Aric Almirola wins Xfinity Series Bristol event after making a daring strategic move late in the Food City 300, solidifying his ninth career win on Friday night at Bristol Motor Speedway. Almirola, driving the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, outpaced a field determined to take the lead, thwarting their efforts by staying out on older tires while key competitors headed to the pits with 36 laps remaining.
Late-Race Decision Creates a Path to Victory
While running second to the championship leader Connor Zilisch, Almirola faced a critical moment when a caution flag was waved. As Zilisch pulled into pit road for new tires, Almirola made an unexpected decision to remain on the track, surprising even his own team.
“Just tired of getting beat by those guys, I figured I’d try my chances with the lead,”
—Aric Almirola, Driver. He explained the move reflected his assessment that he could not challenge faster cars on fresher tires, believing his best shot was maintaining the lead by staying out.
Drawing from recent race trends, Almirola referenced a previous victory by Noah Gragson achieved on worn tires as inspiration.
“We watched the last two or three races here and saw how the nine-car with [driver] Noah Gragson win with like a 100 laps on his tires,”
—Aric Almirola, Driver.
“So, I decided to stay out when they said pit.”
—Aric Almirola, Driver. The decision forced Almirola to withstand pressure from contenders on fresher tires through the last stages of the race.
Hard-Fought Finish and Series Implications
On the final laps, Almirola successfully fended off Sheldon Creed of the Haas Factory Team, ultimately crossing the finish line .381 seconds ahead and denying Creed his long-sought first win, leading to Creed’s fifteenth second-place finish—a series record. Third was Sam Mayer, also with the Haas Factory Team. Carson Kvapil and Zilisch, both racing for JR Motorsports, rounded out the top five, with Zilisch finishing fifth after an aggressive bid to make series history with a fifth consecutive win.
Despite ending his streak, Zilisch’s finish set a new record with 15 consecutive top-five results, and he maintains a series-leading nine wins on the season. He continues to hold a 32-point lead over teammate Justin Allgaier, who took the pole for Friday’s race, finished sixth, and achieved his eleventh stage win, which is a series best.
Youth Stand Out and Playoff Picture Shifts
Promising rookies like Carson Kvapil and the top ten finishers, including Harrison Burton, Christian Eckes, Jeremy Clements, and Brennan Poole, made significant impacts. Playoff drivers filled seven of the top positions, bolstering their championship prospects. Notably, ten of the twelve playoff competitors finished in the top fourteen, demonstrating the tight competition as the playoffs progress.
Conversely, Sammy Smith, ranked sixth before the race and a prominent playoff contender, suffered a significant blow. An engine failure forced Smith and his JR Motorsports team to retire after just 55 laps, leaving him last among playoff drivers and 24 points below the cut line with two races remaining.
“Very disappointed for the team. Worked so hard and to not really have a shot was frustrating. We’ll just have to do our best the next two weeks in the Playoffs and see.”
—Sammy Smith, Driver.
Championship Tensions Ahead of Next Playoff Race
Following the Bristol race, the points gap between competitors remains small. Mayer now sits 50 points back from the lead, Kvapil trails by 69 points, and a close battle for fifth sees Harrison Burton just six points clear of Taylor Gray in tenth. Below the cut line, Jesse Love and rookie Nick Sanchez face a three-point deficit behind Gray, while Love’s teammate Austin Hill is sixteen behind, and Smith’s misfortune sees him in twelfth after the round.
Connor Zilisch, reflecting on the complexities of making the right strategy call in the intense closing laps, stated
“It was a good day, just so hard those decisions at the end because whatever you do, everyone else is going to do the opposite.”
—Connor Zilisch, Driver,
“We had a really good day with our WeatherTech Chevrolet, got further up above the [Playoff] cutoff line and we’ll move on to next week and keep on building.”
—Connor Zilisch, Driver.
Looking Ahead to Kansas Speedway
The Xfinity Series playoffs continue with the second round at Kansas Speedway on September 27, where Almirola returns as defending race winner. As the playoff field tightens, competitors from Joe Gibbs Racing, JR Motorsports, Haas Factory Team, and Richard Childress Racing prepare for another high-stakes encounter, with the championship and season hopes at stake. The race will air at 4 p.m. ET on USA Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, promising more intense competition as drivers chase both victory and playoff survival.
