Race 12 of 33: BetMGM 300 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway
Track Specs: 1.5-mile quad-oval / 200 laps
Race Winner: Chase Elliott
Jones' finish: 2^nd   
Smith's finish: 3^rd
Mayer's finish: 4^th
Allgaier's finish: 33^rd  
 

Brandon Jones

Brandon Jones, driver of the No. 9 Menards/CharBroil Chevrolet, had an eventful day at Charlotte Motor Speedway that ultimately saw him come home in second. After qualifying 10^th, Jones was able to maintain his position in the top-10, driving all the way up to fourth where he would finish the first stage. Jones then battled a brake issue throughout the entirety of the second stage which caused him to drop back to 25^th. The crew was able to get it fixed, but Jones was forced to restart the final stage in 35^th. Making quick work of the field, Jones raced his way back into the top 10 within 30 laps. After avoiding several late-race cautions, the 27-year-old Georgia native made a pass for second with 11 laps to go and took the checkered flag for his best finish of the season.  

“This No. 9 Camaro was fast all weekend and I am so proud of this team for all the hard work they put in. We struggled with the brakes, but my crew never gave up. I wish we could have caught up to the leader but I am happy we were able to show everyone what we’re capable of doing.”

Sammy Smith

The No. 8 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet came home with a strong finish that reflects all of the hard work done by the JR Motorsports team on Saturday afternoon at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Sammy Smith started 16^th in the BetMGM 300 and gained a few positions throughout the initial 30 laps before the first caution of the day. The crew decided to pit to make minor adjustments, which paid off as Smith was able to charge to sixth in the final nine laps of Stage One. In the second stage, strategy came into play as crew chief Adam Wall kept his driver out for the full 45-lap stint, playing for valuable stage points and saving a set of tires for the end of the race. Smith told Wall the track was tightening up and the adjustments made earlier were now hurting his pace, but held on for a 16^th-place finish in Stage Two. In the final stage, following a green-flag pit stop and another late in the race under caution, the young driver was able to race his way into the top five and up to third by the time the checkered flag fell. It was his best finish of the young season.

"It feels great to walk away with a top-three finish today for Pilot Flying J and my guys. That late-race caution, along with Adam's tire strategy really played in our favor today and I’m happy that it did. We’ve had great cars all season long and it’s great  to come home with a solid, strong finish. Now it's on to two straight road courses where we will hopefully keep this positive momentum going."

Sam Mayer

Sam Mayer, driver of the No. 1 Tire Pros Chevrolet, came up just a few spots short of a victory on Saturday afternoon, leading a race-high 44 laps during the final stage before taking the checkered flag in fourth at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Mayer started off the day mid-pack in 13^th and battled to find track position as Stage One passed by and settled for a 13^th-place finish at the end of 45 laps. Restarting Stage Two in 12^th, Mayer got shuffled back to 15^th in the restart before a caution with 18 laps to go in the stage, when he came to pit road for four tires, fuel and a slight track-bar adjustment on the No. 1 Chevrolet. With half the field staying out, the Franklin, Wis. native rolled off pit road in 23^rd and had some catching-up to do. In just 10 laps, Mayer raced through the field to run seventh, and just a few laps later, saw himself in fourth to end Stage Two. Crew chief Andrew Overstreet called the No. 1 to pit road under the stage break for four fresh tires and fuel to restart in the seventh position for the final stage. The yellow flag waved after a spin on the backstretch, which put Mayer up to fourth for the restart. He battled in the top five and took the top spot from Kyle Busch with 74 laps remaining. Mayer continued to lead the field until a caution with 19 laps to go allowed Mayer to line up on the front row. In a crazy battle for the top spot. Mayer was shuffled on the restart and ultimately ended his day in fourth.

"This No. 1 Tire Pros Chevrolet was so fast today and we had all we needed to get this thing to Victory Lane. It was just not our day at the end, but I'm super proud of this team and we have such great momentum going as we look ahead to Portland. Pumped to get back to a road course and see what we can do."

Justin Allgaier

Justin Allgaier appeared poised to capture back-to-back NASCAR Xfinity Series victories on Saturday afternoon, leading 40 laps and sweeping both stages at Charlotte Motor Speedway. However, while battling for the race lead with just 25 laps remaining, Allgaier was knocked hard into the outside retaining wall, badly damaging the left side of his Hellmann’s/Round Canopy Parachutinh Team Chevrolet. Hoping to continue in the 200-lap event, the JR Motorsports driver came to pit road where it was deemed the damage was too severe for Allgaier to continue. In the end, Allgaier was relegated to a 33^rd-place finish. Despite the result, Allgaier was able to secure two valuable playoff points with his stage victories and moved up to fourth in the NXS standings.

"Our Hellmann’s/Roundy Canopy Parachuting Team Chevrolet was so strong today. Jim (Pohlman, crew chief) and all the guys in this team made some great changes throughout the day and gave me a car that was capable of going anywhere I wanted it to. I really hate that we didn’t get the finish this group deserves, especially with everyone from the Round Canopy Parachuting Team here in attendance. We'll regroup from today and be ready to go next week in Portland."