Race 15 of 33: HyVee Perks 250 at Iowa Speedway
Track Specs: .875-mile oval / 250 laps
Race Winner: Sam Mayer
Smith’s finish: 4th
Allgaier’s finish: 30th
Jones’ finish: 36th
Sam Mayer
Sam Mayer, driver of the No. 1 Roto-Rooter Chevrolet, scored a thrilling victory in overtime on Saturday afternoon in the NASCAR Xfinity Series event at Iowa Speedway. Fighting through multiple late-race restarts, Mayer held strong to secure his second win of the season. Today’s triumph additionally marks the second consecutive year that the JR Motorsports driver has won multiple races in a season and it was Mayer’s first on a short track in NXS competition. All six of Mayer’s series victories have occurred on different tracks, and this triumph moved him back up the point standings into the top 10.
“I could not be any prouder of this No. 1 JR Motorsports team and this victory today. We started off not how we wanted yesterday in practice, but these guys went to work and gave me a crazy fast Roto-Rooter Chevrolet. It’s great to be able to get those guys to Victory Lane today and I can’t wait to see where the rest of this season takes us. We will keep this momentum going and see what we can do in New Hampshire.”
Sammy Smith
The return of the NASCAR Xfinity Series to Iowa Speedway was an eventful one full of inclement weather and blistered tires. The No. 8 TMC Transportation crew took care of its Chevrolet Camaro and fortunately avoided the carnage. The JR Motorsports team squeezed every ounce of energy out of the hour-long practice on Friday and it paid off on race day for driver Sammy Smith. After weather cancelled qualifying, Smith lined up 17th once NASCAR’s metric was applied. As the green flag waved, Smith got to work and immediately gained three positions. Smith told crew chief Adam Wall that the car was good, if a touch loose, and it paid off with a fifth-place finish in the opening stage. Wall made a slight adjustment on the ensuing pit stop that immediately boosted Smith into a challenge for the lead. After four caution periods in the final 100 laps, Smith continued to fight his way forward and emerged in fifth place at the checkered flag in his home state.
“Coming back to my home state with TMC Transportation, a longtime supportive partner which is also local to the area has been great. My team and I were able to spend time with TMC at their headquarters and they brought a great group out today. I am so glad that I could bring home a top-five finish for them and we’re looking forward to bringing this momentum to New Hampshire next weekend.”
Justin Allgaier
Justin Allgaier appeared poised for another strong run in the return to Iowa Speedway for the NASCAR Xfinity Series on Saturday afternoon, leading for 14 laps and scoring valuable stage points at the end of Stage One and Two with the BRANDT Professional Agriculture / Precision Build Chevrolet. However, while running inside the top 10 during the final 100-lap dash to the finish, Allgaier’s day was brought to an abrupt halt. Making his way through Turns 3 and 4 while running in the ninth position, Allgaier sustained a flat right-front tire that sent the JR Motorsports driver careening into the outside retaining wall. The subsequent damage left the BRANDT Professional Agriculture / Precision Build Chevrolet unable to continue, relegating Allgaier to a 30th place finish. Despite this afternoon’s result, Allgaier remains fourth in the NXS standings, just 44 points out of the series lead.
“I’m really proud of the fight this BRANDT Professional Agriculture / Precision Build team gave today. Jim (Pohlman, crew chief) and everyone on this No. 7 team worked hard all race long to get us into a strong position at the end. It’s really unfortunate that we didn’t come away with the finish that these guys deserve, but we will rebound from this and be ready to go next weekend in New Hampshire.”
Brandon Jones
Brandon Jones, driver of the No. 9 Menards / PELONIS Chevrolet, returned to Iowa Speedway Saturday afternoon with the NASCAR Xfinity Series for the first time since 2019. In order to stay on schedule after a rainstorm Saturday morning, qualifying was cancelled and the starting lineup was determined via the NASCAR rulebook. This saw Jones take the green flag in the 26th position. Making quick work through the field, Jones navigated his way into the top 20 within the first 10 laps of Stage One. Unfortunately, Jones’ Camaro suffered a mechanical failure halfway through the first stage that rendered him unable to see the checkered flag. In the end, Jone was scored with a 36th-place finish.
“This No. 9 team worked extremely hard to make sure I had a fast car this weekend and it’s just really unfortunate that we weren’t able to showcase what we were capable of doing. No matter what though, this team doesn’t quit and we’re going to refocus and make sure we bring the same speed next weekend to New Hampshire.”
