JRM Scores Trio of Top 10s at Circuit of the Americas

JR Motorsports | 3/27/2022

Accelerate Professional Talent Solutions Bass Pro Shops Black Rifle Coffee Brandt Circuit of the Americas Josh Berry Justin Allgaier Miguel Paludo News Noah Gragson PubG Mobile Race Report Sam Mayer TrueTimber

Noah Gragson and Sam Mayer paced JRM on Saturday, finishing fourth and fifth, respectively. Miguel Paludo, meanwhile, came home ninth in his season debut.

Race Results 

Race 6 of 33: Pit Boss 250 at Circuit of the Americas
Track Specs: 3.41-mile road course / 46 laps                     
Race Winner: AJ Allmendinger

Gragson's Finish: 4th

Mayer's Finish: 5th

Paludo's Finish: 9th

Berry's Finish: 27th

Allgaier's Finish: 33rd

 


Noah Gragson

On a very hot day, Noah Gragson fought through an early incident and a very competitive NASCAR Xfinity Series field at Circuit of the Americas to post a fourth-place finish in Saturday's Pit Boss 250. The result earned the 23-year-old a spot in the opening round of the Xfinity Dash 4 Cash next week at Richmond Raceway and saw the driver of the Bass Pro Shops/TrueTimber Camo/Black Rifle Coffee Chevrolet to maintain his lead in the series point standings after six races.

Race Rundown

  • In qualifying on Friday, Gragson posted the 12th-fastest time and lined up for the start on the outside of row six. Diving left up the hill toward Turn 1, Gragson was able to gain four positions to eighth.
  • Tight racing around the twisty 3.41-mile road course saw Gragson fall to 10th on the third lap after contact in the infield section. The contact damaged the right front fender and led to a brief tire rub, which concerned both Gragson and crew chief Luke Lambert.
  • Halfway through the 14-lap Stage One, Gragson reported that his Bass Pro Shops/TrueTimber/Black Rifle Coffee Chevrolet was loose, but he needed just two more laps to work back to eighth by passing Daniel Hemric.
  • At lap 11, Gragson headed down pit lane for his first stop, taking four tires and fuel before returning to the course in 28th position. He would finish Stage One in 27th position but in good shape for the remaining stages. At the end of the stage, Gragson told Lambert his Chevrolet was loose in all the right-hand corners.
  • As Stage Two got under way, Gragson made another nice move on the restart and made his way back into the top five at lap 19. Gragson ran sixth until lap 26, when he reported a possible engine problem. Lambert called him down pit road for four fresh tires and fuel, one lap ahead of several other cars who were short-pitting the Stage Two break.
  • Gragson returned to the track and moved up five positions as other cars headed to pit road. That put him 10th at the green-and-white checkered flag and added another point to his total for the day.
  • On the restart for the final segment, Gragson lined up third and stayed there through a caution for debris. He remained in the top five the rest of the way and eventually finished fourth.
  • After six races, Gragson remains the series point leader by one point over race winner AJ Allmendinger.

Noah Gragson, driver No. 9 Bass Pro Shops/TrueTimber/Black Rifle Coffee Company Chevrolet team

"We just kept working hard and staying at it. This Bass Pro Shops team, Luke Lambert and the rest of the guys, they never quit on me and kept believing in me. We fought hard and I put in a lot of hard work over the winter to get ready for this. Our goal was to finish in the top four and qualify for the Dash 4 Cash next week at Richmond and that's what we did."


Sam Mayer

Sam Mayer capitalized in all three stages of Saturday's Pit Boss 250 at Circuit of the Americas which netted a Stage Two victory and a fifth-place finish for the No. 1 Accelerate Professional Talent Solutions team. The effort was Mayer's best of the 2022 season and advanced the driver four positions to ninth in the championship standings. As the fourth-highest finishing Xfinity Series regular, Mayer is also one of four drivers competing in next weekend's Dash 4 Cash payout at Richmond Raceway.

Race Rundown

  • Taking the green flag in 10th, Mayer gave up several positions early on as the field stretched out and he found his rhythm around the massive 3.4-mile facility. By lap five, he had climbed back to 11th with his eyes on a top-10 position.
  • Mayer's focus early on was avoiding wheel spin and getting all he could out of the track's two low-speed corners. Toward the end of Stage One, Mayer was getting faster with each lap.
  • The No. 1 team strategically pitted under green-flag conditions just prior to the conclusion of Stage One. With other competitors electing to stay out, Mayer concluded Stage One in 23rd.
  • The Accelerate Professional Talent Solutions Chevy cycled back toward the front for the beginning of Stage Two, and Mayer wasted little time finding the front of the field. Watching several competitors stack up into Turn 1, Mayer took full advantage and powered his way into the runner-up spot on the first lap of the second stage.
  • Mayer fell back to fifth several laps later, but maintained pace with the leaders by clicking off some very strong lap times.
  • When the leaders came to pit road toward the end of Stage Two, the No. 1 team was in position to take the lead. Mayer moved to the point and led the final three laps of the stage to earn the first stage win of his career.
  • Mayer came to the attention of the crew for the final time under the stage-ending caution and lined up for the ensuing restart in 29th.
  • The Accelerate Professional Talent Solutions had their work cut out for them. But with a mindset of keeping his nose clean and staying out of trouble, Mayer went to work. He climbed to 16th by lap 36 and pressed on to ninth with only six laps remaining in the race. He went on to secure four more positions before the checkered flag fell, scoring his first top five and second top 10 of the 2022 season.

Sam Mayer, driver No. 1 Accelerate Professional Talent Solutions Chevrolet team

"Man, those last few laps there was some really hard racing going on. It took a few seconds just to catch my breath after taking the checkered flag. But huge thanks to Taylor (Moyer) and everyone on our Accelerate Professional Talent Solutions team. We raced hard today and it was a lot of fun out there. It's a great feeling to keep ourselves out of trouble, execute our strategy and to come out of here with a solid finish. I appreciate all these guys and their efforts today." 


Miguel Paludo

Miguel Paludo drove the No. 88 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet to a ninth-place finish on Saturday at Circuit of the Americas, overcoming a spin in the early going with solid performance and strategy. The finish was the Brazilian driver's second top-10 in six career NASCAR Xfinity Series starts, following a seventh-place effort last season at the Daytona International Speedway road course, and his second top-10 for primary sponsor BRANDT Professional Agriculture.

Race Rundown

  • Paludo qualified his No. 88 Chevrolet 17th for the 46-lap race around the sweeping COTA layout. In the first lap of green-flag racing, Paludo spun after contact and dropped all the way to 38th the first time across the line.
  • Gathering up his BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet, Paludo climbed six spots over the next three circuits and got back into the top 30 by the time lap eight was in the books. He was 24th at lap 11, when several cars ahead began short-pitting the end of Stage One.
  • Telling crew chief Jason Stockert that the balance of his Camaro was good, Paludo climbed all the way back to 21st at the end of the 14-lap Stage One. On the ensuing pit stop, Paludo took four tires and fuel for Stage Two.
  • In Stage Two, Paludo again moved steadily forward, reaching the top 20 in just five laps. As the laps wound down, Paludo started to feel a loose condition developing in his BRANDT Camaro, and he came to pit road for tires and fuel a couple of laps before the end at lap 30. He finished 19th.
  • At the beginning of the final stage, Paludo fired off from 10th position and was running 13th when the caution flag waved with 13 laps remaining in the event. On the radio, Paludo told Stockert that he was struggling with what course to take on restarts, as he kept getting caught in the middle.
  • With nine laps remaining in the 46-lap event, Paludo was running 12th when the caution waved yet again. On the radio, Paludo reported he was losing some grip and had a small vibration, but did not want to pit and lose track position.
  • On the ensuing restart, a logjam occurred at the top of the hill in Turn 1, but Paludo managed to miss most of it and settled into 14th for the run to the checkered flag. Moving up to 12th, the Brazilian driver crested the top 10 with two laps remaining and improved one more spot to ninth at the checkered flag.
  • Paludo's finish gave JR Motorsports three cars in the top 10, along with teammates Noah Gragson and Sam Mayer.

Miguel Paludo, driver No. 88 BRANDT Professional Agrilcuture Chevrolet team

"I can't thank BRANDT Professional Agriculture and JR Motorsports enough for this opportunity. Jason (Stockert, crew chief) did a great job giving me a great car today and I am happy that we were able to come away with a top-10 finish, especially in front of all of the guests we had here today from Brazil. Hopefully we can build off of this and have another solid run later this year at Road America. I can't wait to be back."


Josh Berry

Josh Berry, driver of the No. 8 PUBG MOBILE Chevrolet, overcame an early multi-car incident on lap 1 that forced the JR Motorsports driver to make an unscheduled pit stop to repair front end damage during Saturday afternoon's Pit Boss 250 to finish in the 27th position. Berry, who raced as high as fourth in Stage Two, earned seven critical stage points on the day.

Race Rundown

  • Berry and the No. 8 PUBG MOBILE team started from the 25th position for the 46-lap event after Friday evenings qualifying session.
  • The No. 8 Camaro was involved in a multi-car incident on Lap 1 that forced Berry to make an unscheduled pit stop. Berry ended Stage One in the 37th position.
  • Starting Stage Two from the rear after pitting for four tires, fuel and to repair damage, Berry was able to race his way into the fourth position to earn seven important stage points.
  • Making major changes during the final stage break, Berry restarted the third and final stage from 25th and was involved in an incident just after the green flag waved, forcing the No. 8 back to pit road to put on four fresh tires.
  • The yellow flag flew with 10 laps remaining and gave Berry one last opportunity to make up the lost ground from early in the race, but with five laps remaining Berry was knocked sideways and rejoined the race in the 35th position.
  • Undaunted by the incident, Berry focused forward for the remaining four laps and raced back up to 27th before the checkered flag flew on lap 46.

Josh Berry, driver No. 8 PUBG MOBILE Chevrolet team

"We got put behind the 8-ball early on with the incident on the first lap and having to pit to fix the damage but this PUBG MOBILE team never gave up and had this Camaro handling just where we needed it. We were making good ground at the end until we had some more issues with five to go. We will head to Richmond next week and hopefully have this No. 8 back contending for a win."


Justin Allgaier

Justin Allgaier, driver of the No. 7 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet, earned stage points at the conclusion of both Stage One and Two and led for one lap during Saturday afternoon's NASCAR Xfinity Series event at the Circuit of the Americas. However, Allgaier's promising run came to a close during the final stage as transmission woes shuffled the JR Motorsports driver down the running order. Utilizing a never-give-up attitude over the closing laps, Allgaier soldiered on to take the checkered flag in the 33rd position. 

Race Rundown

  • Allgaier lined up for the 46-lap event from the ninth position after advancing to the second round of qualifying on Friday evening.
  • Moving up to seventh after the first lap, the driver of the BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet looked poised to continue his climb up the leaderboard, but contact with another car knocked Allgaier sideways, shuffling the Illinois native back to 15th.
  • Undeterred by the loss of track position, Allgaier pressed forward over the closing laps of the stage, racing back into the top 10 on lap 11 before taking the green-and-white checkered flag to end Stage One in fifth on lap 14. The stage-ending result earned Allgaier six points to begin the afternoon.
  • Pitting for four tires and an air pressure adjustment prior to Stage Two, Allgaier returned to the track in 13th for the lap-17 restart as a variety of pit strategies occurred at the conclusion of Stage One.
  • Once back underway the driver of the BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet maintained his position inside the top 15, despite reporting to crew chief Jason Burdett that he was starting to have issues with the transmission.
  • Allgaier remained on track throughout the caution-free second stage, opting for as many stage points as possible. As a result, the JRM driver was able to rejoin the top-10 before ultimately making his way to the third position by the time the green-and-white checkered flag was shown to end Stage Two on lap 30. Allgaier's third-place stage-end netted the No. 7 team an additional eight points on the day.
  • Prior to the beginning of the third and final stage, Allgaier returned to pit road for four fresh tires and fuel, but reported that the transmission was starting to get worse, hindering the veteran driver's ability to maintain race pace among the front runners.
  • Even with the issues, Allgaier fought hard for position while under green, before a flurry of cautions further intensified the problems with the BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet, forcing the JRM driver to slide down the running order.
  • In the end, Allgaier took the checkered flag in the 33rd position.

Justin Allgaier, driver No. 7 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet team

"We had a really fast BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet today and I can't thank Jason (Burdett, crew chief) and all the guys on this JR Motorsports team enough. It's really unfortunate that we ran into some issues there that didn't let us race it out at the finish, but this is a tough, resilient team and I know that we will be ready to go and get after it next week in Richmond. I can't wait to get there."

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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

After Dead On Tools 250

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