1. What can be expected of Taylor Gray and Bubba Pollard in their Xfinity debuts at Richmond?
Four drivers will make their NASCAR Xfinity Series debut at Richmond Raceway on Saturday (March 30), and the two highest-profile names to attempt start numero uno are Taylor Gray and Bubba Pollard.
Gray will debut in Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 19 in what will be his first start in a multi-race schedule. At 19 years old, he’s currently running full time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for TRICON Garage, with three top-five finishes through five races of 2024.
For Gray, a top-15 finish should be the expectation. JGR has proven time and time again to be one of, if not the best team in the Xfinity Series, and Richmond Raceway is one of its best tracks. With Gray knocking on the door of his first win in the Truck Series, he absolutely has the talent to run toward the front on Saturday, and a top-10 finish in his debut would be a success.
Pollard will be a sentimental fan favorite going into the weekend, as he will make his Xfinity debut in JR Motorsports’ No. 88 for his first ever start in NASCAR’s top three series. The 37-year-old has torn up the late model short track ranks, winning races and titles left and right.
It’ll be interesting to see how he performs in practice and qualifying the morning before the race, and that will give an idea of what to expect. He may not be as familiar with the stock cars run in NASCAR, but there’s no doubt that he can wheel it on these types of tracks. If he’s running fast lap times in practice and has the car figured out, it wouldn’t be a stretch for him to compete for a top 10 or better. Regardless of how he runs on Saturday, this race will be a once-in-a-lifetime chance for Pollard to show what he can do at the NASCAR level.
2. NASCAR in the Netherlands?
Montreal and Mexico have long been rumored as international locations to be added to the NASCAR Cup Series schedule, but could they be joined by another country overseas?
Just a week ago, it was reported by Ziggo Sport — a Dutch TV channel — that NASCAR representatives were in talks with Circuit Zandvoort.
While the attached video is blocked in the United States, the premise is that the local NASCAR announcer revealed on a talk show that NASCAR was in talks with representatives at the track about a potential race and that the next step would be a meeting in the United States.
Zandvoort is a 2.646-mile road course…
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