Chandler Smith scored his third NASCAR Xfinity Series win and his second of 2024 on Saturday (March 30), as he won over his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Aric Almirola by a margin of 4.495 seconds while leading 76 of the 250 laps. This is Smith’s second Xfinity win at Richmond in a row after winning last year’s event with Kaulig Racing.
Almirola led the most laps on the day with 95 laps and scored a season-best finish of second. Taylor Gray, in his first career Xfinity start, finished third to complete the JGR 1-2-3 finish.
Corey Heim, another Toyota for Sam Hunt Racing’s No. 26, crossed the line in a Xfinity Series career-best finish of fourth, while Jesse Love of Richard Childress Racing completed the top five.
Bubba Pollard, also making his Xfinity debut, finished sixth after starting in the back in 37th. Parker Kligerman, Austin Hill, Sammy Smith and Cole Custer rounded out the top 10.
Parker Retzlaff won his first career pole and held the top spot for the opening 27 laps. Justin Allgaier took the lead from Retzlaff on the first restart of the race after Retzlaff’s Jordan Anderson Racing teammate Ryan Vargas had a mechanical issue early in the running.
Heim took the lead from Allgaier right before Brandon Jones, who started second, brought out the second caution after his motor blew up on lap 43. Ryan Sieg was also involved, spinning right behind the No. 9’s oil trail. Blaine Perkins also stopped during the caution and took his car behind the wall.
Heim logged his first laps led in the Xfinity Series under caution, but immediately, Allgaier challenged for the lead and took it from Heim on the restart on lap 57.
It wouldn’t take long for another Toyota to get to the lead by lap 65, as the veteran Almirola took the lead and held it to the stage one victory over a hard-charging Brennan Poole in the No. 44 Chevrolet Camaro for Alpha Prime Racing.
Heim, Allgaier and Sam Mayer completed the top five in stage one.
Almirola held the lead for the entirety of the second stage that featured only one caution for Logan Bearden spinning on lap 96. Bearden, also in his first career Xfinity start, recovered to finish 10th in stage two.
Mayer, Smith, Gray and Heim completed the top five in the second stage.
Almirola held Mayer up on the restart, who suffered a flat tire after contact with the No. 19 of Gray. Mayer had to pit under green and finished 30th, four laps down.
Smith passed his JGR teammate of Almirola…
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