Race 11 of 33: Crown Royal Purple Bag Project 200 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway
Track Specs: 1.366-mile oval / 147 laps
Race Winner: Justin Allgaier
Mayer’s finish: 4^th
Jones' finish: 10^th 
Kvapil’s finish: 19^th
Smith's finish: 34^th   

Justin Allgaier

Justin Allgaier scored a dominating victory on Saturday afternoon at Darlington Raceway, sweeping both Stage One and Two and leading 119 laps en route to the 24^th victory of his NASCAR Xfinity Series career. With today’s win, Allgaier is now tied with JR Motorsports team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Tommy Houston for 10^th on the NXS all-time wins list. Additionally, Allgaier’s victory now places the veteran driver as the all-time leader in top-10 finishes in the NXS with 267. This afternoon’s triumph also locks Allgaier into the NXS Playoffs for the ninth consecutive season and marks the eight consecutive year that the Illinois native has earned at least one win in a season.

“What an unbelievable BRANDT Professional Agriculture Heritage Chevrolet that we had today. Jim (Pohlman, crew chief) gave me a great car that just took off once we got our front. I can’t say enough about all these guys and JR Motorsports as a whole. This is a really special victory and it’s pretty unbelievable to know that we’re now tied with bossman in wins. It’s a pretty surreal feeling and something that means the world to me.:

Sam Mayer

Sam Mayer, driver of the No. 1 RTIC Outdoors Chevrolet, held on strong in the top five all day long after a  rain-out for NASCAR Xfinity Series practice and qualifying set him in sixth position for Saturday’s event at Darlington Raceway, where he earned a solid fourth-place finish. The young driver battled both tight- and loose-handling conditions throughout Stages One and Two as the cloud cover changed. At the scheduled competition caution at lap 20, crew chief Mardy Lindley called the No. 1 Chevrolet down pit road for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment that saw Mayer earn a third-place finish at the end of Stage One. In Stage Two, Mayer ran fourth for the entire distance and finished there to earn valuable bonus points. Prior to the final stage, Mayer pitted for four tires, fuel and a slight chassis adjustment. A caution with 18 laps to go allowed Mayer to line up on the front row next to teammate Justin Allgaier, but Mayer fell back on the restart and ended his day fourth at the checkered flag.

“We had a super solid RTIC Outdoors Chevrolet today and we came up just a few spots shy, but I am happy to see a teammate get into Victory Lane. I am so proud of this team and all we have accomplished these last couple of races. We have so much to build on and we will be ready to roll in Charlotte.”

Brandon Jones

After inclement weather cancelled NASCAR Xfinity Series activities on Friday at “The Lady in Black,” starting positions for Saturday’s 147-lap feature were determined by metrics. This saw Brandon Jones take the green flag in the 14^th position. Over the first 45 laps Jones maintained his spot within the top 15, ultimately taking the first green-and-white checkered in 12^th. Utilizing strategies the team worked on over the off-week, Jones was able to make his way into the top 10 within the first 10 laps of Stage Two and he remained in eighth for the remainder of the stage. Thanks to a quick pit stop, Jones gained two spots coming off pit road and was able to restart the final stage in third. The 27-year old Georgia native settled into fifth until a late-stage caution with 25 laps to go. After pitting for four tires, Jones lined up for the final restart in ninth and ultimately took the checkered flag in 10^th for his fourth top-10 of the season.

“This No. 9 Menards/Bali Blinds & Shades Chevrolet was fast all day and I am proud of my team for all the hard work they put in to give me a great car every week. We worked on some strategies during the off-week that I was able to utilize today and even though I wish we could have ended up in the top five we’re on the right track to head to Charlotte in two weeks.”

Carson Kvapil

Carson Kvapil made his first start at the legendary Darlington (S.C.) Raceway on Saturday, driving his No. 88 Clarience Technologies Chevrolet as high as 12^th before finishing a solid 19^th in the Crown Royal Purple Bag Project 200 for NASCAR Xfinity Series machines. Starting 13^th after the field was set using NASCAR’s metric after weather wiped out practice and qualifying on Friday, Kvapil maintained position in the top 20 over the opening laps, getting used to one of the more difficult tracks on the schedule. With help from spotter T.J. Majors, Kvapil took care of his Chevrolet and finished 18^th in Stage One. In the second 45-lap stage, Kvapil was able to move up the order, running as high as 13^th. With 10 laps to go in the stage, Kvapil was the fastest car on the track. Over the remaining distance, the young second-generation driver battled in the top 20 and eventually brought his Clarience Technologies Camaro home in 19^th.

“Coming to Darlington was really cool, but the fact that we didn’t get to practice or qualify kind of put us behind the eight-ball. Andrew (crew chief Andrew Overstreet) and T.J. (Majors) helped me a lot today with how to manage the race, and we were fast at times. The finish wasn’t what we wanted, but I got all the laps in and learned a lot from it. I’ll be better the next time I come here. Thanks to Clarience Technologies for the opportunity.”

Sammy Smith

Sammy Smith and the No. 8 JR Motorsports team’s first attempt to tame “The Lady in Black” started on a damp note as Friday’s practice and qualifying session was rained out. Without the chance to qualify, Smith and his TMC Transportation Throwback car were slated to start 23^rd in the Crown Royal Purple Bag Project 200. Smith dealt with a loose race car for the majority of the race as crew chief Adam Wall continued to make adjustments, but with the sun coming in and out of the clouds, it made for a tough task. The 19-year-old Iowa native made it to 10^th on the final stage restart, but ultimately finished 34^th after being forced to pit with what he thought was a flat right-front tire.

“We didn’t get the outcome we came here looking for today, but we kept our nose clean and made progress until the end. We’ll use this off-week again to see what we can do to find ourselves in Victory Lane at Charlotte in two weeks.”