By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service

Fresh from the announcement of his return to JR Motorsports next year, Noah Gragson sped to victory at Darlington Raceway on Saturday, clinching a spot in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs.

Noah Gragson, driver of the #9 Bass Pro Shops/TrueTimber/BRCC Chevrolet, celebrates in the Ruoff Mortgage victory lane after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help A Hero 200 at Darlington Raceway on September 04, 2021 in Darlington, South Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

After pre-race favorite Denny Hamlin was sent to the rear under penalty for an equipment violation during a pit stop under caution on Lap 139, Gragson grabbed the lead from Daniel Hemric on Lap 143 and held it the rest of the way.

Gragson’s victory in the Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help a Hero 200 at the 1.366-mile speedway was his first of the season, his first at Darlington and the third of his career.

After debris from a Hemric spin on Lap 144 caused the eighth caution of the afternoon and sent the race to overtime, Gragson surged ahead on the final restart and finished .218 seconds ahead of runner-up Harrison Burton.

Reigning series champion Austin Cindric ran third, closing to a single point his deficit to current series leader AJ Allmendinger, who finished 20th after pitting under the final caution because of a loose wheel.

“It’s been way too long,” said Gragson, who celebrated by climbing the frontstretch catchfence with his team after climbing from his car. “I hate that the 54 (Hamlin) … something happened to him on pit road. It was pretty fun racing there.

“We made good adjustments on the pit stops … And like you said, it’s been way too long. A lot of frustration this year, and things haven’t gone our way, but we’re getting some momentum when we need to, and I just can’t thank everybody enough on this No. 9 team.”

Hamlin appeared headed for his sixth Xfinity Series victory at Darlington when Brandon Jones spun off Turn 4 on Lap 138 of a scheduled 147. On the ensuing pit stop for new tires, Hamlin’s crew was penalized for bringing equipment over the wall too soon, ending the driver’s chances for a win.

Gragson took the checkered flag on Lap 152 at the end of the only overtime attempt. The victory marked his fifth straight finish of seventh or better.

Cindric took advantage of Allmendinger’s late issue to set up a tight battle for the regular-season championship with two races left before the 12-driver Playoff field is set.

“We did a solid job all day trying to execute but we weren’t perfect,” Cindric said. “I’m proud of what we gained today with the Snap-On Ford Mustang. It’s definitely the best race I feel like I’ve had at Darlington, just having the strength and not having too many weaknesses.

“As a team, that takes a lot of conversations throughout the week to try to get that right, so we righted a lot of wrongs for me at this race track today. I feel good about that.” 

Justin Haley, last weekend’s Daytona winner, finished fourth, followed by Kaulig racing teammate Jeb Burton. Justin Allgaier, Tyler Reddick, Jeremy Clements, Myatt Snider and Alex Labbe completed the top 10.

There were eight cautions for a total of 41 laps and 19 lead changes among eight drivers. Hamlin, who finished 12th, led a race-high 43 laps. Gragson was out front for 40 circuits.

According to Cindric, the fresh strip of pavement in Turn 2 seemed to gain grip throughout the race but did not play a significant role in the outcome.

“Today when we showed up it was a construction site, and now it’s a race track,” Cindric said. “That’s the way I see it. It’s dirty. It’s new asphalt. We’re the first cars to run on it. It gained grip throughout the day. It got cleaned throughout the day. It got more raceable throughout the day. I don’t think it will be much of a story line tomorrow (in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race).”

Interviews:

NASCAR Xfinity Series Post-Race: Race winner Noah Gragson (No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet)

NASCAR Xfinity Series Race – 39th Annual Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help a Hero 200

Darlington Raceway

Darlington, South Carolina

Saturday, September 4, 2021

               1. (8)  Noah Gragson, Chevrolet, 152.

               2. (6)  Harrison Burton, Toyota, 152.

               3. (24)  Austin Cindric, Ford, 152.

               4. (3)  Justin Haley, Chevrolet, 152.

               5. (5)  Jeb Burton, Chevrolet, 152.

               6. (4)  Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 152.

               7. (28)  Tyler Reddick(i), Chevrolet, 152.

               8. (15)  Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 152.

               9. (9)  Myatt Snider, Chevrolet, 152.

               10. (22)  Alex Labbe, Chevrolet, 152.

               11. (12)  Ryan Sieg, Ford, 152.

               12. (14)  Denny Hamlin(i), Toyota, 152.

               13. (10)  Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 152.

               14. (19)  Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 152.

               15. (16)  Josh Williams, Chevrolet, 152.

               16. (17)  Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 152.

               17. (31)  Colin Garrett, Toyota, 152.

               18. (26)  Mason Massey, Chevrolet, 152.

               19. (32)  Joe Graf Jr., Chevrolet, 152.

               20. (2)  AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 152.

               21. (20)  Jade Buford #, Chevrolet, 152.

               22. (39)  BJ McLeod(i), Chevrolet, 152.

               23. (33)  Matt Mills, Chevrolet, 152.

               24. (1)  Daniel Hemric, Toyota, 152.

               25. (27)  Ryan Vargas #, Chevrolet, 152.

               26. (21)  Jeffrey Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 152.

               27. (30)  Colby Howard, Chevrolet, 152.

               28. (23)  Brandon Brown, Chevrolet, 151.

               29. (35)  Austin Dillon(i), Chevrolet, 151.

               30. (18)  David Starr, Toyota, 151.

               31. (38)  Carson Ware, Chevrolet, 151.

               32. (34)  Jesse Little, Chevrolet, 150.

               33. (25)  Brandon Jones, Toyota, 146.

               34. (37)  Kyle Weatherman, Chevrolet, 134.

               35. (36)  Ryan Ellis, Ford, 133.

               36. (29)  Timmy Hill(i), Ford, Accident, 116.

               37. (13)  Tommy Joe Martins, Chevrolet, Accident, 108.

               38. (7)  Riley Herbst, Ford, Accident, 107.

               39. (11)  Sam Mayer #, Chevrolet, Brakes, 45.

               40. (40)  Gray Gaulding, Chevrolet, Electrical, 2.

Average Speed of Race Winner:  102.422 mph.

Time of Race:  2 Hrs, 1 Mins, 38 Secs. Margin of Victory:  0.219 Seconds.

Caution Flags:  8 for 41 laps.

Lead Changes:  19 among 8 drivers.

Lap Leaders:   D. Hemric 1-10;J. Allgaier 11-24;N. Gragson 25;J. Allgaier 26-30;N. Gragson 31-33;D. Hamlin(i) 34-44;D. Hemric 45-48;A. Allmendinger 49;J. Haley 50-53;A. Allmendinger 54-70;N. Gragson 71-92;A. Cindric 93;N. Gragson 94-97;A. Allmendinger 98-102;D. Hamlin(i) 103-110;A. Allmendinger 111;T. Hill(i) 112-114;D. Hamlin(i) 115-138;D. Hemric 139-142;N. Gragson 143-152.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  Denny Hamlin(i) 3 times for 43 laps; Noah Gragson 5 times for 40 laps; AJ Allmendinger 4 times for 24 laps; Justin Allgaier 2 times for 19 laps; Daniel Hemric 3 times for 18 laps; Justin Haley 1 time for 4 laps; Timmy Hill(i) 1 time for 3 laps; Austin Cindric 1 time for 1 lap.

Stage #1 Top Ten: 18,9,16,11,54,20,22,19,2,7

Stage #2 Top Ten: 9,54,22,7,18,16,20,31,11,2