Xfinity Series headed west for road

Last year, AJ Allmendinger won the inaugural NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Portland International Raceway in a deluge.

This year, the forecast calls for clear skies and warmer temperatures for Saturday‘s Pacific Office Automation 147 at the 1.967-mile road course (4:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

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There‘s another major difference in this year‘s event. Now racing full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, Allmendinger won‘t be around to defend his win.

That‘s good news for Myatt Snider, Austin Hill, Josh Berry and Justin Allgaier, who finished second through fifth, respectively, in the series’ debut race at the demanding 12-turn course.

"Portland is definitely a unique and challenging road course," said Allgaier, who picked up his first victory of the season in Monday‘s rain-delayed Alsco Uniforms 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. "We were able to come away with a top-five finish last year, and hopefully we can replicate that same success again this weekend with our BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet.

"We have a lot of momentum on our side right now, especially after getting the win in Charlotte, and I know that (crew chief) Jim (Pohlman) and the guys on this No. 7 team are ready to get after it again and race for the win on Saturday."

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