Allgaier Leads JRM with Runner-Up Finish in Tight Atlanta NXS Battle

February 24, 2025

Race 2 of 33: Bennett Transportation & Logistics 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway
Track Specs: 1.54-mile quad oval / 163 laps
Race Winner: Austin Hill
Allgaier’s finish: 2nd
Smith’s finish: 4th
Kvapil’s finish: 27th
Zilisch’s finish: 34th

Justin Allgaier

Justin Allgaier, driver of the No. 7 Protect Your Melon Chevrolet, scored a hard-fought second-place finish on Saturday evening in the NASCAR Xfinity Series event at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Taking the green for the 163-lap matinee from the fourth position, Allgaier ran strong, earning stage points at the conclusion of both Stage One and Stage Two before finding himself in position to battle for the victory in the closing laps. In the end, the defending NXS champion took the checked flag in second. With tonight’s runner-up result, Allgaier jumped up to fourth in the championship standings, just eight points out of the series lead.

“This Protect Your Melon Chevrolet was really solid today. Jim (Pohlman, crew chief) gave me a great car that let me really make some moves through the pack all night. It’s unfortunate to come away one spot short of the win, but tonight was a good night and a good way to get some momentum on our side. We’ll keep building off of this and be ready to get after it next week in Austin.”

Sammy Smith

Sammy Smith, driver of the No. 8 Pilot Chevrolet, earned a strong top-five finish on Saturday evening at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Qualifying in 12th, the Iowa native methodically made his way toward the front. Starting third in Stage Two after a 14th-place finish in Stage One, Smith held strong, never leaving the top 10 for the remainder of the stage. Running fourth prior to a late-race caution for debris, Smith found himself lining up for the two-lap shootout to the finish from the third spot. Fighting for position in the closing laps, Smith wound up crossing the finish line in fourth position.

“We had a fast No. 8 Pilot Chevrolet today and it showed as we were able to run up front all day with the best of them. It came down to strategy at the end and guessing what everyone else is going to do. We of course wanted to win but it was a strong, consistent day and coming home with a top-five is much better than where we were last week. This helps with our consistency goals this season and I’m looking to continue it in COTA next week.”

Carson Kvapil

Carson Kvapil, driver of the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops/Clarience Technologies Chevrolet, had a strong qualifying effort for his first trip to Atlanta Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, lining up for the green flag in the eighth position for the Saturday-night race. The rookie driver worked his way into the top five within the first 45 laps, earning valuable stage points. During a late-race caution, Kvapil made a trip down pit road for tires and repairs to a hole in the grille. This extended stop forced the driver of the No. 1 to restart at the tail of the field. The 21-year-old driver was making his way back toward the front when he was unable to avoid an accident on the final lap, sending the JR Motorsports driver for a long slide which relegated him to a 27th-place finish.

“This No. 1 team gave me a fast race car this weekend and I wish our finish could have reflected that. We were strong in the beginning but after a few calls didn’t go the way planned, we weren’t able to recover. I can’t thank Johnny Morris and everyone at Bass Pro Shops, Clarience Technologies and First Bank of Alabama enough for riding along this weekend. We are going to take what we learned today and use it to be better when we come back later this year.”

Connor Zilisch

Connor Zilisch’s changes for a good finish Saturday night at Atlanta Motor Speedway ended late in the Bennett Transportation and Logistics 250 . Zilisch qualified 10th and scored points in both stages before his luck soured in the final segment. The driver of the No. 88 WeatherTech Chevrolet was caught up in two late-race incidents not of his own doing that brought him to an unfortunate end to a promising evening. He eventually finished 34th.

“Our WeatherTech Chevrolet was just a little bit too tight in the first two stages, but Mardy (Lindley, crew chief) made a couple of adjustments that really worked well. The car was handling well. I was just stuck in traffic and couldn’t go anywhere, but we had time to get to the front. A couple of guys spun in front of me but fortunately we just got a little body damage, nothing major. The second time we weren’t so lucky. I got hit in the right-side door and we weren’t able to continue. It seemed like every accident happened in front of me tonight. We will bounce back next week at Circuit of the Americas.”