2016 Heads Up Georgia 250
The 2016 Heads Up Georgia 250 was the 2nd stock car race of the 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series season and the 25th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, February 27, 2016, in Hampton, Georgia, at Atlanta Motor Speedway a 1.54 miles (2.48 km) permanent asphalt quad-oval intermediate speedway. The race took the scheduled 163 laps to complete. Kyle Busch, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing led a dominating 119 laps, holding off Kyle Larson late to earn his 77th career NASCAR Xfinity Series win and his first of the season.[1] To fill out the podium, Larson of Chip Ganassi Racing and Erik Jones of Joe Gibbs Racing would finish second and third, respectively.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 2 of 33 in the 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series | |||
 | |||
| Date | February 27, 2016 | ||
| Official name | 25th annual Heads Up Georgia 250 | ||
| Location | Hampton, Georgia, Atlanta Motor Speedway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.54 mi (2.48 km) | ||
| Distance | 163 laps, 251.02 mi (403.98 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 163 laps, 251.02 mi (403.98 km) | ||
| Average speed | 137.065 miles per hour (220.585 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Joe Gibbs Racing | ||
| Time | 29.887 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Laps | 119 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | FS1 | ||
| Announcers | Adam Alexander, Clint Bowyer, and Michael Waltrip | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Performance Racing Network | ||
Background
Atlanta Motor Speedway (formerly Atlanta International Raceway) is a track in Hampton, Georgia, 20 miles (32 km) south of Atlanta. It is a 1.54-mile (2.48 km) quad-oval track with a seating capacity of 111,000. It opened in 1960 as a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) standard oval. In 1994, 46 condominiums were built over the northeastern side of the track. In 1997, to standardize the track with Speedway Motorsports' other two 1.5-mile (2.4 km) ovals, the entire track was almost completely rebuilt. The frontstretch and backstretch were swapped, and the configuration of the track was changed from oval to quad-oval. The project made the track one of the fastest on the NASCAR circuit.
Entry list
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
- (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
Practice
First practice
The first practice session was held on Friday, February 26 at 9:00 AM EST. Erik Jones of Joe Gibbs Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 30.236 and an average speed of 183.358 mph (295.086 km/h).[2]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | Erik Jones (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 30.236 | 183.358 |
| 2 | 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 30.315 | 182.880 |
| 3 | 11 | Blake Koch | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 30.377 | 182.507 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Second practice
The second practice session was held on Friday, February 26 at 12:30 PM EST. Daniel Suarez of Joe Gibbs Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 30.478 and an average speed of 181.902 mph (292.743 km/h).[3]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 | Daniel Suarez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 30.478 | 181.902 |
| 2 | 20 | Erik Jones (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 30.634 | 180.975 |
| 3 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 30.659 | 180.828 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Third and final practice
The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Friday, February 26, at 3:00 PM EST. Erik Jones of Joe Gibbs Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 30.551 and an average speed of 181.467 mph (292.043 km/h). [4]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Erik Jones (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 30.551 | 181.467 |
| 2 | 18 | Kyle Busch (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 30.641 | 180.934 |
| 3 | 3 | Ty Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 30.718 | 180.481 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
Qualifying was held on Saturday, February 20, at 8:30 AM EST. Since Atlanta Motor Speedway 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.[5]
Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing would win the pole after advancing from the preliminary round and setting the fastest lap in Round 3, with a time of 29.887 and an average speed of 185.499 mph (298.532 km/h).[6]
Nobody failed 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 | 29.947 | 185.127 | 29.190 | 185.300 | 29.887 | 185.499 |
| 2 | 20 | Erik Jones (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 30.362 | 182.597 | 29.861 | 185.660 | 29.955 | 185.078 |
| 3 | 19 | Daniel Suarez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 30.379 | 182.494 | 30.015 | 184.708 | 29.964 | 185.022 |
| 4 | 42 | Kyle Larson (i) | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 30.080 | 184.309 | 29.939 | 185.177 | 30.018 | 184.689 |
| 5 | 48 | Brennan Poole (R) | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 30.402 | 182.356 | 30.154 | 183.856 | 30.240 | 183.333 |
| 6 | 3 | Ty Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 30.264 | 183.188 | 30.383 | 182.470 | 30.262 | 183.200 |
| 7 | 22 | Brad Keselowski (i) | Team Penske | Ford | 30.334 | 182.765 | 30.335 | 182.759 | 30.311 | 182.904 |
| 8 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 30.453 | 182.051 | 30.353 | 182.651 | 30.339 | 182.735 |
| 9 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 30.529 | 181.598 | 30.339 | 182.735 | 30.342 | 182.717 |
| 10 | 88 | Kevin Harvick (i) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.016 | 184.701 | 30.314 | 182.886 | 30.364 | 182.585 |
| 11 | 2 | Paul Menard (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 30.308 | 182.922 | 30.342 | 182.717 | 30.437 | 182.147 |
| 12 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.383 | 182.470 | 30.363 | 182.591 | 30.496 | 181.794 |
| Eliminated in Round 2 | ||||||||||
| 13 | 11 | Blake Koch | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 30.735 | 180.381 | 30.408 | 182.320 | - | - |
| 14 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 30.372 | 182.537 | 30.414 | 182.284 | - | - |
| 15 | 43 | Jeb Burton | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 30.142 | 183.929 | 30.461 | 182.003 | - | - |
| 16 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.369 | 180.946 | 30.467 | 181.967 | - | - |
| 17 | 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 30.374 | 182.525 | 30.512 | 181.699 | - | - |
| 18 | 6 | Bubba Wallace | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 30.512 | 181.699 | 30.532 | 181.580 | - | - |
| 19 | 33 | Brandon Jones (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 30.580 | 181.295 | 30.771 | 180.170 | - | - |
| 20 | 28 | Dakoda Armstrong | JGL Racing | Chevrolet | 30.937 | 179.203 | 30.970 | 179.012 | - | - |
| 21 | 01 | Ryan Preece | JD Motorsports (R) | Chevrolet | 31.136 | 178.058 | 31.115 | 178.178 | - | - |
| 22 | 14 | J. J. Yeley | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 31.125 | 178.120 | 31.164 | 177.898 | - | - |
| 23 | 24 | Corey LaJoie | JGL Racing | Toyota | 30.776 | 180.140 | 31.179 | 177.812 | - | - |
| 24 | 4 | Ross Chastain | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.814 | 179.918 | 30.814 | 179.918 | - | - |
| Eliminated in Round 1 | ||||||||||
| 25 | 97 | Harrison Rhodes | Obaika Racing | Chevrolet | 31.142 | 178.023 | - | - | - | - |
| 26 | 0 | Garrett Smithley (R) | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.171 | 177.858 | - | - | - | - |
| 27 | 07 | Ray Black Jr. | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 31.221 | 177.573 | - | - | - | - |
| 28 | 44 | David Starr | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 31.425 | 176.420 | - | - | - | - |
| 29 | 78 | B. J. McLeod (R) | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Ford | 31.523 | 175.872 | - | - | - | - |
| 30 | 40 | Carl Long | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 31.588 | 175.510 | - | - | - | - |
| 31 | 10 | Jeff Green | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 31.665 | 175.083 | - | - | - | - |
| 32 | 90 | Mario Gosselin | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 32.002 | 173.239 | - | - | - | - |
| 33 | 52 | Joey Gase | Means Motorsports | Chevrolet | 32.208 | 172.131 | - | - | - | - |
| Qualified by owner's points | ||||||||||
| 34 | 70 | Derrike Cope | Derrike Cope Racing | Chevrolet | 32.250 | 171.907 | - | - | - | - |
| 35 | 99 | Todd Peck | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Ford | 32.705 | 169.515 | - | - | - | - |
| 36 | 74 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing | Dodge | 32.778 | 169.138 | - | - | - | - |
| 37 | 15 | Cody Ware (R) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 33.323 | 166.372 | - | - | - | - |
| 38 | 13 | Josh Reaume | MBM Motorsports | Dodge | 33.490 | 165.542 | - | - | ||
| 39 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Chevrolet | 33.690 | 164.559 | - | - | - | - |
| 40 | 25 | Chris Cockrum | Chris Cockrum Racing | Chevrolet | 0.000 | 0.000 | - | - | - | - |
| Official qualifying results | ||||||||||
| Official starting lineup | ||||||||||
Race results
Standings after the race
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References
- "Kyle Busch dominates for XFINITY win at Atlanta". NASCAR.com. February 27, 2016. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
- Albino, Dustin (February 26, 2016). "Gibbs Teammates Erik Jones, Daniel Suarez Pace XFINITY Atlanta Practices". Frontstretch. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
- "NXS: JGR Keeps on Rolling; Suarez Tops Second XFINITY Practice Over Teammate Erik Jones". racechaseonline.com. February 26, 2016. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
- "Erik Jones fastest in final Xfinity practice at Atlanta". NASCAR Talk | NBC Sports. February 26, 2016. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
- "NASCAR Qualifying Rules". ESPN.com. 2018-02-07. Retrieved 2021-11-02.
- Bonkowski, Jerry (February 27, 2016). "Kyle Busch leads 3-car Joe Gibbs Racing Xfinity Series qualifying sweep at Atlanta". NASCAR Talk | NBC Sports. Retrieved May 29, 2022.