XFINITY: Aric Almirola Calls An Audible on Pit Strategy; Wins Bristol

Randy Sartin-Imagn Images

With 34 laps left in Friday’s Xfinity race at Bristol, Aric Almirola and his Joe Gibbs Racing team had a choice: come down pit road, like many of the leaders, and battle it out amongst themselves, or stay on the racetrack, on older tires, and try to hold onto the race-lead.

The decision was made by Seth Chavka to bring the No. 19 YoungLife Toyota GR Supra to the pits and strap on some brand-new tires… but then, something clicked, and Almirola, a 41-year-old NASCAR National Series veteran drove back onto the racing surface and stayed out.

Almirola restarted the Food City 300, with about 30 laps remaining, in the lead. Several drivers behind him also chose to stay on the racetrack, including Sam Mayer, leaving the No. 19 and No. 41, two of the fastest cars all night, a buffer between those on brand-new tires, led by Connor Zilisch and Sheldon Creed.

While Zilisch and Creed were making ground on restarts, once the field got strung out it became difficult to make passes efficiently without losing a significant amount of time, and after the race’s final restart with 18 laps remaining, it was time for Almirola to stretch his lead.

RACE RESULTS: 2025 NXS Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway

Things ended up working pretty well for Almirola, as he was able to fend off those behind him with fresher Goodyear tires to secure the victory, despite a close-call in the final set of corners from Sheldon Creed, who made a valiant run up to the race-leader on the bottom lane but couldn’t quite close the deal.

It’s the ninth NASCAR Xfinity Series victory for Aric Almirola, two of which have come in a limited schedule this year for Joe Gibbs Racing. Since rejoining JGR on a partial schedule at the start of 2024, Almirola has amassed five victories.

“I’ve just been tired of getting beat by those guys. I figured I’d try my chances with the lead,” Almirola said in a post-race interview with The CW. “They’ve been so fast, and they fire off so fast on new tires. I just didn’t think I could beat them straight up on new tires. It took me about 20 laps to get going, so I thought my best chance was to stay out on old tires.”

"I've just been tired of getting beat by those guys."@Aric_Almirola talks about the strategy that won him the race. pic.twitter.com/KGgcc4iBss

— The CW Sports (@TheCW_Sports) September 13, 2025

Sheldon Creed, heartbreakingly, finished in the runner-up position for Haas Factory Team. It’s the 15th runner-up finish for the Alpine, California-native without a victory in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, another devastating near-miss for the former champion of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

Sam Mayer had a solid outing in the playoff-opener and finished third after sparring with Almirola during the final green-flag run of the event. JR Motorsports teammates Carson Kvapil and Connor Zilisch finished fourth and fifth.

The fifth-place result for Connor Zilisch prevents the driver of the No. 88 WeatherTech Chevrolet from earning a record-breaking fifth straight victory in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, but it does allow the 19-year-old driver to tie the record for the most consecutive top-fives in series history, with 15.

Justin Allgaier dominated the early portion of the event but went the wrong way on an adjustment after the opening stage, leaving him to fade to sixth place. Harrison Burton and AM Racing put together a strong seventh-place result, after being involved in a late-race incident with Taylor Gray.

Three non-playoff drivers flexed their muscles in Friday’s event at Bristol Motor Speedway, with Christian Eckes recording his third straight top-10 finish with an eighth-place result for Kaulig Racing. In ninth and tenth were a pair of underdogs, Jeremy Clements for Jeremy Clements Racing and Brennan Poole for Alpha Prime Racing.

Other drivers in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs that finished outside the top-10: Brandon Jones finished 11th, after running as high as third late in the event. Nick Sanchez and Taylor Gray finished 13th and 14th. Ausitn Hill struggled all evening and finished 19th. Jesse Love suffered a flat tire on a late-race restart and fell to 27th.

Sammy Smith was the only one of the 12 NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs drivers that failed to finish the Food City 300, after it was discovered that his JR Motorsports No. 8 Chevrolet had an engine issue, which forced the Iowa-native to retire 56 laps into the event.

Heading to Kansas Speedway, the second race in the ‘Round of 12’, Taylor Gray is on the bubble with a three-point advantage over Jesse Love. Nick Sanchez (-3), Austin Hill (-16), and Sammy Smith (-24) will also be below the cutline for the series’ next event on September 27.

The Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway will take place on Saturday, September 27 at 4:00 PM ET on The CW, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.