Zilisch Breaks Record as He, Allgaier Clinch Round of 8 Berths at Kansas Speedway

September 29, 2025

Race 28 of 33: Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway
Track Specs: 1.5-mile oval / 200 laps
Race Winner: Brandon Jones
Zilisch’s finish: 2nd
Smith’s finish: 4th
Allgaier’s finish: 13th
Kvapil’s finish: 15th


Connor Zilisch

Connor Zilisch made history on Saturday after recording a second-place finish at Kansas Speedway and advancing to the Round of 8 in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs. Zilisch racked up his 16th consecutive top-five finish by placing second in the Kansas Lottery 300, topping the mark of 15 set in 1983 by series legend Sam Ard. The driver of the Carolina Carports Chevrolet was hoping to finish one spot better, but it wasn’t meant to be. He started seventh and finished fourth in Stage One despite wrestling with a tight condition. Zilisch pitted for tires and adjustments during the stage caution on lap 49 and restarted third for Stage Two. Zilisch again struggled to find the right balance but was credited with fourth place when the segment concluded on lap 90. Crew chief Mardy Lindley made the call for Zilisch to pit for tires and adjustments during the stage caution and excellent work by the No. 88 Carolina Carports pit crew put Zilisch second in line for the restart on lap 98. One lap later, Zilisch took the lead, and he stayed there for the next 39 laps. On lap 145, Zilisch made his final stop of the day for fuel and tires and returned to the track in second behind leader Brandon Jones after the fourth and last caution set up a 38-lap dash to the finish. Try as he might, Zilisch could not find a way past Jones, forcing him to settle for second place at the checkered flag.

“Hats off to the entire Carolina Carports Chevrolet team. My pit crew did an awesome job. We did a solid job executing all day long and were able to come away with a second-place finish. We’ll look back at it and see if we could have done anything better, but it’s cool to not only have the record for most-top fives but to now lock our way into the next round of the playoffs. It’s so nice to not have to worry about points next week. I’m excited to go to the Roval next week. We’ve been really good on road course so far this year, but anything can happen.”

Sammy Smith

Sammy Smith, driver of the No. 8 TMC Transportation Chevrolet, arrived at Kansas Speedway on Saturday afternoon with the goal of running a solid race to gain ground in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs. In the end, Smith and his JR Motorsports team did just that as they gained eight stage points, cut the playoff-point deficit in half and brought home a strong fourth-place finish.

Smith took the green flag in 14th to start the Kansas Lottery 300 and made quick work by charging into the top 10 in just six laps. The majority of the top 10 quickly settled into the positions in which they would finish out the first 45 laps before the stage-ending pit cycle. After a stop that featured air-pressure and track bar adjustments, Smith gained one spot off pit road and started Stage Two one position better than he finished in eighth. Smith nailed the restart, moving from eighth to third within two laps. The No. 8 Chevrolet started to tighten up over the long run and Smith closed out Stage Two in fifth place, bringing his total stage points on the day to eight.

The final stage ran nearly 60 straight green-flag laps, with Smith battling for third. After another round of pit stops and a restart with almost 40 laps remaining, Smith went from fifth to fourth to close out his Saturday at Kansas.

“We did what we needed to today to make ground in the playoffs. We ran up front all day and had a solid finish. We needed a bit more at the end, but the track changed in those last few lap in a way that we weren’t expecting. This No. 8 TMC Transportation team made progress today and I’m grateful for TMC, Pilot and Allstate Peterbilt Group for all their support.”

Justin Allgaier

Justin Allgaier, driver of the No. 7 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet, advanced into the Round of 8 in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs following a strong run on Saturday afternoon at Kansas Speedway. Allgaier, who lined up for the 200-lap event from the fifth position, led a race-high 79 laps and swept both stages to help secure his place in the next round. In the final stage, Allgaier played the strategy game in the hopes of a late-race caution that never came, shuffling the JR Motorsports driver back to the 13th position at the checkered flag. Despite the result, Allgaier has now advanced to the Round of 8 for the 10th consecutive season dating back to the inaugural year of the playoffs in 2016.

“Our BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet was really good today. Jim (Pohlman, crew chief) gave me a great car that was strong on both the short and long run. I know the finish isn’t where we wanted it to be, but I think we made a great call that would have paid off if we could’ve just gotten a caution. In the end, I’m extremely proud of everyone on this JR Motorsports team. To be able to advance into the next round a race early is a testament to all the speed we’ve had all year. Now we can just go have fun next week at the Roval before we get the next round started in Las Vegas.”

Carson Kvapil

Carson Kvapil made his first trip to Kansas Speedway in the NASCAR Xfinity Series on Saturday afternoon, qualifying his No. 1 Bass Pro Shops/Clarience Technologies Chevrolet in 19th. Throughout the first two stages, Kvapil battled the handling of his Camar and fought to maintain track position, ultimately finishing Stages One and Two in 18th and 21st, respectively. A quick stop by his pit crew at the end of Stage Two helped the 22-year-old rookie start the final stage in 18th, where he methodically worked his way into the top 15 over the first few laps. A green-flag stop at lap 149 saw the JR Motorsports driver take four tires and some additional adjustments to help tighten up the handling of his Camaro. Rejoining the field a lap down, an on-track incident on lap 155 allowed Kvapil to take the wave-around and make his way back onto the lead lap. Over the remaining distance, Kvapil fought his way back into the top 15 where he would take the checkered flag in 15th. Going into the last race of the Round of 12, Kvapil sits seventh on the Playoff grid, nine points above the cutline.

“Today wasn’t the day we hoped to have, but I am so proud of this No. 1 team for never giving up and working their tails off to give me a fast race car. We don’t have the cushion we would like to have going into the Roval, but we’re going to have to show up and execute next week in order to get to the next round for Johnny Morris and everyone else at Bass Pro Shops and Clarience Technologies.”