Finally.
Before this past weekend’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Justin Allgaier had come close to finding victory lane in Sin City, with four runner-up finishes at the 1.5-mile track. But he had yet to break through and hit the jackpot.
That all changed on Saturday (Mar. 15) when Allgaier won the Xfinity Series’ The LiUNA! at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in dominant fashion. The Illinoisan led 102 of the race’s 200 laps and held off a late charge from Phoenix winner Aric Almirola in the closing laps. The two veteran drivers raced side-by-side off of pit road during the final round of green flag pit stops, but Allgaier ultimately took the lead back with 49 laps to go and kept his JR Motorsports’ Chevy out front until the checkered flag flew.
Almirola, who led 51 laps on the day, finished runner-up to Allgaier. Richard Childress Racing’s (RCR) Jesse Love and Austin Hill followed in third and fourth, respectively, with Haas Factory Team’s Sam Mayer rounding out the top five.
The Winners
It was only a matter of time before Allgaier found victory lane in 2025, but Saturday’s (March 15) win must have felt extra satisfying after having a near-certain victory slip away one week prior in Phoenix.
The win marked Allgaier’s ninth consecutive season with a victory, tying him with Kyle Busch and Mark Martin for the series record.
Almirola had yet another strong run Saturday. His Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota seemed to be one of the few cars that was capable of contending with Allgaier’s for the win. The veteran driver rolled off 11th but quickly found his way to the front, taking second from polesitter Sammy Smith on lap 34 and leading the entire second stage of the race. With Almirola’s runner-up result, he has now finished third or better in his last six Xfinity Series starts.
It was an impressive drive for RCR drivers Love and Hill, who both rebounded to score top-five finishes after facing setbacks earlier in the race. Love finished eighth in the opening stage of the event, but an uncontrolled tire during the first round of pit stops sent his No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet to the tail end of the field.
The Californian spent the rest of the race methodically working his way back up the running order and wound up third at race’s end. His teammate, Hill, overcame similar adversity. The Georgian battled back to finish fourth after having to make an unscheduled green flag stop during the second stage.
Several Ford drivers had strong results, including Mayer in fifth, Ryan Sieg in seventh and Harrison Burton in eighth. It was a particularly impressive finish for Sieg, who dealt with transmission issues throughout much of the 200-lap race.
Lastly, it was yet another successful weekend for Brandon Jones, who finished sixth and showed solid speed throughout much of the event. The result marks Jones’ second top 10 of the season after finishing third last weekend at Phoenix. It seems a return to Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) is just what Jones needed so far.
The Losers
JR Motorsports drivers Connor Zilisch and Sammy Smith both qualified inside the top-five and ran there for much of the race, with Smith leading the opening 13 laps of the race and Zilisch leading 28 laps during the final stage. But both drivers sped on pit road during the final round of green flag pit stops, resulting in Zilisch finishing ninth and Smith dropping to 14th.
They weren’t the only JR Motorsports drivers to experience misfortune, as rookie Carson Kvapil had to pit while running inside the top 10 with eight laps to go in the race due to a fueling issue. The misfortune relegated Kvapil to 17th, one lap down.
JGR rookies William Sawalich and Taylor Gray were similarly unfortunate, with Sawalich crashing out on the opening lap of the race after Jeb Burton packed air on his left rear quarter panel, while Gray had to make an unscheduled pit stop during the race’s final stage. Sawalich and Gray would finish 38th and 19th, respectively.
Lastly, it was a tough day for Josh Williams, who had to step out of his No. 11 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet after the opening stage due to illness. Cup Series driver Ty Dillon relieved Williams, finishing 29th.
Fuel for Thought
With Allgaier’s dominant performance at Las Vegas and the speed that the other JR Motorsports drivers have shown as of late, one could make a case that they are the team to beat for the championship in 2025. Every week it seems that at least one of the team’s four full-time drivers are competing for the win or leading laps. With the promise and potential that Zilisch and Kvapil have already shown in their rookie seasons, it’s reasonable to expect to see them contending for victories even more frequently in the weeks and months to come.
Paint Scheme of the Week
Sheldon Creed’s Friends of Jaclyn Foundation Ford was certainly eye-catching on track Saturday. Creed qualified a disappointing 23rd on Friday, but rebounded to finish 10th in the race.
It's Saturday, you know what that means.#XfinitySeries | @LVMotorSpeedway pic.twitter.com/VRlBB4ULMf
— Xfinity Racing (@XfinityRacing) March 15, 2025
Where to Next?
Next Saturday, the drivers of the NASCAR Xfinity Series head back to Florida for the Hard Rock Bet 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Last year’s playoff event was won by Hill, who punched his ticket to the Championship 4 with the victory. Coverage begins at 3:30 p.m. ET, with television coverage on your local CW channel and radio coverage on the Motor Racing Network.
Jake Altmayer joined the Frontstretch team in 2025, assisting as a news writer and contributing to other weekly columns and articles, such as Friday Faceoff and Xfinity Breakdown. A 2024 graduate of DePaul University. Altmayer has closely followed NASCAR's national series (Cup, Xfinity and Trucks) for nearly a decade and has attended over a dozen races over the course of that time. In his free time, he enjoys cycling, spending time with his loved ones, and listening to his favorite band, the Beach Boys.