KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) – Aric Almirola crashed into victory lane in the NASCAR Xfinity Series playoff opener Saturday at Kansas Speedway for his second victory of the season.
Almirola, the 40-year-old former Cup driver who runs a limited Xfinity program for Joe Gibbs Racing, has six career Xfinity victories, also winning at Martinsville in April. He won three Cup races.
“That’s exactly what I decided to do when coach (Gibbs) called me. I really didn’t have a plan. I was retiring and I didn’t know what the next step would be,” Almirola said. “The coach called, I met with him and we talked a lot about what it could look like, and it was very rewarding. I truly believe it was an answered prayer for me, (wife) Janice and our family.
Almirola, Cole Custer and Chandler Smith battled over the final 40 laps, with Smith leading most of the way. Custer passed Smith for first place with 10 laps remaining, and Almirola made the final pass with three laps remaining.
“For me to be able to scratch the itch of driving race cars and competing at a high level, I love it,” Almirola said. “I didn’t want to give up exactly what I did today. This adrenaline rush from what I did today is irreplaceable. You can’t do this anywhere else.
Almirola won the first stage before falling back to 30th place due to an incident in the pits and contact with the wall. Neither deterred Almirola from continuing to lead that high line that ultimately led him to victory.
“I just needed to be methodical. I was running so close to the fence; I couldn’t go above one percent,” Almirola said. “Or else I would hit the fence and withdraw from the competition.”
Custer finished second, his first top 10 at Kansas Speedway. Smith finished third, followed by Connor Zilisch and playoff driver Sheldon Creed.
Custer then showed his frustration towards Smith.
“He killed us. We definitely tore our stuff apart trying to get by,” Custer said. “It made me mad when he put us in the barrier in that restart, and he’s going to pay the consequences. I’m going to pilot him as he pilots me.
Smith, meanwhile, was sympathetic, if unapologetic, for their long battle for the lead.
“It’s for winning the race, it’s for moving on to the next round. He’s also a guy I’m racing for the championship with, so I have to be more aggressive,” Smith said. “I wouldn’t change what I did. I was trying to give myself the best chance of winning.
Regular season champion Justin Allgaier started the race atop the points standings. He left with his season in jeopardy after an accident on lap 70. He spun exiting Turn 2, slid across the race track and hit the inside wall hard. Allgaier tried to get back into the race, but a flat left front tire and loss of brakes ended his day in 36th place. This was the fourth consecutive race where Allgaier was involved in an accident.
“We’re not out of it, far from it,” Allgaier said. “That’s why you work so hard in the regular season, to get every bonus point you can. But I still have two long weeks.
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AP NASCAR: https://apnews.com/hub/nascar-racing
