Image by Getty Images via @daylifeJustin Allgaier coasted to the win in Saturday night's STP 300 at Chicagoland Speedway, finishing 1.719 seconds ahead of Carl Edwards. Both Allgaier and Edwards ran out of gas on the final lap, but Allgaier ran out a few seconds after Edwards and had enough momentum to coast to the stripe.
It was Allgaier's second career Nationwide Series win, and the second win of the season for a Nationwide-only driver. It was Allgaier's first win at Chicagoland, the hometown track for the Riverton, Illinois, native.
With a long green run at the end, fuel became an issue for a lot of the field. Carl Edwards dominated the race, leading 144 of the 200 laps, but it appeared to be a two-car race with Edwards battling Elliott Sadler for most of the final quarter of the race. Edwards finally got around Sadler and led 24 of the final 25 laps. Allgaier was running a distant third, but was slowly reeling in the leaders as the laps wound down. Sadler had to pit with a tire going down with just six laps to go, ending his hopes for a victory.
As they began the final lap, Allgaier was close behind Edwards. Edwards ran out of gas as they were going into Turn Three. Allgaier swerved around him, then ran about 100 yards further before running of of gas himself.
Trevor Bayne, who made his return to the track after a six-race layoff due to a mysterious illness, finished third, the first car still under power. After the race, he lamented that maybe his team had tried to conserve too much gas at the end. If they had run a little harder sooner they might have been able to take advantage of the race leaders running out of gas in front of them. Aric Almirola finished fourth, Jason Leffler fifth. Allgaier, Bayne, Almirola and Leffler all scored their highest Nationwide finishes of the season. (Race results)
The tire going down cost Sadler the lead in the series points standings. Reed Sorenson, who finished sixth, moved ahead of Sadler, who finished 11th, by two points. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (-6) is now third, followed by Allgaier (-11) and Almirola (-46).
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