2017 Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200

2017 Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200

Race details
Race 24 of 33 in the 2017 NASCAR Xfinity Series
Date	September 2, 2017
Official name	25th Annual Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200
Location	Darlington Raceway, Darlington, South Carolina
Course	Permanent racing facility 1.366 mi (2.198 km)
Distance	148 laps, 202.168 mi (325.357 km)
Scheduled Distance	147 laps, 200.8 mi (323.156 km)
Average speed	108.256 mph (174.221 km/h)
Pole position
Driver	Denny Hamlin	Joe Gibbs Racing
Time	28.556
Most laps led
Driver	Joey Logano	Team Penske
Laps	58
Winner
No. 18	Denny Hamlin	Joe Gibbs Racing
Television in the United States
Network	NBCSN
Announcers	Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte
Radio in the United States
Radio	Motor Racing Network

The 2017 Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 was the 24th stock car race of the 2017 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, and the 25th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, September 2, 2017, in Darlington, South Carolina at Darlington Raceway, a 1.366 miles (2.198 km) permanent tri-oval racetrack. The race was increased from 147 laps to 148 laps, due to a NASCAR overtime finish. Denny Hamlin, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, held off Joey Logano in an exciting battle with 2 laps to go, and would earn his 17th career NASCAR Xfinity Series win, along with his first of the season.^[1] To fill out the podium, Kevin Harvick, driving for Stewart-Haas Racing, would finish in 3rd, respectively.

The race was held at Darlington Raceway, which is a race track built for NASCAR racing located in 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 will be effective at both ends.

• (R) denotes rookie driver.
• (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.

The first 55-minute practice session was held on Friday, September 1, at 12:00 PM EST.^[3] Denny Hamlin, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 28.824 and an average speed of 170.608 mph (274.567 km/h).^[4]

The final 55-minute practice session was held on Friday, September 1, at 2:30 PM EST.^[3] Once again, Denny Hamlin, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.403 and an average speed of 167.248 mph (269.160 km/h).^[5]

Qualifying was held on Saturday, September 2, at 12:05 PM EST.^[3] Since Darlington Raceway is under 2 miles (3.2 km), 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.^[6]

Denny Hamlin, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, scored the pole for the race, with a lap of 28.556 and an average speed of 172.209 mph (277.144 km/h).^[7]

Stage 1 Laps: 45

Stage 2 Laps: 45

Stage 3 Laps: 58

Drivers' Championship standings Pos Driver Points 1 Elliott Sadler 858 2 William Byron 767 (-91) 3 Justin Allgaier 739 (–119) 4 Brennan Poole 674 (–184) 5 Daniel Hemric 654 (–204) 6 Cole Custer 590 (-268) 7 Matt Tifft 558 (-300) 8 Blake Koch 511 (-347) 9 Michael Annett 490 (-368) 10 Ryan Reed 487 (-371) 11 Brendan Gaughan 487 (-371) 12 Dakoda Armstrong 467 (-391) Official driver's standings Note: Only the first 12 positions are included for the driver standings.