Noah Gragson won Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona.
Gragson claimed his first victory of the year after passing Brandon Jones for the lead with 15 laps go to. Gragson led 114 of 200 laps and his win comes after he finished in the top five in the first three races of the season.
It is Gragson’s sixth Xfinity win in 106 career starts. The JR Motorsports driver beat Jones to the checkered flag by 2.5 seconds.
The final 100 laps of the races were run under green.
“The pit crew executed great,” Gragson told Fox Sports. “This team’s been a roll so far this year.”
The top five was completed by Josh Berry, Trevor Bayne and John Hunter Nemechek.
Click here for the race results.
While Bayne won the pole, he experienced issues with the engine kill switch on his steering wheel that delayed him from rolling off pit road with the rest of the field. The steering wheel was replaced, and Bayne was able to start from his qualifying spot.
Anthony Alfredo, who didn’t practice or qualify due to a mechanical problem on his No. 23 car, also didn’t roll off with the rest of the field. The team had replaced his transmission, but the car wouldn’t change gears. Alfredo started the race behind the wall. He eventually joined the race and finished 54 laps down.
Allgaier, who had to start from the rear for an unapproved adjustment, was in 18th place by Lap 8.
Riley Herbst brought out the first caution on Lap 22 when he was eliminated in a single-car wreck in Turns 3-4. The wreck, which saw Herbst hit the wall with the driver-side of the car, was caused by a brake malfunction.
“That was probably one of the hardest hits I’ve ever taken,” Herbst told Fox Sports.
At the time of the caution, Allgaier was in 12th.
The race resumed with 12 laps left in the first stage, as Noah Gragson took the lead from Bayne and Allgaier cracked the top 10.
Bayne retook the lead with four laps to go, but Gragson took it back on the next lap. Bayne was able to get under Gragson in the last lap as they drag raced to the checkered flag and Bayne barely beat Gragson to the line for the stage win.
The 10 after one stage: Bayne, Gragson, Brandon Jones, John Hunter Nemechek, Ty Gibbs, Allgaier, Landon Cassill, AJ Allmendinger, Josh Berry and Sam Mayer.
Jones was first off pit road ahead of Allgaier and Gragson.
On the ensuing Lap 55 restart, Josh Berry made contact with Ty Gibbs while trying to pass on the inside and sent Gibbs’ No. 54 Toyota into a spin that sent the field scrambling. No other cars were collected.
Jones took the lead on the next restart, but Gragson moved back to the point soon after.
Gragson led all the way to the end of the stage. Allgaier passed Jones for second on the last lap of the stage.
The top 10 after two stages: Gragson, Allgaier, Jones, Bayne, Berry, Nemechek, Allmendinger, Hemric, Cassill and Mayer.
Allgaier took the lead off pit road, completing his charge from the back of the pack. Bayne and Mayer were caught speeding on pit road. It was the second penalty for Mayer.
The race restarted with 100 laps to go and after getting out of the groove thanks to contact from Jones, Allgaier dropped like a rock out of the top five. Jones assumed the lead over Nemechek. Two laps later, Nemechek took the lead for the first time.
Gragson again took the lead with 87 laps to go.
Green flag stops began with about 37 laps to go. Gragson pit from the lead with 33 to go.
Allgaier was penalized for running over equipment.
When pit stops cycles through though, it was Jones who led Gragson with 28 laps to go by about 1.5 seconds.