Justin Allgaier bounced back in style at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, claiming his first career win at the track after coming up just short with four runner-up finishes. The defending NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion redeemed himself following a disappointing fifth-place result at Phoenix Raceway, where a late restart cost him the victory despite leading much of the race.
At Las Vegas, Allgaier faced a tough battle with last week’s winner, Aric Almirola. In the final three laps, he pulled away after Almirola slowed on the high line, securing the win. The two drivers dominated the final 102-lap stretch of the 200-lap event. Although Almirola gained the lead during a pit cycle with 51 laps to go, Allgaier reclaimed the top spot a few laps later while navigating through traffic and never looked back.
After stepping out of his JR Motorsports Chevrolet, Allgaier expressed his excitement. “It was amazing,” he said. “This whole team—I just can’t say enough. Aric and I were going at it. Hats off to him; he ran a heck of a race.”
Almirola acknowledged that the pit cycle was his best shot at beating Allgaier but admitted he couldn’t hold him off during the long green-flag run. “You always hate to finish second, but Justin and that team were the class of the field today,” Almirola said. “I thought my only hope was to cycle in front of him on the green-flag stop, and we did, but I got caught behind some lapped traffic and misjudged their moves. He got by me, built a big gap, and I just used up my tires trying to catch him.”
Allgaier’s victory extends his streak to nine consecutive seasons with at least one win and marks the 90th win for JR Motorsports.
