LEBANON, Tenn. — A.J. Allmendinger pulled away on the second time beyond regulation restart Saturday to win his second NASCAR Xfinity race this yr and seventeenth of his profession on the Nashville Superspeedway within the Tennessee Lottery 250.
“I spent a variety of years not profitable something, so I want wins simply to make me mentally OK each week,” Allmendinger mentioned. “And whether or not it is Cup or Xfinity, because of this you exit right here, do that is, to attempt to win races. … So I do not take something without any consideration.”
The 41-year-old Allmendinger pitted on lap 145 and used more energizing tires to cross Parker Kligerman, taking the lead for good on lap 177. He appeared poised to cruise to his newest victory for Kaulig Racing in his No. 10 Bailey Zimmerman-Religiously Chevrolet till Chad Chastain spun off Flip 4 with 5 laps left.
That arrange the primary time beyond regulation. Chandler Smith spun out on the primary restart try after contact with Josh Berry in Flip 2.
On the second restart, Allmendinger left everybody behind and cruised to the victory. As each he and his crew celebrated, extra vehicles began spinning and crashing in a haze of smoke. Allmendinger additionally completed second on the Xfinity Sequence’ inaugural race at Sonoma earlier than NASCAR’s lone break of the season.
Allmendinger mentioned he knew he simply wanted to get into Flip 1 clear with an opportunity to maintain Hill off his bumper.
“Clearly, as soon as I did that and I got here off 2, so long as like we keep inexperienced, I knew they did not have a shot to run me down and we had been going to be OK,” Allmendinger mentioned.
Riley Herbst completed second, with Sam Mayer third, Austin Hill fourth and Josh Berry rounding out the highest 5 in a race with 11 completely different leaders and 17 lead modifications. John Hunter Nemecheck, who got here in main the sequence in factors, was sixth.
With the temperature within the low 90s, drivers handled even hotter situations contained in the vehicles. The warmth additionally left the 1.33-mile concrete oval slick, resulting in 11 cautions general, with 15 drivers concerned in crashes by means of the primary two levels.
The race obtained off to a crunching and chaotic begin as drivers went three vast on the opening lap. Justin Allgaier, the defending champ, pitted 3 times within the opening laps making an attempt to repair the left fender of his Chevrolet. He completed fifteenth and wound up handled on the care heart.
Allmendinger mentioned he was shocked on the preliminary begin at how slick the monitor was.
“I went down and made it three-wide and thought nothing of it, like did not even drive within the nook that onerous and I began wrecking,” he mentioned. “Prefer it was actually slick. And in order that form of raised my eyebrows, like, ‘OK, like, wow. It is a lot slicker than I anticipated.”
Some thought Allmendinger benefitted from harm to his automotive
Ty Gibbs received Stage 1 solely to be taken out on the restart. He spun round and backed into Carson Hocevar’s Chevrolet, taking them each out on the 53rd lap. Each drivers went to the care heart and had been later launched.
On the 68th lap, one other crash left Sammy Smith’s No. 18 Toyota needing to be towed off the monitor.
Smith, who led a race-high 44 laps, took Stage 2 as certainly one of seven completely different leaders by means of the primary 90 laps. That arrange a last run to a end that wanted further laps on a scorching day the place 16 drivers completed all 196 laps.
