Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series event at Portland International Raceway proved once and for all that it’s important to never give up when things are looking rough.
AJ Allmendinger, usually a master of the road course events, struggled immensely throughout the event, with the Kaulig Racing driver sliding off the track on at least four different occasions – including on the pace laps.
However, through the race’s tricky track conditions and the utter chaos that erupted in the second half of the event, Allmendinger was able to persevere, capturing his 12th win in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
The Los Gatos, California-native took the lead away from Myatt Snider for the final time with four laps to go, holding off the Jordan Anderson Racing driver to collect the victory by 2.879 seconds.
Ty Gibbs was seemingly untouchable throughout the majority of Saturday’s 75-lap contest, leading a whopping 42 circuits around Portland and stretching his lead well over 18 seconds at various points throughout the event.
The major turning point of the event for the No. 54 Toyota GR Supra was an incident that happened between himself and Jesse Iwuji on Lap 41, when the No. 34 slammed into the door of the race leader.
From there, things pretty much went downhill for Gibbs and most of the field, as many, many cars were collected in multiple accidents involving more than 10 cars.
As previously mentioned, Myatt Snider finished an incredible second place for Jordan Anderson Racing, the organization’s best finish in its Xfinity Series tenure. Austin Hill, Josh Berry, and Justin Allgaier rounded out the top five.
Daniel Hemric and Ty Gibbs finished sixth and seventh, with JJ Yeley holding on with slick tires to finish in eighth place. Noah Gragson and Alex Labbe rounded out the top-10.
The victory for Allmendinger, assists the Kaulig Racing driver in expanding his points lead, now holding a 44-point advantage over Noah Gragson. Ty Gibbs, Justin Allgaier, and Josh Berry round out the top five in points.
After 14 of 26 regular-season events, Ryan Sieg holds a 58-point gap on Anthony Alfredo for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff bubble. Jeb Burton, Brett Moffitt, Brandon Brown, and Sheldon Creed all sit within 14 points of Alfredo for 13th.
