As the NASCAR racing season approaches its end for another year, the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series travels to the shortest track on the circuit – Martinsville Speedway for the National Debt Relief 250.
With two races remaining in the season, JR Motorsports has won races this season in five different cars with seven different drivers to set a new record.
Thirty-eight teams brought cars to Martinsville for 38 starting spots.
The drivers get a full 50 minute practice session before making a qualifying run for the race on Saturday afternoon.
Of the 12 Chase drivers, seven are still mathematically eligible for the championship. The top three are separated by just 29 points.
The first driver to make a qualifying run is Justin S. Carroll who posted a time of 20.460 seconds around the half mile paperclip shaped track.
The first driver to break the 20 second mark is William Sawalich with a time of 19.961 seconds.
With a time of 19.855 seconds, Carson Kvapil leads three JR Motorsports cars for the pole with Rajah Caruth alongside on the front row and Justin Allgaier starting third.
The starting lineup for the National Debt Relief 250:
Carson Kvapil
Rajah Caruth
Justin Allgaier
Parker Retzlaff
William Sawalich
Sammy Smith
Sheldon Creed
Jesse Love
Corey Day
Taylor Gray
Anthony Alfredo
Brandon Jones
Brent Crews
Sam Mayer
Dean Thompson
Blaine Perkins
Harrison Burton
Jeb Burton
Ryan Sieg
Jeremy Clements
Austin Hill
Kyle Sieg
Alex Labbe
Patrick Emerling
Brennan Poole
Patrick Staropoli
Carson Ware
Dawson Cram
Ryan Ellis
Justin S. Carroll
Mason Maggio
Lavar Scott
Joey Gase
Daniel Dye
Garrett Smithley
Josh Bilicki
Lee Pulliam
Baltazar Leguizamon
Stage one and two are 60 lap each with stage three lasting 130 laps for a total of 250 laps around the half mile track.
Carson Kvapil brings the field down for the green flag start of the race with Rajah Caruth alongside. Kvapil jumps out for the lead with Justin Allgaier taking second.
Lap four, the top five are Carson Kvapil, Justin Allgaier, Rajah Caruth, William Sawalich, and Sheldon Creed.
Drivers are playing bumper tag in a battle for position.
Lap eight, Justin Allgaier has run the fastest lap of the race; a half a second behind leader Carson Kvapil.
Lap 12, Taylor Gray passes Sheldon Creed for fifth.
Austin Hill reports a possible tire issue.
Lap 22, leader Carson Kvapil passes Austin Hill to put Hill a lap down. Hill comes down pit road with a flat tire.
Lap 24, leaders have encountered slower traffic. Carsson Kvapil and Justin Allgaier battle for the lead.
The first caution flag of the race comes out for a wreck involving Patrick Emerling and Patrick Staropoli. Emerling reports that he has no brakes.
Josh Bilicki is the “lucky dog”.
Some of the drivers come down pit road for service.
Carson Kvapil brings the field down for the green flag restart and the caution immediately comes out for a crash. Sammy Smith gets into Lavar Scott and collects up Ryan Ellisss, Corey Day, and Brent Crews.
Lap 45, Carson Kvapil brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 45 with Justin Allgaier alongside. Carson Kvapil holds on to the lead.
Lap 48, the third caution flag comes out for debris on the track.
A few more drivers make pit stops to flip the stage.
Carson Kvapil brings the field down for the green flag restart with Justin Allgaier alongside on lap 54.Kvapil edges out for the lead but going into turn three, Justin Allgaier takes the lead in a three wide battle with Sheldon Creed taking second.
Lap 56, the top five are Justin Allgaier, Sheldon Creed, Conner Jones, Carson Kvapil, and Jesse Love.
The caution flag comes out on lap 58 to end the stage.
Justin Allgaier wins stage one.
The top 10 at the end of stage one:
Justin Allgaier
Sheldon Creed
Brandon Jones
Carson Kvapil
Jesse Love
Jeb Burton
Parker Retzlaff
Anthony Alfredo
Sam Mayer
William Sawalich
Drivers who have not made a pit stop come down pit road for service with Jesse Love winning the race off of pit road.
Sam Mayer brings the field down for the green flag start of stage two with William Sawalich alongside. Mayer takes the lead.
With 47 laps to go in stage two, Sam Mayer leads the race with William Sawalich in second; Brent Crews, Dean Thompson, and Corey Day round out the top five.
Jesse Love and Justin Allgaier battle for 12th.
Justin Allgaier’s Brandt car carries the agricultural plant prominent in the area where the track is located. Being Halloween, this week Allgaier’s car has candy corn on it.
With 41 laps to go in stage two, Justin Allgaier has entered the top 10.
Forty to go, Justin Allgaier passes Lee Pulliam for eighth. Rajah Caruth and Lee Pulliam battle for ninth.
Just 30 laps remain in stage two; Sam Mayer leads the race with William Sawalich in second; Brent Crews, Dean Thompson, and Corey Day round out the top five with Justin Allgaier in seventh.
Justin Allgaier passes Taylor Gray for sixth.
The caution flag comes out on lap 96 when Harrison Burton and Daniel Day spin out after making contact. Jeb Burton was also involved.
Many of the drivers come down pit road for service with Sam Mayer winning the race off of pit road.
William Sawalich and Jeremy Clements make contact on pit road trying to get in and out of their pit stall.
After staying out on the track, Corey Day brings the field down for the green flag restart with 17 laps remaining in stage two. Drivers get three wide in a battle for position. Corey Day takes the lead with Anthony Alfredo in second; Brennan Poole, Patrick Emerling, and Josh Bilicki round out the top five.
Fifteen laps to go in stage two, Anthony Alfredo passes Corey Day for the lead.
Justin Allgaier is just outside the top five in sixth place.
Twelve to go, Corey Day retakes the lead with Anthony Alfredo in second as they continue their battle.
Justin Allgaier has entered the top five.
Jesse Love has a smoking tire with a tire rub.
Justin Allgaier passes Brennan Poole for fourth with Anthony Alfredo in the lead.
Six to go, Justin Allgaier passes Corey Day for third.
With stage points on the line, the drivers are getting aggressive on the track.
Four laps to go in stage two, Justin Allgaier battles with Brent Crews for second.
Justin Allgaier is in second; one second behind leader Anthony Alfredo and has now taken over the points lead.
Anthony Alfredo wins stage two.
The top 10 at the end of stage two:
Anthony Alfredo
Justin Allgaier
Brent Crews
Corey Day
Sammy Smith
William Sawalich
Taylor Gray
Sheldon Creed
Brennan Poole
Rajah Caruth
Drivers who did not stop during the last caution flag, come in for service.
Justin Allgaier brings the field down for the green flag start of stage three with Sammy Smith alongside on lap 127. Allgaier holds on to the lead with Brent Crews in second.
Garrett Smithley spins out to bring out the caution flag on lap 135.
Justin Allgaier brings the field down for the green flag restart with Sammy Smith alongside on lap 140. Allgaier gets out in front for the lead.
The top five are Justin Allgaier, Brent Crews, Sammy Smith, William Sawalich, and Sam Mayer.
Lap 142, Brent Crews begins to challenge Justin Allgaier for the lead.
The eighth caution flag comes out on lap 145 when Patrick Emerling spins out.
A few drivers come down pit road for service; leaders stay out.
Justin Allgaier brings the field down for the green flag restart with Sammy Smith alongside on lap 152. Smith and Allgaier go back and forth for he lead before Justin Allgaier gets out in front.
With Jesse Love back in 25th, Justin Allgaier has a 38 point lead in The Chase standings.
Drivers are getting three wide in battles for position.
With 92 laps remaining in the race, Justin Allgaier leads the race with Brent Crews in second; William Sawalich, Taylor Gray, and Sammy Smith rounding out the top five.
With 88 laps to go, Mason Maggio and Patrick Emerling crash. Garret Smithley spins out and gets into the wall in a separate one car incident and is spilling fluid on the track.
Drivers come down pit road for service Sam Mayer winning the race off of pit road.
Corey Day brings the field down for the green flag restart with Harrison Burton alongside with 79 laps remaining in the race. Corey Day takes the lead.
The top five are Corey Day, Ryan Sieg, Carson Kvapil, Kyle Sierg, and Sam Mayer. Justin Allgaier is in 10th.
The caution flag comes out for Daniel Dye when he gets into the wall after some on track contact.
Corey Day brings the field down for the green flag restart with Carson Kvapil alongside with 68 laps remaining in the race. Kvapil and Day battle for the lead with Ryan Sieg on their bumper. Carson Kvapil takes the lead. Justin Allgaier is in eleventh.
With 64 laps to go, Justin Allgaier is up to ninth as he works his way through the field.
The caution flag comes out with 62 laps to go when Jeremy Clements spins out for the second time in the race after being bumped by Patrick Staropoli who jumped the curb.
Carson Kvapil brings the field down for the green flag restart with Corey Day alongside with 53 laps remaining in the race. Kvapil gets out in front for the lead. There are battles for position all through the field.
Justin Allgaier passes Harrison Burton to enter the top five with 50 laps to go.
Justin Allgaier passes Ryan Sieg for fourth.
With just 43 laps to go, Justin Allgaier passes Sam Mayer for third; teammate Carson Kvapil continues to lead the race.
Forty to go, Justin Allgaier challenges Corey Day for second with Carson Kvapil over two seconds out in front.
Justin Allgaier passes Corey Day for second with 36 laps remaining in the race. Carson Kvapil is over three and a half seconds out in front.
Jesse Love gets into the wall in a cloud of smoke to bring out the 12th caution flag of the day.
Carson Kvapil brings the field down for the green flag restart with Justin Allgaier alongside with just 22 laps remaining in the race. Kvapil edges out for the lead with Justin Allgaier on his bumper.
Dean Thompson has a smoking car but has gotten off the course after getting into the wall.
Just 19 laps remain in the race, Carson Kvapil has a half second lead on Justin Allgaier; Corey Day, Brandon Jones, and Sam Mayer round out the top five.
Fourteen to go, Carson Kvapil holds on to his half second lead on Justin Allgaier.
Ten to go! Carson Kvapil has pulled out to a lead of nearly a second on Justin Allgaier.
Brandon Jones and Corey Day battle for third.
Three to go, Justin Allgaier is just over a half second behind leader Carson Kvapil.
Carson Kvapil takes the white flag.
Carson Kvapil wins the race for his third win of the year…and his first grandfather clock!
The unofficial results of the race:
Carson Kvapil
Justin Allgaier
Corey Day
Brandon Jones
Sam Mayer
Sheldon Creed
Sammy Smith
William Sawalich
Brent Crews
Taylor Gray
Ryan Sieg
Harrison Burton
Jeb Burton
Lee Pulliam
Parker Retzlaff
Rajah Caruth
Anthony Alfredo
Lavar Scott
Patrick Staropoli
Brennan Poole
Kyle Sieg
Alex Labbe
Carson Ware
Josh Bilicki
Joey Gase
Justin S Carroll
Baltazar Leguizamon
Dawson Cram
Jeremy Clements
Jesse Love
Austin Hill
Dean Thompson
Blaine Perkins
Daniel Dye
Garrett Smithley
Mason Maggio
Patrick Emerling
Ryan Ellis