| Type: | NASXFIN |
| Scheduled Km: | 323.156 |
| Most Driver: | Joey Logano |
| Most Laps: | 58 |
| Pole Team: | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| Most Team: | Team Penske |
| First Team: | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| First Driver: | Denny Hamlin |
| Car: | 18 |
| Course Km: | 2.198 |
| Course Mi: | 1.366 |
| Date: | September 2 |
| Avg: | 108.256mph |
| Distance Km: | 325.357 |
| Location: | Darlington Raceway, Darlington, South Carolina |
| Scheduled Laps: | 147 |
| Scheduled Mi: | 200.8 |
| Distance Laps: | 148 |
| Official Name: | 25th Annual Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 |
| Race Name: | Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 |
| Announcers: | Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte |
| Radio: | Motor Racing Network |
| Network: | NBCSN |
| Pole Time: | 28.556 |
| Year: | 2017 |
| Distance Mi: | 202.168 |
| Pole Driver: | Denny Hamlin |
| Race No: | 24 |
| Season No: | 33 |
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.
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 170.608mph.[4]
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 | Denny Hamlin (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 28.824 | 170.608 | |
| 2 | 42 | Tyler Reddick | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 28.875 | 170.306 | |
| 3 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.913 | 170.083 | |
| Full first practice results | |||||||
The final 55-minute practice session was held on Friday, September 1, at 2:30 PM EST. 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 167.248mph.[5]
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 | Denny Hamlin (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 29.403 | 167.248 | |
| 2 | 20 | Erik Jones (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 29.517 | 166.602 | |
| 3 | 00 | Cole Custer (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 29.579 | 166.253 | |
| Full final practice results | |||||||
Qualifying was held on Saturday, September 2, at 12:05 PM EST. 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 172.209mph.[7]
Stage 1 Laps: 45
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Make | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 41 | Kevin Harvick (i) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 0 | |
| 2 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 9 | |
| 3 | 3 | Ty Dillon (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 0 | |
| 4 | 18 | Denny Hamlin (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 0 | |
| 5 | 22 | Joey Logano (i) | Team Penske | Ford | 0 | |
| 6 | 20 | Erik Jones (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 0 | |
| 7 | 48 | Brennan Poole | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 4 | |
| 8 | 2 | Austin Dillon (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 0 | |
| 9 | 9 | William Byron (R) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2 | |
| 10 | 21 | Daniel Hemric (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 1 |
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Make | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 41 | Kevin Harvick (i) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 0 | |
| 2 | 18 | Denny Hamlin (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 0 | |
| 3 | 22 | Joey Logano (i) | Team Penske | Ford | 0 | |
| 4 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7 | |
| 5 | 20 | Erik Jones (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 0 | |
| 6 | 48 | Brennan Poole | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 5 | |
| 7 | 3 | Ty Dillon (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 0 | |
| 8 | 2 | Austin Dillon (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 0 | |
| 9 | 9 | William Byron (R) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2 | |
| 10 | 21 | Daniel Hemric (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 1 |
| Fin | St | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 18 | Denny Hamlin (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 148 | 33 | Running | 0 | |
| 2 | 10 | 22 | Joey Logano (i) | Team Penske | Ford | 148 | 58 | Running | 0 | |
| 3 | 2 | 41 | Kevin Harvick (i) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 148 | 54 | Running | 0 | |
| 4 | 11 | 20 | Erik Jones (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 148 | 0 | Running | 0 | |
| 5 | 6 | 9 | William Byron (R) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 148 | 0 | Running | 36 | |
| 6 | 8 | 48 | Brennan Poole | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 148 | 0 | Running | 40 | |
| 7 | 5 | 3 | Ty Dillon (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 148 | 0 | Running | 0 | |
| 8 | 13 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 148 | 0 | Running | 29 | |
| 9 | 4 | 00 | Cole Custer (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 148 | 0 | Running | 28 | |
| 10 | 9 | 2 | Austin Dillon (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 148 | 0 | Running | 0 | |
| 11 | 18 | 11 | Blake Koch | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 148 | 0 | Running | 26 | |
| 12 | 15 | 96 | Ben Kennedy (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 148 | 0 | Running | 25 | |
| 13 | 19 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 148 | 0 | Running | 24 | |
| 14 | 16 | 4 | Ross Chastain | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 148 | 0 | Running | 23 | |
| 15 | 17 | 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 148 | 0 | Running | 22 | |
| 16 | 12 | 42 | Tyler Reddick | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 148 | 0 | Running | 21 | |
| 17 | 21 | 5 | Michael Annett | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 148 | 0 | Running | 20 | |
| 18 | 3 | 21 | Daniel Hemric (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 148 | 0 | Running | 21 | |
| 19 | 22 | 14 | J. J. Yeley | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 148 | 0 | Running | 18 | |
| 20 | 31 | 90 | Brandon Brown | Brandonbilt Motorsports | Chevrolet | 148 | 0 | Running | 17 | |
| 21 | 25 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 148 | 0 | Running | 16 | |
| 22 | 26 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 148 | 0 | Running | 15 | |
| 23 | 27 | 33 | Brandon Jones | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 148 | 0 | Running | 14 | |
| 24 | 36 | 01 | Harrison Rhodes | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 148 | 0 | Running | 13 | |
| 25 | 29 | 07 | Ray Black Jr. | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 148 | 0 | Running | 12 | |
| 26 | 32 | 0 | Garrett Smithley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 148 | 0 | Running | 11 | |
| 27 | 33 | 8 | B. J. McLeod | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 148 | 0 | Running | 10 | |
| 28 | 34 | 52 | Joey Gase | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | 148 | 0 | Running | 9 | |
| 29 | 24 | 28 | Dakoda Armstrong | JGL Racing | Toyota | 147 | 0 | Running | 8 | |
| 30 | 23 | 24 | Dylan Lupton | JGL Racing | Toyota | 147 | 0 | Running | 7 | |
| 31 | 37 | 78 | Tommy Joe Martins | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 145 | 0 | Running | 6 | |
| 32 | 30 | 40 | Timmy Hill | MBM Motorsports | Dodge | 145 | 0 | Running | 5 | |
| 33 | 7 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 142 | 1 | Accident | 20 | |
| 34 | 20 | 23 | Spencer Gallagher (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 140 | 0 | Accident | 3 | |
| 35 | 40 | 74 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing | Dodge | 135 | 0 | Running | 2 | |
| 36 | 35 | 99 | David Starr | BJMM with SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 132 | 0 | Running | 1 | |
| 37 | 39 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Chevrolet | 51 | 2 | Fuel Pump | 1 | |
| 38 | 38 | 13 | Carl Long | MBM Motorsports | Dodge | 29 | 0 | Handling | 1 | |
| 39 | 28 | 93 | Jeff Green | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 8 | 0 | Rear Gear | 1 | |
| 40 | 14 | 19 | Matt Tifft (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1 | 0 | Accident | 1 | |
| Official race results | ||||||||||
| 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 | |||||||||