Justin Allgaier celebrates with a burnout after winning Saturday at Nashville Superspeedway. (Danny Hansen/Nigel Kinrade Photography)

By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service

LEBANON, Tenn. (May 30, 2026) – After a brilliant and exhilarating door-to-door battle between veteran and rookie in the closing portion of Saturday night’s Sports Illustrated Resorts 250, JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier prevailed to hoist his fourth NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series trophy of the season.

The 2024 series champion had to hold off talented 18-year-old Joe Gibbs Racing rookie Brent Crews, who called the close-quarter racing at Nashville Superspeedway, “the most fun I’ve had without winning.”

Allgaier’s win in the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet – ultimately by 1.4-second over Crews – was his third at the 1.33-mile Nashville concrete oval and the 32nd overall win of his O’Reilly Series career.

It took hard, clean, side-by-side racing lap after lap for Allgaier to eventually get by Crews’ No. 19 Joe Gibbs Motorsports Toyota for good with 20 laps remaining and hold on to victory.

The veteran Allgaier celebrated by climbing out of his Chevy’s roof hatch then bowing to the Nashville crowd – an ode to the trademark winning celebration of two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch, who passed away last Thursday after being ill with pneumonia and sepsis.

“First of all, it’s been a rough couple of weeks, and lots of prayers to [Busch’s wife] Samantha and Kyle and [their children] Brexton and Lennix. It’s been an emotional couple [of] weeks,’’ said Allgaier. “This team, right here, they are incredible. To win in Nashville, you fans … this place is electric. I love coming to Nashville.

“I told them before the race, that we were going to go to victory lane,” added Allgaier, who turns 40 years old next week and is capping his winning weekend by running a triathlon in downtown Nashville Sunday. “What a race.”

Saturday’s strong effort marks Crews’ second runner-up this season. He led the race twice for a total of 45 laps – the most he’s ever led in a single race.

“Man, the positive was, I thought we were going to win that race,’’ Crews said when asked about the takeaway from the race. “I’m happy for our guys.

“Had to start 33rd and worked our way up to the lead and led a lot of laps and got to race one of the best guys in our series of all-time for the win in the last few laps,’’ he continued. “Couldn’t ask for much more, other than to beat him.”

Crews’ teammate William Sawalich finished third to claim his third-consecutive top five. Haas Factory Team’s Sam Mayer finished fourth – his fifth straight top 10 at Nashville – with another JGR driver in Brandon Jones rounding out the top five.

Corey Day, Carson Kvapil, reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson, Taylor Gray and Sammy Smith completed the top 10.

Smith, of note, is competing in the Nashville triathlon with his JRM teammate Allgaier.

Richard Childress Racing’s Jesse Love finished 16th after leading the most laps with 87. A later-race pit stop issue put the reigning series champion a lap down at one point before he rallied back.

He lost some ground in the title run and now sits 179 points behind Allgaier in the standings.

“Definitely really frustrating,” a disappointed Love said after the race. “Our Camaro was really fast, and I know we had a misstep on pit road, but we’ve got the best pit crew in the garage right now [and] it’s not even close.

“The only thing I can control is the way I prepare and keep showing up even when it hurts. I know right now, my path isn’t necessarily coming with a lot of wins, and that can be frustrating. But it’s the past now, so all I can do is keep showing up and preparing. It’s going to turn around. It has to. There’s no other possible way it’s not going to, and having faith in that will get me through all this.”

YouTube personality Cleetus McFarland finished 36th in his second O’Reilly Series start – rallying from a series of late race miscues and penalties to take the checkered flag in the No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet.

After a streak of 16 consecutive races, the series has its first off-week next weekend before returning to competition June 13 in the MillerTech Batteries 250 at Pennsylvania’s Pocono Raceway. Connor Zilisch is the defending race winner.

ARTICLE CREDIT: NASCAR Wire Service