ALMIROLA, JOE GIBBS RACING COMES JUST SHORT OF OWNER TITLE
Almirola led three Toyota GR Supras in the top-seven finishers
AVONDALE, Ariz. (November 9, 2024) – Aric Almirola was the highest-finishing Toyota driver with a third place result in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Phoenix Raceway. Almirola came up just one spot short of earning the owner’s championship for the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 GR Supra team.
JGR teammate’s Chandler Smith (fifth) and Sheldon Creed (seventh) also earned top-10 results for Toyota in Saturday’s Xfinity Series season finale.
William Sawalich (13th) started the night from the pole – the first pole of the 18-year-old’s career in just his third NASCAR Xfinity Series start. Sawalich is the third youngest NASCAR Xfinity Series pole winner in history.
Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Phoenix Raceway
Race 33 of 33 – 200 Laps, 200 Miles
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Riley Herbst*
2nd, Justin Allgaier*
3rd, ARIC ALMIROLA
4th, Connor Zilisch*
5th, CHANDLER SMITH
7th, SHELDON CREED
13th, WILLIAM SAWALICH
35th, JEFFREY EARNHARDT
*non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA QUOTES
ARIC ALMIROLA, No. 20 He Gets Us Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 3rd
How did you end up in third place tonight?
“Just got beat. Yeah, we just got beat. Congratulations to Justin Allgaier and everybody at Jr. Motorsports – Dale (Earnhardt) Jr., Kelly (Earnhardt Miller), all those guys. They’ve been phenomenal here over the years and he beat us.”
What were the late race restarts like?
“Yeah, it’s crazy. You go in as hard as you can go in and hope the car sticks. It’s just you’re fighting for every inch of race track and clean air and all of it. It’s just really tough. I didn’t do the greatest of job there at the end. Disappointed in myself. I certainly wanted to win this one for our group but came up short.”
CHANDLER SMITH, No. 81 QuickTie Products Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 5th
How was your race tonight?
“It’s hard to hang my head on the season because I was able to come back home with my Toyota family. Came and raced for one of the best Xfinity teams in the garage and was able to rack up a few wins, have the best average finish in the garage this season, Then when I went to the race track I was going out there and left everything on the table week in and week out because I was very happy with the group that I was going with. I was in a mindset of I owe it to my guys and my partners because everybody that’s been a part of this group all year has been working tirelessly to make this team what it is right now and the stats kind of speak for itself. Really, really proud. Really happy with everybody at Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota Racing. Tyler Gibbs, David Wilson, Jack Irving, Mike Pricer, Paul Doleshal – everybody on the Toyota side that brought this deal together. They’re my family, they always will be no matter where I go and I’m forever grateful that God inserted those men in my life because they’ve definitely been great life coaches. They’ve been there for me when I’ve been down, and they’ve helped me and my family tremendously and professionally in my career. Being behind people like that who support me week in and week out, just makes me more hungry to go out there and perform at the level that we have been. That’s what’s made the season so fun. I hate that it’s over. I didn’t want the offseason to start. I wanted the whole season to keep on going – have 30 more races honestly because when you’re having this much fun and got great people around you, you don’t want it to stop honestly. Just very bittersweet.”
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 65 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.
Toyota directly employs nearly 64,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 47 million cars and trucks at our 14 manufacturing plants. In 2025, Toyota’s plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 30 electrified options.
For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.
