The2017 Mid-Ohio Challengewas the 21ststock car raceof the2017 NASCAR Xfinity Seriesseason and the fifth iteration of theevent.The race was held on Saturday, August 12, 2018, inLe xing ton, Ohioat theMid-Ohio Sports Car Course,a 2.258 miles (3.634 km) permanent road course. The race took the scheduled 75 laps to complete. At race's end,Sam Hornish Jr.,driving forTeam Penske,would hold off the field on the final restart with five to go to complete a dominant performance.[1]The win was Hornish's sixth and to date, final career win in theNASCAR Xfinity Seriesand his only win of the season. To fill out the podium,Daniel Hemric,driving forRichard Childress Racing,andMatt Tifft,driving forJoe Gibbs Racing,would finish second and third, respectively.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 21 of 33 in the2017 NASCAR Xfinity Series | |||
 | |||
| Date | August 12, 2017 | ||
| Official name | 5th Annual Mid-Ohio Challenge | ||
| Location | Le xing ton, Ohio,Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 2.258 mi (3.634 km) | ||
| Distance | 75 laps, 169.35 mi (272.542 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 75 laps, 169.35 mi (272.542 km) | ||
| Average speed | 64.154 miles per hour (103.246 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Team Penske | ||
| Time | 1:23.921 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Sam Hornish Jr. | Team Penske | |
| Laps | 61 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 22 | Sam Hornish Jr. | Team Penske | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | NBCSN | ||
| Announcers | Dave Burns,Dale Jarrett | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
Background
editThe track is a road courseauto racingfacility located inTroy Township, Morrow County, Ohio,United States,just outside the village ofLe xing ton.Mid-Ohio has also colloquially become a term for the entire north-central region of the state, from south ofSanduskyto the north ofColumbus.
The track opened as a 15-turn, 2.4 mile (3.86 km) road circuit runclockwise.The back portion of the track allows speeds approaching 180 mph (290 km/h). A separate starting line is located on the backstretch to allow for safer rolling starts. The regular start / finish line is located on the pit straight. There is grandstand seating for 10,000 spectators and three observation mounds alongside the track raise the capacity to over 75,000.
Entry list
edit- (R)denotes rookie driver.
- (i)denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
Practice
editOriginally, two practices were scheduled to be held on Friday, August 11. However, rain would force the cancellation of both sessions. Instead, a lone practice session was run the following day.[2]
The only 45-minute practice session was held on Saturday, August 12, at 8:00 AMEST.[3]Sam Hornish Jr.,driving forTeam Penskewould set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 1:25.695 and an average speed of 94.857 miles per hour (152.658 km/h).[4]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 | Sam Hornish Jr. | Team Penske | Ford | 1:25.695 | 94.857 |
| 2 | 20 | James Davison | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1:25.705 | 94.846 |
| 3 | 19 | Matt Tifft(R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1:25.981 | 94.542 |
| Full practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
editQualifying was held on Saturday, August 12, at 12:00 PMEST.[3]Since theMid-Ohio Sports Car Courseis a road course, the qualifying system was a multi-car system that included two rounds. The first round was 25 minutes, where every driver would be able to set a lap within the 25 minutes. Then, the second round would consist of the fastest 12 cars in Round 1, and drivers would have 10 minutes to set a lap. Whoever set the fastest time in Round 2 would win the pole.[5]
Sam Hornish Jr.,driving forTeam Penskewould win the pole, with a lap of 1:23.921 and an average speed of 96.863 miles per hour (155.886 km/h) in the second round.[6]
No drivers would fail to qualify.
Full qualifying results
editRace results
editStage 1Laps: 20
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | Blake Koch | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 48 | Brennan Poole | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 4 | Ross Chastain | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 21 | Daniel Hemric(R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 22 | Sam Hornish Jr. | Team Penske | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 8 | Josh Bilicki | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1 |
Stage 2Laps: 20
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 | Sam Hornish Jr. | Team Penske | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 21 | Daniel Hemric(R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 20 | James Davison | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 07 | Andy Lally | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 42 | Justin Marks | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 18 | Regan Smith(i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 0 |
| 8 | 2 | Ben Kennedy(R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 48 | Brennan Poole | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 11 | Blake Koch | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 1 |
Stage 3Laps: 35
Standings after the race
edit
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References
edit- ^"Hornish Jr. edges Hemric to claim first Mid-Ohio victory".ESPN.2017-08-12.Retrieved2022-06-06.
- ^"Storms wash out Xfinity, Trans Am at Mid-Ohio".RACER.2017-08-11.Retrieved2022-06-06.
- ^ab"2017 NASCAR XFINITY Mid-Ohio Race Info".ESPN.2017-08-14.Retrieved2022-06-06.
- ^Long, Dustin (2017-08-12)."Sam Hornish Jr. fastest in final Xfinity practice at Mid-Ohio".NASCAR Talk | NBC Sports.Retrieved2022-06-06.
- ^"NASCAR Qualifying Rules".ESPN.2018-02-07.Retrieved2021-12-08.
- ^Bonkowski, Jerry (2017-08-12)."Sam Hornish Jr. feels right at home, takes Xfinity pole at Mid-Ohio".NASCAR Talk | NBC Sports.Retrieved2022-06-06.
- ^"2017 Mid-Ohio Challenge - The Third Turn".thethirdturn.Retrieved2022-06-05.