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The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States and owner of 14 of the nation’s major motorsports entertainment facilities. NASCAR sanctions races in three national series (NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series™, and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series™), four international series (NASCAR Brasil Series, NASCAR Canada Series, NASCAR Euro Series, NASCAR Mexico Series), four regional series (ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East & West and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour) and a local grassroots series (NASCAR Local Racing Series Powered by O’Reilly Auto Parts). The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. NASCAR also owns Motor Racing Network, Racing Electronics, and ONE DAYTONA. Based in Daytona Beach, Florida, with offices in five cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races annually in 11 countries and more than 30 U.S. states.

Jesse Love takes charge in NASCAR O’Reilly Chase with win at Phoenix

Chris Graythen | Getty Images

October 17, 2026

By Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

AVONDALE, Ariz. — Last November at Phoenix Raceway, Jesse Love won the NASCAR O’Reilly Series championship.

On Saturday at the same one-mile track, he may have done it again with a victory in the Timberland PRO 200.

Unlike last year, however, there are three races left in the O’Reilly Series Chase, run under a new nine-race format this season. But with his second win at Phoenix, his second this season and the fifth of his career, Love established himself as the convincing frontrunner for the series title.

In a race that spelled disaster for former Chase leader Sheldon Creed, Love opened a 36-point lead over second-place Justin Allgaier, who finished third. Fourth-place finisher Corey Day is 39 points behind in third, with Creed falling to fourth in the standings, 59 points back, after finishing 32nd, two laps down.

“I would say it’s a day we prepared for, not just dreamed of,” Love said after climbing from his car. “I’ve got a great group around me, just preparing me to be in these situations, to be calm, cool and collected.

“I’ve learned from a lot of mistakes that allow me to execute at a high-level at a track like this. I’ve been here, it feels like, a million times… Grateful to the fans for coming out. It’s my favorite race track. I love coming to Arizona—I’m a West Coast kid.”

The 21-year-old from Clovis, California, swept the first and second stages and led 156 of 200 laps, scoring 75 points for his efforts—one short of the maximum. The statistics, however, don’t tell the story. Over the final 35-lap green-flag run, race runner-up Sam Mayer hounded the No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet all the way to the finish line.

Gaining ground over the final two laps, Mayer got to Love’s bumper off the final corner but finished 0.128 seconds behind the race winner. Mayer’s effort was all the more spectacular, given that his No. 41 Haas Factory Team Chevrolet started the race from the rear of the field after an engine change.

“Hats off to them, man,” Love said. “The 41 team did a great job coming from the back and making their car better. Honestly, it felt like they were a little better than we were at the end. I was having to just drive a lot over the tire to make any sort of lap time.

“I’m just grateful to be in a situation to win races. I’ve got a great pit crew who just maul everybody on pit road every week. It makes my job a lot easier. I’m really proud of the whole group.”

Mayer, who remained sixth in the Chase standings, 86 points behind Love, knew he had narrowly missed an important opportunity.

“Good job to him (Love)—he drove a great race,” Mayer said. “We definitely pressured him the whole time. It came down to making a mistake or not, and he executed really well. Really close…

“The Hendrick Engine shop brought a really good engine for us—two of them, technically I guess, ‘cause we blew one up. I haven’t had fun this year like that. That was just a lot of fun. It was just great racing, and hopefully we put on a show for everyone at home.

“That’s some pretty big championship implications if we could have won that one. I’m looking at the numbers right here, and they look pretty ugly for the old 41 and, honestly, the 00 (Creed), too.”

Creed, who entered the race with a two-point Chase lead, finished second to Love in the first stage with no idea what was about to happen to his car. During the caution for the stage break, a “kill switch” malfunction shut off the engine of his Chevrolet, and Creed lost three laps on pit road as his crew tried to get the car to refire.

It was only through attrition that Creed climbed from 37th to 32nd at the finish.

Sammy Smith finished fifth, followed by Brandon Jones, who lost a lap early after a move to wet tires during a brief shower in the first stage. Dean Thompson, William Sawalich, Rajah Caruth and Carson Kvapil finished seventh through 10th, respectively.

Next up for the O’Reilly Series drivers is The Progress Group 250 on Oct. 24 at Talladega Superspeedway (3:30 p.m. ET on CW, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series Race - Timberland PRO 200

Phoenix Raceway

Avondale, Arizona

Saturday, October 17, 2026

1. (1) Jesse Love (C), Chevrolet, 200.

2. (35) Sam Mayer (C), Chevrolet, 200.

3. (13) Justin Allgaier (C), Chevrolet, 200.

4. (11) Corey Day (C), Chevrolet, 200.

5. (9) Sammy Smith (C), Chevrolet, 200.

6. (2) Brandon Jones (C), Toyota, 200.

7. (17) Dean Thompson, Toyota, 200.

8. (3) William Sawalich, Toyota, 200.

9. (6) Rajah Caruth (C), Chevrolet, 200.

10. (16) Carson Kvapil (C), Chevrolet, 200.

11. (18) Parker Retzlaff (C), Chevrolet, 200.

12. (19) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 200.

13. (36) Harrison Burton, Toyota, 200.

14. (25) Andrew Patterson, Chevrolet, 200.

15. (10) Austin Hill (C), Chevrolet, 200.

16. (22) Jeb Burton, Chevrolet, 200.

17. (15) Anthony Alfredo, Chevrolet, 200.

18. (28) Ryan Ellis, Chevrolet, 200.

19. (30) Lavar Scott #, Chevrolet, 200.

20. (8) Brent Crews # (C), Toyota, 199.

21. (27) Patrick Staropoli #, Chevrolet, 199.

22. (7) Nick Sanchez(i), Chevrolet, 199.

23. (12) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 199.

24. (14) Blaine Perkins, Chevrolet, 199.

25. (21) Kyle Sieg, Chevrolet, 199.

26. (23) Josh Williams, Chevrolet, 199.

27. (37) Brad Perez, Chevrolet, 199.

28. (5) Taylor Gray (C), Toyota, 199.

29. (24) Will Rodgers, Chevrolet, 198.

30. (31) Connor Mosack(i), Chevrolet, 198.

31. (34) Garrett Smithley, Chevrolet, 198.

32. (4) Sheldon Creed (C), Chevrolet, 198.

33. (38) Joey Gase, Ford, 198.

34. (20) Leland Honeyman Jr.(i), Chevrolet, 197.

35. (26) Brennan Poole, Ford, 197.

36. (32) Josh Bilicki, Chevrolet, Brakes, 179.

37. (33) Dawson Cram, Chevrolet, Fuel Pump, 126.

38. (29) Jake Finch, Chevrolet, Engine, 54.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 96.373 mph.

Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 4 Mins, 31 Secs. Margin of Victory: 0.128 Seconds.

Caution Flags: 5 for 35 laps.

Lead Changes: 18 among 7 drivers.

Lap Leaders: J. Love (C) 1-31;S. Creed (C) 32-39;J. Love (C) 40-49;P. Retzlaff (C) 50;J. Love (C) 51-54;J. Allgaier (C) 55-71;J. Love (C) 72;J. Allgaier (C) 73;J. Love (C) 74-94;P. Retzlaff (C) 95;J. Love (C) 96-100;C. Day (C) 101-105;J. Love (C) 106;C. Day (C) 107-108;J. Love (C) 109-153;B. Crews # (C) 154;J. Clements 155;P. Retzlaff (C) 156-162;J. Love (C) 163-200.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): Jesse Love (C) 9 times for 156 laps; Justin Allgaier (C) 2 times for 18 laps; Parker Retzlaff (C) 3 times for 9 laps; Sheldon Creed (C) 1 time for 8 laps; Corey Day (C) 2 times for 7 laps; Brent Crews # (C) 1 time for 1 lap; Jeremy Clements 1 time for 1 lap.

Stage #1 Top Ten: 2,00,7,88,8,41,1,51,54,17

Stage #2 Top Ten: 2,7,54,17,41,88,8,1,21,26

Late charge at Charlotte gives Corey Day second straight NASCAR O’Reilly Chase win

Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images

October 11, 2026

By Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

CONCORD, N.C.—It was a gutsy three-wide pass on the backstretch that gave Corey Day his second straight victory in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Chase and moved the driver of the No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet within close striking distance of the series lead.

With 10 laps left in Sunday’s rain-postponed Blue Cross NC 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Day steered his car beneath the No. 2 Chevy of defending series champion Jesse Love and the No. 7 Camaro of Justin Allgaier and surged into the lead.

Pursued closely by Love for the remainder of the race, Day crossed the finish line 0.728 seconds ahead of the Richard Childress Racing driver. Series leader Sheldon Creed passed Allgaier on the final lap to secure third place.

With his first victory at Charlotte, his fourth of the season and fourth of his career, Day climbed two positions to third in the Chase standings, seven points behind Creed, who leads second-place Love by a mere two points.

With consecutive wins at Las Vegas and Charlotte, Day has made up 85 points on the series lead in the two outings.

“I think the 2 got really loose from what I could see up there in front of the 7, and that kind of messed them both up,” Day said of the winning pass in the middle of the backstretch at the 1.5-mile track. “That was just enough for me to get a good run (off Turn 2) and take my run.

“That was crucial. I think if I don’t do that, I don’t win the race.”

After winning the first stage, Day rallied from a penalty for driving through too many pit boxes during the stage break. He restarted 30th on Lap 54, but by the end of the second stage (Lap 90), he had charged through the field to seventh.

“What a job by my guys,” Day said. “I screw up and (go through) too many boxes on entry and just have the car to do that (drive back to the front).”

With Love and Day chasing him, Allgaier held the lead from a restart on Lap 164 until Lap 183. But his car tightened up on his last set of tires, and Allgaier scraped the outside wall in Turn 4 with 17 circuits left, allowing both Love and Day to pass.

Brent Crews slammed the wall on Lap 186 to cause the seventh and final caution, setting up the final restart on Lap 191 and Day’s dramatic pass for the win, after he fell briefly to third behind Love and Allgaier in the first two corners of the restart lap.

Love thought he had a better car at the end of the race but couldn’t find a way around Day.

“At the end, the 17 was not quite as good as we were, but just good enough that, when he took my air away, it was really hard to make up ground,” Love said. “I wish I could have had that one back, but I’m still proud of myself for driving really hard and doing a lot of things right tonight.”

Creed recovered from early contact with the wall and a lengthy repair under caution to secure the third spot. Behind Allgaier in fourth, non-Chase driver Carson Brown made a late charge into fifth.

Brandon Jones, Austin Hill, Anthony Alfredo, Taylor Gray and Brennan Poole completed the top 10.

Polesitter Carson Kvapil, who came to Charlotte 19 points behind Creed in second place, suffered a cut right rear tire and contact with the outside wall. Kvapil finished 32nd, 28 laps down and dropped to fifth in the standings, 40 points behind Creed.

The O’Reilly Series Chase continues next Saturday with the Timberland PRO 200 at Phoenix Raceway (7:30 p.m. ET on CW, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series Race - Blue Cross NC 300

Charlotte Motor Speedway

Concord, North Carolina

Saturday, October 10, 2026

1. (2) Corey Day (C), Chevrolet, 200.

2. (3) Jesse Love (C), Chevrolet, 200.

3. (8) Sheldon Creed (C), Chevrolet, 200.

4. (23) Justin Allgaier (C), Chevrolet, 200.

5. (20) Carson Brown, Chevrolet, 200.

6. (28) Brandon Jones (C), Toyota, 200.

7. (7) Austin Hill (C), Chevrolet, 200.

8. (12) Anthony Alfredo, Chevrolet, 200.

9. (6) Taylor Gray (C), Toyota, 200.

10. (18) Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, 200.

11. (9) William Sawalich, Toyota, 200.

12. (16) Parker Retzlaff (C), Chevrolet, 200.

13. (15) Harrison Burton, Toyota, 200.

14. (17) Dean Thompson, Toyota, 200.

15. (31) Joey Gase, Ford, 200.

16. (13) Sammy Smith (C), Chevrolet, 200.

17. (14) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 200.

18. (32) Josh Bilicki, Chevrolet, 200.

19. (30) Blaine Perkins, Chevrolet, 200.

20. (11) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 200.

21. (26) Matt DiBenedetto, Chevrolet, 200.

22. (21) Jeb Burton, Chevrolet, 200.

23. (19) Austin Green, Chevrolet, 199.

24. (5) Sam Mayer (C), Chevrolet, 199.

25. (34) Myatt Snider, Chevrolet, 198.

26. (29) Mason Maggio, Chevrolet, 197.

27. (27) Lavar Scott #, Ford, 196.

28. (35) Derek Lemke(i), Chevrolet, 196.

29. (24) Garrett Smithley, Chevrolet, 196.

30. (4) Brent Crews # (C), Toyota, Accident, 184.

31. (36) Jake Finch, Chevrolet, Suspension, 174.

32. (1) Carson Kvapil (C), Chevrolet, 171.

33. (25) Patrick Staropoli #, Chevrolet, Suspension, 166.

34. (33) Ryan Ellis, Chevrolet, Accident, 163.

35. (22) Kyle Sieg, Chevrolet, Engine, 145.

36. (10) Rajah Caruth (C), Chevrolet, Accident, 126.

37. (37) Dawson Cram, Chevrolet, Brakes, 66.

38. (38) JJ Yeley, Ford, Water Pump, 63.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 121.471 mph.

Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 28 Mins, 11 Secs. Margin of Victory: 0.728 Seconds.

Caution Flags: 7 for 38 laps.

Lead Changes: 16 among 7 drivers.

Lap Leaders: C. Kvapil (C) 1-3;C. Day (C) 4-22;J. Yeley 23;C. Day (C) 24-49;J. Yeley 50;J. Love (C) 51-73;J. Allgaier (C) 74-94;J. Love (C) 95-97;T. Gray (C) 98;J. Love (C) 99-113;B. Crews # (C) 114-117;J. Love (C) 118-148;J. Allgaier (C) 149-162;T. Gray (C) 163;J. Allgaier (C) 164-182;J. Love (C) 183-190;C. Day (C) 191-200.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): Jesse Love (C) 5 times for 80 laps; Corey Day (C) 3 times for 55 laps; Justin Allgaier (C) 3 times for 54 laps; Brent Crews # (C) 1 time for 4 laps; Carson Kvapil (C) 1 time for 3 laps; JJ Yeley 2 times for 2 laps; Taylor Gray (C) 2 times for 2 laps.

Stage #1 Top Ten: 17,2,41,7,1,21,19,51,54,99

Stage #2 Top Ten: 7,2,54,41,19,21,17,1,8,00

Day hits the jackpot in back-and-forth Vegas battle with Kvapil

Chris Graythen | Getty Images

October 3, 2026

By Holly Cain

NASCAR Wire Service

LAS VEGAS – In one of the most thrilling finishes of the season, 20-year-old Hendrick Motorsports rookie driver Corey Day prevailed in a final laps back-and-forth with 23-year-old JR Motorsports’ racer Carson Kvapil to claim his third career NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series victory in Saturday’s Focused Health 302 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Day and Kvapil exchanged the lead four times in the last 12 laps before Day made a daring pass – after brushing the wall multiple times – with two laps remaining to solidify a trophy hoist ultimately decided by a slight .287-seconds.

“Oh man, I just was so tight there and so scared I was going to go down and plow on the bottom let him get by me." said a grinning Day, who started his No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet from pole position, won the opening stage and led a career high 136 of the 201 laps.

“Just a great car. We struggled over the summer, to tell you the truth. Won Talladega (in April) and then Dover pretty close and then just went dry. This feels really good. A dominant day for us for sure, great car.

“I knew we’d be a title contender from the start of the year," added Day, whose win puts him fifth in the 12-driver championship rankings with five races remaining on the season.

“Just had a dry summer there but we’re getting things rolling back in the right direction. We’ll just keep working.

Kvapil, who like Day also earned his first career series wins this season (at Indianapolis and Iowa) - was understandably disappointed to lose out on Saturday’s victory, but also encouraged with the showing. It moved him into second place in the championship standings, now 19 points behind Haas Factory Team’s Sheldon Creed, who finished 13th.

“I feel like our stuff was really good around the bottom," Kvapil said. “Had a really good car today. Props to those guys for making us a top-three car. There at the end, I thought the 17 [Day] was pretty stout. Some lapped traffic held him up there and I was able to find some speed at the bottom of [turns] one and two. Just never really tried the fence. I knew once I got in front of him what would be best for me was to run the bottom. He ran the top and just hit a perfect corner."

Reigning series champion, Richard Childress Racing’s Jesse Love finished just behind the duel up front, in third place, followed by JGR teammates ’s William Sawalich – one of four drivers among the top-10 not Chase eligible – and Taylor Gray.

Haas Factory Team’s Sam Mayer – another Chase-eligible driver - finished sixth having turned in an impressive comeback. He won Stage 2 and led 40 laps (second to Day) but had to rally from the rear of the field after a pit stop penalty during the Stage 2 break.

Non-Chase eligible drivers Jeremy Clements, William Sawalich, and Anthony Alfredo finished seventh, eighth and 10th respectively with Chase driver Austin Hill taking ninth place.

It was an especially impactful race for former series champion and the season’s most productive team, JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier. He was collected in an accident on Lap 55 with fellow Chase competitor, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Brandon Jones.

Just after winning the race off pit road for the restart from the first stage break, Jones’ No. 20 Toyota had a problem and drifted up into Allgaier’s No. 7 Chevrolet in Turn 2 putting it into the wall. Both cars were towed back to the garage. Allgaier was able to return to the track with 84 laps remaining and made a single lap to move up a position in the race finishing order. Still, his 34th place result dropped the regular season champion from second to fourth in the standings – 31 points off the leader Creed.

It was only the second DNF of the season for the six-race winner Allgaier, who held an enormous 229-point advantage atop the regular season standings before the points reset for the Chase run.

“I checked up and tried to be able to sneak by him [Jones] on the outside, but it just didn’t work out," said Allgaier. “I hate it for everybody on the seven-team. Obviously, we’ve had lots of speed everywhere we’ve gone all year, but to start the Chase off like this has been pretty frustrating. But we’ll go next week and try to win another race. Disappointing end to a day I thought we were making some headway."

The NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series returns to action next Saturday at Charlotte Motor Speedway with the Blue Cross NC 250 (4 p.m. ET on the CW, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). This marks the first Fall race on the 1.5-mile Charlotte oval since 2017 when Alex Bowman hoisted the trophy driving for Chip Ganassi Racing.

NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series Race - Focused Health 302

Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Las Vegas, Nevada

Saturday, October 3, 2026

1. (1) Corey Day (C), Chevrolet, 201.

2. (9) Carson Kvapil (C), Chevrolet, 201.

3. (10) Jesse Love (C), Chevrolet, 201.

4. (4) Brent Crews # (C), Toyota, 201.

5. (5) Taylor Gray (C), Toyota, 201.

6. (8) Sam Mayer (C), Chevrolet, 201.

7. (21) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 201.

8. (36) William Sawalich, Toyota, 201.

9. (12) Austin Hill (C), Chevrolet, 201.

10. (18) Anthony Alfredo, Chevrolet, 201.

11. (6) Rajah Caruth (C), Chevrolet, 201.

12. (20) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 201.

13. (2) Sheldon Creed (C), Chevrolet, 201.

14. (11) Harrison Burton, Toyota, 200.

15. (23) Sammy Smith (C), Chevrolet, 200.

16. (22) Dean Thompson, Toyota, 200.

17. (16) Brennan Poole, Ford, 200.

18. (26) Lee Pulliam, Chevrolet, 199.

19. (17) Parker Retzlaff (C), Chevrolet, 199.

20. (19) Kyle Sieg, Chevrolet, 199.

21. (14) Jeb Burton, Chevrolet, 199.

22. (15) Andrew Patterson, Chevrolet, 199.

23. (25) Matt DiBenedetto, Chevrolet, 199.

24. (13) Patrick Staropoli #, Chevrolet, 198.

25. (31) Garrett Smithley, Chevrolet, 198.

26. (30) Lavar Scott #, Chevrolet, 198.

27. (33) Joey Gase, Ford, 198.

28. (28) Josh Williams, Chevrolet, 197.

29. (29) Ryan Ellis, Chevrolet, 197.

30. (34) Josh Bilicki, Chevrolet, 195.

31. (24) Blaine Perkins, Chevrolet, 193.

32. (32) Blake Lothian, Chevrolet, 192.

33. (27) Mason Maggio, Chevrolet, 175.

34. (7) Justin Allgaier (C), Chevrolet, DVP, 56.

35. (3) Brandon Jones (C), Toyota, Accident, 54.

36. (35) Dawson Cram, Chevrolet, Transmission, 13.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 135.37 mph.

Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 13 Mins, 38 Secs. Margin of Victory: 0.287 Seconds.

Caution Flags: 3 for 21 laps.

Lead Changes: 15 among 9 drivers.

Lap Leaders: C. Day (C) 1;S. Creed (C) 2-8;C. Day (C) 9-48;R. Caruth (C) 49;B. Jones (C) 50-53;S. Mayer (C) 54-93;R. Caruth (C) 94;W. Sawalich 95-99;C. Day (C) 100-144;A. Alfredo 145-146;J. Burton 147-148;C. Day (C) 149-189;C. Kvapil (C) 190-191;C. Day (C) 192-198;C. Kvapil (C) 199;C. Day (C) 200-201.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): Corey Day (C) 6 times for 136 laps; Sam Mayer (C) 1 time for 40 laps; Sheldon Creed (C) 1 time for 7 laps; William Sawalich 1 time for 5 laps; Brandon Jones (C) 1 time for 4 laps; Carson Kvapil (C) 2 times for 3 laps; Rajah Caruth (C) 2 times for 2 laps; Anthony Alfredo 1 time for 2 laps; Jeb Burton 1 time for 2 laps.

Stage #1 Top Ten: 17,41,88,20,2,19,39,54,21,7

Stage #2 Top Ten: 41,17,88,1,51,18,19,2,54,39

--30--

NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Media Day Notebook

Notebook Items:

Jesse Love can use a little good luck in NASCAR O’Reilly Series title defense
Justin Allgaier savors Chase schedule and new postseason format
Rajah Caruth learned valuable lessons on the way to the Chase

September 2, 2026

By Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

Jesse Love can use a little good luck in NASCAR O’Reilly Series title defense

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — If it appears that defending NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series champion Jesse Love lacks momentum entering this year’s nine-race Chase, don’t despair.

All it will take is a little bit of luck and some quality control to make him a contender for a second straight title.

Love won twice in 2025, bookending the season with victories in the Daytona opener and the Championship 4 Race at Phoenix.

This year, he’s winless through 24 races, though that shouldn’t suggest a lack of speed in the No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. Love has led 383 laps this season versus 297 in 33 events last year.

“I’m not a ‘luck’ guy, right?” Love said Wednesday at Chase Media Day in the Charlotte Convention Center. “I think it’s a word that’s overused and just kind of thrown around as an excuse a lot.

“This year, with the speed that we’ve had and actually being able to show up and dominate races and have something silly happen… we’ve had a lot of bad luck this year. If we don’t have that in the (Chase), then we can win a championship. If we do continue to have that, then we’re not.”

Emblematic of Love’s season was the May 30 race at Nashville Superspeedway. Love led 87 laps from the pole before loose wheels derailed his winning chances. He finished 16th in a car he described as “the best I’ve ever had.”

“For myself, I’m not worried about being able to perform at a high enough level to win a championship,” said Love, who will move up to the NASCAR Cup Series next year in the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford. “I know that I’m performing at that level right now.

“If we don’t have those bad things happen in the Chase, then we’re going to be fine.”

The O’Reilly Series Chase gets underway on Saturday with the Fleetio 200 at Darlington Raceway (7:30 p.m. on CW, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Justin Allgaier savors Chase schedule and new postseason format

To say that Justin Allgaier was the runaway winner of top seeding for the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Chase would be a significant understatement.

A six-time winner this season, Allgaier held a 229-point lead over JR Motorsports teammate Carson Kvapil in second place before the reset for the Chase.

Entering the first of nine Chase events at Darlington Raceway on Saturday, Allgaier now leads Kvapil by 25 points under the new format this year, but the loss of his huge advantage hasn’t diminished the confidence of the 2024 series champion.

“I feel like we’ve done a really good job,” Allgaier said. “We’ve executed in races that in years past I probably wouldn’t have. More wins than I’ve had in a single season—all those things kind of play into it.

“I feel good about even only having a 25-point lead. I still feel good about it, but even at the same time, I think there was one race that we lost 60 or 65 points to the guys up front… So we have to go out there and execute.”

Allgaier’s stiffest competition may come from his own shop. Kvapil took charge at the end of the season, picking up his first two career wins back-to-back at Indianapolis and Iowa. Sammy Smith and Rajah Caruth also made the Chase for JRM.

“I’d be hard-pressed to say that they’re not (the strongest opposition),” Allgaier said. “I do think there are plenty of drivers, teams, combinations that have made speed at the end of this year, that have come on. Arguably, the 1 (Kvapil) has done the best job of that. So that’s within our four walls.

“But I think every organization has their strengths. Now there are organizations that don’t have all their cars in (the Chase). We’re in a situation where we have to put our four best race cars on the track every week. It’s not one. It’s not two. It’s all four of us, right?

“I look at the last couple years, and we’ve only had to do that for one race (under the Championship 4 format). Now we’re putting all four into the Chase, and we’re going to have to run all season like that. It does put more of a strain on our shop, but there’s no team that I would rather have the opportunity to go and try to battle it out with, so I think we’ll be in great shape.”

Allgaier recorded three of his six victories this season at tracks that appear in the Chase—Darlington, Phoenix and Martinsville. Accordingly, he’s elated about the roster of tracks that comprise the nine-race body of work in the Chase.

“We have great race tracks,” Allgaier acknowledged. “When I look at the schedule, I’m like, man, you couldn’t have asked for better race tracks for the 7 car, as far as what the (Chase) looks like. I’m excited for that.”

Rajah Caruth learned valuable lessons on the way to the Chase

If Rajah Caruth hopes to contend for a NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series championship, he’ll have to raise his performance to new heights.

Fortunately, the 24-year-old driver from Washington, D.C., will have the best possible equipment at his disposal for the entirety of the Chase, which opens Saturday with the Fleetio 200 at Darlington Raceway (7:30 p.m. ET on CW, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

During the first 24 races of the season, Caruth split time between the No. 32 Jordan Anderson Racing Chevrolet and the more potent No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet. For the Chase, he’ll be in the No. 88 full-time, with crew chief Mardy Lindley on his pit box.

In a dramatic race last Friday at Daytona International Speedway, Caruth earned the final spot in the Chase, despite a spin from second place in the closing laps. He’ll start the postseason 80 points behind his top-seeded JR Motorsports teammate, Justin Allgaier.

On the way to the Chase, Caruth has taken a valuable lesson to heart—not to throw away points trying to get more out of a car than it’s capable of achieving.

“I’m ready to rip,” Caruth said on Wednesday during Chase Media Day interviews at the Charlotte Convention Center. “The great thing about when I was going back and forth between the 32 and JRM this year is that I was still doing sim (simulation) for the 88, so I had an understanding of what they were going to the race track with.

“With that said, it’s not a huge shock going to these (Chase) tracks for the first time in the 88, because I had that time with them early in the year.”

Caruth also pointed out that the No. 88 Chevrolet, which featured multiple drivers behind the wheel, is third in the owners’ standings with a shot at that championship. On both the owners’ and drivers’ side, Caruth thinks it’s imperative not to throw away positions and points trying to overachieve.

“The valleys are way more hurtful than they were in previous years (under the elimination format),” Caruth said. “It’s going to be important, if you’re having a seventh-place day, to not make it a 12th- or 15th- or 20th-place day—and also not throwing away a second or third trying to get a win and ending up outside the top 10.

“I really feel good about our chances. Not only will our cars be fast, but I’m confident in myself and the lessons I’ve learned earlier this year, and (I’m) ready to put it all to the test.”

O'reilly auto parts series

2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Schedule

Round	Date	Track	Location	Race Name	Time (ET)
1	Sat., Feb. 14	Daytona International Speedway	Daytona Beach, FL	United Rentals 300	5:00 PM
2	Sat., Feb. 21	EchoPark Speedway	Braselton, GA	Bennett Transportation & Logistics 250	5:00 PM
3	Sat., Feb. 28	Circuit of The Americas	Austin, TX	Focused Health 250	3:00 PM
4	Sat., Mar. 7	Phoenix Raceway	Avondale, AZ	GOVX 200	7:30 PM
5	Sat., Mar. 14	Las Vegas Motor Speedway	Las Vegas, NV	The LiUNA NASCAR Xfinity Series	5:30 PM
6	Sat., Mar. 21	Darlington Raceway	Darlington, SC	Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help A Hero 200	5:30 PM
7	Sat., Mar. 28	Martinsville Speedway	Martinsville, VA	NFPA 250	3:30 PM
8	Sat., Apr. 4	Rockingham Speedway	Rockingham, NC	North Carolina Education Lottery 250	2:30 PM
9	Sat., Apr. 11	Bristol Motor Speedway	Bristol, TN	SciAps 300	7:30 PM
10	Sat., Apr. 18	Kansas Speedway	Kansas City, KS	Kansas Lottery 300	7:00 PM
11	Sat., Apr. 25	Talladega Superspeedway	Lincoln, AL	Ag-Pro 300	4:00 PM
12	Sat., May 2	Texas Motor Speedway	Fort Worth, TX	Andy’s Frozen Custard 300	3:30 PM
13	Sat., May 9	Watkins Glen International	Watkins Glen, NY	Mission 200 at The Glen	4:00 PM
14	Sat., May 16	Dover Motor Speedway	Dover, DE	BetRivers 200	4:00 PM
15	Sat., May 23	Charlotte Motor Speedway	Concord, NC	BetMGM 300	5:00 PM
16	Sat., May 30	Nashville Superspeedway	Lebanon, TN	Tennessee Lottery 250	7:30 PM
–	Sat., June 6	–	–	Off Week	–
17	Sat., June 13	Pocono Raceway	Long Pond, PA	Explore the Pocono Mountains 250	4:00 PM
18	Sat., June 20	Naval Base Coronado	Coronado, CA	N/A	5:00 PM
19	Sat., June 27	Sonoma Raceway	Sonoma, CA	Pit Boss/FoodMaxx 250	5:30 PM
20	Sat., July 4	Chicagoland Speedway	Joliet, IL	N/A	5:30 PM
21	Sat., July 11	EchoPark Speedway	Braselton, GA	Focused Health 250	7:00 PM
–	Sat., July 18	–	–	Off Week	–
22	Sat., July 25	Indianapolis Motor Speedway	Indianapolis, IN	Pennzoil 250	4:00 PM
–	Sat., Aug. 1	–	–	Off Week	–
23	Sat., Aug. 8	Iowa Speedway	Newton, IA	Hy-Vee Perks 250	5:00 PM
–	Sat., Aug. 15	–	–	Off Week	–
–	Sat., Aug. 22	–	–	Off Week	–
24	Fri., Aug. 28	Daytona International Speedway	Daytona Beach, FL	Wawa 250	7:30 PM
25	Sat., Sept. 5	Darlington Raceway	Darlington, SC	N/A	7:30 PM
26	Sat., Sept. 12	World Wide Technology Raceway	Madison, IL	Nu Way 200 Sauced by Blues Hog	7:30 PM
27	Fri., Sept. 18	Bristol Motor Speedway	Bristol, TN	Food City 300	7:30 PM
–	Sat., Sept. 26	–	–	Off Week	–
28	Sat., Oct. 3	Las Vegas Motor Speedway	Las Vegas, NV	Focused Health 302	7:30 PM
29	Sat., Oct. 10	Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL	Concord, NC	Blue Cross NC 250	4:00 PM
30	Sat., Oct. 17	Phoenix Raceway	Avondale, AZ	N/A	7:30 PM
31	Sat., Oct. 24	Talladega Superspeedway	Lincoln, AL	The Progress Group 250	3:30 PM
32	Sat., Oct. 31	Martinsville Speedway	Martinsville, VA	IAA and Ritchie Bros. 250	4:00 PM
33	Sat., Nov. 7	Homestead-Miami Speedway	Homestead, FL	O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Championship	5:00 PM

2027 NASCAR O’REILLY AUTO PARTS SERIES SCHEDULE

Date	Event / Racetrack
Saturday, February 20	Daytona International Speedway
Saturday, February 27	EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta)
Saturday, March 6	Circuit of the Americas (Austin)
Saturday, March 13	Phoenix Raceway
Saturday, March 20	Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Saturday, April 3	Darlington Raceway
Saturday, April 10	Bristol Motor Speedway
Saturday, April 17	Martinsville Speedway
Saturday, April 24	Talladega Superspeedway
Saturday, May 1	Texas Motor Speedway
Saturday, May 15	Dover Motor Speedway
Saturday, May 22	North Wilkesboro Speedway
Saturday, May 29	Charlotte Motor Speedway
Saturday, June 5	Nashville Superspeedway
Saturday, June 12	Pocono Raceway
Saturday, June 26	Chicagoland Speedway
Saturday, July 3	Iowa Speedway
Saturday, July 10	Sonoma Raceway
Saturday, July 24	Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Saturday, July 31	San Diego (Naval Base Coronado)
Friday, August 13	Bristol Motor Speedway
Saturday, August 21	World Wide Technology Raceway (St. Louis)
Friday, August 27	Daytona International Speedway
Saturday, September 4	Darlington Raceway
Friday, September 10	Richmond Raceway
Saturday, September 18	Watkins Glen International
Saturday, October 2	Kansas Speedway
Saturday, October 9	Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Saturday, October 16	Charlotte Motor Speedway
Saturday, October 23	Phoenix Raceway
Saturday, October 30	Talladega Superspeedway
Saturday, November 6	Martinsville Speedway
Saturday, November 13	NASCAR Championship (Homestead-Miami Speedway)

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