TRACK – Daytona International Speedway (2.5-mile superspeedway)
NXS RACE – Wawa 250 Powered By Coca-Cola (100 laps / 250 miles)
TUNE IN – CW, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90 at 7:30 p.m. (ET)
- Carson Kvapil will make his second NASCAR Xfinity Series start at Daytona International Speedway ton Friday night. In his first start earlier this year, Kvapil earned his first top-five of the season after finishing fourth in the 2025 season-opening event.
- On tracks two miles and greater in length, Kvapil has made seven starts, earning one top-five and three top-10s in his young NXS career.
- In five career NXS starts on the drafting tracks of Daytona, Talladega Superspeedway and Atlanta Motor Speedway, Kvapil has earned a best finish of second, coming at Atlanta in June.
- Kvapil will pilot his Jarrett Chevrolet under the lights on Friday. Jarret, a leading 3PL partner strives to deliver exceptional outcomes by providing world-class service.
- Justin Allgaier is a previous NXS winner in the summer event at “The World Center of Racing,” taking the checkered flag in a dramatic photo finish in 2023.
- Overall, in 29 career NXS starts at Daytona, Allgaier has amassed eight top-fives and 14 top-10s to accompany the victory in 2023.
- Additionally, Allgaier has led at least one lap in six consecutive races at Daytona, dating back to this event in 2022.
- This weekend, Allgaier’s familiar Hellmann’s No. 7 will instead carry the logo of the Round Canopy Parachuting Team for the third consecutive year. As part of this year’s scheme, the name of Thomas “Tommy” Harvey will be memorialized on the passenger side name rail. Harvey was a pilot for the RCPT-USA and helped train several members of the team prior to his passing.
- Sammy Smith will take the green flag Friday evening at Daytona for the seventh time in his NXS career at the famed superspeedway.
- Of Smith’s 20 NXS career starts on speedways measuring two miles or greater, he has tallied one win (Talladega, 2024), two top-five and six top-10 finishes.
- As a part of The Martin Truex Jr. Foundation and The NASCAR Foundation, Smith will be honoring two cancer heroes on the name rails of his Pilot Chevrolet this weekend, including Carolyn Barsetti Malsam, his great aunt, on the driver’s side.
- Connor Zilisch heads to Daytona for the second time in his NXS career on Friday night.
- Zilisch enters Daytona fresh off his sixth victory of the 2025 season at Watkins Glen International. He led eight times for 60 laps and won his second consecutive NXS race at the New York road course. Zilisch leads all NXS drivers in race wins this season.
- Zilisch’s victory at Watkins Glen broke a tie with Allgaier in the NXS driver standings, as he now leads his teammate by seven points. Additionally, the No. 88 team has a 56-point edge in the owner standings.
- Watkins Glen was the 11th consecutive top-five by Zilisch, an impressive streak that began in May at Charlotte Motor Speedway. His average finish in those nine races is a sizzling 2.18, which includes five victories (Pocono, Sonoma, Dover, Indianapolis, and Watkins Glen).
Carson Kvapil: “It was nice to have a weekend off to recharge, but this No. 1 team is ready to go at Daytona this weekend. We had a lot of success there earlier this season and I feel as though we have learned a lot since then, so I know we will unload a fast Chevrolet on Friday. There are only a few more races left in the regular season, so we are putting in the work to make sure our Jarrett Chevrolet is up front at the end when it counts.”
Justin Allgaier: “Anything can happen at Daytona. It’s such an unpredictable race where you can go from the lead to the back of the pack in a split second. JRM has always built some incredible speedway cars and I know we are going to have another fast one on Friday night. Hopefully we can avoid any potential trouble out there and work well with our teammates to be up front and fighting for the win when it counts. It’s great to also be carrying the Round Canopy Parachuting Team logos once again on board our Hellmann’s Chevrolet. We’ve had great luck with them in the past, and my goal is to replicate that again this weekend.”
Sammy Smith: “Daytona is a unique track. You never know what’s going to happen so it really is anyone’s race and with the Playoffs so close, we have to be strategic to stay out of the big wrecks. Having the off-week has been nice to be able to prepare and focus on our Daytona package to get this No. 8 Pilot Chevrolet up front when it counts.”
Connor Zilisch: “I’m looking forward to getting down to Daytona this weekend with our WeatherTech Chevrolet. Mardy (Lindley, crew chief) and everyone on this JRM team have been working really hard through the off weekend to get us ready to go. We’ve got a good plan in place and I’m ready to get back to the track.”
JRM Team Updates
- JR Motorsports at Daytona International Speedway: JR Motorsports has competed at Daytona International Speedway a combined 120 times in the NXS since 2006. In those starts at the 2.5-mile superspeedway, the organization has recorded eight wins, 30 top-five and 47 top-10 finishes. The average finish is 16.2.
- Souvenir Rig: JRM drivers Carson Kvapil, Justin Allgaier and Sammy Smith will be signing autographs at the JR Motorsports / HMS-Byron/Bowman souvenir rig on Friday, Aug. 22 from 1:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. ET.
- Cancer Heroes Honored on JRM Cars by virtue of The Martin Truex Jr. Foundation and The NASCAR Foundation:
- No. 1 – Carson Kvapil: Mike Frank, Ric Bauman, Stephanie Kearns
- No. 7 – Justin Allgaier: Pilot John Hixon
- No. 8 – Sammy Smith: Carolyn Barsetti Malsam, Brandon Malcom
- No. 88 – Connor Zilisch: Stephanie Kearns