LOUDON, N.H. (AP) — Justin Allgaier outran 2011 Daytona 500 champion Trevor Bayne on Saturday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway for third Xfinity Series victory of the season.
Allgaier won all three checkered flags over his last eight races, a hot streak that started in May at Darlington Raceway and he added his second win last month at Nashville Superspeedway.
The 36-year-old Allgaier controlled a wreck-filled race late in his No. 7 Chevrolet is again in the hunt to win his coveted first Xfinity championship. Allgaier took the lead with 48 laps left and grabbed the checkered flag for Chevrolet and JR Motorsports — and a trophy he planned to share with his wife, Ashley.
“If I can’t be with my wife on her birthday, the best thing to do is take home a trophy,” he said.
His family couldn’t attend the race because their daughter had a softball game. Allgaier also gave Chevrolet its first win at New Hampshire since 2007.
Bayne also finished second to Allgaier in Nashville.
“Congratulations to Allgaier,” Bayne said, then added a beat, “again.”
Landon Cassill, yet another veteran in the top three, finished third. He has yet to win a NASCAR race over 332 career Cup races, 194 Xfinity races and eight Truck Series races. His 17 laps led were as many as he had total in his Xfinity career entering the race.
“Usually the best way to stay out of trouble is to run in the top five,” Cassill said.
Cassill avoided a slew of wrecks that knocked all sorts of contenders out of the race. Josh Berry, the pole sitter, got loose and spun to trigger a wreck that knocked the back of Ryan Sieg’s car into the air. Jeb Burton had nowhere to go and plowed into the rear of Sieg’s car. NASCAR red-flagged the race.
Julia Landauer had to bring her torch after the former “Survivor” contestant hit the wall in her first Xfinity race. Allgaier smacked the side of her No. 45 Chevrolet and sent the car sideways into the wall. Landauer stayed on the track and later slid into another car to bring another caution and was forced to garage 96 laps into the race. Allgaier apologized for the incident.
Noah Gragson was fourth and Brandon Brown — of “Let's go, Brandon!” - fame finished fifth.
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