Josh Berry leads Xfinity sweep for Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s team

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For the 2nd consecutive day, a nonplayoff operator showed his teammates the accelerated mode astir Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Part-time racer Josh Berry powered past Justin Allgaier with 17 laps near to pb a 1-2-3 JR Motorsports expanse Saturday of the Alsco Uniforms 302 NASCAR Xfinity Series playoff opener.

Berry’s triumph followed a akin show by chap nonplayoff operator Christian Eckes, who paced a 1-2-3-4 unprecedented decorativeness by ThorSport Racing drivers successful Friday’s Truck Series race.

Las Vegas’ Noah Gragson finished 3rd Saturday contempt being sent to the rear of the pb thigh doubly aft pit halt infractions.

“It was frustrating for me, but the apical 3 were Junior Motorsports cars, truthful awesome tally by everybody,” Gragson said of the squad headed by erstwhile NASCAR prima Dale Earnhardt Jr. “Not arrogant of my mistakes tonight. But apical three, I’ll instrumentality it.”

Berry, who won 1 contention successful 19 starts for the squad per his sponsorship plan, was subbing for the No. 1 car’s regular driver, Michael Annett, who suffered a accent fracture successful his limb during a July contention successful New Hampshire. Berry led 38 of the 201 laps and crossed the decorativeness enactment 4.398 seconds up of Allgaier.

Big wreck takes retired Herbst

A multicar melee connected thigh 32 eliminated 3 of the 12 Xfinity playoff drivers, including Las Vegan Riley Herbst.

A five-wide gaggle of cars went into the archetypal crook triggering the carnage that progressive 12 cars and besides knocked retired playoff contenders Jeb Burton and Jeremy Clements.

“Four-wide, 5 wide ever doesn’t enactment astatine Las Vegas Motor Speedway,” Herbst said aft his crumpled No. 98 South Point Ford was pushed down the wall. “Really disappointing.”

Matt Jaskol, the different Las Vegas operator successful the race, finished 27th aft skydiving onto the starting grid during the prerace ceremonies.

Milestone for Kurt Busch

He’s retired of contention for his 2nd Cup Series championship, but Las Vegan Kurt Busch volition person a batch to contention for successful Sunday’s South Point 400.

Not lone is helium the defending champion, but Sunday’s commencement volition beryllium the 43-year-old’s 750th successful the Cup Series.

“Twenty positive years successful the NASCAR Cup Series. To person been capable to vie astatine this level with immoderate of the champion teams successful the athletics and against the level of contention is specified a privilege,” said Busch, who past week moved past Sterling Marlin into 12th spot successful vocation starts.

“It is similar aging; the years look to spell faster. It seems similar 700 starts was conscionable a fewer weeks ago.”

Contact Ron Kantowski astatine rkantowski@reviewjournal.com oregon 702-383-0352. Follow @ronkantowski connected Twitter.

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