Almirola’s Last-Lap Contact with Bowman at Phoenix Sparks Fan Outrage

Phoenix, AZ – Aric Almirola’s aggressive move on the final lap of the GOVX 200 Xfinity Series race at Phoenix Raceway resulted in a win for the Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) driver, but also ignited a firestorm of controversy among NASCAR fans. Almirola made contact with Hendrick Motorsports (HMS) driver Alex Bowman in the final turn, sending Bowman into the wall and securing the victory for himself.

The incident occurred after a late-race restart in overtime, triggered by a caution caused by Nick Leitz’s accident. Bowman, who had led after the restart, found himself under intense pressure from Almirola. As the two drivers entered Turn 3 on the final lap, Almirola attempted a pass on the inside of Bowman. Exiting Turn 4, Almirola’s #19 Toyota appeared to get loose, making contact with Bowman’s #17 Chevrolet and sending it into the outside wall just before the finish line.

Almirola secured the win, finishing just 0.045 seconds ahead of a recovering Bowman. Brandon Jones, another JGR driver, finished third.

The aggressive nature of Almirola’s move drew immediate criticism from many fans online, particularly on X (formerly Twitter). Many accused Almirola of intentionally wrecking Bowman to secure the win.

[Include a few of the fan quotes from the original article, attributed to “fans on X,” to illustrate the range and intensity of the criticism.]

While Almirola has yet to publicly comment extensively on the incident, the controversy highlights the ongoing debate surrounding aggressive racing tactics, particularly in short-track situations and late-race scenarios.

This win marks Almirola’s first Xfinity Series victory since [Look up his last Xfinity win prior to this event and include that information]. It’s a significant moment for the veteran driver who returned to JGR this season.