By David Morgan, Associate Editor
AVONDALE, Ariz. — Day two at Phoenix Raceway will be highlighted by NASCAR’s second highest division, as the NASCAR Xfinity Series wraps up its 2024 campaign by crowning its newest champion – three of which would be a first-time series champion.
Twelve championship hopefuls started the six-week march to the Valley of the Sun, with only four drivers left standing to duel it out in the Arizona desert on Saturday night.
It all comes down to a battle between JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier, Kaulig Racing’s A.J. Allmendinger, Richard Childress Racing star Austin Hill, and the defending series champion in Stewart-Haas Racing’s Cole Custer.
By the Numbers
What: NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship, Race No. 33 of 33
Where: Phoenix Raceway – Avondale, Arizona
When: Saturday, November 9
TV/Radio: The CW Network, 6:00 pm ET / MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Channel 90
Track Size: 1.0-mile oval
Banking: Eight to nine degrees in Turns 1-2, 10 to 11 degrees in Turns 3-4 and frontstretch dogleg
Race Length: 200 laps, 200 miles
Stage Lengths: Stage One/Two – 45 laps each, Final stage – 110 laps
March 2024 Race Winner: Chandler Smith – No. 81 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota (Started second, 88 laps led)
November 2023 Race Winner: Cole Custer – No. 00 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford (Started seventh, 96 laps led)
Tale of the Tape – How the Championship 4 Stacks Up:
Justin Allgaier – No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet
2024 Stats: Two wins (Darlington, Michigan), nine top-five finishes, 19 top-10 finishes, 705 laps led, 13.9 average finish
Phoenix Specific Stats: 28 starts, two wins (2017, 2019), 10 top-five finishes, 18 top-10 finishes, 596 laps led, 10.0 average finish
How He Got Here: With two wins and a host of top-five and top-10’s in the regular season, Allgaier appeared to be destined for the regular season championship until a rough outing in the regular season finale at Bristol dropped him out of contention for that title and the bonus points that come with it.
The tough luck for the No. 7 team continued through the first round of the Playoffs as Allgaier just barely snuck into the next round by four points.
They returned to form in the Round of 8, with no finishes worse than eighth, banking enough points to get himself into the Championship 4 for the seventh time in his career as he looks to finally capture the…
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