Kyle Larson won the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday, securing the victory in double overtime while substituting for injured driver Connor Zilisch.
Larson piloted the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet. Zilisch, who has two Xfinity wins this season, was sidelined after sustaining lower back injuries in a multi-car wreck on the final lap of the previous Xfinity race at Talladega Superspeedway. Connor Zilisch is expected to return as soon as possible.
Larson started the race from the 20th position. He overcame an uncontrolled tire penalty during a stage break that sent him to the rear of the field.
With a late caution forcing overtime, crew chief Mardy Lindley made the call to bring Larson to pit road for fresh tires. Larson restarted seventh and worked his way through cars that stayed out on older tires.
In the second overtime period, Larson took the lead from defending race winner Sam Mayer. He pulled away to cross the finish line 1.265 seconds ahead of Taylor Gray, who surged to second in the final laps. The win marked Larson's second Xfinity victory of the season, his second at Texas, and the 17th of his Xfinity career. Race results show the official order.
Justin Allgaier led a race-high 99 laps earlier in the event. Allgaier's race ended prematurely when he was involved in a wreck after contact with Kris Wright following a cycle of green-flag pit stops..Allgaier assessed the incident afterwards. "The hard part is, ultimately it falls on my shoulders," Allgaier said. "Kyle and I had a great battle, and I was having a lot of fun with it. Obviously, the guy’s ultra-fast in anything that he drives."
Riley Herbst finished third, Austin Hill fourth, and Sam Mayer rounded out the top five. Harrison Burton, Jesse Love, Ryan Sieg, Brandon Jones, and Jeb Burton completed the top 10 finishers. Nick Sanchez, who had run in the top five, hit the wall in the second overtime and finished 20th.
Post-race inspection concluded without issue for the winning car, confirming Kyle Larson as the winner. Some other teams faced penalties related to lug nuts and vehicles being taken for further engine testing.
The next race for the Xfinity Series is the BetMGM 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 24.
