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Justin Allgaier holds off Connor Zilisch, wins Nashville Xfinity Series race

JHby: Jonathan Howard06/01/25Jondean25
Justin Allgaier NASCAR win Nashville
Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

What a way to bounce back for Justin Allgaier! He maximizes his points, sweeps the stages, and wins the race at Nashville. Connor Zilisch tried to take down his JR Motorsports teammate, but the veteran and defending NASCAR Xfinity Series champion wouldn’t let it happen.

Justin Allgaier had a heartbreaker last week in Charlotte. This week, he left no doubt. With the fastest lap, Allgaier even picked up the extra bonus point for tonight’s race.

This No. 7 team is really good when they are firing on all cylinders. If they can avoid those silly mistakes like not pitting when they should, these wins are going to start to stack up.

Connor Zilisch really tried to push Justin Allgaier in this race. Down the last 30 laps, Allgaier was able to pull away and leave his 18-year-old teammate behind.

This is the third win of the season for Allgaier. He has arguably been the most dominant front-runner in any national series this season. After tonight, he has almost a 100-point lead on second-place in points, Austin Hill. He is more than 200 points up on 6th place, Sheldon Creed.

Credit to the Xfinity Series, I expected tonight to be much messier. There were a few cautions for cause that shook things up. The most incidental moment was the Lap 100 restart to start the final stage. A stack-up through the field left Christian Eckes and others with wrecked race cars.

Justin Allgaier led 101 laps tonight. William Sawalich, who started on pole and ended his race early tonight, led the second-most with only 31 laps out front. The other drivers to lead double-digit laps tonight were Sheldon Creed (25) and Connor Zilisch (18).

Justin Allgaier is having dominant championship defense

Las Vegas, Homestead, and Nashville. Three intermediate tracks that Justin Allgaier has frankly dominated. He has shown that winning a championship was the worst thing that could happen to the rest of the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

This is the sixth time, and third race in a row, that Allgaier has led the most laps in the field. Even with a P35 DNF this season and a finish of P29 at COTA, his average finish this season has been 9.2. He’s been fantastic.

Small mistakes aside, like at Charlotte, Allgaier is the smartest and most experienced driver in the field. There is no one on his level in the Xfinity Series right now, and it shows on nights like tonight.

For Justin Allgaier, the sky is the limit in 2025. Right now, it doesn’t look like anyone will be able to keep him from winning his second Xfinity Series championship in a row. There is a lot of racing left to go before we crown a champion. It just doesn’t look like Allgaier can do any wrong.