AJ Allmendinger Wins at Las Vegas, Earns Championship 4 Spot

AJ Allmendinger celebrates his victory in the Ambetter Health 302 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. (Photo: Justin Sheldon | The Podium Finish)

LAS VEGAS — The waiting may have been the hardest part for AJ Allmendinger, but he captured his first NASCAR XFINITY Series victory of the 2024 season in grand fashion.

Starting ninth in Saturday’s Ambetter Health 302, the Round of 8 opener, Allmendinger wasted little time driving toward the front. As the two-time regular season champion drove inside the top five, polesitter Brandon Jones led the opening eight laps.

Jones, Sammy Smith, Cole Custer and Riley Herbst, the defending racer winner, all took turns leading the way before Custer took the number one spot in Lap 43 to win Stage 1. Allmendinger finished fourth, capturing seven stage points.

With the late Saturday afternoon sun waning into dusk, Allmendinger’s car came to life. Justin Allgaier made his presence known as he led for 42 laps en route to winning Stage 2 while Allmendinger placed second, logging nine stage points.

On Lap 94, the Kaulig Racing driver led the way for the first of three stints ahead of the 38-car field. The 42-year-old native of Los Gatos, California, was dominant, pulling away from the lot of the field except for a determined driver from Tucker, Georgia.

Ryan Sieg, the runner-up at Texas Motor Speedway, kept pace with Allmendinger, catching and passing him for the lead on Lap 192. With both drivers running alongside each other going into Turns 1 and 2 on the following lap, Sieg wobbled on the inside of Allmendinger.

Sieg regained control of his car as Allmendinger drove away by several car lengths. A Lap 196 caution for Smith’s slowing car resulted in a restart with two laps remaining.

There was no slowing down for Allmendinger as he held the lead even with Sieg closing in within 0.1 seconds of his advantage. It was all for naught for Sieg as far as the victory was concerned.

At last, Allmendinger captured a crucial win, clinching a Championship 4 spot for his No. 16 Modern Day Garage Chevrolet team.

Upon clambering out of his winning ride, Allmendinger was beyond ecstatic, par for the accomplished racer.

Ryan Sieg (28) battling AJ Allmendinger for the win in the Ambetter Health 302 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. (Photo: Justin Sheldon | The Podium Finish)

“I absolutely love these guys and girls at Kaulig Racing. It’s been such [an] up and down [season],” Allmedninger said. “But what I love about them is we stick together, we keep fighting. First of all, happy birthday, Matt Kaulig. The boss’s birthday. I told you I was getting you a trophy, baby. Let’s go. Man, I love you. Come on, come on!

“I love you, Tara, Aero, my mom and dad, my whole family, all my family and friends, they see how much I care. And I put it on myself.”

For the second time this season, Sieg pondered about that elusive first career win. This time, he was bested by one of the sport’s cagey veterans in Allmendinger.

“Yeah, for sure. I could have got him,” Sieg lamented. “I just struggled on the last restart. I got a little better, but still just struggled. Even on that last one there I spun a little bit. I made it better, but not enough. It’s frustrating. We had a good car on the long run, but restarts I just need to work on. It sucks, but second is good. Damn, I want to win.”

Allgaier, taking a much needed podium, is licking his chops about the road ahead.

“Until I have about 80 points going into the next round, I’m not going to be satisfied,” Allgaier shared. “This team has worked really hard, and we gave a lot of points away over those six weeks that we were really bad. And I’m proud of the effort. I’m proud of the drive we had today. I’m proud of all the things we did right. I’m excited for Homestead because I think some of the things we’ve been working on, we feel like Homestead, that will be a big benefit.

“AJ and the 16 team did a great job. They haven’t really had that kind of speed all year. And to come out here and execute like they did, that’s a statement. We’re going to have to be mindful of that moving forward. Hopefully, we can race others around us and keep digging on the points. And it’d be nice to win Homestead and lock yourself in.”

AJ Allmendinger enjoys his victory in the Ambetter Health 302 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. (Photo: Justin Sheldon | The Podium Finish)

It is all systems go for Allmendinger as far as his Championship 4 efforts are concerned. Locking his spot with his Las Vegas victory, perhaps the floodgates have opened for the charismatic racer and his team.

“Oh, man. This Modern Day Garage Chevy was absolutely hooked up as fast as Xfinity internet,” Allmendinger said. “Thank you guys for all you do for this sport. Xfinity, Celsius, Action Industries, LeafFilter Gutter Protection. There’s a lot more I’m forgetting.

“God, what a way to get to Phoenix after a year that we’ve had. Let’s go win a championship. Let’s go!

Stage 1 Top 10 Results

1. Cole Custer
2. Justin Allgaier
3. Riley Herbst
4. AJ Allmendinger
5. Sheldon Creed
6. Ryan Sieg
7. Jesse Love
8. Austin Hill
9. Brandon Jones
10. Sam Mayer

Stage 2 Top 10 Results

1. Justin Allgaier
2. AJ Allmendinger
3. Ryan Sieg
4. Brandon Jones
5. Chandler Smith
6. Cole Custer
7. Aric Almirola
8. Jesse Love
9. Riley Herbst
10. Taylor Gray (i)

Ambetter Health 302 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Race Results