Voltar
What a night it was for JR Motorsports at Martinsville Speedway. As Jesse Love, the point leader entering the National Debt Relief 250, suffered problems and finished 30th, Carson Kvapil clawed his way back into the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series championship fight with a victory at the 0.526-mile short track.
After celebrating on the frontstretch in front of the crowd at Martinsville, Kvapil thanked his team for the improvements made to his No. 1 Chevrolet from the race at Martinsville earlier in the season.
"It's awesome," Kvapil said of the win. "I knew when we unloaded for practice that we had a really fast No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet. [My crew chief] Rodney, and everyone on this No. 1 team, really worked hard from our spring race to come back with a better race car and something that had some forward drive off the corner."
Just behind Kvapil was Justin Allgaier, his JR Motorsports teammate, who with the runner-up finish took control of the series point lead following the penultimate race of the season.
Kvapil led the 250-lap race twice for a race-high 121 laps, and he took the lead for good with a pass on Corey Day with 68 laps remaining. As Day faded to a third-place finish, Kvapil was able to hold Allgaier at bay for his third win of the season, and the third win of his 74-race O'Reilly Series career.
With the win, Kvapil, who came into the night 59 points behind Love and fifth in the championship fight, moves into the fourth spot in the Chase Grid, and he now sits just 31 points behind Allgaier.
Brandon Jones took home a fourth-place finish, behind the Chevrolet trio of Kvapil, Allgaier, and Day, while Sam Mayer collected a fifth-place result on a night, where he was officially eliminated from championship contention.
Sheldon Creed, Sammy Smith, William Sawalich, Brent Crews, and Taylor Gray rounded out the top-10 finishers in the National Debt Relief 250 at Martinsville.
Love, who began Saturday night's race with decent speed, saw his race come unraveled after suffering a tire rub in Stage 2 after some intense on-track racing. Love would fail to score Stage Points in Stage 2, and from there his evening would get worse.
Big setback for @jesselovejr1's championship hopes as he has trouble with his brakes with 30 laps to go. pic.twitter.com/VTFVmTwcyL
— The CW Sports (@TheCW_Sports) October 31, 2026
With 30 laps to go, Love suffered brake issues, which sent him spinning and crashing hard into the outside wall. Love would end the race nine laps down in 30th.
With just next weekend's race at Homestead-Miami Speedway remaining, five drivers (Allgaier, Love, Day, Kvapil, and Sheldon Creed) remain alive in the Chase for the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series championship.
*This story will be updated with post-race quotes and additional information.
1. Justin Allgaier, 2,436 points
2. Jesse Love, -22
3. Corey Day, -23
4. Carson Kvapil, -31
5. Sheldon Creed, -42
--Mathematically Eliminated--
6. Sam Mayer, -97
7. Sammy Smith, -107
8. Taylor Gray, -159
9. Brandon Jones, -183
10. Austin Hill, -197
11. Parker Retzlaff, -210
12. Rajah Caruth, -231