AJ Allmendinger Triumphs Over Austin Cindric at Bristol in a Crazy Finish

The final couple of laps at the Bristol Motor Speedway Xfinity race was a crazy affair. Race leader Austin Cindric had his hands full with AJ Allmendinger, Justin Allgaier, and Riley Herbst hounding him. The dogfight got to a point where cars were practically pin-balling off each other. In the end, Allmendinger managed to best Cindric to the line, even though both of them spun.

Allmendinger, Cindric, and Allgaier went three-wide a couple of times during those laps. Eventually, he passed the #7 and #22 drivers and won the Food City 300. This was enough to hand him the Xfinity Series Regular Season Championship and put him in a good position for the Playoffs.

What happened between AJ Allmendinger and his rivals?

The chaos unfolded during overtime, with Cindric and Allgaier running the top lane. In response, Allmendinger dove down the inside and drove hard into Turns 3 and 4. From there, he and Cindric’s No. 22 Team Penske Ford were wheel-to-wheel for a brief moment.

The bad news was that he lost momentum and dropped back to third. On the bright side, Allgaier and Cindric collided, and that was enough to see AJ Allmendinger sneak past both cars. On the final lap, Cindric recovered and barged into the #16 Kaulig Racing driver. The contact saw both cars slid sideways across the finish line and crash after the finish.

Although the race was over, the ride was not, as Allmendinger clipped the inside wall. From there, he slid across the track into incoming traffic. Owing to that, his startled Kaulig Racing teammate Justin Haley was helpless in trying to avoid him. In any case, AJ Allmendinger was just happy to take his maiden Bristol win and his fourth of the season.

Of course, since this was the regular-season finale, the Top 12 drivers were confirmed for the 2021 Xfinity Playoffs. Since there was no new winner, it guaranteed a spot for Brandon Jones, Riley Herbst, and Jeremy Clements. While everyone was wrecking around him, Herbst finished third ahead of Allgaier, Jones, and Haley. Meanwhile, Harrison Burton, Myatt Snider, Mayer, and Hemric completed the top 10.

READ MORE: Austin Cindric Comments on Wild Xfinity Finish at the Bristol Motor Speedway