Getty Noah Gragson waves to fans at Darlington Raceway.
JR Motorsports is about to hit a massive milestone at Texas Motor Speedway. The NASCAR Xfinity Series team will make its 1,500th start during the SRS Distribution 250 (1:30 p.m. ET, FS1).
The four-car team will head to Texas Motor Speedway with 1,499 career starts in the Xfinity Series. It will leave with 1,503 after Noah Gragson, Josh Berry, Sam Mayer, and Justin Allgaier all battle for the checkered flag and the all-important playoff points. They will also try to cap off a momentous weekend with a special win.
From 1️⃣ start to 1️⃣5️⃣0️⃣0️⃣. Thanks to everyone who’s helped up get this far as we hit another milestone @TXMotorSpeedway this weekend!
The race will be critical for the continued development of Mayer. Gragson, Allgaier, and Berry all have playoff spots after winning races in 2022, but the driver of the No. 1 has yet to join them in Victory Lane. He will have another opportunity as he makes his second-ever Xfinity Series start at Texas Motor Speedway, a track where he finished 13th overall in his debut.
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The Journey to 1,500 Began Back in 2005
GettyBrad Keselowski celebrates a win at Nashville Superspeedway in 2008.
There have been numerous drivers that have made starts for JR Motorsports, dating back to Mark McFarland in 2005. This list includes Shane Huffman, Robby Gordon, Brad Keselowski, Martin Truex Jr., Landon Cassill, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Steve Arpin among many, many others.
Mark Martin is on this list, and he holds unique bragging rights. He is the first driver to reach Victory Lane for JR Motorsports. He captured the third race of the 2008 Xfinity Series season, which took place at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Brad Keselowski added wins at Nashville Superspeedway and Bristol Motor Speedway while Ron Fellows captured the win at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal.
A wide variety of drivers have combined to capture 62 total wins for JR Motorsports, including four in the 2022 season. They have also helped the organization secure top-10 finishes in 845 of the 1,499 starts (56%).
JR Motorsports Pursues Another Championship Trophy
GettyJR Motorsports celebrates a championship win in 2018.
The 2022 Xfinity Series season is only 11 races deep, but three members of the JR Motorsports roster have reached Victory Lane. Gragson, Berry, and Allgaier are all in the playoffs with an opportunity to pursue the organization’s fourth championship trophy.
Three previous drivers have taken JR Motorsports to the top of the mountain. Chase Elliott won the first Xfinity Series title for the company back in 2014 after winning three times and posting 26 top-10 finishes. William Byron captured the second in 2017, his lone Xfinity Series season, after winning four races.
Tyler Reddick won JR Motorsports’ third Xfinity Series championship during the 2018 season while helping the organization go back-to-back. Reddick won the first race of the year while driving the No. 9 Chevrolet, and then he capped off the year with a return to Victory Lane in the season finale.
Gragson and Allgaier have each reached the championship four in recent seasons and been within reach of the trophy. The driver of the No. 9 ended the 2021 season third in points while Allgaier finished second in 2020, fourth in 2019, and third in 2017.
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