TRACK – Talladega Superspeedway (2.66-mile superspeedway)
NXS RACE – Ag-Pro 300 (113 laps / 300.58 miles)
TUNE IN – CW, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90 at 4:00 p.m. (ET)
- Carson Kvapil returns to Talladega Superspeedway this weekend for the second time in his NASCAR Xfinity Series career.
- On tracks 2 miles or greater, Kvapil has made four starts with his best finish of fourth coming at Daytona International Speedway earlier this year.
- After once again earning points in Stages One and Two last weekend, the 21-year-old Mooresville native moved up one more position in the points standings to fifth, one point out of fourth.
- Kvapil will sport the colors of First Bank of Alabama this weekend. The Talladega-based bank is the oldest continuously-operated bank in Alabama and has 13 full-service locations along with multiple stand-alone full-service ATM locations.
- Justin Allgaier has made 18 previous starts in the NXS at Talladega, earning a best finish of second in this event in 2016.
- Overall, Allgaier has scored four top fives and seven top 10s at the high-banked Alabama track.
- Allgaier is a previous race winner on a drafting track like Talladega, taking the checkered flag in the fall of 2023 at Daytona. Allgaier additionally placed second at the most-recent NXS race on a drafting track at Atlanta Motor Speedway in February.
- This weekend marks the first of six events with Hellmann’s onboard the No. 7 Chevrolet.
- Sammy Smith is the most recent winner at Talladega in the NXS after starting 27th in the 2024 fall race and pacing the field for the final five laps enroute to the victory.
- Smith looks to be the first driver to win two consecutive NXS races at Talladega since Justin Haley in 2020.
- Smith has 17 career NXS starts on speedways 2 miles or longer in length, earning one win, two top-fives, and four top-10’s.
- Smith finished fourth in the last NXS race on a drafting track in Atlanta in February.
- Connor Zilisch will make his first Talladega start in the NXS on Saturday afternoon. Zilisch was sidelined by incidents earlier this season at Daytona and Atlanta, drafting tracks similar to Talladega. Zilisch does have one previous NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series start at Talladega in the fall of 2024.
- Zilisch rallied from two laps down to finish 13th last week at Rockingham Speedway. He is seventh in the NXS driver standings, 125 points behind leader Justin Allgaier.
- The chase for Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors is a tight battle between Zilisch and JR Motorsports teammate Carson Kvapil. Kvapil leads Zilisch by just two points (286-284) entering this weekend’s race at Talladega.
Carson Kvapil: “We didn’t have the best luck last time we were at Talladega, but this team has learned a lot since then. We’ve been in the SIM and Andrew (Overstreet, crew chief) and I have been working on our strategy, so hopefully we can stay out of the mess and get our First Bank of Alabama Chevrolet up front when it counts. We’re ready to reset and get our momentum back.”
Justin Allgaier: “Anything can happen at Talladega. It’s definitely an unpredictable place, but I know that we are going to have a really strong Hellmann’s Chevrolet. JR Motorsports has always built incredible superspeedway cars, and I know that we will have that again on Saturday. We just need to be smart in the pack out there and be in position to fight for the win in the end. If we can do that, I know we will have a good day.”
Sammy Smith: “Although you never know what’s going to happen at Talladega, I’m looking forward to going back there with this No. 8 JR Motorsports team as the defending winners. We had a great car in the fall and coming off this past week at Rockingham, we’re even more hungry to keep the momentum rolling and get this Pilot Chevrolet in Victory Lane again.”
Connor Zilisch: “I’m looking forward to Talladega this weekend. This race can be a tossup, but I know all of the JR Motorsports drivers and teams are going to work together and try to get good results for everyone. My goal is to survive and make it to the end of the race in our WeatherTech Chevrolet. I’ve run three superspeedway races in my career and I’ve yet to finish one. Hopefully we can get some stage points and stay up front all day on Saturday and stay out of the mess, but you never know at Talladega.”
JRM Team Updates
JR Motorsports at Talladega Superspeedway: JR Motorsports has competed at Talladega Superspeedway a combined 74 times in the NXS since 2006. In those starts at the 2.66-mile tri-oval, the organization has recorded four wins, 19 top-fives and 33 top-10s. The average finish is 16.4.
Souvenir Rig: JRM drivers Carson Kvapil, Justin Allgaier, Sammy Smith and Connor Zilisch will be signing autographs at the JR Motorsports / HMS-Byron/Bowman souvenir rig on Saturday, April 26 from 12:00 p.m. to 12:30 p.m. CT.