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BRISTOL, TN - MARCH 16: Justin Allgaier, driver of the #31 Brandt Chevrolet, races during the NASCAR Nationwide Series Jeff Foxworthy's Grit Chips 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway on March 16, 2013 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images )
BRISTOL, TN - MARCH 16:  Justin Allgaier, driver of the #31 Brandt Chevrolet, races during the NASCAR Nationwide Series Jeff Foxworthy's Grit Chips 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway on March 16, 2013 in Bristol, Tennessee.  (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images )
BRISTOL, TN – MARCH 16: Justin Allgaier, driver of the #31 Brandt Chevrolet, races during the NASCAR Nationwide Series Jeff Foxworthy’s Grit Chips 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway on March 16, 2013 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images )

BRISTOL, Tenn. — Justin Allgaier had an eventful Nationwide race in Saturday’s Jeff Foxworthy’s Grit Chips 300. Allgaier, who captured the fourth pole of his series career, led the first 62 laps but was tagged with a speeding penalty on pit road. His day ended in a heated conversation with Chris Buescher, who finished one spot ahead of him in seventh.

Allgaier’s version: “The last lap, we went into Turn 3. There was a car on the inside so I protected the middle. Instead of his checking up and finishing the way (we were) he drove into the back of us.”

An accident on Lap 104 brought the Bristol safety crew to the assistance of driver Nelson Piquet Jr., whose car caught fire after a Turn 1 collision with Jamie Dick. Piquet scurried from the cockpit as flames leaked from the engine compartment. … Nationwide points leader Sam Hornish Jr. finished fourth, easily his best performance at Bristol where he’d never finished better than 10th in Nationwide or 25th in Cup. … Defending race champion Elliott Sadler started fifth but finished 36th, retiring with engine problems.

Greg Engle
About Greg Engle 7421 Articles
Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.