Ag-Pro 300

Austin Hill picked up his third win of the season, and first career win at Talladega Superspeedway in the Ag-Pro 300 under caution. Jeb Burton had a strong run all day and finished second with Richard Childress Racing Jesse Love, who had a dominating day, finishing third.  Justin Allgaier and Matt DiBenedetto finished fourth and fifth respectively, giving Chevrolet a sweep of the top five positions.

Jesse Love started out front with his RCR teammate Austin Hill beside him. Love jumped out front and stayed there throughout stage 1 for his first stage win of the year.

Stage 2 started the way stage 1 finished, with Love leading the field to the green flag. Christian Eckes led the first green flag lap of the stage, but Love took the lead back on the next lap. Jeb Burton grabbed the lead from Love halfway through the stage. Hill passed Jeb Burton with a hand full of laps left and held on for the stage 2 win.

Love started the final stage up front after finishing second in stage 2 and beating his teammate out of the pits. Love and several of the Chevrolet cars made a green flag pit stop giving the lead to Brandon Jones on lap 69. Jones and several Toyota and Ford drivers pitted with 39 laps remaining. Katerine Legge led two laps before coming in for her pit stop giving the lead over to Greg Van Alst who led one lap. Sheldon Creed was in the lead with 35 laps remaining when Sammy Smith was involved in a wreck as Jeb Burton clipped the back of Smith’s car. There were other cars with damage from the accident but the one who came out with the worst damage was Ryan Seig who was unable to continue. Creed led ten laps before getting shuffled back and Jones took the lead back for a lap before being passed by Love. Love led a couple of laps before Connor Zilisch made a move to get around him. Zilisch was out front for several laps before Hill got around him with 15 laps remaining. With 13 laps to go, Aric Almirola pulled up in front of Legge and was sent into the outside wall on the back stretch, taking them both out of the race. Jones and Jeffery Earnhardt were also damaged in the incident. With six laps to go the green flag came back out and Nick Sanchez was able to lead a lap before Zilisch got back to the lead. Zilisch wrecked on the backstretch of the final lap and when the caution came out, Hill was out front, just ahead of Jeb Burton.

After fourteen cautions flags, the overtime restart had Sammy Smith in the lead with Tanner Gray beside him. Jesse Love who started third on the restart, passed both of them to take the checkered flag for the second time of the season at Rockingham Speedway in the North Carolina Education Lottery 250. Sammy Smith finished second and took home the $100,000 Dash For Cash winnings and after post-race inspection, Love was disqualified handing the win to Smith. In the rest of the top five there were some notable results.  Parker Retzlaff had his best Xfinity career finish in second place and Harrison Burton gave AM Racing its best-ever Xfinity Series finish as he came home third. Retzlaff’s teammate Brennan Poole finished fourth and rounding out the top five was Taylor Gray in the highest finishing Toyota.

Connor Zilisch earned the pole position, but he had to drop to the rear to start the race with Retzlaff starting second. When Zilisch moved to the rear, Nick Sanchez moved up to the front row and took the lead after the green flag dropped. The first caution came out on lap thirteen as Vicente Salas who was making his racing debut spun out. Sanchez led the first 45 laps, but on lap 46 we had a new leader in Jesse Love. On lap 52 Katherine Legge was hit from behind by William Sawalich.  Love stayed out front until 4 laps left in the stage when he pitted under caution. Sanchez assumed the lead and held it until the end of stage 1 for his first stage win of the year.

Carson Kvapil started out front for the beginning of stage 2. Sheldon Creed brought out the caution on lap 109 when he was hit by Justin Bonsignore. After most of the lead lap cars pitted under caution, Dean Thompson started out front with three laps to go in the stage and remained there to win his first career stage.

Ryan Sieg started the final stage up front and stayed there until Kyle Sieg spun out and Ryan Ellis got caught up in the accident with 69 laps to go. Ryan Sieg jumped back out front when the green flag dropped and stayed out front until the next yellow flag 24 laps to go when Blaine Perkins got into the outside wall. Once again, Ryan Sieg jumped back out to the lead on the green flag. Daniel Dye brought out the next caution when he spun out in turn three. Ryan Sieg could not maintain his speed during the caution due to his low fuel situation, therefore Sammy Smith moved up to the front row for the restart and there was a big wreck when the green flag dropped as Christian Eckes could not get started with fuel issues. Several of the top cars were damaged in the accident. With three laps to go the final caution flag fell as cars continued to run out of fuel and caused another pile up. The race was red flagged to clean up the mess and Smith was up front for the overtime restart. Love was able to execute a bump and run going into turn one and held on for the checkered flag.

Next up is Talladega Superspeedway next week. 

Kyle Larson had a dominate day at Bristol Motor Speedway in the SciAps 300 leading almost all the laps in the race and finishing two seconds ahead of Carson Kvapil. Larson followed up his second place finish the previous night in the truck race with the win. He lapped all the competitors except the top twelve place finishers. 

The race started with Kyle Larson leading the group to the green flag from the pole position with Coner Zilisch beside him.  The caution came out early in the race when Harrison Burton had a tire go down and Mason Maggio hit the wall. Burton was able to get his tire changed under caution and rejoined the field while Maggio headed to the garage.  Sheldon Creed was running in the 15thposition when he spun in turn four when Dean Thompson got into his rear and Brennan Poole could not avoid him, tearing up both cars. Larson held the lead for most of the first stage in a dominating performance but gave up the lead on the caution with seven laps to go in the stage. Sam Mayer jumped into the lead at the restart and held on to win the first stage.

Stage two started the way stage one was for the majority of the time, with Larson out front and dominating. Larson led every lap of the stage and lapped everyone from thirteenth on back.

At the start of the final stage, Allgaier was able to get in front of Larson to lead until Larson gave him a bump and took the lead back with 110 laps to go. The caution came out when Mason Massey spun coming out of turn four and William Sawalich could not slow down enough and ran into the back of Zilisch, ending the day for Sawalich. Larson led the last 110 laps and dedicated the win to Jon Edwards who passed away earlier this week. Kvapil finished second in front of teammates Allgaier in third and Sammy Smith fourth. Brandon Jones was the top finishing Toyota in fifth.  

Up next, the series will be in Rockingham for the first time in over twenty years. 

Brandon Jones had a strong car all day at Darlington Raceway in the Sports Clips Haircuts VFW Help A Hero 200 for Joe Gibbs Racing. Jones came into the race riding a 98-race winless streak and came out with a big win in the throwback race. He took the lead with 12 laps remaining and held off Hendrick Motorsports Cup driver Chase Elliott who finished second in one of the few times he will compete in the Xfinity series this year. 

The race saw nine different drivers in the lead with fourteen lead changes including Justin Allgaier who was able to keep his JR Motorsports Chevrolet up front the most leading a total of 56 laps and won stage 2 before settling for third place. After the race, Allgaier said “I am proud of Brandon Jones, I know how hard the kid has worked, he’s done a good job and I’m happy to see him get to victory lane’’. Allgaier was followed by teammates Ross Chastain and Carson Kvapil in fourth and fifth respectfully.

Sixth through eighth were all rookies as Conner Zilisch, Christian Eckes and Nick Sanchez had strong finishes with their first trip to “The Lady in Black”. Sammy Smith finished ninth and Sheldon Creed rounded out the top ten. 

The series returns to Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday for the SciAps 300. 

Austin Hill squeezed by the carnage in turn four of the last lap at Martinsville Speedway for his first career win at the track in the US Marine Corps 250, marking the 100th win in the series for Richard Childress Racing and paying him the $100,000 Dash 4 Cash bonus. Hill was able to skirt under the car of Sammie Smith after Smith took out the race leader Taylor Gray in his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

The race saw many aggressive moves that ended in damaged cars and hard feelings. There was a total of 14 caution flags for 104 laps, almost half of the race was run under caution, including one red flag incident that involved six cars. Nick Sanchez, Christian Eckes, Myatt Snider, Kyle Sieg, Josh Williams and Harrison Burton were all involved in the incident on the backstretch. Harrison Burton was involved in four of the incidents over the course of the race, while his cousin Jeb Burton who started in the rear of the field due to an issue with his battery during qualifying, worked his way up to the top ten at the final restart. Jeb Burton finished 11that his hometown track after getting involved in the last lap melee. After starting on the pole and winning both stages, Conner Zilisch was spun out on lap 177 and then he was involved in a three-car incident in turn four with two laps remaining to finish a disappointing 28th.

Sheldon Creed was once again a runner up with Justin Allgaier finishing third. Brennan Poole was fourth and Sam Mayer rounded out the top five in fifth. Next week the series will be in Darlington for the popular throwback weekend. 

The Hard Rock Bet 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway was dominated by Kyle Larson in the Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro until the caution flag flew with eight laps left, sending the race into overtime. Justin Allgaier was able to come out on top in a wild restart as Larson spun his wheels as Mayer got into his rearend.  Allgaier was able to hold off Sam Mayer who finished second. The rest of the top five was made up of Austin Hill finishing third, Larson fourth and Sheldon Creed in fifth.

Stage one began with Taylor Gray starting up front in the Joe Gibbs Racing Supra with Conner Zilisch beside him. Gray led the first seven laps until Justin Allgaier passed him in the JR Motorsports Camaro. Christian Eckes brought out the first caution on lap 17 with engine failure. Kyle Larson, making a rare appearance in the Xfinity Series, started 17 but took the lead on lap 26. The second yellow flag came out on lap 30 when Kris Wright spun out and the third caution flag came out as Justin Bonsignore spun with 8 laps left in the stage. Kyle Seig passed Larson with two laps to go but Sammie Smith made a last lap on Seig to win the stage.

Stage two began with Harrison Burton leading the field to the green flag, but Carson Kvapil passed him on the first lap. Jesse Love overtook Kvapil the next lap and held the lead for four laps before Sam Mayer overtook Love. Larson went back to the lead on lap 82 and held on for the stage 2 win.

The final stage started with Kyle Larson out front, and it stayed that way until the green flag pit stops. Nick Sanchez led one lap and Zilisch two before the lead cycled back to Larson. The caution came out with eight laps left in the race as Taylor Gray spun out coming out of turn four. Next week the series will be in Martinsville VA where Aric Almirola looks to win his third Xfinity race in a row at the track. Allgaier, Mayer, Hill, and Creed will run for the $100,000 Dash for Cash incentive.

Justin Allgaier was able to hold off Aric Almirola for his first NASCAR Xfinity Series win of 2025 in The Liuna! for JR Motorsports at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Allgaier led over half the laps in his Chevrolet Camaro and won stage one while finishing stage two in second. He has run well at the track amassing four second place finishes before finally being able to secure a win. With the win, the 2024 Xfinity Series champion is locked into the playoffs for this year.

Almirola had a strong car the entire race, but did not have enough to beat Allgaier. “You always hate to finish second, but Justin and that team was I felt like the class of the field today,” Almirola said.

Rounding out the top five were Richard Childress Racing teammates Jesse Love and Austin Hill in third and fourth respectively, while Sam Mayer finished fifth in his Ford.

Next week the series will be at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the first Xfinity Dash4Cash race. Allgaier, along with Love, Hill and Mayer will compete against each other with the  highest finisher among the four earning a $100,000 bonus.   Almirola, who is running a part-time schedule this year for Joe Gibbs Racing will not be running in Homestead race next week. 

Aric Almirola picked up another Xfinity Series win for Joe Gibbs Racing at Phoenix Raceway in the GOVX 200 race with a last lap pass of Alex Bowman in overtime. Almirola contacted Bowman while coming to the checkered flag and sent Bowman into the outside wall. Bowman held on to finish second while Brandon Jones came in third. 

Almirola, who has been running a part-time Xfinity schedule for last year and this year, won his eight-career win in the series. He led 25 laps over the course of the day. Bowman started on the pole in his first start in the series this year. In his post-race interview, he relayed his displeasure with the way Almirola raced him at the end. 

Rounding out the top five was Ryan Seig in fourth place, and Justin Allgaier was fifth. Next week the series goes to Las Vegas Motor Speedway.  

Connor Zilisch had an exciting day at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin Texas after winning the Focused Health 250. Zilisch started on the pole and dominated most of stage one but was sent to the rear of the field for pitting when pit road was closed with two laps remaining in stage one. Although he is only 18 years old, he worked his way back up through the field like an old pro. By lap 56 he had made it all the way back to first place when he passed his teammate for the day, Carson Kvapil, and would hold on for his first Xfinity Series win of the season.

William Byron finished second in the number 17 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet that Kyle Larson brought to victory lane last year in this event. Sam Mayer was third in a Ford while Austin Hill, coming off a victory last week in Atlanta, finished fourth. Rookie Christian Eckes finished fifth in his Kaulig Racing Chevrolet.

Next up on the schedule is the GOVX 200 at Phoenix Raceway on March 8. 

Austin Hill had another dominate performance at Atlanta Motor Speedway by leading for 146 of 163 laps and sweeping both stages in the Bennett Transportation & Logistics 250. Hill, a Georgia native, was able to win again at his home track for Richard Childress Racing. RCR now has both of their drivers locked into the playoffs as Jesse Love won last week in Daytona.

On the final restart with three laps remaining, Justin Allgaier was lined up beside Hill with his JR Motorsports teammate Sammy Smith behind him. Smith pushed Allgaier into the lead coming out of turn two, but instead of Allgaier moving up the track to block Hill, he remained on the bottom of the track with his teammate and Hill was able to get a push from Parker Retzlaff and regained the lead for the final time.

There was a multi-car wreck on the backstretch of the last lap, but NASCAR allowed the race to finish under the green flag as Hill secured his eleventh career Xfinity Series victory. Allgier finished second followed by Aric Almirola in third.

The series moves on to Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas for the Focused Health 250 where Kyle Larson won last year.

After watching his Richard Childress Racing teammate Austin Hill dominate the majority of the race before succumbing to mechanical issues, Jesse Love won the United Rentals 300 at Daytona International Speedway. It was Love’s second career win in the Xfinity Series and he secured his spot in the 2025 playoffs. Love was able to take the lead in overtime and took the white flag right as the last caution was issued for a multi-car wreck. Teammates Sam Mayer and Sheldon Creed came in second and third.