A.J. Allmendinger, regular-season champ, lone playoff driver without a Vegas top-10
LAS VEGAS — A.J. Allmendinger was on his way to a solid top-5 finish in the Round of 8-opening Alsco Uniforms 302 at Las Vegas – until an issue took him out of contention with 25 laps to go.
Allmendinger finished 22nd, one lap down, while all the other playoff drivers finished in the top 10.
Allmendinger ended up there after a Lap 177 pit stop for a loose wheel, which he reported for several laps before pitting. The team denied the issue – saying footage showed they got the wheels tightened – but then found both right-side tires were loose when Allmendinger stopped.
As a result, the regular NASCAR Xfinity Series regular season champion lost four spots and 38 points to the cutline – from 2nd and + 22 to the cutline, to 6th and -16 to the cutline.
PLAYOFF FIELD RECAP
Allmendinger joined Austin Hill (-15), Brandon Jones (-27) and Sam Mayer (-36) below the cutline. Hill, Jones and Mayer finished 6th, 9th and 7th respectively.
The other playoff drivers were led by Josh Berry who won and bested Noah Gragson, Justin Allgaier and Ty Gibbs, who finished fourth.
Gibbs’ No. 54 car was found with one loose lugnut in post-race tech inspection. His crew chief, Chris Gayle, faces a possible $5,000 fine, as a result.
All eight remaining playoff-eligible drivers finished top-10 in both stages:
Stage 1 Top-10 finishers: Ty Gibbs, Austin Hill, Noah Gragson, Justin Allgaier, Brandon Jones, Sam Mayer, A.J. Allmendinger, John Hunter Nemechek, Josh Berry, Daniel Hemric
Stage 2 Top-10 finishers: Noah Gragson, Ty Gibbs, Brandon Jones, Austin Hill, Justin Allgaier, Josh Berry, Sam Mayer, Daniel Hemric, Trevor Bayne, A.J. Allmendinger
| 1 | Josh Berry | WIN | |
| 2 | Noah Gragson | 3109 | +44 |
| 3 | Ty Gibbs | 3090 | +25 |
| 4 | Justin Allgaier | 3080 | +15 |
| 5 | Austin Hill | 3065 | -15 |
| 6 | A.J. Allmendinger | 3064 | -16 |
| 7 | Brandon Jones | 3053 | -27 |
| 8 | Sam Mayer | 3044 | -36 |
The next race for the NASCAR Xfinity Series is the Contender Boats 250 at Homestead-Miami Speedway (4:30 p.m. ET; TV: USA; Streaming: NBC Sports app; Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Ch. 90).
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com