In dominant fashion, leading 167 laps, #98-Riley Herbst won the Xfinity Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway. It’s his second victory of the season and gives Stewart-Haas Racing a victory in its final race.
#7-Justin Allgaier finished runner-up in the race but was the best of the Championship 4 drivers in second. Allgaier caught a caution on Lap 156 to get back on the lead lap after serving two penalties early in the final stage. It’s Allgaier’s first championship in 14 seasons.
#20-Aric Almirola finished third in the race while the No. 20 placed second in the owners standings. #88-Connor Zilisch and #81-Chandler Smith rounded out the top five.
#2-Jesse Love dropped to sixth after contact with Allgaier on the second overtime restart. #18-Sheldon Creed, #00-Cole Custer, #16-AJ Allmendinger and #21-Austin Hill completed the top 10.
There were 21 lead changes among eight drivers and seven cautions for 53 yellow flag laps.
The average speed of the race was: 88.545 mph.
See race details at: Race Results, Driver Points Standings, Owner Points Standings, Cumulative Report, Penalty Report.

Phoenix Paint Schemes

Race Fast Facts – Phoenix:
Riley Herbst won the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship race, his third victory in 175 Xfinity Series races.
This is his second victory and 15th top-10 finish in 2024.
This is his first victory and seventh top-10 finish in 11 races at Phoenix Raceway.
Justin Allgaier (P) (second) posted his 19th top-10 finish in 29 races at Phoenix Raceway. It is his 20th top-10 finish in 2024.
Aric Almirola (P) (third) posted his third top-10 finish in nine races at Phoenix Raceway.
Jesse Love (sixth) was the highest finishing rookie.
Justin Allgaier (P) won the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship.
Jesse Love has won the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award.
Chevrolet has won the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series Manufacturers Championship.

NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion Fast Facts:
Driver Champion: Justin Allgaier
Team: No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet
• Justin Allgaier won his first NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship, becoming the 34th different driver to win an Xfinity Series title. Allgaier’s his previous best finish in the final series standings was runner-up twice (2020, 2023).
• Allgaier finished second in the season finale at Phoenix Raceway to claim the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship.
• Allgaier made 33 starts this season, posting two wins, 10 top fives and 20 top 10s.
• In the Playoffs this season, Allgaier put up three top fives and five top 10s.
• Justin Allgaier, from Riverton, Illinois, has become the first NASCAR Xfinity Series champion from the state of Illinois.
Owner Champion: JR Motorsports, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kelly Earnhardt-Miller
• This is JR Motorsports’ fourth NASCAR Xfinity Series driver championship (Chase Elliott, 2014; William Byron, 2017; Tyler Reddick, 2018; Justin Allgaier, 2024) – which ties them with Joe Gibbs Racing (2009, 2026, 2021, 2022) for the third-most driver championships all-time in the series.
• This is JR Motorsport’s first NASCAR Xfinity Series owner championship (Justin Allgaier, 2024).
• JR Motorsports is one of 20 different organizations to win the NASCAR Xfinity Series driver championship (2014, 2017, 2018, 2024) and has become the 19th different organization to win a owners championship (2024) in the series.
• JR Motorsports has led 20 different drivers to Victory Lane for a total of 88 wins in the NASCAR Xfinity Series – Brad Keselowski, Chase Elliott, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Elliott Sadler, Jamie McMurray, Josh Berry, Justin Allgaier, Kasey Kahne, Kevin Harvick, Mark Martin, Michael Annett, Noah Gragson, Regan Smith, Ron Fellows, Tyler Reddick, William Byron, Kyle Larson, Sam Mayer, Sammy Smith and Connor Zilisch.
• JR Motorsports fielded the organization’s first car in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with driver Mark McFarland at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 19, 2005.
Crew Chief Champion: James Pohlman
• James Pohlman has won his first career NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship (Justin Allgaier, 2024), becoming the 32nd different crew chief to win a Xfinity title.
• Pohlman’s previous best finish in the series standings was runner-up in 2023 with driver Justin Allgaier.
• James Pohlman has won six NASCAR Xfinity Series races all with driver Justin Allgaier

Xfinity Series Standings after Phoenix (Race 33of 33):
1)#7-Justin Allgaier 4,035
2)#00-Cole Custer 4,029
3)#16-AJ Allmendinger 4,028
4)#21-Austin Hill 4,027
See the Drivers Points Standings and Owners Points Standings.

Race Updates:
Lap 213: #98-Herbst takes the lead entering Turn 3. #7-Allgaier finishes second and wins the 2024 Xfinity Series championship.
Lap 212: #7-Allgaier and #2-Love make contact for the lead.
Lap 205: #2-Love takes the lead on the restart. #21-Hill blocks #00-Custer up the track through Turns 1 and 2, allowing #7-Allgaier to turn sharply and scoot by and is up to second. #31-Retzlaff spins to bring out the caution.
Lap 199: All the lead lap cars pit. #21-Hill wins the race off pit road with two tires. #7-Allgaier spins his tires and drops two spots. #00-Custer moves to fourth position.
Lap 197: #42-Honeyman spins in Turn 3 to bring out the caution. #7-Allgaier runs third with #00-Custer fourth and #21-Hill in fifth.
Lap 193: #7-Allgaier gets by #00-Custer to take the championship lead.
Lap 192: #88-Zilisch gets loose under #00-Custer, allowing #7-Allgaier to close in.
Lap 190: #21-Hill moves #1-Mayer up the track in Turns 3 and 4 to take sixth position.
Lap 187: #7-Allgaier passes #1-Mayer for fifth position.
Lap 185: #00-Custer continues to lead the championship by three-quarters of a second over #7-Allgaier. #21-Hill is closing in on both of them.
Lap 178: #00-Custer is struggling to get by #2-Love, allowing #7-Allgaier to close the gap.
Lap 171: #7-Allgaier moves around the outside of #20-Almirola to take sixth position. #00-Custer leads Allgaier by 2.3 seconds.
Lap 163: #98-Herbst races out to the lead. #00-Custer drops to fourth. #16-Allmendinger is sixth, #7-Allgaier is ninth and #21-Hill 1oth.
Lap 158: #1-Mayer, #20-Almirola, #7-Allgaier and #21-Hill pit for fresh tires.
Lap 155: #5-Alfredo cuts a tire and clobbers the outside wall entering Turn 1 and 2. #7-Allgaier had yet to pit and is 12th on the lead lap.
Lap 150: After cycling through pit stops, #00-Custer leads #16-Allmendinger by more than eight seconds.
Lap 148: #00-Custer locks up his tires entering his pit stall to avoid #18-Sawalich.
Lap 147: #16-Allmendinger and #21-Hill pit, along with #97-van Gisbergen and #81-Smith.
Lap 145: #98-Herbst pits from the race lead to start the cycle of final green-flag pit stops.
Lap 140: #98-Herbst continues to lead. #00-Custer has a five-second advantage over #16-Allmendinger (seventh) for the championship lead.
Lap 130: #98-Herbst has extended his lead to 3.3 seconds. #7-Allgaier raced back to be in position to be the free pass recipient until #28-Sieg was lapped.
Lap 112: #98-Herbst has stretched his lead over #00-Custer to nearly two seconds. #16-Allmendinger is up to sixth on fresher tires after restarting 19th.
Lap 107: #7-Allgaier serves his second drive-through penalty and is now one lap down in 35th.
Lap 102: #7-Allgaier serves his penalty for the restart violation and is caught for speeding on pit road and will have to serve another pass through.
Lap 100: #7-Allgaier is posted for a restart violation and will have to serve a pass-through penalty.
Lap 94: #7-Allgaier and #16-Allmendinger pit during the caution period for fresh tires. Allgaier went with fresh left-side tires.
Lap 90: #98-Herbst wins Stage 2, his fourth stage victory of the season. #18-Creed, #20-Almirola, #2-Love, #00-Custer, #88-Zilisch, #16-Allmendinger, #1-Mayer, #19-Sawalich and #7-Allgaier round out the top 10. #21-Hill finished 14th.
Lap 88: #7-Allgaier is nursing his car to end of the stage.
Lap 86: #7-Allgaier and #98-Herbst make contact, causing the left-rear tire to go low.
Lap 79: The majority of the field pits. #18-Creed and #2-Love lead the drivers that stayed out. #16-Allmendinger is third.
Lap 76: #81-Smith brings out the caution by getting loose underneath #18-Creed entering Turn 1.
Lap 74: #98-Herbst maintains the lead on the restart. #7-Allgaier moves up to third; #00-Custer drops to fourth.
Lap 68: #5-Alfredo will be held two laps for reckless driving.
Lap 61: #5-Alfredo was pinched into the wall by #45-Parsons and coming down the track Alfredo hooked Parsons. #14-Greg Van Alst spun back in the field.
Lap 59: #98-Herbst takes the lead back from his Stewart-Haas Racing teammate #00-Custer.
Lap 56: #7-ALlgaier has gained five spots since the restart and is up to fifth.
Lap 54: #00-Custer makes a three-wide move on the outside of #98-Herbst and #21-Hill to take the lead through Turns 1 and 2.
Lap 50: #98-Herbst wins the race off pit road. #21-Hill gains two spots; #00-Custer jumps four. #7-Allgaier dropped four and is down to 10th.
Lap 45: #98-Herbst wins the opening stage, his first stage victory of the season. #81-Smith, #18-Creed, #21-Hill, #1-Mayer, #7-Allgaier, #00-Custer, #19-Sawalich, #20-Almirola and #2-Love round out the top 10. #16-Allmendinger was 18th.
Lap 40: #7-Allgaier passes #00-Custer for sixth position.
Lap 32: #21-Hill reports that his water temperature is rising.
Lap 26: #7-Allgaier reaches the top 10 for the first time, gaining 27 spots in the opening 26 laps.
Lap 24: #98-Herbst has extended his lead to more than two seconds over #81-Smith. #21-Hill passes #18-Sawalich for fourth position.
Lap 14: #7-Allgaier has raced up to 15th position and continues his charge forward.
Lap 9: #98-Herbst re-takes the lead. #81-Smith takes second spot from #18-Creed.
Lap 8: #18-Creed takes the lead back. #16-Allmendinger and #7-Allgaier have both cracked the top 20.
Lap 7: #98-Herbst takes the lead from #18-Creed. #81-Smith is closing in on the battle from third position.
Lap 1: #18-Creed takes the lead from the outside lane. #16-Allmendinger made up ground and is already inside the top 30.

Cars to the rear: #8-Sammy Smith (engine change); #16-AJ Allmendinger (unapproved adjustments); #7-Justin Allgaier, #9-Brandon Jones, #20-Aric Almirola, #48-Parker Kligerman (backup car)

Pit Stall Selections

Making just his third career Xfinity Series start, #19-William Sawalich won the pole for the Xfinity Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway. Sawalich ran a speed of 134.168 mph, more than one-tenth of a second better than second place.
Joe Gibbs Racing swept the front row with #18-Sheldon Creed lining up second (133.432 mph). #98-Riley Herbst (132.989 mph), #81-Chandler Smith (132.915 mph) and #21-Austin Hill (132.523 mph) was the first Championship 4 driver to complete the top five.
#2-Jesse Love, #00-Cole Custer, #1-Sam Mayer, #16-AJ Allmendinger and #31-Parker Retzlaff fill out the top 10. #7-Justin Allgaier was the lone Championship 4 driver to qualify outside the top 10 in 37th, but was going to have to drop to the rear after wrecking in practice on Friday. #20-Aric Almirola will start shotgun on the field after making the Championship 4 on the owners side for JGR.
See the complete Phoenix Starting Lineup.

Qualifying Fast Facts — Phoenix
William Sawalich(i) won the Pole Award for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship with a lap of 26.832 seconds, 134.168 mph.
This is his first pole in three NASCAR Xfinity Series races.
This is his first pole and first top-10 start in 2024.
This is his first pole in one races at Phoenix Raceway.
Sheldon Creed (second) posted his 24th top-10 start of 2024 and his seventh in seven races at Phoenix Raceway.
Riley Herbst (third) posted his sixth top-10 start at Phoenix Raceway. It is his 18th in 33 races this season.
Jesse Love (sixth) was the fastest qualifying rookie.

Qualifying Order

Practice for the Xfinity Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway is complete. The top five, slowest, news and notes:
#2-Jesse Love 130.496 mph
#7-Justin Allgaier 129.964 mph
#88-Connor Zilisch 129.936 mph
#20-Aric Almirola 129.636 mph
#00-Cole Custer 129.506 mph
Championship 4 drivers outside the top five: #21-Austin Hill (sixth) and #16-AJ Allmendinger (ninth).
Slowest: #53-Garrett Smithley 123.436 mph
Most laps run: #81-Chandler Smith, 48
Notes: In the opening minutes of practice, #44-Brennan Poole laid oil down the track entering Turn 1. #48-Parker Kligerman was the first driver to slip in the oil, followed by #97-Shane van Gisbergen and #92-Cram. Championship 4 driver #7-Allgaier hit the wall, as did #9-Brandon Jones. #20-Almirola piled in and received heavy damage to the right side after making contact with Jones. Almirola was back on track with his backup car within 20 minutes of the incident. Allgaier backed out of the garage in his backup car with 14 minutes remaining in the session.
See full Phoenix Practice Results.

Crew Rosters

Goodyear Tire Notes

There are 38 drivers/teams on the entry list for the Xfinity Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway. All cars will make the race.
Notables: #07-Patrick Emerling, #10-Daniel Dye, #14-Greg Van Alst, #15-Dylan Lupton, #19-William Sawalich, #26-Jeffrey Earnhardt, #35-Joey Gase, #45-Stefan Parsons, #53-TBA, #88-Connor Zilisch, #91-Josh Bilicki, #92-Dawson Cram.
See the full Phoenix Entry List.

Phoenix At-Track Schedule