Friday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway marks the final race of the regular season, and Justin Allgaier looks like he’ll be heading into the Playoffs with more momentum than anyone.
The driver of the No. 7 JR Motorsports has won three of the last six events and he got the ball rolling on Friday by winning Stage 1 of the race at Bristol. This Stage Win marks Allgaier’s series-high 11th of the 2020 season.
Justin Haley finished runner-up in the Stage and he was followed by the other two dominant forces of the 2020 NXS season Chase Briscoe and Austin Cindric.
Ross Chastain, who led 44 laps in the Stage pressured Allgaier for the majority of the Stage for the Playoff point, faded to fifth down the stretch.
Noah Gragson, Brandon Jones, Michael Annett, Jeb Burton and Harrison Burton rounded out the top-10 finishers in Stage 1.
It was a close a furious opening Stage, but there was only one incident that led to a caution. Jeffrey Earnhardt got into his JD Motorsports teammate BJ McLeod on lap 61, which sent McLeod hard into the wall.
Video: Jeffrey Earnhardt Gets Into Teammate BJ McLeod to Spark Hard Crash at Bristol
McLeod would careen back across the track and collect Vinnie Miller and Tommy Joe Martins as well.
Stage and Playoff Points Awarded in Stage 1:
| Finish | Driver | Stage Points | Playoff Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Justin Allgaier | 10 | 1 |
| 2 | Justin Haley | 9 | 0 |
| 3 | Chase Briscoe | 8 | 0 |
| 4 | Austin Cindric | 7 | 0 |
| 5 | Ross Chastain | 6 | 0 |
| 6 | Noah Gragson | 5 | 0 |
| 7 | Brandon Jones | 4 | 0 |
| 8 | Michael Annett | 3 | 0 |
| 9 | Jeb Burton | 2 | 0 |
| 10 | Harrison Burton | 1 | 0 |
