Justin Allgaier Survives Attrition-Filled Race to Earn First Pocono Victory

RPW EXCLUSIVE COLUMN BY: Steven Brien – RACE PRO WEEKLY – LONG POND, PA  – Justin Allgaier survived a caution-filled afternoon and held off Brent Crews and William Byron over the closing laps to win the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series MillerTech Battery 250 presented by KOA on Saturday at Pocono Raceway.

Allgaier led 35 laps and used a late push from Byron on the final restart to secure his fifth victory of the season, tying a career high for wins in a single year.

“Huge thank you to Byron,” Allgaier said after climbing from his No. 7 Chevrolet. “Without that shove at the end of the race, it was probably game over.”

“It means so much,” he added. “This season has been special.”

Crews finished a career-best second after winning Stage 2 and leading nine laps. Byron crossed the line third, while Sam Mayer and Sheldon Creed rounded out the top five.

Mayer led 16 laps and appeared to have one of the fastest cars in the closing laps and was in position to challenge for the win before he got put in the middle by Creed on the final restart and was shuffled back.

“The 00 [Creed] was trying to make a block or just kind of a push gone wrong,” Mayer said. “By the time he was there, I couldn’t react to that.”

“Just a really unfortunate circumstance,” he added. “One day it’s going to be my turn. I can’t wait.”

Anthony Alfredo finished sixth, followed by Rajah Caruth, Brandon Jones, Connor Zilisch and Carson Kvapil to complete the top ten.

The race featured 10 cautions and multiple major wrecks, beginning before the completion of the opening lap.

Corey Day spun exiting Turn 2 on the opening lap and was struck by Jesse Love before he slammed the inside wall. Nick Sanchez also sustained damage in the incident. Day and Love were eliminated from contention immediately.

Another multi-car accident occurred on Lap 8 when Ryan Sieg was turned by Austin Hill after William Sawalich got loose in front of the field. Sieg slammed the frontstretch wall, while Nathan Byrd crashed into the outside pit wall after contact from Cole Custer.

The caution flag would wave once again with eight laps to go in stage one, as Natalie Decker’s engine would expire, leaking fluid on the track.

Taylor Gray captured his first stage victory of the season when he passed Mayer entering turn one on the final lap of stage one just before a caution for a crash involving Sawalich and Zilisch.

Byron finished second in the stage, followed by Allgaier, Jones and Creed. Sammy Smith, Crews, Kvapil and Hill also earned stage points.

The attrition continued early in Stage 2 when Leland Honeyman Jr. and Patrick Staropoli crashed in Turn 3 after contact from Brennan Poole. Honeyman’s race ended in 33rd place.

A caution for Patrick Emerling’s spin with nine laps remaining in the stage changed the complexion of Stage 2. Crews stayed on track and used the restart to pass Parker Retzlaff for the stage victory, his second stage win of the season.

Allgaier finished second in the stage, followed by Retzlaff, Caruth and Byron. Zilisch, Mayer, Jeremy Clements, Alfredo and Kvapil rounded out the top 10.

The final stage featured four cautions in the last 20 laps.

Emerling crashed hard into the inside wall with 18 laps remaining after contact from Crews, bringing out the eighth caution of the day.

Moments later, Smith suffered a tire failure and crashed along with Alfredo. Gray was also spun after contact with Byron, triggering another caution.

The final yellow flag flew with six laps remaining when Smith got into Retzlaff, who then made contact with Jeb Burton. Burton hit the outside wall before being struck hard by Lavar Scott and Dexter Bean.

Allgaier maintained control through the final restart and pulled away over the closing laps to secure his first career victory at Pocono Raceway.

The NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series returns next weekend in San Diego. 

NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Race – Millertech Battery 250 presented by KOA

Pocono Raceway

Long Pond, PA

Saturday June 13, 2026

1. (4) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 100.
2. (8) Brent Crews (R), Toyota, 100.
3. (3) William Byron (i), Chevrolet, 100.
4. (7) Sam Mayer, Chevrolet, 100.
5. (16) Sheldon Creed, Chevrolet, 100.
6. (12) Anthony Alfredo, Chevrolet, 100.
7. (26) Rajah Caruth (R), Chevrolet, 100.
8. (1) Brandon Jones, Toyota, 100.
9. (14) Connor Zilisch (i), Chevrolet, 100.
10.  (6) Carson Kvapil. Chevrolet, 100.
11.  (23) Harrison Burton, Toyota, 100.
12.  (36) Cole Custer (i), Chevrolet, 100.
13.  (35) Dean Thompson, Toyota, 100.
14.  (17) Austin Hill, Chevrolet, 100.
15.  (13) Parker Retzlaff, Chevrolet, 100.
16.  (15) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 100.
17.  (2) Taylor Gray, Toyota, 100.
18.  (19) Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, 100.
19.  (5) Sammy Smith, Chevrolet, 100.
20.  (33) Blaine Perkins, Chevrolet, 100.
21.  (10) William Sawalich, Toyota, 100.
22.  (37) Josh Bilicki, Chevrolet, 100.
23.  (22) Nick Sanchez, Chevrolet, 100.
24.  (24) Ryan Ellis, Chevrolet, 100.
25.  (27) Patrick Staropoli (R), Chevrolet, 100.
26.  (9) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 100.
27.  (30) Carson Ware, Chevrolet, 100.
28.  (18) Jeb Burton, Chevrolet, Accident, 93.
29.  (25) Lavar Scott (R), Chevrolet, Accident, 93.
30.  (34) Dexter Bean, Chevrolet, Accident, 93.
31.  (28) Patrick Emerling, Chevrolet, Accident, 81.
32.  (20) Kyle Sieg, Chevrolet, DVP, 50.
33.  (29) Leland Honeyman Jr. (i), Accident, 36.
34.  (31) Natalie Decker (i), Toyota, Engine, 17.
35.  (32) Nathan Byrd, Chevrolet, Accident, 7.
36.  (38) Joey Gase, Ford, Engine, 3.
37.  (21) Jesse Love, Chevrolet, Accident, 1.
38.  (11) Corey Day, Chevrolet, Accident, 0.