AVONDALE, Ariz. — In a heart-pounding finish, Aric Almirola executed a daring last-lap pass in overtime to seize victory in Saturday’s GOVX 200 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Phoenix Raceway. The dramatic move, which included door-to-door contact with Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman in the final two turns, resulted in a razor-thin 0.045-second margin of victory—the second-closest finish in the track’s storied history.
A Stunning Late Surge
Almirola, piloting the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, led a total of 25 laps throughout the afternoon. However, it was his last-lap heroics that defined the race. Coming out of a thrilling four-wide battle for the lead on the final restart with just two laps to go, Almirola surged ahead of Bowman less than 200 feet before the finish line to secure the win.
For the 40-year-old Tampa, Florida native, this victory marks his eighth career NASCAR Xfinity Series triumph. Since stepping away from full-time NASCAR Cup Series competition two years ago, Almirola has been racing part-time for JGR and continues to make a strong impact.
“I just knew I needed to get from there to here first,” Almirola said at the start-finish line. “I knew I was going to use him up a little bit, but I was trying to win the race. I feel like it was warranted. I didn’t feel like I did anything overly egregious. I just throttled up, and it was a drag race to the start-finish line.”
Bowman’s Frustration
Bowman, who drives the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, made his first Xfinity start of the season and showed early dominance. After starting on the pole, he led the first 70 laps and won the opening stage. However, the late-race contact with Almirola left him disappointed.
“I would have hoped he would have given me a lane on exit,” said Bowman, an Arizona native. “He just exited like I wasn’t there. He was better than us for sure, but I was just trying to capitalize on that restart and try to win the race. I got shoved into the fence, and the race car is destroyed. Bummer for that, but hats off to the HendrickCars.com crew.”
Other Notable Finishes
Almirola’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Brandon Jones secured a third-place finish, followed by owner-driver Ryan Sieg in fourth and reigning NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Justin Allgaier in fifth. Allgaier’s No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet led a race-high 130 laps and was in the lead on the final overtime restart but ultimately fell victim to the intense battle for position.
Allgaier, who won the second stage, expressed his disappointment with the race’s outcome.
“I thought the 19 [Almirola] was pretty good at the end of the run, and we were pushing pace when the caution came out,” Allgaier said. “I kind of knew we were a sitting duck. They blew all the marbles off the top [of the track] right in front of us leaders, and we just picked up a ton of trash on our tires.
“Just got into [Turn] 1 and had no grip. I’m just sad about the finish for our Brandt Chevrolet. I thought it was really, really good. I thought we had the car to beat there.”
Early Race Drama
The race saw a significant incident on Lap 63 when Daytona season opener winner Austin Hill misjudged the lower wall, causing his car to careen back up the track. The collision collected Haas driver Sheldon Creed and Sam Hunt Racing’s Dean Thompson, leading to a premature end for all three.
“I just messed up and misjudged the inside wall, and that might be the dumbest move that ever happened to me in racing,” Hill admitted. “I feel bad for those guys. It was 100% my fault. Just a misjudgment on my part.”
The crash impacted Hill’s championship standings, dropping him to fourth place heading into next weekend’s race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Jesse Love now leads the standings by a two-point margin over Allgaier.
ARIC ALMIROLA GETS INTO ALEX BOWMAN AND WINS AT PHOENIX RACEWAY! 😱
📺: NASCAR_Xfinity pic.twitter.com/hcaxbBNj0G
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) March 9, 2025
Looking Ahead
The NASCAR Xfinity Series resumes action next Saturday in the LiUNA! race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (4:30 p.m. ET on The CW, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). John Hunter Nemechek, last year’s winner, will look to defend his title.
Following post-race inspections, Almirola’s victory was confirmed. The Nos. 18 and 20 cars were found with a single unsecured lug nut each, which will result in monetary fines but no competitive penalties.
Almirola’s thrilling last-lap move will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the most exciting finishes of the season, setting the stage for more high-intensity battles in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
Phoenix Raceway Xfinity Series Results
March 8, 2025
|
POSITION
|
START
|
LED
|
BEHIND
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
A. Almirola#19
|
8
|
25
|
Winner
|
|
2 |
A. Bowman#17
|
1
|
50
|
0.045
|
|
3 |
B. Jones#20
|
16
|
0
|
0.122
|
|
4 |
R. Sieg#39
|
30
|
0
|
0.492
|
|
5 |
J. Allgaier#7
|
14
|
130
|
0.508
|
|
6 |
T. Gray#54
|
9
|
0
|
0.616
|
|
7 |
S. Mayer#41
|
13
|
0
|
0.656
|
|
8 |
C. Eckes#16
|
20
|
0
|
0.779
|
|
9 |
J. Love#2
|
5
|
0
|
1.033
|
|
10 |
N. Sanchez#48
|
7
|
0
|
1.670
|
|
11 |
P. Retzlaff#4
|
26
|
0
|
1.712
|
|
12 |
J. Williams#11
|
15
|
0
|
1.743
|
|
13 |
W. Sawalich#18
|
6
|
0
|
1.907
|
|
14 |
S. Smith#8
|
3
|
0
|
2.179
|
|
15 |
J. Burton#27
|
11
|
0
|
2.184
|
|
16 |
C. Zilisch#88
|
4
|
2
|
2.277
|
|
17 |
B. Poole#44
|
23
|
0
|
2.281
|
|
18 |
K. Sieg#28
|
32
|
0
|
2.533
|
|
19 |
D. Dye#10
|
17
|
0
|
2.572
|
|
20 |
H. Burton#25
|
21
|
0
|
2.686
|
|
21 |
J. Clements#51
|
19
|
0
|
2.771
|
|
22 |
M. Massey#45
|
34
|
0
|
1 Lap
|
|
23 |
J. Bilicki#91
|
22
|
0
|
2 Laps
|
|
24 |
B. Perkins#31
|
18
|
0
|
2 Laps
|
|
25 |
K. Wright#5
|
33
|
0
|
2 Laps
|
|
26 |
C. Kvapil#1
|
24
|
1
|
2 Laps
|
|
27 |
M. DiBenedetto#99
|
31
|
0
|
3 Laps
|
|
28 |
J. Gase#53
|
37
|
0
|
3 Laps
|
|
29 |
G. Smithley#14
|
36
|
0
|
4 Laps
|
|
30 |
N. Leitz#07
|
29
|
0
|
4 Laps
|
|
31 |
G. Van Alst#35
|
38
|
0
|
7 Laps
|
|
32 |
A. Alfredo#42
|
25
|
0
|
15 Laps
|
|
33 |
R. Ellis#71
|
28
|
0
|
22 Laps
|
|
34 |
T. Annunziata#70
|
27
|
0
|
23 Laps
|
|
35 |
D. Cram#74
|
35
|
0
|
64 Laps
|
|
36 |
S. Creed#00
|
2
|
0
|
144 Laps
|
|
37 |
A. Hill#21
|
10
|
0
|
147 Laps
|
|
38 |
D. Thompson#26
|
12
|
0
|
147 Laps
|
