San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
Allgaier wins second Xfinity race
LEBANON, Tenn. — Justin Allgaier routed the field at Nashville Superspeedway on Saturday for his second Xfinity Series victory of the season.
The JR Motorsports driver led 134 of the 188 laps in his Chevrolet and beat Trevor Bayne by 4.513-seconds on a hot, steamy afternoon in which in-car temperatures inched toward 130 degrees.
“That was a butt-kicking,” Allgaier radioed his team. “Thank you guys so much, it never gets old.”
He said he can’t recall a time he’s had such a dominant race car, and was glad to have it at Nashville. It was his eighth career Xfinity Series start at Nashville and first time Allgaier collected the winner’s celebratory custom guitar.
“I’ve been coming here a long time and I love this racetrack, and I’ve been trying to get to victory lane so bad and haven’t been able to do it,” said Allgaier, who dedicated the performance to “the dirt racers because it was slick. It was hot, we were sliding around.”
Allgaier dedicated the win to his father, who he said has been suffering from health complications.
Riley Herbst finished third and was followed by Ty Gibbs, Sam Mayer
and Ryan Preece, winner of the Truck Series race on Friday night.
Nashville marks the hottest race weekend so far of this season with temperatures in the mid-90s and 30 degrees hotter inside the car. Series points leader AJ Allmendinger dropped to the ground when he climbed from his car and immediately began icing his heels from where the exhaust pipe sits under him during the race. He’s scheduled to race Sunday in the Cup Series.
Ryan Vargas was taken by golf cart to the care center and other drivers were seen receiving ice bags and water on pit road.
Preece wins Trucks in Tenn.
Ryan Preece won for the second straight year at Nashville Superspeedway and gave David Gilliland
Racing its second consecutive NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory Friday night.
Preece shot ahead on the final restart with nine laps left and held off fellow Ford driver Zane Smith. Preece has made only eight Truck starts, winning both of the series’ events on the 1.33mile oval. He also has won twice on the Xfinity Series.
Nice and succinct for the 2017 NASCAR champion, who has never been verbose but particularly short on details as he pondered his future the last several months. His contract with JGR expires at the end of the year, and the most Truex would reveal was that the organization needed a decision from the driver this summer.
“The competitive side of me said I’m not done and I’m going to keep fighting, so here we are,“said Truex, who turns 42 on Wednesday.
Next year will be his 18th season in the Cup Series, and the New Jersey native has 31 career wins and a pair of Xfinity Series titles. He heads into Sunday’s race at Nashville winless on the season but ranked sixth in the standings.