Justin Allgaier Gets First Pocono Win in Overtime

Justin Allgaier won the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Pocono Raceway on Saturday, snagging his fifth win of the 2026 season. Allgaier and the No. 7 JR Motorsports team battled Haas Factory Team’s Sam Mayer ferociously over the final stage of the race, before Mayer was shuffled back on the final restart.

With Saturday’s win Allgaier is now a 33-time victor in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. He’s now just five wins behind Carl Edwards for fifth on the all-time wins list.

Sam Mayer entered the day with four top-fives in the 2026 season. His No. 41 Chevrolet team could’ve greatly used a victory as they sit uncomfortably close to the Chase cutoff line. Mayer had comparable if not greater speed than Allgaier, but being caught behind teammate Sheldon Creed struck any remaining momentum with two laps to go.

“By the time [Creed] was there I couldn’t react to that just because I would’ve literally spun myself out,” Mayer said. “I’m very devastated right now because I just want to have a shot at it. I just feel like I haven’t really gotten a true shot at it when the white flag flies.”

Barely halfway through the season, Allgaier now has five wins in one year for just the second time in his career. Brent Crews finished second for Joe Gibbs Racing, followed by Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron. The Haas Factory Team duo of Sam Mayer and Sheldon Creed rounded out the top-five.

Late-Race Havoc

The winning restart! @J_Allgaier takes the lead on the final restart to secure his fifth win of the season. pic.twitter.com/mpWHVjMZLg

— NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts (@NASCAROReillyAP) June 13, 2026

The race’s penultimate caution occurred with 12 laps to go. Sammy Smith and Taylor Gray both spun independently of one another, highlighting recurring handling troubles on the aging Pocono surface. This bunched Mayer and Allgaier back up, though neither driver built up a runaway lead at any point during Stage 3.

Another caution waved on Lap 95 when Jeb Burton spun on the exit of Turn 3. He collected Lavar Scott and Dexter Bean with all three cars sustaining damage. Burton was apparently nudged by Parker Retzlaff, pushing him out of the racing groove. A red flag came out to prepare for another restart.

Early Race Summary

The field was barely up to speed when the first caution of the race flew. Corey Day’s No. 17 Chevrolet spun in front of traffic, with Jesse Love unable to avoid him in the No. 2 Chevrolet. Day’s car hit the inside wall hard to end his day before completing a lap, while Love was just barely able to limp around the track before retiring.

Joe Gibbs Racing swept the two stage wins Saturday, with Taylor Gray and Brent Crews earning ten-point bonuses. Viking Motorsports also made themselves known, with Anthony Alfredo spending time in the top-five under green in his No. 96 Chevrolet. Alfredo ultimately finished sixth.

Points Outlook

Justin Allgaier extended his commanding points lead from 179 to 250 on Saturday. As fate would have it, second and third-place Jesse Love and Corey Day scored no stage points and finished in the bottom two positions in the standings. Though fourth-place Sheldon Creed was competitive late, he was unable to make headway toward Allgaier.

Brent Crews currently holds the final Chase spot with seven races remaining until the cutoff, despite losing four starts to age restrictions. He has a three-point edge over Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Taylor Gray. Just eight points out is Rajah Caruth, who’s splitting the season between JR Motorsports and Jordan Anderson Racing.

Race Results