Allgaier prevails in door-to-door O'Reilly Series showdown in Nashville

After multiple brilliant and exhilarating door-to-door battles – veteran against rookie - in the closing portion of the race, JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier prevailed to hoist his series best fourth NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race trophy of the season.

The 2024 series champion had to hold off talented 18-year-old rookie Brent Crews, who called the close-quarter racing in Saturday night’s Sports Illustrated Resorts 250 at Nashville Superspeedway “the most fun I’ve had without winning.’’

Allgaier’s win in the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet – ultimately by 1.4s over Crews - was his third at the 1.33-mile Nashville concrete oval and the 32nd overall win of his championship career. And it took hard, clean, side-by-side racing lap after lap for Allgaier to eventually get by Crews’ No. 19 Joe Gibbs Motorsports Toyota for good with 20 laps remaining and hold on to victory.

The veteran Allgaier celebrated by climbing out of his Chevy’s roof hatch and bowing to the Nashville crowd, an ode to the trademark winning celebration of two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch, who passed away last Thursday after falling ill with pneumonia and sepsis.

“First of all, it’s been a rough couple of weeks, and lots of prayers to [Busch’s wife] Samantha and Kyle and [their children] Brexton and Lennix - it’s been an emotional couple weeks,’’ said Allgaier.

“This team, right here, they are incredible. To win in Nashville, you fans... this place is electric. I love coming to Nashville.

“I told them before the race, that we were going to go to victory lane,’’ said a grinning Allgaier, who turns 40 years old next week and is capping his winning race weekend by running a triathlon in downtown Nashville Sunday.

“What a race,’’ he added with a grin.

The near-miss marks the North Carolinian Crews’ second runner-up this season. He led the race twice for a total of 45 laps – the most he’s ever led in a single race.

“Man, the positive was, I thought we were going to win that race,’’ Crews’ said when asked about the takeaway from the race. “I’m happy for our guys.

“Had to start 33rd and worked our way up to the lead and led a lot of laps and got to race one of the best guys in our series of all-time for the win in the last few laps,’’ he said. “Couldn’t ask for much more, other than to beat him.’’

Crews’ teammate William Sawalich finished third to claim his third-consecutive top five. Haas Factory Team’s Sam Mayer finished fourth – his fifth straight top 10 at Nashville with another JGR driver, Brandon Jones rounding out the top five.

Corey Day, Carson Kvapil, reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson, Taylor Gray and Sammy Smith rounded out the top 10. Smith, of note, is competing in the Nashville triathlon with his JR Motorsports teammate Allgaier.

Richard Childress Racing’s Jesse Love finished 16th after leading the most laps (87). A later race pit stop miscue put the reigning series champion a lap down at one point, but he rallied back. He lost some ground in the title run and now sits 179 points behind the 2024 series champion Allgaier in the championship.

“Definitely really frustrating,’’ a disappointed Love said after the race. “Our Camaro was really fast, and I know we had a misstep on pit road, but we’ve got the best pit crew in the garage right now, it’s not even close.

“The only thing I can control is the way I prepare and keep showing up, even when it hurts. I know right now, my path isn’t necessarily coming with a lot of wins and that can be frustrating, but it’s the past now, so all I can do is keep showing up and preparing. It’s going to turn around. It has to. There’s no other possible way it’s not going to and having faith in that will get me through all this.’’

YouTube personality Cleetus McFarland finished 36th in his second NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series start – rallying from a series of late race pit stop miscues and penalties to take the checkered flag in the No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet.

After a streak of 16 consecutive races, the series has its first off-week next weekend before returning to competition June 13 in the Miller Tech Battery 250 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway (4 p.m., The CW, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Connor Zilisch is the defending race winner.

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