Race 10 of 33: Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway
Track Specs: 1.5-mile oval / 200 laps
Race Winner: Taylor Gray
Allgaier’s finish: 3rd
Byron’s finish: 6th
Smith’s finish: 16th
Kvapil’s finish: 37th
Justin Allgaier
Justin Allgaier, driver of the No. 7 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet, scored his seventh consecutive top-five finish on Saturday evening, taking the checkered flag in the third position in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series event at Kansas Speedway. Allgaier, who lined up third after qualifying was cancelled on Friday, ran inside the top five throughout the night, earning valuable stage points at the conclusion of both Stage One and Two before coming home in the final stage with his sixth podium finish of the season. With tonight’s result, Allgaier extends his lead in the championship standings to 131 points over second and become eligible to once again compete for the $100,000 Dash 4 Cash bonus next weekend at Talladega Superspeedway.
“Andrew (Overstreet, crew chief) made some really good changes all night long that let us stay up front with our BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet. Although we didn’t get the Dash 4 Cash this week, I’m really proud of everyone in this group for giving us a car that qualifies for another chance at that $100,000 next week. We gave it our all tonight and to come away with another top-three finish is a great feeling. Everyone at JR Motorsports has been doing a tremendous job and hopefully we can keep this momentum going.”
William Byron
William Byron and the No. 88 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet team battled through changing conditions and adversity on Saturday night at Kansas Speedway to come away with a sixth-place finish. After starting second due to qualifying being rained out, Byron fought a tight condition early in the race, dropping back before the team made gains on the car’s balance. Strategy at the end of Stage One kept the No. 88 team on track, allowing Byron to restart near the front and take over the lead shortly after. As the run progressed, the car continued to build tight on entry and through the center, ultimately leading to contact with the wall in Stage Two that caused right-front damage. The team made repairs and adjustments on pit road, forcing Byron to restart deep in the field for the final stage. From there, Byron methodically worked his way forward, noting improved balance despite lingering effects from the damage. A strong green-flag run and solid execution helped the No. 88 Chevrolet climb back into the top five late before settling for a sixth-place result at the checkered flag.
“We had a fast No. 88 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet and got up front, but getting tight and hitting the wall hurt us. The team did a great job fixing it and we drove back through the field. Proud of the effort and thankful for everyone at JR Motorsports, HendrickCars.com, Chevrolet and the Hendrick Engine Shop. Solid finish to build on.”
Sammy Smith
Sammy Smith, driver of the No. 8 Pilot Chevrolet, started 11th at Kansas Speedway on Saturday and fought for position inside the top 10 for much of the evening before getting caught up in an incident early in the final stage, forcing the JR Motorsports driver to pit for repairs and restart from the tail. Smith continued to battle to regain the lost track position over the closing laps before taking the checkered flag in the 16th position.
Inclement weather cancelled the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series practice and qualifying on Friday evening. With that, the Kansas Lottery 300 lineup was set by NASCAR’s metrics and Smith lined up 11th for the start. The field took the green flag under cold and windy conditions, quickly seeing a caution and red flag on the second lap. Smith restarted seventh and, through two more cautions, the No. 8 closed out the first 45-lap stage in 12th, asking for an adjustment to help his corner exit. Smith started Stage Two and worked his way up to seventh when a caution flew on lap 63. The field restarted with 17 laps remaining in the stage and Smith cracked the top five, running there for several laps before finishing sixth and earning valuable stage points.
The field began the final stage on lap 99 and just two laps later while running eighth, Smith was tapped on the left rear, which sent him spinning down the backstretch. Smith made a pair of pit-road visits for tires and body repairs before tagging the tail of the field for a restart on lap 106. The No. 8 Pilot driver made his way up to 24th in time for the green-flag pit cycle, coming down for tires, fuel and an adjustment and he continued to work his way through the field. In the remaining 60 laps, Smith was able to get to 16th when the checkered flag waved.
“A tough end to the day. We had a solid top-10 Pilot Chevrolet until that incident. Again, I know we had speed, but things just didn’t go our way. We’ll just have to buckle up and look ahead to Talladega next week.”
Carson Kvapil
Carson Kvapil, driver of the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet, took the green flag from pole position on Saturday afternoon in the Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway after qualifying was rained out on Friday. Looking poised for a strong run on the day, Kvapil ended the opening lap amidst a four-car battle for the top spot. Unfortunately, Kvapil’s quest for a good day was brought to an abrupt halt on just the second lap as the JR Motorsports driver was knocked sideways off the second corner and sent into a barrel roll down the back straightaway. Kvapil was ultimately scored with a 37th-place finish as a result of the accident.
“I am OK. My biggest thing it, I hate it for this entire No. 1 Bass Pro Shops team. Rodney (Childers, crew chief) and the entire team brought a really fast car to Kansas. We were hoping to settle in and just log some laps. We will get back to work this week and come back strong next week at Talladega.”