Austin Hill wins Xfinity Series race at Pocono Raceway

Here are some takeaways from a busy afternoon at Pocono Raceway:

Another strong finish for Daniel Hemric

The 2021 Xfinity champion crossed the finish line fifth at Pocono after starting on the front row next to Josh Berry. This marked his fifth consecutive top-10 finish and his third consecutive top five.

Hemric missed out on crucial points after four races outside of the top 10. This included a 22nd-place finish at Charlotte and 33rd-place finish at Portland.

The Kaulig Racing driver got back on track with an eighth-place finish at Nashville. This was the first of five consecutive top-10 finishes.

The race at Pocono was another solid outing as Hemric scored points in the first two stages. He then avoided a crash at the start of the final stage before finishing fifth.

A fuel gamble pays off

Riley Herbst entered the race weekend at Pocono on the playoff cutline. He had a slight advantage over Parker Kligerman, but his position was tenuous after three consecutive finishes 20th or worse.

Herbst’s new crew chief Davin Restivo took a big gamble. He had Herbst stay out on the track and try to save as much fuel as possible during the final stage.

This strategy put Herbst on the front row for a restart with fewer than 10 laps remaining. He was not able to keep the lead, but he remained in contention for a top-five finish after Connor Mosack sent the race to overtime by hitting the wall.

Herbst saved enough fuel to make it the extra laps, and he crossed the finish line fourth after Josh Berry and Ryan Sieg brought out the caution for the final time.

Herbst does not have a guaranteed spot in the playoffs, but he is 26 points above the cutline as the series heads to Road America.

A rough day for Joe Gibbs Racing

The Xfinity race at Pocono began with all three Joe Gibbs Racing cars in the first three rows. Connor Mosack was fourth, John Hunter Nemechek was fifth and Sammy Smith was sixth.

Smith was the only driver to crack the top 10 after the overtime finish. He crossed the line sixth after scoring points in the first two stages.

Nemechek, who entered the race as the point leader, ended the day 32nd after finishing third in the first two stages. He and Cole Custer crashed at the start of the final stage, which sent him down pit road for extensive repairs.

Nemechek was able to finish the race, but he was three laps behind the leaders.

Mosack, who brought out the caution and sent the race to overtime, was not able to complete the race. He left Pocono scored in the 34th position.

There were no new winners at Pocono Raceway on Saturday, but Austin Hill moved closer to the point leader.

Here are the points reports:

Click here for the driver standings l Click here for the team owner standings

Hill entered the weekend 33 points behind Nemechek. He had three wins, but his last was at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March. The situation changed at Pocono Raceway.

Nemechek finished 32nd after a crash in the final stage, and he left Pocono with 21 points. Hill won his fourth race of the season and left the 2.5-mile track with 41 points.

Hill is now only 13 points back of Nemechek with seven races remaining in the regular season. The two drivers have the same number of wins, but Nemechek has one more stage win. This gives him a one-point advantage in terms of playoff points.

JR Motorsports driver Justin Allgaier remains third in the regular-season standings. He is 55 points back of Nemechek and 42 back of Hill.

Austin Hill led two laps and won his fourth race of the Xfinity Series season.

Click here for where everyone finished at Pocono Raceway.

Click here for the cumulative race report.

Click here for the penalty report.

Austin Hill has stolen a win at Pocono Raceway after gambling on fuel and taking advantage of an overtime restart.

The Richard Childress Racing driver pushed Josh Berry to the lead on the overtime restart and then he dove to the inside as the JR Motorsports driver went too high into Turn 1.

Berry fought back and pulled up next to Hill entering the tunnel turn on the final lap. They made contact, which pushed Berry down the track. He came back up and hit Sam Mayer.

This contact flattened Berry’s tire, which sent him hard into the wall. This and Ryan Sieg spinning further back in the field brought out the caution for the final time.

Hill was in the lead, so he took the win. Mayer finished second. Chase Elliott, Riley Herbst, and Daniel Hemric rounded out the top five. Berry was scored 24th after hitting the wall.

A hard hit for Connor Mosack brought out the caution with four laps remaining and forced the field to prepare for a potential overtime finish.

The No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota slammed into the wall after Josh Berry passed both Riley Herbst and Austin Hill to take back the lead.

The JR Motorsports driver had a solid lead over Hill in second, but he had to prepare for another restart at Pocono Raceway.

This was less of a concern for Berry who had more fuel and fresher tires than the drivers behind him. Sam Mayer, Hill, and Herbst all had to worry about the amount of fuel remaining in their respective cars.

A late caution for Justin Allgaier spinning Joey Gase changed the situation at Pocono Raceway.

Brandon Jones had the lead with 11 laps remaining at Pocono. He tried to stretch his fuel after gambling by staying out on the track while other drivers made green flag pit stops.

The expectation was that Jones would not make it to the end of the race, nor would Riley Herbst in second and Sam Mayer in third.

Jones was actually preparing to make a pit stop when Allgaier hit Gase from behind and spun him toward the inside wall.

Jones headed down pit road with Allgaier and roughly half of the field. Riley Herbst stayed out and inherited the lead after he spent much of the final stage trying to save fuel.

This late caution set up a restart with fewer than 10 laps remaining. Herbst, Mayer, and Austin Hill were all on older tires, and they were close on fuel. Josh Berry and Chase Elliott were just behind them with fresher tires and enough fuel to reach the end of the race.

The Xfinity Series drivers have completed 65 of the 90 laps, and Chase Elliott has taken the lead after staying out during green flag pit stops.

There were multiple strategies on display during the final stage of the Xfinity race at Pocono. Sammy Smith went fuel only while Josh Berry and Justin Allgaier stopped for four tires and fuel.

Elliott, Brandon Jones, and Ryan Sieg all stayed out on the track and took the top three spots in the running order. Ty Dillon and Riley Herbst both moved into the top five after staying out.

Two championship contenders were involved in a crash on the restart that began the final stage.

The incident began as the drivers took the green flag. John Hunter Nemechek pushed Parker Kligerman as Sammy Smith pushed him.

The No. 20 Toyota moved back and forth before losing control and spinning into Cole Custer. The No. 00 Ford hit the wall.

Both Nemechek and Custer made it back to pit road with severe damage. Sam Mayer also headed to pit road with a damaged No. 1 Chevrolet.

Analyst Dale Earnhardt Jr. explained that older tires played a role in the incident. Multiple drivers were unable to get going on the restart, which stacked up the outside lane.

The Xfinity race at Pocono started with Josh Berry on the pole. The first two stages ended with him at the front of the pack.

Berry started stage 2 next to Cole Custer, but he quickly took back the lead. He went on to lead the rest of the laps in the second stage before holding off a hard-charging Justin Allgaier.

John Hunter Nemechek, Brandon Jones, and Custer rounded out the top five in stage 2. Chase Elliott was the top Cup driver in the field as he finished stage 2 in 11th.

Berry entered the Pocono weekend in a provisional playoff spot on points. He added 20 more in the first two stages along with two playoff points.

Sheldon Creed ended stage 1 in the fifth position. He had to restart stage 2 outside of the top 10 after issues on pit road.

Creed entered his pit stall during the stage break and waited as his crew conducted a four-tire stop on the No. 2 Chevrolet. He went to leave his stall but stopped after getting stuck behind Kaz Grala.

Creed had to put it in reverse and navigate around the No. 26 Toyota. This made him lose several positions.

Creed was not the only driver with an issue on pit road. Josh Williams of DGM Racing received a penalty for equipment interference that put him at the rear of the field.

Josh Berry won stage 1 after starting from the pole and leading the first 20 laps.

Daniel Hemric finished the stage second after putting more than three seconds between him and John Hunter Nemechek in third. Sammy Smith and Sheldon Creed closed out the top five.

Cole Custer was the only driver racing inside of the top 10 that chose to stop on pit road before the stage end. He headed to his stall with three laps remaining after complaining about brake issues.

Alpha Prime Racing’s Sage Karam had to head behind the wall for repairs early in stage 1. His No. 44 Chevrolet would only go into third gear. He fell several laps behind the leaders as the race remained green.

Josh Berry led the field to the green flag and then he used the outside lane to keep at the front of the pack. Daniel Hemric and Sheldon Creed slid in behind him.

The three Joe Gibbs Racing drivers filed in right behind the trio of Chevrolet drivers. John Hunter Nemechek had tried to gain some ground on the bottom lane, but he moved back behind Connor Mosack. Sammy Smith followed in sixth.

Sam Mayer got loose on the outside of Cole Custer in the first two laps, and he slapped the wall with the No. 1 Chevrolet. He avoided damage to the tires, so he kept racing inside of the top 10.

John Hunter Nemechek is the points leader as he enjoys a career season. He has four race wins and four stage wins, which have helped him build up a 33-point advantage over Austin Hill.

Nemechek’s best Xfinity finish at Pocono is seventh in 2018, but he has a Truck Series win at the track. Another strong performance could help Nemechek further build his lead.

He acknowledged the importance of strong finishes, telling media members at Pocono that he needs to “Keep winning. Win stages, win races. Just have solid days, no mistakes.”

Nemechek will start the Pocono race fifth. He will be next to teammate Sammy Smith and one row behind Connor Mosack, who takes over the No. 19 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing this week.

Other storylines to watch:

—Chevrolet drivers were under the spotlight during last season’s race at Pocono. Justin Allgaier and Noah Gragson split the first two stages while combining to lead 65 of the 90 laps. JR Motorsports teammate Josh Berry led nine laps. Ty Gibbs (Toyota) and Cole Custer (Ford) were the only non-Chevrolet drivers that finished top 10 at the 2.5-mile track. Custer is back for this season’s race, but Gibbs is now in the Cup Series.

—A trio of Cup drivers will be in the lineup for the 90-lap race at Pocono. Chase Elliott will drive the No. 17 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports as he makes his first Xfinity start since 2021. Daniel Suarez will drive the No. 10 Chevrolet for Kaulig Racing as he pursues his fourth series win. Ty Dillon will drive the No. 3 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing while chasing his second series win. His first was in 2014 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, another 2.5-mile track.