NXS Lucky 13: Justin Bonsignore – Phoenix

Lucky 13 rides along with the driver who qualifies 13th, keeping an eye on how their race unfolds. This driver could be sent to the back of the pack and still pull off a victory, or their luck could take a nosedive early in the race. With luck on their side – or against them – anything can happen! So, grab your four-leaf clovers, your lucky horseshoes, and maybe even a rabbit’s foot for the latest Lucky 13! Will it be fortune or misfortune? Let’s find out!

NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship

Driver: Justin Bonsignore
Organization & Number: Joe Gibbs Racing, #18
Crew Chief: Jeff Meendering
Spotter: Drew Herring

For the second week in a row, Justin Bonsignore was given the keys to the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing machine as William Sawalich recovered following a wreck at Talladega Superspeedway.

Stage 1

Justin Bonsignore fired his engine for the ninth and final time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series 2025 season. Before taking the green flag, he dropped to the rear after the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing team made unapproved adjustments to the car.

After the opening lap, Bonsignore was running P29 and making moves. Spotter Drew Herring said, “One by one. Stay disciplined.”

Within two more laps, he gained two more spots. Lap 6 saw him running three-wide and having moved to P23.

On Lap 9, he stole P21 and set his eyes on the top 20. It took 10 more laps, but he broke that barrier. He responded, “Yep. Figured out what I gotta do here.”

One more lap saw one more spot earned. On Lap 29, after jumping to P17, he was told he was running top-five lap times, even in dirty air.

With 12 to go in the stage, he was running top-three lap times and claimed P15.

The stage came to a close with Bonsignore in the same spot. He noted he was “very happy” with the car.

Stage 2

His crew got him back on track in P12 for the Stage 2 restart. He immediately found himself in the middle of three, and once drivers settled in, he had managed to hold on to P12. Over the next handful of laps, he was working hard to get around Carson Kvapil.

After 26 laps into the stage, Bonsignore was sitting just outside the top 10. Herring told his driver, “Settle in. We’ll march up there and get the next one.”

However, the top 10 would stay just out of reach in the second stage, and crew chief Jeff Meendering promised him “more front turn” was coming his way.

Stage 3

Those changes came with a fast stop. Bonsignore was eighth off pit road and gained multiple positions, setting him up to start the final stage in P8. With the green in the air, he once again found himself middle of three.

He held onto P8 until the caution waved with 88 to go. Meendering kept Bonsignore on track to restart in P8 with 82 to go.

After getting around Nick Sanchez, he fell back to P8 when Corey Day got around him with fresh tires.

The hits kept coming, and he fell to P17 as more fresh tires worked around him.

Meendering told his driver, “The shoe will be on the other foot in just a minute.”

That minute finally came with 48 to go. The stop got him back on track in P15 with 42 to go.

Over the course of eight laps, he gained one spot. With eight remaining in the race, Bonsignore reclaimed his starting position. Five laps later, he was running P11.

In the closing lap, he managed to earn one more spot to bring it home in P10. He thanked the team for the opportunity and wished Sawalich the best in his recovery.

Meendering thanked him for the hard work, to which Bonsignore could only reply, “Not bad for getting a call on Wednesday!”

Sponsor Shout-out + Social Round-up

NASCAR fans know sponsors make the sport go ’round. We want to give a shout-out to Soundgear. They played a huge part in the weekend for the No. 18 team.

Be sure to give Justin Bonsignore (Facebook, Instagram, X) and Joe Gibbs Racing (Facebook, Instagram, X) a follow to keep up with the latest news from the driver and team.