Written by Ashleigh McGregor, Edited by Gabriel Tsui
Justin Allgaier dazzled in Las Vegas with a dramatic victory. The Las Vegas Motor Speedway was a race weekend not to miss. With thrilling starts and tough battles to the end, the NASCAR Xfinity Series race had it all. Justin Allgaier took the win in the sparkling city of Las Vegas, claiming his first victory of the season and celebrating with donuts across the finish line.
As it unfolded
Lap one did not disappoint in terms of action. Just a few seconds into the start of the race came a big crash. William Sawalich slammed into the wall, causing other cars to get caught up in the wreck. The top few cars — No.8 Sammy Smith, No.1 Carson Kvapil and No.88 Connor Zilisch — had a great start despite this crash.
Zilisch started the race in third and was strong throughout the whole race up until the last pit stop. He eventually got slapped with a penalty for speeding on pit road, which ultimately took him out of contention for the top three.
Aric Almirola, the winner of the last Xfinity series race in Phoenix, was hoping to make it a back-to-back victory. Getting caught up in a bit of traffic, burning his front tyres along with the sheer speed of Allgaier’s car ended his chance of getting that win.
Almirola was keeping pace for the majority of the race with Allgaier, the possibility was definitely there but the cards were not in his favour in Vegas.
Allgaier put all his skills to use and defended his position from Almirola in the final laps, earning the 90th win in the Xfinity Series for his team, JR Motorsports. This victory was absolutely special for Allgaier, and having led over half of all the laps in this race, it was quite a show.
Dash 4 Cash
Winning in Vegas proved to be a successful gamble for Allgaier, as it solidified his qualification in the upcoming Dash 4 Cash race. This race will take place at the Homestead-Miami Speedway this weekend, with fellow drivers Austin Hill, Sam Mayer and Jesse Love also competing in the dash. Out of the four drivers- whoever comes out on top will win the whopping $100,000 bonus prize.
Championship Standings
Allgaier’s win pushed him to top of the standings in the Xfinity championship. With Jesse Love dropping to second and being just 19 points behind Allgaier. Sam Mayer, Austin Hill and Sammy Smith make up the remaining top five positions, in the order given.
Rounding up the remaining positions in the top 10 - Aric Almirola’s performance launched him up five spots. Sheldon Creed and Taylor Gray both dropped a position, to seventh and eighth, respectively. The rising star rookie Connor Zilisch has gained five positions and is now sitting in ninth place. Tenth in the standings is Ryan Seig.
Who is your pick to win the Dash 4 Cash?
Las Vegas Results
1. Justin Allgaier, No.7
2. Aric Almirola, No.19
3. Jesse Love, No.2
4. Austin Hill, No.21
5. Sam Mayer, No.41
6. Brandon Jones, No.20
7. Ryan Sieg, No.39
8. Harrison Burton, No.25
9. Connor Zilisch, No.88
10. Sheldon Creed, No.00
11. Kyle Sieg, No.28
12. Daniel Dye, No.10
13. Christian Eckes, No.16
14. Sammy Smith, No.8
15. Dean Thompson, No.26
16. Matt DiBenedetto, No.99
17. Carson Kvapil, No.1
18. Anthony Alfredo, No.42
19. Taylor Gray, No.54
20. Nick Sanchez, No.48
21. Parker Retzlaff, No.4
22. Brennan Poole, No.44
23. Jeb Burton, No.27
24. Jeremy Clements, No.51
25. Kris Wright, No.5
26. Blaine Perkins, No.31
27. Garrett Smithley, No.14
28. Patrick Emerling, No.07
29. Josh Williams, No.11 (Ty Dillon subbed in for Williams at end of Stage 1)
30. Leland Honeyman, No.70
31. Josh Bilicki, No.91
32. Dawson Cram, No.74
33. Joey Gase, No.53
34. Ryan Ellis, No.71
35. Greg Van Alst, No.35
36. Austin Green, No.32
37. Mason Massey, No.45
38. William Sawalich, No.18
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