JRM Chase Weekend Preview: Bristol II

September 16, 2026

April 11, 2026: at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, TN (HHP / Jim Fluharty)

TRACK – Bristol Motor Speedway (0.533-mile-short track)
NOAPS RACE – Food City 300 (300 laps / 159.9 miles)
TUNE IN – CW, PRN, SiriusXM Channel 90, ESPN Mobile App at 7:30 p.m. (ET)

  • In three NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series career starts at “The World’s Fastest Half Mile,” Kvapil has an average finish of third, including a runner-up finish in the Spring of 2025.
  • On short tracks in his NOAPS career, Kvapil has made nine starts with five top-five and six top-10 finishes to accompany his one victory at Iowa Speedway last month.
  • Accompanying Kvapil, crew chief Rodney Childers has made three career NOAPS starts atop the box on tracks measuring under 1 mile in length. In those starts, Childers has posted two top-five and two top-10 finishes, including two victories.
  • Kvapil remains third in the series points standings, just nine points behind the leader following the second race of The Chase.
  • Justin Allgaier heads to Bristol as the second seed in The Chase, three points out of the series lead.
  • Allgaier is a two-time winner at the infamous short-track, including his first career NOAPS victory in the spring of 2010.
  • Allgaier’s 1,278 laps led at “The Last Great Colosseum” ranks as the most for the veteran driver among all tracks he has competed on in his NOAPS career.
  • Sammy Smith will make his seventh NOAPS start at Bristol this Friday evening.
  • Smith has one top-five and two top-10 finishes with his best of fourth coming in the Spring of 2025 at “The Last Great Colosseum”.
  • Smith is currently the seventh seed in The Chase and in a close battle still as he is just three points from fifth.
  • This Friday Jake Finch will make his first start under the lights at Bristol in the NOAPS.
  • Finch has made four starts at the Tennessee track in the ARCA Menards Series earning one top-five and three top-10s.
  • In addition to his NOAPS start this weekend, Finch will also be competing in the ARCA Menards Series race Thursday night.
  • The JRM driver will be featuring the series sponsor O’Reilly Auto Parts on his No. 9 Chevrolet.
  • Rajah Caruth and the No. 88 HendrickCars.com team head to Bristol this weekend for the third race of the 2026 Chase.
  • Caruth has plenty of experience around the 0.533-mile concrete oval, making six previous NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series starts at Bristol. He has recorded three top-10 finishes, including a third-place result in the Fall of 2024.
  • In NASCAR O’Reilly Series competition, Caruth has made two previous starts at Bristol. He finished 17th in his first series appearance at the track in 2023 and earned a 14th-place finish earlier this season after starting 38th.

Carson Kvapil: “Bristol is one of my favorite tracks. Rodney (Childers, crew chief) and this entire No. 1 Bass Pro Shops team have been working their tails off this week and I am confident we will unload another fast Chevrolet on Friday. We just need to go out there and execute the way I know this team can. If we do that, we’ll put ourselves in position to get this No. 1 Bass Pro Shops team into Victory Lane on Friday evening.”

Justin Allgaier: “I can’t think of a better place to head to than Bristol this weekend. This has always been one of my favorite tracks. We’ve always been really strong here and I know that we will have that same capability again on Friday. This BRANDT Professional Agriculture group has been locked in all week and we know what we need to do when we hit the track. We’ve had this race circled on the calendar and we are ready to get out there and see what we can do.”

Sammy Smith: “Bristol is definitely a track I look forward to running, I’m glad it’s on our schedule twice, you just cant beat the atmosphere there, especially at night. I’m ready to run for another sword and I know this No. 8 team will unload a fast car and give us a shot at it.”

Jake Finch: “Bristol is a track I have more experience on, so I have more confidence going into this race. I know this No. 9 team is going to build a fast Chevrolet for me, so I am really looking forward to getting on the track and seeing what we can do. Philip (Bell, Crew Chief) and I have been working really hard to prepare and our plan is to go out and execute to hopefully get a great finish for O’Reilly Auto Parts.”

Rajah Caruth: “Bristol is a place I’ve raced at quite a bit over the last few years, and I’ve always enjoyed going there. It’s a tough track where things happen quickly, so you have to stay focused all night and put together a complete race. We’re looking forward to getting back there with our HendrickCars.com Chevrolet and having a strong weekend. There are still seven races left in the Chase, so we just need to keep fighting, execute and maximize every opportunity we have.”

JRM Team Updates

  • JR Motorsports at Bristol Motor Speedway: JR Motorsports has competed at Bristol Motor Speedway a combined 111 times in NOAPS since 2006. In those starts at the 0.533-mile short track, the organization has recorded five wins, 34 top-fives, and 69 top-10s. The average finish is 12.1.
  • Souvenir Rig: JRM drivers Carson Kvapil, Justin Allgaier, Sammy Smith, Jake Finch and Rajah Caruth will be signing autographs at the JR Motorsports / HMS WB + AB souvenir rig on Friday, September 18th, from 12:30 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. ET.