Justin Allgaier Claims the Checkered Flag for the Fourth Time this Season

Kelsey Christman - Staff Writer

Justin Allgaier waves during driver introductions in Kansas. (Riley Ogle, Motorsports Today, April 2026)

Lebanon, TN - Racing returned to Music City this weekend as NASCAR hosted all three series at Nashville Superspeedway. Rain interfered with qualifying for the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, resulting in the field being set by the metric. Richard Childress Racing teammates, Austin Hill and Jesse Love, made up the front row with Love on the pole. A rain shortened practice gave Parker Retzlaff the benefit of discovering an engine issue pre-race. The No. 99 team was able to change the engine and started the race from the rear. Joining Retzlaff at the rear of the field, Garrett Smithley and Brandon Jones were both found to have made unapproved adjustments. 

Jesse Love maintained the lead for the entirety of the 45 lap stage to claim the stage win reaching a nearly six second advantage over second. As Love came out of Turn Four, Cleetus McFarland spun into the infield from 30th. McFarland made his second appearance in the series with this entry. During the stage break, Taylor Gray had to pit a second time due to a flat left front tire immediately following the tire change.

Stage two ran green without interruption. Love and Allgaier battled for the lead while exchanging the position. On the final lap, Love got loose through Turn One and Two allowing Allgaier to clear the pass and claim the stage win. This pit cycle brought trouble for the veteran of the No. 7 as he lost four positions due to a fumbled tire.

Jesse Love led the field back to green for the final time following the stage break. He maintained the lead without challenge until concern arose of a possible loose wheel on Lap 112. As Love slowed, Brent Crews was able to take the lead on Lap 119. Love was forced to pit from the concern with an over 30 second stop. McFarland found himself spinning on pit entry as he concluded the green flag pit cycle, but was able to recover without caution.

Brent Crews and Justin Allgaier spent the final 19 laps racing side by side and trading positions for the lead as the rookie was in search of his first in the series. Allgaier crossed the line 1.403 seconds in front of Crews to claim the checkered flag. This marks the fourth win for Allgaier and the tenth win for JR Motorsports this season as this race marked the 16th of the season. 

UP NEXT:

While the NASCAR Cup Series and Craftsman Truck Series head to Michigan next week, the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series will enjoy a weekend off. After that, they will head to Pocono Raceway for the MillerTech Battery 250. The race will be at 4:00 PM ET on Saturday, June 13th, and can be found on CW.