FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Saturday, October 3rd, 2015

NOTES AND QUOTES FROM XFINITY SERIES PRE-RACE AND RACE COVERAGE FROM DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY ON NBCSN

Race winner Regan Smith to Marty Snider: “Today wasn’t a Hail Mary, we came from the back to the front and just had a fast race car.”

Runner-up Denny Hamlin to Kelli Stavast: “This is my last (XFINITY) race of the year. I wish we could have gone out with a win, but a good run nonetheless.”

Steve Letarte on the XFINITY Championship points system: “I love the fact that this XFINITY series doesn’t have a Chase.”

DOVER, Del. – Oct. 3, 2015 – NBCSN presented a much anticipated afternoon of XFINITY racing from the “Monster Mile.” XFINITY drivers approached this afternoon with a blank slate, having never turned a lap of practice on the one-mile concrete oval. Regan Smith held off Sprint Cup drivers Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch to clench the Hisense 200 win. It is Smith’s second XFINITY win in seven weeks. Chris Buescher continues to maintain his XFINITY Championship points lead, finishing eighth today.

Saturday afternoon’s XFINITY coverage began with the Countdown to Green pre-race show hosted by Krista Voda and Kyle Petty. Leigh Diffey hosted the race coverage alongside NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Dale Jarrett and Daytona 500-winning crew chief Steve Letarte. Reporters Marty Snider, Mike Massaro, Kelli Stavast and Dave Burns contributed throughout the broadcast from pit road.

Position Driver Car #
1 Regan Smith 7
2 Denny Hamlin 20
3 Kyle Busch 54
4 Ryan Blaney 22
5 Kyle Larson 42

 

The following are highlights from this afternoon’s XFINITY pre-race and race coverage on NBCSN.

Jarrett on how drivers are feeling about their lack of time on the track: “It is very unsettling, especially at a race track like this. There is a lot of rhythm needed here…especially with these XFINITY cars where you don’t have as much horsepower.”

Buescher on lack of practice to Jarrett during his pace lap: “It will be a tough one, but we are all in the same boat.”

Letarte on Dillon’s early race collision with the wall: “A tire pop that is what keeps crew chiefs up a night, probably drivers too. When we talk about a Championship run in NASCAR, the mechanical involvement is so important. There is a car, there are tires, and there are so many opportunities for things to go against you that you really can’t control.”

Diffey on the pending rain: “We are racing the rain here at Dover International, it is coming. Teams are guessing and predicting when it will hit. Will it be five laps, ten laps, 20 laps? We don’t know. But everyone is racing to get to lap 100 of this 200 lap event.”

Letarte on the approaching rain: “I have raced the rain over the course of my career…every once in a while it can affect the outcome of an event.”

Letarte on Elliott Sadler’s first place position at the beginning of the rain delay: “I give it to Phil Gould, what a great call. He has called some great strategy this entire race…In the lead, great place to be when it is raining.”

Letarte on Chase Elliott Championship standing: “The key in my mind for Chase Elliott is to just continually apply the pressure. Today if you can gain three points, gain three points.”

Diffey after the return to green on the dwindling daylight: “Here at Dover it is much darker than it is on your television screen.”

Regan Smith’s crew chief Jason Burdett to Snider after the win: “I can’t believe he is still doing a burn out. He must have done a really good job of saving fuel.”

Elliott to Burns on his seventh place finish, and the decision to conserve fuel: “The risk vs. reward, you can try to keep one spot or lose ten if you run out (of fuel).”

XFINITY Championship points leader Buescher to Massaro: “Big picture it is a decent day. Dover weekend, not having any practice, I am proud.”

Runner-up Denny Hamlin to Stavast: “This is my last (XFINITY) race of the year. I wish we could have gone out with a win, but a good run nonetheless.”

Race winner Regan Smith to Snider: “Today wasn’t a Hail Mary, we came from the back to the front and just had a fast race car.”

Letarte on the XFINITY Championship points system: “I love the fact that this XFINITY series doesn’t have a Chase. I think there is a maturity level required to try and put together a 33 race schedule.”

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–NBC SPORTS GROUP–