Race 4 of 33: Focused Health 250 at Circuit of the Americas
Track Specs: 1-mile oval / 208 laps
Race Winner: Aric Almirola
Allgaier’s finish: 5th
Smith’s finish: 14th
Zilisch’s finish: 16th
Kvapil’s finish: 26th
Justin Allgaier
Justin Allgaier looked destined for victory on Saturday afternoon, leading a race-high 130 laps and capturing the second stage of the NASCAR Xfinity Series event at Phoenix Raceway. Remaining out front heading into NASCAR’s version of overtime, the driver of the BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet fought hard to fend off all challengers, but was shuffled out of the race lead in the mad scramble off the second corner. Despite losing the top spot, Allgaier held strong, fighting three-wide for position before taking the checkered flag in fifth. With the top-five result, Allgaier moves up to second in the championship standings, just two points off the series lead.
“Our BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet was phenomenal today. Jim (Pohlman, crew chief) and all the guys on this No. 7 team gave me a great car. I really hate that the end result doesn’t do justice to how good we were today, but I just can’t say thank you enough to everyone at JR Motorsports. We will rebound from today and will be ready to get after it in Las Vegas.”
Sammy Smith
Sammy Smith and his JR Motorsports crew unloaded a fast No. 8 Pilot Chevrolet at Phoenix Raceway on Saturday. Smith qualified third for the GOVX 200, setting himself up for another solid run at the 1-mile oval. The young driver kept himself in contention by running around the top five for the first two stages, tallying 11 valuable stage points in the process. While running fifth with 50 laps to go, Smith took some damage to the right rear after contact from another car. The subsequent caution which followed allowed crew chief Philip Bell to bring Smith down pit road for repairs without losing too much ground. The No. 8 restarted 21st and spotter Frankie Kimmel told Smith to take it one lap at a time for the remaining 32 laps. Smith did just that, working his way to 12th before a late-race caution flag forced the race to overtime and a green-white-checkered finish. In the end, Smith battled hard for position before taking the checkered flag in 14th.
Connor Zilisch
Earned a 16th-place finish on Saturday afternoon at Phoenix Raceway. The driver of the Roto-Rooter Chevrolet qualified fourth and scored a fourth-place finish in Stage One. Unfortunately, an issue on pit road at the end of the segment shuffled Zilisch outside the top 20 when the race went back to green on lap 54. He worked his way back into contention during Stage Two, claiming a 12th-place finish when the stage ended on lap 90 despite a tight-handling Chevrolet. Speedy service on the pit lane by the Roto-Rooter pit crew moved Zilisch up to seventh when the race went green on lap 99. From there, Zilisch held his own until the final restart. He made a scheduled pit stop at lap 149 for another round of adjustments but could not work his way closer to the front. He lined up in 11th position when the race went into overtime before taking the checkered flag in 16th following the mad dash to the finish.
“We qualified well and ran well at the start of the race. The balance on our Roto-Rooter Chevrolet was just a little too tight. I slid through the pit stall on our first stop and that put us behind for sure. Our pit crew made a great stop at the end of Stage Two, but we just couldn’t get the balance right to take advantage. I certainly learned a lot today and we’ll be better when we come back to Phoenix in November.”
Carson Kvapil
Carson Kvapil, driver of the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops/Clarience Technologies Chevrolet, made his first trip to The Valley of the Sun for Saturday afternoon’s NASCAR Xfinity Series feature at Phoenix Raceway. Kvapil was determined to work his way through the field after qualifying in the 24th position and, despite battling a tight race car, was able to maneuver his way into the top 15 by the time the first green-and-white checkered flag waved. Throughout the next 45 laps, Kvapil navigated traffic and raced into the top 10 for the end of Stage Two, picking up valuable stage points. Unfortunately, Kvapil’s Chevrolet suffered a mechanical issue with less than 10 laps remaining, forcing him to take an unscheduled trip down pit road. The 21-year-old driver then had to rejoin the tail of the field and would ultimately be scored in the 26th position.
“We felt confident with our Bass Pro Shops/Clarience Technologies Chevrolet after practice, but unfortunately the race just didn’t pan out like we’d hoped. We plan to take what we learned and use it when we come back in November, but for right now we are turning our focus to Vegas. I can’t thank Johnny Morris and everyone at Bass Pro Shops and Clarience Technologies enough for all their support and I hope we can give them the finish they deserve soon.”
