9 | Noah Gragson (R) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 5 |
| 7 | 90 | Alex Labbé | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 22 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 1 |

### Final Stage Results

Stage Three Laps: 27

| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 5 | 10 | A. J. Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 67 | 40 |
| 2 | 2 | 2 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 67 | 43 |
| 3 | 3 | 22 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 67 | 45 |
| 4 | 7 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 67 | 48 |
| 5 | 12 | 9 | Noah Gragson (R) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 67 | 40 |
| 6 | 6 | 90 | Alex Labbé | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 67 | 42 |
| 7 | 14 | 23 | John Hunter Nemechek (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 67 | 35 |
| 8 | 4 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 67 | 40 |
| 9 | 1 | 98 | Chase Briscoe (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 67 | 47 |
| 10 | 13 | 8 | Ryan Truex | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 67 | 31 |
| 11 | 8 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 67 | 33 |
| 12 | 11 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 67 | 28 |
| 13 | 22 | 18 | Harrison Burton (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 67 | 0 |
| 14 | 19 | 0 | Lawson Aschenbach | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 67 | 23 |
| 15 | 23 | 1 | Michael Annett | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 67 | 22 |
| 16 | 15 | 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 67 | 29 |
| 17 | 35 | 68 | Brandon Brown (R) | Brandonbilt Motorsports | Chevrolet | 67 | 20 |
| 18 | 21 | 66 | Timmy Hill | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 67 | 19 |
| 19 | 26 | 01 | Stephen Leicht | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 67 | 18 |
| 20 | 20 | 36 | Josh Williams | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 67 | 17 |
| 21 | 33 | 35 | Joey Gase | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 67 | 16 |
| 22 | 30 | 74 | Joe Nemechek (i) | Mike Harmon Racing | Chevrolet | 67 | 0 |
| 23 | 34 | 15 | B. J. McLeod | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 67 | 14 |
| 24 | 32 | 99 | Cody Ware | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 67 | 13 |
| 25 | 36 | 5 | Vinnie Miller | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 67 | 12 |
| 26 | 28 | 93 | Josh Bilicki | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 67 | 11 |
| 27 | 16 | 43 | Preston Pardus | Pardus Racing Inc. | Chevrolet | 67 | 10 |
| 28 | 10 | 86 | Will Rodgers | Brandonbilt Motorsports | Chevrolet | 67 | 9 |
| 29 | 17 | 08 | Gray Gaulding (R) | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 67 | 8 |
| 30 | 25 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 65 | 7 |
| 31 | 9 | 11 | Justin Haley (R) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 61 | 6 |
| 32 | 24 | 07 | Ray Black Jr. | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 60 | 5 |
| 33 | 27 | 4 | Garrett Smithley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54 | 4 |
| 34 | 31 | 52 | David Starr | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | 28 | 3 |
| 35 | 18 | 61 | Tommy Joe Martins | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 26 | 2 |
| 36 | 37 | 13 | Chad Finchum | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 26 | 1 |
| 37 | 38 | 38 | Bayley Currey (i) | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 10 | 0 |
| 38 | 29 | 78 | J. J. Yeley | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Toyota | 5 | 1 |

. – Playoffs driver

* During the race, Stefan Parsons, replaced Cody Ware who was not feeling well after the coolbox of his car didn't work during the race so he felt the heat exhaustion. Since Ware started the race, he is officially credited with the 24th-place finish.
