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NASCAR XFINITY Series

Nemechek Dominates Michigan For Fifth Win of Season

Nemechek

Win No. 5 for Nemechek. (Photo: Wayne Riegle| The Podium Finish)

BROOKLYN, Mich. John Hunter Nemechek dominated the second half of the Cabo Wabo 250 after Justin Allgaier got spun out on pit road following the end of Stage 2 to win Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Michigan International Speedway.

“If situations played out different, I’m not sure if I’d have been able to get around the 7 (Allgaier),” Nemechek said after the race. “But things played out the way they did, and in the end, we were able to win.”

The 26-year-old driver for Joe Gibbs Racing not only brought home his fifth win of the season, but a special victory for Joe Gibbs Racing. It was the 200th Xfinity victory for JGR, something that meant a lot for Nemechek to accomplish.

“To win multiple times this season is special, but getting the fifth win of the year and it being the 200th is just special for Joe Gibbs Racing as a whole and really special for the entire Xfinity program,” Nemechek said.

Tight racing between teammates was an issue early. (Photo: Steve Conley | The Podium Finish)

But, the special win didn’t come without a bit of frustration, and that was in the form of his own teammate — Ty Gibbs. All three JGR cars were running toward the front when Nemechek made contact with Gibbs exiting Turn 2, creating a chain reaction that took out Sammy Smith.

Smith ended up suffering heavy damage after hitting the 77 car driven by Carson Hocevar.

Nemechek took responsibility for the crash and offered an apology to Gibbs.

“I have to apologize to Ty,” Nemechek said after exiting his car. “I’ve been the one who’s been very vocal about teammates here recently. I put him in a bad aero spot. I got him loose, and he couldn’t check up. It’s my mistake. I hate that we both spun early, but at least we were able to rebound. I know he’s not too happy with me, and he has every right not to be.”

Gibbs ended up finishing fourth despite the spin. Visibly upset, Gibbs did not speak with reporters after the race.

Nemechek dominates for his fifth win of the season (Photo: Steve Conley | The Podium Finish)

Josh Berry’s No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet briefly hung on with Nemechek on a restart with eight laps, but handling issues didn’t allow him to contend for the win.

“We just felt really tight that last run,” Berry said. “I was kind of inching in on him for a while [before the last caution], and then we kind of leveled off. Overall, we were a little too tight to make a run at him there.”

Berry’s teammate, Justin Allgaier, had ample reason to be the race’s most disappointed driver. Allgaier won the first 30-lap stage wire-to-wire, but a slow pit stop during the break cost him eight positions in the running order.

After Allgaier worked his way to second by the end of Stage 2, he got turned by Gibbs on pit road. Later during green flag pit stops, he suffered a pit road penalty for a crewman over the wall too soon on Lap 97. That sent him deep in the field and he ended up finishing 14th in arguably the fastest car in the race.

With five races remaining in the regular season, Nemechek is tied for the points lead with Austin Hill at 811. The JGR driver is confident about the upcoming set of tracks for his team.

“We just need to capitalize on opportunities like today, but avoid the mistakes like we had with our teammate to have a successful run toward a championship,” he said.

Stage 1 Results
  1. Justin Allgaier
  2. Josh Berry
  3. Cole Custer
  4. Chandler Smith
  5. Riley Herbst
  6. Brandon Jones
  7. Austin Hill
  8. Ryan Sieg
  9. Sam Mayer
  10. Anthony Alfredo
Stage 2 Results
  1. John Hunter Nemechek
  2. Justin Allgaier
  3. Ty Gibbs
  4. Riley Herbst
  5. Austin Hill
  6. Cole Custer
  7. Josh Berry
  8. Sam Mayer
  9. Brandin Jones
  10. Brett Moffitt

Cabo Wabo 250 Result

Finish Start Car No. Driver Sponsor/Make Status
1 10 20 John Hunter Nemechek Mobil 1 Toyota Running
2 1 8 Josh Berry LubeZone Chevrolet Running
3 14 9 Brandon Jones Menards/Criterion Appliances Chevrolet Running
4 8 19 Ty Gibbs He Gets Us Toyota Running
5 4 1 Sam Mayer Accelerate Pros Talent Chevrolet Running
6 5 98 Riley Herbst Monster Energy Ford Running
7 11 10 Ross Chastain Jockey Chevrolet Running
8 17 48 Parker Kligerman Spiked Light Coolers Chevrolet Running
9 24 31 Parker Retzlaff FunkAway Chevrolet Running
10 23 27 Jeb Burton Bommarito.com / EasyCare Chevrolet Running
11 3 21 Austin Hill United Rentals Chevrolet Running
12 15 2 Sheldon Creed Whelen Chevrolet Running
13 22 39 Ryan Sieg CMRroofing.com Ford Running
14 2 7 Justin Allgaier BRANDT Chevrolet Running
15 16 11 Daniel Hemric Chevy Accessories Chevrolet Running
16 13 00 Cole Custer HAAS Automation Ford Running
17 12 25 Brett Moffitt AM Technical Solutions Ford Running
18 18 78 Anthony Alfredo Sim Seats Chevrolet Running
19 21 28 Kyle Sieg RSS Racing Ford Running
20 6 16 Chandler Smith Quick Tie Products Inc. Chevrolet Running
21 25 26 Kaz Grala Toyota Genuine Parts Toyota Running
22 29 92 Josh Williams Alloy/General Formulations Chevrolet Running
23 35 43 Ryan Ellis 1-844-TOM-KEEN Chevrolet Running
24 34 45 Jeffrey Earnhardt Mondo Sports Group Chevrolet Running
25 33 66 Sage Karam Ford Running
26 27 51 Jeremy Clements Wings Etc. Grill & Pub Chevrolet Running
27 28 38 Joe Graf Jr. GTECHNIQ Ford Running
28 32 74 Dawson Cram CHK Racing Chevrolet Running
29 37 6 Brennan Poole KSDT Chevrolet Running
30 26 4 Garrett Smithley Buck’s Oil Chevrolet Running
31 30 07 Stefan Parsons OLLIE’s/Rich Mar Florist Chevrolet Running
32 7 77 Carson Hocevar Premier Security Chevrolet Running
33 38 02 Blaine Perkins AutoParkit.com Chevrolet Running
34 36 35 Patrick Emerling Sci-Aps Ford Running
35 20 91 Kyle Weatherman Fresh Water Chevrolet Electrical
36 19 24 Connor Mosack Toyota Racing Development Toyota Accident
37 31 08 Mason Maggio Phoenix HVAC Ford Accident
38 9 18 Sammy Smith Pilot Flying J Toyota Accident

 

If it races, I'll write about it, talk about it or shoot it with a camera. I began pursuing a career in motorsports journalism immediately after attending college at Kent State University. I have hosted multiple Motorsports talk shows, worked in Country Music radio, and now i spend every day on the air in the morning with 1300 and 100.9 WMVO and in the afternoons watching the roadways around Central Ohio for 93.7 WQIO. The excitement and the fans make everything I put out there worth while, it's been an exciting 15 years having covered everything from the Daytona 500 to the Rolex 24 and you can find me at pretty much any event run at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. What I like to bring is a look behind the scenes, a look at what and who makes the sport grow. From the guy that welds pieces back at the shop to the host in the tv booth. Everyone has a story and I like to tell it. My main focus here at TPF is looking at the men and women behind the microphone and cameras. My life long goal is to become a member of MRN or PRN Radio and bring the races to you. I hope that what I share now is enjoyable and gives you a unique look in to the world of motorsports. See you at a track soon

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