The GOVX 200 at Phoenix saw action from start to the very end. Alex Bowman and Sheldon Creed were the fastest in qualifying so they began the race on the front row. Connor Zilisch and Sammy Smith started right behind them. The stage lengths were 45 laps for the first and second stage and 110 laps for the final stage.
The Showman!
Bowman got a great launch and snatched the lead into turn one. Taylor Gray went four wide to make up ground immediately. Gray started in ninth and came out of turn one in fourth. Zilisch and Jesse Love made contact early in the race, but they were able to keep it straight. Gray got sideways but did not turn it around.
Aric Almirola made up ground after starting eighth. He moved into second quickly and set his eyes on Bowman in the lead. He could not make up ground because Bowman was the quickest on track. Bowman caught lapped traffic, but it did not slow him down. He cut through it with ease and built his lead to over three seconds. Bowman led every lap and won stage one! Almirola and Justin Allgaier finished second and third.
Big Mistake
Almirola and Bowman took the field back to green. Anthony Alfredo pulled into the pits as the green flag came back out. He stopped his car on pit road, and the yellow flag came back out as Alfredo lost power in his car.
Almirola and Bowman restarted on the front row. Almirola was able to get a great jump to take the lead. Sammy Smith took Bowman and Brandon Jones three wide to make up ground. Austin Hill hit the inside wall and brought out the third caution. He bounced off and into Sheldon Creed. Dean Thompson was also caught in the accident. Hill immediately said he had made a mistake and apologized to his team as well as the others involved.
Almirola and Bowman restarted out front. Brandon Jones tried to move into the top spot but did not have the speed. Allgaier caught the leaders sleeping and passed them on the outside. However, Almirola did not give up the lead easily. He tried to fight back but could not hold off the charging Allgaier. Their battling brought Bowman and Jones into the fold.
Almirola retook the lead with seven to go in the stage. Allgaier did not let him pull away and immediately took his lead back. He could not pull away but was able to stay out front to win stage two! Almirola, Bowman, Jones, and Smith rounded out the top five at the stage break.
Cream Rising to the Top
Allgaier and Jones restarted the race out front. Allgaier used a great launch to take back the lead. He stayed fast and built his lead to just over half a second. Carson Kvapil and Zilisch made contact, but it did not seem to bother either of them as they kept it straight. Almirola complained that Allgaier’s car was a tad better, but he was quickly shut down by his crew chief.
The leaders caught lapped traffic, and it seemed to help Allgaier in the lead. He could not improve on his lead until then. Over one second separated the leader and Almirola. That lead tightened up the longer the run went. Almirola was able to close the gap. Sammy Smith got damage and his car began smoking a bit. A caution came out when Dawson Cram spun around and hit the wall. Almirola had a bad pit stop and lost spots under yellow.
Allgaier and Bowman restarted the race on the front row. Allgaier got a great launch and retook the lead. Almirola made up some ground quickly, even using his bumper to pass Jones. Bowman did not let Allgaier pull too far ahead. Bowman kept the leader in his sights. Almirola moved into third and quickly to the rear bumper of Bowman.
Battle at the Front
While the top three were battling hard for the top spot, Gray and Jones ran side by side for several laps, fighting for the fourth position. Neither driver would give an inch. Jones would ultimately take the spot, but it was not easy. Allgaier pulled away by over a second with 30 laps to go. He benefitted from a slower Bowman being between him and the faster Almirola.
There was aggressive racing throughout the top 15. Christian Eckes and Harrison Burton made contact and could not pull away from each other. They raced in a hornet’s nest as the race was coming to a conclusion.
Almirola was able to fight his way around Bowman. He had an over two-second gap to overcome to Allgaier, though. Allgaier battled lapped traffic, trying to keep his lead at two seconds. Allgaier held his breath when Kvapil blew his right front tire. He was able to limp it to pit road.
The lead was shrunk to under a second and a half. Almirola quickly chopped at that gap. They both seemed to get through the lapped traffic well. Nick Leitz brought out a caution after he got into the wall, appearing to run over something that upset the rear of the car.
Overtime in Phoenix
Allgaier and Almirola brought the field to the green. Both of them got great restarts. Allgaier got loose going into turn one. Bowman jumped at the opportunity and made it four wide with Brandon Jones on his inside. Bowman took over the race lead and the white flag.
Almirola drove deep into turn one to move Bowman up the track. Bowman kept his lead coming out of turn two. Almirola drove his way alongside Bowman into turn three. He got loose and slid into Bowman, shoving him into the wall. Almirola snagged the lead coming out of four. He took the checkered flag and the win!
Bowman finished in second but was not pleased with how he was shoved into the wall. Jones finished in third while R. Seig and Allgaier rounded out the top five.
Marvin’s Moment:
It was a great race with a fantastic finish. While he did use Bowman up a little bit, Almirola did not race dirty. Every driver would have done the exact same thing in that spot. Almirola admitted he knew what he had to do, but it still is the race for the win. Coming out of turn four allows for harder racing to the line. Keep up with the Xfinity Series recaps as they head to Las Vegas next week!
