Aric Almirola swept the stages and took home the checkered flag at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the opening race of the Round of 8 in the NASCAR Xfinity Series playoffs.
Almirola had battled with Connor Zilisch for most of the night, and it looked like Zilisch was going to win the race after prying the lead away from Jesse Love on lap 172. That all fell apart when Dean Thompson spun to bring out the yellow on the same lap.
The caution allowed Almirola and Zilisch to line up on the front row on lap 180 for the restart, and a final battle for the win in the closing laps commenced. The two traded positions as the laps wound down, but Almirola took the lead for the final time on lap 193. Zilisch lingered around behind Almirola, trying to reclaim the lead, but ultimately couldn’t as Almirola won the race and spoiled the hopes of a full-time Xfinity Series driver winning the race and locking themself into the Championship 4.
The Winners
Aric Almirola earned his third Xfinity Series win of the 2025 season and stole the show from the playoff drivers in Sin City. This win will put Almirola at 10 career Xfinity Series wins and will be his sixth Xfinity Series win since beginning to run part-time starts in the series with Joe Gibbs Racing in 2024. Almirola continues to bolster his racing resume in the years after his retirement from full-time racing.
Almirola also put the No. 19 car into the owners’ Championship 4. Justin Bonsignore was scheduled to drive the No. 19 at Phoenix Raceway, but Almirola stated in his press conference that he will run there, looking to win the owners’ championship.
Connor Zilisch may have finished second and failed to lock himself into a spot in the Championship 4, but he will leave Las Vegas 82 points above the playoff cut line and first in the playoff standings. The rookie phenom was extremely close to locking his way into the Championship 4 tonight and will leave Las Vegas in an excellent position to battle for the title.
Zilisch will surely be disappointed in falling short tonight, but he is still very likely to be contending for the championship come early November when the series rolls into Phoenix for the finale with the 82 point cushion.
Zilisch’s JR Motorsports teammate Justin Allgaier finished third and had the Xfinity fastest lap tonight. He sits second in the playoff standings and 44 points above the cut line. Allgaier has set himself up in a position to be able to go to Phoenix and defend his 2024 Xfinity Series championship. JR Motorsports now occupies the two top spots in the playoff standings thanks to Zilisch and Allgaier.
The Losers
Not all was positive for JRM tonight as Sammy Smith finished 20th and failed to show any speed tonight. Smith sits at the bottom of the playoff standings and is 24 points below the cut line. Smith struggled with speed throughout the night and was overall unnoticeable.
Fellow JR Motorsports driver Carson Kvapil also had a disappointing night for his championship hopes. He started ninth but finished 15th and is 22 points below the cut line.
The Xfinity Series will head to Talladega Superspeedway next where anything can happen and the points situation can easily worsen for the pair if they are caught up in the feared Big One.
Fuel for Thought
JR Motorsports had a very high ceiling and a low floor tonight at Las Vegas, with two of their cars finishing second and third, and the other half of the team finishing 15th and 20th. Could team orders come into play at Talladega if Zilisch, with an 82-point cushion, is in a position near the end to help Smith or Kvapil win the race and lock themselves into the Championship 4?
No matter what, it is very possible that at least two JRM cars make the championship four with Zilisch and Allgaier building onto their cushion.
Paint Scheme of the Week
Trevor Bayne returned to the NASCAR Xfinity Series for the first time since 2023 in the Sam Hunt Racing No. 24 car. The No. 24 car had dual sponsorship with Olipop and The SpongeBob Movie. The beloved Sponge who lives in a pineapple under the sea earned the No. 24 car the paint scheme of the week for Las Vegas. Bayne drove the car to a 22nd-place finish in his Xfinity Series return.
Where to Next
The NASCAR Xfinity Series will head to the unpredictable Talladega Superspeedway for its next stop on Saturday, Oct. 18. Television coverage will be carried by The CW, with coverage beginning at 4:00 p.m. ET.
Logan Kendall joined the Frontstretch team in 2025 as the Tuesday News Writer and fills in other roles as needed. He resides in the Finger Lakes region of New York and spends his free time writing as a hobby creatively and is a self published author.
Logan can be found on X @LoganKendall48