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Celebrating its 75th Anniversary in 2023, the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States and owner of 16 of the nation’s major motorsports entertainment facilities. NASCAR consists of three national series (NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR Xfinity Series™, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series™), four regional series (ARCA Menards Series™, ARCA Menards Series East & West and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour™), one local grassroots series (NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series™) and three international series (NASCAR Pinty’s Series™, NASCAR Mexico Series™, NASCAR Whelen Euro Series™). The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. NASCAR also owns Motor Racing Network, Racing Electronics, and ONE DAYTONA. Based in Daytona Beach, Florida, with offices in eight cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico and Europe. For more information visit www.NASCAR.com and www.IMSA.com, and follow NASCAR on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat (‘NASCAR’).

Aric Almirola claims thrilling overtime Xfinity Series victory at Phoenix Raceway

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

March 8, 2025

 

By Holly Cain

NASCAR Wire Service

 

AVONDALE, Ariz. — Aric Almirola made a dramatic last-lap pass in overtime to claim the win in Saturday’s GOVX 200 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Phoenix Raceway, making door-to-door contact with Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman in the final two turns. The .045-second margin of victory was the second-closest finish in the track’s history.

 

Almirola led 25 laps on the afternoon, but his last-lap move to the checkered flag was the only one he led in the final 50 laps of the 208-lap event. His No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota emerged from a four-wide battle for the lead on the final restart with two laps remaining, then finally overtook Bowman less than 200 feet from the finish line.

 

It was the eighth career NASCAR Xfinity Series victory for the 40-year-old Tampa native, who has been racing part-time for JGR after retiring from full-time NASCAR Cup Series competition two years ago.

 

“I just knew I needed to get from there to here first,” Almirola said, standing by his car at the start-finish line. “I knew I was going to use him up a little bit, but was trying to win the race. I feel like it was warranted. I didn’t feel like I did anything overly egregious. I just throttled up, and it was a drag race to the start-finish line.”

 

Bowman, who drives the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, was making his first Xfinity start of the year for the team. He started on the pole, led the first 70 laps of the race, and won the opening stage. After the race, he expressed frustration over the contact between his Chevrolet and Almirola’s Toyota.

 

“I would have hoped he would have given me a lane on exit,” said the Arizona native. “He just exited like I wasn’t there. He was better than us for sure, but I was just trying to capitalize on that restart and try to win the race. I got shoved into the fence, and the race car is destroyed. Bummer for that, but hats off to the HendrickCars.com crew.”

 

Almirola’s teammate Brandon Jones finished third, followed by owner-driver Ryan Sieg and reigning NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Justin Allgaier, whose No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet led a race-best 130 laps and was out front on that final overtime restart.

 

Allgaier, who won the second stage, was understandably disappointed in both the restart and race outcome.

 

He got a good jump to the green flag on the restart but was quickly swallowed up in the four-wide battle out front. The result was particularly gut-wrenching considering he was also leading late in the track’s spring race last year when he had a tire problem with only five laps remaining and instead suffered a DNF.

 

“I thought the 19 [Almirola] was pretty good at the end of the run, and we were pushing pace when the caution came out,” Allgaier said. “I kind of knew we were a sitting duck. They blew all the marbles off the top [of the track] right in front of us leaders, and we just picked up a ton of trash on our tires.

 

“Just got into [Turn] 1 and had no grip,” he said of the restart. “I’m just sad about the finish for our Brandt Chevrolet. I thought it was really, really good. I thought we had the car to beat there.

 

“This one is going to hurt. I feel like the last three laps of this place have hated me over the last couple years. Even though we won a championship [here] last fall, it seems like no matter what, the last few laps haven’t been our deal. We’ll go back to the drawing board. Nothing to hang our heads about.”

 

JGR rookie Taylor Gray, Haas Factory Team’s Sam Mayer, Kaulig Racing rookie Christian Eckes, Richard Childress Racing’s Jesse Love, and Big Machine Racing rookie Nick Sanchez rounded out the top 10.

 

A trio of race frontrunners was taken out on Lap 63 when Daytona season opener winner Austin Hill said he misjudged the lower wall and careened back up the racetrack, collecting Haas driver Sheldon Creed and Sam Hunt Racing’s Dean Thompson.

 

“I just messed up and misjudged the inside wall, and that might be the dumbest move that ever happened to me in racing,” Richard Childress Racing driver Hill said. “I feel bad for those guys. It was 100 percent my fault. Just a misjudgment on my part.”

 

The accident was not only a big impact on the wall for Hill but also had an impact on the championship standings, dropping him to fourth place heading into Las Vegas Motor Speedway next week.

 

Love holds a two-point edge over Allgaier atop the standings.

 

The NASCAR Xfinity Series returns to competition next Saturday in the LiUNA! at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (4:30 p.m. ET on CW, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). John Hunter Nemechek is the defending race winner.

 

NASCAR Xfinity Series Race - GOVX 200

Phoenix Raceway

Avondale, Arizona

Saturday, March 8, 2025

 

                1. (8)  Aric Almirola, Toyota, 208.

                2. (1)  Alex Bowman(i), Chevrolet, 208.

                3. (16)  Brandon Jones, Toyota, 208.

                4. (30)  Ryan Sieg, Ford, 208.

                5. (14)  Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 208.

                6. (9)  Taylor Gray #, Toyota, 208.

                7. (13)  Sam Mayer, Ford, 208.

                8. (20)  Christian Eckes #, Chevrolet, 208.

                9. (5)  Jesse Love, Chevrolet, 208.

                10. (7)  Nick Sanchez #, Chevrolet, 208.

                11. (26)  Parker Retzlaff, Chevrolet, 208.

                12. (15)  Josh Williams, Chevrolet, 208.

                13. (6)  William Sawalich #, Toyota, 208.

                14. (3)  Sammy Smith, Chevrolet, 208.

                15. (11)  Jeb Burton, Chevrolet, 208.

                16. (4)  Connor Zilisch #, Chevrolet, 208.

                17. (23)  Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, 208.

                18. (32)  Kyle Sieg, Ford, 208.

                19. (17)  Daniel Dye #, Chevrolet, 208.

                20. (21)  Harrison Burton, Ford, 208.

                21. (19)  Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 208.

                22. (34)  Mason Massey, Chevrolet, 207.

                23. (22)  Josh Bilicki, Chevrolet, 206.

                24. (18)  Blaine Perkins, Chevrolet, 206.

                25. (33)  Kris Wright, Chevrolet, 206.

                26. (24)  Carson Kvapil #, Chevrolet, 206.

                27. (31)  Matt DiBenedetto, Chevrolet, 205.

                28. (37)  Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 205.

                29. (36)  Garrett Smithley, Chevrolet, 204.

                30. (29)  Nick Leitz, Chevrolet, 204.

                31. (38)  Greg Van Alst, Chevrolet, 201.

                32. (25)  Anthony Alfredo, Chevrolet, 193.

                33. (28)  Ryan Ellis, Chevrolet, 186.

                34. (27)  Thomas Annunziata, Chevrolet, 185.

                35. (35)  Dawson Cram, Chevrolet, Accident, 144.

                36. (2)  Sheldon Creed, Ford, Accident, 64.

                37. (10)  Austin Hill, Chevrolet, Accident, 61.

                38. (12)  Dean Thompson #, Toyota, Accident, 61.

 

Average Speed of Race Winner:  91.99 mph.

Time of Race:  2 Hrs, 15 Mins, 40 Secs. Margin of Victory:  .045 Seconds.

Caution Flags:  6 for 46 laps.

Lead Changes:  14 among 5 drivers.

Lap Leaders:   A. Bowman(i) 1-48;C. Zilisch # 49;A. Almirola 50-71;A. Bowman(i) 72;J. Allgaier 73-81;A. Almirola 82;J. Allgaier 83-93;C. Kvapil # 94;J. Allgaier 95-143;A. Almirola 144;J. Allgaier 145-149;C. Zilisch # 150;J. Allgaier 151-206;A. Bowman(i) 207;A. Almirola 208.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  Justin Allgaier 5 times for 130 laps; Alex Bowman(i) 3 times for 50 laps; Aric Almirola 4 times for 25 laps; Connor Zilisch # 2 times for 2 laps; Carson Kvapil # 1 time for 1 lap.

Stage #1 Top Ten: 17,19,7,88,00,8,48,20,2,41

Stage #2 Top Ten: 7,19,17,20,8,41,2,54,1,39

 

Connor Zilisch Overcomes Adversity to Win Road Race at COTA

Meg Oliphant/Getty Images

 

March 1, 2025

 

By Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

 

 

AUSTIN, Tex.—It’s hard to put Connor Zilisch off his game, as the 18-year-old road course prodigy proved once again in winning Saturday’s Focused Health 250 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Circuit of the Americas.

 

A commitment line violation couldn’t do it. Sent to the rear for pitting too when pit road closed suddenly for the race’s second caution, Zilisch restarted 32nd after the first stage break and drove though the field, taking the lead from Carson Kvapil on Lap 56 of 65 at the 2.4-mile, 17-turn circuit.

 

Hard contact with the Toyota of Corey Heim couldn’t do it. Fighting for position in the final stage, Zilisch slammed into Heim, knocking him off course. The wheel-to-wheel contact damaged the right front fender of Zilisch’s No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet and caused a serious tire rub under hard braking.

 

Hot pursuit from Carson Kvapil couldn’t do it. After making what proved to be the winning pass, Zilisch had to fend off his teammate until Kvapil’s right front tire went flat on Lap 60. That gave Zilisch all the breathing room he needed as he nursed his car to the finish line.

 

Runner-up William Byron trimmed a four-second lead to 1.639 seconds at the finish but couldn’t mount a challenge over the closing laps.

 

As a result, the pole winner had his second Xfinity Series victory, adding to his maiden win in his first start in the series last summer at Watkins Glen.

 

“That was way harder than I wanted it to be,” said Zilisch, who scored the much-needed victory after respective finishes of 27th and 34th in the first two races of the season at Daytona and Atlanta. “I did not drive a clean race at all … I was kind of mentally fogged halfway through that race.

 

“I made way too many mistakes … I was glad we were able to fight back.”

 

Byron was driving the No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet that won last year’s Xfinity race at COTA with Kyle Larson behind the wheel.

 

“My car was just kind of floppy in the short run, and I had to try to take care of it,” said Byron, who will defend his win in the NASCAR Cup Series race on Sunday. “I just tried to stay with it there in the long run … I had fun. It was a good workout.

 

“It was good to get back into the rhythm of things, pushing the car. I think it’ll help me for (Sunday).”

 

Zilisch is looking forward to Sunday, too. He’ll make his NASCAR Cup Series debut in the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

 

“It’s been a fun weekend, but we’ve got a big race tomorrow, so I’m looking forward to that as well,” said Zilisch, who will start 14th.

 

Sam Mayer ran third on Saturday, with Austin Hill, last week’s Atlanta winner coming home fourth. Hill charged from fourth to first after a Lap 46 restart when Zilisch and Kvapil ran wide into Turn 1.

 

But Hill’s lead was short-lived. When he over-drove Turn 6a on Lap 52, Kvapil shot past him into the lead, and Zilisch followed into second.

 

Four laps later, Zilisch had the lead for good, though Kvapil made it a contest until his tire deflated.

 

Christian Eckes finished fifth. Jesse Love, Taylor Gray, Ross Chastain, William Sawalich and Blaine Perkins completed the top 10.

 

--30—

 

NASCAR Xfinity Series Race - Focused Health 250

Circuit of The Americas

Austin, Texas

Saturday, March 1, 2025

 

          1. (1)  Connor Zilisch #, Chevrolet, 65.

          2. (3)  William Byron(i), Chevrolet, 65.

          3. (8)  Sam Mayer, Ford, 65.

          4. (12)  Austin Hill, Chevrolet, 65.

          5. (10)  Christian Eckes #, Chevrolet, 65.

          6. (11)  Jesse Love, Chevrolet, 65.

          7. (7)  Taylor Gray #, Toyota, 65.

          8. (2)  Ross Chastain(i), Chevrolet, 65.

          9. (23)  William Sawalich #, Toyota, 65.

          10. (18)  Blaine Perkins, Chevrolet, 65.

          11. (16)  Sammy Smith, Chevrolet, 65.

          12. (14)  Sheldon Creed, Ford, 65.

          13. (9)  Riley Herbst(i), Toyota, 65.

          14. (27)  Alex Labbe, Chevrolet, 65.

          15. (21)  Josh Williams, Chevrolet, 65.

          16. (34)  Ryan Ellis, Chevrolet, 65.

          17. (15)  Daniel Dye #, Chevrolet, 65.

          18. (30)  Dean Thompson #, Toyota, 65.

          19. (38)  Ryan Sieg, Ford, 65.

          20. (32)  Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, 65.

          21. (17)  Anthony Alfredo, Chevrolet, 65.

          22. (26)  Josh Bilicki, Chevrolet, 65.

          23. (5)  Carson Kvapil #, Chevrolet, 65.

          24. (19)  Nick Sanchez #, Chevrolet, 65.

          25. (29)  Jeb Burton, Chevrolet, 65.

          26. (20)  Austin Green, Chevrolet, 65.

          27. (36)  Kyle Sieg, Ford, 65.

          28. (35)  Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 65.

          29. (4)  Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 65.

          30. (13)  Brandon Jones, Toyota, 65.

          31. (6)  Corey Heim(i), Toyota, 65.

          32. (22)  Matt DiBenedetto, Chevrolet, 65.

          33. (33)  Kris Wright, Chevrolet, 64.

          34. (28)  Sage Karam, Toyota, Transmission, 58.

          35. (31)  Harrison Burton, Ford, Axle, 55.

          36. (25)  Preston Pardus, Chevrolet, Rear End, 26.

          37. (37)  Baltazar Leguizamon, Chevrolet, Suspension, 17.

          38. (24)  Carson Hocevar(i), Chevrolet, Accident, 3.

 

Average Speed of Race Winner:  70.095 mph.

Time of Race:  2 Hrs, 13 Mins, 32 Secs. Margin of Victory:  1.639 Seconds.

Caution Flags:  4 for 14 laps.

Lead Changes:  14 among 9 drivers.

Lap Leaders:   C. Zilisch # 1-5;R. Chastain(i) 6;C. Zilisch # 7-17;W. Byron(i) 18-20;R. Chastain(i) 21;T. Gray # 22-23;J. Love 24;T. Gray # 25;J. Love 26-30;R. Herbst(i) 31-37;H. Burton 38-42;C. Kvapil # 43-45;A. Hill 46-51;C. Kvapil # 52-55;C. Zilisch # 56-65.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  Connor Zilisch # 3 times for 26 laps; Carson Kvapil # 2 times for 7 laps; Riley Herbst(i) 1 time for 7 laps; Jesse Love 2 times for 6 laps; Austin Hill 1 time for 6 laps; Harrison Burton 1 time for 5 laps; Taylor Gray # 2 times for 3 laps; William Byron(i) 1 time for 3 laps; Ross Chastain(i) 2 times for 2 laps.

Stage #1 Top Ten: 17,9,24,41,7,21,16,8,42,07

Stage #2 Top Ten: 25,10,8,27,39,44,07,11,53,28

 

 
 

 

  Xfinity series

  2025 NASCAR XFINITY SERIES SCHEDULE

 

Date

Race / Track

Saturday, February 15

Daytona

Saturday, February 22

Atlanta

Saturday, March 1

COTA

Saturday, March 8

Phoenix

Saturday, March 15

Las Vegas

Saturday, March 22

Homestead-Miami

Saturday, March 29

Martinsville

Saturday, April 5

Darlington

Saturday, April 12

Bristol

Saturday, April 19

Rockingham

Saturday, April 26

Talladega

Saturday, May 3

Texas

Saturday, May 24

Charlotte

Saturday, May 31

Nashville Superspeedway

Saturday, June 14

Mexico City

Saturday, June 21

Pocono

Friday, June 27

Atlanta

Saturday, July 5

Chicago Street Race

Saturday, July 12

Sonoma

Saturday, July 19

Dover

Saturday, July 26

Indianapolis

Saturday, August 2

Iowa

Saturday, August 9

Watkins Glen

Friday, August 22

Daytona

Saturday, August 30

Portland

Saturday, September 6

World Wide Technology Raceway

Friday, September 12

Bristol

Saturday, September 27

Kansas

Saturday, October 4

Charlotte Roval

Saturday, October 11

Las Vegas

Saturday, October 18

Talladega

Saturday, October 25

Martinsville

Saturday, November 1

Phoenix (Championship)

 
       

 

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