Zilisch, Allgaier Lead JRM in Round of 8 Playoffs Opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

October 13, 2025

Race 30 of 33: Focused Health 302 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Track Specs: 1.5-mile oval / 201 laps
Race Winner: Aric Almirola
Zilisch’s finish: 2nd
Allgaier’s finish: 3rd
Kvapil’s finish: 15th
Smith’s finish: 20th

Connor Zilisch

Connor Zilisch came tantalizingly close to scoring a victory Saturday night at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Zilisch and Aric Almirola waged an entertaining battle down the stretch of the Focused Health 302 with Zilisch coming up just short, claiming a second-place finish in the opening race of the Round of 8 for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs. Zilisch, who ran inside the top five throughout the evening, swapped the lead back and forth over the closing laps with Almirola before settling into the runner-up position. With tonight’s result, Zilisch claimed his 18th consecutive top-five finish, extending his all-time series record. Additionally, Zilisch now enters next week’s race at Talladega Superspeedway 82 points above the cutline with just two races remaining in the round.

“I gave it my all and drove as hard as I could but that’s all we had today. I couldn’t wrap the line (in Turns 3 and 4) and I struggled here in the spring for the same reason. Our WeatherTech Chevrolet was just real loose and I struggled to move around and find a line that worked. Our pit crew did a great job and kept me up front. Those guys were awesome on pit road and made great stops all night. It means a lot to get into the Championship 4 at Phoenix and we just fell a bit short today, but we know that we are in a really good position heading into next weekend at Talladega. This whole group is ready to go.”

Justin Allgaier

Justin Allgaier, driver of the No. 7 BRANDT Professional Agriculture/Rev1 Energy Chevrolet, kicked off the Round of 8 for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs on a strong note after taking the checkered flag in the third position Saturday evening at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Allgaier, who earned his second pole position of the year earlier in the day, ran inside the top five throughout the 201-lap event before securing the top-three result. Additionally, tonight’s finish marks Allgaier’s record-extending 300th top-10 in the NXS and moves the JR Motorsports driver to 44 points above the cutline with two races remaining in the round.

“We had a really fast BRANDT Professional Agriculture/Rev1 Energy Chevrolet today. To qualify on the pole and run up front throughout the night is a testament to all the hard work by everyone on this No. 7 team. WE were able to gain some more points above the cutline, which is a really good feeling knowing that we have Talladega coming up next week. I’m just really proud of all the effort and we’ll be ready to have another strong day next weekend.”

Carson Kvapil

Kicking off the Round of 8 for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs, Carson Kvapil qualified ninth for the 201-lap feature at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday afternoon. Throughout the first 45 laps, Kvapil battled the balance of his Chevrolet, which was heavily impacted by high winds, and managed to take the first green-and-white checkered flag just outside the top 10. Lining up for Stage Two in 12th, the JR Motorsports driver jumped up to ninth on the initial start and then held his position for the remainder of the laps to finish the stage in 10th, earning valuable points. The 22-year-old rookie continued to battle for position over the course of the final stage, ultimately taking the checkered flag in 15th position. After the first race of the Round of 8, Kvapil continues to sit seventh in points.

“We came into this weekend optimistic after how we ran in the spring and unfortunately our strategy didn’t play out like we’d hoped. I wish we could have been able to build more of a buffer on the cutline, but we will just have to learn from this and move forward. This No. 1 team is going to keep working to bring me fast race cars for the remainder of the season and hopefully we can continue to fight for solid finishes for Johnny Morris and everyone at Bass Pro Shops and Clarience Technologies. We still have two races left in this round so time to refocus and turn our attention to Talladega.”

Sammy Smith

Sammy Smith, driver of the No. 8 Pilot Chevrolet, took to Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday night for the first of three races in the Round of 8 in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs. Smith qualified 15th for the Focused Health 302 and battled with the balance of his Chevrolet throughout the 201-lap race, ultimately bringing home a 20th-place finish.

Smith took the green flag from the 15th position and like most of the field, struggled with a lack of rear grip while battling strong headwinds. The No. 8 stayed out to run all 45 laps of Stage One with no chassis adjustments, staying on the initial strategy plan which saw Smith maintain position inside the top 20 and ultimately finish 18th. Stage Two saw Smith rise as 14th, but ever-changing track conditions and the strong winds shuffled the JR Motorsports driver back in the closing laps of the stage.

Prior to the 110-lap final stage, crew chief Phillip Bell took a big swing with adjustments. Those adjustments helped Smith as he was able to move up to 17th before the track began to change again. In the end, Smith fought for every position he could before taking the checkered flag in 20th position.

Smith heads to Talladega Superspeedway next week for the second race in the Round of 8 as the defending race winner of the fall race on the big 2.66-mile oval.

“We struggled all day with the balance and getting over the bumps smoothly. With where we are in the playoff points, we need to make something happen in the next two weeks, which I know this No. 8 Pilot team is more than capable of doing. We did it last year by winning at Talladega to advance to the Round of 8 and I know we can do it again.”