Allgaier Breaks Through for Dover NXS Victory, JRM Places All Four Camaros in Top 10

JR Motorsports | 8/22/2020

Bass Pro Shops Black Rifle Coffee Brandt Dover International Speedway Jeb Burton Justin Allgaier Michael Annett NASCAR National FFA News Noah Gragson Pilot Flying J Race Report State Water Heaters TrueTimber XFINITY Series

Justin Allgaier earned his first NXS victory of the season, leading 120 laps of Saturday's Drydene 200 at Dover International Speedway. It was Allgaier's 12th victory in the series and the 49th for JR Motorsports.

Xfinity Series Points

Race 20 of 33: Drydene 200 at Dover International Speedway
Track Specs: 1-mile oval / 200 laps
Weather: Partly cloudy; 83 degrees 
Race Winner: Justin Allgaier

Allgaier's Finish: 1st

Gragson's Finish: 4th

Burton's Finish: 7th

Annett's Finish: 9th 

 


Justin Allgaier

Justin Allgaier, driver of the No. 7 FFA Chevrolet, powered his way to his first victory of the season in Saturday’s Drydene 200 at Dover International Speedway. He led 120 laps en route to his second NASCAR Xfinity Series win at the Monster Mile. The 34-year-old driver now has 12 career NXS victories to his name, with nine of those coming since he joined JR Motorsports in 2016. Saturday’s dominating win catapulted him to fifth in the series standings and locked him into the 2020 NXS Playoffs.

Stage One Finish: 3rd

Allgaier fired off fifth for the 200-lap race and was running in the same position when the competition caution waved at lap 20. He used the newly-implemented choose cone to restart in the outside line, giving him an advantage that helped him drive up to third in a hurry. Allgaier continued to race in third for the remainder of the first stage, claiming eight stage points at its conclusion at lap 45. Under the stage-ending caution, crew chief Jason Burdett called Allgaier to pit road for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment to fine-tune the No. 7 FFA Camaro’s handling.

Stage Two Finish: 1st

The JRM driver once again chose to line up in the preferred outside lane for the start of Stage Two on lap 52. He battled his way to second and as his car continued to come to him, he reeled in the leader, teammate Noah Gragson, ultimately taking the point position for the first time in the race on lap 76.

Just one lap later, the caution flag waved for an incident on the track. Allgaier reported under the caution that the FFA Chevy lost a little front grip during that run. The team opted not to pit under the caution and Allgaier restarted from the top spot on lap 82. The veteran driver maintained the lead for the remainder of Stage Two, driving to his eighth stage win of the season and earning an extremely valuable playoff point.

Final Stage:

During the stage break, the team called Allgaier in for four tires, fuel and adjustments. A fast stop allowed him to win the battle off pit road, but with some cars staying out, Allgaier lined up fourth for the final stage. The loss of track position didn’t deter him though as he once again found himself in the lead by the end of the first green-flag lap of the final stage. Allgaier radioed to the crew that the FFA Chevrolet fired off incredible as he continued to pace the field.

A long green-flag run ensued, causing the handling to start to fade on the No. 7 Camaro just as an on-track incident brought out the caution on lap 150. Under the yellow flag, the team called Allgaier in for their final pit stop of the day for fresh tires and fuel. Another speedy stop by the pit crew gave Allgaier the top spot for the restart.

The Illinois native once again took command of the race when the green flag waved and made sure to hit his marks in the closing laps. He maintained the lead through one final caution, holding on to the top spot for the final 33-lap run and charging his way to his second victory at the 1-mile oval.

The win was the 49th victory for JR Motorsports and Allgaier’s first of the 2020 season. He’ll look to make it back-to-back victories during Sunday’s second race of the doubleheader weekend for the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

Justin Allgaier, driver No. 7 FFA Chevrolet

“God is great. These last 18 to 24 months have been crazy. I’m just proud of these guys and the no-give-up attitude they have. This team is incredible. To have FFA on the car today and to get them to Victory Lane in their first primary race is really cool. BRANDT Professional Agriculture, a huge shout out to them for making this happen, and to all of our partners at JR Motorsports. What a day and what a racecar. We were off a little bit in the beginning and Jason (Burdett, crew chief) did a great job at getting us where we needed to be at. The pit crew was lights out all day. We’re firing at the right time and I’m ready to do this again tomorrow.”


Noah Gragson

Noah Gragson, driver of the No. 9 Bass Pro Shops/TrueTimber/Black Rifle Coffee Chevrolet, finished fourth in Saturday afternoon’s NASCAR Xfinity Series Drydene 200 at Dover International Speedway. Gragson started the race from the second position after the lineup was set by a mathematical equation set by owner’s points, finishing position and fastest lap from the week prior. Gragson led 27 laps and captured points in both stages en route to his 10th top-five finish of the 2020 season.

Stage One Finish: 2nd

Gragson fired off from the second position after the lineup was set by a mathematical equation earlier in the week for the 200-lap event. The 22-year-old maintained his top-two track position from the drop of the green flag until the scheduled competition caution was displayed on lap 20. Staying out on track during the caution, Gragson restarted from the second position on lap 24 and tried to chase down the leader through lapped traffic before ultimately taking the green-and-white checkered flag in second and captured nine stage points to begin the day.

Stage Two Finish: 4th

The driver of the No. 9 Bass Pro Shops/TrueTimber/Black Rifle Coffee Camaro decided to pit for four tires, fuel and a slight air pressure adjustment to help a tight-handling Camaro following Stage One. Gragson won the race off pit road and restarted Stage Two from the lead. The Bass Pro Shops/TrueTimber/Black Rifle Coffee Camaro led for 27 laps before relinquishing the top spot to JR Motorsports teammate Justin Allgaier as a caution flag slowed the field. With 10 laps remaining in Stage Two, Gragson chose to restart on the inside of the front row, but unfortunately slid back two positions as the outside line prevailed, causing Gragson to take the green-and-white checkered flag on lap 90 in the fourth position. However, the stage-ending result did earn Gragson an additional seven stage points for the event, bringing the race total to 16.

Final Stage:  

Crew chief Dave Elenz called Gragson to pit road during the final stage break for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment to help the front turn through the high banks. Varying strategies saw Gragson restart from the seventh position, but fell to ninth following the green flag. The Las Vegas native pressed forward despite the loss of track position, driving back up to sixth before the caution flag waved once again on lap 150. During this caution period, Elenz opted to bring Gragson back to pit road for the final set of fresh tires, fuel and a trackbar adjustment. Choosing to go with the bottom for the ensuing restart, Gragson quickly jumped to fifth and settled back in to the sixth position over the course of the run that followed.

The last caution flag waved on lap 164 as Gragson had just entered the top five. During the caution, Gragson decided to go to the outside as the field crossed the new choose cone, moving him to the outside of the third row, which proved to be the preferred lane once the race went back to green. Gragson used the outside line to his advantage, racing back into the top five and up to fourth.

The driver of the Bass Pro Shops/TrueTimber/Black Rifle Coffee Chevrolet would maintain his top-five track position throughout the remainder of the day, ultimately taking the checkered flag in fourth and secured his 10th top-five finish of the 2020 season, besting his career-high of nine from 2019.

Noah Gragson, driver No. 9  Bass Pro Shops/TrueTimber/Black Rifle Coffee Camaro SS

“I can’t thank this JR Motorsports team enough for unloading a fast race car and helping me get a finish back inside of the top five. We needed this run today. We were able to lead laps, run within the top five and prove to everyone that we could get back on the path we were on when the season came back in Darlington. We’re going to take what we learned today to adjust the car for tomorrow and hopefully be three positions better at the finish. I’m pumped for my teammate and friend Justin Allgaier to get his first win of the year and hopefully we can keep it within the team again tomorrow.”


Jeb Burton

Jeb Burton, driver of the No. 8 State Water Heaters Chevrolet, methodically worked his way forward throughout Saturday afternoon’s NASCAR Xfinity Series event at Dover International Speedway, improving 20 positions over the course of the day to ultimately earn a seventh-place finish. The top-10 result is the ninth for Burton in just 13 NXS starts for JR Motorsports and keeps the No. 8 team 11th in the owner standings, 15 points ahead of the 12th and final playoff position with six races remaining in the regular season.

Stage One Finish: 12th  

Burton lined up for the 200-lap event from the 27th position after the field was set via a mathematical formula created by NASCAR earlier this week. The new formula is based on the previous week’s finishing position, the team’s fastest lap run in the previous event and where the team is ranked in the owner standings. Despite the starting position, the driver of the State Water Heaters Chevrolet steadily moved forward, improving six positions to 21st by the time the competition caution was displayed on lap 20. Burton’s march up the leaderboard didn’t stop there, as the Halifax, Va. native took advantage of the final 20 laps of the opening stage following the lap-25 restart to improve nine positions and take the green-and-white checkered flag on lap 45 in 12th.

Stage Two Finish: 9th   

During the stage-ending caution, Burton reported to crew chief Taylor Moyer that the State Water Heaters Chevrolet was too free on entry and too tight from the center to the exit of the corner. As a result, Moyer decided to bring Burton to pit road for four tires and a chassis adjustment, sending the JRM driver back out for the beginning of Stage Two in the 11th position. Burton maintained his top-15 track position throughout the green-flag run that followed before racing up to the 10th position just prior to a lap-76 caution period. The driver of the State Water Heaters Chevrolet continued to climb forward once the race got back underway, utilizing the outside line to gain one position in the closing laps of Stage Two to take the green-and-white checkered flag in ninth and earn the No. 8 team two valuable stage points.

Final Stage:

Prior to the beginning of the third and final stage of the day, Moyer again called for Burton to come to pit road for four tires and another round of adjustments after the JRM driver had reported


that the tight-handling condition had gotten worse rolling through the center of the corner. Taking the green flag in 12th on lap 96, Burton again steadily ascended up the leaderboard, rejoining the top 10 on lap 121 and moving up to as high as the eighth position before the caution flag was displayed once again on lap 149. While under this caution period, Moyer made the decision to bring Burton back to pit road for the final set of fresh tires and one last round of adjustments.

Returning to the track for the lap-154 restart in eighth, Burton once again took advantage of the outside line to race into the sixth position. The driver of the State Water Heaters Chevrolet would hold steady there until the field was slowed again by a caution on lap 163. On the ensuing restart, Burton would swap positions for several laps before settling into seventh.

The driver of the State Water Heaters Chevrolet would remain there for the final 32 laps to take the checkered flag in the seventh position.

With the result, Burton has now scored a top-10 finish in nine of his 13 starts in the NXS for JRM and the result keeps the No. 8 in playoff contention, 15 points ahead of the 12th and final position.

Jeb Burton, driver No. 8 State Water Heaters Chevrolet team

“Today was a good, solid day for our State Water Heaters Chevrolet. Taylor (Moyer, crew chief) and all the guys on this JR Motorsports team made some great adjustments all day long that helped us get into position to fight with those guys at the end. Congrats to my teammate Justin (Allgaier) on getting the win, that’s pretty cool and I’m happy for him. I just can’t thank everyone enough for their support. We will build off of today and be ready to get back after it in a couple weeks in Richmond. I’m ready to go.” 


Michael Annett

Michael Annett’s streak of consecutive top-10 finishes may have been broken last week in Daytona, but the Iowa driver wasted no time in starting another one on Saturday at Dover International Speedway. Annett guided his No. 1 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet to a ninth-place finish in the first of two 200-lap NASCAR Xfinity Series events on the Monster Mile. The result kept him solidly in the playoff picture, as he ended the day 193 points above the cut line with six races left in the regular season.

Stage One Finish: 9th    

Starting from eighth position on the grid, Annett stayed there for the first 10 laps to get the feel of his Chevrolet Camaro. Running ninth at the lap-20 competition caution, Annett did not pit, but told crew chief Travis Mack that his car was free on entry and that he needed adjustments for that and to get him off Turns 2 and 4. Over the remaining laps of the 45-lap Stage One, Annett remained in ninth place, earning two stage points. Under caution, Annett further noted that his car was tight in the center of the corners and he needed the nose to work better. Mack called him to pit road for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment in hopes of solving that, sending him back out in 10th-place.

Stage Two Finish: 10th    

As racing resumed, Annett’s handling woes continued as a long green-flag run began. Annett fell to 11thplace at lap 56 and lost another position when JRM teammate Jeb Burton got past 18 laps later. A caution period for a crashing Chase Briscoe allowed Annett to tell Mack that the Pilot Flying J machine was really tight and the nose was sliding on the seams of the track. Mack elected to stay out, and Annett was able to get a couple of positions via the new choose-cone rule that allows drivers to pick their lanes for the restart. On the green flag, Annett jumped to eighth for a lap before settling into ninth. With two laps remaining in Stage Two, Annett lost ninth to Burton and finished 10th, gaining a valuable stage point. On pit road, Mack made another chassis adjustment and an air-pressure tweak to go along with the four tires and fuel, and Annett’s pit crew held serve, sending him back out in 10th position.

Final Stage:

The handling issues persisted on the slippery Dover concrete amid the longest run of the day, with Annett running 12th until lap 123 as the pace began to catch up to the field. Annett took 11th at lap 123 and got past Justin Haley three laps later for 10th. Two laps after that, Annett got past a struggling Brandon Brown, who had not pitted on the stage break, to put him ninth. On lap 150, Annett was still ninth when the caution flag waved for an incident in Turn 4. Inside the pit window for the end, Mack called Annett in for his last set of Goodyear tires, fuel to the finish and a wedge adjustment to help his handle.

Returning to the track in 12th, Annett quickly got past Ryan Sieg for 11th and was moving forward when, on lap 164, Brandon Jones spun off Turn 4. With no tires in the pits, Annett stayed out and took the green flag at lap 168 in 10th place. The next lap, Annett passed Anthony Alfredo for ninth and he would hold that top-10 position to the finish. It was his eighth top-10 finish in the last nine races and 11th of the season to go along with three top-five results.

JRM’s Justin Allgaier won the race, his first of the 2020 season, over Austin Cindric, Ross Chastain, JRM’s Noah Gragson and Harrison Burton. Riley Herbst headed the second five, with JRM’s Jeb Burton, Haley, Annett and Briscoe the remainder of the top 10.

Michael Annett, driver No. 1 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet team

“We struggled all day with keeping the front end turning, but this Pilot Flying J Chevrolet was solid to the end. Travis (crew chief Travis Mack) and the team made some good adjustments when we needed them and we brought it home ninth. We have 200 more laps here tomorrow, and we’ll know what we need when the green flag waves. It’s always good when JR Motorsports is in Victory Lane, so hat’s off to Justin and the No. 7 team.”

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XFINITY Series Schedule

  • March 30 01:30 PM ET
    ToyotaCare 250Richmond Raceway
  • April 6 07:30 PM ET
    NXS Spring Race at MartinsvilleMartinsville Speedway
  • April 13 01:30 PM ET
    Andy’s Frozen Custard 300Texas Motor Speedway
  • April 20 04:00 PM ET
    Ag-Pro 300Talladega Superspeedway
  • April 27 01:30 PM ET
    A-GAME 200Dover International Speedway

XFINITY Series Standings

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Martinsville Speedway | 10/28/2023
Results are not available.