Devon HenryHaymakers were thrown in Las Vegas with drivers vying for a jackpot in the championship standings. Corey Day withstood every blow Carson Kvapil dished out on Saturday night, with Day slapping the wall on the final lap to capture his third career NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series victory Saturday’s race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
It was a near-perfect race for Day. After earning the pole, Day controlled much of the race in his No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, winning the opening stage and leading a career-high 136 of 201 laps. The victory propelled him to fifth in the championship standings with five races remaining.
Kvapil settled for second but gained valuable ground in the championship fight. The JR Motorsports driver moved to second in the standings, just 19 points behind points leader, Sheldon Creed, who finished 13th.
The series’ defending champion Jesse Love finished third, followed by Joe Gibbs Racing teammates William Sawalich and Taylor Gray. Sam Mayer came home sixth after winning Stage 2 and leading 40 laps after recovering from a pit-road penalty after Stage Two.
The night turned costly for regular-season champion Justin Allgaier. A six-time winner this season, Allgaier was collected in a wreck on Lap 55 with fellow championship contender Brandon Jones. His 34th-place finish dropped him from second to fourth in the points. He now sits 31 points behind Creed. The wreck marked Allgaier’s second DNF of the season after he concluded the regular season with a 229-point advantage before The Chase reset.
The NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series now returns to the home of NASCAR, Charlotte Motor Speedway, next Saturday. The race marks NASCAR’s first fall visit to Charlotte’s 1.5-mile oval since 2017.
The speed and thrills of NASCAR returns to the Valley of the Sun, October 16-18 with the ARCA Menards West Series, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, and NASCAR Cups Series for a group of pivotal races in The Chase, NASCAR’s latest postseason format.
