JR MOTORSPORTS TEAM PREVIEW:
TRACK: Darlington Raceway
RACE: Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help A Hero 200 (147 laps / 200.8 miles)
DATE: Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023
Broadcast Information – TV: 3:30 p.m. ET on USA / Radio: 3 p.m. ET on MRN and Sirius XM Ch. 90
Sam Mayer
No. 1 Accelerate Professional Talent Solutions Chevrolet
- Sam Mayer will make his fifth start at Darlington Raceway this weekend, where he has raced his way to one top-five and two top-10 efforts, including finishes of 11th or better in his last three starts there.
- With 15 top 10s this season, Mayer is tied for third most among NXS regulars and leads all JRM drivers.
- In 32 starts on tracks measuring 1-2 miles in length, Mayer has scored eight top-five and 17 top-10 finishes, with his best of second coming at Fontana early this season.
- The No. 1 Chevy Camaro will return to the colors of Accelerate Professional Talent Solutions this weekend at the track “Too Tough to Tame.”
Josh Berry
No. 8 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Boats & ATV’s Chevrolet
- Josh Berry’s best finish in five starts at Darlington is second, coming in 2021. Berry dueled with teammate Justin Allgaier for the win in the closing laps in that race.
- In his five starts at Darlington, Berry’s best start is second, coming in the spring of 2022.
- With the cutoff for the NXS Playoffs just two races away, Berry and the No. 8 team will look to lock up a postseason berth this weekend. Berry and the team are currently sixth in the series standings, 110 points above the cut line.
- Berry has made 41 starts at tracks measuring 1-2 miles in length in the NXS and has scored four wins, 13 top fives and 23 top 10s.
Brandon Jones
No. 9 Menards/Klearvue Cabinets Chevrolet
- Brandon Jones has made 11 starts in the NXS at “The Lady in Black” and has compiled one win, two top-five and five top10 finishes. Jones’ win came during the 2020 season after taking the lead with two laps remaining.
- Three of Jones’ five career wins have come at the next pair of tracks on the NXS schedule (Darlington and Kansas).
- He has made 126 starts on tracks measuring 1-2 miles in length in the NXS and has recorded four wins, 18 top fives and 55 top 10s.
- Jason Burdett has gone to Victory Lane at Darlington with JRM as crew chief of its No. 7 team in 2021 and 2022.
Justin Allgaier
No. 7 Hellmann’s Chevrolet
- Justin Allgaier heads to “The Lady in Black” fresh off his second victory of the season, which he won in nail-biting fashion last weekend at Daytona International Speedway. With the win, Allgaier advanced to second in the NXS standings (-27) with just two races remaining in the regular season.
- In 16 career NXS starts at Darlington, Allgaier has scored two wins, seven top fives and 12 top 10s.
- Allgaier has been victorious in each of the last two seasons at Darlington, going to Victory Lane in the spring of 2021 and 2022.
Driver Quotes
“I am looking forward to getting back to Darlington this weekend. Daytona got us once again but I know we still have great momentum going that we can take to “the Lady in Black” and hopefully put this Accelerate Professional Talent Solutions Chevrolet back in Victory Lane.” – Sam Mayer
“I’m really looking forward to getting to Darlington this weekend. We finished second here in the spring and I can’t think of a better place to come to off of a win than here.We’ve had extremely strong cars the last couple of years here, and I feel very confident that our Hellmann’s Chevrolet will be just as fast again on Saturday. Hopefully, we can go out and execute the way we have been and continue to close that gap on the point lead and the regular season championship. We know what is ahead of us and what we have to do, now we just need to make it happen.” – Justin Allgaier
“We’ve run really well at Darlington in the past, and we need to run that way this weekend. We would like to start the playoffs with some momentum, and a win or a good finish here would help that along. Darlington is tough, but we’ve been second here so we proved we can do it. I knowthe Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Boats & ATVs Chevrolet is up to it and so is our No. 8 team.” – Josh Berry
“We were working our way towards the front when we visited Darlington a few months ago, but got caught up in someone else’s mess that ended our day. I know Jason (Burdett, crew chief) and this entire No. 9 team are working extremely hard to make sure we have that speed and a little more for this weekend. Darlington has been good to me in the past, and hopefully we can be in contention for the win at the end.” – Brandon Jones
JRM Team Updates
- JR Motorsports at Darlington: JR Motorsports has competed at the historic “Lady in Black” a combined 63 times in the NXS. In those starts at the 1.366-mile egg-shaped speedway, the organization has recorded six wins, 20 top fives and 40 top 10s. JRM has won four of the last five races at Darlington Raceway and holds a winning percentage of 9.5 percent, the highest of any active track in the NXS for the organization.
- Souvenir Rig: JRM drivers Justin Allgaier, Josh Berry, Brandon Jones and Sam Mayer will be signing autographs at the JR Motorsports / Legacy MC souvenir rig on Saturday, Sept. 2 from 1 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
