Allgaier wins Bristol Stage 1 at Food City 300

NXTbets Pro | Published On: September 19, 2026

Allgaier wins Stage 1

Justin Allgaier opened the Food City 300 by winning Stage 1 at Bristol Motor Speedway, and he did it by running down Jesse Love in the closing laps before taking control late in the segment. Love started from the pole, with Sheldon Creed alongside him on the front row, but Allgaier found the speed he needed after the opening run settled in and made the decisive move when the stage tightened up at the end. Carson Kvapil finished third in Stage 1, Brent Crews was fourth and Love settled for fifth. Allgaier’s stage win gave him an early boost in a race that featured several drivers dealing with trouble before the segment was over. Jeb Burton, Rajah Caruth and Austin Hill each had tire issues earlier in the stage.

Creed leads standings

The Stage 1 win came with the championship picture already tight. Late-race trouble at Darlington and Gateway had erased Allgaier’s 200-point cushion and pushed him back to second in the standings before Bristol. Creed then moved into first and led Allgaier by three points heading into the race, turning every stage point into part of a larger fight for the top spot. That made the opening laps at Bristol matter even more, because both drivers entered the night with little separation and a long stretch still ahead in the schedule. With seven races left, the top 12 also included Taylor Gray, Austin Hill, Parker Retzlaff, Brandon Jones and Rajah Caruth, a group that kept the postseason race crowded and left little room for mistakes. The standings pressure gave the Bristol stage battle extra weight, and Allgaier’s move to the front fit the urgency around the points battle. Stage 1 gave him an important start.