"It's just such a blessing": Aric Almirola makes feelings clear after securing Xfinity win for Joe Gibbs over Alex Bowman

Joe Gibbs Racing driver Aric Almirola took a thrilling victory over Alex Bowman in the Xfinity race at Phoenix Raceway. Finding his mojo in the second-tier series, the veteran driver expressed gratitude for the opportunity, describing his part-time schedule as a blessing.

Starting eighth on the grid at Phoenix, Almirola in the #19 Toyota finished second in both stages. He lined up on the front row for the overtime restart, where Bowman threaded the needle to take the lead on the penultimate lap. Almirola made door-to-door contact with the #17 Hendrick Motorsports driver, winning the race with a thrilling last-lap overtake.

After securing his first victory of the season, Almirola expressed his gratitude to Joe Gibbs. The former Stewart-Haas Racing driver is cherishing his part-time Xfinity Series schedule, enjoying the balance of competing for wins while spending more time with his family. He added that he is having the best time of his career with JGR. He told SiriusXM NASCAR radio:

"Just really grateful, so fortunate to have this opportunity to do this with Joe Gibbs Racing. To have Young Life on the car, it's just such a blessing. I get to come and do this with my family. The work-life balance of racing part-time and these race cars, that every time I get in, I have a chance to win. And then I get to take two or three weeks off, and be a dad and be a husband and be at home," said Almirola.

"It's incredible. So thankful! It's the only words I can keep coming up with, I'm having a blast. This is arguably the most fun I've ever had in my career," Almirola added.

Early in his career, Almirola raced for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Xfinity Series and was credited with a victory at Milwaukee Mile in 2007. He started the race on pole but was substituted by Denny Hamlin on lap 59, who took the checkered flag.

Almirola earned a victory for JGR at the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Martinsville in 2024.

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Aric Almirola defends his final lap contact with Alex Bowman

In the overtime restart, Aric Almirola and Justin Allgaier lined up on the front row, but Alex Bowman capitalized on an opportunity to take the lead. Almirola chased the #17 Hendrick Motorsports driver on the final lap and pushed him to the outside barriers to complete the overtake right before the checkered flag.

Bowman expressed his frustration with the move, as he expected the veteran driver to leave more space on the outside. Almirola suggested his move wasn't "overly egregious", given they were fighting for the win. He was quoted as saying by NASCAR.com:

"I just knew I needed to get from there to here first. I knew I was going to use him up a little bit, but was trying to win the race. I feel like it was warranted. I didn’t feel like I did anything overly egregious. I just throttled up, and it was a drag race to the start-finish line."

Aric Almirola is scheduled to make nine starts in the Xfinity Series with Joe Gibbs Racing this season. He kicked off his campaign with a third-place finish at Atlanta, followed by a victory at Phoenix. He is expected to make seven more starts this season.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series heads to Las Vegas Motor Speedway next weekend for The LiUNA!, scheduled on Saturday, Mar. 15, at 4:30 PM ET.