Worst to First: Allmendinger overcomes several missteps to win Xfinity race at Portland
* Full results and updated standings at bottom of this report
PORTLAND, Ore. - NASCAR held an Xfinity Series race for the first time ever in the Pacific Northwest on Saturday.
And the race fans who braved the rain at Portland International Raceway were treated to a wild race that found a familiar face back in victory lane.
AJ Allmendinger, who scored his first professional win in a 2006 Champ Car race at PIR, overcame several off-course incidents to win the Pacific Office Automation 147 in the Xfinity Series’ first visit to the 12-turn, 1.967-mile road course in Oregon’s largest city.
AJ Allmendinger is embraced by his father, Greg Allmendinger after winning Saturday's NASCAR Xfinity Series Pacific Office Automation 147 race at Portland International Raceway. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
Allmendinger's win was a remarkable feat by both himself and his team, as he had to start the race from dead last after the team changed “everything but the motor” prior to the race, he said. Allmendinger also went off course several times, including on a pace lap before the green flag even waved.
“Oh my God. All the men and women at Kaulig Racing deserved that,” Allmendinger told Fox Sports after the race. “I was awful. I crashed before we went green. I was off the racetrack I think four times, made all kinds of mistakes, [and] was all over the place.”
But despite several mistakes, Allmendinger - who is widely regarded as one of NASCAR’s best road course specialists - make his way back to the front and took the lead with four laps remaining to collect his second Xfinity win of 2022.
“Just proud of everybody on this Nutrien Ag Solutions Chevy,” Allmendinger said. “I was melting down in the car, honestly. I was making so many mistakes, trying so hard. I put so much pressure on myself with these races because I know what everybody expects. I know what I expect out of myself more importantly.
“God, what a win. It might be one of the craziest wins I’ve ever had. Most mistakes to ever win a race for sure.”
Myatt Snider put up a fight for the victory towards the end of the race but ultimately had to settle for second. Austin Hill finished third, while JR Motorsports teammates Josh Barry and Justin Allgaier rounded out the top five.
Daniel Hemric, Ty Gibbs, JJ Yeley, Noah Gragson, and Alex Labbe finished sixth through 10th.
Just like Allemdinger, many other drivers had wild afternoons. The wet conditions and unfamiliar track saw multiple crashes and caution flags featuring some of the Xfinity Series’ biggest stars.
Gibbs led 42 laps in the race but made contact with several cars over the course of the race - including under caution!
Jesse Iwuji, driving the No. 34 Chevrolet, hit Gibb’s No. 54 Toyota in the Festival Chicane while under caution. Iwuji was given a two-lap penalty as a result.
But perhaps the most infamous accident of the race came with under 20 laps remaining when Jade Buford made contact with Sheldon Creed in the Festival Chicane, causing several cars behind them to make contact and receive damage.
Creed’s damage proved to be too much to continue and he exited his car further down the track and flipped off Buford as he drove by under yellow.
“It was crazy out there today,” Creed said. “We all spun, then I got rolling and I was looking left and another car just stops in front of me.
“The damage was too much for us to continue. It just destroyed the whole front end of our Whelen Chevrolet. That’s just very representative of the way my year has gone. Every time we have speed, something goes wrong. … I feel like we had a really good shot at winning today, so I’m frustrated with the result and being taken out of the race.”
The NASCAR Xfinity Series now takes a two-week break before returning to action on June 25 with the Tennessee Lottery 250 at Nashville SuperSpeedway.
