The win is the first for Almirola since the 2018 season, third in his career and his first that didn’t come on a superspeedway.īell felt after the race that the reduced run-time had cost him a shot at a second victory of the season, although the Joe Gibbs Racing driver has already booked his place in the playoffs. Photo by: Rusty Jarrett / NKP / Motorsport Images On Lap 244, Almirola had closed to Blaney’s rear bumper and began trying to work around him for the lead - which he duly did so to first stake his credentials in the lead.įollowing a later round of green-flag pit stops, Almirola got around Brad Keselowski to reclaim the lead then held off a charging Christopher Bell for the win as NASCAR cut the race short to 293 laps due to darkness.Ĭhristopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota Camry Rheem/Watts, Brad Keselowski, Team Penske, Ford Mustang eCascadia With Stewart-Haas Racing’s struggles this season, Sunday’s race on the 1.056-mile oval did not appear to present an obvious opportunity to pick one up.īut with darkness closing in due to an earlier 1 hour, 42-minute rain delay and no lights at the track, Almirola moved into the lead for the first time on Lap 246 of a planned 301.Īlmirola had caught Keselowski for second-place and passed him on Lap 237, trailing leader Blaney by about a second.
