{"id":54547,"date":"2025-09-12T22:00:09","date_gmt":"2025-09-13T03:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=54547"},"modified":"2025-09-15T09:07:03","modified_gmt":"2025-09-15T14:07:03","slug":"almirola-iwns-bristol-xfinity-series-playoff-opener-on-bold-strategy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/12\/almirola-iwns-bristol-xfinity-series-playoff-opener-on-bold-strategy\/","title":{"rendered":"Almirola wins Bristol Xfinity Series Playoff opener on bold strategy"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Aric Almirola, driver of the #19 Young Life Toyota, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway on September 12, 2025 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

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By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service<\/em><\/p>\n

BRISTOL, Tenn. \u2013 Benefitting from a split-second late race strategy decision, veteran Aric Almirola held off a mightily-motivated field to claim the win in Friday night\u2019s Food City 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff opener at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.<\/p>\n

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Aric Almirola, driver of the #19 Young Life Toyota, takes the checkered flag to win the NASCAR Xfinity Series Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway on September 12, 2025 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

While running second to the series\u2019 championship leader Connor Zilisch when a caution flag flew with 36 laps remaining, Almirola watched Zilisch pull onto pit road for fresh tires and instead of following him into the pits as his crew expected, Almirola abruptly pulled his No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota back on track at the last moment.<\/p>\n

He then had to out-run, out-maneuver and out-last the competition \u2013 several on fresher tires – in the closing laps to claim his second victory of the season and ninth of his career. A former fulltime NASCAR Cup Series driver who is now competing part-time in the Xfinity Series with Gibbs, Almirola ultimately beat Haas Factory Team driver Sheldon Creed to the checkered flag by .381-seconds \u2013 marking a series record 15th runner-up finish for Creed, who is still racing for his first career win.<\/p>\n

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Aric Almirola, driver of the #19 Young Life Toyota, celebrates after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway on September 12, 2025 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cJust tired of getting beat by those guys, I figured I\u2019d try my chances with the lead,” Almirola said of his race-winning pit strategy decision. \u201cThey\u2019ve been so fast and they fire off so fast on new tires and I just didn\u2019t think I could beat them straight up on new tires. It took me about 20 laps to get going so I thought my best chance was to stay out on old tires.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe 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,” added Almirola, whose No. 19 JGR Toyota is racing for the owner\u2019s championship. \u201cSo, I decided to stay out when they said pit.”<\/p>\n

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Carson Kvapil, driver of the #1 Bass Pro Shops\/Clarience Tech Chevrolet, and Aric Almirola, driver of the #19 Young Life Toyota, race during the NASCAR Xfinity Series Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway on September 12, 2025 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

Creed passed his Haas Factory Team teammate Sam Mayer with a lap remaining but was unable to catch up to Almirola. JR Motorsports driver Carson Kvapil finished fourth followed by his teammate Zilisch, who was trying to become the first driver in series history to win five consecutive races.<\/p>\n

Zilisch\u2019s fifth-place finish, however still resulted in a series record giving him 15 consecutive top-five showings. He has a series best nine victories on the season and maintains a 32-point advantage over another JR Motorsports teammate, Friday\u2019s race pole sitter and reigning series champion Justin Allgaier, who finished sixth and earned a series best 11th stage win.<\/p>\n

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Nick Sanchez, driver of the #48 Pickers Vodka Chevrolet, Corey Day, driver of the #17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, and Jeb Burton, driver of the #27 AJ Transport Chevrolet, race during the NASCAR Xfinity Series Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway on September 12, 2025 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cIt was a good day, just so hard those decisions at the end because whatever you do, everyone else is going to do the opposite,” the 19-year-old rookie Zilisch said. \u201cWe had a really good day with our WeatherTech Chevrolet, got further up above the [Playoff] cutoff line and we\u2019ll move on to next week and keep on building.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harrison Burton, Christian Eckes, Jeremy Clements and Brennan Poole rounded out a top-10 that included three rookies. The top seven finishers were all Playoff drivers. Ten of the 12 Playoff competitors finished 14th or higher.<\/p>\n

Sammy Smith, who went into the race ranked sixth in the Playoff standings took the biggest championship hit of the night. He suffered an early problem with his No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet and had to retire to the garage only 55 laps into the race with an engine issue. He\u2019s now ranked 12th \u2013 last among the Playoff contenders; 24 points below the cutoff line with two races remaining in this opening round.<\/p>\n

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Jesse Love, driver of the #2 Whelen Chevrolet, and Justin Allgaier, driver of the #7 BRANDT\/Precision Build Chevrolet, race during the NASCAR Xfinity Series Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway on September 12, 2025 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cUnfortunate situation,” Smith said. \u201cVery disappointed for the team. Worked so hard and to not really have a shot was frustrating. We\u2019ll just have to do our best the next two weeks in the Playoffs and see.”<\/p>\n

Beyond Zilisch and Allgaier, Mayer is now 50 points off the lead and Kvapil is 69 back. Burton, in fifth place, is now separated from 10th place Taylor Gray by only six points.<\/p>\n

Richard Childress Racing\u2019s Jesse Love and rookie Nick Sanchez are the first drivers below the cutoff line \u2013 both three points behind Gray. Love\u2019s veteran teammate Austin Hill is 16 points back with Smith dropping into that 12th slot after round one of the seven race title run.<\/p>\n

The series holds its second of the three opening round Playoff races on Sept. 27 at Kansas Speedway (4 p.m. ET on USA Network, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).  Almirola is the defending race winner.<\/p>\n

Interview: NXS Race Winner – Aric Almirola (No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota) – <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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NASCAR Xfinity Series Race – Food City 300<\/b><\/p>\n

Bristol Motor Speedway<\/b><\/p>\n

Bristol, Tennessee<\/b><\/p>\n

Friday, September 12, 2025<\/b><\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    1. (3)  Aric Almirola (P), Toyota, 300.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    2. (10)  Sheldon Creed (P), Ford, 300.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    3. (2)  Sam Mayer (P), Ford, 300.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    4. (11)  Carson Kvapil # (P), Chevrolet, 300.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    5. (4)  Connor Zilisch # (P), Chevrolet, 300.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    6. (1)  Justin Allgaier (P), Chevrolet, 300.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    7. (7)  Harrison Burton (P), Ford, 300.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    8. (12)  Christian Eckes #, Chevrolet, 300.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    9. (26)  Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 300.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    10. (18)  Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, 300.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    11. (22)  Brandon Jones (P), Toyota, 300.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    12. (16)  Dean Thompson #, Toyota, 300.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    13. (20)  Nick Sanchez # (P), Chevrolet, 300.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    14. (5)  Taylor Gray # (P), Toyota, 300.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    15. (6)  William Sawalich #, Toyota, 300.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    16. (15)  Parker Retzlaff, Chevrolet, 300.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    17. (17)  Corey Day, Chevrolet, 300.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    18. (19)  Jeb Burton, Chevrolet, 300.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    19. (21)  Austin Hill (P), Chevrolet, 300.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    20. (28)  Brenden Queen(i), Chevrolet, 300.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    21. (30)  Kyle Sieg, Ford, 300.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    22. (27)  Anthony Alfredo, Chevrolet, 300.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    23. (8)  Ryan Sieg, Ford, 299.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    24. (25)  Matt DiBenedetto, Chevrolet, 299.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    25. (9)  Jesse Love (P), Chevrolet, 299.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    26. (31)  Daniel Dye #, Chevrolet, 299.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    27. (24)  Jeffrey Earnhardt, Toyota, 299.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    28. (33)  Josh Williams, Chevrolet, 298.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    29. (32)  Josh Bilicki, Chevrolet, 296.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    30. (34)  Logan Bearden, Chevrolet, 296.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    31. (37)  Austin Green, Chevrolet, 295.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    32. (23)  Leland Honeyman, Chevrolet, 294.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    33. (35)  Carson Ware, Chevrolet, 288.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    34. (38)  Blaine Perkins, Chevrolet, 287.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    35. (36)  Joey Gase, Chevrolet, Axle, 268.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    36. (13)  Stefan Parsons(i), Chevrolet, Accident, 81.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    37. (14)  Sammy Smith (P), Chevrolet, Engine, 56.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    38. (29)  Ryan Ellis, Chevrolet, Oil Cooler, 55.<\/p>\n

Average Speed of Race Winner:  79.861 mph.<\/p>\n

Time of Race:  2 Hrs, 0 Mins, 8 Secs. Margin of Victory:  0.381 Seconds.<\/p>\n

Caution Flags:  7 for 60 laps.<\/p>\n

Lead Changes:  7 among 6 drivers.<\/p>\n

Lap Leaders:   J. Allgaier (P) 1-78;C. Zilisch # (P) 79;H. Burton (P) 80-83;J. Love (P) 84;J. Allgaier (P) 85-101;S. Mayer (P) 102-169;C. Zilisch # (P) 170-266;A. Almirola (P) 267-300.<\/p>\n

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  Connor Zilisch # (P) 2 times for 98 laps; Justin Allgaier (P) 2 times for 95 laps; Sam Mayer (P) 1 time for 68 laps; Aric Almirola (P) 1 time for 34 laps; Harrison Burton (P) 1 time for 4 laps; Jesse Love (P) 1 time for 1 lap.<\/p>\n

Stage #1 Top Ten: 7,88,25,41,2,19,39,1,54,18<\/p>\n

Stage #2 Top Ten: 88,41,7,19,1,26,54,18,44,48<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service BRISTOL, Tenn. \u2013 Benefitting from a split-second late race strategy decision, veteran Aric Almirola held off a mightily-motivated field to claim the win in Friday night\u2019s Food City 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff opener at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. While running second to the series\u2019 championship leader Connor […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":676,"featured_media":54552,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[11],"tags":[272,177,16,181],"class_list":["post-54547","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nascar","tag-aric-almirola","tag-bristol-motor-speedway","tag-nascar","tag-nascar-xfinity-series"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-2235130786-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hzTZ-ebN","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54547","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/676"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54547"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54547\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":54567,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54547\/revisions\/54567"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/54552"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54547"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54547"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54547"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}