Anthony Alfredo navigated wet conditions Friday evening at Portland International Raceway to earn the pole for Saturday’s Pacific Office Automation 147.
Rain cut short the qualifying session, but not before Alfredo turned in the top time in his No. 23 Chevrolet, followed by Austin Hill and Daniel Hemric.
Now it is on to the NASCAR Xfinity Series race, set for 1:30 p.m. Saturday (TV on FS1), which marks NASCAR’s return to the Pacific Northwest for the first time since 2000. That year, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series made stops at PIR and Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, Washington.
Xfinity Series points leader A.J. Allmendinger was 10th in qualifying and has some previous success racing at PIR, winning the 2006 Champ Car Grand Prix of Portland. That victory jump-started Allmendinger’s pro racing career, and he moved to the NASCAR circuit in 2007.
Now 40, Allmendinger is an 11-time Xfinity Series winner, including five victories in 2021. He started this season with 12 consecutive top-10 finishes, including one win, before taking 19th place last week at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
With 530 points, Allmendinger tops the series standings, with Noah Gragson second at 497 and Ty Gibbs third at 490. Gibbs has three wins this season, while Gragson has two.
Local driver Darren Dilley of Hillsboro will be driving the No. 38 Willamette Valley Hops car for Ryan Sieg Racing. Dilley, 55, is a physical education teacher who has 30 years of racing experience and knows the PIR track. He was 32nd among the 38-car field in qualifying.
After the Pacific Office Automation 147, a 75-lap race that will cover 147.75 miles, there will be a 57-lap ARCA Menards Series West race at 4:30 p.m. Saturday.
Here are the race details:
PACIFIC OFFICE AUTOMATION 147
What: NASCAR Xfinity Series race
Where: Portland International Raceway | Portland, Oregon
Schedule: Practice and qualifying were Friday; race at 1:30 p.m. PT Saturday (FS1)
Race distance: 75 laps, 147.5 miles
Tickets: Can be purchased in advance at nascarportland.com, or at the gate.
Last year: This is the first visit for the series.
Last race: Josh Berry pulled away and beat Ty Gibbs by more than 18 seconds in Concord, North Carolina.
Fast facts: Berry’s second victory allowed him to join Gibbs (3) and Noah Gragson (2) as the only muLtiple winners this season through 13 races. … JR Motorsports has now won 10 consecutive stages, extending its series record.
Next Xfinity Series race: June 25, Nashville, Tennessee
— From staff and wire reports