Race 13 of 33: Pacific Office Automation 147 at Portland International Raceway
Track Specs: 1.97-mile road course / 75 laps
Race Winner: Shane Van Gisbergen
Allgaier’s finish: 2^nd 
Smith's finish: 3^rd
Mayer’s finish: 28^th  
Jones' finish: 36^th    
 

Justin Allgaier

Justin Allgaier scored a hard-fought second-place finish on Saturday afternoon in the NASCAR Xfinity Series event at Portland International Raceway. The driver of the BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet led a race-high 46 laps and swpet both Stages One and Two en route to the runner-up result. Allgaier additionally became the first driver in NXS history to capture the green-and-white-checkered flag in each stage for three consecutive races. With today's top-two finish, Allgaier now sits fourth in the NXS point standings, just 23 points out of the series lead.

"What an unbelievable BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet we had today. Jim (Pohlman, crew chief) gave me a great car that was able to get out front and weep both stages again. It's great to be able to keep gathering those playoff points, but I wish we didn’t have those cautions at the end. Even though we came up just that one spot short, I can't thank all my guys enough on this No. 7 team. We've had a lot of momentum on our side lately and I look forward to keeping that going next week in Sonoma."

Sammy Smith

For the second week in a row, the No. 8 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet brought home a thrilling third-place finish in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Sammy Smith qualified in the top five in his group to transfer to the second round on Saturday morning, earning a ninth-place starting position for the race at Portland International Raceway. For the majority of Stage One, Smith ran in eighth, pulling away from the field, and in the final eight laps of the stage, bringing home valuable stage points. In stage Two, Smith did an admirable job of keeping his focus after being knocked sideways and going for a spin on lap 33, which sent him back to 28^th in the order. He recovered and gained back 10 spots to finish 18^th. On the pit stop, the Pilot Flying J crew gained six more positions with a speedy pit stop. In the first six laps of the final stage, the young driver drove from 12^th to seventh and used a rash of late-race caution flags to race all the way to third place at the checkered flag.

"It feels good to bring home another solid finish for Pilot Flying J and this No. 8 JR Motorsports team, especially with my guys calling the shots and coming over the wall today. We had to rally back in the second stage, but it shows how hard everyone works to put the best car possible on the track. Looking forward to another shot at a road course in Sonoma."

Sam Mayer

Sam Mayer, driver of the No. 1 RTIC Outdoors Chevrolet, was poised for a solid finish Saturday afternoon after scoring his first NASCAR Xfinity Series pole of the season at Portland International Raceway. However, as the green flag waved, Mayer was forced off the track in Turn 1 and shuffled back to 28^th. The young driver battled through the pack following the off-course excursion to finish 12^th in Stage One. Mayer reported to his team that he was struggling with lateral drive off the corners as the No. 8 Chevrolet came down pit road under the stage break for four tires, fuel and a slight chassis adjustment. The Wisconsin native continued to battle in a quiet Stage Two and rallied to a ninth-place finish. No adjustments were made to the RTIC Outdoors rocket ship under yellow as they continued to set sail for the finish. Mayer made his way up to third with 14 laps to go before a flurry of cautions slowed the pace. Mayer held strong in third through numerous restarts until a flat left rear tire derailed the young driver's chances and ultimately relegated him to 28^th at the finish.

"We had such an incredibly fast RTIC Outdoors Chevrolet today and my guys killed every pit stop to allow me to hold track position throughout the day. Super unfortunate that we were not able to get the result to show for it, but we will pick our heads up and try again at Sonoma next weekend. This group never gives up and I know we'll be ready.”

Brandon Jones

Brandon Jones, driver of the No. 9 Menards/Magickwoods Vanities Chevrolet started Saturday’s 75 lap feature from the tail of the field after an incident during qualifying required repairs to be made to the front end of the car. Within the first 15 laps, Jones made his way through the field and into the top 20 where he would complete the first stage. Jones then battled a communication issue throughout Stage Two, which warranted an additional trip down pit road. This stop forced Jones to rejoin the field at the tail. While working his way back into the top 20, Jones was involved in a late-race caution that would ultimately end his day with 11 laps to go, relegating him to a 36^th-place finish at Portland International Raceway.

"I am so proud of this No. 9 team for a hard-fought day. They made sure my Chevy Camaro was ready to go come race time and even though we did not get the finish we had hoped for today, we will continue to build off of what we have and take another shot at this road-course package in Sonoma."