There’s something about the postseason that just brings out the best in some drivers.
Such was the case with AJ Allmendinger, who led 102 laps en route to victory in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Ambetter Health 302 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Saturday (Oct. 19).
Allmendinger took the lead on pit road, getting out ahead of Justin Allgaier during the stage two break. He held the position even after a spin for Kyle Sieg brought out the caution with less than 30 laps to go.
However, Ryan Sieg‘s team brought a rocket ship, as the No. 28 made headway within the next 15 laps and began to battle the No. 16 for the lead.
A caution for a stalled Sammy Smith derailed Sieg’s efforts, bunching up the field for one last restart. Allmendinger shot out to the lead and held off Sieg’s advances to take the win and secure his position in the Championship 4.
Ryan Sieg was second, Allgaier finished third, Chandler Smith fourth and Parker Kligerman rounded out the top-five.
Winners
This was without a doubt Allmendinger’s best performance all season, and it came at an important time. He now has a chance to win an Xfinity championship before he heads back to the Cup Series next year.
The win was his seventh top-five finish of the year and second straight, finishing runner-up last weekend at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL. Though Allmendinger hasn’t led as many laps as some of his playoff peers, his ability to earn stage points (especially at Talladega Superspeedway and the ROVAL) helped him get to the Round of 8. Now with a win, he’ll hope to carry the momentum all the way to Phoenix Raceway.
Ryan Sieg may have been on the losing end of the battle, but he still had the chance to play spoiler. Plus, it was a big points boost for the No. 28 team, after he switched numbers with Kyle Sieg to help it in the owners standings.
After earning two top fives and four top 10s on the regular 1.5-mile tracks, Ryan Sieg and his team will be able to build on the success and race-winning speed for next year’s races.
Allgaier seemed to shake that monkey off his back that brought him bad luck over the past couple months. He led several laps early on and clearly had a fast No. 7, but a slightly slower pit stop allowed the No. 16 to be the control car on restarts. His car also seemed to change a bit when the sun went down (and a piece of debris and possible alternator issue didn’t help either).
Still, he overcame those troubles to come home third. Although Allgaier would like a win, he’s got to feel pretty good about a strong points day in Sin City.
Other drivers worthy of shoutouts are Jesse Love, who overcame damage that came from a stack up on the stage three restart to finish sixth, and Sheldon Creed finishing ninth after beginning the race in last place.
Losers
While one Kaulig Racing car finished first, another came home last due to a mechanical issue. Shane van Gisbergen‘s engine shut off after there was no fuel pressure. He brought it down to pit road around lap 32, and after the team looked under the hood, they pushed it into the garage for repairs. He would eventually come back and run another 45 laps before the car was retired for the day.
It certainly wasn’t what van Gisbergen wanted after getting eliminated from the playoffs last week at the ROVAL. He’ll look to have a better final three races before heading up to Cup full-time in 2025.
Taylor Gray was one of the victims in the stack up on a restart, getting turned by Sammy Smith (who also was hit from behind). Gray spun around and made contact with the wall, and he was never able to fully recover from the damage. It doesn’t help that he also sped on pit road during a green-flag pit stop cycle. He finished 33rd, while Smith was just ahead of him in 32nd.
Sammy Smith had all sorts of issues after getting nose damage. He led a few laps toward the beginning of the race, but it all went downhill from there.
He stayed out while others pitted during the long green-flag run until about lap 155 when he ran out of fuel. Since Smith had damage and were already behind the other playoff contenders, the team decided to tape up the nose and fill the car up with fuel.
The slow pit stop put Sammy several laps down, but his troubles didn’t end there. With less than 10 laps left, his No. 8 slowed to a stop on the apron, bringing out the caution. He told Frontstretch that a battery needed to be changed.
The result leaves him in a substantial hole in points heading to Homestead. It will be an uphill battle for the JR Motorsports driver.
Playoff Pit
Allmendinger’s win means that just three spots are up for grabs in the Championship 4. Allgaier is 32 points to the good, while Cole Custer is 16 points above the cut line.
Chandler Smith is currently the final driver in the top four, having just eight points over Austin Hill for the final spot.
Love’s struggles leaves him 13 points behind, while Sam Mayer is minus 23. Sammy Smith appears to need a win at this point, as he’s 53 points out.
Paint Scheme of the Race
There’s just something about a scheme that coincides with the city teams visit.
Jeremy Clements‘ No. 51 does just that, with a design that features symbols and items commonly found in Las Vegas.
Playing cards adorn the hood, while a roulette wheel and a die is in front of the number. There’s also some poker chips and playing card symbols on the car.
Clements finished the race in 18th, just one spot ahead of where he started.
Fuel for Thought
With yet another win just out of his grasp, Ryan Sieg is starting to become like Creed and Daniel Hemric (only with not as many second-place finishes). It’s almost like, how many ways can he lose a race? Is the whammy jumping off of Creed and onto Ryan Sieg?
His time will come to win. Of course, we’ve said that about Creed too, and he hasn’t won yet either.
What about that last caution for Sammy Smith? Was it intentional?
I highly doubt that. Why would he want to cause a caution when he’s already way behind the eight ball? If you think it was to help Allgaier, I’ve got news for you. Allgaier was third before that last caution came out, and he finished the race in third. Clean air was king, and there was no way the No. 7 could surge past the Nos. 28 and 16 in just two laps.
These next two races at Homestead-Miami Speedway and Martinsville Speedway will be ones to watch as drivers vie for the final three Championship 4 spots.
Where to Next
Just three races remain in the Xfinity Series season, with Homestead up next. Sam Mayer won last year’s event after leading the final 31 laps (and 46 total in the race).
The Credit One NASCAR Amex Credit Card 300 is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 26 at 4 p.m. ET and will air on The CW.
About the author
Joy joined Frontstretch in 2019 as a NASCAR DraftKings writer, expanding to news and iRacing coverage in 2020. She's currently an assistant editor and involved with photos, social media and news editing. A California native, Joy was raised watching motorsports and started watching NASCAR extensively in 2001. She earned her B.A. degree in Liberal Studies at California State University Bakersfield in 2010.
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