Race Results | Xfinity Series Points
Race 12 of 33: Pocono Green 225 at Pocono Raceway
Track Specs: 2.5-mile triangular oval / 90 laps
Weather: Sunny; 81 degrees
Race Winner: Chase Briscoe
Annett's Finish: 5th
Allgaier's Finish: 6th
Gragson's Finish: 22nd
Hemric's Finish: 28th
Michael Annett
After avoiding an accident that caught all three of his JR Motorsports teammates, Michael Annett drove to a solid fifth-place finish in the Pocono Green 225 on Saturday at Pocono Raceway. Running fourth with five laps remaining, Annett came to pit road for four tires and a chassis adjustment, then drove from 13th to fifth in the final two laps under a green-white-checkered finish in the NASCAR Xfinity Series event. It was Annett’s first top five of the 2020 season, fourth in the top 10, and gave him an 85-point cushion on the playoff cut line.
Stage One Finish: 5th
Starting 12th, Annett moved up early as a spate of crashes in Turn 1 kept the field bunched. He was 10th at the end of the first lap and up to sixth by the time the second caution waved at lap 5. As the field dealt with a precarious exit to Turn 1, Annett was able to hang tough and move forward. With several caution flags, NASCAR officials called off the competition caution and a crash on lap 15 brought out a 21-minute red flag. Annett was seventh when the race was stopped. After the field was restarted under yellow, Annett elected to stay out as several cars in front of him pitted. That put him fourth for the restart with three laps remaining, and he ended Stage One in fifth place, earning six stage points. Annett told crew chief Travis Mack that he was tight on exit and could feel the splitter over the seams in Turn 3. Mack responded with a call for four tires, fuel, a track-bar adjustment and an air-pressure adjustment. Annett rejoined the field for Stage Two in 13th position.
Stage Two Finish: 6th
Immediately as the green flag waved, Annett was up to 10th, and he was eighth just three laps later. Battling with Myatt Snider, Annett maintained ninth position until three laps remained in the stage. Two cars pitted ahead of him before the pits were closed, and Annett kept coming forward, grabbing sixth place over Snider at the checkered flag to end Stage Two. It also added five stage points to his total for the day. In an effort to help the tight condition, Mack made two adjustments to the chassis and gave his driver four tires and fuel. That put Annett in 12th for the start of the final stage.
Final Stage:
Taking off at the green flag, Annett needed just two laps to get back to the top 10, and he crossed the line ninth after Riley Herbst was turned into the outside wall on the front straightaway at lap 49. Mack, knowing that fuel mileage numbers were against him, called Annett down pit road for fuel and an adjustment, sending the Iowa driver back out in 12th position with a much more manageable window going forward. On the following restart, Annett was in the middle of the lead pack when JRM teammate Noah Gragson got turned by Snider off Turn 1. Gragson slid across the track in front of the field, tagging teammate Daniel Hemric and collecting Justin Allgaier at the same time. Annett drove his Chevrolet straight through the middle of the carnage with no damage, advancing up to fifth position at the line. Mack again called Annett in for service, putting on four tires and filling the tank with fuel to get him to the end of the race even in the case of a green-white-checkered finish. Rolling off 10th for the restart, Annett drove back to fifth in just three laps and took fourth with 29 laps remaining in the 90-lap event. He was still fourth on lap 69 when the leader, Chase Briscoe, spun with a flat tire to bring out the eighth of nine caution flags on the day. Staying on the track, Annett re-started the race from second position. Falling back to fourth, Annett rode there until lap 85, when Chad Finchum clouted the wall in Turn 2 to set up the green-white-checkered. Giving up a spot in the top four, Annett came to pit road for another set of tires and a chassis adjustment, returning to the track in 13th position for the two-lap shootout. In those two laps, Annett climbed all the way back to fifth place at the checkered.
Briscoe recovered to win the race, followed by Ross Chastain, Jeremy Clements, Snider and Annett. Allgaier was sixth, followed by Brett Moffitt, Timmy Hill, Herbst and Jesse Little.
Michael Annett, driver No. 1 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet team
“We were just too tight all day to really push the leaders, but Travis (crew chief Travis Mack) kept us in it with some strategy calls and we got to fifth. We were just too tight when it counted. That’s something we could have fixed if we had some practice, but it’s a top-five finish and we’ll take that. Great job all day from the No. 1 Pilot Flying J team and my spotter, Jason Jarrett. We’re going to Indy next week and we’ll have some momentum for the road course there.”
Justin Allgaier
Justin Allgaier, driver of the No. 7 Hellmann’s Roasted Garlic Sauce Chevrolet, rebounded from getting caught up in a wreck in the final stage to earn a sixth-place finish in Sunday’s race at Pocono Raceway. Allgaier additionally earned a coveted playoff point after winning Stage Two, helping him move up into the seventh position in the NASCAR Xfinity Series point standings.
Stage One Finish: 3rd
Allgaier rolled off fourth for the start of Sunday’s race and worked his way up to second before the caution flag waved for a wreck on the first lap. Another quick caution slowed the race again, but once the field was back under green, Allgaier continued to battle inside the top five. He got sideways loose after driving over fluid on the track and made an incredible save, moving back up to fourth in a hurry after losing ground. When yet another yellow flag came out on lap 15, the No. 7 team opted to come to pit road for four tires and fuel. With some cars staying out, Allgaier restarted in sixth on lap 18 and advanced his position to third before the green-and-white checkered flag waved to end Stage One on lap 20.
Stage Two Finish: 1st
Staying out under the stage-ending caution, Allgaier lined up in the second spot for the start of Stage Two on lap 27. He held steady in that same position and started closing in on the leader. Allgaier was battling for the top spot with four laps remaining in the stage and eventually took over the lead on lap 36 to score his fifth stage win of the season. Under the stage-ending caution, crew chief Jason Burdett called Allgaier in for four fresh tires and fuel.
Final Stage:
Allgaier fired off from the fourth position when the green flag dropped for the final stage and quickly worked his way back up to second. With 43 laps to go, he retook the top spot before a caution waved for an incident on the track. Under the caution, Allgaier came to pit road for a fuel-only stop and he lined up 10th for the restart in the Hellmann’s Roasted Garlic Sauce Camaro. Green flag conditions were short-lived as a multi-car incident ensued. Allgaier and the No. 7 Chevrolet were collected in the process, resulting in damage to the right front of the car.
The team made multiple stops for repairs under the yellow flag and Allgaier lined up 21st for the restart, one lap down. The No. 7 Camaro, though damaged, still showed good speed and Allgaier was scored as the first car one lap down when an opportune caution came out with 22 laps remaining, allowing Allgaier to take the free pass and get back on the lead lap.
Burdett called Allgaier in under the caution for the team’s final stop of the race for four tires and fuel. He restarted in 14th and with determination he surged forward, advancing to the fifth position with 12 laps to go. He held steady in that same position until yet another caution flag came out with six laps remaining.
Allgaier continued to battle hard in the final laps, ultimately ending the day with a sixth-place finish in his damaged No. 7 Hellmann’s Roasted Garlic Sauce Chevrolet.
Justin Allgaier, driver No. 7 Hellmann’s Roasted Garlic Sauce Chevrolet
“I am really proud of this team and the effort they put in today. We had a fast Hellmann’s Roasted Garlic Sauce Camaro and to rally back the way we did with a top-10 finish after getting damage from that wreck shows you just how good our car was. This team never gives up and we showed that today.”
Noah Gragson
Noah Gragson, driver of the No. 9 Bass Pro Shops/Black Rifle Coffee/TrueTimber Chevrolet, finished 22nd in Sunday afternoon’s NASCAR Xfinity Series Pocono Green 250 at Pocono Raceway. Gragson started the race from the pole position after the lineup was set by a random draw earlier in the week. Involved in a mid-race wreck while racing inside the top three, Gragson was able to drive the No. 9 Camaro back to salvage a 22nd-place finish despite receiving heavy damage from the incident.
Stage One Finish: 7th
Gragson fired off from the pole position after a random draw earlier in the week set the lineup for the scheduled 90-lap event. The No. 9 Bass Pro Shops/Black Rifle Coffee/TrueTimber Camaro led a couple laps but slowly dropped following a lengthy red flag period while running in the third position. When the race went back yellow, Gragson came to pit road for four tires, fuel and multiple adjustments to help keep the splitter from making contact with the ground through the turns. Restarting from 12th following the yellow, Gragson moved forward, gaining five spots before a yellow on lap 20, which then ended the stage with Gragson scored in seventh. This finish earned Gragson 4 stage points.
Stage Two Finish: 3rd
The No. 9 Bass Pro Shops/Black Rifle Coffee/TrueTimber Camaro decided not to pit following the stage and restarted from the fourth position at the beginning of Stage Two due to varying strategies. A caution-free second stage saw Gragson consistently run inside the top five, alternating between the third and fourth positions. When the green-and-white checkered flag flew on lap 40, Gragson crossed the line in third and earned an additional eight stage points.
Final Stage:
Prior to the final stage, Gragson came into the pits for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment to the No. 9 Camaro. Following the stage-break, Gragson restarted from sixth and gained one position before the next caution flew on lap 48. With varying pit strategies still in effect, Gragson restarted from the front row but was involved in a multi-car incident while exiting Turn 1 on the restart. Receiving a multitude of damage, Gragson brought the No. 9 Bass Pro Shops/Black Rifle Coffee/TrueTimber Camaro to pit road to fix what they could.
Getting the OK from NASCAR on meeting minimum speed, Gragson set his eyes on battling his way back to the free pass position after losing one lap during the stop. Two additional yellow flags flew before the end of the race, but Gragson was not able to get into position to get the free pass back onto the lead lap each time.
Remaining one lap down, Gragson crossed the finish line for the final time on lap 91 in the 22nd-position.
Noah Gragson, driver No. 9 Bass Pro Shops/Black Rifle Coffee/TrueTimber Camaro SS
“We had a pretty decent car today but the result doesn’t show it this week. We had problems with splitter contact early in the run and had to deal with it the entire first stage. Once we got that figured out, then we started working on getting the car better. We were running up front and thought we had a car capable of staying there, but just got turned around from behind which all but ended our day. We didn’t get out of the pits in time to stay on the lead lap and luck just never fell our way and stayed one lap down. I can’t wait to get to Indy next week and run the road course. I love road course racing and I think it fits my style of driving really well, so I think you’ll see us back in contention next week.”
Daniel Hemric
Daniel Hemric, driver of the No. 8 OnDeck Capital Chevrolet, was fighting for position inside the top three following a lap 52 restart in Sunday afternoon’s NASCAR Xfinity Series event at Pocono Raceway before contact on the exit of Turn 1 with another car triggered a multi-car incident that sent the JR Motorsports Camaro hard into the outside retaining wall. The subsequent damage from the incident left Hemric unable to continue, ending his afternoon shy of the scheduled distance and ultimately resulting in a 28th-place finish.
Stage One Finish: 10th
Hemric took the green flag for the 90-lap event from the eighth position after the starting lineup was once again set via a blind draw earlier in the week. Taking advantage of a flurry of cautions in the opening laps, Hemric methodically climbed the leaderboard before reporting to crew chief Taylor Moyer that the OnDeck Capital Chevrolet was too loose rolling through Pocono’s three distinct corners. Although not handling to his liking, Hemric remained inside the top 10 throughout the caution-riddled opening stage, taking the green-and-white checkered at the end of Stage One on lap 20 in the 10th position and earning one valuable stage point in the process.
Stage Two Finish: 4th
During the stage-ending caution, Moyer called the driver of the OnDeck Capital Chevrolet to pit road for four tires and a chassis adjustment in the hopes of alleviating the loose-handling condition. Returning to the track following the stop in seventh for the lap 26 restart, Hemric wasted little time moving forward, charging into the top five and up to the fourth position by the time the caution-free second stage came to a close on lap 40. With the stage result, the No. 8 team netted a total of eight valuable points across Stages One and Two.
Final Stage:
Prior to the beginning of the final stage of the afternoon, Moyer made the decision to bring Hemric back to pit road for four tires and another round of adjustments after the driver of the OnDeck Capital Chevrolet reported that he needed to still turn a little better through the corners. As a result of the stop, the Kannapolis, N.C. native lined up for the lap 44 restart in the fifth position. Once back underway, Hemric battled hard for position inside the top five until the field was slowed once again on lap 48 for an incident down the front straightaway.
While under caution, the decision was made for Hemric to remain out on the track as the race leaders went with a variety of different pit strategies. The call to stay out moved the JRM driver up to the third position for the lap 52 restart. The 2019 NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year continued to fight for position inside the top three as the field exited Turn 1 when contact between two cars on the outside line knocked the OnDeck Capital Chevrolet sideways and hard into the outside retaining wall. Hemric was unable to get moving again as a result of the damage, ultimately ending his afternoon prematurely.
In the end, Hemric was scored with a 28th-place finish.
Daniel Hemric, driver No. 8 OnDeck Capital Chevrolet team
“Man, that was a bad situation off of Turn 1. We were able to get our OnDeck Capital Chevrolet into a good position there on that last restart and were trying to work with our teammate in the (No.) 9 on the exit of the corner when a couple cars got together on the outside and sent us for a ride. It’s just really unfortunate but I’m proud of all of the effort from everyone at JR Motorsports to continuously build these fast racecars. We’ll be back and have our shots to fight for wins for sure.”