Kvapil Punches Ticket to Title Race with Gritty Martinsville Run; Smith Falls Just Short at Checkered

October 26, 2025

Race 32 of 33: IAA & Ritchie Bros. 250 at Martinsville Speedway
Track Specs: .526-mile oval / 253 laps
Race Winner: Taylor Gray
Smith’s finish: 2nd
Zilisch’s finish: 9th
Kvapil’s finish: 18th
Allgaier’s finish: 26th

Sammy Smith

Sammy Smith, driver of the No. 8 Pilot Chevrolet, entered Saturday’s race at Martinsville Speedway 11 points below the cut line to claim a spot in the Championship 4 for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs. Fighting hard throughout the night, Smith battled valiantly for the race lead in the closing laps before ultimately taking the checkered flag in second position and falling one spot shy of advancing into the Championship 4.

In Stage One, Smith made his way into the top 10 within the first 15 laps. A caution on lap 31 brought several cars to pit road, including the No. 8, for fresh tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment. After the pit cycle, Smith restarted 16th with 21 laps to go and captured one spot to finish out the stage in 15th. Smith reported that the car was good but he needed track position. The field took the green flag for Stage Two with Smith in 12th, where he stayed until a caution at lap 93. Crew chief Phillip Bell brought his driver to in for fresh tires and an adjustment to tighten up the No. 8 Chevrolet. With several drivers staying out to flip the stage, Smith restarted 19th with 22 laps remaining. Smith nearly made it to the top 10, but unfortunately did not have enough laps and closed out the initial 61 laps in 12th place.

Smith started the 130-lap final stage in seventh and stayed within the top 10 until a caution waved on lap 192. The JR Motorsports team pitted for the final time in the IAA & Ritchie Bros. 250 and restarted the race in ninth position, quickly advancing to fourth. Three more cautions occurred within the final 50 laps, the last one forcing the race into overtime. Smith was in third at the time and chose the top lane for the restart to put himself on the front row for the two-lap shootout. Smith finished a strong second on the night.

“It’s disappointing to be the only JRM driver to not make it the Championship 4. This No. 8 Pilot team wanted it and fought for it all night long. I feel like we did everything we could have but unfortunately just didn’t quite get there when it came down to that last restart. This one hurts but I am proud of this team and our fight we showed today. We’ll go on to Phoenix to give it one final shot for the season.”

Connor Zilisch

Connor Zilisch’s ninth-place finish Saturday night at Martinsville Speedway was a lot of things, but boring wasn’t one of them. An accident in practice prevented Zilisch from making a qualifying run, forcing him to start at the rear of the 38-car starting field. Zilisch steadily worked his way through the field in Stage One. Crew chief Mardy Lindley made the call for Zilisch to stay on track during the first caution at lap 33. The call moved Zilisch up to sixth place for the restart at lap 38, a position he held when the segment ended on lap 60. He stayed out during the stage caution and restarted fourth when the race went green on lap 72. On lap 93, Zilisch made his first pit stop of the race under caution for four tires and adjustments. The young driver was punted out of the groove shortly after the restart but recovered to finish 17th when the stage ended on lap 120. The final stage went green on lap 138. Zilisch twice rallied from deep in the field in the final segment to claim his top-10 finish. He had worked his way up to 14th place when he was caught up in the aftermath of a multiple-car accident between Turns 3 and 4 on lap 194. Zilisch pitted twice for repairs and started 27th when the race went green on lap 201. Over the next 52 laps, Zilisch sliced his way through traffic and picked his way around three cautions to claim a ninth-place finish, his 22nd top-10 finish of the season. Zilisch, along with JR Motorsports teammates Justin Allgaier and Carson Kvapil plus Jesse Love will race for the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship on Saturday afternoon at Phoenix Raceway.

“It was a long day but I am really proud of my WeatherTech Chevrolet team for sticking with it all day. We had a rough day, but we came back and fought hard. We never gave up and we got a top-10 result and we’re going to go race for a championship next week. It wasn’t the race we wanted, by any means. I just have to do a better job of execution all day long, but ninth is a good result for the day we had. Everybody at JRM pitched in to help us after our accident in practice and that says a lot about the people that make our team what it is. It’s an honor to get to race for this team. I hate that I have only one more full-time race with them but I’m really looking forward to making the most of next weekend at Phoenix.”

Carson Kvapil

Carson Kvapil, driver of the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops/Clarience Technologies Chevrolet, punched his ticket to the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship 4 after an eventful evening at Martinsville Speedway. After qualifying on the outside pole, Kvapil battled the handling of his Chevrolet throughout the first stage, fighting to maintain position within the top 10., ultimately taking the first green-and-white-checkered flag in 11th. Lining up to start the second stage in eighth, the JR Motorsports driver was knocking on the door of the top five when an on-track accident brought out the yellow. A strategy call by crew chief Andrew Overstreet saw Kvapil stay on track, which put him in position to restart first. He would lead the remaining laps of Stage Two and take the second green-and-white-checkered flag in first, earning valuable stage points. Restarting the final stage, the 22-year-old rookie was in contention to advance to the final round until he was involved in an on-track incident on lap 227 that would see him rejoin the race at the tail of the field. Over the final 23 laps of the race, Kvapil was able to work his way back into the top 20, which would earn him enough points to remain fourth in the standings, four points above the cutline, and advance him to the Championship 4 next weekend at Phoenix Raceway.

“I am so proud of this team. We stayed in the fight all day and never gave up. It feels surreal to know we made it into the Championship 4 and I can’t wait to get to Phoenix and see what we can do. This No. 1 team is hungry, so we’re going to give it our all and try to get the best finish we can and go after that championship for Johnny Morris and everyone at Bass Pro Shops and Clarience Technologies.”

Justin Allgaier

Entering the final race in the Round of 8 for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs already locked into the Championship 4, Justin Allgaier looked poised to contend for the victory in the penultimate race of the season at Martinsville Speedway. Taking the green from fourth, the driver of the Jarrett Chevrolet quickly powered into the race lead and on to the Stage One win. From there, Allgaier held steady inside the top 10 throughout Stage Two and into the final stage before a mad scramble during NASCAR’s version of overtime sent the JR Motorsports driver far out of the groove, ultimately shuffling Allgaier back to the 26th position at the checkered flag. Despite the night’s result, the 2024 NXS champion heads to Phoenix Raceway next weekend with the chance to defend his title. Phoenix has been an historically strong track for the Illinois native as Allgaier has twice visited Victory Lane at the desert oval. Additionally, Allgaier has finished in the top five in three of his last four starts at Phoenix and led for a race-high 130 laps there earlier this season. Allgaier is joined in the Championship 4 by JRM teammates Connor Zilisch and Carson Kvapil, as well as Jesse Love.

“This group is ready for what’s ahead of us next weekend. Jim Pohlman and all the guys on this JR Motorsports team have been phenomenal all year long and I know that we are going to have a great car again next weekend. We just need to go out and execute and if we do that, I feel like we will be in a really good spot when all is said and done.”