Pit Stops : Homestead Miami Speedway

• Thursday, March 20th, 2025
• NASCAR Wire Service - Holly Cain

Xfinity Series gears up of Dash 4 Cash in Miami

Always a highlight reel at the Homestead-Miami weekend, Saturday’s Hard Rock Bet 300 marks the second consecutive 1.5-miler for the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

Reigning NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Justin Allgaier claimed his first victory of the season last week at the Las Vegas 1.5-mile track earning the JR Motorsports driver a bid to compete for the $100,000 prize money in the opening Xfinity Dash 4 Cash event this weekend. Richard Childress Racing teammates Austin Hill and Jesse Love and Haas Factory Team’s Sam Mayer are also racing for the big bonus money – with the highest finisher among the foursome claiming the check.

Not only do they stand to win bonus money with Xfinity’s Dash 4 Cash, the next victory for either Hill or Love will give the legendary RCR team a milestone 100th series win – something accomplished only by Joe Gibbs Racing and Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing. Hill is the defending Homestead winner.

As good as the current group of drivers have been at the South Florida track, historically speaking there are no overwhelming favorites on the grid. The last seven series races there have been won by seven different drivers.

Allgaier holds a 19-point advantage over Atlanta race winner and fellow Chevrolet driver Love atop the championship standings.

The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champ Kyle Larson will drive the No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Saturday – he is the 2015 Homestead Xfinity Series winner and one of four former winners in the field (also Harrison Burton, 2020; Mayer, 2023 and Hill, 2024).

Kennametal Pole Qualifying is set for 10:30 a.m. (The CW App) and interestingly, no former pole-winners are entered. No pole-winner has hoisted the Homestead trophy since 2020.

• Homestead-Miami Speedway
• Hard Rock Bet 300
• Kennametal Pole Winner: Taylor Gray
• Age: 19
• Team : No 54 - Operation 300 Toyota
• Owner: Ty Gibbs
• Crew Chief: Jason Ratcliff
• Taylor Gray won the Kennametal Pole Award for the Hard Rock Bet 300 with a lap of 33064 seconds, 163320 mph
• This is his first pole in 19 NASCAR Xfinity Series races
• This is his first pole and sixth top-10 start in 2025
• This is his first pole in one races at Homestead-Miami Speedway
• Connor Zilisch (second) posted his fifth top-10 start of 2025 and his first in two races at Homestead-Miami Speedway
• Nick Sanchez (third) posted his first top-10 start at Homestead-Miami Speedway It is his third in six races this season
• Taylor Gray (first) was the fastest qualifying rookie
• Ty Dillon qualified the #11, Josh Williams is set to start the race and accumulate points

• Saturday, March 22nd, 2025
• NASCAR Wire Service - Holly Cain

Allgaier Strikes Gold in Overtime: Wins Xfinity Race and $100K Bonus at Miami

In one of the most dramatic finishes of the season, JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier took the lead on the final lap of overtime and held off his former teammate Sam Mayer for the win – the ultimate dash for cash as it were in the Hard Rock Bet 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

For much of the day, it looked like former NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson would answer his win in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race Friday night at the track with a victory on Saturday. He led a dominant 132 of the 201 laps and held a 15-second advantage on the field when a caution flag flew with eight laps remaining, bunching up the field for that final overtime re-start.

Larson chose the bottom lane for the re-start with second place Mayer opting to pull his No. 41 Haas Factory Team Ford directly behind Larson’s No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet instead of on the front row alongside him. Just as the green flag flew for that final two laps, Mayer’s car hit the rear of Larson’s and knocked Larson’s Chevrolet out of shape.

As that happened, the outside line of Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Hill and Allgaier zoomed forward with Hill taking the race lead. A lap later, Allgaier caught Hill and got around him for the victory – his first top-five in 16 previous Homestead races and the second straight win for the reigning series champion, matching a trophy-haul at Las Vegas last week.

Hill finished third after Mayer passed him as well on the last lap.

“Just a testament to this team,” the 39-year-old Allgaier said. “Honestly, it was looking like it was one those days that wasn’t our day. We got behind but were able to persevere and to get this Chevrolet to Victory Lane is special.

“I just feel like this place has gotten me so many times.”

“I was actually bummed to see the caution flag come out but it worked out in my favorite.” Allgaier added. “I’m bummed I maybe got the [weekend] triple from Kyle [Larson] because I think he’s going to have a great shot at [winning] it tomorrow. But we were at the right place at the right time and I’m really proud of this race team.”

The final caution flag came for a spin by pole-winner, Joe Gibbs Racing Taylor Gray. At the time, only five drivers were on the lead lap.

The last series of pit stops proved pivotal to those pursuing Larson. Twelve cars came out on the lead lap eager to see what they could do in the closing sprint toward the checkered.

Larson, who won the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race on Friday night looked well on his way to try and join Kyle Busch as the only drivers in NASCAR history to sweep three national series race wins in one weekend. In fact, he showed up in South Florida for the NASCAR weekend fresh off a sprint car win earlier in the week.

The outcome was understandably a huge disappointment for Larson, the frustration evident on his face as he climbed out of his Chevrolet on pit lane after the race.

“I’ve lived through it a number of times here, obviously a bummer to have another Homestead race play out that way,” said Larson, who finished fourth.

“I can’t go when my rear tires are off the ground,” he said of the contact from Mayer’s car on the re-start. “I did everything I thought I could and the 41 just lagged back and slammed the [expletive] of me. Bummer, but cool to have had that big lead at the end.

“Loved to have gotten a win for everybody at the 17-car. They don’t get to race all the time so it’s good we can run up front. Got one more opportunity at this [in the 17-car] in a few weeks and see if we can get it done then.”

While the first half of Saturday’s race had all five of the day’s caution flags, Larson essentially put it in cruise control for the final 100 laps – and pulled a zip code ahead of Mayer who doggedly pursued all afternoon.

“I unfortunately got to his [Larson] bumper a little too early,” Mayer said of the contact with Larson on that final re-start. “He went really, really late in the box, just played games and that’s what you’ve got to do at this level to get the advantage. But he just waited really long and I wasn’t ready for him to wait that long.

“Anytime you’re finishing second you’re super bummed out but that’s a good day. We’re going to keep it going and try to get better.”

Not only did Allgaier get a trophy to take home, but he also won the first $100,000 Dash 4 Cash bonus check from series sponsor Xfinity. He, Mayer, third place finisher Hill, and 10th place finisher Jesse Love were all eligible for the extra pay based on their finishes last week at Las Vegas.

The second of the four Dash 4 Cash races is next Saturday at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway with Allgaier, Mayer, Hill and Haas Factory Team’s Sheldon Creed – the fifth-place finisher eligible for the next $100,000 bonus. The top-finisher among the quartet will claim the cash.

Love, JGR’s Brandon Jones and rookies Nick Sanchez, Daniel Dye and Carson Kvapil rounded out the top-10.

Allgaier is now the first series driver with multiple wins in 2025 and takes a 29-point lead in the championship standings over Mayer.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series returns to competition next Saturday evening with the Marine Corps 250 at Martinsville Speedway. Aric Almirola in the defending race winner in the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

• Drivers Entered: 39 (1 drivers will not make the race)
• Laps Scheduled: 200
• Laps Actual: 201 - NASCAR OVERTIME!
• Margin of Victory: 0.348 Seconds
• Time of Race: 2 Hours 32 Minutes 56 Seconds
• Average Speed: 118.287
• Cautions: 6 for 31 laps
• Lead Changes: 19
• Green Flag Passes: 2,590 (15.2 passes per green flag lap)

• Homestead-Miami Speedway
• Hard Rock Bet 300
• Race Winner: Justin Allgaier
• Age: 38
• Team : No 7 - BRANDT/TradeMark Nitrogen Chevrolet
• Owner: Kelley Earnhardt-Miller
• Crew Chief: James Pohlman
• Justin Allgaier won the Hard Rock Bet 300, his 27th victory in 477 Xfinity Series races
• This is his second victory and fourth top-10 finish in 2025
• This is his first victory and fifth top-10 finish in 17 races at Homestead-Miami Speedway
• Sam Mayer (second) posted his fourth top-10 finish in four races at Homestead-Miami Speedway It is his fifth top-10 finish in 2025
• Austin Hill (third) posted his fourth top-10 finish in four races at Homestead-Miami Speedway
• Nick Sanchez (eighth) was the highest finishing rookie
• Justin Allgaier leads the point standings by 29 points over Sam Mayer