The Xfinity Series gets a doubleheader weekend of racing in the desert to kick off the final round of the playoffs before the final four battle it out for the championship.
This week a total of 38 teams brought cars to the track which means all of the drivers will make a run in the Alsco Uniforms 302 including Camping World Truck Series driver Hailie Deegan who is making her Xfinity Series debut.
Earlier this week, JR Motorsports signed the driver of the number seven car Justin Allgaier to a contract extension. All four of the JRM drivers are a part of the round of eight drivers.
Normally when race fans see jet dryers out on the track, it has been raining and the track is saturated with water; but this time the jet dryers had to move away off of the dirt and dust that has blown on the track. The drivers will face a clean track when they go out for a 20 minute practice session.
The drivers practiced under the heat of a late afternoon sun, qualified as the sun was going down, and will run the race in the heat of the day.
After a practice session, Kyle Weatherman is the first driver on the track for single car qualifying and posts a time of 31.074 seconds around the mile and a half track.
Kyle Sieg and David Starr did not make a qualifying run and will start the race from the back of the field.
Riley Herbst flat spotted his tires when he spun out during his qualifying run but kept it off the wall and will have to start the race from the back of the field after his crew made some unapproved adjustments to the car. It has been a rough week for the 98 team. On the way to Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the hauler was involved in a single vehicle accident in Arizona that caused some damage to the cab and resulted in minor injuries to the two occupants of the truck.
Trevor Bayne was the first driver to break the 30 second mark with a time of 29.729 seconds around the track.
With a time of 29.716 seconds, AJ Allmendinger puts his number 16 car on the pole to sweep the poles at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for 2022. Trevor Bayne will start alongside on the front row.
The starting lineup for the Alsco Uniforms 302:
AJ Allmendinger
Trevor Bayne
Ty Gibbs
Noah Gragson
Sam Mayer
Daniel Hemric
Brandon Jones
Austin Hill
Sheldon Creed
Justin Allgaier
John Hunter Nemechek
Jeremy Clements
Landon Cassill
Jeb Burton
Stefan Parsons
Rajah Caruth
JJ Yeley
Hailie Deegan
Anthony Alfredo
Nick Sanchez
Myatt Snider
Bayley Currey
Garrett Smithley
Kyle Weatherman
Parker Retzlaff
Josh Williams
Mason Massey
Matt Jaskol
Kris Wright
Jeffrey Earnhardt
Matt Mills
CJ McLaughlin
Ryan Vargas
Riley Herbst
David Starr
Kyle Sieg
With eight top fives and 13 top tens at Las Vegas, Justin Allgaier has the most of any driver in the history of the Xfinity Series.
Stages one and two of the race are 45 laps each with stage three lasting 111 laps for a total of 201 laps around the mile and a half track. The drivers can run 55 to 60 laps on a single load of fuel and will have to make a pit stop during stage three.
AJ Allmendinger brings the field down for the green flag start of the race in a new car from the inside lane and jumps out in front for the lead as drivers get three wide across the track.
Lap two, AJ Allmendinger leads the race with Trevor Bayne in second; Noah Gragson, Ty Gibbs, and Sam Mayer round out the top five.
Lap three, Noah Gragson and Trevor Bayne battle for second. Bayne gets loose and nearly spins out but saves the car. He falls out of the top 10.
Lap five, AJ Allmendinger leads the race with Noah Gragson in second.
Lap six, AJ Allmendinger leads the race with Noah Gragson on his bumper; Ty Gibbs, John Hunter Nemechek, and Austin Hill round out the top five.
Lap eight, Noah Gragson battles with AJ Allmendinger for the lead and passes on the outside to take the lead.
Justin Allgaier and Brandon Jones battle for sixth place.
Lap 10, Noah Gragson has a quarter of a second lead on AJ Allmendinger; Ty Gibbs, John Hunter Nemechek, and Austin Hill round out the top five.
Lap 13, Noah Gragson has a third of a second lead on AJ Allmendinger; Ty Gibbs, John Hunter Nemechek, and Austin Hill round out the top five. Trevor Bayne is back in 13th. After starting at the back of the field, Riley Herbst has moved up to 24th.
Lap 15, the drivers are beginning to move around the track looking for some grip.
Lap 16, AJ Allmendinger moves up to challenge Noah Gragson for the lead. A Las Vegas native, Gragson has never won at his home track.
Lap 22, after getting around AJ Allmendinger, Ty Gibbs moves up to challenge Noah Gragson for the lead.
Lap 23, the top five are Noah Gragson, Ty Gibbs, AJ Allmendinger, Austin Hill, and Justin Allgaier.
Lap 24, Ty Gibbs passes Noah Gragson on the inside to take the lead. There are 36 cars on the lead lap.
The top six drivers are in the playoffs.
Lap 27, Ryan Sieg comes down pit road for an unscheduled trip to his pit stall.
Lap 28, Ty Gibbs has pulled out to a lead of over a second on Noah Gragson; Austin Hill, AJ Allmendinger, and Justin Allgaier round out the top five.
Lap 30, Justin Allgaier is reporting a number of issues with his top five car including a lack of grip.
Lap 31, Austin Hill passes Noah Gragson for second.
Lap 32, Ty Gibbs has a near two second lead on Austin Hill; Noah Gragson, Justin Allgaier, and AJ Allmendinger round out the top five.
Seven lap remain in stage one with Ty Gibbs leading the way.
Ryan Sieg makes a second trip down pit road and heads to the garage with a possible steering issue.
Lap 39, Ty Gibbs leads the race with Austin Hill in second; Noah Gragson, Justin Allgaier, and Brand Jones round out the top five. AJ Allmendinger, Sam Mayer, and Josh Berry are in sixth through eight to make all eight playoff drivers in front of the field.
Ty Gibbs is passing numerous cars with only 26 cars on the lead lap.
AJ Allmendinger reports that his car is “20 out of 10 tight”.
Ty Gibbs wins stage one for his seventh stage win of the season.
The top 10 at the end of stage one:
Ty Gibbs
Austin Hill
Noah Gragson
Justin Allgaier
Brandon Jones
Sam Mayer
AJ Allmendinger
John Hunter Nemechek
Josh Berry
Daniel Hemric
Sheldon Creed comes down pit road while it is still closed, to address an engine issue.
Drivers come down pit road for service with Ty Gibbs winning the race off of pit road.
Ty Gibbs brings the field down for the green flag start of stage two on lap 52 and goes three wide with Austin Hill and Noah Gragson for the lead. Noah Gragson from out outside lane takes the lead to rousing cheers.
Lap 53, the top five are Noah Gragson, Justin Allgaier, Austin Hill, John Hunter Nemechek, and Brandon Jones. Ty Gibbs drops to sixth after the three wide battle.
Stage two has just begun and the drivers are already getting very aggressive.
There are just 22 cars on the lead lap.
Ty Gibbs and John Hunter Nemechek make contact but they keep moving and the track stays green.
Lap 55 Ryan Sieg and Sheldon Creed are off the track.
Lap 57, Noah Gragson has a lead of nearly two seconds on Brandon Jones; Ty Gibbs, Austin Hill, and John Hunter Nemechek round out the top five.
Riley Herbst nearly lost his car in a spinout during qualifying and had to start the race at the back of the field; he is just outside the top 10 in eleventh.
Lap 60, Noah Gragson now has a lead of over two seconds on Brandon Jones; Ty Gibbs, Austin Hill, and Justin Allgaier round out the top five.
Sheldon Creed is in the garage for repairs; reports are that the issue is a valve spring.
Lap 63, Noah Gragson holds on to the lead and is nearly two and a half seconds in front of Brandon Jones; Ty Gibbs, Austin Hill, and Justin Allgaier round out the top five.
Lap 65, Sheldon Creed is out of the race. Ryan Sieg is still in the garage for repairs.
Lap 66, while Noah Gragson has a two and a half second lead on Brandon Jones, it is third place driver Ty Gibbs who is running the fastest laps on the track.
The eight playoff drivers range from 19 to 40.
Lap 69, Noah Gragson has a lead of over two and a half seconds on Brandon Jones; Ty Gibbs, Austin Hill, and Justin Allgaier round out the top five.
Lap 78, Noah Gragson holds on to the lead by two and a half seconds over Brandon Jones; Ty Gibbs, Austin Hill, and Justin Allgaier round out the top five.
Lap 80, Bayley Currey has made a unscheduled trip down pit road.
Just nine laps remain in stage two, Noah Gragson has a three second lead on Brandon Jones; Ty Gibbs, Austin HIll, and Justin Allgaier round out the top five.
JJ Yeley is slowed on the track and comes down pit road with a possible engine issue.
Five laps remain in stage two, Noah Gragson has a lead of over three seconds on Brandon Jones.
Ty Gibbs passes Brandon Jones for second.
With two laps to go, Ty Gibbs has cut Noah Gragson’s lead down to under two seconds.
Noah Gragson wins stage two for stage win number 14 this season – the most of any driver.
The top 10 at the end of stage two:
Noah Gragson
Ty Gibbs
Brandon Jones
Austin HIll
Justin Allgaier
Josh Berry
Sam Mayer
Daniel Hemric
Trevor Bayne
AJ Allmendinger
Drivers come down pit road for service with Austin Hill winning the race off of pit road.
Brandon Jones’ crew has been charged with a safety violation on pit road.
Austin Hill brings the field down for the green flag start of stage three with Brandon Jones alongside on lap 97. Brandon Jones takes the lead with Austin Hill in second; Josh Berry, Ty Gibbs, and Noah Gragson round out the top five.
Coming up form the outside lane, Josh Berry passes Austin Hill for second.
Noah Gragson comes up on the outside and passes Austin Hill for third.
Lap 101, Brandon Jones and Josh Berry battle for the lead with Berry passing on the inside to take the lead; Noah Gragson, Justin Allgaier, and Ty Gibbs round outhe top five.
JJ Yeley is off the track.
With 22 cars on the lead lap, Josh Berry has a half second lead on Noah Gragson; Brandon Jones, Justin Allgaier, and Ty Gibbs round out the top five.
TY Gibbs and Justin Allgaier battle back and for the for fourth.
JJ Yeley, Sheldon Creed, and Ryan Sieg are out of the race.
Lap 106, Noah Gragson moves up to challenge teammate Josh Berry for the lead.
Lap107, Joh Berry has a half second lead on Noah Gragson; Brandon Jones, Ty Gibbs, and Justin Allgaier round out the top five. All eight of the playoff drivers occupy the top eight spots.
After restarting the race from the back of the field due to a penalty, Trevor Bayne has moved up to 12th place.
Lap 119, Josh Berry has a half second lead on Noah Gragson; Ty Gibbs, Brandon Jones, and Justin Allgaier round out the top five.
Noah Gragson reports that he very free going into turn four and is hampering his efforts to retake the lead. During his stage two end pit stop his jack man fell, costing Gragson two spots in the lineup.
Ty Gibbs continues to report that he is very loose; while AJ Allmendinger continues to complain of a very tight car.
Lap 123, Josh Berry is less than half a second in front of teammate Noah Gragson; Ty Gibbs, Justin Allgaier, and Brandon Jones round out the top five.
Sam Mayer also reports a very loose condition.
Lap 125, Noah Gragson and Josh Berry Battle for the lead but Berry holds him off and keeps the lead.
Lap 129, Josh Berry Holds on to the lead with Noah Gragson in second; Ty Gibbs, Justin Allgaier, and Brandon Jones round out the top five with 21 cars on the lead lap.
Lap 131, Noah Gragson comes up on the inside to battle with Josh Berry and takes the lead with a “slide job”.
Lap 137, Noah Gragson has pulled out to a one second lead on Josh Berry; Ty Gibbs, Justin Allgaier, and Brandon Jones round out the top five. There are only 19 cars on the lead lap.
Lap 140, Austin Hill is the first driver to make his green flag pit stop.
Lap 141, after taking the lead Noah Gragson has pulled out to a lead of over three seconds on Josh Berry; Ty Gibbs, Justin Allgaier, and Brandon Jones round out the top five with 18 cars on the lead lap.
Lap 142, Trevor Bayne makes his green flag pit stop.
Lap 143, AJ Allmendinger starts a wave of drivers coming down pit road.
Lap 144, leader Noah Gragson makes his pit stop and gives the lead over to Ty Gibbs.
Lap 145, Ty Gibbs makes his pit stop and gives the lead over to Nick Sanchez as more drivers come down pit road.
Nick Sanchez, Jeremy Clements, and Ky Weatherman have yet to make their pit stops. Once all of the drivers make their pit stops, Noah Gragson will retake the lead.
John Hunter Nemechek and Daniel Hemric were caught speeding on pit road and will have to serve a pass through penalty.
Lap 153, with just eleven cars on the lead lap, Noah Gragson has a lead of over six seconds on Ty Gibbs.
Lap 158, Noah Gragson has a lead of six and a half seconds on Ty Gibbs; Justin Allgaier, Josh Berry, and Brandon Jones round out the top five.
With 42 laps to go, the top seven drivers are playoff drivers with Sam Mayer in 10th. Noah Gragson continues to lead with a six plus second lead on Ty Gibbs.
The first caution flag of the race for an on track incident comes out with 40 laps to go when Brandon Jones spins out after getting loose when Jeremy Clements takes the air off of his spoiler.
Leaders come down pit road for their final set of fresh tires with Noah Gragson winning the race off of pit road.
The wind has picked up in the last 20 minutes according to NBC Sports broadcasters.
Landon Cassill stayed out on the track and brings the field down for the green flag restart on the inside lane with Noah Gragson on the outside with 36 laps remaining in the race. AJ Allmendinger comes up on the inside to battle for the lead and gets out in front.
AJ Allmendinger leads the race with Josh Berry in second; Justin Allgaier, Ty Gibbs, and Noah Gragson round out the top five.
Josh Berry slaps the wall in a battle with AJ Allmendinger for the lead.
Justin Allgaier makes it a three wide battle with Josh Berry in the lead. AJ Allmendinger thinks he has a loose wheel but the crew says no.
Thirty to go, Josh Berry leads the race, Justin Allgaier, AJ Allmendinger, Ty Gibbs, and Austin Hill round out the top five.
Ty Gibbs passes AJ Allmendinger for third.
Drivers are getting three wide in a battle for position.
There are 28 laps to go with 16 cars on the lead lap; Josh Berry leads the race with teammate Justin Allgaier in second; Ty Gibbs, AJ Allmendinger, and Austin Hill rounding out the top five. AJ Allmendinger continues to insist that there is an issue with one of his tires.
The camera on AJ Allmendinger’s car is very shaky; normally it is very smooth. Allmendinger comes down pit road for a tire change. There are no sticker tires in the pits and the crew had to put older tires on the car.
There are 23 laps to go, Josh Berry has a lead of over a second on Justin Allgaier; Ty Gibbs, Austin Hill, and Trevor Bayne round out the top five.
Crews discovered that both of the right tires were loose on AJ Allmendinger’s car.
Twenty to go, Josh Berry has a near second and a half lead on Justin Allgaier; Ty Gibbs, Trevor Bayne, and Noah Gragson round out the top five.
Noah Gragson gets into the wall but the track stays green.
Fifteen to go, Josh Berry has a one second lead on Justin Allgaier; Ty Gibbs, Noah Gragson, and Trevor Bayne round out the top five.
Thirteen to go, Josh Berry has increased his lead on Justin Allgaier to a second and a half; Ty Gibbs, Noah Gragson, and Trevor Bayne round out the top five.
Ten to go, Noah Gragson has caught and passed Ty Gibbs for third; the top three drivers are JR Motorsports drivers.
Seven to go, Josh Berry holds a lead of over a second on Justin Allgaier; Noah Gragson, Ty Gibbs, and Trevor Bayne round out the top five.
Five to go, Noah Gragson battles with teammate Justin Allgaier for second. Coming up on the inside, Gragson passes Allgaier.
Three to go, JRM holds the top three spots with Josh Berry over a second out in front.
Justin Allgaier gets into the wall but the track stays green.
Josh Berry takes the white flag.
After leading 64 laps, Josh Berry wins the race and becomes the first driver in the championship four. Berry also won Las Vegas last fall as a part time driver.
The unofficial results of the Alsco Uniforms 302:
Josh Berry
Noah Gragson
Justin Allgaier
Ty Gibbs
Trevor Bayne
Austin Hill
Sam Mayer
Daniel Hemric
Brandon Jones
Anthony Alfredo
Landon Cassill
Nicholas Sanchez
Hailie Deegan
Kyle Weatherman
Jeremy Clements
John Hunter Nemechek
Jeb Burton
Riley Herbst
Myatt Snider
Rajah Caruth
Parker Retzlaff
AJ Allmendinger
Stefan Parsons
Kris Wright
Garrett Smithley
Kyle Sieg
Jeffrey Earnhardt
Ryan Vargas
Mason Massey
CJ McLaughlin
David Starr
Matt Jaskol
Bayley Currey
Josh Williams
Matt Mills
JJ Yeley
Sheldon Creed
Ryan Sieg