NASCAR
Allgaier Strikes Gold in Overtime: Wins Xfinity Race and $100K Bonus at Miami
By Holly Cain
NASCAR Wire Service
HOMESTEAD, FL (March 22, 2025) – In one of the most dramatic finishes of the season, JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier took the lead on the final lap of overtime and held off his former teammate Sam Mayer for the win – the ultimate dash for cash as it were in the Hard Rock Bet 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
For much of the day, it looked like former NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson would answer his win in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race Friday night at the track with a victory on Saturday. He led a dominant 132 of the 201 laps and held a 15-second advantage on the field when a caution flag flew with eight laps remaining, bunching up the field for that final overtime re-start.
Larson chose the bottom lane for the re-start with second place Mayer opting to pull his No. 41 Haas Factory Team Ford directly behind Larson’s No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet instead of on the front row alongside him. Just as the green flag flew for that final two laps, Mayer’s car hit the rear of Larson’s and knocked Larson’s Chevrolet out of shape.
As that happened, the outside line of Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Hill and Allgaier zoomed forward with Hill taking the race lead. A lap later, Allgaier caught Hill and got around him for the victory – his first top-five in 16 previous Homestead races and the second straight win for the reigning series champion, matching a trophy-haul at Las Vegas last week.
Hill finished third after Mayer passed him as well on the last lap.
“Just a testament to this team,” the 39-year-old Allgaier said. “Honestly, it was looking like it was one those days that wasn’t our day. We got behind but were able to persevere and to get this Chevrolet to Victory Lane is special.
“I just feel like this place has gotten me so many times.”
“I was actually bummed to see the caution flag come out but it worked out in my favorite.” Allgaier added. “I’m bummed I maybe got the [weekend] triple from Kyle [Larson] because I think he’s going to have a great shot at [winning] it tomorrow. But we were at the right place at the right time and I’m really proud of this race team.”
The final caution flag came for a spin by pole-winner, Joe Gibbs Racing Taylor Gray. At the time, only five drivers were on the lead lap.
The last series of pit stops proved pivotal to those pursuing Larson. Twelve cars came out on the lead lap eager to see what they could do in the closing sprint toward the checkered.
Larson, who won the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race on Friday night looked well on his way to try and join Kyle Busch as the only drivers in NASCAR history to sweep three national series race wins in one weekend. In fact, he showed up in South Florida for the NASCAR weekend fresh off a sprint car win earlier in the week.
The outcome was understandably a huge disappointment for Larson, the frustration evident on his face as he climbed out of his Chevrolet on pit lane after the race.
“I’ve lived through it a number of times here, obviously a bummer to have another Homestead race play out that way,” said Larson, who finished fourth.
“I can’t go when my rear tires are off the ground,” he said of the contact from Mayer’s car on the re-start. “I did everything I thought I could and the 41 just lagged back and slammed the [expletive] of me. Bummer, but cool to have had that big lead at the end.
“Loved to have gotten a win for everybody at the 17-car. They don’t get to race all the time so it’s good we can run up front. Got one more opportunity at this [in the 17-car] in a few weeks and see if we can get it done then.”
While the first half of Saturday’s race had all five of the day’s caution flags, Larson essentially put it in cruise control for the final 100 laps – and pulled a zip code ahead of Mayer who doggedly pursued all afternoon.
“I unfortunately got to his [Larson] bumper a little too early,” Mayer said of the contact with Larson on that final re-start. “He went really, really late in the box, just played games and that’s what you’ve got to do at this level to get the advantage. But he just waited really long and I wasn’t ready for him to wait that long.
“Anytime you’re finishing second you’re super bummed out but that’s a good day. We’re going to keep it going and try to get better.”
Not only did Allgaier get a trophy to take home, but he also won the first $100,000 Dash 4 Cash bonus check from series sponsor Xfinity. He, Mayer, third place finisher Hill, and 10th place finisher Jesse Love were all eligible for the extra pay based on their finishes last week at Las Vegas.
The second of the four Dash 4 Cash races is next Saturday at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway with Allgaier, Mayer, Hill and Haas Factory Team’s Sheldon Creed – the fifth-place finisher eligible for the next $100,000 bonus. The top-finisher among the quartet will claim the cash.
Love, JGR’s Brandon Jones and rookies Nick Sanchez, Daniel Dye and Carson Kvapil rounded out the top-10.
Allgaier is now the first series driver with multiple wins in 2025 and takes a 29-point lead in the championship standings over Mayer.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series returns to competition next Saturday evening with the Marine Corps 250 at Martinsville Speedway (5 p.m. ET on the CW Network, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Aric Almirola in the defending race winner in the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.
By Holly Cain
NASCAR Wire Service
LEBANON, TN (June 1, 2025) – Ryan Blaney claimed his first victory of the 2025 season Sunday night in the Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway. The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion led a commanding, race-best 139 of the 300 laps to finally secure that all-important Playoff position.
Blaney has come so close this season to hoisting a trophy only to have random racing bad luck break his heart and challenge his resolve. But Sunday, the sport’s popular 31-year-old, third-generation racer ultimately drove his No. 12 Team Penske Ford to a 2.830-second win over 22-year-old Spire Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar in a 103-lap green flag run that closed out the race.
Blaney was so thrilled to take the win, he climbed on top of his Ford, raised his arms in triumph and then jumped off the car and ran up and into the track’s front grandstands to claim the checkered flag before handing it off to an excited young fan.
“I never gave up hope that’s for sure,’’ said Blaney, whose victory puts all three drivers of the reigning champion Penske team into the 2025 Playoffs.
“We’ve had adversity, and this hasn’t really been a good year for us in terms of good fortune, but the 12-boys are awesome. They stick with it no matter how it goes.”
Hocevar’s runner-up finish ties a career-best effort turned in at Atlanta in February.
“It just proves how strong this group is to go from the disappointment last week,” said Hocevar, who looked strong and led laps at Charlotte Motor Speedway last Sunday only to retire early with mechanical problems. “Sticking to it and having a shot, just proud of this group.
“We were one spot short again, but hopefully this is a step in the right direction,’’ he added.
Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin, who won the opening stage and led 79 laps, finished third despite his helmet hose and hydration system issues. Blaney’s Penske teammate Joey Logano finished fourth with current NASCAR Cup Series championship leader, Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron rounding out the top-five.
“Just couldn’t run with the 12 there in the super long run, after 40 laps I could maintain with him, but after that he’d just pull away and stretch it on us,’’ said Hamlin, whose fiancé Jordan is expecting to deliver the couple’s third child at any time.
Logano, the defending race winner also led laps but ultimately wasn’t able to challenge at the end giving up positions to Hocevar and Hamlin.
“The 12 was just lights out which gave them a huge lead and we just weren’t able to hold onto second, the 11 [Hamlin] got by me,’’ Logano said, adding, “Good execution and proud of Team Penske. All our cars have a win now and that’s pretty impressive to have everybody with a win. All the teams are really strong.’’
23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace, Legacy Motor Club’s Erik Jones, Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson, 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick and JGR’s Christopher Bell rounded out the top-10. The effort marked a particularly significant comeback for Larson, who started 28th on the grid and was involved in an incident on lap 115.
There were 18 lead changes in all among nine drivers with Hamlin (stage one) and Blaney (stage two) claiming the stage wins.
New this year, the Nashville race sets the 32-car field for the inaugural NASCAR In-Season Challenge – a bracket-style tournament taking place during the TNT broadcast’s five-race stretch this summer. The tournament starts June 28 at Atlanta followed by the races at Chicago, Sonoma, Dover, and Indianapolis with the winner receiving a $1 million prize.
Now, the next three races – Michigan, Mexico City’s Autodromo Hermanos Rodriquez and Pocono – will determine the bracket seeding based on a driver’s best finish out of those races.
Former series champion Brad Keselowski claimed the 32nd position for the competition by only 21 points over Trackhouse Racing’s Shane Van Gisbergen.
Byron continues to lead the NASCAR Cup Series championship standings, now 48 points up on Hendrick Motorsports teammate Larson with 12 regular season races remaining to set the 16-driver Playoff field. Their teammate Chase Elliott, who finished 15th Sunday, is the highest-ranked driver (fifth) without a win.
The NASCAR Cup Series returns to action next Sunday afternoon in the Firekeeper’s Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway (2 p.m. ET, Amazon Prime, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Reddick is the defending winner at the two-mile speedway – traditionally one of the drivers’ favorite venues on the schedule.
By Holly Cain
NASCAR Wire Service
LEBANON, TN. (May 31, 2025) – Justin Allgaier joked before the start of Saturday’s Tennessee Lottery 250 that he needed to win his second NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Nashville Superspeedway so he could earn another guitar trophy and have one for each of his two young daughters.
Hours later, his dominant work in the race was indeed sweet music for his title hopes. For the second time in his career, the veteran Allgaier swept both in-race stages and went on to claim victory at the 1.33-mile concrete oval – his third win of the 2025 season.
The reigning series champion had to hold off his 18-year-old rookie JR Motorsports teammate, Connor Zilisch in the closing laps, however, before ultimately driving his No. 7 Chevrolet to the win by a slight 1.289-seconds.
The two had been separated by less than half a second for much of the closing 20 laps before lapped traffic helped the Allgaier pull away in the longest green flag run – 48 laps. In all he led a race high 101 of the race’s 188-laps.
“These guys right here, they deserve this one more than anything,’’ Allgaier, 39, said, shaking hands with his JR Motorsports crew as members came up to congratulate him. “I screwed them over last week [at Charlotte] by making a [wrong] pit call with an equally as good car. But this time it was Chevrolet, which was absolutely unreal. [His wife] Ashley and the kids are here and it’s so cool to get a win here at Nashville. The fans here are incredible. This place is special to me.
“I said before the race I really wanted to get a second guitar so both kids would have a guitar. So they can fight over them. I’m really proud of JR Motorsports.”
You’d be hard-pressed to tell it was actually Zilisch’s first ever race at the concrete Nashville oval. He earned points in both stages, had good pit stops, and moved up through the field and into the top five by lap 70. He led 18 laps but his run out front was interrupted by a caution with 53 laps remaining. Allgaier took the lead in a three-wide battle up front on the ensuing restart with 48 to go and never looked back.
“I thought I might be able to get back by him, but clean air is everything and the first 20 laps of a run if you had clean air you’d prevail on a long run, just keeping your stuff cooler and not having to run as hard,’’ Zilisch said. “Congrats to Justin. He did a really good job executing on that restart. It’s the second week in a row I’ve finished second because of a re-start. It’s frustrating.
“I’m really happy with the progress we’re making and being frustrated with second [place] is a good thing,’’ he added with a smile.
Haas Factory Team’s Sam Mayer’s No. 41 Ford finished third, just in front of his teammate Sheldon Creed in the No. 00 Ford and a third JR Motorsports Chevy, driven by last week’s NASCAR Cup Series race winner, Ross Chastain.
Aric Almirola, Austin Hill, Jesse Love and rookie Carson Kvapil and Sammy Smith rounded out the top 10.
It marks the first win for a full-time Xfinity Series driver in the last three races and extends Allgaier’s points lead over Richard Childress Racing’s Hill to 92 points.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series has a rare off-week coming up before returning to competition Saturday, June 14 (4:30 p.m. ET, The CW, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) in the Chilango 150 at Mexico City’s famed Autodromo Hermanos Rodriquez.
Update: The No. 10 has been disqualified following post-race inspection at Nashville Superspeedway for failing rear heights.
By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service
LEBANON, TN – In the closing laps of Friday night’s Rackley Roofing 200 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race at Nashville Superspeedway, Rajah Caruth had a question for himself.
“How bad do you want it?” Caruth thought silently, as four-time winner Corey Heim and Layne Riggs pursued him relentlessly over the final circuits.
Caruth answered his own question by driving flawlessly over the final 15 laps and crossed the finish line 0.518 seconds ahead of Heim in second and 0.629 seconds ahead of Riggs in third.
The victory was Caruth’s first at Nashville, his first of the season and the second of his career, and it vaulted him into the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Playoffs.
After Heim won the second stage—his ninth stage win of the season—a quick pit stop under caution during the stage break gave Caruth the lead on Lap 100, and he held it the rest of the way to claim the coveted guitar trophy that goes to Nashville winners.
Driving the No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet, Caruth led twice for 61 of 150 laps, including the last 51.
“I didn’t expect that at all—those guys were breathing down my neck the whole run,” Caruth said of Heim and Riggs. “My pit crew won that race. They won the race for us, got us off pit road twice.
“We’ve been off this year, but it was good to get it done tonight. That was a lot of fun. I asked myself, ‘How bad do you want it?’ I just tried my best, and we had clean air. Their stuff was better, but I just did my best. That was it.”
Heim agreed that losing the lead on the final pit stop was critical.
“With the third stage being so straightforward—lack of strategy, going green there—it was tough to come back from not having the lead. But I slid through my (pit) box during the last stop and didn’t do my guys any favors… just something to reflect on my end.
“But huge congrats to Rajah. He did an awesome job managing from the lead. I was really free behind him, and he made pretty much the right choice every time as far as where I was going to go.”
Riggs, who won the first stage, got to Heim’s bumper twice in the battle for second but couldn’t claim the runner-up spot.
“I’ll tell you, I had the best seat in the house there at the end of that race,” said Riggs, who fell from second to eighth off pit road during the second stage break because of trouble removing his right front tire. “They were doing some racing right there in front of me.
“I hoped to be right there in the mix. I just didn’t have enough time.”
Daniel Hemric came home fourth, followed by Corey Day, a dirt-track phenom who posted his first top five in his ninth start in Truck Series competition.
Heim widened his series lead to 122 points over second-place Hemric entering the June 7 DQS Solutions & Staffing 200 at Michigan International Speedway.
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