Allgaier, Smith Secure Double Top 5 Effort, Gain Points In Chase Fight at Phoenix

Race 30 of 33: Timberland PRO 200
Track Specs: 1 mile paved track
Race Winner: Jesse Love
Allgaier’s finish: P3
Smith’s finish: P5
Caruth’s finish: P9
Kvapil’s finish: P10
Finch’s finish: P38

Justin Allgaier

Justin Allgaier, driver of the No. 7 Registix Chevrolet, moved up to second in The Chase standings following a strong third-place effort on Saturday evening in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series event at Phoenix Raceway. Allgaier, who started 13th on the night, methodically worked his way through the field, earning valuable stage points at the conclusion of Stage One and Two before scoring his 17th top-five finish of the season. With tonight’s top-three result, Allgaier heads to next weekend’s event at Talladega Superspeedway just 36 points out of the series lead.

“Andrew (Overstreet, crew chief) and everyone on this No. 7 team made some really great changes to our Registix Chevrolet tonight. We were able to make our way through the pack and get up to the front when it mattered most. Overall, it was a solid points day for us and it’s great to be just one spot out of the lead. There’s three great tracks still ahead of us and I know that this team is capable of getting back to the front. We just need to execute like know we can and we will be right where we want to be.”

Sammy Smith

Sammy Smith, driver of the No. 8 Pilot Chevrolet, qualified ninth for the Timberland PRO 200 at Phoenix Raceway this Saturday evening. Smith drove a strong race and crossed the line in fifth, making it two top-five and seven top-10 finishes at “The Valley of The Sun” for the JR Motorsports driver in just nine starts. Smith started ninth amongst the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series field and on lap 23, when the caution flew for rain, Smith reported his Chevrolet was too free, but the balance was good overall and it was starting to come to him. The rain lifted and the field restarted on lap 30. Smith made his way up to fifth by the time Stage One came to a close on lap 45, acquiring valuable stage points. During the stage-break, Smith visited pit road for fresh tires, fuel and an adjustment to improve his lateral grip. Throughout the next 45 laps of Stage Two, Smith stayed near the top-five, finishing seventh. Smith reported that he was too tight during that run, to which crew chief Cory Shea called for an air pressure adjustment and to go back on the set-up changes previously made. The pit crew had a competitive stop, gaining three spots off pit road, setting their driver up in fourth for the final stage. The NOAPS field took the green for the final 100 laps with Smith in fourth. Through two more cautions and a green-flag pit cycle, Smith never sat further back than sixth. On lap 169, Smith took over the fifth position and defended it to the checkered flag on lap 200.

“We had a good car in practice and I felt confident heading into the race. We struggled a bit with fire-off speed but this No. 8 team did a good job of making the right changes when needed. Phoenix is one of our best tracks and it was great to get a solid top-five finish while also getting some stage points. We’ll look ahead to Talladega and try to keep chipping away at the points and shoot for wins for Pilot, TMC and Allstate Peterbilt Group.”

Rajah Caruth

Rajah Caruth and the No. 88 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet team earned a ninth-place finish Saturday at Phoenix Raceway after battling changing track conditions throughout the race. Caruth started sixth and maintained a position inside the top seven before a rain caution slowed the field on lap 22. The team elected to stay out under caution, allowing Caruth to restart fourth on lap 31 and maintain that position through the conclusion of Stage One. Following a four-tire pit stop and adjustments, Caruth restarted third in Stage Two before battling a loose-handling Chevrolet and finishing the stage in sixth. The No. 88 team made additional adjustments during the stage break, but Caruth continued to struggle with rear grip after restarting 13th for the final stage. A green-flag pit stop on lap 154 for four tires, fuel and adjustments was followed by a timely caution that helped Caruth regain track position. Restarting 10th on lap 165, Caruth worked his way into ninth and maintained his position over the closing laps to secure a top-10 finish.

“It was a solid day for our No. 88 HendrickCars.com team. We had good speed early and were able to get some stage points, but we fought the balance of the car as the race went on. Mardy (Lindley, crew chief) and the guys kept working hard on adjustments, and we were able to battle back for a top-10 finish. Proud of the effort from everyone at JR Motorsports, and thankful to Mr. H, Ms. Linda, Kelley, Dale, LW and everyone at HendrickCars.com for their continued support. We’ll keep working to get better and looking forward to Talladega next week.”

Carson Kvapil

Carson Kvapil, driver of the No. 1 Champion Irrigation Chevrolet, qualified in the 16th position for Saturday evening’s NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Phoenix Raceway. When the green flag dropped, Kvapil quickly charged his way into the top-10 and held strong to finish out the first stage in seventh. Kvapil was battling a tight-handling racecar throughout the first stage and after a round of adjustments on the first stop the handling was improved as the second stage started. Kvapil maintained a top-10 running position in the second stage. When the green-and-white checkered flag waved at the end of the second stage, Kvapil was scored in eighth. During the third stage, Kvapil worked his way up inside the top five. After a round of green flag pit stops, the JR Motorsports driver settled into a top-10 running position. In the end, Kvapil crossed the line for the final time in 10th.

“We were battling our No. 1 Champion Irrigation Chevrolet handling the entire evening. Rodney (Childers, crew chief) and this entire No. 1 Champion Irrigation team worked on and improved the handling throughout the evening. We will get back to work and I am confident we will bring a rocket ship to Talladega next weekend. There is no give up in this team and we will continue to fight over the final three races.”

Jake Finch

Jake Finch and the No. 9 Chevy Cares Chevrolet team started Saturday’s race from the 29th position. Finch began making progress early, moving up to 27th by lap 5 and 25th by lap 13. When rain brought out the caution on lap 22, Finch was running 26th and reported that he felt good about the balance of his Chevrolet. The team elected to stay on track under caution, allowing Finch to restart 23rd on lap 31. He continued his charge through the field, advancing to 20th by lap 35 and maintaining that position through the conclusion of Stage One. Finch reported that his Chevrolet was handling well, noting only a slightly tight condition while praising the car’s stability on corner entry. The team brought the No. 9 Chevrolet to pit road for four tires and fuel without making any adjustments. Unfortunately, shortly after restarting 22nd on lap 54 to begin Stage Two, Finch suffered an engine failure that brought his race to a premature end. He was credited with a 38th-place finish.

“I felt really good about our Chevy Cares Chevrolet today. We had a little bit of tightness, but the car was really secure on entry, and we were making good progress through the field. It’s unfortunate to have an engine issue end our day early because I felt like we had a solid car and could have kept moving forward, a big thanks to Phillip (Bell, crew chief) and the entire No. 9 team for their efforts, we will regroup and be ready for Talladega next week.”