XFINITY: Flat tire sends Jordan Anderson hard into the wall at Gateway
by Brock Beard / LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief
PHOTO: Joe Laracuente, DoorStopNation.com
Jordan Anderson picked up the 7th last-place finish of his NASCAR XFINITY Series career in Saturday’s Nu Way 200 Sauced by Blues Hog at the World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway when his #32 Volpi Chevrolet crashed after 33 of 160 laps.
The finish, which came in Anderson’s 27th series start, was his first of the season and first in a XFINITY Series race since February 24, 2024 at Atlanta, 57 races ago. In the XFINITY Series’ last-place rankings, it was the 13th for the #32, the 413th from a crash, and the 673rd for Chevrolet. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it was the 46th for the #32, the 1,430th from a crash, and the 2,011th for Chevrolet.
The World Wide Technology Raceway in St. Louis happens to be the home track for longtime Jordan Anderson Racing sponsor Bommarito Automotive Group, which first sponsored Anderson’s Truck Series entry at the track in 2017. Now the team owner of two full-time XFINITY entries – the #27 of Jeb Burton and #31 of Blaine Perkins – Anderson has this year shared his part-time #32 entry with Austin Green, Katherine Legge, and Rajah Caruth. Saturday would see Anderson drive the car for the first time since this year’s Daytona opener, where he ran a strong 7th. Anderson has also made his first Truck Series start since he suffered burns at Talladega in 2022, earning a 29th-place run with Bommarito sponsorship at IRP.
Anderson was one of 40 drivers on the preliminary entry list, which by then was trimmed to 38 after the withdrawal of both Alpha Prime Racing’s #5 for Stefan Parsons and Dawson Cram’s ride in Mike Harmon Racing’s #74. Of the remaining 38, Anerson ranked 32nd in opening practice with a best lap of 34.576 seconds (130.148mph). He then qualified 28th with a lap of 33.922 seconds (132.657mph).
Prior to the race, Joe Laracuente of DoorStopNation.com caught up with Kole Raz, who was making his series debut in the #76 Cyclum Next Gen Travel Centers Ford, a second entry fielded by AM Racing. The experience was so new that this was the first time Raz had visited St. Louis. “It’s pretty incredible,” said Raz. “This is a dream come true to get this chance at a national level like this. For our west coast guys, this is pretty damn special. So, ready to get after it.”
Securing the 38th and final starting spot was Joey Gase, making his 300th series start in his #53 Mid-America Transplant Chevrolet. He’d be joined at the back by Dean Thompson, whose #26 Toyota Genuine Parts Toyota hit the Turn 1 wall near the end of practice, sending the team scrambling to prepare his primary car for next week’s race at Bristol. When the race went green, Thompson moved ahead to 35th across the stripe, 3.093 seconds back of the leader. Behind him were 35th-place qualifier Glen Reen (3.103), Gase’s teammate in an unsponsored #35 Toyota followed by Matt Mills (3.208), 37th in qualifying, who was slow to leave pit road in his #91 J.F. Electric Chevrolet, followed by Gase himself in last (3.546).
At the end of Lap 1, Gase remained in the last spot, 5.562 seconds back of the lead, and Reen took the 37th spot by Lap 3. For the next several laps, the two Gase cars held the final two spots on track, the pair separated by less than half a second. On Lap 4, Gase was 9.296 seconds back of the lead, then 10.551 on Lap 5, 11.616 on Lap 6, and 14.947 on Lap 8, when he radioed he had trouble accelerating off Turn 4. The gap continued to increase to 17.766 seconds on Lap 10, 20.641 on Lap 13, and 27.584 on Lap 18.
Moments later, Kole Raz slowed in Turns 1 and 2, then grazed the outside wall. His #76 made it to pit road with a brake issue, dropping him off the lead lap. The crew looked over the brake calipers on both sides and called for tools and brake fluid. Unable to find what they needed in their pits at Stall 36 on the Turn 4 side, a crew member was sent to Stall 30 for AM Racing teammate Harrison Burton. The team discussed going behind the wall, and by Lap 29, Raz was pumping his brake pedal to cycle the fresh brake fluid.
On Lap 34, Raz’ crew was still finishing their repairs when the caution came out for Anderson. Heading into Turn 1, Anderson was running in the 29th spot when he lost a right-front tire, sending him hard into the outside wall. The driver climbed out without serious injury, but the right-front of his car was destroyed, done for the night. Under this caution, a member of Raz’ crew was halfway to the team hauler to retrieve tools and brake fluid. “On the plus side, you had a heck of a run going,” the team told Raz, who early on battled Matt DiBenedetto for position. By Lap 41, Raz’ car was topped off on fuel and returned to the track. On Lap 51, he dropped Anderson to last place.
Blew a right front!
— Jordan Anderson (@j66anderson) September 7, 2025
Bummer. Was having a lot of fun and just starting to get the hang of it all again.
Thanks to @VolpiFoods for letting me get out there tonight. Hopefully we can do it again soon 🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/RkK5ZMAbns
Finishing 37th was Carson Kvapil, who under the Anderson caution had an engine issue leaving his pit stall, sending him back to pit road in the #1 Bass Pro Shops / Claritence Tech Chevrolet. NASCAR declared Kvapil out on Lap 56, moments after Raz climbed past him on his way to a 34th-place finish. Taking the 36th spot was Jeb Burton, one of Anderson’s teammates, whose bid at making the Playoffs ended with a brutal hit to the Turn 2 wall in his #27 Onder Law Injury Attorneys Chevrolet. Taking 35th was Sam Mayer, the only driver eliminated in a grinding pileup on Lap 135 that saw his #41 Audibel Ford turned into the outside wall at Turn 1.
Retzlaff ends his summer skid at Gateway
In the closing laps of Saturday’s race, both William Sawalich and Christian Eckes made spirited bids at the top spot, but their Playoff bids ended with another dominant victory for Connor Zilisch. Further back, current LASTCAR XFINITY Series leader Parker Retzlaff came home 8th in the #4 Advion Chevrolet, finally earning his first top-ten finish since his runner-up at Rockingham more than four months and 16 races ago. In that span, Retzlaff scored seven DNFs, two last-place finishes at Talladega and Daytona, and nearly finished last in three other races – two avoided by post-race disqualifications by other drivers. Saturday’s run also happened to come in Retzlaff’s 100th series start.
LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This marked the first last-place finish for the #32 in a XFINITY Series race at Gateway.
THE BOTTOM FIVE
38) #32-Jordan Anderson / 33 laps / crash
37) #1-Carson Kvapil / 38 laps / engine
36) #27-Jeb Burton / 109 laps / crash
35) #41-Sam Mayer / 134 laps / crash
34) #76-Kole Raz / 145 laps / running
2025 LASTCAR XFINITY SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Kaulig Racing (5)
2nd) Joe Gibbs Racing (4)
3rd) Alpha Prime Racing, SS-Green Light Racing (3)
4th) JR Motorsports, Sam Hunt Racing (2)
5th) Joey Gase Motorsports with Scott Osteen, Jordan Anderson Racing, Mike Harmon Racing, Our Motorsports, Richard Childress Racing, RSS Racing, Young’s Motorsports (1)
2025 LASTCAR XFINITY SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Chevrolet (19)
2nd) Toyota (6)
3rd) Ford (1)
2025 LASTCAR XFINITY SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
