Justin Allgaier led a season-high 134 of 188 laps and swept every stage for a completely dominate win in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Nashville Superspeedway.
The JR Motorsports driver beat Trevor Bayne by 4.5 seconds to earn his second win of the season.
“That was a butt whoopin'” Allgaier told his team over the radio after taking the checkered flag. “Awesome job.”
For the 36-year-old Allgaier, it is his 18th career Xfinity win, and comes after he finished second in the race last year to Kyle Busch. Overall, Allgaier has finished in the top four in five his last six Nashville starts, dating back to 2010.
Allgaier and his No. 7 Chevrolet led the final 40 laps around the 1.33-mile oval.
“I don’t think ever,” Allgaier said when NBC Sports asked when was the last time he had such a dominate car. “What a heck of a race, man. I’ve been coming here a long time. Love this race track. Been trying to go to Victory Lane so bad and haven’t been able to do it. Today was for the dirt racers. It was slick and hot, we were sliding around. Just proud of this team.”
The top five was completed by pole-sitter Riley Herbst, Ty Gibbs and Sam Mayer.
For Herbst, it is his fifth top five of the season.
“I don’t think the whole field had anything for (Allgaier),” Herbst said.” I think he was on cruise control all day, but our Monster Energy Ford Mustang was really good. I’m just proud of us as a group. Way to execute. I messed up on pit road a few times myself and the team, so we’ve got to clean up a little stuff there, but, all in all, it was a good day. We got a pole and good points. This is what we need to keep doing, just knock on the door and eventually it will open.”
Click here for the race results.
Rounding out the top 10 was Ryan Preece, Jeffrey Earnhardt, Austin Hill, Ryan Sieg and Brett Moffitt.
AJ Allmendinger, who started second and led 48 laps, finished one-lap down in 16th after he and a number of other drivers had to pit late for fuel.
Only 12 cars finish on the lead lap.
Allgaier took the lead for the first time on Lap 19, passing Allmendinger to get to the point position.
Allgaier won the first stage over Bayne. With Allgaier’s win, JR Motorsports had won 11 straight stages on oval tracks.
Allgaier was first off pit road and was followed by Berry and Brandon Jones, who gained five spots on pit road. Allmendinger was penalized for speeding, forcing him to start from the rear of the field.
Stage 2 officially started on Lap 53, as Allgaier retained the lead over Gibbs as Jones fell back to ninth.
By Lap 75, Allmendinger was in 11th.
Around Lap 80, Ryan Preece, winner of Friday night’s Truck Series race, cracked the top 10.
Allgaier went unchallenged to the end of the stage, winning over Gibbs and Sam Mayer.
Gibbs was first off pit road, beating Allgaier, Bayne, Gragson and Herbst. Mayer was penalized for speeding.
After a brief battle with Gibbs on the Lap 97 restart, Allgaier pulled back into the lead, only for Gibbs to get back around him on Lap 98.
Allgaier kept the pressure on Gibbs and squeaked by him on Lap 100 to regain the lead.
On Lap 105, the first caution for cause occurred for a spin by Josh Berry in Turn 2. The spin happened with Preece right behind him as he narrowly avoided running into Berry.
The green flag returned with 78 laps to go and lasted six laps. With 72 to go, Jeffrey Earnhardt got loose and spun in Turn 4 to bring out the caution.
In the pits, Anthony Alfredo and Ryan Ellis took fuel only, beating Gibbs and Allgaier off pit road. Bayne was penalized for interference after two of his tires rolled into Herbst’s pit box.
“It’s really hard to win a race when you go to the back twice,” Bayne said. “We drove to second twice, from the back. The second stage, we came in with Riley (Herbst) and hit a pit crew member, not intentionally, but it can happen. Then fell back to 15th and drove back to second. Then we had a loose wheel and had to go to the very back and drove back and was catching Allgaier. … We have to clean up the mistakes and we’re going to win because it takes every piece of this deal. But thankful to be here, but it’s perspective. I used to be mad and I’m still mad, but with perspective being happy to be here.”
Meanwhile, Allmendinger, Brandon Jones, Gragson, Hemric, Reddick and Landon Cassill were among those who stayed out.
The race resumed on Lap 123, but the caution returned one lap later for a three-car wreck in Turn 2 that involved Sheldon Creed, Joe Graf Jr. and Jeb Burton. Creed got loose with help from Burton and Graf was unable to avoid them.
All three drivers were eliminated from the race.
Multiple cars are involved in an incident in Turn 1. pic.twitter.com/uWTo5PV20S
— NASCAR Xfinity (@NASCAR_Xfinity) June 25, 2022
The race went back to green with 58 laps to go as Allmendinger retained the lead. Jones got Allmendinger loose in Turn 4a few laps into the run and got by him for the lead, only for Allmendinger to surge back.
With 41 laps to go, Mayer and Gibbs were racing for fifth when Gibbs got loose right in front of Mayer. Before Gibbs could go into a spin, Mayer ran into Gibbs’ left-front fender, helping Gibbs straighten out.
“He just packed the air on my left rear and I got out there and he drove into me,” Gibbs told NBC Sports. “I’ve done that mistake too, to (Ryan Sieg) at the beginning of the year. It’s just part of it, part of the learning experience.”
Said Mayer: “It was honestly an accident. I do feel bad that I kind of halfway ruined his race.”
Two laps later that run-in, Allgaier got by Allmendinger for the lead for the final time.