Allgaier, Kvapil bring home 1-2 Finish at Atlanta

July 12, 2026

July 11, 2026: NASCAR races at Echo Park Speedway in Hampton, GA. (HHP/David Graham)

Race 20 of 33: Focused Health 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway
Track Specs: 1.54-mile speedway / 172 laps
Race Winner: Justin Allgaier
Kvapil finish: 2nd
Caruth’s finish: 9th
Smith’s finish: 18th
Finch’a finish: 30th

Justin Allgaier:

Justin Allgaier, driver of the No. 7 Jarrett Chevrolet, clinched the 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Regular Season Championship in dramatic fashion on Saturday evening, taking the checkered flag after charging from seventh to first during NASCAR’S version of overtime to score his career-high sixth victory of the season. Allgaier, who started 16t on the night, methodically drafted his way into the lead pack and earned a Stage Two win before claiming his third victory in the last six races. By virtue of clinching the regular season championship with three races remaining, Allgaier has now guaranteed that he will enter the NOAPS Chase for the Championship as the points leader.

“Tonight was a night that showed how important it is to never give up. Andrew (Overstreet, crew chief) and all the guys on this team gave me an unbelievable Jarrett Chevrolet and am 5o happy to be able to take them to Victory Lane. Clinching this regular season championship is tremendous and I can’t thank everyone at JR Motorsports enough. We’ve had phenomenal cars all season long and I know that we are going to do everything we can to keep this momentum going through these last three weeks and then get the Chase started off in the right direction.”

Carson Kvapil:

Carson Kvapil, driver of the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet, was in contention for his first career NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series victory Saturday night at Atlanta. Kvapil started in the second position and went on to lead 12 laps and win the opening stage. The JR Motorsports driver continued to ride in the top-five during the second stage. When the green-and-checkered flag waved at the end of the second stage, Kvapil was scored in the fourth position. During the third and final stage, Kvapil continued to run inside the top-five. The stage was filled with cautions, ultimately leading to NASCAR’s version of overtime. Kvapil restarted the green white checkered finish on the front row. In the end, Kvapil finished in the second position. With his finish in both stages and second, Kvapil moved up to fifth in the series points standings.

“Tonight was a disappointing finish. Rodney (Childers, crew chief) and this entire No. 1 Bass Pro Shops team brought a rocket ship to Atlanta. We had great speed and ran up front the entire evening. It stings we weren’t able to finish it off. We will continue to work hard during this off weekend and be ready to go in Indy. Thanks to Johnny Morris and Bass Pro Shops for their continued support. It wouldn’t be possible without them.”

Rajah Caruth:

Rajah Caruth and the No. 88 team showed race-winning speed Saturday night at Atlanta Motor Speedway before late-race contact derailed their bid for a victory, rallying to finish ninth.

After qualifying eighth, Caruth quickly settled into the lead pack and worked his way to fourth by the end of Stage one despite battling a tight-handling race car. Following adjustments during the stage break, the No. 88 continued to improve, with Caruth finishing third in Stage two.

The final stage saw Caruth become a fixture at the front of the field, taking the lead for the first time on Lap 98 and leading 18 laps while surviving multiple cautions and red flags.

Following another restart inside the top three, Caruth was caught up in a multi-car accident on Lap 159 that damaged the right front of the No. 88 Chevrolet. The team made repairs under the red flag, forcing Caruth to restart 15th for the Green-White-Checkered finish.

Despite the damage, Caruth charged forward over the final two laps to salvage a ninth-place finish, collecting stage points in both stages after finishing fourth and third.

“That one definitely stings because we had a car capable of winning. Mardy (Lindley, crew chief) and everyone on this No. 88 team kept making it better all night, and we were able to get out front and lead some laps. Unfortunately, we got caught up in an accident, but I’m proud of the effort to fight back for a top-10. Thanks to Mr. H, Ms. Linda, HendrickCars.com, Chevrolet, and everyone at JR Motorsports for giving me another fast race car.”

Sammy Smith:

Sammy Smith, driver of the No. 8 Allstate Peterbilt Group Chevrolet, ran a strong race at EchoPark Speedway this Saturday evening after making it into the second round of qualifying and starting fifth in the Focused Health 250. After accumulating valuable stage points, leading 34 laps and contending for the win with less than 10 laps remaining, Smith was unfortunately was caught up in a late-race incident, but soldiered on to score an 18th-place finish.

Smith started fifth in the NASCAR Reilly Auto Parts Series race and throughout the 45 laps of Stage One, worked his way up to a second-place finish, tallying nine stage points. At the stage break, Smith came down pit road for four fresh tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment. The NOAPS field took the green on lap 54 for Stage Two with Smith in second. Within a handful of laps, the driver of the No. 8 powered into the lead, setting the pace for the balance of the stage until the final turn of lap 90, when JR Motorsports teammate Justin Allgaier snuck his nose under Smith and won the drag race to the line. Despite the runner-up finish, Smith was able to score an additional nine stage points on the night.

The final stage had nine cautions in 73 laps which didn’t leave much for green-flag runs. Smith started second on lap 98 and ran in the top-10 until breaking back into the top-five on lap 150. The Allstate Peterbilt Group Chevrolet was contending for the lead before getting caught up in an incident and sent into the outside wall causing damage. The No.

8 team repaired the car to ensure they could finish out the remaining laps in overtime as Smith restarted 20th and snagged two more spots, crossing the finish line for the final time in 18th.

“It felt really good running up front all night. This No. 8 team prepared a great Allstate Peter bilt Group Chevrolet and I wish we got the finish that showed that but we controlled what we could and I’m proud of everyone involved. We’ll enjoy an off week and then get back to it for Indy.”

Jake Finch:

Jake Finch’s JR Motorsports debut behind the wheel of the No. 9 Carolina Carports Chevrolet appeared destined for a strong finish on Saturday evening in the

NASCAR O Reilly Auto Parts Series event at EchoPark Speedway. After methodically working through the lead pack during the opening two stages, Finch went on the charge in Stage Three, as the young driver rapidly ascended the leaderboard to climb into the top 10.

However, contact with the outside retaining wall in the closing laps caused severe damage to the Carolina Carports Chevrolet, bringing an abrupt halt to a solid evening for Finch. In the end, Finch was scored with a 30th-place finish.

“Unfortunate ending for us tonight, but I can’t thank everyone at JR Motorsports enough for this opportunity. We had a really fast Carolina Carports Chevrolet tonight, just wish we could’ve had a chance there at the end to see what we could do with our JRM teammates. I feel like | learned a lot out there tonight and I can’t wait to get back behind the wheel of this No. 9 car and work with this group again.”