JRM Picks Up Trio of Top 10s at Michigan International Speedway

JR Motorsports | 8/6/2022

Bass Pro Shops Black Rifle Coffee Brandt BUSDX Harrison's Josh Berry Justin Allgaier Michigan News Noah Gragson Race Report Sam Mayer TrueTimber

Noah Gragson and Justin Allgaier finished second and third at Michigan after Gragson won the first two stages.

Race Results 

Race 21 of 33: New Holland 250 at Michigan International Speedway
Track Specs: 2-mile D-shaped oval / 125 laps                     
Race Winner: Ty Gibbs

Allgaier's Finish: 2nd

Gragson's Finish: 3rd

Berry's Finish: 6th

Mayer's Finish: 33rd

 


Justin Allgaier

Justin Allgaier, driver of the No. 7 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet, scored a strong second-place finish in Saturday afternoon's NASCAR Xfinity Series event at Michigan International Speedway. Allgaier, who led 17 laps on the day, has now finished inside the top three in three of the last four races, dating back to his win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in July. Additionally, today's result marks the 11th time in the last 12 races that the JR Motorsports driver has placed seventh or better and kept Allgaier second in the NXS Playoff Grid, just 19 points off of the championship lead.

Race Rundown

  • Allgaier lined up for the 125-lap event from the third position after a solid qualifying effort on Saturday morning.
  • From the drop of the green flag, the driver of the BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet held steady inside the top five, taking advantage of the caution-free opening stage to race up to the second position and remain there until the green-and-white checkered flag was displayed on lap 30. With the strong stage result, Allgaier earned nine points to begin the afternoon.
  • While under the stage-ending caution, crew chief Jason Burdett called the Illinois native to pit road for four fresh tires and fuel, sending Allgaier back out for the start of Stage Two in the third position on lap 36.
  • Allgaier wasted little time charging forward following the restart, as the driver of the BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet powered into the race lead by virtue of a three-wide move entering Turn 1 on lap 37. Once out front, Allgaier set sail, leading the 17 laps that followed before a lap-52 caution period gave Burdett an opportunity to play with some strategy. With this caution falling so close to the end of the stage, Burdett made the call to bring Allgaier to pit road for four fresh tires and fuel, with the goal being to then stay out following Stage Two.
  • As a result of the stop, Allgaier returned to the track for the two-lap dash to end Stage Two in the 21st position as a wide variety of strategies played out among the front runners. Undeterred by the loss of track position, Allgaier improved eight positions over the final two laps to take the green-and-white checkered flag in 13th on lap 60.
  • Then, prior to the beginning of the third and final stage, Allgaier opted to remain on the track, advancing back up to the fourth position after those that stayed out before the end of Stage Two came to pit road.
  • Once back underway, Allgaier again climbed forward, racing back up to the second position on lap 74 and remaining there until Burdett called the JRM driver to pit road during the lone round of green flag pit stops on lap 100 for four fresh tires and fuel.
  • Allgaier cycled back out in the second position when the green flag pit stops concluded on lap 110 and set his sights on making up ground on race leader Ty Gibbs.
  • In the closing laps, Allgaier did all he could to close in on Gibbs, cutting the lead down to less than one second before ultimately running out of time, taking the checkered flag in the second position.
  • With the runner-up result, Allgaier remains second in the NXS Playoff Grid with five races remaining in the regular season.

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

"It was a solid day today for our BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet. Jason (Burdett, crew chief) and everyone on this JR Motorsports team did a great job and it feels good to come away from here with another strong result. Hopefully we can keep this momentum going once we come back from the off week and have another strong day in Watkins Glen."


Noah Gragson

Noah Gragson won the pole, led 39 laps, swept both stages and challenged for the victory near the end of Saturday's New Holland 250 at Michigan International Speedway, ending up with a third-place finish in the No. 9 Bass Pro Shops/TrueTimber/Black Rifle Coffee Chevrolet. The result gives the 24-year-old driver his 11th top-five and 15th top-10 finish of the season, and by sweeping the stages, he remained second in the playoff standings with just five races remaining until they begin. In the driver points, Gragson sits fourth, 87 off the leader.

Race Rundown

  • Gragson qualified the No. 9 Bass Pro Shops/TrueTimber/Black Rifle Coffee Chevrolet on the pole for the 125-lap race around the two-mile oval. It was the third time this season Gragson started from the top spot, and is his best starting position at MIS in three starts.
  • On the initial green flag, Gragson surged into the lead and held it until the end of the 30-lap Stage One. Telling crew chief Luke Lambert that he was free to start and building tighter as the run went on, Gragson handled lapped traffic near the end of the run to gain another 10 stage points and the playoff point that goes with it.
  • On the ensuing pit stop, Gragson took the No. 9 Bass Pro Shops/TrueTimber/Black Rifle Coffee Camaro to pit road for four tires, fuel and a slight chassis adjustment. The No. 9 pit crew held the top spot for their driver with a blazing stop, and Gragson would lead the field to green to start Stage Two.
  • On the restart to begin Stage Two, Gragson chose the bottom lane and did not get a push from behind when the green flag waved. He lost the top spot, falling to fifth in the initial lap. Riding in the top five, Gragson worked hard to dodge the dirty air and maintain his position. A caution flag at lap 54, six laps short of the stage end, gave the young driver a chance.
  • Several of the cars ahead of him elected to pit at that point, moving Gragson up to second for the restart with two laps remaining. On the restart, Gragson stayed close to leader AJ Allmendinger, and off Turn 4, Gragson was able to use the inside lane to earn the stage victory at the line. That added 10 more stage points and another playoff point to his total for the day.
  • Coming to pit road, Gragson took four more tires and fuel with no adjustments, returning to the track in 15th position. Once again, the No. 9 pit crew got their driver back on the track first among the cars who elected to pit.
  • The final segment, set for 65 laps, began with Gragson continuing to move forward. He gained a position on the initial lap of green-flag racing, and two laps later the Bass Pro Shops/TrueTimber/Black Rifle Coffee Chevrolet was back in the top 10. Gragson continued to pick off positions, running eighth at lap 72 and taking seventh five laps later.
  • Showing the speed that had put him on the pole, Gragson kept his momentum and swept into the top five at lap 88 and took fourth seven circuits later. At lap 101, Lambert called Gragson in for his green-flag pit stop, putting on four fresh tires, adding fuel and making a slight chassis adjustment to help a loose/tight condition in the sweeping corners at MIS.
  • When the green-flag pit cycle shook out, Gragson found himself in third position at lap 110, with just 15 laps to make it back to the front. Over that distance, Gragson gained more than a second on the leaders, but could not advance farther up the order, and he finished third at the end of 125 laps.

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

"I felt like we had a good enough Bass Pro Shops/TrueTimber/Black Rifle Coffee Chevrolet to get back to the front, but we struggled on the short run. We were really good, won the first stage and then kind of got shuffled back in the second stage. We decided to stay out to win the second stage. After we pitted, those other guys came back on the tires they had. I felt like we were good enough to win, and we could have been sitting in Victory Lane. The stage and playoff points were valuable and we'll use them to our advantage."


Josh Berry

Josh Berry, driver of the No. 8 Harrison's USA Chevrolet, overcame early contact with the wall and two pit stops to repair damage to finish sixth in Saturday afternoon's NASCAR Xfinity Series event at Michigan International Speedway. Restarting from the rear to begin the third and final stage, Berry raced his way into the top 10 and into sixth when the checkered flag flew on lap 125 to earn his 12th top-10 finish of the 2022 season.

Race Rundown

  • Berry and the No. 8 Harrison's USA Chevrolet qualified in the sixth position during Saturday morning's qualifying session. Making slight contact with the wall on lap 4, Berry fell to the 12th position early.
  • Battling back from the contact, Berry raced into the top 10 on lap 22 and remained there until the green-and-white checkered flag was displayed on lap 30 to earn one stage point to begin the afternoon.
  • Pitting for four tires, fuel, a chassis adjustment and to repair damage from early on, Berry restarted from the 19th position and raced into 16th before the first caution waved on lap 40. Restarting from the inside of row seven, Berry moved into 11th before the next yellow slowed the field on lap 52.
  • Remaining on track during the caution, Berry restarted from the inside of row two for the two-lap dash to the end of Stage Two. Remaining in the third position for the last two laps, Berry earned an additional eight stage points to bring his total to nine on the day.
  • Pitting for four tires, fuel and to repair the remaining damage from Stage One, Berry restarted from the rear of the field after a long stop and a penalty for speeding on pit road.
  • Using the caution-free final stage, Berry raced into the lead during green flag pit stops before ultimately giving up the position one lap later as he brought the Harrison's USA Chevrolet to pit road for four tires and fuel.
  • Cycling out to the eighth position, Berry utilized fresher tires to advanced two additional positions before the checkered flag flew to earn his 12th top-10 finish of the season.

Josh Berry, driver No. 8 Harrison's USA Chevrolet team

"We had a really good Harrison's USA Chevrolet today but we started the day just a little too loose and the contact with the wall set us back early on. From there it was just an uphill battle and we were able to salvage a sixth-place finish. I can't thank this entire team enough for getting this car back to where I was able to make some moves."


Sam Mayer

Sam Mayer overcame starting deep in the field for Saturday's New Holland 250 for NASCAR Xfinity Series machines at Michigan International Speedway, advancing his No. 1 BUSDX Chevrolet into the top five in the final segment, but damage sustained early in the final stage derailed his run. The damage required a green-flag pit stop that put him a lap down, and the young driver finished 33rd, two laps down to the leaders. Despite the finish, Mayer remains solidly in the playoff picture with five races remaining in the regular season, sitting in ninth place, 131 points above the cut line.

Race Rundown

  • In qualifying, Mayer slotted into 26th position for the start of the 125-lap event on the big 2-mile oval, but wasted little time moving toward the front. The 19-year-old gained seven positions on the initial lap, despite telling crew chief Taylor Moyer that his No. 1 Camaro was very loose.
  • Mayer settled in, cracking the top 15 at lap 17. As handling tends to tighten up on longer runs, Mayer kept moving up, getting to 13th at lap 23. Telling Moyer that his front tires were starting to fade and that he was concerned for his rear security, Mayer held position and finished 13th in the 30-lap Stage One.
  • Before coming down pit road for the first stop of the day, Mayer reported he had developed a significant vibration. Moyer responded with four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment to help his drive. The No. 1 BUSDX pit crew gained four positions on the stop, sending Mayer back out in ninth position.
  • Restarting from the ninth position, on the bottom lane, Mayer fell to 12th on the first lap of green-flag racing in Stage Two. He had earned one spot back on the next lap when the caution waved for an incident in Turn 2. Mayer reported that the balance on his BUSDX Chevrolet was much better.
  • On the restart, Mayer jumped four positions to seventh and settled in until another caution waved at lap 54. Deciding to pit with most of the rest of lead pack, Mayer came to pit road for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment to help his rear security on entry and a tight condition in traffic. Several cars stayed out, and Mayer came back out in 22nd for the short run to the green-and-white checkered flag to end Stage Two, picking up five positions to finish 17th.
  • Staying out over the stage break, Mayer advanced up the order to restart from the sixth position, and immediately showed speed by picking up two spots to fourth on the initial lap. The top five broke away from the pack in the next several laps, and Mayer ran fifth for much of that time.
  • On lap 70, Mayer was negotiating traffic and ran up on a couple of cars battling for position. Contact on the left front of his BUSDX Camaro knocked in the fender and caused a plume of white smoke to billow from the wheel well. Two laps later, Mayer came down pit road for repairs to the bodywork, losing a lap in the process. He would return in 35th position.
  • Once back at speed, Mayer began the race to become the first car one lap down, putting himself in position to regain the lead lap. Running 34th, Mayer kept up the chase, but was unable to accomplish it before the leaders caught up at lap 91 and put him another lap in arrears.
  • The leaders came to pit road for their final stops around lap 100, and that allowed Mayer to make up one of his laps and rise to 23rd in the order. Soon after that, Moyer told his driver to begin saving fuel for the end.
  • At lap 115, with fuel reserves dwindling, Mayer came to pit road for a splash to cover the remaining distance. That put him 33rd in the order and he would finish there 10 laps later.

Sam Mayer, driver No. 1 BUSDX Chevrolet team

"This is not the finish this No. 1 BUSDX team was looking for here at Michigan today. Michigan is a track where you need to have good entry and good drive off the corners, and we struggled with that at times. Then, we had the contact and that didn't help either. Big thanks to BUSDX for coming onboard today, and we will learn from this and move on to Watkins Glen in two weeks, hopefully with better results."

Articles

image

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.