Justin Allgaier added another chapter to his Music City love affair, holding off a charging rookie to win NASCAR's O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Nashville Superspeedway and claim his third victory at the 1.33-mile Tennessee oval.
The 188-lap, 250-mile Sports Illustrated Resorts 250 began with RCR teammates Austin Hill and Jesse Love sharing the front row, and it was Love who grabbed the early initiative, clearing into clean air and setting sail at the front. With track position at such a premium on the high-banked superspeedway, the opening stage turned into a chess match of side-drafts and crossover moves, Hill, Love and Cory Day all trading the lead before Love banked the stage win.
The real drama came at the front in the closing stages, where Allgaier and 18-year-old Brent Crews staged one of the races of the season. Having led 50 laps and built a healthy advantage, the No. 7 driver suddenly had company as Crews, hunting his first career victory, refused to let the gap settle. The pair ran side by side for lap after lap, side-drafting down the straights and very nearly making contact through the corners as they sliced past lapped traffic.
Crews threw everything at the veteran, even leaning on Allgaier's bumper in a rare show of aggression with 17 laps to go. Allgaier, who could have raced his rival far harder, instead leaned on racecraft and clean exits to keep the youngster behind, repeatedly clearing the corner off turn four to deny Crews the run he needed down the front straightaway.
When the white flag flew, Allgaier had the momentum where it mattered and ran on to take the chequered flag, with Crews settling for a hugely encouraging second. The win was an emotional one for Allgaier and his JR Motorsports crew, who celebrated a result that tightened their hold at the top of the standings heading into an off weekend.
For Crews, defeat will sting, but the manner of his charge — wheel to wheel with one of the series' most accomplished operators — served notice that the rookie is fast becoming a winner in waiting. Behind the leading pair, the lead lap had dwindled to just a handful of cars, underlining just how punishing the long green-flag runs at Nashville had become.
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*Originally published on [Motorsports Global](https://motorsports.global/article/allgaier-holds-off-rookie-crews-for-third-nashville-win). Visit for full coverage.*
