Race 24 of 33: Focused Health 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway
Track Specs: 1.54-mile quad-oval / 163 laps
Race Winner: Austin Hill
Smith’s finish: 5th
Jones’ finish: 9th
Allgaier’s finish: 30th
Mayer’s finish: 36th
Sammy Smith
Sammy Smith, driver of the No. 8 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet, qualified 19th for the Focused Health 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday afternoon. With an early-race caution, the team decided to pit for four tires despite the majority of the field staying out to take advantage of the chance to gain stage points. It paid off as Smith started second for Stage Two and was able to hold that position all 40 laps to pick up nine stage points assist the JR Motorsports team’s quest to qualify for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs. The team battled back from a safety penalty in the final stage to charge through the field and take the checkered flag in the seventh position. With the top-10 result, Smith remains 12th on the NXS Playoff grid, 44 points above the cutline with two races remaining in the regular season.
“We had a race of highs and lows. Receiving that safety penalty was tough t take but thinking on the positive side, if we were up closer to the front at that time we may have been caught up in that red-flag wreck. We gained much-needed stage points to keep the Pilot Flying J Chevrolet in the playoffs and I learned a few things that I’ll take into the next race to be better.”
Brandon Jones
Returning to his home track, the 27-year-old Georgia native took the green flag in the 18th position for Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series feature. Jones quickly made his way into the top 10 within the first 10 laps, where he would remain and take the first green-and-white checkered flag in seventh, earning valuable stage points. After having to pit for repairs following slight contact with the outside retaining wall at the end of Stage Two, Jones rejoined the tail of the field. Throughout the remaining 83 laps, Jones worked his way through the field to find himself in the top five until an incident on lap 145 brought out the red flag. Once the track was clear of debris, Jones suffered a mechanical issue that forced him to bring his JR Motorsports Camaro down pit road for repairs. After rejoining the tail end of the field, Jones fought hard through the remaining laps to earn a ninth-place finish.
“I always love coming back to Atlanta and racing at my home track and being able to bring this Menards Camaro home with a top-10 makes it even better. We fought hard all day and I am proud of this team for never giving up. Going into the last two races of the regular season we plan to keep up the intensity and do whatever we can to secure our spot in the playoffs.”
Justin Allgaier
Justin Allgaier appeared poised to fight for the win with his No. 7 Hellmann’s Chevrolet on Saturday afternoon at Atlanta Motor Speedway, battling for the race lead with less than 20 laps to go before being collected in a multi-car accident as the pack entered Turn 3. Making substantial contact with the outside retaining wall, it was deemed that the damage to the JR Motorsports Camaro was too severe for Allgaier to continue, relegating the Illinois native to a 30th-place finish. Despite the day being brought to an abrupt halt, Allgaier was ale to secure his series-leading 14th stage victory of the season in Stage One and earn an additional six stage points in Stage Two. With the stage-ending results, the veteran driver extended his point lead in the NASCAR Xfinity Series standings to 34 points with just two races remaining in the regular season.
“We had an unbelievable Hellmann’s Chevrolet today. Jim (Pohlman, crew chief) and everyone on this No. 7 team gave me a great car that let us be up front and fighting for the win. I really hate that we had a tire go down and got involved in that wreck, but I can’t say enough about this group. We were still able to come out of here with another stage win and gain a couple more points. We’ll rebound from today’s end result and will hopefully be just as strong next week in Watkins Glen.”
Sam Mayer
Sam Mayer, driver of the No. 1 High Rock Vodka Chevrolet, looked poised for a solid run at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday afternoon following an 11th-place qualifying effort earlier in the day. Mayer held steady through the opening laps before a caution on lap 11 gave the JR Motorsports driver a chance to feed to crew chief Mardy Lindley and the team that his High Rock Vodka Camaro felt perfect. The young driver continued toward the front for a sixth-place finish in Stage One, gaining five valuable stage points. Cruising in the top five for the majority to Stage Two, the laps started to wind down and Mayer started making moves for additional points until contact exiting Turn 4 sent Mayer hard into the wall. Unable to repair the damage, Mayer and the High Rock Vodka Chevrolet was ultimately scored in the 36th position.
“We had a fast High Rock Vodka Chevrolet today, and I really hate that we didn’t get the finish that we were hoping for everyone on this No. 1 JR Motorsports team. We will rebound from this and be ready to go next week at Watkins Glen.”
