{"id":62220,"date":"2026-10-31T19:15:21","date_gmt":"2026-11-01T00:15:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=62220"},"modified":"2026-11-01T14:58:40","modified_gmt":"2026-11-01T20:58:40","slug":"carson-kvapil-delivers-clutch-performance-at-martinsville-to-keep-championship-hopes-alive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2026\/10\/31\/carson-kvapil-delivers-clutch-performance-at-martinsville-to-keep-championship-hopes-alive\/","title":{"rendered":"Carson Kvapil delivers clutch performance at Martinsville to keep championship hopes alive"},"content":{"rendered":"
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MARTINSVILLE, VIRGINIA – OCTOBER 31: Carson Kvapil, driver of the #1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series National Debt Relief 250 at Martinsville Speedway on October 31, 2026 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by David Jensen\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
By Holly Cain <\/b><\/b>| <\/span>NASCAR Wire Service<\/b> <\/span><\/div>\n
MARTINSVILLE, Va. \u2013 Carson Kvapil book-ended Saturday\u2019s Halloween evening at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, leading early and leading late to claim his third NASCAR O\u2019Reilly Auto Parts Series victory of the season \u2013 and of his career \u2013 in the National Debt Relief 250.<\/div>\n
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MARTINSVILLE, VIRGINIA – OCTOBER 31: Carson Kvapil, driver of the #1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet, celebrates with a burnout after winning the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series National Debt Relief 250 at Martinsville Speedway on October 31, 2026 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by Meg Oliphant\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
It was clutch performance for the 23-year-old North Carolinian who won the pole position and led the most laps on the day \u2013 121 of 250 \u2013 in the No. 1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet to keep himself very much in the championship conversation heading to Homestead-Miami Speedway next week for the season finale.<\/div>\n
Ultimately, Kvapil had to hold off his JRM teammate, Justin Allgaier, for the win taking the trophy by .434-second over Allgaier, who leaves Virginia the new championship leader by 22 points over Richard Childress Racing\u2019s Jesse Love.<\/div>\n
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MARTINSVILLE, VIRGINIA – OCTOBER 31: Carson Kvapil, driver of the #1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet, poses with the grandfather clock in victory lane after winning the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series National Debt Relief 250 at Martinsville Speedway on October 31, 2026 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by David Jensen\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
Hendrick Motorsports rookie Corey Day was third joining those three drivers atop the standings and positioning themselves for a thrilling season finale to decide the title.<\/div>\n
Allgaier leads Love by 22 points with Day 23 points back and Kvapil now 31 points out. Haas Factory Team driver Sheldon Creed finished sixth at Martinsville \u2013 good enough to keep him in the championship mix. He\u2019s ranked fifth, 42 points behind Allgaier.<\/div>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s awesome, I knew in practice we had a very fast Chevrolet,\u2019\u2019\u2019 said Kvapil, who earned his, and crew chief Rodney Childers, first Martinsville win. \u201cAble to qualify on pole but just kinda had a rough race between the end of stage one and the end of the race there, just kept getting shuffled back.<\/div>\n
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MARTINSVILLE, VIRGINIA – OCTOBER 31: Carson Kvapil, driver of the #1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet, celebrates with the grandfather clock in victory lane after winning the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series National Debt Relief 250 at Martinsville Speedway on October 31, 2026 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by David Jensen\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cBut it just really worked out. Just super excited. Winning is always great but finally getting one at a track I feel like I\u2019m good at is really cool.\u2019\u2019<\/div>\n
The series\u2019 championship leader coming into the race, Richard Childress Racing\u2019s Love had endured a tough night all night. Caught on pit road immediately behind an incident cost him positions mid-race, then a tire rub forced him to limp and persevere through Stage 2, where he finished 22nd and was really forced to play catch-up. Finally, his car suffered brake trouble with 30 laps to go crashing and bringing out the race\u2019s 12th and final caution. He finished 30th, dropping him from the lead into second place in the championship.<\/div>\n
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MARTINSVILLE, VIRGINIA – OCTOBER 31: Corey Day, driver of the #17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, races during the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series National Debt Relief 250 at Martinsville Speedway on October 31, 2026 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by Meg Oliphant\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cNothing really to process, I feel like I\u2019ve got a good idea of where it started to unravel and what did us in and all the bad stuff and good stuff that happened in between along the way,\u2019\u2019 the reigning NASCAR O\u2019Reilly Auto Parts Series champion Love said.<\/div>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not really going to study too much about today, it really doesn\u2019t matter. We have obviously one goal and probably for the most part only one avenue, one way to achieve that goal and it brings me a lot of clarity.<\/div>\n
\u201cIt means unless the [number] seven (Allgaier) has a DNF at Homestead, we\u2019ve got to go and win the race. Obviously, that\u2019s where we do our best work in moments like that.\u2019\u2019<\/div>\n
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MARTINSVILLE, VIRGINIA – OCTOBER 31: Carson Kvapil, driver of the #1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet, races Corey Day, driver of the #17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, during the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series National Debt Relief 250 at Martinsville Speedway on October 31, 2026 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by Meg Oliphant\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
Allgaier, whose 52 laps led Saturday were second only to his teammate Kvapil, is the defending race winner at the 1.5-mile Homestead-Miami Speedway where the series goes next weekend to settle the championship.<\/div>\n
\u201cI think that last set of tires we had to push really hard to get through the field and those cautions didn\u2019t help us out,\u2019\u2019 said Allgaier noting the six cautions and a nearly 12-minute-long red flag in the final 105-lap run.<\/div>\n
As for next week, he smiled and said, \u201cI love the fact we have five [cars] going into Homestead with a shot to be champion. It\u2019s going to make for a great battle. I feel like our team does a really great job. We won there last year. We know how to get around the race track and we know we\u2019ll have speed, we just have to execute.<\/div>\n
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MARTINSVILLE, VIRGINIA – OCTOBER 31: Carson Kvapil, driver of the #1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet, races Justin Allgaier, driver of the #7 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet, during the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series National Debt Relief 250 at Martinsville Speedway on October 31, 2026 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by Meg Oliphant\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cIf we do all the things we\u2019ve been doing and execute the way we know we can we keep the points lead.\u2019\u2019<\/div>\n
Joe Gibbs Racing driver Brandon Jones finished fourth followed by Haas Factory teammates Sam Mayer and Creed. JR Motorsports\u2019 Sammy Smith was seventh with Joe Gibbs Racing\u2019s William Sawalich, Brent Crews and Taylor Gray rounding out the top-10.<\/div>\n
The series heads south to Homestead-Miami Speedway next Saturday for the NASCAR O\u2019Reilly Auto Parts Series Championship Race (5 p.m. ET, The CW, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).<\/b> <\/div>\n
NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Race – National Debt Relief 250<\/b><\/div>\n
Martinsville Speedway<\/b><\/div>\n
Martinsville, Virginia<\/b><\/div>\n
Saturday, October 31, 2026<\/b><\/div>\n
                    1. (1)  Carson Kvapil (C), Chevrolet, 250.<\/div>\n
                    2. (3)  Justin Allgaier (C), Chevrolet, 250.<\/div>\n
                    3. (9)  Corey Day (C), Chevrolet, 250.<\/div>\n
                    4. (12)  Brandon Jones (C), Toyota, 250.<\/div>\n
                    5. (14)  Sam Mayer (C), Chevrolet, 250.<\/div>\n
                    6. (7)  Sheldon Creed (C), Chevrolet, 250.<\/div>\n
                    7. (6)  Sammy Smith (C), Chevrolet, 250.<\/div>\n
                    8. (5)  William Sawalich, Toyota, 250.<\/div>\n
                    9. (13)  Brent Crews # (C), Toyota, 250.<\/div>\n
                    10. (10)  Taylor Gray (C), Toyota, 250.<\/div>\n
                    11. (19)  Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 250.<\/div>\n
                    12. (17)  Harrison Burton, Toyota, 250.<\/div>\n
                    13. (18)  Jeb Burton, Chevrolet, 250.<\/div>\n
                    14. (37)  Lee Pulliam, Chevrolet, 250.<\/div>\n
                    15. (4)  Parker Retzlaff (C), Chevrolet, 250.<\/div>\n
                    16. (2)  Rajah Caruth (C), Chevrolet, 250.<\/div>\n
                    17. (11)  Anthony Alfredo, Chevrolet, 250.<\/div>\n
                    18. (32)  Lavar Scott #, Chevrolet, 250.<\/div>\n
                    19. (26)  Patrick Staropoli #, Chevrolet, 250.<\/div>\n
                    20. (25)  Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, 250.<\/div>\n
                    21. (22)  Kyle Sieg, Chevrolet, 250.<\/div>\n
                    22. (23)  Alex Labbe, Chevrolet, 250.<\/div>\n
                    23. (27)  Carson Ware, Chevrolet, 250.<\/div>\n
                    24. (36)  Josh Bilicki, Chevrolet, 250.<\/div>\n
                    25. (33)  Joey Gase, Ford, 250.<\/div>\n
                    26. (30)  Justin Carroll(i), Chevrolet, 250.<\/div>\n
                    27. (38)  Baltazar Leguizamon, Chevrolet, 250.<\/div>\n
                    28. (28)  Dawson Cram, Chevrolet, 250.<\/div>\n
                    29. (20)  Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 244.<\/div>\n
                    30. (8)  Jesse Love (C), Chevrolet, 241.<\/div>\n
                    31. (21)  Austin Hill (C), Chevrolet, 241.<\/div>\n
                    32. (15)  Dean Thompson, Toyota, 235.<\/div>\n
                    33. (16)  Blaine Perkins, Chevrolet, Oil Leak, 223.<\/div>\n
                    34. (34)  Daniel Dye(i), Chevrolet, Accident, 174.<\/div>\n
                    35. (35)  Garrett Smithley, Chevrolet, Accident, 161.<\/div>\n
                    36. (31)  Mason Maggio, Chevrolet, Accident, 161.<\/div>\n
                    37. (24)  Patrick Emerling(i), Ford, Accident, 161.<\/div>\n
                    38. (29)  Ryan Ellis, Chevrolet, Water Pump, 60.<\/div>\n
Average Speed of Race Winner:  57.084 mph.<\/div>\n
Time of Race:  2 Hrs, 18 Mins, 13 Secs. Margin of Victory:  0.434 Seconds.<\/div>\n
Caution Flags:  12 for 90 laps.<\/div>\n
Lead Changes:  9 among 5 drivers.<\/div>\n
Lap Leaders:   C. Kvapil (C) 1-53;J. Allgaier (C) 54-63;S. Mayer (C) 64-99;C. Day (C) 100-106;A. Alfredo 107;C. Day (C) 108-109;A. Alfredo 110-125;J. Allgaier (C) 126-167;C. Day (C) 168-182;C. Kvapil (C) 183-250.<\/div>\n
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  Carson Kvapil (C) 2 times for 121 laps; Justin Allgaier (C) 2 times for 52 laps; Sam Mayer (C) 1 time for 36 laps; Corey Day (C) 3 times for 24 laps; Anthony Alfredo 2 times for 17 laps.<\/div>\n
Stage #1 Top Ten: 7,00,20,1,2,27,99,96,41,18<\/div>\n
Stage #2 Top Ten: 96,7,19,17,8,18,54,00,44,88<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Holly Cain | NASCAR Wire Service  MARTINSVILLE, Va. \u2013 Carson Kvapil book-ended Saturday\u2019s Halloween evening at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, leading early and leading late to claim his third NASCAR O\u2019Reilly Auto Parts Series victory of the season \u2013 and of his career \u2013 in the National Debt Relief 250. It was clutch performance for<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":676,"featured_media":62226,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[11],"tags":[1182,407,16,1147],"class_list":["post-62220","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nascar","tag-carson-kvapil","tag-martinsville-speedway","tag-nascar","tag-nascar-oreilly-auto-parts-series"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hzTZ-gby","jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/GettyImages-2302911253-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1706&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62220","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/676"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62220"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62220\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":62233,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62220\/revisions\/62233"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/62226"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62220"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62220"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62220"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}