Race 27 of 33: Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway
Track Specs: 1.5-mile oval / 200 laps
Race Winner: Aric Almirola
Zilisch’s finish: 4th
Jones’ finish: 6th
Mayer’s finish: 13th
Smith’s finish: 22nd
Allgaier’s finish: 36th
Connor Zilisch
Connor Zilisch made the most of his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut at Kansas Speedway, starting fourth and finishing there 200 laps later. The young driver, who will run full-time for JR Motorsports next year, sorted out the handle on his KOA/RTIC Chevrolet over the first stage and despite a loose condition in the early going, finished 12th. After pitting for adjustments, Zilisch raced up to fifth position at the end of Stage Two and set the stage for a run to the checkered. Over the final segment, Zilisch stayed in the top 10 and out of trouble, methodically climbing his way up the leaderboard to fourth position at the finish. Combined with his debut performance, a win at Watkins Glen, the young driver’s average finish in the NXS is 2.5.
“I’m really satisfied with our performance today. I went out and ran all the laps. Finished outside the top 10 in Stage One, and just worked my way forward all day and had a really fast race car from JR Motorsports and everyone at RTIC and KOA. It was a lot of fun getting to experience that, running the fence for the first time, I had never done that before, and these cars have almost no downforce or side force, so I was hung out a lot more than I’ve ever been. It was a ton of fun.”
Brandon Jones
Returning to Kansas Speedway after a runner-up finish last season, Brandon Jones, driver of the No. 9 Menards/Schultz Chevrolet, was set for a solid day after qualifying on the pole for Saturday afternoon’s 200-lap NASCAR Xfinity Series event. The 27-year-old Georgia native battled to maintain position while avoiding several Stage One cautions to finish within the top five. Unfortunately, Jones was forced to make an additional trip down pit road at the end of the stage, causing him to start the second stage toward the back of the field. He was able to make quick work of his competitors, breaking back into the top 15 within the first 20 laps. With 10 laps left in Stage Two, Jones made his way into the top 10, where he took the second green-and-white checkered flag. Throughout the final stage, Jones continued to work his way toward the front, ultimately taking the checkered flag in sixth-place.
“Kansas is a track that has always been good to me, so we came into the weekend confident we could run well. Being able to put this Menards/Schultz Camaro on the pole was a great start and while we battled the track conditions a little during the race, this team gave me a fast car capable of running up front. I am glad all our hard work is paying off and we will continue to build off this momentum.”
Sam Mayer
Sam Mayer, driver of the No. 1 QPS Employment Chevrolet, had a premium run at Kansas Speedway on Saturday afternoon after a solid qualifying run set him fifth in the line for the start. Mayer was shuffled back on the initial start but quickly made his way back up into the top five for a fifth-place finish in Stage One. In Stage Two, Mayer kept the momentum up and earned the victory, gaining a valuable playoff point in the process. The young driver started the final stage fourth, but battled rear-grip issues and felt he could not keep up with the front of the pack. Crew chief Mardy Lindley made the call to pit under green for four tires, fuel and trackbar adjustment at lap 143. The driver of the No. 1 Chevrolet cycled back to 18th and continued his fight to the front. With 25 laps remaining, Mayer arrived back in the top 10 but ultimately ended his day in 13th position. With the finish, Mayer holds the fourth seed in the NXS Playoffs, 13 points above the cut line heading to Talladega.
“We had a really fast No. 1 QPS Employment Chevrolet today and I am really happy with a good points day ending the first race of the Round of 12. Mardy (crew chief Mardy Lindley) and the guys brought an absolute rocket ship and I know we will carry te momentum into next week and have a solid run at Talladega.”
Sammy Smith
Sammy Smith, driver of the No. 8 TMC Chevrolet, started off strong at Kansas Speedway by setting the sixth-fastest speed in practice on Saturday. The Iowa native debriefed with his JR Motorsports crew and made a strategy for qualifying as they were slated to roll off 28th of the 38 cars. Smith ran a lap quick enough to start 13th in the Kansas Lottery. Smith was caught up in an early-race accident, causing damage to the right rear quarter-panel. The TMC crew made repairs to the damage while keeping the TMC Chevrolet on the lead lap through multiple stops throughout the day. Smith eventually took the checkered flag in 22nd position. With two races remaining in the Round of 12, Smith is currently 23 points below the cut line.
Justin Allgaier
Justin Allgaier, driver of the No. 7 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet, ran inside the top 10 throughout the first two stages of Saturday afternoon’s opening race in the Round of 12 for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs. Scoring valuable stage points at the end of Stage One, Allgaier looked destined to accomplish the same feat in Stage Two, running in the eighth position following a lap-60 restart before being collected in an incident as the field exited the second corner. Going for a long slide down the backstretch, the JR Motorsports driver made hard contact with the inside retaining wall, badly damaging the left side of his BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet. Despite valiant efforts to continue on, the damage proved too sever, bringing an untimely and abrupt end to Allgaier’s day and relegated the Illinois native to a 36th-place finish. With two races remaining in the Round of 12, Allgaier currently sits ninth in the NXS Playoff Grid, one point below the cutline.
“Gutted for everyone on this BRANDT Professional Agriculture team. We had a really fast car today and were playing it smart and patient out there. I hate that we weren’t able to get to the finish today. But I know that this group is resilient and we will not give up. We are going to keep fighting and do all we can to get ourselves in the best position as possible to move on.”
