NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Tag

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer The final race of the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series season was held at Phoenix Raceway for the fifth straight year last Saturday. Cole Custer was looking to retain the championship, but had to deal with Justin Allgaier, AJ Allmendinger, and Austin Hill, who were all each going for their first title. As much as the championship battle was spotlighted, it was Riley Herbst who stole the show by winning the finale to cap off Stewart-Haas Racing’s NXS program. Behind Herbst was Allgaier, who was finally theRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor AVONDALE, Ariz. – This one has been a long time coming. And it wasn’t easy. But nonetheless, Justin Allgaier is now a NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion. Coming into the weekend at Phoenix Raceway, Allgaier and his No. 7 JR Motorsports team that was making its seventh appearance in the Championship 4 was full of confidence that this was finally going to be their year, but mere minutes into the opening practice session of the weekend, the racing gods were already angry. As the track was oiledRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer AVONDALE, Ariz. — Stewart-Haas Racing assured they’re going to go out with a bang at Phoenix Raceway. As far as the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Race, they certainly did with Riley Herbst having a career night, leading 167 of 213 laps en route to his second NXS win of the season. While Herbst had the thrill of victory, his SHR teammate Cole Custer dealt with the agony of defeat. The defending series champion was unsuccessful in his title defense as he finished eighth while Justin AllgaierRead More

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.Read More

By Kirby Arnold, Special Contributor  AVONDALE, Ariz. — A.J. Allmendinger and his Kaulig Racing team haven’t left anything untouched in their preparation for Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series championship race at Phoenix Raceway.  The team tweaked the No. 16 Chevrolet to the point it couldn’t be tweaked any more.  As for the driver, Allmendinger drove so many laps around the one-mile track on a simulator that he was ready for the real thing by early in the week.  “It got to the point I think on Tuesday I was probably on ourRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer AVONDALE, Ariz. — Cole Custer enters the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway with a shot of going back-to-back. A bit lost in the shuffle is not only doing so to close out his Xfinity Series career, but to end an opportune chapter at Stewart-Haas Racing at the absolute top before the team closes up shop at weekend’s end. Custer will be moving back to Cup with the Haas Factory Team in 2025 and having the chance to close out his tenure at SHRRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor AVONDALE, Ariz. – Back here again. For the seventh time in his NASCAR Xfinity Series career, Justin Allgaier and the No. 7 JR Motorsports team head into the season finale with a shot at the championship. They’re hoping it’s lucky No. 7 for them to finally capture the title that has eluded them for all these years. “Just a different mindset this year,” Allgaier said of what sets this championship run apart from the others. “I think in some ways I’m a little bit angry atRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor AVONDALE, Ariz. – Cole Custer’s return to the NASCAR Xfinity Series after a three-year stint in the Cup Series may have been a “demotion,” per se, but the driver of the No. 00 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford took the move in stride and now can call himself a champion. “You get knocked down a little bit and you just want to prove that you can go out there and do it,” Custer said. “I think these guys have just really always believed in me all year and IRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer AVONDALE, Ariz. — From backing up his No. 00 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford into the Championship 4 to confirmation that’ll he’ll be back with the Xfinity team next year, life has been pretty swell for Cole Custer. Last Saturday, with a ravaged Mustang and on fire, Custer did his best Tow Mater (Cars) and Alana Haim (Licorice Pizza) impression by limping his machine backwards to the start/finish line at Martinsville Speedway. Well aware that every position is up for grabs and can make a difference on who’llRead More

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 2023 campaign by crowning its newest champion – all of which would be a first-time 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 the JR Motorsports duo of Justin Allgaier andRead More