Justin Allgaier wins Xfinity Series race in overtime finish at Darlington

Justin Allgaier won the NASCAR Xfinity Series Steakhouse Elite 200 at Darlington Raceway Saturday afternoon in a dramatic two-lap overtime finish.

He outdueled his JR Motorsports teammate, Josh Berry, who had pulled ahead in Turn l, to take the lead for his second victory of the season and earn his 16th career win.

“Our car wasn’t as good as we wanted all day, but the guys down in the pits, they just kept fighting,” said Allgaier. “To check off Atlanta and Darlington, I couldn’t be more appreciative of this race team. We’re going to celebrate this one for a while.”

Josh Berry had to settle for second place, earning his fourth top-10 of 2021. He was also the highest finishing rookie of the race. Berry is currently scheduled to compete on a part time basis for JRM. He won at Martinsville Speedway in April and is trying to make the most of each opportunity.

“I’m mad,” Berry said. “I want to win. I’m racing for my life out here, man. We need to find a sponsor or something so I can run this thing full time. But it’s hard to be mad, coming here, running second, no practice, first time with these guys — that’s pretty incredible.”

Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Brandon Jones (No. 19) and Daniel Hemric (No. 18) finished in third and fourth, respectively. Jeremy Clements scored his fourth top-10 result of 2021 with fifth place.

Michael Annett, Brett Moffitt, Ryan Sieg, Alex Labbe and Harrison Burton rounded out the top-10 at Darlington.

Noah Gragson was originally scored in fourth at the end of the race but was disqualified due to a violation of Rule 20.14.c in the NASCAR Rule Book that reads, “All suspension mounts and mounting hardware must not allow movement or realignment of any suspension and/or drivetrain component beyond normal rotation or suspension and/or drivetrain travel.”

Gragson was relegated to a 40th place finish and was no longer eligible to receive the Dash 4 Cash bonus. He has already won two of the four events in the program. The $100,000 prize was ultimately awarded to AJ Allmendinger, who finished 12th and passed post-race inspection.

Wayne Auton, Xfinity Series director, stated that the Dash 4 Cash winners are routinely included in the post-race inspection for each of these races.

JR Motorsports will have the option to appeal the disqualification.

The last Dash 4 Cash race will be held at Dover International Speedway next Saturday, May 15, at 1:30 p.m. ET on FS1. Allmendinger, Allgaier, Berry and Brandon Jones will be eligible for the $100,000 prize.

UPDATED: #9 – Disqualified – Failed Post-race Inspection
NASCAR Xfinity Series Race Number 9
Race Results for the 2nd Annual Steakhouse Elite 200 – Saturday, May 8, 2021
Darlington Raceway – Darlington, SC – 1.366 – Mile Paved
Total Race Length – 148 Laps – 202.168 Miles