Experience edged out dominance at Phoenix Raceway on Saturday night. JR Motorsports veteran Justin Allgaier surged late in the GOVX 200, leading only the final 11 laps to secure his third career win at the 1-mile Arizona oval.
With the victory, Allgaier officially overtakes the championship lead in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series.
It’s a @phoenixraceway hat trick for @J_Allgaier! 🏁🏁🏁 pic.twitter.com/VpeAuVoLME
— NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts (@NASCAROReillyAP) March 8, 2026
A Battle of Champions: Allgaier vs. Love
While Allgaier took the trophy, the night largely belonged to Jesse Love. The Richard Childress Racing driver continued his desert dominance, leading a race-high 114 of the 200 laps. After winning Stage 2, Love appeared to be the car to beat until late-race cautions reset the field.
Following a final restart with 15 laps to go, the two heavyweights went door-to-door. Allgaier, the 2024 series champion, used a daring outside move to clear Love, the 2025 champ. Allgaier crossed the finish line just .449 seconds ahead of Love to secure JR Motorsports’ 107th franchise win.
“It never gets old winning,” said Allgaier, who has now extended his record to 10 consecutive seasons with at least one victory. “This team rallied and never gave up.”
Heartbreak for Jesse Love
Despite earning a stage win and his fourth consecutive top-10 finish, the 21-year-old Love was visibly frustrated with the runner-up result.
“The car tightening up there at the beginning of Stage 3 put us behind,” Love noted post-race. “Obviously not why I’m here. Just beyond frustrated with myself.”
O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Phoenix Results
March 8, 2026
|
POSITION
|
START
|
LED
|
BEHIND
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
J. Allgaier #7
|
17
|
11
|
Winner
|
|
2 |
J. Love #2
|
2
|
114
|
0.449
|
|
3 |
C. Kvapil #91
|
14
|
22
|
0.879
|
|
4 |
S. Creed #00
|
16
|
20
|
2.984
|
|
5 |
S. Mayer #41
|
12
|
11
|
3.220
|
|
6 |
S. Smith #8
|
7
|
10
|
4.365
|
|
7 |
J. Burton #27
|
9
|
1
|
4.704
|
|
8 |
R. Caruth #32
|
25
|
1
|
5.086
|
|
9 |
C. Day #17
|
8
|
0
|
6.231
|
|
10 |
A. Alfredo #96
|
4
|
0
|
6.529
|
|
11 |
J. Clements #51
|
21
|
0
|
7.040
|
|
12 |
Austin Hill #21
|
13
|
0
|
7.045
|
|
13 |
W. Byron #88
|
6
|
0
|
7.294
|
|
14 |
P. Retzlaff #99
|
31
|
0
|
7.352
|
|
15 |
T. Gray #54
|
1
|
10
|
10.040
|
|
16 |
B. Jones #20
|
3
|
0
|
11.977
|
|
17 |
R. Sieg #39
|
18
|
0
|
14.057
|
|
18 |
B. Crews #19
|
5
|
0
|
23.114
|
|
19 |
J. Gase #35
|
35
|
0
|
29.612
|
|
20 |
D. Dye #52
|
29
|
0
|
1 Lap
|
|
21 |
C. Smith #5
|
24
|
0
|
1 Lap
|
|
22 |
A. Green #87
|
27
|
0
|
1 Lap
|
|
23 |
H. Burton #24
|
11
|
0
|
1 Lap
|
|
24 |
K. Sieg #28
|
10
|
0
|
1 Lap
|
|
25 |
D. Thompson #26
|
23
|
0
|
1 Lap
|
|
26 |
P. Staropoli #48
|
28
|
0
|
1 Lap
|
|
27 |
B. Poole #44
|
20
|
0
|
1 Lap
|
|
28 |
B. Perkins #31
|
26
|
0
|
2 Laps
|
|
29 |
G. Smithley #0
|
22
|
0
|
2 Laps
|
|
30 |
J. Bilicki #07
|
33
|
0
|
3 Laps
|
|
31 |
N. Byrd #42
|
32
|
0
|
3 Laps
|
|
32 |
M. Maggio #91
|
37
|
0
|
4 Laps
|
|
33 |
L. Scott #45
|
30
|
0
|
5 Laps
|
|
34 |
Austin . Hill #30
|
34
|
0
|
5 Laps
|
|
35 |
N. Sanchez #25
|
19
|
0
|
7 Laps
|
|
36 |
D. Cram #74
|
36
|
0
|
8 Laps
|
|
37 |
W. Sawalich #18
|
15
|
0
|
27 Laps
|
|
38 |
R. Ellis #02
|
38
|
0
|
187 Laps
|
