Almirola Wins Phoenix Xfinity Race in Overtime

Nigel Kinrade

AVONDALE, AZ -RIS – An exciting three car march to checkered flag found Aric Almirola beating out Alex Bowman and Aric Almirola  on Saturday at Phoenix.  Almirola edged Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman to win the NASCAR Xfinity Series race Saturday at Phoenix Raceway after the two made contact coming to the checkered flag. Bowman, Brandon Jones, Ryan Sieg and Justin Allgaier rounded out the top five.

Bowman led into Turn 3 on the final lap but Almirola dove low to fight for the lead. Almirola’s No. 19 Toyota broke loose and slid up the track, putting Bowman into the outside retaining wall as both drivers exited the corner, allowing Almirola to prevail in the thrilling finish.

For the second consecutive year, Allgaier faced heartbreak in the Arizona desert. Despite leading 130 of 208 laps, the driver of the No. 7 Chevrolet slid up the track in Turn 2 on the overtime restart, costing him the race victory. The finish was very familiar.  Allgaier had a comfortable lead with five laps to go before a flat left-rear tire caused the defending Xfinity Series champion to snap around quickly, spinning hard into the Turn 1 wall.

It was a disappointing day for Austin Hill.  Hill  misjudged entry into Turn 3 and clipped the inside wall, collecting Sheldon Creed and Dean Thompson in a crash that ended the day early for all three drivers.

"I would’ve hoped that he would've given me a lane on exit, but he just exited like I wasn’t there," Bowman said.  "Which, he was better than us for sure, but [I was] just trying to capitalize on that last restart and trying to win the race and got shoved in the fence and the race car is destroyed."

Early on. Bowman dominated stage one as he led wire-to-wire to claim the stage victory. Almirola followed Bowman to the stage end in second, while Allgaier charged from his starting position of 14th to third in the opening 45-lap segment. Connor Zilisch finished fourth, while Sheldon Creed rounded out the top five finishers in stage one with a fifth-place finish.

In a departure from the first stage, Bowman was immediately challenged for the lead by both Allgaier and Almirola to open stage two. While the racing at the front intensified, an incident inside the top 10 changed the day for a few contenders when Austin Hill hit the inside wall and shot back up the track to collect Creed and Dean Thompson.

Taylor Gray Taylor Gray followed him home in the sixth position.

Sam Mayer overcame a stage two pit road penalty to finish seventh, while Christian Eckes finished a solid eighth. Jesse Love came home in the ninth position, with Nick Sanchez rounding out the top 10 finishers.

Unofficial Results: GOVX 200, March 8, 2025 - Phoenix Raceway
Fin, Str, Driver, Car, Laps, St1, St2, Tms Led, Laps Led, Playoff Pts, Pts, Status
1) Aric Almirola, No. 19 Younglife Toyota, 208, 2, 2, 4, 25, 5, 58, Running
2) Alex Bowman(i), No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, 208, 1, 3, 3, 50, , 0, Running
3) Brandon Jones, No. 20 Menards/Pelonis Toyota, 208, 8, 4, , , , 44, Running
4) Ryan Sieg, No. 39 Sci Aps Ford, 208, , 10, , , , 34, Running
5) Justin Allgaier, No. 7 BRANDT Chevrolet, 208, 3, 1, 5, 130, 1, 51, Running
6) Taylor Gray #, No. 54 Operation 300 Toyota, 208, , 8, , , , 34, Running
7) Sam Mayer, No. 41 Audibel Ford, 208, 10, 6, , , , 36, Running
8) Christian Eckes #, No. 16 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet, 208, , , , , , 29, Running
9) Jesse Love, No. 2 Samsara Chevrolet, 208, 9, 7, , , , 34, Running
10) Nick Sanchez #, No. 48 Big Machine Vodka Spiked Coolers Chevrolet, 208, 7, , , , , 31, Running
11) Parker Retzlaff, No. 4 FunkAway Chevrolet, 208, , , , , , 26, Running
12) Josh Williams, No. 11 Call811.com Chevrolet, 208, , , , , , 25, Running
13) William Sawalich #, No. 18 Soundgear Toyota, 208, , , , , , 24, Running
14) Sammy Smith, No. 8 Pilot Chevrolet, 208, 6, 5, , , , 34, Running
15) Jeb Burton, No. 27 Bommarito.com Chevrolet, 208, , , , , , 22, Running
16) Connor Zilisch #, No. 88 Roto-Rooter Chevrolet, 208, 4, , 2, 2, , 28, Running
17) Brennan Poole, No. 44 Frontline Fire Protection Chevrolet, 208, , , , , , 20, Running
18) Kyle Sieg, No. 28 TAP and Sons Electric Inc. Ford, 208, , , , , , 19, Running
19) Daniel Dye #, No. 10 bproauto Chevrolet, 208, , , , , , 18, Running
20) Harrison Burton, No. 25 DEX Imaging Ford, 208, , , , , , 17, Running
21) Jeremy Clements, No. 51 Alliance Driveway Solutions Chevrolet, 208, , , , , , 16, Running
22) Mason Massey, No. 45 Mongoose Power Solutions Chevrolet, 207, , , , , , 15, Running
23) Josh Bilicki, No. 91 Chevy Accessories Chevrolet, 206, , , , , , 14, Running
24) Blaine Perkins, No. 31 easycare Chevrolet, 206, , , , , , 13, Running
25) Kris Wright, No. 5 First National Bank Corp Chevrolet, 206, , , , , , 12, Running
26) Carson Kvapil #, No. 1 Bass Pro Shops/Clarience Tech Chevrolet, 206, , 9, 1, 1, , 13, Running
27) Matt DiBenedetto, No. 99 Viking Motorsports Chevrolet, 205, , , , , , 10, Running
28) Joey Gase, No. 53 NFPA Chevrolet, 205, , , , , , 9, Running
29) Garrett Smithley, No. 14 DozerWinchParts.com Chevrolet, 204, , , , , , 8, Running
30) Nick Leitz, No. 07 Warped Tour Chevrolet, 204, , , , , , 7, Running
31) Greg Van Alst, No. 35 Prescott Tire Pros Chevrolet, 201, , , , , , 6, Running
32) Anthony Alfredo, No. 42 Dude Wipes Chevrolet, 193, , , , , , 5, Running
33) Ryan Ellis, No. 71 Rolling Plains Construction Chevrolet, 186, , , , , , 4, Running
34) Thomas Annunziata, No. 70 Bayshore/Ashurst Honey Chevrolet, 185, , , , , , 3, Running
35) Dawson Cram, No. 74 Save22 Chevrolet, 144, , , , , , 2, Accident
36) Sheldon Creed, No. 00 Pit Boss Ford, 64, 5, , , , , 7, Accident
37) Austin Hill, No. 21 Bennett Transportation Chevrolet, 61, , , , , , 1, Accident
38) Dean Thompson #, No. 26 MCM Transportation Toyota, 61, , , , , , 1, Accident
(i) Ineligible for driver points, (#) Rookie

Race Distance: 208 Laps - 208. Miles
Time: 2 Hrs, 15 Mins, 40 Secs.
Average Speed: 91.99 MPH
Margin of Victory: .045 Seconds

Fastest Lap Bonus: No. 7, lap 102 / 28.022 sec

Stage 1 Top 10: 17, 19, 7, 88, 00, 8, 48, 20, 2, 41
Stage 2 Top 10: 7, 19, 17, 20, 8, 41, 2, 54, 1, 39

Comments: Aric Almirola has won the GOVX 200 at Phoenix Raceway, his eighth victory in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

Prior to the start, the following vehicle(s) dropped to the rear of the field under penalty for the reason(s) indicated: No. 18 (Unapproved Adjustments), No. 39 (Backup Car) and No. 99 (Engine).

Cautions: 6 for 46 laps;
Laps: 47-54 (Stage 1 Conclusion [42]);
57-61 (No. 42 Stopped On Pit Road [5]);
63-71 (No. 21, 26, 00 Incident Turn 3 [91]);
92-99 (Stage 2 Conclusion [31]);
148-154 (No. 74 Incident Turn 1 [28]);
198-206 (No. 07 Incident Turn 4 [45]).

Lead Changes: 14 among 5 drivers;
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.

Points Report: GOVX 200, Phoenix Raceway
Rank, Driver, Car, Starts, GL, Points, Ldr, Nxt, Race Wins, Stage Wins, Playoff Pts
1) Jesse Love, 2, 4, -1, 143, 0, 0, 1, 0, 5
2) Justin Allgaier, 7, 4, -3, 141, -2, 2, 0, 1, 1
3) Sam Mayer, 41, 4, -1, 130, -13, 11, 0, 0, 0
4) Austin Hill, 21, 4, 3, 123, -20, 7, 1, 4, 9
5) Sammy Smith, 8, 4, -1, 121, -22, 2, 0, 0, 0
6) Sheldon Creed, 00, 4, 3, 115, -28, 6, 0, 0, 0
7) Taylor Gray #, 54, 4, -1, 109, -34, 6, 0, 0, 0
8) Jeb Burton, 27, 4, 1, 107, -36, 2, 0, 0, 0
9) Christian Eckes #, 16, 4, 0, 103, -40, 4, 0, 0, 0
10) Ryan Sieg, 39, 4, -3, 102, -41, 1, 0, 0, 0
11) Aric Almirola, 19, 2, -16, 97, -46, 5, 1, 0, 0
12) William Sawalich #, 18, 4, 0, 92, -51, 5, 0, 0, 0
13) Harrison Burton, 25, 4, 3, 90, -53, 2, 0, 1, 1
14) Connor Zilisch #, 88, 4, -2, 89, -54, 1, 1, 0, 5
15) Josh Williams, 11, 4, 0, 89, -54, 0, 0, 0, 0
16) Nick Sanchez #, 48, 4, -4, 86, -57, 3, 0, 0, 0
17) Carson Kvapil #, 1, 4, 6, 81, -62, 5, 0, 0, 0
18) Jeremy Clements, 51, 4, 4, 80, -63, 1, 0, 0, 0
19) Daniel Dye #, 10, 4, 2, 78, -65, 2, 0, 0, 0
20) Brandon Jones, 20, 4, -9, 76, -67, 2, 0, 0, 0
21) Brennan Poole, 44, 4, -2, 69, -74, 7, 0, 0, 0
22) Matt DiBenedetto, 99, 4, 3, 66, -77, 3, 0, 0, 0
23) Blaine Perkins, 31, 4, -1, 61, -82, 5, 0, 0, 0
24) Dean Thompson #, 26, 4, 6, 60, -83, 1, 0, 0, 0
25) Josh Bilicki, 91, 4, 0, 59, -84, 1, 0, 0, 0
26) Ryan Ellis, 71, 4, 5, 58, -85, 1, 0, 0, 0
27) Leland Honeyman, , 2, 5, 50, -93, 8, 0, 0, 0
28) Joey Gase, 53, 3, 0, 47, -96, 3, 0, 0, 0
29) Anthony Alfredo, 42, 4, 3, 47, -96, 0, 0, 0, 0
30) Parker Retzlaff, 4, 3, -7, 44, -99, 3, 0, 0, 0
31) Kyle Sieg, 28, 4, -7, 35, -108, 9, 0, 0, 0
32) Kris Wright, 5, 4, -3, 32, -111, 3, 0, 0, 0
33) Jordan Anderson, , 1, 3, 30, -113, 2, 0, 0, 0
34) Alex Labbe, , 1, 3, 28, -115, 2, 0, 0, 0
35) Patrick Emerling, , 1, 3, 27, -116, 1, 0, 0, 0
36) Garrett Smithley, 14, 3, 0, 27, -116, 0, 0, 0, 0
37) Caesar Bacarella, , 1, 4, 24, -119, 3, 0, 0, 0
38) Mason Massey, 45, 2, -6, 24, -119, 0, 0, 0, 0
39) Nick Leitz, 07, 2, 0, 22, -121, 2, 0, 0, 0
40) Ryan Truex, , 1, 6, 20, -123, 2, 0, 0, 0
41) Greg Van Alst, 35, 2, -1, 17, -126, 3, 0, 0, 0
42) Justin Bonsignore, , 1, 2, 12, -131, 5, 0, 0, 0
43) CJ Mclaughlin, , 1, 2, 12, -131, 0, 0, 0, 0
44) Austin Green, , 1, 1, 11, -132, 1, 0, 0, 0
45) Mason Maggio, , 1, 0, 6, -137, 5, 0, 0, 0
46) Carson Ware, , 1, 0, 5, -138, 1, 0, 0, 0
47) Sage Karam, , 1, 0, 5, -138, 0, 0, 0, 0
48) Thomas Annunziata, 70, 1, -9, 3, -140, 2, 0, 0, 0
49) Dawson Cram, 74, 1, 49, 2, -141, 1, 0, 0, 0
50) Preston Pardus, , 1, 2, 1, -142, 1, 0, 0, 0
51) Baltazar Leguizamon, , 1, 2, 1, -142, 0, 0, 0, 0
52) William Byron(i), , 1, 2, 0, -143, 1, 0, 1, 0
53) Alex Bowman(i), 17, 1, 53, 0, -143, 0, 0, 1, 0
54) Ross Chastain(i), , 1, 3, 0, -143, 0, 0, 0, 0
55) Riley Herbst(i), , 1, 3, 0, -143, 0, 0, 0, 0
56) Corey Heim(i), , 1, 3, 0, -143, 0, 0, 0, 0
57) Carson Hocevar(i), , 1, 3, 0, -143, 0, 0, 0, 0
58) Brad Perez, , 0, 3, 0, -143, 0, 0, 0, 0
59) JJ Yeley(i), , 0, 3, 0, -143, 0, 0, 0, 0
 -Ldr/-Nxt = Points behind Leader/Next higher, (i) Ineligible for driver points in this series