Loop Data Box Score : Atlanta Motor Speedway

• Friday, June 27th, 2025
• NASCAR Wire Service - Reid Spencer

Hill's House: Xfinity Stars Look to End Austin Hill's EchoPark Reign

Jesse Love has won the pole position for the last three races at recently-christened EchoPark Speedway but hasn’t won a race there.

In fact, Love has been an excellent stalking horse for teammate Austin Hill, who has underscored Richard Childress Racing’s absolute dominance at the 1.54-mile track by winning the last three races and five of the last six—all since the repaving and reconfiguration was completed in 2022.

The only driver to have won NASCAR Xfinity Series races on all three drafting tracks—EchoPark, Daytona and Talladega—Hill, a Georgia native, will try to win his fourth straight event at his home track in Friday night’s Focused Health 250.

Hill’s presence at the front of the field is a given, but what about those chasing him? Defending series champion Justin Allgaier, a winner at EchoPark in 2021, finished second to the No. 21 RCR Chevrolet in February by 0.216 seconds.

“We came close here in the spring, and I know we are going to have that same speed again with our (No. 7) Chevrolet Friday night,” said Allgaier, who leads the Xfinity Series standings by 82 points over Hill in second. “JRM (JR Motorsports) has always had really strong speedway cars, which definitely gives added confidence anytime we go to a drafting track.

“Hopefully, we can keep our nose clean all night long, work well with our teammates, and be up front fighting for the win when it counts.”

Aric Almirola, third in the February race, is back for another try in the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. In a part-time role this season, Almirola has a victory at Phoenix Raceway and four top-six finishes in six Xfinity starts.

• EchoPark Speedway
• Focused Health 250
• Pole Winner: Sheldon Creed
• Age: 27
• Team : No 00 - Friends of Jaclyn Ford
• Owner: Gene Haas
• Crew Chief: Jonathan Toney
• Sheldon Creed won the Pole Award for the Focused Health 250 with a lap of 32107 seconds, 172673 mph
• This is his fourth pole in 120 NASCAR Xfinity Series races
• This is his first pole and eighth top-10 start in 2025
• This is his first pole in eight races at Atlanta Motor Speedway
• Austin Hill (second) posted his 11th top-10 start of 2025 and his seventh in eight races at Atlanta Motor Speedway
• Sam Mayer (third) posted his sixth top-10 start at Atlanta Motor Speedway It is his 12th in 17 races this season
• Connor Zilisch (sixth) was the fastest qualifying rookie

• Saturday, June 28th, 2025
• NASCAR Wire Service - Reid Spencer

From Spin to Win: Rookie Nick Sanchez Rebounds to Grab First Xfinity Victory

Nick Sanchez charged to the front after a restart with seven laps left in Friday night’s Focused Health 250 and held off fellow Sunoco rookie Carson Kvapil to secure his first NASCAR Xfinity Series victory.

Sanchez, who rallied from a spin through the frontstretch grass at EchoPark Speedway on Lap 68, lost the top spot to Jesse Love on the final restart on Lap 157 of 163, but regained it on the following circuit.

Sanchez spent the next five laps doing everything in his power to keep Kvapil behind him. The win earned the 24-year-old from Miami, Fla., a berth in the Xfinity Series Playoffs.

“It’s a weight lifted off my shoulders, that’s for sure,” Sanchez said after climbing from his car on the frontstretch. “Now we can go chase checkered flags.”

Kvapil was lined up in front of third-place finisher Sam Mayer, fourth-place Connor Zilisch and fifth-place Taylor Gray as he chased Sanchez over the closing laps, trying to find a way around the race winner.

“To be that close really does sting,” said Kvapil, who started from the rear of the field after unapproved adjustments to his No. 1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet. “I couldn’t really generate a run there. I didn’t feel like we had enough cars nose-to-tail and organized.

“We were all kind of just too far away from each other. I tried backing up on the last lap… I probably could have made a move earlier. I just felt like, if we got side-by-side, we’d get swallowed up by somebody.”

For his part, Sanchez was fortunate his No. 48 Big Machine Racing Chevrolet sustained minimal damage on the slide through the grass, which caused the fourth of nine cautions.

“I’m still a little embarrassed about that,” Sanchez said. “It was certainly a rookie mistake, but we rebounded.”

It was after midnight when Sanchez took the checkered flag, thanks to some threatening weather near the 1.54-mile track. Lightning forced NASCAR to halt the race after 36 laps.

After a delay of one hour, 18 minutes, 55 seconds, the race resumed. Sheldon Creed, who led the first 37 laps from the pole, tried to flip the stage by pitting under caution after the resumption, but the strategy backfired.

Creed was one of 10 drivers involved in a massive wreck on the backstretch moments after a restart on Lap 41. Contact from Sanchez turned Jesse Love across traffic near the front of the field.

Love’s Chevrolet collided with Ryan Sieg’s Ford, turning it into the outside wall. A broken axle eliminated Sieg’s No. 39 RSS Racing Ford. Other victims included series leader Justin Allgaier, who exited the race in 31st place, Sammy Smith, Katherine Legge, Patrick Staropoli, Jeb Burton and Christian Eckes.

Creed, credited with 32nd place, suffered his fifth DNF (did not finish) in the last nine races and sixth of the season.

“It was probably the best car I’ve had all year,” Creed said ruefully after leaving the infield care center. “Just really fast, could control lanes and felt really good up front. So we were just trying to keep ourselves up front by short-pitting there, and it didn’t work out.”

Notes: Sanchez led 32 laps to Aric Almirola’s 48 and Creed’s 37… The nine cautions put the race under yellow for 58 laps… Mayer was the only non-rookie to finish in the top five… Love, Almirola, Daniel Dye, Kyle Sieg and Jeremy Clements finished sixth through 10th, respectively… Austin Hill, trying for his fourth straight win at EchoPark Speedway, lost six laps early with fuel pickup issues and finished 26th.

• Drivers Entered: 38
• Laps Scheduled: 163
• Margin of Victory: 0.104 Seconds
• Time of Race: 2 Hours 36 Minutes 14 Seconds
• Average Speed: 96.402
• Cautions: 9 for 58 laps
• Lead Changes: 12
• Green Flag Passes: 1,849 (17.6 passes per green flag lap)

• EchoPark Speedway
• Focused Health 250
• Race Winner: Nick Sanchez
• Age: 24
• Team : No 48 - Big Machine Spiked Coolers Chevrolet
• Owner: Scott Borchetta
• Crew Chief: Patrick Donahue
• Nick Sanchez won the Focused Health 250, his first victory in 25 Xfinity Series races
• This is his first victory and sixth top-10 finish in 2025
• This is his first victory and second top-10 finish in two races at EchoPark Speedway
• Carson Kvapil (second) posted his first top-10 finish in two races at EchoPark Speedway It is his seventh top-10 finish in 2025
• Sam Mayer (third) posted his fourth top-10 finish in nine races at EchoPark Speedway
• Nick Sanchez (first) was the highest finishing rookie
• Justin Allgaier leads the point standings by 63 points over Sam Mayer