Almirola, the 40 year old driver from Tampa, Florida, made a bold move in the final corners to win by 0.045 seconds. This was the 18th win for Joe Gibbs Racing at Phoenix and the most victories at a single track by a team in series history.

The lead changed hands three times on the final restart with Bowman leading on the white flag.

“He (Bowman) got loose in and tight across the middle and missed the bottom,” Almirola said. “I immediately got hope back. I just wanted to try and loosen him up.”

They banged doors racing to the finish and Bowman ended up in the wall while Almirola got the trophy. He said, “I felt like, if we rub fenders and smash the fence a little bit, no big deal, right?”

Almirola is in the twilight of his NASCAR career and was grateful for the chance to celebrate with those closest to him. “I feel incredibly blessed to have this opportunity,” he said.

“A lot of people don’t get to do this,” Almirola said. “The fact that they get to share this with me and we continue to get to do this as a family, it’s really special.”

Bowman, a Tucson native, finished one spot short of winning a race at his home track. He was proud of the effort, but ultimately dissatisfied with the end result.

“I get you gotta do what you gotta do to win the race,” Bowman said in a pit road interview regarding the contact. “I tried to enter on the top just to have a chance at getting off the corner and he just beat us.”

The dramatic finish was set up after a caution for Nick Leitz derailed Justin Allgaier’s day. He led the most laps, and was in front with two laps to go when Leitz spun in turn four.

“Nobody wants to cause a caution,” Allgaier said after Leitz apologized to him. “Nobody wants to be in that position, especially when the leaders are out front and got a two second lead.”

He’s had his fair share of ups and downs in Phoenix. Allgaier went from hoisting the championship trophy in 2024, to losing his second straight spring race despite leading late.

Regardless of the finish, Allgaier was proud of the team in their efforts for another championship run in November. “They brought a race car that was absolutely phenomenal,” he said.

When asked about his relationship with the track, he said “I want to love this place.” That said, he compared his tumultuous relationship with the track to the peaks and valleys of golf.

“You're one hole away from throwing your clubs in the water,” Allgaier said. “But really, when it all comes down to it, I'm really proud of the effort that we put in.”