How’s it going, race fans? While the Truck Series and ARCA Series took to the short track across town, we now shift our focus to the big track: the legendary yard of bricks that is the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. First up is the NASCAR Xfinity Series on Saturday. Using a drafting track package, last year’s race here was a lot of fun, with many lead changes and Riley Herbst going to victory lane on a last-lap pass.
This year, the story is a bit different. Connor Zilisch was fresh off back-to-back wins and was looking to go three in a row. Meanwhile, his JRM teammate, Justin Allgaier, was hoping to get back on track in his quest to win the regular season championship. And Kyle Larson in the Hendrick No. 17 was hoping to redeem himself at the track after a terrible month of May earlier this season. Was he able to get it done?
Well, let’s break all of that down and more. Here’s everything that happened in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at the Brickyard.
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The race restarted with Kyle Larson wrestling the lead away from Justin Allgaier. It was the first laps he led on the day. Larson led as Carson Kvapil got together with Leland Honeyman Jr. The caution was prolonged as it started to sprinkle in spots around the track. The sprinkles stopped, and we got another massive restart. Justin Allgaier drafted his way back to the race lead. But it wasn’t over yet. Larson remained in the draft right behind Allgaier. Meanwhile, rain showers in the area became a larger concern as the laps wound down.
Shortly after taking 20 laps to go, the caution came out yet again for rain. They rode around under caution for a number of laps before the rain once again moved out. NASCAR made the decision to restart the race. The race restarted with Allgaier and Larson sharing the front row. They battled hard, and it ultimately ended with Larson being unable to hold the bottom. He drifted up the track and made contact with Justin Allgaier. The No. 7 of Allgaier got hard into the outside wall, ending his day. We remained green.
But we didn’t stay green for long. A few laps later, Aric Almirola got into the No. 21 of Austin Hill. Not liking how Almirola raced him, Hill turned dead left, connecting with the No.19. Almirola got into the wall hard in a head-on collision. Subsequently, Hill wiped himself out. In response, NASCAR held Hill for five laps for reckless driving. On the radio, Hill was not pleased with the call.
We went green for the final time. Taylor Gray got a great restart, jumping out to the lead. But Zilisch, with a big push from Sam Mayer, powered back. Zilisch cleared Gray for the race lead. Mayer slipped into 2nd. On the last lap, Mayer wasn’t able to generate a big enough run. Zilisch went on to win. This was Zilisch’s fifth win of the year, the sixth of his career, and win number 100 for JR Motorsports. Not to mention it was Zilisch’s third win in a row.
Sam Mayer started today’s race from the pole, and he didn’t really look back in this opening stage. He led all thirty laps of the opening stage, even with a restart early on as Playoff contender Harrison Burton went around, triggering a caution. This was Mayer’s 3rd career stage victory. He collected more points to go toward his massive points advantage over the cutline. But, of course, he really wanted to nab that win to lock him into the postseason.
There was a little more jockeying for position out front in the second stage. Sam Mayer lost a handful of positions during the stage break, relinquishing the lead to Aric Almirola. The No. 19 Toyota led a few laps before being overtaken by Justin Allgaier, who led most of the stage. His JRM teammate, Connor Zilisch, then overtook the No. 7 of Allgaier. The No. 88 of Connor Zilisch went on to lead all but the last lap of the stage. Meanwhile, Kyle Larson in the HMS No. 17 was inching his way to the front. He settled in the third position, drafting off the two race leaders. His car was a little tight for his liking. On the final lap of the stage, Allgaier made his move. He sized the 88 of Zilisch up and slingshot by him on the front straightaway to win the second stage.
Sam Mayer, in his Haas Factory Team No. 41, set the Xfinity Fastest Lap early in the race. With a time of 54.55 seconds, he was awarded the fastest lap bonus point.
The following are the unofficial race results following the checkered flag for Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This list will be updated following the completion of post-race inspection, and the results will become official.
UPDATE: Post-race inspection has been completed. There were no issues. The results are now final.
With just five regular season races remaining, let’s take a look at the Playoff picture heading into Iowa.
The following drivers have clinched playoff berths by securing wins this season.
These drivers are currently in the postseason based on points, with 5 races to go.
Lastly, these drivers are currently on the outside looking in.
That does it for the Xfinity Series at Indy, Daily Downforce readers. What did you think of the race? How about the contact between Austin Hill and Aric Almirola? Should Hill be suspended? How about JRM’s 100th win? Or what about Connor Zilisch going three in a row? Let us know what you think of all of this! Join the discussion on Discord or X, and remember to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube for more updates.
And tune in tomorrow for our coverage of the Brickyard 400!
Two NASCAR Cup Series crew members for Ross Chastain’s No. 1 team were suspended following the race at Circuit of the Americas
What do you think about this? Let us know your opinion on Discord or X. Don’t forget that you can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
On February 17, Ubisoft released a trailer that confirmed that NASCAR would be included in The Crew Motorfest’s next season update. Details were limited at the time, but in a press release issued today, Ubisoft revealed the full details of the update ahead of its March 4 launch.
Ubisoft says drafting will affect car speed and help save fuel, implying that drafting will be a huge factor in the game, at least with these cars. You can check out this and much more on Ubisoft’s official post linked below
Earlier this Tuesday, the official The Crew Motorfest account clarified confusion around the NASCAR bundles. The Crew Credit (CC) bundles only include cosmetic team liveries, not additional cars. The 3 base Next Gen cars (Ford Mustang Dark Horse, Toyota Camry XSE, and Chevrolet ZL1) are part of the free Season 9 update and can be purchased separately.
Mitch Rasmussen, NASCAR’s Senior Director of Interactive, said in the press release:
We’re excited to bring our iconic brand to life in The Crew Motorfest. This collaboration represents another important step in our strategy to bring NASCAR into the digital spaces and places where next generation fans spend their time, giving players new ways to interact with the culture and communities they love.
The content arrives as part of Year 3 Season 9 and is officially licensed by NASCAR. You can watch the first trailer and learn more in the article linked below
What do you think about this? Let us know your opinion on Discord or X. Don’t forget that you can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
Four road courses on the schedule, and somehow that’s enough to spark one of the biggest debates in the garage. After recent comments from Brad Keselowski questioning the business value of road racing, the conversation has picked up serious steam. Is NASCAR leaning too far into it, or is the current balance about right?
There are valid points on both sides, from sponsorship realities to fan traditions to competitive diversity. Some tracks have gained traction. Others have struggled. The question isn’t just whether road courses belong, but how many make sense within a 36-race season. It’s less about extremes and more about direction. And with future schedule changes always looming, this debate probably isn’t settled anytime soon.
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