The final race of the 2026 season in the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series at Homestead was won by Brandon Jones, though the championship was decided in favor of Justin Allgaier. Allgaier finished seventh, enough to close out the year 14 points ahead of Jesse Love and claim his second title in the series.
Allgaier arrived at the final round with a 22-point lead over Love. The margin seemed sufficient, though on an oval where tires matter so much, any problem could prove costly. His day began with a right-rear tire puncture during the first stage, and he had to stay on track before pitting. Later he suffered another tire issue and brushed the wall, but he managed to score stage points and stay inside the top ten, which was what he needed.
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The race changed hands several times in its first half. Sam Mayer won the first two stages, though Sheldon Creed, who had started from pole, reclaimed the lead during the pit cycle. Carson Kvapil caught Creed around lap 130 and took the lead with 65 laps remaining.
A caution on lap 142 changed the rhythm of the race. Andrew Patterson lost control entering the pits and hit the sand barrels, and race control stopped the event with a red flag to clean the area. Only ten cars remained on the lead lap when the race resumed.
The restart left Mayer and Kvapil in a direct battle that ended in contact exiting turn four. Jones settled in behind both, took advantage of the fight, and found space to pass Kvapil's Chevrolet through turns three and four on lap 186. Jones finished less than four seconds ahead, and Kvapil tried to respond in the closing laps without success.
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A year with three cars and three crew chiefs
Kvapil finished third in the championship. He said he drove three different cars and worked with three crew chiefs over the course of the year, and that he learned a great deal from each change. Even so, the team let too many points slip away in the Chase, with a lost wheel at Bristol and a suspension arm issue at Charlotte, though it did win at Martinsville.
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Brent Crews finished third in the race and closed out his first full season with 29 starts and the Rookie of the Year honor. Love was fourth in the finale and finished as runner-up in the championship, and Corey Day ended fifth in the standings despite the crash he suffered in the opening laps.
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Allgaier had lost the lead in the final stretch due to a retirement at Las Vegas and poor results at Darlington and Gateway, and he had fallen 30 points behind Creed. He recovered ground with top-five finishes at Charlotte, Phoenix, Talladega, and Martinsville, and at Homestead he confirmed the comeback.
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JR Motorsports confirmed that Allgaier will stay with the team under a multi-year agreement, so he will chase a third title starting in 2027. Kvapil returns full-time in the No. 8 with Rodney Childers as crew chief, and Kvapil himself said he expects to start at Daytona. For Toyota, the win by Jones was its 700th across NASCAR's three national series.
NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series Championship Race 2026
| Pos | Nº | driver | team | brand | time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | #20 |  Brandon Jones (C) |
Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | - |
| 2 | #1 | Carson Kvapil (C) |
JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | +3.94s |
| 3 | #19 | Brent Crews # (C) |
Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | +4.47s |
| 4 | #2 | Jesse Love (C) |
Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | +5.74s |
| 5 | #99 | Parker Retzlaff (C) |
Viking Motorsports | Chevrolet | +10.84s |
| 6 | #00 | Sheldon Creed (C) |
Haas Factory Team | Chevrolet | +11.24s |
| 7 | #7 | Justin Allgaier (C) |
JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | +12.34s |
| 8 | #21 | Austin Hill (C) |
Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | +15.49s |
| 9 | #41 | Sam Mayer (C) |
Haas Factory Team | Chevrolet | +22.39s |
| 10 | #18 | William Sawalich |
Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | +27.65s |
| 11 | #28 | Kyle Sieg |
RSS Racing | Chevrolet | +32.51s |
| 12 | #39 | Ryan Sieg |
RSS Racing | Chevrolet | +1 vuelta |
| 13 | #53 | Will Rodgers |
Joey Gase Motorsports | Chevrolet | +1 vuelta |
| 14 | #54 | Taylor Gray (C) |
Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | +1 vuelta |
| 15 | #8 | Sammy Smith (C) |
JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | +1 vuelta |
| 16 | #87 | Nick Sanchez(i) |
Peterson Racing Group | Chevrolet | +1 vuelta |
| 17 | #48 | Patrick Staropoli # |
Big Machine Racing | Chevrolet | +2 vueltas |
| 18 | #88 | Rajah Caruth (C) |
JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | +2 vueltas |
| 19 | #96 | Anthony Alfredo |
Viking Motorsports | Chevrolet | +2 vueltas |
| 20 | #92 | Josh Williams |
DGM Racing x JIM | Chevrolet | +2 vueltas |
| 21 | #45 | Lavar Scott # |
Alpha Prime Racing | Ford | +2 vueltas |
| 22 | #27 | Jeb Burton |
Jordan Anderson Racing Bommarito Autosport | Chevrolet | +3 vueltas |
| 23 | #24 | Harrison Burton |
Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | +3 vueltas |
| 24 | #50 | Preston Pardus |
Pardus Racing Inc | Chevrolet | +3 vueltas |
| 25 | #51 | Jeremy Clements |
Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | +3 vueltas |
| 26 | #55 | Joey Gase |
Joey Gase Motorsports | Ford | +4 vueltas |
| 27 | #44 | Brennan Poole |
Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | +4 vueltas |
| 28 | #31 | Blaine Perkins |
Jordan Anderson Racing Bommarito Autosport | Chevrolet | +4 vueltas |
| 29 | #02 | Ryan Ellis |
Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | +5 vueltas |
| 30 | #07 | Josh Bilicki |
SS GreenLight Racing | Chevrolet | +5 vueltas |
| 31 | #32 | Andrew Patterson |
Jordan Anderson Racing Bommarito Autosport | Chevrolet | +5 vueltas |
| 32 | #42 | Brad Perez |
Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | +5 vueltas |
| 33 | #26 | Dean Thompson |
Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | +10 vueltas |
| 34 | #17 | Corey Day (C) |
Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | +25 vueltas |
| 35 | #47 | Dawson Cram |
Mike Harmon Racing | Chevrolet | +51 vueltas |
| 36 | #91 | Mason Maggio |
DGM Racing x JIM | Chevrolet | +105 vueltas |
| 37 | #0 | Garrett Smithley |
SS GreenLight Racing | Chevrolet | +129 vueltas |
| 38 | #38 | JJ Yeley |
RSS Racing | Ford | +142 vueltas |
Drivers Standings 2026
| POS | PILOTO | PTS | ↕ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Justin Allgaier | 2477 | |
| 2 | Jesse Love | 2463 | |
| 3 | Carson Kvapil | 2449 | arrow_up1 |
| 4 | Sheldon Creed | 2444 | arrow_up1 |
| 5 | Corey Day | 2416 | arrow_down2 |
| 6 | Sam Mayer | 2387 | |
| 7 | Sammy Smith | 2352 | |
| 8 | Brandon Jones | 2314 | arrow_up1 |
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Jesse Love Wins in Phoenix and Is the New Leader of the O'Reilly NASCAR Chase
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