Race 26 of 33: Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway
Track Specs: .533-mile oval / 300 laps
Race Winner: Cole Custer
Jones’ finish: 6th
Earnhardt Jr.’s finish: 7th
Mayer’s finish: 9th
Smith’s finish: 15thS
Allgaier’s finish: 30th
Brandon Jones
Coming into the final race of the regular season, Brandon Jones, driver of the No. 9 Menards/Pelonis Chevrolet, was poised for a strong start after qualifying in the eighth position. After avoiding several on-track incidents in the opening stage, the 27-year-old Georgia native began Stage Two on the front row thanks to a pit strategy decision made by crew chief Adam Wall. Jones quickly settled into his position within the top 10 until a late-stage restart saw him drop just outside to 11th. Throughout the final 100 laps, Jones made his way back toward the top five, which included a strong battle with team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. With 34 laps to go, Jones was able to make a pass on the bottom to take over the sixth position where he would ultimately take the checkered flag under the lights at Bristol Motor Speedway.
“We knew coming into the weekend what we had to do to secure our spot in the playoffs and we had a fast Menards Chevy Camaro, so I hate that we weren’t able to make it happen, but this team works so hard and I am happy we were able to bring home a top-10. We are going to build off this momentum moving forward because we still want to go out there and try to win as many races as we can before the season comes to an end.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. made his NASCAR Xfinity Series return on Friday night for his lone start of the 2024 season. Taking the green flag from the 13th position, Earnhardt Jr. battled hard throughout the evening to take the checkered flag in the seventh position with his No. 88 Hellmann’s Chevrolet. Earnhardt Jr. rallied back from a handful of pit stops for a radio issue during Stage One to race into the top 10and up to ninth by the time Stage Two came to a close. The two-time NXS champion and NASCAR Hall of Famer fought for position inside the top 10 throughout the final stage, racing up to as high as sixth before settling into seventh as the laps wound down. In the end, Earnhardt JR. cross the finish line for the final time in seventh.
“I had fun tonight. It’s great to be able to get out there and be competitive and run up front. Our Hellmann’s Chevrolet had some good speed all night long and I can’t thank these guys enough for how our car was tonight. It was for sure a great time.”
Sam Mayer
Sam Mayer, driver of the No. 1 Carolina Carports Chevrolet, battled hard at Bristol Motor Speedway for a top-10 finish after having to start at the rear of the field for an unapproved adjustment on Friday evening at Bristol Motor Speedway. Mayer wasted no time in his charge to the front once under way, taking advantage of a few early caution to race into the top 20 before playing with some pit strategy prior to the start of Stage Two. The young driver started the second stage third in line and quickly jumped to the top line in a three-wide move to take the race lead, where he remained for the majority of the stage until another late-stage caution shuffled Mayer back to an eighth-place finish. The driver of the No. 1 Carolina Carports Chevrolet rode around in the top 10 throughout the final stage, battling for track position in the closing laps before taking the checkered flag in ninth.
“Super happy with our performance today with this No. 1 Carolina Carports Chevrolet. We had the speed and momentum that allowed us to stay up front all day and come home with a solid finish. Hard to believe we are here already but next week starts the Playoffs and I know this No. 1 team is ready to bring some power and hopefully keep riding to the Championship.”
Sammy Smith
Sammy Smith, driver of the No. 8 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet, locked himself into the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs on Friday night at Bristol Motor Speedway, racing to a 15th-place finish while sporting a special paint scheme honoring National Truck Driver Appreciation Week. The playoff spot ended a hard-fought battle since the season opener at Daytona, as the No. 8 team kept its eyes on the big picture. The Johnston, Iowa native took the green flag in 21st position for the Food City 300, and an early caution flag gave Smith and crew chief Philip Bell a chance to discuss the car’s handling and strategize adjustments. Smith struggled with a free-handling Camaro for most of the 300 laps at Thunder Valley. Bell took a big swing at adjustments heading into the final stage and that gave Smith a solid-handling car that performed well out of traffic. With no additional trips to pit road, the No. 8 Chevrolet started to turn to the free side on the long run and Smith ultimately came home with a 15th-place finish to second his position in the playoffs.
Justin Allgaier
Justin Allgaier, driver of the No. 7 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet, appeared destined to fight for victory on Friday night at Bristol Motor Speedway, leading the opening 60 laps of the regular- season finale for the NASCAR Xfinity Series before a series of unfortunate events relegated the JR Motorsports driver to a 30th-place finish. Despite the result, Allgaier enters the Round of 12 in the NXS Playoffs as the No. 1 overall seed, 27 points above the cutline heading into the opening three races of the Playoff schedule.
“Our BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet was so fast tonight. It’s really unfortunate that we ran into trouble, but this No. 7 team is a resilient group and I know that we will regroup this week and be ready to get these playoffs started on a strong note. We are ready to go.”
