Allgaier Puts Heartbreak Behind With Vegas Xfinity Win

Justin Allgaier celebrates in victory lane after winning Saturday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. (HHP/Jacy Norgaard photo)

LAS VEGAS – For the second time in as many weeks, Justin Allgaier found himself battling with Aric Almirola for a NASCAR Xfinity Series win, but this time there was no heartbreak at the finish.

Allgaier fended off Almirola at the close of a 102-lap green-flag run to the finish in Saturday’s LiUNA! 300, ultimately staking a claim on his first Xfinity Series victory of the season just seven days after being passed for the win during the final restart at Arizona’s Phoenix Raceway.

The defending Xfinity Series champion started sixth at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway, but took no time in asserting control at the 1.5-mile Sin City oval.

He drove past polesitter and JR Motorsports teammate Sammy Smith to lead for the first time on lap 14 and, from there, was out front three times for 102 of 200 laps – including topping the first 45-lap stage.

Almirola actually beat Allgaier off pit lane during the decisive round of green-flag pit stops with 55 laps left, but Allgaier struck back in traffic when Almirola was held up while trying to lap the slower cars of Kris Wright and Blaine Perkins on the backstretch.

That shift in momentum allowed Allgaier to shoot past on the bottom lane entering turn three, and once he got clear of Almirola, the die was cast all the way to the checkered flag.

The end result was Allgaier’s 26th career win and first at Las Vegas after four prior runner-up finishes.

“It was amazing,” said Allgaier, who took the lead for good with 49 to go. “This whole JR Motorsports team — I just can’t say enough about them and the effort they give every week. Aric and I were going at it. Hats off to him; he ran a heck of a race and I really had to earn it.

“Rick Brandt (of sponsor Brandt Professional Agriculture) was here last night. He took us to a great concert, (an) Eagles concert,” Allgaier added. “Everyone at JR Motorsports, I’m so proud of what we have here. It’s been special and we’re not done yet, by any means.”

Almirola was the best car in clean air during stage two, taking the lead on pit road during the first stage break and leading 51 consecutive circuits from lap 49 through lap 99.

But after rookie Connor Zilisch sailed around the outside of Almirola’s Toyota on lap 100 and the Tampa, Fla., veteran was shuffled back into a bit of turbulence, he never quite had the same edge again.

Justin Allgaier (7) leads Aric Almirola at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Saturday. (HHP/Tom Copeland photo)

Though Almirola trimmed Allgaier’s final-quarter lead down from more than two seconds to just a car length inside of five to go, he got wide off turn four on lap 197 and gave up six car lengths that he could never get back.

Almirola fell 1.067 seconds short in the end, though the runner-up finish marked his third podium result in three starts this season – including his Phoenix victory from March 8.

“You always hate to finish second, but I felt like Justin and that (No. 7) team was the class of the field,” Almirola said. “We were close, but they could just take off so much faster than I could. I think that was really the difference.

“My only hope was to cycle in front of him on the green-flag stop, and we did, but I just got caught up behind some lap traffic there that I misjudged,” he continued. “I wasn’t sure which way they were going, and he got by me and built such a big gap that I burned my tires up trying to get back to him.”

Jesse Love rallied from an uncontrolled tire penalty after stage one to finish third, just ahead of his Richard Childress Racing teammate Austin Hill, who battled through his own adversity in the form of a loose wheel to end up fourth.

Haas Factory Team’s Sam Mayer was fifth, followed by Brandon Jones, Ryan Sieg, and Harrison Burton.

Despite leading 28 laps, Zilisch ended up ninth as the final car on the lead lap, due to a pass-through penalty for speeding on pit road at lap 145. Sheldon Creed closed the top 10 after starting 23rd.

With his win, Allgaier assumed the regular season point lead by 19 points over Love.

The only caution flag aside from the two stage breaks came on the opening lap Saturday, when rookie William Sawalich got aero loose exiting turn two and pancaked the outside wall.

Sawalich was credited with last in the 38-car field, out after less than a mile in his first Las Vegas start.

NASCAR Xfinity Series teams return to action Saturday, March 22 at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway with the running of the Hard Rock Bet 300, the first race of the Dash 4 Cash bonus program for 2025.

Allgaier, Love, Hill, and Mayer became Dash 4 Cash-eligible as the top four series regulars from Las Vegas. The driver who finishes the best among the quartet at Homestead will earn a $100,000 payday.

Broadcast coverage of the Hard Rock Bet 300 is slated for 4 p.m. ET, live on The CW, the Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.