NASCAR
Aric Almirola Takes Second Xfinity Win of Year at Bristol, Upsetting Playoff Opener
BRISTOL, Tenn. – The opening race of the 2025 Xfinity Series Playoffs was ultimately decided on a late split strategy. JR Motorsports teammates Justin Allgaier and Connor Zilisch dominated early in the Food City 300, taking a stage win apiece. While the No. 88 seemed en route to a history-making fifth straight win, a caution flew with 36 laps left. This allowed Aric Almirola to stay out as many others pitted. The No. 19 Toyota held on to take his second win of 2025.
Almirola held off late charges from the Haas Factory Team duo of Sheldon Creed and Sam Mayer. Creed ends Bristol as runner-up, his Xfinity Series record 15th second-place result. The rest of the top-five were JR Motorsports teammates Carson Kvapil and Connor Zilisch. The No. 88 has now earned 15-straight top-fives, tying the all-time record set by Sam Ard.
The rest of the Bristol top-10 were: Justin Allgaier, Harrison Burton, Christian Eckes, Jeremy Clements, and Brennan Poole. No Playoff contender has yet advanced onto the Round of 8, with Almirola being a part-time competitor.
“Yeah I’d just been tired of getting beat by those guys,” Almirola said. “I figured I’d try my chances with the lead. They’ve been so fast, and fire off so fast on new tires. I just didn’t think that I could beat them straight up on new tires. It took me about 20 laps to get going. I thought my best chance was to stay out on old tires. Seth (Chavka, crew chief) and I watched the last two or three races here. We saw where the 9 car with Noah Gragson won with like a hundred laps on his tires. I decided to stay out when they said pit.”
“In all seriousness this has been a heavy week. I just thought a lot about this week, and my incredible opportunity here to represent Young Life and so many kids that give their life to Jesus Christ. This racecar’s got JD Gibbs’ name on it, and he played such a pivotal part in my life. Not just my career but my life. We’ve shared a lot of stories about JD over the years, and this is so cool to get this car to victory lane with his name on it. This is pretty awesome, I can’t wait to celebrate with my team, my guys, and my family. I just want to make sure that all the praise and glory goes to God.”
Following an off week, Xfinity Series teams return to action from Kansas Speedway. The Kansas Lottery 300 goes green Saturday, September 27 at 4 p.m. ET on The CW, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credit to Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
