Race 7 of 33: NFPA 250 at Martinsville Speedway
Track Specs: .526-mile oval / 250 laps
Race Winner: Justin Allgaier
Smith’s finish: 3rd
Pulliam’s finish: 5th
Caruth’s finish: 25th
Kvapil’s finish: 28th
Justin Allgaier
Justin Allgaier, driver of the No. 7 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet, scored a hat-trick on Saturday evening in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series event at Martinsville Speedway, capturing his third checkered flag of the season in dominating fashion after leading a race-high 114 laps and securing a Stage One win in the process. Tonight’s victory marks the third time in Allgaier’s career that he has won back-to-back races and moves the JR Motorsports driver into a tie for sixth on the all-time NOAPS wins list with NASCAR Hall of Famer Jack Ingram. Additionally, Allgaier has extended his lead in the NOAPS standings to 92 markers above the field.
“What an unbelievable night. Andrew (Overstreet, crew chief) and everyone on this BRANDT Professional Agriculture team gave me a great car that let us go out and cause another party for everyone at BRANDT and JR Motorsports as a whole. It’s truly something special that we have going right now and I can’t thank everyone enough. To get our third win of the season already, and to get the fifth in a row for JRM is incredible. It’s just a testament to how hard everyone is working both here and at the shop. I’m so thankful to be a part of this group and to be where we are. Tonight is special and I can’t wait to keep this going.”
Sammy Smith
Sammy Smith, driver of the No. 8 Pilot Chevrolet, took to Martinsville Speedway this Saturday afternoon for the eighth time in his NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series career and, with a third-place finish, Smith increased his number of top-five finishes to five and his top-10s to seven on the season. The JR Motorsports driver tallied 39 points throughout the 250-lap event, moving him up to fifth in the series point standings.
Qualifying for the NFPA 250 was cancelled due to inclement weather, which set Smith to start ninth according to NASCAR’s metric. Smith competed for a top-10 position for the better part of Stage One and after the first caution on lap 33, the handling started to come in a bit more which saw him finish sixth, earning valuable stage points. Crew chief Cory Shea brought his driver down pit road in between stages for fresh tires, fuel and a minor chassis adjustment to continue to improving the handling of the No. 8.
Smith did not pit at the stage break when others did, pushing Smith up to fifth to start the final stage. He consistently ran within the top five through the first 30 laps until a restart on lap 150 shuffled him back to ninth. Another caution waved at lap 180 and Smith returned to pit road for the final time. HE reported the car fired off too free and then went to tight so he asked for more of the changes Shea called for on the first stop. Through five more cautions, one of them an extended red flag, Smith drove up to third and was battling side-by-side for second over the final laps, but he eventually finished third. The result marked the team’s fourth top-five finish in the season’s first seven NOAPS races.
“I’m really proud of this team for fighting all day. I feel so comfortable at this track every time I’m here and have been so close to getting that clock, so it’s a bummer to be so close again, but I’m happy with the direction this No. 8 team is heading in. We’ll get there soon, and I’m grateful for the continued support of Pilot, Allstate Peterbilt Group and TMC.”
Lee Pulliam:
Late Model legend Lee Pulliam, making his first career NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series start, drove his No. 8 Folsom Fence Supply Chevrolet for JR Motorsports to a fifth-place finish on Saturday at Martinsville Speedway. Starting 12th, Pulliam quickly adjusted to the heavier car and raced near the front of the pack. AS the race progressed, Pulliam moved toward the front and took the lead for the first time at lap 184. Playing the strategy laid out by crew chief Phillip Bell, Pulliam regained the lead at lap 189 and held it for a total of 40 laps before another caution waved for a spin in Turn 4. After another flurry of yellows, Pulliam lined up on the outside of the front row for a restart with 25 laps to go and fought for position inside the top five throughout the remaining laps, ultimately taking the checkered flag in the fifth position.
“I’m so thankful to be here and do this for everybody on this Folsom Fence Supply Chevrolet team. It was a dream-come-true day, and thanks to Jerky Boys, BRC, Carolina Drilling and Chevrolet. What a dream come true to drive for Dale Earnhardt Jr. It’s something I wanted to do all my life. If we ever get another chance to do this, we’ll come back stronger.”
Rajah Caruth:
Rajah Caruth, driving the No. 88 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, showed strong pace throughout Saturday’s NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Martinsville Speedway, consistently running near the front of the field after starting from the front row due to a rain-cancelled qualifying session. Caruth maintained a steady presence inside the top three early, finishing Stage One in third while focusing on managing rear- tire wear and dialing in the car’s balance on the tight .526-mile oval. After pitting to begin Stage Two, Caruth restarted deeper in the field but methodically worked his way forward through multiple cautions and strategic calls, ultimately finishing seventh in the stage while noting improved balance as the run progressed. Staying out during a late caution, Caruth inherited the lead to start the final stage and showed strong speed out front before a pit cycle shuffled him back in the order. Despite restarting near the back, he rallied through the field and returned to contention inside the top five in the closing laps, but a late-race sequence of cautions and tight racing in the pack led to minor contact while battling for position, resulting in a 25th-place finish.
“I felt like we had a really solid No. 88 HendrickCars.com Chevy today. We were able to run up fron early and I thought the balance got better as the race went on. The team made some great calls to keep us in position, and I felt like we had a shot there late. It just got tight racing there at the end and we got shuffled around a bit, but I’m proud of the effort from everyone on this team. We’ll take what we learned and keep building.”
Carson Kvapil
Carson Kvapil, driver of the No. 1 Registix Chevrolet, started the NFPA 250 at Martinsville Speedway in the fifth position after qualifying was rained out on Friday. Kvapil battled a loose-handling car from the drop of the green flag, but was able to compete within the top 10 and as the first stage came to a close, the JR Motorsports driver was scored in the eighth position. The second stage consisted of multiple different pit strategies as the No. 1 Registix team continued to improve the car’s handling. When the green-and-white checkered flag waved at the end of Stage Two, Kvapil was scored in the 15th position. The Mooresville, N.C. native was battling hard inside the top five with 50 laps remaining. On a restart with 17 laps to go, Kvapil was collected in a multi-car incident that brought an abrupt end to his evening and ultimately left him scored in the 28th position.
“Today didn’t end up the way we had hoped. Rodney (Childers, crew chief) and this entire No. 1 team gave me a fast Registix Chevrolet today. It was unfortunate to get collected in that late-race incident. We will begin preparing for Rockingham and focus on bring home a strong finish next week.”