NASCAR
Justin Allgaier Takes Xfinity Playoff-Opener at Bristol, 7 Locks into Round of 8
BRISTOL, Tenn. – 13 years after his maiden career triumph at Bristol Motor Speedway, Justin Allgaier takes a second sword from The Last Great Coliseum. The No. 7 led a race-high 110 circuits, but the winning call came with 47 laps left. Allgaier chose under caution to pit from the lead for fresh tires, sending him back to restart 15th. The No. 7 rocketed through the field, taking command from Daniel Hemric with 13 laps left. A third win of 2023 puts Allgaier into the Round of 8, one step away from the Championship 4.
Allgaier was among the class of the field from the drop of the flag. After starting 10th the 7 raced up to second in Stage 1 behind Cole Custer and won Stage 2. While Allgaier was feeling good at this point, his three teammates all ended this Stage wrecked.
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The race’s most popular moonlighter took command to start Stage 3, with Dale Earnhardt Jr. on point. The No. 88 Hellmann’s Chevrolet led 47 laps total, before a spontaneous fire caused Earnhardt to retire early. The fan favorite was behind the wall, but the race for the win was as close as ever.
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Daniel Hemric held the lead after Allgaier opted to pit under caution on lap 254. A tight dogfight between Hemric, John Hunter Nemechek, Justin Allgaier and others defined the closing laps. Lap 288 saw the 7 finally get ground on the 10, sailing off to a dominant win.
“I re-signed this week to come back to JR Motorsports again for another year, we just haven’t announced it yet,” Allgaier said. “Y’all are stuck with me for another year at least in this 7 car. As good as this thing is, it’s really impressive. Just so proud of this team.”
Behind Allgaier and Hemric, the Bristol top-10 were: John Hunter Nemechek, Cole Custer, Chandler Smith, Ryan Sieg, Trevor Bayne, Riley Herbst, Sammy Smith and Kaz Grala. Hear from some of these drivers below.
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Allgaier is the only Xfinity driver secured into the Round of 8 heading into the next two weeks. Take a look at the rest of the current Playoff standings below.
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Up next for the Xfinity Series is Texas Motor Speedway. The Andy’s Frozen Custard 300 will send its winner onto the Round of 8, joining Allgaier. The green flag will fly Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on USA, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. Can another title favorite put together a championship-caliber run at the high-speed Texas?
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credit to Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
