BROOKLYN, Mich. (AP) — Justin Allgaier raced to his second Xfinity Series victory of the year and 25th overall, pulling away from the pack in an overtime finish on Saturday at Michigan International Speedway.
Allgaier broke a 10th-place tie with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Tommy Houston for victories in NASCAR’s second-tier series.
“Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would hit that number,” the 36-year-old Allgaier said.
Michigan’s two-mile oval became the 18th track where he has won a race.
Sheldon Creed was second for an 11th time, setting an Xfinity Series record for runner-up finishes without a win. He’s the only Xfinity Series driver to finish in the top five in 10 races this year.
John Hunter Nemechek, the Xfinity winner last year at Michigan, was third.
Creed and Sam Mayer were signed to multiyear contracts earlier in the day to drive in the second-tier series next season for Haas Factory Team, an offshoot of Stewart-Haas Racing.
The wet weather that washed out qualifying for the Cup Series, stopped the Xfinity event for nearly 10 minutes early and again toward the end of a race scheduled for 125 laps that went an extra three laps.
On the final restart, Allgaier broke free in the No. 7 Chevrolet before Kyle Sieg rolled over in a crash on the final lap to end the race. Sieg, who was able to get out of the car on his own, was treated and released from the infield care center.
Allgaier, who drives for JR Motorsports, also won this season in the series in May at Darlington Raceway. He has won at least twice for the fifth straight year in the series.
Shane Van Gisbergen, who was 17th in the 38-car field Saturday has a series-high three victories this year.
Five races remain in the regular season, with no weeks off, before the 12-driver playoffs begin Sept. 28 at Kansas.
Up next
The series shifts to Daytona on Friday night.
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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
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