Race 26 of 33: Nu Way 200 Sauced by Blues Hog at World Wide Technology Raceway
Track Specs: 1.25-mile oval / 160 laps
Race Winner: Connor Zilisch
Allgaier’s finish: 28th
Smith’s finish: 33rd
Kvapil’s finish: 37th
Connor Zilisch
Connor Zilisch picked his way cleanly through four cautions over the final 50 laps to win Saturday night’s Nu Way 200 Sauced by Blues Hog at World Wide Technology Raceway. Zilisch led four times for 121 of 160 laps and won in his first start at the 1.25-mile speedway, but had to successfully execute each restart following multiple cautions late in the race. The driver of the WeatherTech Chevrolet passed the test with flying colors, pulling away from his rivals each time the green flag waved and officially scored the win by 1.5 seconds. With the victory, Zilisch clinched the regular-season title for the NASCAR Xfinity Series. He won for the ninth time in 2025 and for the fourth consecutive race, and the victory was the 10th in his 29-race NXS career. Earlier on Saturday, Zilisch won the pole position, his seventh of the season. Zilisch led all 35 laps to win Stage One, but in the second stage he finished third, needing more lateral grip. He pitted on lap 75 for four tires and adjustments after Stage Two. Excellent service by the WeatherTech pit crew put Zilisch back in the lead and into position to contend for the win. Zilisch was leading when he made his final stop under caution on lap 115 and once again the pit crew rose to the occasion by keeping their driver out front. From there, Zilisch led 43 of the final 44 laps to score the victory.
“My pit crew did a really good job of getting me the lead there late in the race. We just kind of executed from there on the restarts and we made some adjustments that got us to a place where our WeatherTech Chevrolet was competitive. Kudos to my entire No. 88 team. It was a hard-fought race, but we did a good job there at the end to keep ourselves in it. It is an amazing accomplishment to win the regular-season championship, but now we plan to keep this momentum going as we head into the playoffs.”
Justin Allgaier
Justin Allgaier, driver of the No. 7 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet, looked poised to fight for the win on Saturday evening at World Wide Technology Raceway. Allgaier, who took the green flag in 14th, charged through the field in the opening laps, gaining 10 positions to end Stage One in fourth. The Illinois native’s climb forward didn’t stop there, as Allgaier took the race lead on lap 47 and remained out front to capture the green-and-white checkered flag on lap 70. However, Allgaier’s quest for victory was dashed in the final stage when a multi-car pileup broke out following a lap 134-restart, causing heavy damage to both the front and rear of the JR Motorsports Chevrolet. Despite the damage, Allgaier soldiered on to cross the finish line for the final time in the 28th position. Allgaier now heads into the opening race of the Round of 12 for the NXS Playoffs as the second seed, 30 points above the cutline with three races remaining in the round.
“Our BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet was unbelievable tonight. Jim (Pohlman, crew chief) and all the guys on this JRM team gave me a great car that let us drive through the field and get to the lead. I really hate how the race ended, but this for sure gives this whole No. 7 team a lot of confidence heading into the opening round of the Playoffs. We know what’s now out there ahead of us, we just need to execute and do what we know this team is capable of doing.”
Sammy Smith
Sammy Smith, driver of the No. 8 Pilot Chevrolet, took to World Wide Technology Raceway for the first time in his NASCAR Xfinity Series career on Saturday afternoon. Smith fought car handling issues throughout Friday’s hour-long practice session and into the qualifying run but was able to learn along with his JR Motorsports team once the race start and fight to the front of the pack before mechanical issues ultimately led to a 33rd-place finish.
Throughout the initial 35-lap stage, Smith gained a few positions to finish 19th. He communicated to crew chief Phillip Bell that the balance started to come around but it fired off too free. The No. 8 pitted for a fresh set of tires, fuel and an air-pressure adjustment before taking the green flag for Stage Two. After 35 more laps, Smith was able to gain more track position with a 15th-place finish in the second stage, reporting that the adjustments helped and he just needed more speed.
The chassis adjustments the team executed prior to the start of the final stage were proving to have worked as Smith was up to 12th and fighting to get into the top 10 when the brakes began to overheat. Bell called Smith down pit road during the lap-127 caution to mend the brake situation, allowing Smith to finish out the race in 33rd.
“We struggled with balance all night and were chipping away at it and making our way to the front but then had brake issues. It’s unfortunate. Not how we wanted to end the regular season but we’ll need to reset as a team and look at it as somewhat of a fresh start heading to Bristol. I just can’t thank my partners Pilot, TMC and Allstate Peterbilt Group for supporting us through it all.”
Carson Kvapil
Carson Kvapil, driver of the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops/Clarience Technologies Chevrolet, lined up eighth for his first NASCAR Xfinity Series start at World Wide Technology Raceway on Saturday evening. Throughout the first 35 laps, Kvapil battled to maintain position within the top 10, ultimately taking the first green-and-white checkered flag in 11th. Unfortunately, after making his first scheduled at the end of the stage, the 22-year-old rookie’s Chevrolet suffered a mechanical failure rendering him unable to continue. This result will see Kvapil head into the first round of the Playoffs in eighth position in the points.
“It’s unfortunate that our day ended the way it did, but I’m grateful to know we are locked in heading to the Playoffs next week. I’m looking forward to going back to Bristol where we had a lot of speed earlier this year and hopefully starting the Playoffs on a high note for this No. 1 team, Johnny Morris and everyone at Bass Pro Shops and Clarience Technologies.”