Kyle Larson Wins COTA Xfinity Race, Shane Van Gisbergen Receives After-Race Penalty

AUSTIN, TEXAS - The Xfinity Series Focused Health 250 at Circuit of The Americas was marred with track limit penalties, setting many favorites up for heartbreak.

The race was either AJ Allmendinger's or Shane van Gisbergen's to lose, and they both did. Only eight laps into the race, the Kaulig Racing teammates had a nine-second lead on the rest of the field. They stayed dominant and were running 1-2 deep in the final stage when a reasonably clean race started to turn chippy.

In the final stage, van Gisbergen was pacing ahead of Allmendinger and Kyle Larson in the hopes of winning his first NASCAR Xfinity Series race and second NASCAR race.

With four to go, Ed Jones exited the track at turn 11, causing a late-stage caution to set the field for an overtime finish. The restart gave Allmendinger another chance at van Gisbergen.

Larson pitted from fourth for fresh tires in the hopes that mayhem would breed mayhem and his No. 17 Hendrick Chevrolet would be set up for a surprise win. This strategy call would put Larson in the position to win his first Xfinity Series race at COTA.

Van Gisbergen protected the inside of the notorious Turn 1 hill to reclaim the lead with two laps remaining. Just halfway around the circuit, Riley Herbst, Ryan Ellis, and Leland Honeyman were involved in a large wreck, triggering the second green-white-checker attempt.

Allmendinger was sent to the tail of the pack for a track limit violation; the driver cut through the esses on the single green flag lap.