JR Motorsports Team Preview
TRACK – Phoenix Raceway (1-mile oval)
NXS RACE – Call 811.com Every Dig. Every time. 200 (200 laps / 200 miles)
TUNE IN – FS1, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90 at 4:30 p.m. (EST)
Sam Mayer
No. 1 Tire Pros Chevrolet
Mayer 2024 NXS Stats
Starts: 3
Wins: 0
Top 5s: 0
Top 10s: 0
Laps Led: 0
Avg. Finish: 28.3
Points: 24th
Sam Mayer heads back to Phoenix Raceway this weekend after coming off his best finish at the desert oval (fifth) in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship event last fall.
Saturday afternoon’s race in the “Valley of the Sun” will be the young 20-year-old’s sixth start at the 1-mile oval.
In 22 starts on tracks measuring 1-2 miles in length, the Franklin, Wis. native had tallied his first victory on an oval (Homestead-Miami 2023), 13 top-five and 22 career top-10 efforts.
Mayer is rolling in with another fresh paint scheme as he carries the black-and-red colors of returning partner, Tire Pros, their first race of the 2024 season.
Sam Mayer
“Phoenix is a fun track for me to run and I am ready to be those couple spots better for sure. Last week was super-tough not being able to get the laps to show the speed we had but I know this No. 1 team has worked really hard to give me a great race car we will show our strength this week and bounce back to get the momentum on our side.”
Justin Allgaier
No. 7 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet
Allgaier 2024 NXS Stats
Starts: 3
Wins: 0
Top 5s: 0
Top 10s: 2
Laps Led: 18
Avg. Finish: 15.3
Points: 8th
Justin Allgaier has placed third or better in two of the last three events in the “Valley of the Sun,” including a third-place finish in the 2023 season finale.
Overall, in 27 starts in Phoenix, Allgaier has scored two wins, 10 top fives, 18 top 10s and 544 laps led. Allgaier’s 18 top-10s rank first among all tracks he has competed on in the NXS, while his 544 laps led rank second overall, trailing only Bristol Motor Speedway.
Allgaier first visited Victory Lane at the 1-mile oval in this event in 2017 before returning in the fall of 2019.
Five of Allgaier’s 23 career victories have come on tracks 1-mile in length, including the aforementioned two at Phoenix, two at Dover Motor Speedway and one at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Justin Allgaier
“I always enjoy coming back to Phoenix, and this spring race has become such an important race as we look deeper into the season and to what is at stake when we are here in the fall. I know that Jim (Pohlman, crew chief) and everyone on this BRANDT Professional Agriculture team will give me a strong car this weekend that will be capable of running up front and contending for the win. Hopefully we can avoid any trouble out there and be right where we want to be at the checkered flag.”
Sammy Smith
No. 8 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet
Smith 2024 NXS Stats
Starts: 3
Wins: 0
Top 5s: 0
Top 10s: 2
Laps Led: 6
Avg. Finish: 13.7
Points: 9th
Sammy Smith’s first career NXS win came at Phoenix in this race last year after starting 11th and leading 92 laps.
Of Smith’s three starts in the last two years at Phoenix, he has finished inside the top-10 each time, with an average finish of 6.7.”
Smith has led 113 laps at the “Valley of the Sun” throughout the last two seasons.
On tracks measuring 1-mile or less, Smith has earned one victory, three top-fives and seven top-10 results in just 10 starts.
Sammy Smith
“I am pumped about going back to Phoenix where I secured my first Xfinity Series win last year. There are a lot of good memories there and I’m looking forward to getting back there with my new team and seeing what we can do with the Pilot Flying J Chevrolet.”
Brandon Jones
No. 9 Menards / Franklin-Little Giant Chevrolet
Jones 2024 NXS Stats
Starts: 3
Wins: 0
Top 5s: 0
Top 10s: 2
Laps Led: 0
Avg. Finish: 10.7
Points: 10th
In 36 starts on tracks measuring 1 mile in length in the NXS, Jones has recorded one win, four top-five and 14 top-10 finishes, while leading the field for 176 laps.
In his last five trips to the 1-mile oval Jones has had one top-five and two top-10’s with an average finish of 10.8
Jones’ lone win at Phoenix came in this race in 2020, where he crossed the finish line more than 3.5 seconds ahead of the second-place car.
Little Giant Pumps will adorn the hood of the No. 9 car this weekend. It will be both its first appearance on the No. 9 car and the first for the company in NASCAR.
Brandon Jones
“I’ve run really well at Phoenix in the past and I know we will have a fast Menards/Little Giant Chevrolet, so hopefully, we can get there this weekend and be competing for the win at the end. We’ve been fast all year, but just don’t have the finishes to show for it. This weekend we are determined to turn that around.”
JRM Team Updates
JR Motorsports at Phoenix Raceway: JR Motorsports has competed at Phoenix Raceway a combined 100 times in the NXS. In those starts at the 1-mile oval, the organization has recorded four wins, 26 top-fives and 53 top-10s. The average finish is 12.9. The most recent trip to Victory Lane at Phoenix was in March 2022 with Noah Gragson.
Souvenir Rig: JRM drivers Sam Mayer, Justin Allgaier, Sammy Smith and Brandon Jones will be signing autographs at the JR Motorsports / Legacy MC souvenir rig on Saturday, March 9 from 9:05 a.m. to 9:35 a.m. MST.
