Aric Almirola’s Kansas win brings NASCAR to the brink of a new record in the Xfinity Series

By taking a pass on Cole Custer to win the Kansas Lottery 300, Aric Almirola not only won the sixth race of his career but also matched the current NASCAR Xfinity season with a statistic previously seen in 2003 and 2015. He became the tenth driver in the 2024 Xfinity season to claim multiple race wins within a single season, a feat last achieved in the 2003 and 2015 Xfinity seasons.

According to a post on X, while Cole Custer was the ninth driver to secure multiple wins in the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series, the #20 Joe Gibbs Racing driver rounded out the tenth. Moreover, if the part-time JGR driver or another driver who has already won multiple races this season secures another victory, the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity season will set a new record for the most drivers with multiple wins.

Starting from the sixth position, Aric Almirola navigated through the track to secure first place in Stage 1 and second in Stage 2, ultimately amassing 59 points. Despite an early setback where he hit the wall and was forced to make an unscheduled pit stop, he managed to lead 16 laps out of the 200 at Kansas Speedway on Saturday.

Even though Aric Almirola isn’t a part of the playoffs, due to his part-time status, as per the owner's championship standings, his efforts placed the Joe Gibbs Racing team at the forefront, narrowly leading JR Motorsports by one point.

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Aric Almirola "put his head down" and worked to win after the early crash

Previously suspended by the Joe Gibbs Racing team for the Charlotte race after a physical altercation with Bubba Wallace, Aric Almirola, who is usually behind the wheel of the #20 car, faced challenges in the Kansas Lottery 300 when he had to pit with a cut tire after getting into the wall earlier the event. He described the incident during his post-race interview, noting [via Motorsport]:

"I was able to get by everybody on the long run, and I just pushed too hard there when we had the issue on pit road. I got in the fence and cut the right rear tire down. I knew I had to put my head down and go to work after that. We got lucky to get the caution when we did, and then, we were out of tires. We were strong in the long run. It just worked out."

The next stop for the NASCAR Xfinity Series for the second race of the Round of 12 is scheduled to be held at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday, October 5, at 4 PM ET. Aric Almirola holds an average finish of 10.2 across five starts in the Xfinity series, compared to an average finish of 16.2 from 28 starts in the Cup series.