NXS Race Recap: BetMGM 300

The NASCAR Xfinity Series took to the fast and high-banked Charlotte Motor Speedway for the BetMGM 300. Taylor Gray got the best starting spot on the pole. While Connor Zilisch and fellow Chevrolet drivers Austin Hill and William Byron, and Toyota driver Brandon Jones rounded out the top five. The stage lengths were 45 laps for the first and second stages, with the final stage being 110 laps.

Early Cautions

Gray got a great jump on the start. Zilisch spun his tires and fell back immediately. Matt Dibenedetto had problems early and had to pit with a tire rub. While fighting to hold position, Zilisch got sideways in turn four. That allowed Byron to make the pass for position. Zilisch did not wait and quickly lunged to get the spot back.

The first caution of the day came out when Kris Wright got turned around in turn two. He was able to keep the car from hitting the wall. With tires being limited for the teams, only Jeb Burton took the opportunity for new tires and fuel. Some drivers were complaining of radio issues.

Zilisch and Gray took the field back to green. Gray got the better launch and retook his lead, but not for long. Byron was able to get around Zilisch for second and continued his speed to take the lead. Zilisch went low on Gray to take second.

Brad Perez brought out the second caution after stopping on the track. He had some damage from hitting the wall and stalled after exiting the pits for repairs.

Race to the Stage End

Byron and Zilisch restarted on the front row. Byron got off the line quicker and took the lead into turn one. Drivers were sliding around and making contact on the tight track. Burton, on the fresher tires, passed his way into seventh. Allgaier complained that he had a tire going down with five to go in the stage.

Zilisch began experimenting to find speed as Byron had pulled away. Allgaier caught the back of Zilisch to bring the fight for second. He did not have enough and could not complete the pass. Byron led the final lap to win stage one! Zilisch, Allgaier, Sam Mayer, and Burton rounded out the top five. While coming to the stage end, Chase Briscoe cut his right rear tire and limped it to the end.

Byron was the first out of the pits with Allgaier and Gray chasing him.

Quick Stage

Byron and Allgaier led the field back to green. Byron got a great push from Gray to get back out front. Allgaier did not let Byron get away and kept the pressure on the leader. Zilisch got into the side of Gray out of turn four. He was able to keep it straight and even complete the pass for third.

Parker Retzlaff had to be pushed to the garage with engine issues.

Byron pulled away from Allgaier by a second and a half and did not slow down. Byron kept his foot on the throttle to keep building that gap. Gray and Zilisch fought back and forth for the third position. They passed lapped traffic side by side. Zilisch would prevail and keep his hold on the spot.

Byron led wire to wire to get the stage two win. No one was in the same zip code for most of the stage. Allgaier, Zilisch, Gray, and Mayer would complete the top five at stage end. Byron won the race out of pit road but incurred a penalty for speeding.

Allgaier Took Over

Gray and Allgaier led the field back to green. Allgaier got a better jump, but Gray did not give up. Gray fought hard, but Allgaier used the shorter lap to retake the lead. The restart was reviewed, and Jesse Love was issued a restart violation for jumping out of line too early.

Byron began cutting through the field. He got back into the top fifteen with 94 laps to go. While he fought through the field, Allgaier pulled away from the field. With clean air in front of him, he was able to pull away by almost two seconds.

Leland Honeyman and Sheldon Creed both made unscheduled pit stops after getting into the wall.

Allgaier continued to pull away, and at the same time, Byron made his way into eighth after restarting in the back. Five seconds separated Allgaier in the lead and Zilisch in the second spot. With 58 laps to go, Byron made his scheduled pit stop for tires and fuel. Allgaier pitted a few laps later, handing the lead to Zilisch.

Cautions Breed Cautions

During the pit stop cycle, Gray got a flat left rear tire, which put debris on the track. Zilisch made his pit stop before the caution came out. Brandon Jones was the leader when the caution was thrown.

After the caution, Allgaier and Zilisch cycled to the front row for the green flag. Allgaier got a great restart to retake his lead. Zilisch got into the outside wall on the outside of Dean Thompson, fighting for second. Sam Mayer got into the wall to bring out the sixth caution of the day. Under the yellow, Zilisch expressed his displeasure with Thompson.

Allgaier and Harrison Burton brought the green back out. Byron restarted in fifteenth. Allgaier got a much better restart to get back out front. Creed passed Thompson on the outside for second. Burton fell to fifth. Zilisch cleared Thompson on the bottom of turn four to get back on the podium.

Briscoe hit the wall and had to pit for repairs.

Jones and Carson Kvapil split Burton to move into seventh and eighth. They continued to race side by side for position. Kvapil drove deep into turns one and two to slide in front and take the spot. Nick Sanchez and Thompson fought side by side, which allowed Kvapil to catch the back of them. Kvapil did not waste any time as he passed them both on the inside line, taking them three wide.

More Cautions

The seventh caution came out when Kvapil got loose and turned around in seventh. He was running the top line and lost the rear end, spinning it onto the apron. Allgaier, Creed, and Jesse Love stayed out of the pits, while most of the rest of the field put new tires on their cars. Allgaier seemed to have a communication error, which is why he stayed out.

Creed and Allgaier restarted the race on the front row with 17 to go. Allgaier immediately pulled away into the lead. Before they could get to turn two, Jones got turned by Zilisch. Jones turned into Blaine Perkins, who turned into Harrison Burton, Christian Eckes, and Sammy Smith.

More Cautions (Cont’d)

Jeb Burton and Allgaier took the front row on the restart with 12 laps to go. Allgaier again took the lead into turn one. Before they could get back up to speed, another caution was thrown when Katherine Legge and JJ Yeley got into each other. Yeley got into the left rear of Legge, sending them both sideways through the infield.

Burton and Allgaier, again, take the green flag to restart the race. Allgaier took the lead into turn one. Burton fell back immediately. Byron got back onto the podium after all of the cautions. The tenth caution came out when Jones got into the outside fence, and Honeyman ran into the back of him. That collected Kyle Sieg and Legge. The caution was extended when a tire came off the car of Daniel Dye.

Overtime in Charlotte

Allgaier got a great restart on the inside of Zilisch. Byron drove underneath Zilisch to take second. Byron used his fresh tires and the outside line to get back into the lead. He took the white flag and then the yellow to complete the sweep and win the BetMGM 300! As the field was coming to the checkered flag, Jeb Burton and Brennan Poole wrecked in turn four to bring out the yellow. Byron is declared the winner!

Marvin’s Minute:

A wreckfest to finish the race is never a good thing. Charlotte is not a wide track, but it is fast. The saying goes, “Cautions breed cautions,” and that was the case. When you bunch up the field on a thin and fast track, it happens. It wasn’t a product of over-aggression, per se. It was an enjoyable race until it wasn’t. The Xfinity Series continues its season in Nashville for the Tennessee Lottery 250.