Race 4 of 33: GOVX 200 at Phoenix Raceway
Track Specs: 1-mile oval / 200 laps
Race Winner: Justin Allgaier
Kvapil’s finish: 3rd
Smith’s finish: 6th
Byron’s finish: 13th
Justin Allgaier
Justin Allgaier, driver of the No. 7 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet, scored a Phoenix hat-trick on Saturday evening, taking home the checkered flag in dramatic fashion to earn his third career NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series win at Phoenix Raceway. Lining up for the final restart in sixth, Allgaier powered to the race lead to secure the 29th victory of his NOAPS career and his first of the season. Tonight’s win also moved the veteran driver into a tie for eighth on the NOAPS all-time wins list with NASCAR Hall of Famer Matt Kenseth and makes Allgaier the first driver in series history to go to Victory Lane in 10 consecutive seasons. Additionally, Allgaier now finds himself atop the championship standings for the first time this season, three markers above second through the opening four races of 2026.
“What a night. We had everything you could think of happen to us and we were able to power through and overcome adversity. Andrew (Overstreet, crew chief) gave me such a great car tonight and I can’t thank him and everyone on this BRANDT Professional Agriculture team enough. This is such a special win for us. A huge thank-you to everyone at JR Motorsports for all their hard world. As Rick Brandt always says, tonight we caused a party.”
Carson Kvapil
Carson Kvapil, driver of the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet, was in position for his first NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series victory at Phoenix Raceway on Saturday night. Kvapil started 14th in the GOVX 200 and quickly made his way into the top five. At the conclusion of the first stage, Kvapil was scored in third place. The JR Motorsports driver started the second stage on the front row and maintained second place when the green-and-white-checkered flag waved to end the second stage. The final stage started with Kvapil and Jesse Love battling hard for the race lead. On lap 138, Kvapil took over the top spot and led the next 22 laps. Ultimately, after a series of late-race cautions, Kvapil took the checkered flag in third place.
“Today was a strong showing for the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops team. Rodney (Childers, crew chief) and the entire No. 1 team gave me a fast Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet capable of winning the race. If the race had stayed green it might have been a different outcome, but I’m happy for teammate Justin Allgaier on the win. I’m looking forward to getting to Las Vegas next weekend and continuing to chase my first career win. Thanks to Johnny Morris and Bass Pro Shops for their continued support. It wouldn’t be possible without them.”
Sammy Smith
Sammy Smith, driver of the No. 8 Pilot Chevrolet, had a strong run in the desert at Phoenix Raceway, coming home with a solid sixth-place finish while earning a stage win and valuable championship points to advance to sixth in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series standings.
Smith qualified seventh for the GOVX 200 at Phoenix Raceway. It didn’t take long after the green flag waved for the JR Motorsports driver to start making his way to the front. Smith confidently passed competitor until he made his way to the top spot with four laps remaining in Stage One. Crew chief Cory Shea called for fresh tires, fuel and an adjustment to tighten up the No. 8 Chevrolet before taking the green flag to start Stage Two. With the pit cycle, Smith restarted third and, due to a chaotic first turn, shuffled back a few spots inside the top 10. Smith reported his Pilot Chevrolet had turned to the tight side for the track conditions, but he closed out the second stage with a strong sixth-place finish.
The NASCAR O’Reilly’s Auto Parts Series field reset to take the green flag for the final 109 laps with Smith in eight. He stayed in the top 10 until the green-flag pit cycle hit at lap 155. Smith exited pit road in 14th after taking fresh tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment and worked his way back up to sixth within the final 30 laps to earn his third top-10 finish of the season.
“It was great to get that stage win, and I wish we could have carried that through the race but we had a good points day running up front and that’s what will help us keep climbing up the point standings. Thanks to Pilot, TMC and Allstate Peterbilt Group, this No. 8 crew will head on to Las Vegas to continue the momentum.”
William Byron:
William Byron, driver the No. 88 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, battled inside the top five for much of Saturday’s GOVX 200 at Phoenix Raceway before ultimately finishing 13th. After starting sixth, Byron worked his way forward early, reaching second place by lap 19 while managing changing track conditions. Throughout the race, Byron remained a consistent presence near the front, finishing Stage One in fifth and Stage Two in third as the team continued to fine-tune the car during pit stops. A green-flag pit stop late in the final stage cycled the No. 88 back to seventh before a caution and subsequent damage forced the team to pit for repairs. Despite the setback, Byron rallied in the final laps to bring the HendrickCars.com Chevrolet home with a 13th-place finish.
“I felt like we had a No. 88 car capable of running inside the top five for most of the night. The team kept working on it and made solid adjustments to keep us in the fight, but the damage late in the race really hurt our track position. I’m proud of the effort from everyone on this HendrickCars.com team. We’ll be back with these guys in a few weeks at Kansas, so we’ll have another opportunity to go after a strong finish.”