Sammy Smith Scores Talladega Victory, Chase Points Battle Tightens

Race 31 of 33: The Progress Group 250
Track Specs: 2.66 mile super speedway
Race Winner: Sammy Smith

Smith’s finish: P1
Kvapil’s finish: P2
Allgaier’s finish: P4
Caruth’s finish: P17
Finch’s finish: P38

Sammy Smith

Sammy Smith, driver of the No. 8 Pilot Chevrolet, went two-for-two on the weekend at Talladega Superspeedway by capturing his fourth-career NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series win on Saturday afternoon and the win last night in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

Smith qualified 11th for The Progress Group 250 Saturday and ran within the top-10 before the field settled into single-file formation on lap 6 and Smith blended in 15th, which is where the No. 8 finished the first stage of 25 laps. Smith reported the balance and handling felt good and that he just needed track position. Crew chief Cory Shea made the call for fresh tires and fuel but no adjustments as they had a solid Chevrolet. Stage Two went green on lap 31 with Smith in 13th as he made quick work and drove up to seventh by lap 35. From there, the driver of the No. & Chevrolet charged up to third and closed out the stage there, acquiring valuable stage points. Smith reported the car was good and they definitely had speed. The team opted for a repeat pit stop of fresh tires, fuel and no adjustments.

Heading into the final stage on lap 56, Smith restarted ninth and again, quickly charged forward to fourth within one lap when a caution flew. The NOAPS field restarted on lap 61 and Smith gained two more positions to find himself in second, pushing his JRM teammate, Carson Kvapil. The duo detended the top-two positions for the remaining laps until the white flag waved. On the final lap, Smith made his move, as the driver of the Pilot Chevrolet powered into the race lead and

“What a weekend. It was great to break this winless streak and finally get this No. 8 Pilot Chevrolet team back in Victory Lane, they deserve it. Winning the truck race last night makes this win even sweeter, to sweep the weekend. It adds even more fuel to the fire of this team as we head to Martinsville, where we have a shot at another win. Thanks to everyone at JRM for putting together fast cars and to Pilot, TMC and Allstate Peterbilt Group for the great support over the years, I wouldn’t be here without them.”

Carson Kvapil

Carson Kvapil, driver of the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet finished in the second position Saturday afternoon at Talladega Superspeedway. Kvapil qualified in fourth and quickly took the lead once the green flag flew. The JR Motorsports driver dominated the first stage, leading all 25 laps and collecting 10 valuable stage points. After a round of pit stops, Kvapil restarted in the 11th position for the start of the second stage. Kvapil quickly got himself back into the top five and took back the lead on lap 33. When the green-and-white checkered flag waved at the end of the second stage, Kvapil was scored in second. The third stage started and the JRM driver quickly took back control of the race. In the end, Kvapil was batting his teammates Justin Allgaier and Sammy Smith for the win before bringing the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet home in second after leading for a race-high 67 laps on the day.

It was a disappointing finish after leading a majority of the race. I can’t thank Rodney (Childers, crew chief) and this entire No. 1 Bass Pro Shops team enough. They brought another rocket ship to the track as they do every weekend. It was still good to collect valuable stage points and keep this team in the championship battle as we head to Martinsville, one of my favorite tracks next weekend.”

Justin Allgaier

Justin Allgaier, driver of the No. 7 Roto-Rooter Chevrolet, scored a strong fourth-place finish on Saturday afternoon in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series event at Talladega Superspeedway and cut his deficit in The Chase standings by half as the series heads to the final two races of the season. Lining up in 14th, Allgaier methodically drafted his way to the front, earning strong stage points at the end of Stage One and scoring the victory and 10 bonus points that accompany it in Stage Two. The Illinois native sat solidly inside the top five throughout the finalstage, ultimately taking the checkered flag in fourth following a wild scramble to the checkered flag. With tonight’s result, the 18th top-five finish of the season for the veteran driver, Allgaier has now earned a career-high in top-five finishes for a season and sits just 19 points out of the series lead as the NOAPS heads to Martinsville Speedway next weekend.

“We did what we needed to do today with our Roto-Rooter Chevrolet. Andrew (Overstreet, crew chief) and Eddie (D’Hondt, spotter) called a phenomenal race that let us do everything we can to make up ground in the points. We accomplished what we set out to do, which gives us a ton of confidence as we go to Martinsville next week. Last time there ended pretty well for this No. 7 team, and hopefully we can replicate that same success and continue to gain ground in the points.”

Rajah Caruth

Rajah Caruth and the No. 88 HendrickCars.com team finished 17th at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday afternoon. After starting sixth, Caruth quickly worked his way toward the front of the field, moving into second by lap five. The Washington D.C, native maintained his position near the front throughout the opening stage, ultimately finishing second to earn valuable stage points. Caruth reported that his Chevrolet was loose on corner entry and exit, prompting the team to make adjustments during the stage break while taking four tires and fuel. Restarting fifth for the second stage, Caruth moved into third by lap 35 before shuffling through the field in the closing laps of the segment, eventually finishing 19th. With the handling of his Chevrolet improved, Caruth restarted the final stage in 13th and continued battling in the pack. A debris caution on lap 73 allowed the team to pit for four tires and fuel, setting up a restart from 29th on lap 78. Caruth steadily worked his way forward over the final laps, climbing back inside the top 20 before taking the checkered flag in 17th.

“Definitely a frustrating finish for our No. 88 HendrickCars.com team after having such a strong start to the race. We had a really fast Chevrolet and were able to run up front and grab some stage points early. The guys did a good job making adjustments, and I felt like our handling was pretty good as the race went on. Unfortunately, we just couldn’t get back to the front when it mattered most. I appreciate everyone at HendrickCars.com, Mr. H, Ms. Linda, Kelley, Dale, LW and everyone at JR Motorsports for their support. We’ll regroup and keep fighting.

Jake Finch

Making his final start of the season for JR Motorsports, Jake Finch made his presence known as the driver of the KOA Chevrolet qualified in the second position for the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series event at Talladega Superspeedway. Throughout the first stage, Finch fought hard to hold onto his position and ultimately took the first green-and-white checkered flag in eighth. Quick work by his pit crew at the stage break earned him two extra spots off pit road, allowing him to line up just outside the top five for Stage Two.

The next 25 laps Finch worked to stay in the draft and after avoiding an on-track incident battled back to take the second green-and- white checkered flag inside the top 15. The young driver held steady through the final stage, avoiding another incident before, with relegating Finch with a 38th-place finish.

“This No. 9 team set me up with a fast KOA Chevrolet and it felt great to qualify as well as we did. Throughout the first two stages we had a lot of speed, but towards the end we weren’t able to hold on to it. I wish we could have finished as strong as we started, but I can’t thank everyone at JRM enough for the opportunity to race with them this year and thank you to KOA for riding along with me today.”

“I felt really good about our Chevy Cares Chevrolet today. We had a little bit of tightness, but the car was really secure on entry, and we were making good progress through the field. It’s unfortunate to have an engine issue end our day early because I felt like we had a solid car and could have kept moving forward, a big thanks to Phillip (Bell, crew chief) and the entire No. 9 team for their efforts, we will regroup and be ready for Talladega next week.”