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Up Next For the NASCAR Xfinity Series: Road Course Action in the Lone Star State 

Joe Gibbs Racing’s Chandler Smith took advantage of JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier’s late-race crash to come out victorious in last weekend’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Phoenix Raceway. The win was his first of the 2024 season and the second of his Xfinity Series career. The victory propelled Smith into the NASCAR Xfinity Series point standings lead for the first time in his series career.

He is currently just one point up on Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Hill. Smith also joins Hill as the first two drivers to earn a spot in the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs by virtue of their wins.

Although Allgaier’s misfortune helped Smith find Victory Lane, his win cannot be attributed to pure luck. Smith came into the weekend strong with a fast qualifying lap that put him in P2 to start the race. He then went on to win the first stage and led a race-high 88 laps.

With the NASCAR Xfinity Series off this weekend, Smith will be able to revel in the spoils of his win before switching gears for the first road course of the season at the Circuit of The Americas (COTA) on March 23.

Smith has made his series track debut on the Austin, Texas road course last season, where he started 27th and raced his way up to a 12th-place finish.

NASCAR Xfinity Series

Next Race: Focused Health 250

The Place: Circuit of The Americas

The Date: Saturday, March 23

The Time: 5 p.m. ET

The Purse: $1,778,948

TV: FS1, 4 p.m. ET

Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Distance: 156.86 miles (46 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 14),

Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 30), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 46)

Up Next: Road course action in the Lone Star state 

NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers will have the weekend to regroup and recharge before heading to the Texas capitol for some road course fun on the Circuit of The Americas’ (COTA) 3.41-mile racetrack.

There have only been three NASCAR Xfinity Series races at COTA, producing two different race winners (Kyle Busch, 2021 and AJ Allmendinger, 2022-2023) and three different pole winners (Kyle Busch, 2021; Ty Gibbs, 2022 and A.J. Allmendinger, 2023).

Two of the three races have been won from the pole – 2021 race (Kyle Busch) and the 2023 race (A.J. Allmendinger).

They don’t call A.J. Allmendinger the ‘King of Road Courses’ in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for nothing, not only does he have the most wins of any driver on road courses in the series, but he is also holding many records at the Circuit of The Americas as well:

  • Race record: 75.263 mph
  • Qualifying record: 92.173 mph
  • Wins: Two
  • Top fives: Three
  • Top 10s: Three
  • Laps led: 58

Xfinity Series drivers will kick off the weekend at Circuit of The Americas with practice on Friday, March 22 at 5:30 p.m. ET followed by Pole Qualifying at 6 p.m. ET.

 

All gas, no brakes: A.J. Allmendinger heading to Bristol

While Allmendinger’s fellow fulltime NASCAR Xfinity Series competitors will be taking the weekend off, he will be suiting up to get behind the wheel of the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race, the Food City 500.

This will be the 42-year-old’s second NASCAR Cup Series start of the 2024 season. His first was in the season-opening in DAYTONA 500 where he posted an impressive sixth-place finish.

Allmendinger has given Bristol Motor Speedway a go 23 times in the Cup Series, posting two top-10 finishes (2016, 2022).

 

NASCAR Xfinity Series, Etc.

 

Connor Zilisch to run part-time Xfinity Series schedule with JR Motorsports – Connor Zilisch, who won this year’s Rolex 24 at Daytona, will be making his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut this year at Watkins Glen International with JR Motorsports.

He will pilot the No. 88 Chevrolet for his debut at the New York road course, then will race an additional three races with the team at Kansas Speedway, Homestead-Miami Speedway and Phoenix Raceway.

A Mooresville, North Carolina, native, Zilisch, 17, has won multiple national karting championships and set track records at six different venues in his first year in the Sports Car Club of America in 2021. He made his ARCA Menards Series debut in 2023, starting on the front row in the No. 28 Chevrolet at Watkins Glen and finishing runner-up on Aug. 18. Zilisch also signed a multiyear agreement with Trackhouse Racing in January as a developmental driver.

“It’s a dream come true to have the opportunity to race in the Xfinity Series with JR Motorsports for select races this year,” Zilisch said. “I have a lot to learn, considering that I’ve never raced in stock cars on the big tracks, but there’s no better team to learn with than JRM. I can’t thank everyone at Chevrolet enough for all their support in helping me get to this point, and I can’t wait to give my all to make the most of this opportunity.”

 

Xfinity Sunoco Rookie Update: Jesse Love extends rookie standings lead over Van Gisbergen – Following Phoenix Raceway, Richard Childress Racing’s Jesse Love has opened up his Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings lead to 44 points over Kaulig Racing’s Shane van Gisbergen in second, and 67 points over Young’s Motorsport’s Leland Honeyman in third.

All four rookie this season – Love, Gisbergen, Honeyman and Dawson Cram – will be making their series track debuts at Circuit of The Americas next weekend.

 

Xfinity Series Upcoming Milestones – Over the next few races three drivers will be making milestone starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

Sheldon Creed will be making his 75th career NASCAR Xfinity Series start at Circuit of The Americas.

Brandon Jones will be making his 275th career NASCAR Xfinity Series start at Richmond Raceway.

Cole Custer will be making 150th career NASCAR Xfinity Series start at Martinsville Speedway.