Race Results 

Race 7 of 33: ToyotaCare 250 at Richmond Raceway
Track Specs: .75-mile D-shaped oval / 250 laps                     
Race Winner: Ty Gibbs

Mayer's Finish: 3rd

Berry's Finish: 7th

Allgaier's Finish: 14th

Gragson's Finish: 21st

Sam Mayer

It's hard to top a career-best day, but Sam Mayer did just that in Saturday's ToyotaCare 250 at Richmond Raceway, capping his third-place finish – the highest for JR Motorsports - with a $100,000 payday by winning Xfinity's Dash 4 Cash bonus. Mayer, wheeling the No. 1 Accelerate Professional Talent Solutions Chevrolet, outdueled fellow competitors AJ Allmendinger, teammate Noah Gragson and Austin Hill to claim the payout. Mayer and the No. 1 team continued JRM's dominance in the program, giving the organization its 18^th Dash 4 Cash bonus and its fifth consecutive. By way of the win, Mayer will be eligible to compete in round two of Dash 4 Cash next weekend at Martinsville Speedway.

Race Rundown

• Mayer took the green flag in 11^th and immediately found his way inside the top 10. His focus was on managing his equipment and tire wear at the notoriously abrasive Virginia short track, and he settled into ninth while clicking off steady lap times.
• The Wisconsin native rounded out Stage One in 10^th, commenting he was "super tight rolling [the center of the corner]."
• Following the No. 1 team's first pit stop, Mayer took the Stage Two restart in 11^th. With coaching from crew chief Taylor Moyer and spotter Brandon McReynolds, Mayer set out to limit his tire wear to that of his competitors. His initial pace found him maintaining, but toward the end of the second stage, Mayer had kept enough rubber to slide forward four positions and take the stage-ending caution in seventh.
• Commenting he "needed more right-front turn," Mayer ducked onto pit road for the second time for tires, fuel and an adjustment to help loosen up the No. 1 machine.
• Emerging in seventh for the final stage, Mayer faded to 10^th as the run began, again biding time and pacing himself for tire conservation with consistent reminders from the spotter's stand.
• With around 30 laps remaining, the team turned Mayer loose. While many of his peers had used up their tires early on, Mayer cruised on by. He climbed to fourth with 20 laps remaining and then stole the third spot away from Allmendinger, sailing to the checkered with a third-place finish and the Dash 4 Cash bonus check.
• Mayer and the No. 1 team also improved three positions to sixth in the championship standings.

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

"By the end of it, our Accelerate Professional Talent Solutions Camaro was so fast. I was able to keep the tires on it through the last run and still have a little left at the end. The team did a great job and the car was really good, and we had a lot of speed. It's a fantastic feel-good moment for us. My best career finish and 100 grand to go with it, unbelievable! It's an amazing feeling! This No. 1 team definitely deserves it."

Josh Berry

Josh Berry, driver of the No. 8 Tire Pros Chevrolet, overcame a speeding penalty at the conclusion of Stage Two during Saturday afternoon's NASCAR Xfinity Series event at Richmond Raceway to finish in the seventh position. Berry, who raced as high as third in Stage Two, earned his fourth top-10 finish of the 2022 season with the result.

Race Rundown

• Berry and the No. 8 Tire Pros team started from the 12^th position for the 250-lap event after Saturday morning's qualifying session.
• The driver of the No. 8 Camaro raced inside of the top 10 on lap 23 and up to fourth by lap 61. Berry continued his climb from there, driving into the third position before crossing under the green-and-white checkered flag on lap 75 to earn eight stage points.
• Starting Stage Two from the fourth position, Berry remained there until the caution waved on lap 88. Restarting from the bottom of row three, Berry drove into the third position on lap 109 and remained there until the green-and-white checkered flag waved on lap 150 to earn an additional eight stage points to bring his total to 16 on the afternoon.
• Fighting a tight-handling Camaro during Stage Two, Berry brought the Tire Pros Chevrolet to pit road for four tires, fuel and a trackbar adjustment. During the stop, the No. 8 was posted by NASCAR as they caught the Hendersonville, Tenn. native speeding entering his pit stall.
• Restarting from the tail end of the longest line, Berry drove back inside the top 10 on lap 211 and up to seventh before crossing under the checkered flag on lap 250 to earn his fourth top-10 finish of the 2022 season.

Josh Berry, driver No. 8 Tire Pros Chevrolet team

"This Tire Pros No. 8 was a rocket today. We definitely had a car capable of winning but after our speeding penalty, we couldn't make the ground back up, especially without any yellows to bunch the field back together. We will go to Martinsville next week with our heads high knowing that we had a bunch of speed this weekend and knowing that we have a great chance for another good run."

Justin Allgaier

Justin Allgaier, driver of the No. 7 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet, scored stage points at the end of Stage Two and battled inside the top 10 for much of the final stage before earning a 14^th-place finish in the NASCAR Xfinity Series event at Richmond Raceway on Saturday afternoon. With the result, Allgaier has now placed 14^th or better in five of the opening seven events of the season and currently ranks fifth in the championship standings.

Race Rundown

• Allgaier took the green flag for the 250-lap event from the 14^th position following Saturday morning's qualifying session. 
• Throughout the caution-free opening stage, Allgaier reported to crew chief Jason Burdett that the BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet was struggling to find grip around the .750-mile short track. Despite not handling to his liking, the JR Motorsports driver remained inside the top 15 throughout the stage, taking the green-and-white checkered in 14^th on lap 75.
• Pitting for four tires and a chassis adjustment following the stage, Allgaier returned to the track for the start of Stage Two in 15^th and immediately charged into the top 10 before a lap-88 debris caution.
• Restarting 10^th on lap 95, the Illinois native battled inside the top 10 for the remainder of the second stage, working his way up to as high as sixth before taking the green-and-white checkered flag in eighth on lap 150. The stage-ending result netted Allgaier three stage points on the afternoon.
• Prior to the start of the third and final stage of the day, Allgaier returned to pit road for four tires and another chassis adjustment. A strong stop by the BRANDT pit crew sent Allgaier back out for the lap-160 restart in the fifth position.
• Allgaier remained inside the top five for the 60 laps that followed, but as the long green-flag run progressed, the handling of the BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet began to shift toward the loose side on the entry and exit of the corner.
• The loose-handling condition worsened as the green-flag run continued, shuffling Allgaier back outside of the top 10 in the closing laps.
• In the end, Allgaier was scored with a 14^th-place finish.

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

"We made some really good changes throughout the course of the day with our BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet, but we just needed some short runs at the end. Unfortunately, that didn't work out in our favor today but I can't thank Jason (Burdett, crew chief) and all the guys on this JR Motorsports team enough. This team never gives up and we will be ready to go next Friday under the lights in Martinsville."

Noah Gragson

Noah Gragson and the No. 9 Bass Pro Shops/TrueTimber® Camo/Black Rifle Coffee Chevrolet team had high hopes of victory and the $100,000 Xfinity Dash 4 Cash bonus on Saturday at Richmond Raceway, but a brake issue in Stage One derailed their hopes. Despite the issue, Gragson, crew chief Luke Lambert and the rest of the No. 9 team kept working and emerged with a 21^st-place finish in the ToyotaCare 250 for NASCAR Xfinity Series cars.

Race Rundown

• In qualifying, Gragson posted the third-fastest time and lined up for the start on the inside of the second row for the start and maintained that position through the first 17 laps.
• Passing polesitter Ty Gibbs on lap 18 for second, Gragson set about running down leader John Hunter Nemechek over the next 15 laps. Gragson was right on the rear deck of the leader's car when he called to Lambert that something was amiss in his brakes.
• Despite the fact that he had fading brakes, Gragson maintained his runner-up position until lap 45. Staying in command, Gragson kept working and used the remaining laps in the 75-lap Stage One to catch back up, passing AJ Allmendinger for second on lap 73 and holding it to the green-and-white checkered flag. The result added nine vital stage points to his total for the day.
• Getting to pit road as soon as possible after the stage ended, Gragson incurred a penalty for pitting too soon, but it was necessary to let Lambert and the pit crew assess the damage. Diagnosing the problem, Lambert got Gragson back out, only to pit the next three times around to continue the work. After coming in a fifth time, Gragson was able to take four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment to help his handling.
• Coming back to green-flag racing at the start of Stage Two, Gragson was the last car on the lead lap in 23^rd position. Five laps into the 75-lap Stage Two, a caution waved for debris, which allowed Gragson to pit again for the team to have another chance at repairs. He emerged still 23^rd and still on the lead lap.
• When the race went green again, Gragson was on the move, jumping from 23^rd to 22^nd in just three laps. Four laps later, the Nevada native was back in the top 20, rising as high as 18^th before the brake issues began to slow his ascent up the order.
• Gragson fought hard, but finally went a lap down to the leader five laps from the end of Stage Two. However, he was in position to receive the free pass. Once he was able to pit, Gragson came down for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment to help with his handling. Returning to pit road twice more, Lambert and his crew worked on making the brakes last the rest of the way.
• Over the remaining laps, Gragson maintained position in 22^nd until lap 228, when he made a pass to put him 21^st at the finish.
• The finish cost Gragson one spot in the NASCAR Xfinity Series point standings, falling into third just 20 points behind the leader after seven races.

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

"We had a really good Bass Pro Shops/TrueTimber/Black Rifle Coffee Chevrolet today and were ready to go get the Dash 4 Cash bonus, but we had a brake problem in Stage One. Luke (crew chief Luke Lambert) and the rest of the team worked hard to get it fixed, but I wasn't able to use them most of the day. We fought hard and managed the damage, and we'll go on to another great track for us at Martinsville next week."