BRISTOL, Tenn. — Aric Almirola took the lead by not pitting under caution and led the final 34 laps to win Friday’s Xfinity playoff opener at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Sheldon Creed was the top-finishing playoff driver, placing second. It is Creed’s 15th career series runner-up finish, the most for any Xfinity driver without a win.
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“I’m not going to lie, we’ve struggled,” Creed said of a summer that has seen him score four top-10 finishes in the last 12 races before Bristol. “We struggled a little bit tonight and then worked on it, worked on it and rallied.”
Sam Mayer, Creed’s teammate at Haas Factory Team, finished third. Carson Kvapil was fourth. Connor Zilisch completed the top five. That is Zilisch’s 15th consecutive top-five finish, tying him with Sam Ard for the longest streak in series history.
Taylor Gray, who finished 14th, holds the last transfer spot with two races left in the opening round.
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Those below the cutline are Jesse Love (-3 points), Nick Sanchez (-3), Austin Hill (-16) and Sammy Smith (-24). Smith finished 37th in the 38-car field after an engine issue.
The 41-year-old Almirola is the oldest Xfinity winner since August 2002 when Jimmy Spencer won at Bristol at age 45. This is Almirola’s second win of the season (in 12 starts) and his ninth career series victory.
Stage 1 winner: Justin Allgaier
Stage 2 winner: Connor Zilisch
Next: The first round of the playoffs continue at 4 p.m. ET Saturday, Sept. 27 at Kansas Speedway on the CW Network.