The NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series will head to its season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway with the championship fight blown wide open, after Martinsville once again provided the title fight with a healthy dose of chaos.
Carson Kvapil went to Victory Lane in Saturday’s National Debt Relief 250 at the half-mile paperclip after leading a race-high 121 of 250 laps, putting his No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet back in the conversation for the championship.
The Mooresville, North Carolina-native had to defend a charge from his JR Motorsports teammate, Justin Allgaier, in the final laps of the event, but did so effectively, claiming his third win in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series by 0.434 seconds.
“It’s awesome. I knew when we unloaded for practice that we had a really fast No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet,” Kvapil said post-race. “Rodney [Childers], 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.”
Justin Allgaier and Corey Day, fellow championship contenders in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, finished in second and third, with Brandon Jones and Sam Mayer completing the top-five in the final rundown.
Sheldon Creed brought his Haas Factory Team No. 00 home in the sixth position, with Sammy Smith, William Sawalich, Brent Crews, and Taylor Gray rounding out the top-10.
However, one name you don’t see in the top-10, is defending NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series champion, and the points leader entering Saturday’s 250-lapper at Martinsville, Jesse Love, who finished in 30th after a plethora of issues throughout the penultimate contest of the season.
Those issues culminated with a brake failure, which sent the No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet Camaro spinning into the Turn 1 SAFER Barrier. Somehow, Love would be able to finish the race, albeit nine laps behind the pace.
With Love’s troubles, the championship battle has turned on its nose.
Justin Allgaier leads the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series point standings by 22 points over Love heading to Homestead-Miami Speedway, with Corey Day in third place, 23 points behind. Carson Kvapil, with his win Saturday, is just 31 points behind, sitting fourth in points, and even Sheldon Creed, sitting fifth, 42 points behind, has a mathematical shot to win the championship.
The key to winning this year’s title? Getting maximum stage points at Homestead-Miami Speedway, and the 20-point bonus that comes with winning.
Next Saturday (November 7), the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series will crown its 2026 champion at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Coverage of the event will take place at 5:00 PM ET on The CW.
