Race 15 of 33: Tennessee Lottery 250 at Nashville Superspeedway
Track Specs: 1.33-mile tri-oval / 188 laps                     
Race Winner: Justin Allgaier

Allgaier's Finish: 1st

Mayer's Finish: 5th

Gragson's Finish: 13th

Berry's Finish: 29th

Justin Allgaier

Justin Allgaier, driver of the No. 7 Hellmann's Chevrolet, earned his second victory of the season on Saturday afternoon in dominating fashion, sweeping both stages and leading for a race-high 134 laps en route to securing the checkered flag in the NASCAR Xfinity Series event at Nashville Superspeedway. With the victory, Allgaier has now won multiple races in three consecutive seasons and in five of the last six dating back to 2017. Additionally, today's win moves the JR Motorsports driver to third in the NXS Playoff Grid, just 32 points outside of the championship lead.

Race Rundown

• Allgaier took the green flag for the 188-lap event from the fifth position following a strong qualifying effort on Saturday morning. 
• After initially sliding back to as far as eighth, the driver of the Hellmann's Chevrolet settled in and marched forward, racing into the top three for the first time on lap 10 before charging into the race lead on lap 18.
• Once out front Allgaier set sail, driving away from the field to over a six-second lead before taking the green-and-white checkered on lap 45 to earn an extremely valuable playoff point. While under the stage-ending caution, Allgaier reported to crew chief Jason Burdett that the balance of his Hellmann's Chevrolet was as good as it could be.
• A strong four-tire stop prior to the start of Stage Two sent Allgaier back out with the race lead and once back underway, Allgaier again separated himself from the pack. Maintaining a lead of over two seconds, the Illinois native remained out front to lead Stage Two wire-to-wire and take the green-and-white checkered flag in first on lap 90 to score his second playoff point of the afternoon.
• Prior to the start of the third and final stage, Burdett called the driver of the Hellmann's Chevrolet back to pit road for four tires and a slight air pressure adjustment.
• Restarting in second on lap 96, Allgaier wasted little time reassuming the top spot as the JRM driver powered back into the race lead on lap 97 and remained there until the caution flag was displayed on lap 116.
• During this caution period, Burdett made the strategy call to bring Allgaier back to pit road as this stop would put the driver of the Hellmann's Chevrolet in position to make it the rest of the way on fuel. However, due to varying strategies among the front runners, Allgaier returned to the track following the stop scored in the 11^th position.
• Undaunted by the loss of track position, Allgaier methodically climbed his way back up the leaderboard, racing into the top five on lap 133 before rejoining the top three on lap 143.
• Now back inside the top three, Allgaier continued his ascent, as the veteran driver moved into second on lap 145 before charging back into the race lead on lap 148 and never look back.
• In the end, Allgaier would lead the final 40 laps to take the checkered flag and bring home his second victory of the 2022 season.
• With the win, Allgaier now improves to third in the NXS Playoff Grid, just 32 points shy of the series lead.

Justin Allgaier, driver No. 7 Hellmann's Chevrolet team

"We had an unbelievable Hellmann's Chevrolet today and I can't thank Jason (Burdett, crew chief) and everyone on this JR Motorsports team enough. This car was phenomenal all race long and it is just a testament to all of the hard work done both here at the track, as well as at the shop. Nashville has always been a place that I wanted to win at and it means a lot to me to be able to check this one off with this group. I just can't thank these guys enough."

Sam Mayer

Sam Mayer rallied from late pit-road speeding penalty and a damaged race car - while battling through extreme heat without a functioning cooling unit - to score a fifth-place finish in Saturday's Tennessee Lottery 250 at Nashville Superspeedway. The stout showing with the No. 1 Huck's Market Chevrolet was the team's eighth top-five effort in the last 10 races and moves Mayer up one position to sixth in the championship points battle.

Race Rundown

• Mayer's lined up in 21^st for the start of the 250-miler. Mayer immediately wheeled his way to 12^th by the halfway point of Stage One, commenting he had a little brake fade in the No. 1 Huck's Market machine.
• By the conclusion of Stage One, Mayer climbed to ninth and radioed the crew that the car felt a little tight but pretty good overall. Mayer also relayed to the team that his cooling unit had started blowing hot air.
• After pitting for four tires, fuel and adjustments on his Chevrolet, Mayer took the track in seventh for the Stage Two restart. Mayer made quick work of the competition and jumped four spots, settling into third. He spent the remainder of the stage working various lines around the track and posting some of the fastest laps of the stage. 
• Closing out Stage Two in third, Mayer again came to the attention of the Huck's Market crew in the pits. But a speeding penalty sent him back to 24^th for the ensuing restart. It took time and patience but Mayer was able to break back inside the top 10 by lap 113 and cycle near the top five when cars on different strategies had to pit.
• On lap 148, Mayer was running sixth directly behind the No. 54 of Ty Gibbs when Gibbs' car broke loose. Mayer couldn't avoid contact with the spinning No. 54 and the No. 1 Huck's entry took damage in the incident. Still, the No. 1 machine was still able to maintain a pace strong enough in the closing laps to take the checkered flag in fifth.

Sam Mayer, driver No. 1 Huck's Market Chevrolet team
"This was one of the tougher races I've been in because of the heat. But it was still fun. I was able to move around and try some different lines with our Huck's Market Chevy. That's one of the cool things about this track, it lets you experiment with the air a bit. I really wanted a top five and that's all I was thinking about there at the end. It's good to be able to keep this momentum going."

Noah Gragson

Noah Gragson and the Bass Pro Shops/TrueTimber/Black Rifle Coffee team gambled on pit strategy on Saturday, but a needed caution did not materialize, forcing a late-race green-flag pit stop. Gragson rallied to the free-pass position over the final 20 laps to finish 13^th in the 188-lap Tennessee Lottery 250 on the 1.33-mile oval.

Race Rundown

• After qualifying his Bass Pro Shops/TrueTimber/Black Rifle Coffee Chevrolet in the sixth position for the 188-lap grind, Gragson immediately had to deal with a worsening loose condition, dropping to ninth in the first 10 laps. The condition stayed with the young driver all the way to the end of the 45-lap Stage One.
• Near the end of the stage, Gragson found some grip when he needed it and took 10^th place on the final lap of the stage to earn a stage point toward his total for the day.
• On the ensuing pit stop, crew chief Luke Lambert dialed up four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment to tighten his driver up for the 45-lap Stage Two. On the stop, several cars received speeding penalties and Gragson advanced to eighth position for the restart.
• Despite the heat and on a track where it was difficult to pass, Gragson put his head down and advanced to seventh within four laps. As the stage wore on, Gragson's handle got tighter, but he maintained his position in the top seven until lap 80, when he passed teammate Josh Berry for sixth. He would stay there over the remaining 10 laps to earn five more stage points for the day.
• Lambert went back on the previous adjustment on the Stage Two pit stop, which was for four tires and fuel with an air-pressure adjustment. To deal with the oppressive heat, Gragson also took a water bottle and two ice packs to keep him cool. The No. 9 pit crew gained two spots on the turn and Gragson exited pit road in fourth position.
• Once back to green-flag racing, Gragson fell back to 10^th before a caution flag waved at lap 106. Gragson told Lambert that his handling was still off a bit, but felt like it would come to him as the race went on and he stayed on track. Most of the leaders elected to pit, but Gragson and Lambert stayed out for track position, not wanting to put on their last set of sticker tires at that point, and hoping for a later caution.
• Settling into third position, Gragson stayed there until lap 143, when teammate Justin Allgaier got past on his way to the lead. Gragson maintained position in the top four until lap 168, when Lambert called him down for four tires and fuel to the end. The pit stop put Gragson down a lap to the leader in 22^nd position.
• Over the remaining 20 laps, Gragson drove all the way to 13^th place and finished there, still one lap down.
• The finish cost Gragson and the No. 9 one spot in the series point standings to fourth, 42 points off the lead. The Las Vegas native remains second in the playoff standings.

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

"We were a little loose at the start and got better, and then we got a touch to the tight side. Luke (crew chief Luke Lambert) fixed me up, and we took a gamble today that, if it had worked out, would have seen a big reward for our Bass Pro Shops/TrueTimber/Black Rifle Coffee team, but it didn't work out. We'll take what we learned here and head on to Road America next week to go for another victory."

Josh Berry

Josh Berry, driver of the No. 8 Tire Pros Chevrolet, ran inside the top 10 for much of Saturday afternoon's NASCAR Xfinity Series event at Nashville Superspeedway before suffering a flat tire with less than five laps remaining to finish in the 29^th position. Berry earned nine critical stage points through the first two stages to remain inside the top five in the driver's standings, just 75 points shy of first place.

Race Rundown

• Berry and the No. 8 Tire Pros Chevrolet team qualified ninth before settling into seventh early on in Stage One. A caution-free first stage saw Berry gain one additional spot before crossing under the green-and-white checkered flag on lap 45 in the sixth position to earn five stage points.
• Berry restarted Stage Two from the second position after pitting for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment to alleviate a loose-handling Camaro. Dropping to sixth following the restart, Berry settled in and maintained his position throughout the caution-free second stage before crossing under the green-and-checkered flag on lap 90 in the seventh position to earn an additional four stage points.
• The No. 8 Tire Pros Chevrolet came down pit road at the conclusion of Stage Two for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment. The pit crew sent Berry back out in the eighth position.
• On lap 104 of 188, Berry had contact from behind which turned the No. 8 Tire Pros Chevrolet around, ultimately bringing out the yellow. Berry returned to pit road and put on four scuff tires in order to save their last fresh set for later in the race.
• A lap-116 caution period allowed the team to bring the driver of the No. 8 to pit road for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment. The team elected to put on the tires that were on the car when the No. 8 spun, as the tires looked to be unharmed, allowing them to save one new set in case a caution flew towards the end of the race.
• Berry would ultimately suffer a flat-tire with less than 10 laps remaining and was forced to pit under green for right side tires. Losing multiple laps in the process, Berry rallied in the closing laps to record a 29^th-place finish.

Josh Berry, driver No. 8 Tire Pros Chevrolet team

"Today was not the day we had planned. We spun around to start the final stage and used a little bit of strategy with the hopes that a yellow would come out towards the end of the race and leave us a fresh set of tires to compete on, but that caution never came out and we just had to survive there until the end. You'll have these days though. We just have to get through this and head to Road America next weekend with the speed I know we will have."