Groovy Hollow Recap
Things are starting to get serious now. We’re halfway through the Round of 8 and heading into the wildcard race at Talladega Superspeedway. As Aric Almirola won last week’s race at Las Vegas, no driver locked into the Championship 4 heading into this race. However, regular season champion, Connor Zilisch, came into today’s race with a pretty healthy 82-point cushion. As long as he kept his nose clean and scored a handful of stage points, he had the potential of locking in a points today. Meanwhile, Jesse Love, Justin Allgaier, and Sam Mayer just needed a calm, clean race in order to keep their heads above water and in contention for a championship.
Other drivers needed big days at ‘Dega today. A pair of them were also from JR Motorsports. Both Carson Kvapil and Sammy Smith entered today’s race below the cutline and, in all likelihood, needed to win to advance. Additionally, Austin Hill, who was booted from the Playoffs after the Round of 12, due in large part to a highly contested suspension, went into today’s race with one thing on his mind: to show up the field and win. Was he able to get it done?
Let’s break all of that down and more. Here’s everything that happened in the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff race at Talladega.
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In the final stage, Connor Zilisch’s bad luck at Talladega continued. If you recall, earlier this season, Zilisch suffered a brutal crash at the track, which resulted in a back injury, taking him out of the car for a number of weeks. Today, he was caught up in a crash that was of someone else’s doing. Then, in the final stage, he had a right front tire failure and slammed into the outside wall. No caution came out and Zilisch was able to nurse his number 88 Chevy off the track. But, as a result, he lost two laps. This meant that his top 5 finish streak would end today at a whopping 18 races.
The usual suspects were out front with 10 laps to go. Austin Hill led Justin Allgaier and Jesse Love while Aric Almirola crept into the picture, looking to capitalize on a Chevy mistake. At this point in the race, the field was playing it conservatively. They created a single file line atop the track while a few stragglers tried to form something on the bottom. However, it took a long time for that line to come to fruition.
With 3 laps to go, the bottom line started to form, led by Jeb Burton and Christian Eckes. Jesse Love jumped down in front of them, and Sammy Smith tried to do the same. However, there was no room for him in the line. Smith forced the issue and turned the No. 19, which got into Jeb Burton, causing a massive crash. Almirola turned and plowed hard into the outside wall on the backstretch. Daniel Dye also suffered a massive hit with the inside wall to end his race. This incident triggered NASCAR Overtime
As they ran under caution, fuel began to be a major concern. Sammy Smith ran out of gas and puttered down pit road for service. Luckily, he was able to stay on the lead lap. Many drivers pitted. Hill was one who stayed out, despite starting to sputter under caution. The race restarted with Hill and Josh Williams leading the two lines. Before they could get to Turn 1, Williams ran out of gas. Somehow, Hill was able to stay out front to take the white flag. On the backstretch on the final lap, Nick Sanchez attempted to make a move. He got out of the groove and into the wall.
Impressively, he kept the wheel straight. No caution. Nobody behind the 21 could get organized enough to get by the 21. He ended up having just enough fuel to win his 10th career drafting track race, the most all-time in the series. And, he saved enough fuel for a burnout to boot.
Much of this stage was a familiar sight. Jesse Love led a bulk of the opening laps of this stage, managing the lead like a veteran. RCR is extremely good on the superspeedways in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Their two drivers were hoping to capture wins. Jesse Love is still racing for a championship while Austin Hill wanted to spoil the show.
We got our first caution of the race on Lap 17. The incident occurred when Jeb Burton got shuffled out of line. When he tried to squeeze in the second line, Brandon Jones was there and the two got together. This caused a massive wreck with big Playoff implications. Playoff drivers involved were Brandon Jones, who was able to continue, and the Haas Factory Team dup of Sam Mayer and Sheldon Creed. Those two Fords are now in a must-win situation heading into Martinsville next week. Check out the incident here:
The incident resulted in a punctured outside retaining wall. This led to a lengthy red flag as safety crews moved to prepare the puncture. The race restarted about a half-hour later with five laps remaining in the stage. Upon the restart, the RCR duo continued their dominance. Austin Hill led his teammate Jesse Love, looking to make a statement following his explosion from the Playoffs following the Round of 12. The No. 21 RCR Chevy was able to hang on to score his fifteenth career stage win on a drafting track. Zilisch and Allgaier crossed the line right behind him.
*Playoff Drivers Depicted in BOLD.
Again, the second stage was dominated by the Chevrolets of JR Motorsports and Richard Childress Racing. Up front, swapping the lead, were Justin Allgaier, Austin Hill, and Carson Kvapil. We got our second caution for incident as the second stage was getting ready to draw to a close. With 6 laps to go, Harrison Burton tagged the No. 70 of Leland Honeyman Jr. from behind. This turned him into playoff driver and regular season champion, Connor Zilisch, causing significant damage to the right front of the No. 88 Chevy. Honeyman then turned up the track and collected a slew of drivers, including Harrison Burton, Connor Mosack, Dean Thompson, and William Sawalich. Check it out:
We restarted the stage with a two-lap shootout. Justin Allgaier did his best to hold off the swarm. As he came to the white flag, he got way out in front of the pack, allowing them, led by Austin Hill, to generate a massive run to blow by the No. 7 of Allgaier. Hill went on to collect his sixteenth drafting track stage win. It marked the second time he was able to sweep the stages at Talladega Superspeedway.
*Playoff Drivers Depicted in BOLD.
The following are the unofficial results following the conclusion of the 95-lap NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff race at the Talladega Superspeedway. This list will be updated once tech inspection is completed and the results become official.
*Playoff Drivers Depicted in BOLD.
While no drivers at this point in the Round of 8 have clinched their Championship 4 berths by winning, Connor Zilisch, the regular-season champion, has locked himself in based on points. He will advance to the Championship 4 at Phoenix and will battle for his first NASCAR title. Joining him is his JRM teammate, Justin Allgaier, who also locks in on points. He will get the opportunity to defend his title.
These drivers are currently in contention to make the Championship 4 at Phoenix. Jesse Love has a pretty good cushion. All he needs to do next week at Martinsville is have a good, clean race with a solid finish. Kvapil also had a great race. He entered today’s race -22. But, because he finished 2nd and was able to avoid the big wrecks, he is now currently in to advance to the Championship 4.
Considering that he entered today’s race at a massive deficit, all in all, Sammy Smith had a solid day. Now only 11 back, he can realistically point his way into the Championship 4. It’ll all come down between him and his teammate. The rest of this bunch were involved in incidents today. Most likely, they will have to win next week in order to make the Championship 4 at Phoenix.
What did you think of this race? How is your driver’s situation on the cutline heading into Martinsville? Let us know! Join the discussion on Discord or X, and remember to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube for more updates. Be sure to tune back in here tomorrow at DailyDownforce.com for our weekly Cup Series coverage!
