Much like last season, JR Motorsports was the story at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Four of the team’s five entries brought home four of the top five spots, with fan-favorite driver Carson Kvapil bringing home the win in his 64th career NASCAR OAP Series start.
This was also the third win of the season for Rodney Childers’ No. 1 team, with Cup Series rookie Connor Zilisch scoring wins at Bristol and Watkins Glen during the spring portion of the season.
After shuffling between teams within the series to put together a full season, including starts with DGM Racing in select races, Kvapil will be in the No. 1 for the rest of the season, potentially making Kvapil one of the few drivers who could compete with his JRM teammate Justin Allgaier down the stretch.
The win was emotional for Kvapil and for team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr, who, during an interview with The CW’s Dillon Welch, said that Kvapil, who had developed through the JRM late model program, was like a son to him.
Kvapil’s victory also comes at a crucial moment, with the points earned in today’s race propelling him to second in the OAP Series standings. Still, points leader and JRM teammate Justin Allgaier is far above the No. 1 team, sitting 265 points above Kvapil.
As a whole, Saturday’s race saw Hendrick-powered cars dominate from the start, with Jeremy Clements winning Stage 1 and six of the top 10 finishers powered by HMS engines.
With just two races left until the inaugural NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series chase, the field is starting to flesh out.
Sheldon Creed, Corey Day, Brandon Jones, and Jesse Love, as well as Allgaier, are drivers to secure one of the series’ 12 Chase spots. Still, the real battle is heating up at the tail end of the Chase slots.
Following Indy, the six drivers yet to lock themselves into the Chase range from over 100 points to the good, down to just seven above the cutline.
There are still four drivers who have a realistic shot at making the Chase with just two races to go, with William Sawalich and Rajah Caruth two names to keep an eye on heading out of this weekend.
The next race in the lead-up to the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Chase is next weekend at Iowa Speedway. On-track action kicks off on Saturday with Practice and Qualifying, followed by the race, which will air live on The CW that evening at 5:00 PM ET.
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