NASCAR ran at two different tracks this weekend, and each venue provided plenty of on-track drama for fans in attendance and watching at home. Plus, two of the three circuits began their Playoffs, which added even more excitement to this weekend’s races.

The Craftsman Truck Series and Cup Series raced at “The Track Too Tough To Tame,” also known as Darlington Raceway. The Xfinity Series competed at Portland’s road course.

The Trucks started the weekend off with the Sober or Slammer 200 on Saturday afternoon. Since Xfinity was on the other side of the country racing, NASCAR moved the Trucks from their usual Friday night timeslot.

This Darlington race was extra intense since it was the start of the Craftsman Truck Series Playoffs. And, it went as we predicted in our NASCAR picks of the week.

The Xfinity Series put on a show Saturday night as Portland International Raceway was a great way for this series to complete the Pacific Office Automation 147 race. This event was the penultimate race of the regular season, and it definitely didn’t disappoint. Yet, in the end, the best driver won as we predicted.

Lastly, the Cup Series danced with “The Lady in Black” on Sunday evening and it was a thrilling way to kick off their 10-race postseason. One driver dominated most of the race, and it wasn’t who you would’ve expected. Additionally, a few Playoff drivers have dug themselves a deep hole for the rest of this round.

If you missed any of the racing action from Darlington or Portland this weekend, we’ve got you covered. Continue reading our NASCAR results, race recaps, and catch up on all of the weekend’s stockcar excitement.

Additionally, check out how our NASCAR picks fared for the Cup Series, Xfinity Series and Truck Series races.

NASCAR Truck Series Results

The following NASCAR Truck Series results are for the Sober or Slammer 250:

Truck Series Results	Driver	Team
Race Winner	Corey Heim	Tricon Garage
Stage 1 Winner	Corey Heim	Tricon Garage
Stage 2 Winner	Layne Riggs	Front Row Motorsports
Led Most Laps	Layne Riggs (71/147)	Front Row Motorsports
Pole Position	Layne Riggs	Front Row Motorsports

For much of the race, Corey Heim and Layne Riggs battled for the lead. In fact, they combined to lead 136 of the 147 total laps. Unfortunately for Riggs, an issue late in the race forced him to pit road where he ended up 17^th after a strong run for most of the race.

And, as we predicted, Corey Heim won the Somber or Slammer 250 after taking the lead from Riggs on lap 128, and leading the final 20 laps for the victory.

Heim has automatically advanced to the next round. Additionally, the win gives him his 8^th victory of the season and further cemented him as the man to beat for the Truck Series Championship.

Following the race, Heim commented on his battle with Riggs and his eight win of the year:

“I put a little pressure on the 34 (Riggs), and he got into it, and we were able to take advantage of it. It feels like I’m in a dream. Eight wins this year is phenomenal, man. It’s great to look back on, but we’ve also got so much to look forward to.”

Three other Playoff drivers finished in the Top 5, as well: Daniel Hemric, Grant Enfinger, and Ty Majeski. The latter really needed a strong run due to his subpar season so far. Both Enfinger and Majeski were my value plays for this race.

As for Enfinger, he was my best Top 5 bet for this Darlington race; outside of Heim, of course. Yet, the #9 truck had a solid resume at this track and has been running well as of late.

Kaden Honeycutt’s late-race spinout cost him in the standings as he fell to 10^th and is now below the cutoff line. Joining him there, is Chandler Smith who crashed out of the race on lap 14 and finished 30^th overall. The Top 8 drivers will advance to the second round of the Playoffs in a few weeks.

In total, there were only three cautions for 19 laps and nine lead changes. Heim and Riggs were responsible for seven of those nine lead changes.

The Truck Series will be off next weekend, but they return to action on Thursday, September 11, at Bristol Motor Speedway. The race will be seen live on FS1 beginning at 8pm ET. 

NASCAR Xfinity Series Results

The following NASCAR Xfinity Series results are for the Pacific Office Automation 147:

Xfinity Series Results	Driver	Team
Race Winner	Connor Zilisch	JR Motorsports
Stage 1 Winner	Connor Zilisch	JR Motorsports
Stage 2 Winner	Connor Zilisch	JR Motorsports
Led Most Laps	Connor Zilisch (70/75)	JR Motorsports
Pole Position	Connor Zilisch	JR Motorsports

I said it a few days ago, “You are crazy to bet on anyone other than Zilisch to win this race.”

Well, this young phenom proved once again, that he’s the best road course driver in the sport other than Shane van Gisbergen.

Furthermore, he proved that he’s the man to beat for the Xfinity Series Championship. And, I picked him to win the title before the season started. Needless to say, I’ve been on the Zilisch bandwagon since last fall.

Zilisch’s win is his 8^th of the season. And, it puts him in a great position to win the regular season title. However, even if he doesn’t, the 19-year-old is still the odds-on favorite to win the Championship.

Saturday night’s race did go into OT before Zilisch locked it up. However, the #88 car dominated this event by starting on the Pole, winning both stages, leading the most laps and taking the checkered flag. Zilisch made the following post-race comments:

“To come back two weeks after collarbone surgery, it hurt, but it hurt so good. So proud of this 88 team. It’s been such a fun year. Let’s go get ourselves a championship.”

William Zawalich, Nick Sanchez, Christian Eckes and Austin Hill rounded out the Top 5. Speaking of Hill, he was my pick for the best Top 5 bet outside of Zilisch. The #21 car didn’t let me down as we now have swept both the race winners and Top 5 prop bets for the Truck Series and Xfinity Series races.

With one more race left in the regular season, nine of the 12 Playoff spots have been locked up. However, it’s highly improbable that the 10^th and 11^th spots change other than the order as it appears that Sheldon Creed and Taylor Gray remain safe to make the postseason.

So, more than likely, it’s only the final Playoff spot that will be in the spotlight next weekend, and it’s a family feud between the Burton cousins. Jeb Burton finished 7^th at Portland, while Harrison Burton finished 12^th. The latter still has a 31-point lead going into next weekend’s race.

There were only four cautions for 14 laps. Even more dramatic, there were just two lead changes in the entire race. Once again, proving just how dominant Zilisch was.

The Xfinity Series will head to Illinois next weekend for the Nu Way 200 Sauced by Blues Hog on Saturday, September 6. This event will take place at the World Wide Technology Raceway and begin at 7:30pm ET on The CW. FS1.

NASCAR Cup Series Results

The following NASCAR Cup Series results are for the Cook Out Southern 500:

Cup Series Results	Driver	Team
Race Winner	Chase Briscoe	Joe Gibbs Racing
Stage 1 Winner	Chase Briscoe	Joe Gibbs Racing
Stage 2 Winner	Chase Briscoe	Joe Gibbs Racing
Led Most Laps	Chase Briscoe (309/367)	Joe Gibbs Racing
Pole Position	Denny Hamlin	Joe Gibbs Racing

Well, Joe Gibbs Racing one as many thought they would. However, it wasn’t the JGR driver that most pre-race bettors would’ve picked to win. Instead of the best Darlington Cup Series driver in Denn Hamlin winning in his #11 JGR car, it was Chase Briscoe and his #19 JGR heading to victory lane for the second straight year.

This time, Briscoe absolutely dominated the field by leading 309 of the 367 laps. Furthermore, he won both stages and automatically advances to the Round of 12 with that victory.

For Briscoe, it was his fourth career Cup Series victory and his second since joining Joe Gibbs Racing this season.

Although Briscoe’s domination could look like the Southern 500 was boring race on the surface, that was far from the reality. The Lady In Black proved to be too much for some drivers to handle. In fact, a few Playoff drivers were snakebitten early and have fallen well below the cutoff line for the Round of 12.

Josh Berry was the first to suffer from Darlington’s devilish ways as he crashed on the first lap of the race. Berry finished 38^th and not sits in 16^th place, 19 points below the cutoff line.

Alex Bowman, who secured his Playoff spot last weekend at Daytona due to Ryan Blaney winning the Coke Zero Sugar 400, had an awful pit stop in stage one that took 40 seconds due to some issues. He ended up 29^th, and is tied with Berry down 19 points.

Speaking of Blaney, he finished 18^th and was very fortune to not score a DNF after spinning out and almost smashing into a wall.

Tyler Reddick came home second and moved up in the Playoff Standings as he’s now 4^th overall. Bubb Wallace and Denny Hamlin were the other two Playoff drivers to crack the Top 10. Both drivers moved up, as well. Hamlin now sits in 2^nd and Wallace sits in 5^th.

Surprisingly, Chase Elliott (17^th), Kyle Larson (19^th), Joe Logano (20^th), William Byron (21^st), and Austin Dillon (23^rd) all finished outside of the Top 15 and have seen their positioning fall down a peg or two.

In a non-Playoff moment, Derek Kraus’ #44 car caught fire due to mechanical issues and he had to quickly climb out of his car late in the race. This came on lap 314 and caused six laps to be run under the yellow flag. It also allowed cars to prepare for the final 50 laps.

The race saw seven cautions for 37 laps and 24 lead changes. Briscoe took the lead on lap 281 and led for the final 87 laps. It was his eighth lead change of the race.

Like with the Xfinity Series, the Cup Series will head to the World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway for the Enjoy Illinois 300. This event marks the second race of the Playoffs, with just one remaining in the opening round. You can watch the race in its entirety on USA Network beginning at 3PM ET on Sunday, September 7.