Aric Almirola claimed the victory in a thrilling overtime finish in the GOVX 200 at Phoenix Raceway on Saturday (March 8).
This marks three years in a row that Joe Gibbs Racing has claimed victory in this race with a third different driver. JGR has now won at least one NXS Phoenix race per year for the past eight seasons.
Almirola had the best long-run car of the day, leading 25 laps, but the race was mainly dominated once again by Justin Allgaier. The race drew a lot of similarities to the one last year, as another late-race caution struck with Allgaier in the lead. Only this time, instead of Allgaier being the one to wreck off of a tire failure, it was the No. 07 of Nick Leitz having a flat off of turn 4. Allgaier ended up finishing fifth after leading a race-high 130 of 208 laps and leading the field to green in overtime.
Alex Bowman was another key player in the race after starting from pole and winning stage one while leading the opening 48 laps. Bowman then rode most of the day behind the pair of Allgaier and Almirola but crept back into the picture when it counted in overtime. Bowman took the lead out of turn 2, after Almirola and Allgaier pushed wide on the restart. Unfortunately, Bowman was unable to fend off a hard-charging Almirola and came home runner-up after trading some paint in the final set of corners.
WHAT. A. FINISH!! pic.twitter.com/T9HrPc20Xn
— NASCAR Xfinity (@NASCAR_Xfinity) March 9, 2025
Brandon Jones and Ryan Sieg both had huge rebounds on Saturday in different ways, scoring top fives. Jones got a huge points day, coming home third after a very rough start to his 2025 campaign. It was Jones’ first top five since Charlotte Motor Speedway last May. Sieg on the other hand, rebounded from trouble in practice that saw the team scrambling to prepare the car for the race in two hours. He was able to finish fourth.
Taylor Gray finished off a strong day in sixth, followed by Sam Mayer in seventh, Christian Eckes in eighth, Jesse Love in ninth and Nick Sanchez claiming 10th after spending the majority of the day in the top 10.
The Winners
Gibbs as a whole was strong as a team this weekend, and it showed. All four cars had top-10 speed, and all got to keep good finishes, with Almirola winning, Jones in third, Gray in sixth and William Sawalich ending an up-and-down day in 13th.
Parker Retzlaff and Alpha Prime Racing as a whole meant business this weekend after having one of their worst outings as a team last weekend at Circuit of the Americas. All three cars finished in the top 22, with Retzlaff finishing an impressive 11th and Brennan Poole a little bit behind in 17th, both on the lead lap. Mason Massey finished 22nd as the sole car one lap down.
Finally, enough can’t be said about the day Sieg had to rebound to a fourth-place finish. This isn’t just a huge deal because of the recovery either, as this could serve as a crucial weekend for the No. 39 team to gain a more comfortable cushion in the playoff bubble picture moving forward. Especially since some of the key players in that fight found misfortune today.
The Losers
While Kaulig Racing has been open about its struggles at Phoenix in particular, this was not an optimal day for the team. All three team cars spent the majority of the day outside of the top 10, but Eckes snuck into the mix at the very end, thanks to the overtime restart. Josh Williams also salvaged a 12th-place finish while being under the weather, and Daniel Dye finished 19th after having comparable speed to Eckes during the day. It’s disappointing seeing the team go backward after making some progress at this track the last few years, especially in 2022 when the team brought home all three cars in the top 10 in both races.
Carson Kvapil had another tire go down in the late stages of a race that derailed his No. 1 team’s good day. Kvapil had at least a top-10 car and left with a 26th-place finish. The team can only hope that its fortune turns around next week at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Sheldon Creed and Dean Thompson were innocent bystanders when Austin Hill hit the inside wall in turn 3 which brought out the caution on lap 63. While Hill has the insurance of his win at Atlanta Motor Speedway to fall back on, the other two don’t. For Creed, his 36th-place finish will not help his case in the battle for the regular season title against Hill, Love and Allgaier. Thompson lost out on crucial points that could be the difference being in contention to make the Xfinity Series playoffs. He ended the day last, in 38th, after having a car that could’ve potentially gotten a top 10.
Fuel For Thought
JR Motorsports and JGR had a stronghold on the field Saturday and dominated the running order in the top 10 with all of their cars for most of the race before overtime shook things up. If the two teams field that many competitive cars every weekend, does this cause any panic for other teams in the Xfinity garage?
The two teams have seven full-time drivers that can make up over half the 12-driver playoff field. That will make the road more difficult for the smaller teams trying to get in. Every year, JGR and JRM have good odds to win the championship, but they might be even more favorable than ever this year.
Paint Scheme of the Week
Leitz had an eye-catching No. 07 Vans Warped Tour Chevrolet that matched the shoe brand’s identity very well. Unfortunately, the beautiful scheme got scuffed up due to a tire failure late that drastically changed the complexion of the race and led to a 30th-place finish for Leitz.
Ready to rock pic.twitter.com/5XRlk2rXEp
— Nick Leitz 𝕏 (@NickLeitz_) March 8, 2025
Where to Next?
On Saturday, March 15, the Xfinity Series heads to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the first time this season. The tour’s last trip to Sin City saw AJ Allmendinger claim victory to punch his ticket into the Championship 4.
Coverage begins at 4:30 p.m. ET and the race will be broadcast live on The CW.
CW did a great job covering the race and the play by play was the best ib decades
If NA$CAR didn’t allow the cars to cut the corner like they do the Hill situation never would have happened.