This past Saturday, Phoenix Raceway played host to the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ CALL 811.COM EVERY DIG. EVERY TIME. 200, which had everything a race fan could ask for. The race started at 5PM EST/2PM CST, after NASCAR Cup Series regular, Alex Bowman, stole the pole from the regulars. The Tucson, Arizona native started alongside Sheldon Creed, who’s been hunting for his first NASCAR Xfinity Series victory since 2022. Bowman surged ahead, leading for the 45 laps, collecting the Stage 1 win from Aric Almirola. Throughout Stage 1, drivers battled heavily, as Justin Allgaier, Connor Zilisch and Creed rounding out the Top-5.
Stage 2 began and that’s when the race got good, as Bowman finally received a challenge from Allgaier and Almirola. Anthony Alfredo lost power on pit road, causing them to stall, prompting NASCAR to wave the yellow. On the next restart, Austin Hill misjudged the corner of Turn 3, slamming the inside wall, also tagging Dean Thompson and Sheldon Creed in the process.
The race returned to green on Lap 72 following the cleanup, with Bowman reclaiming the lead. However, Allgaier quickly surged ahead between Turns 1 and 2. Meanwhile, Ryan Sieg, who had battled his way into the Top 10 from the rear, saw his progress cut short when he smacked the Turn 4 wall. Also showing strength in Stage 2 were Brandon Jones and Aric Almirola once again, but it was Allgaier who ultimately won Stage 2, collecting those valuable points towards the Championship.
Stage 3 is always the money stage, and the NXS regulars knew they’d have to make their moves now, with just over 100 laps remaining. On Lap 148, Dawson Cram, who was driving for Mike Harmon Racing, spun into the Turn 2 wall. Cram was okay, as he hit the wall driver’s side first, but the car wasn’t’ unfortunately and the NASCAR officials brought out another caution to clean up. This worked to Sammy Smith’s advantage, as he had issues with his car.
The restart with 45 laps to go saw Allgaier prevail over Bowman and lead for 56 laps before the #07 of Nick Leitz backed into the wall with two laps remaining. This meant Allgaier would have to fight for the win at the same track where he clinched the championship last November. Leitz’s tire went down, coming to the Start/Finish line and this meant NASCAR Overtime would come into play.
On the final restart, Allgaier washed up into the Turn 2 wall, as Alex Bowman took the lead coming to the White Flag. On his tail were the Joe Gibbs Racing teammates of Aric Almirola and Brandon Jones, as Almirola nudged the quarter panel of Bowman. Right at the finish, Almirola slammed Bowman into the wall to win the race, using their cars up to his advantage. This was Almirola’s eighth-career win in the Series, and since he’s not running the full schedule, this win did not grant playoff eligibility. Almirola received prize money, a trophy and glory, as well as points towards the Owner’s Championship for the #19 Toyota Supra.
Coming out of Phoenix, Jesse Love leads the points over Justin Allgaier, as Allgaier is -2 to Love going into Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend. You can catch “The LiUNA!” this Saturday at 4:30PM EST/1:30 PM PST on the CW.
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