On Saturday evening, Chandler Smith grabs a NASCAR Xfinity Series win at Phoenix Raceway in the Call811.com Every Dig. Every Time
AVONDALE, Ariz.—Chandler Smith had a message for his Joe Gibbs Racing team after taking the checkered flag in overtime in Saturday’s Call811.com Every Dig. Every Time. 200 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Phoenix Raceway.
Chandler Smith Grabs a NASCAR Xfinity Series Win at Phoenix Raceway
“We’ll take ‘em when we can get ‘em,” Smith radioed before celebrating his second career victory with a burnout near the start/finish line.
A race of good fortune—combined with Justin Allgaier’s disastrous bad luck—put Smith in Victory Lane after 205 laps at the one-mile track in the Sonoran Desert.
Allgaier held a lead of nearly three seconds after crossing the stripe on lap 195 of a scheduled 200. But as the driver of the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet approached the first turn, his left rear tire went flat.
Allgaier’s car turned sideways and smashed into the outside wall, ending the race for the veteran driver from Illinois.
On the subsequent overtime restart, Smith pulled away from teammate Sheldon Creed and reached the finish line 0.365 seconds ahead of Sunoco rookie Jesse Love, who edged Creed for the runner-up spot by 0.019 seconds.
“Going through the dogleg (on the front stretch), I felt (the tire) come apart, like I ran something over, and at that point you’re just a passenger,” Allgaier said. “I just hate it that we tore up a race car. We didn’t go to Victory Lane. I hate it for all the guys and gals at JR Motorsports.”
Well Deserved Victory
Allgaier’s ill fortune was determinative, but it wasn’t that Smith didn’t deserve the victory. He won the first 45-lap stage wire-to-wire and led a race-high 88 laps to Allgaier’s 52.
“We just lacked a little bit on the 7 (Allgaier),” Smith said. “I hate that happened to him—he had that in the bag. I’m so proud of everybody back at Joe Gibbs Racing. It’s good finally to get this first win off our back for these guys.
“So let’s go keep racking ‘em up.”
Pole sitter, Cole Custer Fades in the End
Stage 2 winner Cole Custer led 61 laps, but his car suffered from a loose handling condition during the final run.
With Custer fading badly, Smith was in the lead, more than 2.5 seconds ahead of Allgaier, when Hailie Deegan brushed the second turn wall on lap 137. To that point, Smith and Custer had combined to lead all the laps.
Chandler Smith Loses the Lead
The relatively innocent-looking fourth caution, however, set the stage for the chaos that followed. Smith lost three spots on pit road as John Hunter Nemechek took the lead.
On the subsequent restart on lap 144, Smith and Nemechek were racing in close quarters when contact from the right front of Smith’s Toyota turned Nemechek’s Supra in front of the field.
All told, 11 cars sustained damage, with Nemechek, hard-luck Sam Mayer (third DNF in four races), Hailie Deegan, Parker Retzlaff, and Jeb Burton unable to continue.
Call811.com Every Dig. Every Time 200 Results
Smith’s No. 81 Toyota was none the worse for wear and restarted next to Allgaier, the race leader, on lap 152. On the longest green-flag run of the day, Allgaier pulled away and was cruising toward a comfortable victory when disaster struck, opening the door for Smith to secure his first victory since last April’s win at Richmond for owner Matt Kaulig.
Austin Hill came home fourth, with Custer, the defending series champion, claiming the fifth spot. Sunoco rookie, Shane van Gisbergen, Brandon Jones, Parker Kligerman, Sammy Smith, and Anthony Alfredo completed the top ten.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series Point Standings
Next Up
With a week off, the next race for the NASCAR Xfinity Series is the Focused Health 250 at Circuit of the Americas on Saturday, March 23rd at 5 pm ET. Coverage is available on FS1, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.