Return To Bristol Has Alfredo Ready To Make More Gains

Anthony Alfredo (Rusty Jarrett/Nigel Kinrade Photography)

BRISTOL, Tenn. – He might not be in the mix for the NASCAR Xfinity Series playoffs, but Anthony Alfredo is still as motivated as ever entering Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend.

The 26-year-old from Ridgefield, Conn., has felt at home through the years at The Last Great Colosseum, considering his short-track background and a solid Xfinity Series record at the iconic facility.

Alfredo’s track-best mark of sixth came in his Bristol debut in 2020, when he was a driver for Richard Childress Racing and seemingly on the fast track to a potential NASCAR Cup Series opportunity.

He’s since become more of a journeyman in the Xfinity Series, bouncing around several mid-tier teams and elevating each organization along the way, but Alfredo circles Bristol as one of his preferred venues to return to each year – both in what it means to the sport and to him personally.

“Bristol Motor Speedway is one of my favorite tracks of all time, and the night race [weekend] there is one of my favorite events of the year. I can’t wait to get back and have a chance to show what we can do in the style of racing where I cut my teeth growing up!” said Alfredo, who drives the No. 42 Chevrolet for Young’s Motorsports. “Track position is big, and it’s always key to execute well to maintain that track position through the end of the night.

“We know there’s a big task ahead, but as always, we’re eager to fight hard to put the rough summer stretch we had behind us.”

Alfredo steadied the ship in the Xfinity Series regular season finale at World Wide Technology Raceway, earning a solid 13th-place finish at the 1.25-mile oval to match his best run since mid-June.

“We had a solid car at Gateway, but struggled with track position most of the race,” he reflected. “Thankfully, the race played out in our favor, and we brought home a good finish. It was needed for this group after everything we’ve been through … just to show that we do have the speed to run toward the front and that we’ve been building this program up over the course of the season.”

Back in April, Alfredo advanced from 29th to 15th, kicking off a stretch of four straight top 15s that got him as high as the top 20 in points before he and Young’s Motorsports endured their summer skid.

He believes that kind of run is feasible again as his Andrew Abbott-led crew works to finish the year on a high note and build momentum toward the future.

“Running a clean race and staying on the lead lap will be what it takes to have a good finish on Friday night,” noted Alfredo. “We struggled in the spring race, but still got a top 15 finish, so hopefully we can improve the balance, handling, and overall speed in our car to bring home another good result.”

And as for that top-20 points threshold, Alfredo has set that as his goal to get back to over the final seven races, despite the fact that he’ll need to make up 72 points in order to get there.

“We need to continue performing at a high level and finishing well throughout the rest of the season. I have faith we can make the top 20 in the standings, even though it seems like a far reach.”

Broadcast coverage of the Food City 300 from Bristol airs Friday night, Sept. 12, live on The CW, the Performance Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.