# 2024 Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200

The 2024 Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help a Hero 200 was the 23rd stock car race of the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series, and the 42nd iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, August 31, 2024, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina, a 1.366 miles (2.198 km) permanent egg-shaped racetrack. The race wass scheduled to be contested over 147 laps but was extended to 150 laps due to an overtime finish. Christopher Bell, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would stay consistent throughout the race, after scoring the pole, leading 108 laps and winning after leading when A. J. Allmendinger got a flat tire on the final lap, bringing out the caution. This was Bell’s nineteenth career NASCAR Xfinity Series win, and his second of the season. To fill out the podium, Cole Custer, driving for Stewart-Haas Racing, and Sheldon Creed, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would finish 2nd and 3rd, respectively.

## Report
### Background

Darlington Raceway is a race track built for NASCAR racing located near Darlington, South Carolina. It is nicknamed "The Lady in Black" and "The Track Too Tough to Tame" by many NASCAR fans and drivers and advertised as "A NASCAR Tradition." It is of a unique, somewhat egg-shaped design, an oval with the ends of very different configurations, a condition which supposedly arose from the proximity of one end of the track to a minnow pond the owner refused to relocate. This situation makes it very challenging for the crews to set up their cars' handling in a way that is effective at both ends.

### Surface issues

Darlington Raceway was last repaved following the May 2007 meeting (from 2005 to 2019, there was only one meeting; the second meeting was reinstated in 2020), and from 2008 to 2019, there was one night race. In 2020, a day race returned to the schedule, and instead of two races (one Xfinity and one Cup) during the entire year, the track hosted six races (three Cup, two Xfinity, and one Truck). The circuit kept repairing the circuit with patches during each summer before the annual Cup race in September. The circuit's narrow Turn 2 rapidly deteriorated with cracks in the tarmac allowing water to seep in the circuit. In July 2021, the circuit repaved a six hundred foot section at the entrance of Turn 2 and ending at the exit of the turn to repair the tarmac and resolve the issue for safety and to reduce the threat of weepers and surface issues in that section of the circuit.

#### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
* (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | Haas Automation |
| 1 | Sam Mayer | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 10X Health |
| 2 | Jesse Love (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Whelen |
| 5 | Anthony Alfredo | Our Motorsports | Chevrolet | Ferguson |
| 07 | Greg Van Alst | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | CB Fabricating |
| 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | BRANDT |
| 8 | Sammy Smith | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Pilot Flying J |
| 9 | Brandon Jones | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Patriot Lighting / Menards |
| 11 | Josh Williams | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | Call811.com |
| 14 | Chad Finchum | SS-Green Light Racing | Ford | Ted Russell Ford of Knoxville |
| 15 | Joey Logano (i) | AM Racing | Ford | Panini Group |
| 16 | A. J. Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | LeafFilter Gutter Protection |
| 17 | Chase Elliott (i) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | HendrickCars.com |
| 18 | Sheldon Creed | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Friends of Jaclyn Foundation |
| 19 | Joe Graf Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | G Coin |
| 20 | Christopher Bell (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Sport Clips Haircuts |
| 21 | Austin Hill | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Bennett Transportation |
| 26 | Corey Heim (i) | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | Toyota Genuine Parts |
| 27 | Jeb Burton | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | Celsius |
| 28 | Kyle Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | Southern String Hat Co. |
| 29 | Blaine Perkins | RSS Racing | Ford | AutoParkIt.com |
| 30 | Noah Gragson (i) | Rette Jones Racing | Ford | Drop Zone Hunting |
| 31 | Parker Retzlaff | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | Capital City Towing |
| 35 | David Starr | Joey Gase Motorsports | Chevrolet | Special Report with Bret Baier |
| 38 | Matt DiBenedetto | RSS Racing | Ford | Recycled Materials Association |
| 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | Sci Aps |
| 42 | Leland Honeyman (R) | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | Randco Industries |
| 43 | Ryan Ellis | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | Southern Elevator |
| 44 | Brennan Poole | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | Macc Door Systems |
| 45 | Garrett Smithley | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | Ken McKnight AC |
| 48 | Parker Kligerman | Big Machine Racing | Chevrolet | Big Machine Spiked Coolers |
| 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | Booze Pops |
| 74 | Dawson Cram (i) | Mike Harmon Racing | Chevrolet | Magnum Contracting Inc. |
| 81 | Chandler Smith | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Quick Tie Products |
| 88 | Carson Kvapil | JR Motorsports | Toyota | Clarience Technologies |
| 91 | Kyle Weatherman | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | Mainline Fleet Maintenance |
| 92 | Ross Chastain (i) | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | Protect Your Mellon |
| 97 | Shane van Gisbergen (R) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | WeatherTech |
| 98 | Riley Herbst | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | Monster Energy |
| Official entry list |||||

## Practice

The first and only practice session was held on Saturday, August 31, at 10:35 AM EST, and would last for 20 minutes. Austin Hill, driving for Richard Childress Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 30.013, and a speed of 163.603 mph (263.294 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 21 | Austin Hill | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 30.013 | 163.849 |
| 2 | 30 | Noah Gragson (i) | Rette Jones Racing | Ford | 30.058 | 163.604 |
| 3 | 31 | Parker Retzlaff | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 30.073 | 163.522 |
| Full practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying was held on Saturday, August 31, at 11:05 AM EST. Since Darlington Raceway is an intermediate racetrack, the qualifying system used is a single-car, one-lap system with only one round. Drivers will be on track by themselves and will have one lap to post a qualifying time, and whoever sets the fastest time will win the pole.
Christopher Bell, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would score the pole for the race, with a lap of 29.828, and a speed of 164.865 mph (265.324 km/h).
Dawson Cram was the only driver who failed to qualify.

### Qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 20 | Christopher Bell (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 29.828 | 164.865 |
| 2 | 18 | Sheldon Creed | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 29.925 | 164.331 |
| 3 | 1 | Sam Mayer | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.965 | 164.111 |
| 4 | 16 | A. J. Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 30.119 | 163.272 |
| 5 | 81 | Chandler Smith | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 30.159 | 163.056 |
| 6 | 21 | Austin Hill | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 30.164 | 163.029 |
| 7 | 9 | Brandon Jones | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.178 | 162.953 |
| 8 | 98 | Riley Herbst | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 30.261 | 162.506 |
| 9 | 31 | Parker Retzlaff | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 30.278 | 162.415 |
| 10 | 48 | Parker Kligerman | Big Machine Racing | Chevrolet | 30.280 | 162.404 |
| 11 | 8 | Sammy Smith | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.285 | 162.377 |
| 12 | 26 | Corey Heim (i) | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 30.329 | 162.142 |
| 13 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | 30.372 | 161.912 |
| 14 | 5 | Anthony Alfredo | Our Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.404 | 161.742 |
| 15 | 19 | Joe Graf Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 30.451 | 161.492 |
| 16 | 17 | Chase Elliott (i) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.451 | 161.492 |
| 17 | 27 | Jeb Burton | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 30.461 | 161.439 |
| 18 | 15 | Joey Logano (i) | AM Racing | Ford | 30.466 | 161.413 |
| 19 | 91 | Kyle Weatherman | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 30.490 | 161.286 |
| 20 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.512 | 161.169 |
| 21 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 30.513 | 161.164 |
| 22 | 38 | Matt DiBenedetto | RSS Racing | Ford | 30.538 | 161.032 |
| 23 | 2 | Jesse Love (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 30.633 | 160.533 |
| 24 | 92 | Ross Chastain (i) | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 30.700 | 160.182 |
| 25 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 30.747 | 159.938 |
| 26 | 97 | Shane van Gisbergen (R) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 30.751 | 159.917 |
| 27 | 88 | Carson Kvapil | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.753 | 159.906 |
| 28 | 44 | Brennan Poole | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 30.803 | 159.647 |
| 29 | 30 | Noah Gragson (i) | Rette Jones Racing | Ford | 30.834 | 159.486 |
| 30 | 11 | Josh Williams | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 30.991 | 158.678 |
| 31 | 28 | Kyle Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | 31.023 | 158.515 |
| 32 | 29 | Blaine Perkins | RSS Racing | Ford | 31.073 | 158.260 |
| 33 | 42 | Leland Honeyman (R) | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.137 | 157.934 |
| Qualified by owner's points |||||||
| 34 | 43 | Ryan Ellis | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 31.361 | 156.806 |
| 35 | 35 | David Starr | Joey Gase Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.390 | 156.661 |
| 36 | 45 | Garrett Smithley | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 31.424 | 156.492 |
| 37 | 14 | Chad Finchum | SS-Green Light Racing | Ford | 31.445 | 156.387 |
| 38 | 07 | Greg Van Alst | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 31.798 | 154.651 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 39 | 74 | Dawson Cram (i) | Mike Harmon Racing | Chevrolet | 31.650 | 155.374 |
| Official qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

Stage 1 Laps: 45
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
| 1 | 20 | Christopher Bell (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 0 |
| 2 | 21 | Austin Hill | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 16 | A. J. Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 48 | Parker Kligerman | Big Machine Racing | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 18 | Sheldon Creed | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 6 |
| 6 | 8 | Sammy Smith | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 14 | Chad Finchum | SS-Green Light Racing | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 81 | Chandler Smith | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1 |
Stage 2 Laps: 45
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
| 1 | 18 | Sheldon Creed | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 10 |
| 2 | 20 | Christopher Bell (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 0 |
| 3 | 16 | A. J. Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 8 | Sammy Smith | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 21 | Austin Hill | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 48 | Parker Kligerman | Big Machine Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 30 | Noah Gragson (i) | Rette Jones Racing | Ford | 0 |
| 10 | 17 | Chase Elliott (i) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |
Stage 3 Laps: 57
| Pos. | St. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts |
| 1 | 1 | 20 | Christopher Bell (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 150 | 108 | Running | 0 |
| 2 | 21 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 150 | 0 | Running | 42 |
| 3 | 2 | 18 | Sheldon Creed | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 150 | 30 | Running | 50 |
| 4 | 16 | 17 | Chase Elliott (i) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 150 | 0 | Running | 0 |
| 5 | 11 | 8 | Sammy Smith | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 150 | 0 | Running | 44 |
| 6 | 23 | 2 | Jesse Love (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 150 | 0 | Running | 31 |
| 7 | 26 | 97 | Shane Van Gisbergen (R) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 150 | 0 | Running | 30 |
| 8 | 5 | 81 | Chandler Smith | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 150 | 0 | Running | 30 |
| 9 | 6 | 21 | Austin Hill | Richard Childress Racing | Toyota | 150 | 0 | Running | 41 |
| 10 | 20 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 150 | 0 | Running | 37 |
| 11 | 15 | 19 | Joe Graf Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 150 | 0 | Running | 26 |
| 12 | 24 | 92 | Ross Chastain (i) | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 150 | 0 | Running | 0 |
| 13 | 10 | 48 | Parker Kligerman | Big Machine Racing | Chevrolet | 150 | 0 | Running | 34 |
| 14 | 27 | 88 | Carson Kvapil | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 150 | 0 | Running | 23 |
| 15 | 29 | 30 | Noah Gragson (i) | Rette Jones Racing | Ford | 150 | 0 | Running | 0 |
| 16 | 30 | 11 | Josh Williams | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 150 | 0 | Running | 21 |
| 17 | 17 | 27 | Jeb Burton | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 150 | 0 | Running | 20 |
| 18 | 13 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | 150 | 0 | Running | 19 |
| 19 | 22 | 38 | Matt DiBenedetto | RSS Racing | Ford | 150 | 0 | Running | 18 |
| 20 | 28 | 44 | Brennan Poole | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 150 | 0 | Running | 17 |
| 21 | 34 | 43 | Ryan Ellis | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 150 | 0 | Running | 16 |
| 22 | 31 | 28 | Kyle Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | 150 | 0 | Running | 15 |
| 23 | 33 | 42 | Leland Honeyman (R) | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 150 | 0 | Running | 14 |
| 24 | 35 | 35 | David Starr | Joey Gase Motorsports | Chevrolet | 150 | 0 | Running | 13 |
| 25 | 12 | 26 | Corey Heim (i) | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 150 | 0 | Running | 0 |
| 26 | 14 | 5 | Anthony Alfredo | Our Motorsports | Chevrolet | 150 | 0 | Running | 11 |
| 27 | 4 | 16 | A.J. Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 149 | 0 | Running | 26 |
| 28 | 3 | 1 | Sam Mayer | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 149 | 11 | Running | 9 |
| 29 | 38 | 07 | Greg Van Alst | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 149 | 0 | Running | 8 |
| 30 | 36 | 45 | Garrett Smithley | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 148 | 1 | Running | 7 |
| 31 | 25 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 146 | 0 | Running | 6 |
| 32 | 7 | 9 | Brandon Jones | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 146 | 0 | Running | 5 |
| 33 | 37 | 14 | Chad Finchum | SS-Green Light Racing | Ford | 142 | 0 | Running | 7 |
| 34 | 32 | 29 | Blaine Perkins | RSS Racing | Ford | 133 | 0 | Running | 3 |
| 35 | 8 | 98 | Riley Herbst | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 129 | 0 | Running | 2 |
| 36 | 9 | 31 | Parker Retzlaff | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 125 | 0 | Running | 1 |
| 37 | 19 | 91 | Kyle Weatherman | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 54 | 0 | Accident | 1 |
| 38 | 18 | 15 | Joey Logano (i) | AM Racing | Ford | 12 | 0 | Engine | 0 |

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Justin Allgaier | 843 |
| | 2 | Cole Custer | 815 (-28) |
| | 3 | Chandler Smith | 761 (–82) |
| | 4 | Austin Hill | 745 (–98) |
| 2 | 5 | Sheldon Creed | 704 (–139) |
| 1 | 6 | A. J. Allmendinger | 700 (–143) |
| 1 | 7 | Riley Herbst | 667 (–176) |
| | 8 | Jesse Love | 651 (–192) |
| | 9 | Parker Kligerman | 639 (–204) |
| 1 | 10 | Sammy Smith | 605 (–238) |
| 1 | 11 | Ryan Sieg | 595 (–248) |
| | 12 | Shane van Gisbergen | 562 (–281) |
| Official driver's standings ||||
| Pos | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | Chevrolet | 852 |
| 2 | Toyota | 823 (-29) |
| 3 | Ford | 743 (–109) |