Race 17 of 33: MillerTech Battery 250 at Pocono Raceway
Track Specs: 2.5-mile triangular oval/100 laps
Race Winner: Justin Allgaier
Byron’s finish: 3rd
Zilisch’s finish: 9th
Kvapil’s finish: 10th
Smith’s finish: 19th
Justin Allgaier
Justin Allgaier, driver of the No. 7 Carolina Carports Chevrolet, scored his fifth victory of the 2026 season on Saturday afternoon, capturing the checkered flag in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts event at Pocono Raceway. Today’s triumph matches a career high for wins in a season for the veteran driver, as Allgaier previously crossed the five-win plateau in 2018. Additionally, the triumph marks the second time this season that the JRM driver has scored back-to-back wins, having done so previously at Darlington Raceway and Martinsville Speedway in March. By virtue of the win, the 33rd of his NOAPS career, Allgaier has extended his lead in the championship to 250 points over the field and has mathematically clinched his place in the 2026 Chase.
“I have wanted to win here at Pocono for so long and I can’t thank Andrew (Overstreet, crew chief) and everyone on this Carolina Carports team enough. What an unbelievable day. Andrew called a great race and got us up front and I’m just really happy to be able to come away with the checkered flag. We’ve had this place circled for a long time and it means a lot to be able to check Pocono off the list. This entire group has been firing on all cylinders all season long and I’m just so thankful to be able to be the one to drive these cars at JR Motorsports.”
William Byron:
William Byron and the No. 88 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet started Saturday’s NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race from the third position and spent the afternoon battling near the front of the field. Byron overcame changing track conditions and a lack of rear grip to finish third in the opening stage. After restarting 14th to begin Stage Two, the No. 88 team made steady gains through the field and scored another strong stage result with a fifth-place finish.
The team continued to work on the handling of the car throughout the final stage, keeping Byron in contention for the victory. Following a green-flag pit stop and several late-race cautions, Byron lined up near the front for the final restart and remained in the fight for the win, ultimately bringing the No. 88 home with a third-place finish.
“We battled the balance quite a bit all day, but Mardy (Lindley, crew chief) made great adjustments and kept us in the game. I really appreciate all the hard work he and everyone on this No. 88 team put in because they never gave up on it. They gave me a fast HendrickCars.com Chevrolet when it mattered, and we were able to come away with a really solid finish.”
Connor Zilisch:
Connor Zilisch overcame a spin in Stage One to score a ninth-place finish on Saturday afternoon at Pocono Raceway. The driver of the Roto-Rooter Chevrolet racked up his fifth top-10 finish in seven starts this season and claimed his second top-10 in two NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series races at Pocono. Zilisch spun on the final lap of Stage One, bringing out the yellow on lap 24. Fortunately, Zilisch only had cosmetic damage to the left rear of his Chevrolet. He and crew chief Rodney Childers spent Stage Two trying to regain the lost track position, but the balance, mainly too tight off the corners, forced Childers to call his driver to pit road at the end of Stage Two on lap 53. Zilisch restarted 23rd when the race went green and steadily worked his way through the field, climbing up to seventh when he pitted for four tires and adjustments on lap 71. In the closing laps, Zilisch was sixth in the running order and in contention for a top-five finish. He restarted sixth with just eight laps to go but was pinned in the middle on a restart and lost ground to the leaders. He rebounded in the final two-lap green-white-checkered dash to claim a ninth-place finish.
“I want to thank everyone at Roto-Rooter and JR Motorsports for the opportunity this weekend. I did my best there at the end, but when I got stuck in the middle in one of those late restarts it ruined any chance we had to get inside the top five. Rodney and all the guys on the team did a great job making repairs after I got turned around early in the race. Not the day we wanted but I’m really pumped to get to Sonoma in a couple of weeks.”
Carson Kvapil
Carson Kvapil, driver of the No. 9 Registix/TruckClub Chevrolet, qualified in the sixth position for the MillerTech Battery 250 presented by KOA at Pocono Raceway on Saturday afternoon. Kvapil was fighting a tight-handling car from the drop of the green flag and surged to finish the first stage in ninth after a pit stop. The second stage saw Kvapil take the lead on lap 31 after staying out on the stage break. After a pit stop in the second stage, the handling improved on the Registix/TruckClub Chevrolet and the young driver took the green-and-white-checkered flag at the end of Stage Two in 10th position.
Following various strategies in the final stage, Kvapil found himself running inside the top 15, and the JR Motorsports driver continued to battle. Kvapil took the checkered flag in 10th position at the end of the 100-lap event.
“Today was a solid showing for the No. 9 Registix/TruckClub team. Phillip) Bell, crew chief) and the entire No. 9 team improved the car all afternoon. We didn’t get the finish we wanted by we were able to pick up some valuable stage points. We will get back to work and be ready to go next weekend in San Diego.”
Sammy Smith
Sammy Smith, driver of the No. 8 O’Reilly Auto Parts Chevrolet, qualified fifth for Saturday’s race at Pocono Raceway and drove to a 19th-place finish.
Among the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series field, Smith started fifth in the MillerTech Battery 250 Presented by KOA. The JR Motorsports driver ran inside the top 10 through four cautions in the 25-lap Stage One, finishing seventh. Smith reported his No. 8 Chevrolet was plowing tight. After pitting for fresh tires, fuel and an adjustment, Smith started the second stage from 17th. Within a handful of laps, Smith was up to 11th and on lap 41, when the second caution of the stage waved, Smith was called down pit road for fresh tires, fuel and another adjustment. He restarted 17th at lap 45 and was able to gain four positions in two laps to close out Stage Two in 13th.
The final 50-lap stage saw Smith start in eighth as several cars pitted on the break, and he was a solid competitor in the top 10 until lap 87 saw the No. 8 make contact with another car to bring out the caution. Crew chief Cory Shea called his driver to the pits for another set of tires and to assess any damage. Smith restarted the race on lap 91 from 27th position after being assessed a penalty for pitting before pit road was open. Through another caution in the last nine laps, Smith was able to charge to a 19th-place finish.
“We had a good start to the day by qualifying fifth, but the race just didn’t go the way we thought it would. It was tough to get handling to balance out for each turn and with all the cautions we couldn’t get a long-enough green-flag run to really see how the car trended. I appreciate the support from O’Reilly Auto Parts and am looking forward to a new challenge next week in San Diego.”
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