JRM Chase Weekend Preview: Charlotte II

October 7, 2026

May 23, 2026: during the Charbroil 300 O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, NC. (HHP/Tom Copeland)

TRACK – Charlotte Motor Speedway (1.5-mile quad-oval)
NOAPS RACE – Blue Cross NC 300 (200 laps / 300 miles)
TUNE IN – CW, PRN, SiriusXM Channel 90 at 4:00 p.m. (ET)

  • Carson Kvapil will head to Charlotte Motor Speedway this weekend for the third time in his NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series career.
  • In 36 career starts on tracks 1-2 miles in length, Kvapil has recorded 10 top-fives and 16 top-10s.
  • Accompanying Kvapil, crew chief Rodney Childers had made 31 NASCAR Cup Series starts atop the box at Charlotte. In those starts, Childers has two wins, nine top-fives and 19 top-10s.
  • Kvapil enters the fifth race in The Chase second in points, 19 markers back from the series lead.
  • Roto-Rooter will be showcased on the No. 1 Chevrolet this weekend at Charlotte.
  • Justin Allgaier is a former winner in the NOAPS at Charlotte, taking the checkered flag in May of 2023 after qualifying on the pole and leading for a race-high 83 laps en route to the victory.
  • Overall, Allgaier has scored seven top-fives and 13 top-10s to accompany the 2023 win at Charlotte in the NOAPS.
  • Additionally, Allgaier has led 36 percent of all the laps run at the Charlotte oval in the NOAPS dating back to 2022 (325 out of 896) and has led the most laps in three of the last five races there, including earlier this season at the 1.5-mile North Carolina track.
  • The Illinois native heads into the fifth race of The Chase fourth in the standings, just 30 points out of the lead.
  • Sammy Smith will make his fifth NOAPS start on the Charlotte oval this Saturday.
  • In four starts on the 1.5-mile oval, Smith has one top-five and two top-10 finishes with his best of third coming in the May of 2024.
  • With five races remaining in The Chase, Smith sits eighth in points, 94 back from the leader.
  • Arby’s will be on the No. 8 for the third time this season, promoting their Cheesesteak menu items.
  • Jake Finch will make his fourth NOAPS start of the season with JRM on Saturday at Charlotte.
  • While Finch has three previous starts on tracks 1-2 miles in length, this will be the young drivers first start at the North Carolina track.
  • Atop the box this season, crew chief Phillip Bell has three wins, seven top-fives and nine top-10s this year, including a victory in the May event in Charlotte with Ross Chastain.
  • WILDE will be making their second appearance of the season on the No. 9 car this weekend featuring their new protein crackers.
  • Rajah Caruth and the No. 88 HendrickCars.com team return home to Charlotte this weekend for the fifth race of the 2026 Chase.
  • Caruth has two previous NASCAR O’Reilly Series starts at Charlotte, with a best finish of 10th coming earlier this season in the No.88 Chevrolet.
  • Caruth will also compete in Friday night’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Charlotte.
  • Caruth has three previous NCTS starts at Charlotte, highlighted by a ninth-place finish in 2025.

Carson Kvapil: “I’m ready to get to Charlotte this weekend with our No. 1 Roto-Rooter Chevrolet. Rodney (Childers, crew chief) and this entire No. 1 team have been working extremely hard and I am confident we will unload another hot rod on Saturday. We want to keep building on the momentum we have right now and put this Roto-Rooter Chevrolet in Victory Lane on Saturday.”

Justin Allgaier: “Charlotte has been a really strong track for us over the last few years, but all of those races were in the heat of May, so it will be interesting to see how this weekend plays out. I know that everyone on this Jarrett team is ready to get there. Our Chase hasn’t started quite like we hoped, but this group is ready to go out there and do what we’ve done all year. There is still a lot racing left to be done and I feel like Charlotte is a great place to get that momentum back on our side.”

Sammy Smith: “JRM is strong at Charlotte. It’s a place where we’ve had solid top-10 finishes in the past with this No. 8 and this Arby’s group has been working hard all week to keep that going. We’re looking forward to a good solid day on Saturday and hope to be up front fighting for the win when it counts.”

Jake Finch: “I am looking forward to getting back in the car with the No. 9 team this weekend at Charlotte. We had a great run at Bristol a few weeks ago so we plan on building on that momentum this Saturday. I know this WILDE team is going to unload a fast car, so as long as we can hit our marks and minimize mistakes we should be able to get a solid finish for everyone at WILDE.”

Rajah Caruth: “Charlotte is a track I’m looking forward to getting back to. We had a solid run there in the spring and finished 10th, and now we have a chance to take what we learned and improve on it. Running the truck race Friday night will give me some additional track time as well. Hopefully we can execute all weekend and put together a strong result for everyone at HendrickCars.com.”

JRM Team Updates

  • JR Motorsports at Las Vegas Motor Speedway: JR Motorsports has competed at Charlotte Motor Speedway a combined 93 times in NOAPS since 2006. In those starts at the 1.5-mile oval, the organization has recorded three wins, 25 top-fives, and 46 top-10s. The average finish is 13.6
  • Souvenir Rig: JRM drivers Carson Kvapil, Justin Allgaier, Sammy Smith, Jake Finch and Rajah Caruth will be signing autographs at the JR Motorsports / HMS WB + AB souvenir rig on Saturday, October 10th, from 12:45 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. ET.