Postponed from Saturday due to rain, the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race took place following Sunday’s Cup event, where Corey Day secured his second consecutive victory.
With ten laps remaining, Day executed a daring three-wide pass for the lead on Jesse Love and Justin Allgaier, successfully holding off Love in the closing laps to claim the checkered flag.
“I think the 2 [Love] got very loose in front of the 7 [Allgaier] and messed them both up, and that was just enough for me to get a run off them,” recalled Day. “That was crucial. I think if I don’t do that, I don’t win the race. What a job by my guys. I screwed up and took too many boxes on entry. Just to have the car to do that, the execution to do that, everything to finish it off like that is just so cool.”
Jesse Love finished second, followed by Sheldon Creed in third, Justin Allgaier in fourth, and rookie Carson Brown in fifth. The top ten was completed by Brandon Jones, Austin Hill, Anthony Alfredo, Taylor Gray, and Brennan Poole.
Sheldon Creed maintains the championship lead, holding a slim two-point advantage over Jesse Love and a seven-point lead over Day. Justin Allgaier sits 15 points back, while Carson Kvapil dropped to 40 points behind after a tough race.
Stages 1 & 2
Ryan Sieg spins off the bumper of Rajah Caruth
Photo by: David Jensen / Getty Images
The action kicked off early on the track, with Day narrowly maintaining control as Love attempted a three-wide move for the lead. Day managed to hold on and pulled away to establish an early advantage.
After a rainout in qualifying, Allgaier had to battle his way through the field from the middle of the pack and narrowly avoided an incident where three cars, including Creed, made contact just ahead of him.
A competition caution was thrown at Lap 20, allowing Creed’s team to make minor repairs to their car.
At the conclusion of Stage 1, Day led the field over Love, Mayer, Allgaier, Kvapil, A. Hill, Crews, Clements, Taylor Gray, and Retzlaff.
During the stage break, Day received an end-of-line penalty for driving through too many pit boxes, but he quickly worked his way back to the front.
Love took the lead, but Allgaier quickly reeled him in and took control of the race. Day rapidly climbed back into the top ten within a single run, though he had a sketchy moment hitting the wall.
Allgaier went on to win Stage 2, followed by Love, Taylor Gray, Mayer, Crews, A. Hill, Day, Kvapil, S. Smith, and Creed.
Stage 3
Corey Day wins, No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Photo by: David Jensen / Getty Images
Austin Hill was forced to the rear of the field for a battery change, while Jesse Love continued to lead. Allgaier lost ground on the restart but aggressively reclaimed positions as the run progressed.
Carson Kvapil was forced into an unscheduled pit stop after hitting the wall with a flat tire, eventually heading to the garage due to the damage—a major blow to his championship hopes.
As green-flag pit stops loomed, Ryan Sieg spun after making contact with Rajah Caruth. With only two sets of tires remaining, Crews chose to stay out in an effort to save a fresh set of sticker tires for later.
Love reclaimed the lead on the restart, but with 51 laps remaining, Allgaier ran him down and moved back into the lead.
Shortly after Crews pitted under green, another single-car spin by Ryan Ellis disrupted the sequence of pit stops before they could fully unfold.
Allgaier led the field on the restart, and while Taylor Gray briefly held second, he quickly fell behind Love and Day. Both drivers pressured Allgaier throughout the run, forcing the 2024 series champion into the wall and ultimately surrendering the lead with 17 laps to go.
Shortly after, Crews blew a tire, bringing out a caution. Mayer and a few other cars opted to pit for lightly used scuffed tires, but the leaders all stayed on the track.
On the restart, Love and Allgaier remained side-by-side, allowing Day to take a mighty run to the far inside on the backstretch, passing both cars entering Turn 3.
Further back in the field, Mayer suffered a cut tire after colliding with Clements in a battle for position.
At the front, Day successfully kept Love at bay for the final ten laps to secure his fourth win of the 2026 season. With this victory, he became the first Hendrick NOAPS driver to win back-to-back races since Kyle Busch in 2004, though the team was not full-time in that division for several years during that timeframe.
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