Each time that the NASCAR Xfinity Series heads to a road course, the expectation is you’ll have to compete against AJ Allmendinger and Kaulig Racing for the victory.
That was once again the case in Saturday’s Pit Boss 250 at Circuit of The Americas, and although he had some newfound challengers at the front of the pack, the 40-year-old was able to secure his seventh road course victory in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
Allmendinger – who has finished inside the top-10 all six events this year — led a race-high 27 laps, overtaking Ross Chastain on a restart with under 15 laps to go, en-route to his 11th victory in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
The Los Gatos, California-native’s victory is his ninth across NASCAR’s top-three series on a road course (7 in Xfinity, 2 in Cup, tying the all-time mark set by four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, Jeff Gordon.
With his victory in Saturday's Xfinity Series event at COTA, @AJDinger records his ninth road course victory across NASCAR's top-three series, tying him for the most all-time with @JeffGordonWeb.#NASCAR | #SrigleyStats Built by @FiveStarBodies pic.twitter.com/vSW4B416SX
— Joseph Srigley (@joe_srigley) March 26, 2022
Austin Hill, a rookie in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, finished in the second position, just over two seconds behind Allmendinger. Cole Custer, winner at California, finished in third for SS Green Light Racing, with JR Motorsports teammates Noah Gragson and Sam Mayer rounding out the top-five.
Myatt Snider, who before Saturday had failed to finish inside the top-20, notched a sixth-place finish, with Brett Moffitt, Jade Buford, Miguel Paludo, and Sheldon Creed rounding out the top-10.
What started off as a banner weekend for DGM Racing, with all three of the organization’s entries starting inside the top-10, didn’t have the same magical conclusion, with Preston Pardus (14th) recording the team’s best finish.
Ross Chastain, who led 14 laps and challenged Allmendinger consistently for the victory, ultimately finished 17th, after being spun around by Landon Cassill – Allmendinger’s teammate — on the final restart.
Alex Labbe – who ran inside the top-10 all afternoon — suffered mechanical issues in the closing stages, requiring the Quebec-native to bring his car behind the wall with five laps to go, finishing 36th.
Exiting COTA, Noah Gragson continued to hold a one-point advantage over AJ Allmendinger in the regular-season point standings, with Ty Gibbs, Justin Allgaier, and Josh Berry rounding out the top-five in points.
