# 2017 Virginia 529 College Savings 250

The 2017 Virginia 529 College Savings 250 was the 25th stock car race of the 2017 NASCAR Xfinity Series season and the 37th iteration of the event. The race was held on Friday, September 8, 2017, in Richmond, Virginia, at Richmond International Raceway, a 0.75 miles (1.21 km) D-shaped oval. The race took the scheduled 250 laps to complete. In the final stages of the race, Brad Keselowski, driving for Team Penske, would pull away from the field to win his 36th career NASCAR Xfinity Series win and his second and final win of the season. To fill out the podium, Kyle Busch, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, and Ty Dillon, driving for Richard Childress Racing, would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

Richmond Raceway (RR), formerly known as Richmond International Raceway (RIR), is a 3/4-mile (1.2 km), D-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in Henrico County. It hosts the NASCAR Cup Series, the NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and the IndyCar series. Known as "America's premier short track", it formerly hosted two USAC sprint car races.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
* (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 0 | Garrett Smithley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | JD Motorsports |
| 00 | Cole Custer (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | Haas Automation |
| 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | OneMain Financial |
| 01 | Harrison Rhodes | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | JD Motorsports |
| 2 | Paul Menard (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Menards, Richmond Water Heaters |
| 3 | Ty Dillon (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Rheem |
| 4 | Ross Chastain | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | JD Motorsports |
| 5 | Michael Annett | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Pilot Flying J |
| 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Hellmann's |
| 07 | Ray Black Jr. | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | Grunt Style "This We'll Defend" |
| 8 | Tommy Joe Martins | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | Circle Track Warehouse |
| 9 | William Byron (R) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Axalta |
| 11 | Blake Koch | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | LeafFilter Gutter Protection |
| 13 | Timmy Hill | MBM Motorsports | Dodge | MBM Motorsports |
| 14 | J. J. Yeley | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | TriStar Motorsports |
| 15 | Reed Sorenson (i) | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | Flex Seal Liquid |
| 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | Lilly Diabetes |
| 18 | Kyle Busch (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | NOS Energy |
| 19 | Matt Tifft (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Tunity |
| 20 | Christopher Bell (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Toyota |
| 21 | Daniel Hemric (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Blue Gate Bank |
| 22 | Brad Keselowski (i) | Team Penske | Ford | Fitzgerald Glider Kits |
| 23 | Spencer Gallagher (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | Allegiant Air |
| 24 | Dylan Lupton | JGL Racing | Toyota | Nut Up |
| 28 | Dakoda Armstrong | JGL Racing | Toyota | JGL Racing |
| 33 | Brandon Jones | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Phone Skope |
| 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | RSS Racing |
| 40 | Bobby Dale Earnhardt | MBM Motorsports | Chevrolet | TLC Resorts |
| 42 | Tyler Reddick | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | Broken Bow Records, Jason Aldean "They Don't Know" |
| 48 | Brennan Poole | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | DC Solar |
| 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | RepairableVehicles.com |
| 52 | Joey Gase | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | Donate Life Virginia |
| 62 | Brendan Gaughan | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa |
| 74 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing | Dodge | Veterans Motorsports Inc. |
| 78 | John Graham | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | Magellan Aviation Group, New York Islanders |
| 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. (i) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Degree Deodorant |
| 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Chevrolet | Racing with Jesus, Visone RV |
| 90 | Brandon Brown | Brandonbilt Motorsports | Chevrolet | W. G. Speeks, Mid-Atlantic Wrecker Service |
| 93 | Jeff Green | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | RSS Racing |
| 98 | Casey Mears | Biagi-DenBeste Racing | Ford | GEICO Military |
| 99 | David Starr | BJMM with SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | BJMM with SS-Green Light Racing |
| Official entry list |||||

## Practice

The only one hour and 55-minute practice session was held on Friday, September 8, at 8:00 AM EST. Blake Koch, driving for Kaulig Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 21.967 and an average speed of 122.912 mph (197.808 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 11 | Blake Koch | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 21.967 | 122.912 |
| 2 | 9 | William Byron (R) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 22.106 | 122.139 |
| 3 | 33 | Brandon Jones | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 22.159 | 121.847 |
| Full practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying was held on Friday, September 8, at 4:15 PM EST. Since Richmond Raceway is under 2 miles (3.2 km) in length, the qualifying system was a multi-car system that included three rounds. The first round was 15 minutes, where every driver would be able to set a lap within the 15 minutes. Then, the second round would consist of the fastest 24 cars in Round 1, and drivers would have 10 minutes to set a lap. Round 3 consisted of the fastest 12 drivers from Round 2, and the drivers would have 5 minutes to set a time. Whoever was fastest in Round 3 would win the pole.
Kyle Busch, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would win the pole after setting a time of 22.638 and an average speed of 119.268 mph (191.943 km/h) in the third round.
Morgan Shepherd was the only driver to fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time (R1) | Speed (R1) | Time (R2) | Speed (R2) | Time (R3) | Speed (R3) |
| 1 | 18 | Kyle Busch (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | -* | -* | -* | -* | 22.638 | 119.268 |
| 2 | 48 | Brennan Poole | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* | -* | -* | 22.722 | 118.828 |
| 3 | 22 | Brad Keselowski (i) | Team Penske | Ford | -* | -* | -* | -* | 22.746 | 118.702 |
| 4 | 00 | Cole Custer (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | -* | -* | -* | -* | 22.749 | 118.687 |
| 5 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. (i) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* | -* | -* | 22.765 | 118.603 |
| 6 | 9 | William Byron (R) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* | -* | -* | 22.781 | 118.520 |
| 7 | 11 | Blake Koch | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* | -* | -* | 22.810 | 118.369 |
| 8 | 21 | Daniel Hemric (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* | -* | -* | 22.821 | 118.312 |
| 9 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* | -* | -* | 22.841 | 118.208 |
| 10 | 2 | Paul Menard (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* | -* | -* | 22.867 | 118.074 |
| 11 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* | -* | -* | 22.881 | 118.002 |
| 12 | 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | -* | -* | -* | -* | 23.107 | 116.848 |
| Eliminated in Round 2 |||||||||||
| 13 | 19 | Matt Tifft (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | -* | -* | 22.784 | 118.504 | - | - |
| 14 | 20 | Christopher Bell (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | -* | -* | 22.806 | 118.390 | - | - |
| 15 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* | 22.809 | 118.374 | - | - |
| 16 | 3 | Ty Dillon (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* | 22.845 | 118.188 | - | - |
| 17 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* | 22.867 | 118.074 | - | - |
| 18 | 5 | Michael Annett | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* | 22.965 | 117.570 | - | - |
| 19 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* | 23.018 | 117.300 | - | - |
| 20 | 24 | Dylan Lupton | JGL Racing | Toyota | -* | -* | 23.089 | 116.939 | - | - |
| 21 | 4 | Ross Chastain | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* | 23.111 | 116.827 | - | - |
| 22 | 98 | Casey Mears | Biagi-DenBeste Racing | Ford | -* | -* | 23.166 | 116.550 | - | - |
| 23 | 23 | Spencer Gallagher (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* | 23.314 | 115.810 | - | - |
| 24 | 90 | Brandon Brown | Brandonbilt Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* | 23.345 | 115.656 | - | - |
| Eliminated in Round 1 |||||||||||
| 25 | 42 | Tyler Reddick | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 22.975 | 117.519 | - | - | - | - |
| 26 | 33 | Brandon Jones | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 22.977 | 117.509 | - | - | - | - |
| 27 | 93 | Jeff Green | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 22.982 | 117.483 | - | - | - | - |
| 28 | 52 | Joey Gase | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | 23.087 | 116.949 | - | - | - | - |
| 29 | 99 | David Starr | BJMM with SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 23.154 | 116.611 | - | - | - | - |
| 30 | 14 | J. J. Yeley | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 23.164 | 116.560 | - | - | - | - |
| 31 | 28 | Dakoda Armstrong | JGL Racing | Toyota | 23.169 | 116.535 | - | - | - | - |
| 32 | 13 | Timmy Hill | MBM Motorsports | Dodge | 23.232 | 116.219 | - | - | - | - |
| 33 | 15 | Reed Sorenson (i) | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.372 | 115.523 | - | - | - | - |
| Qualified by owner's points |||||||||||
| 34 | 07 | Spencer Boyd | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 23.590 | 114.455 | - | - | - | - |
| 35 | 8 | Tommy Joe Martins | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.729 | 113.785 | - | - | - | - |
| 36 | 74 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing | Dodge | 23.902 | 112.961 | - | - | - | - |
| 37 | 78 | John Graham | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 24.445 | 110.452 | - | - | - | - |
| 38 | 01 | Harrison Rhodes | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 24.751 | 109.087 | - | - | - | - |
| 39 | 0 | Garrett Smithley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 24.874 | 108.547 | - | - | - | - |
| 40 | 40 | Bobby Dale Earnhardt | MBM Motorsports | Chevrolet | 25.244 | 106.956 | - | - | - | - |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 41 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Chevrolet | 23.441 | 115.183 | - | - | - | - |
| Official starting lineup |||||||||||
*Time not available.

## Race results

Stage 1 Laps: 75
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
| 1 | 3 | Ty Dillon (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 2 | 20 | Christopher Bell (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 0 |
| 3 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 21 | Daniel Hemric (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 22 | Brad Keselowski (i) | Team Penske | Ford | 0 |
| 6 | 18 | Kyle Busch (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 0 |
| 7 | 00 | Cole Custer (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. (i) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 9 | 2 | Paul Menard (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 10 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1 |
Stage 2 Laps: 75
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
| 1 | 22 | Brad Keselowski (i) | Team Penske | Ford | 0 |
| 2 | 18 | Kyle Busch (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 0 |
| 3 | 21 | Daniel Hemric (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 3 | Ty Dillon (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 5 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. (i) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 6 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 2 | Paul Menard (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 9 | 9 | William Byron (R) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 20 | Christopher Bell (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 0 |
Stage 3 Laps: 100
| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts |
| 1 | 3 | 22 | Brad Keselowski (i) | Team Penske | Ford | 250 | 34 | running | 0 |
| 2 | 1 | 18 | Kyle Busch (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 250 | 182 | running | 0 |
| 3 | 16 | 3 | Ty Dillon (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 250 | 16 | running | 0 |
| 4 | 8 | 21 | Daniel Hemric (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 250 | 13 | running | 48 |
| 5 | 11 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 250 | 0 | running | 36 |
| 6 | 14 | 20 | Christopher Bell (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 250 | 0 | running | 0 |
| 7 | 6 | 9 | William Byron (R) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 250 | 0 | running | 32 |
| 8 | 9 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 250 | 0 | running | 35 |
| 9 | 5 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. (i) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 250 | 0 | running | 0 |
| 10 | 2 | 48 | Brennan Poole | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 249 | 0 | running | 27 |
| 11 | 7 | 11 | Blake Koch | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 249 | 0 | running | 26 |
| 12 | 12 | 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 249 | 0 | running | 25 |
| 13 | 13 | 19 | Matt Tifft (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 249 | 0 | running | 24 |
| 14 | 4 | 00 | Cole Custer (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 249 | 0 | running | 27 |
| 15 | 18 | 5 | Michael Annett | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 249 | 0 | running | 22 |
| 16 | 15 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 249 | 0 | running | 21 |
| 17 | 25 | 42 | Tyler Reddick | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 249 | 0 | running | 20 |
| 18 | 31 | 28 | Dakoda Armstrong | JGL Racing | Toyota | 249 | 0 | running | 19 |
| 19 | 10 | 2 | Paul Menard (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 248 | 0 | running | 0 |
| 20 | 30 | 14 | J. J. Yeley | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 248 | 0 | running | 17 |
| 21 | 17 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 248 | 5 | running | 24 |
| 22 | 23 | 23 | Spencer Gallagher (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 247 | 0 | running | 15 |
| 23 | 26 | 33 | Brandon Jones | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 247 | 0 | running | 14 |
| 24 | 20 | 24 | Dylan Lupton | JGL Racing | Toyota | 247 | 0 | running | 13 |
| 25 | 22 | 98 | Casey Mears | Biagi-DenBeste Racing | Ford | 246 | 0 | running | 12 |
| 26 | 19 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 246 | 0 | running | 11 |
| 27 | 24 | 90 | Brandon Brown | Brandonbilt Motorsports | Chevrolet | 246 | 0 | running | 10 |
| 28 | 21 | 4 | Ross Chastain | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 245 | 0 | running | 9 |
| 29 | 35 | 8 | Tommy Joe Martins | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 244 | 0 | running | 8 |
| 30 | 38 | 01 | Harrison Rhodes | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 243 | 0 | running | 7 |
| 31 | 34 | 07 | Spencer Boyd | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 242 | 0 | running | 6 |
| 32 | 39 | 0 | Garrett Smithley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 241 | 0 | running | 5 |
| 33 | 36 | 74 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing | Dodge | 233 | 0 | running | 4 |
| 34 | 40 | 40 | Bobby Dale Earnhardt | MBM Motorsports | Chevrolet | 229 | 0 | running | 3 |
| 35 | 29 | 99 | David Starr | BJMM with SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 216 | 0 | clutch | 2 |
| 36 | 28 | 52 | Joey Gase | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | 164 | 0 | rear gear | 1 |
| 37 | 37 | 78 | John Graham | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 78 | 0 | rear gear | 1 |
| 38 | 32 | 13 | Timmy Hill | MBM Motorsports | Dodge | 33 | 0 | overheating | 1 |
| 39 | 33 | 15 | Reed Sorenson (i) | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 17 | 0 | vibration | 0 |
| 40 | 27 | 93 | Jeff Green | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 8 | 0 | electrical | 1 |
| Failed to qualify ||||||||||
| 41 | | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Chevrolet | | | | |
| Official race results ||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Elliott Sadler | 894 |
| | 2 | William Byron | 799 (-95) |
| | 3 | Justin Allgaier | 774 (–120) |
| 1 | 4 | Daniel Hemric | 702 (–192) |
| 1 | 5 | Brennan Poole | 701 (–193) |
| | 6 | Cole Custer | 617 (-277) |
| | 7 | Matt Tifft | 582 (-312) |
| | 8 | Blake Koch | 537 (-357) |
| 1 | 9 | Ryan Reed | 512 (-382) |
| 1 | 10 | Michael Annett | 512 (-382) |
| | 11 | Brendan Gaughan | 511 (-383) |
| | 12 | Dakoda Armstrong | 486 (-408) |
| Official driver's standings ||||