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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Justin Allgaier won the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Daytona International Speedway in double overtime Friday night for his first victory in 26 starts at the famed track.

The 37-year-old Allgaier had finished second at Daytona twice and even had the lead on the final lap in the season opener in February. He looked like he might have to settle for another runner-up but held off Sheldon Creed by 0.005 seconds after several late crashes led to two overtime restarts and 10 extra laps.

It was the fourth-closest finish in the history of the second-tier series.

“I’ve been coming to this place for a long time,” Allgaier said. “I wanted to win here so bad, and we’ve been so close. We did all we needed to do.”

Allgaier took JR Motorsports and team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. to Victory Lane. It’s a familiar spot for Earnhardt. Not so much for Allgaier, who was winless in four Cup Series starts at Daytona.

“This is Daytona. This is one of the most iconic places in the world, and I’m just so happy to be here,” Allgaier said.

It was Allgaier’s second victory of the season and 21st of his career. It leaves him in third place behind John Hunter Nemechek and Austin Hill with three regular-season races remaining.

Daniel Hemric was third, followed by Parker Kligerman and Cole Custer. Hill came home in 23rd, five spots ahead of Nemechek.

Hill and Trevor Bayne looked to be in control of the race late, but they started a multicar melee when they made contact with Chandler Smith following a restart with two laps to go.

Bayne was leading when Hill tried to pass on the outside. The two touched, causing both to wiggle in front of the field and setting off a chain reaction that ended with several cars wrecked.

The race first started getting wild near the halfway point. Three-wide racing at nearly 190 mph proved to be too much for drivers in the second-tier series.

Anthony Alfredo slid up the track ever so slightly, making contract with Brandon Jones, who then got loose and slammed into Brett Moffitt. Jones and Moffitt turned back across traffic and collected several competitors. Connor Mosack seemed to get the worst of it.

Also caught in the melee were Kyle Weatherman, Justin Haley, Kaz Grala, Joe Graf Jr., Ryan Sieg, Natalie Decker and Alex Guenette. It ended the race for six of those drivers.

HERBST FALTERS

Riley Herbst lost the 12th and final spot for the Xfinity Series playoffs. He entered the race three points ahead of Kligerman, but Herbst had a wheel issue early that caused his front-left tire to blow and left his car with significant damage. He was able to keep racing but finished two laps back in 30th.

Now Herbst is 20 points behind Kligerman.

ANDERSON RETURNS

Jordan Anderson, the son-in-law of Fox Sports analyst Larry McReynolds, made his first NASCAR start since getting badly burned in a fiery crash at Talladega in the Truck Series in 2022.

Anderson started on the last row in 37th place but benefited from all the late crashes and ended up 15th.

UP NEXT

The series moves to Darlington Raceway next Saturday. Noah Gragson won the event in 2022, the first of four consecutive victories for the former JR Motorsports driver.

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Crow-Armstrong stays hot vs. hometown Dodgers

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Crow-Armstrong stays hot vs. hometown Dodgers

CHICAGO — Most players are happy to be done facing the Los Angeles Dodgers, but Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong might not be one of them.

The Los Angeles native has torched his childhood team this season, including Wednesday night at Wrigley Field when he went 3-for-4 with a home run, two stolen bases and a career-high four RBIs, helping the Cubs to a 7-6 win. It came one night after Chicago beat L.A. 11-10, with Crow-Armstrong contributing another home run.

He was asked Wednesday whether his production has special meaning coming against the team he used to root for.

“Absolutely,” he said. “I mean, they are regarded as the best, and I think we’ve enjoyed being able to show that we’re right there with them, and yeah, it’s always a little extra special for me getting to do it against the team I grew up going to see.”

Crow-Armstrong erased a 2-0 Cubs deficit with an opposite-field, three-run homer in the fourth inning, then added a run-scoring single an inning later, which turned out to be the final run of the night for the Cubs.

Overall, he had four home runs and nine RBIs in the seven-game season series against the Dodgers, which the Cubs won 4-3 after losing the first two games in Japan in mid-March. But that was before the Cubs’ offense took off. They’re averaging an MLB-high 6.3 runs per game.

Crow-Armstrong’s season took off as well, starting over a week ago when the teams met in Los Angeles. In the 10 games since, the 23-year-old is hitting .400 with five home runs.

“He needs to send me a bottle of wine or some golf balls with all the success he’s had,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts quipped before Wednesday’s game.

Roberts and Crow-Armstrong exchanged pleasantries before the first game of the series, as the second-year player is friends with Roberts’ son, Cole. The two played against each other growing up.

“I got a couple different connections to Doc,” Crow-Armstrong said. “He’s so great.”

That’s the same word Crow-Armstrong’s teammates are using about him as he continues to impress both at the plate and in the field. According to ESPN Research, he’s the fastest player in Cubs history to reach five home runs and 10 stolen bases, doing it in 26 games.

Plus, his pitchers love seeing him patrol center field.

“Defensively, I got to say he’s probably the best,” Wednesday’s starter, Matthew Boyd, said. “And what he’s doing at the plate is no surprise.”

Crow-Armstrong showed signs of breaking out late last year but then struggled early this season before locking in during the Cubs’ most recent road trip. He said he got “on-time” with his swing while learning how to deal with failure better. He was asked how satisfied he is with his game right now.

“If it comes out in a win, it’s very satisfactory,” he said. “It makes me feel very content. I love being able to impact it in any way I can.”

So does his manager, who called Wednesday a “wonderful game” for Crow-Armstrong.

“He made his presence felt in a big way for sure,” Craig Counsell said.

Crow-Armstrong is quickly becoming a fan favorite, as the Cubs faithful are taking to his aggressive style of play. He was asked what it’s like to hear his name chanted when he comes to the plate after producing in previous at-bats.

“I’ve tried to tune that out,” he said with a laugh. “I was actually thinking about it yesterday and I was like, I got to be 0-for-20 when they’ve chanted my name. But they continue to chant and they get behind every one of us and it’s the coolest thing.”

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Dodgers’ Snell to pause throwing after discomfort

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Dodgers' Snell to pause throwing after discomfort

CHICAGO — Los Angeles Dodgers starter Blake Snell will back off his throwing program as he continues to recover from left shoulder inflammation, according to manager Dave Roberts.

“As he was playing catch, he just didn’t feel great,” Roberts said Wednesday afternoon before the Dodgers played the Chicago Cubs. “Right now, we’re going to slow play the throwing. Will probably get it looked at again when we get back home.”

Snell, 32, has been on the injured list since early April after making just two starts for the Dodgers. He signed a five-year, $182 million contract this past offseason.

Snell, who was set to throw a bullpen session Wednesday, felt discomfort in the shoulder while playing catch Tuesday. Roberts was asked how concerning the latest setback was.

“I wouldn’t say concerning because part of the messaging from us to Blake is, it’s about later on in the season and if there’s any type of discomfort, let’s not try to fight through it,” Roberts responded.

Snell is one of several Dodgers pitchers on the mend, including left-hander Clayton Kershaw, who pitched three innings in a minor league start Tuesday, his second rehab outing this spring.

“Velocity was good,” Roberts said. “Got into the fourth inning. He’ll make a start next week. Really positive stuff.”

The Dodgers also received positive news about right-hander Tyler Glasnow after he left his last start with leg cramps. His latest bullpen session went well, according to Roberts.

Meanwhile, Shohei Ohtani is throwing again after missing time on the paternity list. He’ll have another bullpen session Saturday as he recovers from elbow surgery, though the team still doesn’t have a timetable for his return to major league action.

The team was also without catcher Will Smith on Wednesday after he injured his wrist on a play at the plate in Tuesday’s loss to the Cubs.

“As he made the tag, his [left] wrist turned in and so there’s some residual soreness,” Roberts said.

Smith could get imaging done when the team returns to Los Angeles, but Roberts wasn’t overly concerned about the injury.

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Rangers’ Seager goes on IL with hamstring strain

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Rangers' Seager goes on IL with hamstring strain

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Texas Rangers placed shortstop Corey Seager on the 10-day injured list Wednesday because of a strained right hamstring.

Seager, 30, pulled up while running to first base in the sixth inning Tuesday at the Athletics and left the game. He started 21 of Texas’ first 23 games this season and is hitting .286 with four home runs and six RBIs. Seager has a team-high 17 hits since April 8.

The Rangers also called up infielder Nick Ahmed and designated left-handed pitcher Walter Pennington for assignment. Ahmed, 35, is seeking to appear in a major league game for the 12th consecutive season. He has played for Arizona (2014-23), San Francisco (2024), the Los Angeles Dodgers (2024) and San Diego (2024).

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