Deadspin | Justin Allgaier holds off teenager Brent Crews to win at Nashville

LEBANON, Tenn. — After a number of good and exhilarating door-to-door battles — veteran towards rookie — within the closing portion of Saturday evening’s Sports Illustrated Resorts 250, the outdated man emerged victorious.

And after JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier held off 18-year-old rookie Brent Crews at Nashville Speedway, he hoisted his series-best fourth race trophy of the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season.

Allgaier’s win within the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet — in the end by 1.4-second over Crews — was his third on the 1.33-mile Nashville concrete oval and the thirty second total win of the 2024 sequence champion’s profession. And it took exhausting, clear side-by-side racing lap-after-lap for Allgaier to ultimately get by Crews’ No. 19 Joe Gibbs Motorsports Toyota for good with 20 laps remaining and maintain on to victory.

The veteran Allgaier celebrated by climbing out of his Chevy’s roof hatch then bowing to the Nashville crowd — an ode to the trademark profitable celebration of two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch, who died May 21 after pneumonia changed into sepsis.

“First of all, it’s been a rough couple of weeks, and lots of prayers to (Busch’s wife) Samantha and Kyle and (their children) Brexton and Lennix — it’s been an emotional couple weeks,” Allgaier stated.

“This team, right here, they are incredible. To win in Nashville, you fans … this place is electric. I love coming to Nashville.

“I advised them earlier than the race, that we had been going to go to victory lane,” said a grinning Allgaier, who turns 40 years old next week and is capping his winning race weekend by running a triathlon in downtown Nashville Sunday.

“What a race,” he added with a grin.

The near-miss marks the North Carolinian Crews’ second runner-up finish this season. He led the race twice for a total of 45 laps — the most he’s ever led in a single race. After the race he called his battle with Allgaier “essentially the most enjoyable I’ve had with out profitable.”

“Man, the constructive was, I believed we had been going to win that race,” Crews’ said when asked about the takeaway from the race. “I’m comfortable for our guys.

“Had to start 33rd and worked our way up to the lead and led a lot of laps and got to race one of the best guys in our series of all-time for the win in the last few laps,” he stated. “Couldn’t ask for much more, other than to beat him.”

Crews’ teammate William Sawalich completed third to say his third-consecutive high 5. Haas Factory Team’s Sam Mayer completed fourth — his fifth straight high 10 at Nashville with one other JGR driver, Brandon Jones, rounding out the highest 5.

Corey Day, Carson Kvapil, reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson, Taylor Gray and Sammy Smith rounded out the highest 10. Smith, of observe, is competing within the Nashville triathlon along with his JR Motorsports teammate Allgaier.

Richard Childress Racing’s Jesse Love completed sixteenth after main essentially the most laps (87) — a pit cease miscue put the reigning sequence champion a lap down at one level earlier than he rallied again. He misplaced some floor within the title run and now sits 179 factors behind Allgaier in race for the championship.

“Definitely really frustrating,” a disillusioned Love stated after the race. “Our Camaro was really fast and I know we had a misstep on pit road but we’ve got the best pit crew in the garage right now, it’s not even close.

“The solely factor I can management is the best way I put together and maintain exhibiting up even when it hurts and I do know proper now, my path is not essentially coming with a whole lot of wins and that may be irritating nevertheless it’s the previous now, so all I can do is maintain exhibiting up and getting ready. It’s going to show round. It has to. There’s no different doable means it isn’t going to and having religion in that can get me by means of all this.”

YouTube personality Cleetus McFarland finished 35th in his second NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series start — rallying from a series of late-race pit stop miscues and penalties to finish the race in the No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet.

After a streak of racing in 16 consecutive weekends, the series has its first off week next weekend before returning to competition June 13 in the Miller Tech Battery 250 at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pa. (4 p.m., The CW, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Connor Zilisch is the defending race winner.

NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Race — Sports Illustrated Resorts 250

Nashville Superspeedway

Nashville, Tennessee

Saturday, May 30, 2026

1. (17) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 188.

2. (33) Brent Crews #, Toyota, 188.

3. (5) William Sawalich, Toyota, 188.

4. (34) Sam Mayer, Chevrolet, 188.

5. (29) Brandon Jones, Toyota, 188.

6. (3) Corey Day, Chevrolet, 188.

7. (4) Carson Kvapil, Chevrolet, 188.

8. (6) Kyle Larson(i), Chevrolet, 188.

9. (27) Taylor Gray, Toyota, 188.

10. (8) Sammy Smith, Chevrolet, 188.

11. (2) Austin Hill, Chevrolet, 188.

12. (9) Parker Retzlaff, Chevrolet, 188.

13. (7) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 188.

14. (13) Dean Thompson, Toyota, 188.

15. (24) Sheldon Creed, Chevrolet, 188.

16. (1) Jesse Love, Chevrolet, 188.

17. (12) Anthony Alfredo, Chevrolet, 188.

18. (31) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 187.

19. (25) Rajah Caruth, Chevrolet, 187.

20. (21) Blaine Perkins, Chevrolet, 187.

21. (23) Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, 187.

22. (15) Leland Honeyman Jr(i), Chevrolet, 187.

23. (19) Jeb Burton, Chevrolet, 187.

24. (20) Kyle Sieg, Chevrolet, 187.

25. (16) Patrick Staropoli #, Chevrolet, 187.

26. (32) Logan Bearden, Chevrolet, 186.

27. (35) Harrison Burton, Toyota, 186.

28. (11) Mason Maggio, Chevrolet, 186.

29. (26) Ryan Ellis, Chevrolet, 185.

30. (14) Austin Green, Chevrolet, 185.

31. (18) Lavar Scott #, Chevrolet, 184.

32. (28) Josh Bilicki, Chevrolet, 184.

33. (10) Garrett Smithley, Chevrolet, 184.

34. (36) Dawson Cram, Chevrolet, 183.

35. (38) Cleetus McFarland, Chevrolet, 182.

36. (30) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 179.

37. (22) David Starr, Chevrolet, Suspension, 151.

38. (37) JJ Yeley, Ford, Rear End, 59.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 132.452 mph.

Time of Race: 1 Hrs, 53 Mins, 16 Secs. Margin of Victory: 1.403 Seconds.

Caution Flags: 2 for 15 laps.

Lead Changes: 12 among 7 drivers.

Lap Leaders: J. Love 1-49;J. Yeley 50;J. Love 51-54;J. Allgaier 55-75;J. Love 76-85;J. Allgaier 86-94;J. Love 95-118;B. Crews # 119-145;B. Jones 146;A. Hill 147-148;R. Sieg 149-150;B. Crews # 151-168;J. Allgaier 169-188.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): Jesse Love 4 times for 87 laps; Justin Allgaier 3 times for 50 laps; Brent Crews # 2 times for 45 laps; Ryan Sieg 1 time for 2 laps; Austin Hill 1 time for 2 laps; JJ Yeley 1 time for 1 lap; Brandon Jones 1 time for 1 lap.

Stage #1 Top Ten: 2,17,7,21,88,1,18,39,8,19

Stage #2 Top Ten: 7,2,1,18,19,17,41,99,88,39

–Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service