For most of the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race March 7 at Phoenix Raceway, Justin Allgaier was not able to battle his way to the front of the field.
But in the end, he came alive when it mattered most.
Allgaier battled back from a poor pit stop early in the final stage to win his third O’Reilly race at Phoenix after taking the lead from Jesse Love with 10 laps to go.
“This is our house, we’re going to go take it,” Allgaier told The CW post-race. “We had an issue on that first pit stop, and these boys rebounded.”
With this win, Allgaier takes over the points lead, narrowing holding it over the Richard Childress Racing cars of Love and Austin Hill after four races this season.
“I’m beyond frustrated with myself,” Love added on pit road after finishing second, just short of his second straight win at Phoenix. Love added a stage win to go with his runner-up finish and 114 laps led.
Carson Kvapil finished third after he led 22 laps, while Haas Factory Team’s Sheldon Creed and Sam Mayer rounded out the top five.
Stage one winner Sammy Smith finished sixth, teammates Jeb Burton and Rajah Caruth finished seventh and eighth for Jordan Anderson Racing, while Corey Day and Anthony Alfredo completed the top 10.
The race went green for most of the night aside from the stage cautions until Lavar Scott spun with 36 to go, setting up a restart that led to a crash involving several Toyota drivers including William Sawalich, Brandon Jones, Taylor Gray and Dean Thompson.
Phoenix O’Reilly Results
The NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series will return to action Saturday, March 14, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway at 5:30 p.m. ET for the fifth race of the season. Coverage of this race will be broadcast on The CW.
Michael Bellifemini joined Frontstretch in February 2026 as a contributor. Bellifemini was born and raised in New Jersey and graduated from Seton Hall University. He called Seton Hall men's and women's basketball games for their college radio station, 89.5 FM WSOU, and continues to broadcast in the area. Outside of covering NASCAR, Bellifemini is also an avid baseball, football, basketball, and hockey fan and enjoys watching different sports leagues on a daily basis.