Shane van Gisbergen avoided a large late-race pileup and took an overtime restart well to finish sixth at Phoenix Raceway, having started 23rd.
Justin Allgaier was in control at the front with five laps to run but blew a left-rear tyre while holding a 2.5-second advantage over the field, spinning hard into the wall and taking significant damage, making for a two-lap sprint to the flag.
Chandler Smith was the benefactor of this, taking the win in the two-lap overtime shootout from Jesse Love and Sheldon Creed.
An earlier 14-car pileup had claimed several front-running contenders and elevated van Gisbergen from deep inside the top 20 into top-ten contention. The three-time Supercars champion pounced on the opportunity for his second Xfinity Series top-ten result.
In a race plagued by several cautions, Smith had taken the early lead and set the pace from pole-sitter Cole Custer until the first yellow came six laps in, which came when Jeremy Clements turned Josh Williams into a spin directly behind van Gisbergen. Dawson Cram also spun and took damage as he attempted to avoid contact.
The Kaulig Racing #97 had remained in the pack from the start and took the Lap 12 green flag in 22nd before finishing the opening 45-lap stage in 21st.
Custer took the lead off Smith during the first round of pit stops before the second stage began. Van Gisbergen moved up to 19th before losing slight ground on resumption to return to 22nd on Lap 58.
Custer won Stage 2, leading from start to finish, while van Gisbergen made good progress and ended Lap 90 in 19th.
The Kiwi again made ground during the second round of pit stops and took the Lap 101 restart in 15th ahead of a 99-lap run to the chequered flag.
Custer returned to the front, with Smith retaining second from Allgaier.
Smith took the lead on Lap 109, with Allgaier following through a circuit later as the pole-sitter was forced up high. His teammate Riley Herbst was the next to pounce, moving into the podium places.
Once in clear air, the #81 Toyota of Smith began slowly pulling a gap over the field, with his advantage sitting at 1.7 seconds by Lap 130. Custer’s drop continued, and he fell to eighth at the same point.
Van Gisbergen continued to run in the top 20 and sat 18th but with a one-second margin to overturn Jeb Burton ahead.
Hailie Deegan got loose and made contact with the wall on Lap 138, bringing out a soft caution that saw the entire field come in for a stop.
John Hunter Nemechek took the lead off pit lane after Smith’s crew struggled with his left rear, dropping him down the order. Allgaier retained second and quickly pounced for the lead, while Nemechek dropped back and was tapped into a spin in front of the field, starting ‘the big one’.
Herbst, Smith and Nemechek were running three-wide, and the latter, on the outside, was tapped into a spin by Smith, collecting Herbst on the inside.
The duo collected the likes of the trailing Sam Mayer, Brandon Jones, Deegan, William Byron, Aric Almirola, Austin Hill, Jeb Burton, Parker Retzlaff, Ryan Ellis and Brennan Poole, with a total of 14 cars taking damage.
Van Gisbergen avoided it all, slowing and running a high line to jump to 12th before a red flag was called for an extensive cleanup.
Allgaier led the field to green on Lap 152 after a 10-minute delay, withstanding an early charge and light contact from Smith before pulling a car-length clear.
Van Gisbergen, Anthony Alfredo and Brandon Jones locked in a tight battle for the final spot in the top ten from Lap 160, as Allgaier and Smith quickly put a large gap on the field at the front.
Van Gisbergen moved to 11th with 15 laps left to run.
Allgaier’s lead continued to grow approaching the chequered flag, with his advantage at over 2.7 seconds on Lap 188.
Creed, who ran third, was six seconds behind the pair, with Jesse Love right behind.
Heartbreak would ensue for Allgaier on Lap 195, with a convincing victory well in sight. A flat left rear saw him spin into the wall and take major damage, bringing the field back together under caution for a sprint to the flag.
The crash elevated van Gisbergen into the top ten and put Smith into the lead from Creed for the overtime restart, with Love third and Custer back up into fourth.
Van Gisbergen gained a spot for ninth when Sammy Smith came into pit lane, and he gained three more spots off the overtime restart to come home sixth.
Smith survived up front to take his second career win, with Love pipping Creed for second.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series takes a one-week break before returning for the first road course of 2024 at Circuit of the Americas on March 23.
