Race Results | Xfinity Series Points
Race 6 of 33: Alsco 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway
Track Specs: 1.5-mile quad oval / 200 laps
Weather: Cloudy; 69 degrees
Race Winner: Kyle Busch
Hemric's Finish: 2nd
Allgaier's Finish: 5th
Annett's Finish: 7th
Gragson's Finish: 11th
Daniel Hemric
Daniel Hemric, driver of the No. 8 Alsco Chevrolet, charged through the field over the final 20 laps of Monday evening’s NASCAR Xfinity Series event at Charlotte Motor Speedway, improving 10 positions to earn a second-place finish. The result marks the sixth time that Hemric has finished in the runner-up position and the third time he has done so in his last nine NXS starts dating back to Kansas Speedway in October of 2018.
Stage One Finish: 9th
For the second-consecutive NXS event, the starting lineup was set via a blind draw earlier in the week, meaning that Hemric lined up for the 200-lap event from the 12th position. From the drop of the green flag Hemric pressed forward, needing just eight laps to race into the top 10 before driving up to the seventh position by the time the competition caution was displayed on lap 20. The driver of the Alsco Chevrolet continued to jockey for position inside the top 10 throughout the final 25 laps of the opening stage before taking the green-and-white checkered flag to end Stage One on lap 45 in the ninth position. The stage-ending result earned Hemric two valuable stage points in the process.
Stage Two Finish: 7th
While under the stage-ending caution, crew chief Taylor Moyer made the decision to bring the Kannapolis, N.C. native to pit road for four tires and a chassis adjustment after Hemric reported that he was battling a loose-handling condition on the entry of the corner. After taking the green flag for the caution-free second stage from the ninth position, Hemric once again pushed onward, taking advantage of a three-wide move down the back straightaway to race into the sixth position on lap 63. The driver of the Alsco Chevrolet remained there until the loose-handling condition returned in the closing laps of the stage, shuffling Hemric back to seventh by the time the green-and-white checkered flag was displayed on lap 90. Despite the handling condition, Hemric’s stage-ending result netted the JR Motorsports driver four additional stage points, bringing the total race tally to six.
Final Stage:
Prior to the start of the final stage of the evening, Moyer called Hemric back to pit road for four tires and another round of adjustments after the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year reported that he was still fighting the loose-handling condition. The driver of the Alsco Chevrolet exited pit road at the completion of the stop in eighth and continued to battle inside the top 10 once back underway until the lone round of green-flag pit stops commenced on lap 144. After pitting for four tires and fuel during his green flag stop, Hemric returned to the track in eighth, but an inopportune caution just 10 laps later trapped the JRM driver off of the lead lap as the pit stop cycle had yet to be completed. Undeterred by the unfortunate timing of the caution, Hemric and team opted to take the wave around to get back on to the lead lap just prior to the lap 162 restart.
Now back on the lead lap, Hemric again pressed forward, racing up to the fourth position with the help of another strong three-wide move through the quad-oval. Hemric remained in fourth until a lap 175 caution provided Moyer with one last opportunity to play with some strategy. With the majority of the race leaders on their final set of tires, Moyer called the driver of the Alsco Chevrolet back to pit road for the No. 8 team’s final set of fresh tires.
As a result of the off-sequence stop, Hemric found himself lining up for the lap 183 restart in the 12th position. Although mired in heavy traffic, Hemric persevered and raced back into the top 10 and up to fifth before field was slowed due to a caution on lap 192. Hemric remained in fifth once the green flag came back out but was able to drive up to third on the exit of the second corner before the caution flag was displayed once again on lap 196.
This caution period set up NASCAR’s version of overtime, with Hemric lining up as the second car on the inside line. The driver of the Alsco Chevrolet fought inside the top three over the final two laps with both Austin Cindric and eventual race winner Kyle Busch before ultimately taking the checkered flag in the second position.
The result is Hemric’s best finish to date for JRM and his 10th top 10 in his last 12 NXS starts dating back to Richmond Raceway in September of 2018.
Daniel Hemric, driver No. 8 Alsco Chevrolet team
“We had a solid night with our Alsco Camaro and I can’t thank everyone at JR Motorsports and on this No. 8 team enough. These last two races have really given us a lot of positive momentum right now and it feels great to be able to come here and get a strong finish. We kept fighting all race long and I am just really grateful for this opportunity and to come out here at my home track and have a really solid night. Hopefully we can keep this going as we get ready for Bristol on Saturday.”
Justin Allgaier
Justin Allgaier, driver of the No. 7 Hellmann’s Camaro, overcame a race full of adversity to cross the line with a fifth-place finish in the Alsco 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Monday night. It was his second consecutive top-five finish on the 1.5-mile track. Allgaier currently sits sixth in the NASCAR Xfinity Series point standings, just 33 points behind the leader.
Stage One Finish: 17th
Allgaier fired off in the fourth position after the field was set by random draw. He was running in the seventh position when the first caution of the race came out on lap 4. Under the yellow, the Illinois native reported that his gauges were going haywire. He restarted in seventh and continued to lose position on the track. He was running in 10th when a caution came out on lap 29. The team called him to pit road for a wedge adjustment and to work on fixing the gauges on the No. 7 Camaro. He restarted in 29th on lap 33 and raced his way up to 17th before the green-and-white checkered flag waved to end the first stage on lap 45. Under the stage-ending caution the team made multiple adjustments and continued to try to fix the issues Allgaier was having with the dash, but they were unable to get the gauges working again.
Stage Two Finish: 13th
The driver of the Hellmann’s Camaro took the green flag for Stage Two in 27th and started his march forward. He was up to 15th by lap 58 and reported that the No. 7 Chevy was lacking side bite. Still he battled through the tough-handling condition and raced his way to 13th before the end of Stage Two on lap 90. Crew chief Jason Burdett called Allgaier to pit road for four tires, fuel and an adjustment under the stage-ending caution.
Final Stage:
Allgaier fired off 13th for the final stage and worked his way up to ninth before green-flag pit stops were underway around lap 147. Without having working gauges, the JR Motorsports driver took it easy going down pit road for his stop for four tires and fuel to avoid getting a pit road penalty. He exited pit road in the 11th position, but was caught a lap down when a caution came out before green-flag pit stops had cycled through for the field. Allgaier took the wave around and restarted 11th on lap 163. When another yellow flag waved on lap 171, the 33-year-old driver came back down pit road for fresh tires and fuel.
Restarting in 11th on lap 176, Allgaier continued to battle for position. He was inside the top 10 when another caution came out and then cut a tire on the subsequent restart with 12 laps to go. Allgaier made his way to pit road for right-side tires and was stuck a lap down, but the team caught a break when the caution came out and they were given the free pass. The race came down to a green-white-checkered finish and Allgaier powered his way from ninth to fifth before the checkered flag waved.
Justin Allgaier, driver No. 7 Hellmann’s Chevrolet
“This has to be the hardest fought top-five finish we’ve ever had. Hats off to this team. We overcame a lot in this 300 miles and to come home with a fifth-place finish is just awesome. When we had to come to pit road under green with that flat tire I didn’t think we were ever going to come back from that, but we did. I’m so proud of this Hellmann’s team. I can’t wait to get to Bristol on Saturday and continue this positive momentum.”
Michael Annett
In the thick of the top 10 as the cautions mounted and the laps wound down, Michael Annett drove the No. 1 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet Camaro to a solid seventh-place finish Monday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the Alsco 300 for NASCAR Xfinity Series machines. Annett and the No. 1 team parlayed a solid strategy in the final stage, staying out several laps longer than the rest of the top 10 and leading when a caution flag waved at just the right time. That allowed the Iowa driver to lead nine laps under caution and came with the added benefit of trapping several cars a lap down. Over the remaining distance, Annett held station in the top 10 and missed several late-race crashes, winding up seventh at the checkered flag. That matches his best finish of the season in six races, which also came on a 1.5-mile oval at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Stage One Finish: 11th
Taking the green flag from ninth position, Annett settled into the top 13 while getting the feel of his Pilot Flying J Chevrolet. Early in the race, he radioed to crew chief Travis Mack that his Camaro felt like the rear end was on top of the track. Riding in the top 12 for most of the 20-lap run to the competition caution, Mack told Annett to stay out and let the car come to him over the remaining laps in Stage One. He was 10th when the race returned to green-flag conditions, briefly rose to eighth and settled in to finish 11th at the end of 45 laps. Annett told Mack that at the end of the run, he was starting to lose the nose of his Chevrolet, in addition to the right rear tire being out of the track. Mack called for four tires, fuel and a couple of chassis adjustments to fix the handle.
Stage Two Finish: 11th
Starting Stage Two from 14th position, Annett began to work his way forward. As the laps wound down toward its conclusion, Annett made it to 11th early on and stayed there until the green-checkered flag waved at lap 90. He battled with Harrison Burton for much of that run for the 10th spot, with Myatt Snider working his way up to that battle with six laps remaining. Annett held off Snider to finish 11th despite a late loose condition on entry that complicated his handling issues. Prior to coming down pit road, he told Mack that he needed more lateral grip and a fix for his loose entry. Mack dialed up four tires, fuel and a track-bar adjustment and the pit crew got him off pit road without losing a position. An uncontrolled tire penalty on Chase Briscoe moved him to 10th for the final stage.
Final Stage:
On the green flag, Annett moved up to ninth, battling with JRM teammates Justin Allgaier and Daniel Hemric at the back of the top 10. He fell back into 11th place and held his place until lap 143, when green-flag pit stops began. The plan was to stay out a while longer to gain track position, and it worked out well. Having ascended to the lead at lap 150, Annett was half a lap from coming down pit road when the caution flag waved. Annett led the field until he made his pit stop at lap 158. He took four tires, fuel to the end, an air-pressure adjustment and some tape on the nose before heading out in third place for the restart. Just 13 cars remained on the lead lap when the green flag waved, but Annett dropped back to seventh the first time by under green and was running ninth when the caution flag waved again. Annett reported that his Camaro was sliding on both ends of the 1.5-mile oval and had no grip, so Mack called him back to the pits for tires, an air-pressure adjustment and some wedge. He returned to the track in ninth place and stayed in the top 10 through several caution flags. He was eighth with 13 laps remaining and managed to miss some of the mayhem that caught up other drivers with help from the keen eye of spotter Jason Jarrett. Annett was eighth on lap 197 when a crash ahead of him nearly collected the bulk of the lead-lap cars. That put him fifth for the final restart in overtime, and he brought the car home in seventh place after a green-white-checkered finish. He remains 10th in series points after six races.
Kyle Busch won the race in overtime, besting Hemric, Austin Cindric, Ross Chastain and Allgaier. Brett Moffitt was sixth ahead of Annett, with Brandon Brown, Burton and Snider rounding out the top 10.
Michael Annett, driver No. 1 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet team
“We had a good finish in our Pilot Flying J Chevrolet tonight. I just need to do some work taking off better. Big thanks to my spotter, Jason Jarrett, for getting me through some of that stuff. It was pretty wild at the end. Good day in the points, and we’ll go to Bristol with some momentum.”
Noah Gragson
Noah Gragson, driver of the No. 9 Bass Pro Shops/Black Rifle Coffee/TrueTimber Chevrolet, finished 11th in Monday evening’s NASCAR Xfinity Series Alsco 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Gragson started from 10th after a random draw and was able to grab points during both stages, including a fourth in Stage One and scoring a total of thirteen stage points throughout the first two stages.
Stage One Finish: 4th
Gragson fired off in the 10th starting position for the 200-lap event and jumped to the top five by lap 10. The competition caution flew on lap 20 as Gragson ran in the fifth position. The No. 9 Bass Pro Shops/Black Rifle Coffee/TrueTimber Camaro did not pit and restarted in the fifth position. The next caution took place on lap 28 and the No. 9 Camaro was running in the sixth position. Everyone decided to not pit and this set Gragson up to restart on the top, which proved to be the preferred lane as he jumped within the top five and finished Stage One in the fourth position, earning seven stage points.
Stage Two Finish: 5th
The No. 9 Bass Pro Shops/Black Rifle Coffee/TrueTimber Camaro came to pit road following the stage-break for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment to fix a tight-handling condition. When the race went back green, Gragson restarted in the fifth position and fell as low as eighth before jumping back within the top five on lap 70. Gragson reported the No. 9 Bass Pro Shops/Black Rifle Coffee/TrueTimber Camaro was a little too snug throughout Stage Two, but was able to stay within the top five and earn six additional stage points by the end of the stage on lap 90.
Final Stage:
During the final stage-break, Gragson came into the pits for four tires, fuel and a trackbar adjustment to fix his tight-handling Camaro. Gragson came out in the sixth position but moved up to fifth after the leader was penalized for speeding on pit road. Restarting on the bottom lane of Charlotte proved to be tough, but Gragson was able to get to the high side after losing only three positions on the track. The No. 9 Bass Pro Shops/Black Rifle Coffee/TrueTimber Camaro ran right outside the top five, in the sixth position, until a yellow came out with 44 laps remaining. He was caught one lap down, as many were that pitted under green, but received the lucky dog as he was the first car one lap down.
Gragson restarted in the sixth position and jumped to third on lap 163 and chased down the second place car on lap 171 when another caution hit the 1.5-mile quad-oval. The driver of the No. 9 Camaro decided to stay out and restarted second with 25 laps remaining and again with 17 laps remaining in the 300-mile race. Falling to the third position, Gragson was collected in a multi-car incident on lap 196 that sent him spinning to the inside of the speedway. The Bass Pro Shops/Black Rifle Coffee/TrueTimber crew were able to fix the car and keep Gragson on the lead lap as he finished in the 11th position.
Noah Gragson, driver No. 9 Bass Pro Shops/Black Rifle Coffee/TrueTimber Camaro SS
“Man, the Bass Pro Shops/Black Rifle Coffee/TrueTimber Camaro was so fast there at the end and I made a mistake that cost us a shot at the win. I was pushing as hard as I could to keep up front and the car just got around on me. I hate it for my guys and everyone back at the shop but everyone knew we were here and that is what we strive for each week. We will come back next week with the same mentality and hopefully we can get this thing back into Victory Lane and get some more playoff points to help us in the post season. ”