JR MOTORSPORTS TEAM PREVIEW:
TRACK: Martinsville Speedway
RACE: Dead On Tools 250 (250 laps / 131.5 miles)
DATE: Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022
Broadcast Information – TV: 3 p.m. ET on NBC / Radio: 2:30 p.m. ET on MRN and Sirius XM Ch. 90
Sam Mayer
No. 1 Accelerate Professional Talent Solutions Chevrolet
• Sam Mayer currently sits seventh in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs, 28 points behind the Championship 4 cutline entering the Round of 8 finale at Martinsville Speedway.
• Mayer has made two NXS starts at Martinsville, notching a pair of top-five efforts. His average finish at the historic short track in those events is 4.5.
• Mayer’s earned an average finish of 6.0 in the two Round of 8 races leading up to this weekend’s cutoff race.
• In six starts on tracks measuring less than 1-mile in length, Mayer has only one finish outside of the top 10 with four top fives and five top 10s to his credit. His 6.2 average finish is his best on any style track in the NXS.
Josh Berry
No. 8 Tire Pros Chevrolet
• Josh Berry secured his first career NXS win at Martinsville during the spring race in 2021. Berry started 29th and led 95 laps to triumph in his first series start at the facility.
• In his first full-time NXS season, Berry is one of four drivers who will compete for a championship at Phoenix Raceway by virtue of his win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
• In 10 starts on short tracks in the NXS, Berry has one win, one top five and five top 10s with an average finish of 14.9.
• Berry is no stranger to success at Martinsville as he led every lap of the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 in a JRM Late Model in 2019 to secure his first of two Grandfather Clocks.
Noah Gragson
No. 9 Bass Pro Shops / TrueTimber / Black Rifle Coffee Chevrolet
• Noah Gragson qualified for the Championship 4 in the NXS Playoffs by virtue of his victory last week at HomesteadMiami Speedway. Gragson has won eight races in 2022, most in JR Motorsports team history for a single season.
• The now-24-year-old driver rallied to win this race last season, punching his ticket to the Championship 4 in a wild extra-distance finish to secure the final playoff spot.
• Gragson has been competitive and fast at MartinsvilleSpeedway in the NXS, amassing three top-three finishes while leading 211 laps and completing all 1,018 circuits in those four starts. Gragson also has a Truck Series victory at Martinsville, that coming in 2017.
Justin Allgaier
No. 7 BRANDT / iRACING Chevrolet
• Justin Allgaier enters the final race in the Round of 8 in the NXS Playoffs as the fifth seed, just five points below the cutline.
• In four previous NXS starts at Martinsville, Allgaier has scored two top fives and three top 10s, with a best finish of second coming in this event in 2020.
• In two career starts at the famed Virginia short track during the NXS Playoffs, Allgaier has finished no worse than fifth and has an average finish of 3.5.
• In 68 NXS starts on short tracks, Allgaier has earned four wins, 24 top fives and 41 top 10s. The Illinois native most recently went to Victory Lane on a short track in 2020 at Richmond when he swept the weekend double-header.
Driver Quotes
“We have been really fast at Martinsville the couple of times I have raced here with this Accelerate Professional Talent Solutions team. The first race we were able to come back after being three laps down to finish fourth and we were in contention at the end of the spring race this year, so my confidence is high for this weekend. Our goal is simple: we need to go out and win to put ourselves into the Championship 4.”– Sam Mayer
“We know what lies ahead for us this weekend in Martinsville. We are in position to fight for a chance to make it to Phoenix and race for a championship, and that is all that you can ask for. Martinsville has been a strong track for us in the past, and hopefully that can come to fruition again on Saturday. I know that everyone on this No. 7 team is locked in and ready to go out there and do what we need to do to advance. I’m ready to get there and give it all we’ve got.” – Justin Allgaier
“Martinsville is a special place to me. Between winning the Late Model race here in 2019 and following that up with the Xfinity win in 2021, it’s a track that really suits what I’ve done my entire career. I’m really looking forward to getting back to short-track racing and hopefully we can put this Tire Pros Chevrolet into Victory Lane to get us ready for Phoenix.” – Josh Berry
“Martinsville is always fun and we have had a lot of success there. Winning last year’s race was wild and we pulled off the victory we had to have to race for the championship. Luke (Lambert, crew chief) and the Bass Pro Shops/TrueTimber/Black Rifle Coffee team have given me great cars this year and I am stoked to go to Martinsville and hopefully contend for the win again, though it’ll be a lot less stressful this time around since we’re already locked in.” – Noah Gragson
JRM Team Updates
• JR Motorsports at Martinsville: JR Motorsports has competed at the “Paperclip” a combined 18 times in the NXS. Over the course of those starts at the .526-mile facility, the organization has tallied two wins, nine top fives and 12 top 10s. The most recent win for the organization came with Noah Gragson in 2021, which secured his opportunity to race for the NXS championship. JRM’s 66.7-percent top-10 rate at the facility is the second highest for the organization on any active track in the NXS.
• Bass Pro Shops: Now through Oct. 31, you can get $60 extra Club points when you shop Cabela’s MT050 Insulated Parka and Bib. Shop now. Remember, you earn free gear with your Bass Pro Shops Club Card. Take advantage of all the ways your Club Card can reward you!
• 10 Years of The BRANDT Foundation: Established in 2012, The BRANDT Foundation supports the Ag and social charities where BRANDT does business. Click here to donate to support their mission and to help those affected by Hurricane Ian through The BRANDT Foundation’s Hurricane Ian Relief Fund.
