Practice #1 : Martinsville Speedway

• Thursday, March 27th, 2025
• NASCAR Wire Service - Reid Spencer

Justin Allgaier, Aric Almirola chase milestones at Martinsville Speedway

The last two weeks have brought an embarrassment of riches to JR Motorsports driver Justin Allgaier.

The 38-year-old veteran from Riverton, Illinois, scored maiden victories at two intermediate tracks—Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway—winning consecutive races in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for the second time in his career.

In addition, Allgaier claimed the first $100,000 Dash 4 Cash bonus of the season for his win at Homestead, bringing his career total to a record six such bonanzas.

On Saturday afternoon at Martinsville Speedway, Allgaier will try to win a third consecutive race for the first time in his career when he drives the No. 7 JRM Chevrolet in Saturday’s US Marine Corps 250 (5 p.m. ET on CW, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

“Martinsville has been a really strong track for us since it came back on the schedule (in 2020),” said Allgaier, who won the fall 2023 race in a wild last-lap scramble in overtime. “I’ve always enjoyed racing there and I know that (crew chief) Jim (Pohlman) and all the guys on this BRANDT Professional Agriculture team will give me a great car when we unload for practice on Friday.

“We’ve had a lot of momentum on our side here lately, and hopefully we can keep that going this weekend.”

To extend his record in Dash 4 Cash bonuses, Allgaier will have to beat fellow qualifiers Sam Mayer, Austin Hill and Sheldon Creed.

Allgaier has finished sixth or better in his last five Martinsville starts, but he’ll have plenty of competition from part-time Joe Gibbs Racing Driver Aric Almirola, who swept both events at the 0.526-mile short track last year.

In three starts this season, Almirola has a win at Phoenix, a second at Las Vegas and a third at Atlanta.

• Martinsville Speedway
• US Marine Corps 250
• Pole Winner: Connor Zilisch #
• Age: 18
• Team : No 88 - Carolina Carports Chevrolet
• Owner: Dale Earnhardt, Jr
• Crew Chief: Mardy Lindley
• Connor Zilisch won the Pole Award for the US Marine Corps 250 with a lap of 19888 seconds, 95213 mph
• This is his third pole in 11 NASCAR Xfinity Series races
• This is his second pole and sixth top-10 start in 2025
• This is his first pole in one races at Martinsville Speedway
• Carson Kvapil (second) posted his fifth top-10 start of 2025 and his first in two races at Martinsville Speedway
• Austin Hill (third) posted his fourth top-10 start at Martinsville Speedway It is his fourth in seven races this season
• Connor Zilisch (first) was the fastest qualifying rookie

• Saturday, March 29th, 2025
• NASCAR Wire Service - Reid Spencer

Austin Hill wins bizarre, action-filled NASCAR Xfinity race at Martinsville

The speedway that robbed Austin Hill of a spot in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship 4 two years ago gave him a gift on Saturday.

Diving underneath a trio of wrecking cars in the final corner of overtime at Martinsville Speedway, Hill beat perennial bridesmaid Sheldon Creed to the finish line by 0.190 seconds to win Saturday’s US Marine Corps 250, giving Richard Childress his 100th win in the series and earning a $100,000 Dash 4 Cash bonus for the unlikely winner.

The ending of the race couldn’t have been more appropriate, given the rash of cautions that peppered green-flag action in the final stage. The ending also left 29th-place finisher Taylor Gray with thoughts of vengeance and 10th-place finisher Sammy Smith with an ostensible target on his back.

After the 14th caution for Matt DiBenedetto’s spin in Turn 2 sent the race to overtime, Gray lined up behind Smith, the leader, and used his bumper to wrest the top spot from Smith—returning the favor from the previous restart on Lap 249 of 256.

Gray, seeking his first Xfinity Series win, held the lead until Turn 3 of the final lap, when Smith charged into the corner, spun Gray’s No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and knocked it into the outside wall.

Hill hit the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet of Justin Allgaier from behind, sent him crashing into Smith. Hill sneaked through on the bottom, bringing Creed with him, as Allgaier held on for third. In the surprising victory, Hill led less than a quarter mile before taking the checkered flag.

“I chose the bottom because of how rough everybody was on restarts,” Hill said of the overtime. “I had to do what I had to do on the last lap. On that restart, it just got wild. We were definitely leaning on each other, and getting into (Turn) 3, I knew we were all going to get beating and banging, and I just drove it in as deep as I could.

“The all hit each other, and I hit the 7 (Allgaier) a little bit and dumped him off and got on the apron there and came home with the win… Man, I’m in disbelief that we’re in Victory Lane right not. It’s unbelievable. I actually said at the end of the race that I hated this place because of all the beating and banging that was going on—and to top it off, we won a hundred grand!”

After 14 cautions for 104 laps, pole winner Connor Zilisch’s sweep of the first two stages seemed a distant memory. Zilisch, however, didn’t figure in the outcome after a series of spins and contact with the outside wall eliminated him from contention.

Gray took the lead for the second time on Lap 183 and held it for 66 circuits and a series of six restarts. But Smith lined up behind the No. 54 Toyota for the restart on Lap 249 and moved Gray for the lead.
Smith’s charge into Gray’s Toyota on the final lap was more egregious.

“I feel like we had the best car all day,” said Gray, who suffered a similar fate in a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series loss to Christian Eckes last year. “I can’t thank everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing enough. We brought a really fast Operation 300 Toyota GR Supra.

“Just unfortunate—it’s the same story I’ve lived here for the past two Martinsville race in a row. It sucks, but it is what it is. Long year.”

Smith acknowledged that the last lap maneuver was over the top. He and Gray had a testy exchange after the race.

“I’m not proud of that, but if the roles were reversed, he would have done the same thing,” Smith said. “He’s got no respect for me… He was flipping me off on the red flag (for a multicar wreck that caused the 12th caution), swore at me. It was definitely uncalled for.

“I’m not proud of it, but he would have done the exact same thing. That’s what I told him.”

Brennan Poole finished fourth after the melee, joining Hill, Creed and Allgaier as eligible contenders for the next Dash 4 Cash bonus, to be contested April 12 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Sam Mayer was fifth, followed by Dean Thompson, Daniel Dye, Ryan Sieg, Kris Wright and Smith.

Zilisch, who finished 28th, led a race-high 100 laps to 87 for Gray. Creed, still seeking his first Xfinity victory, finished second for the 14th time, extending his record number of runner-up results for a non-winner.

Coincidentally, it was contact from Creed that denied Hill a spot in the Championship 4 in the fall race of 2023—when both drivers raced for RCR.

In a cosmic sense, the ledger was balanced with Hill’s win on Saturday.

• Drivers Entered: 40 (2 drivers will not make the race)
• Laps Scheduled: 250
• Laps Actual: 256 - NASCAR OVERTIME!
• Margin of Victory: 0.190 Seconds
• Time of Race: 2 Hours 27 Minutes 56 Seconds
• Average Speed: 54.615
• Cautions: 14 for 104 laps
• Lead Changes: 14
• Green Flag Passes: 2,046 (13.5 passes per green flag lap)

• Martinsville Speedway
• US Marine Corps 250
• Race Winner: Austin Hill
• Age: 30
• Team : No 21 - Bennett Transportation Chevrolet
• Owner: Richard Childress
• Crew Chief: Chad Haney
• Austin Hill won the US Marine Corps 250, his 12th victory in 121 Xfinity Series races
• This is his second victory and fifth top-10 finish in 2025
• This is his first victory and third top-10 finish in seven races at Martinsville Speedway
• Sheldon Creed (second) posted his fifth top-10 finish in seven races at Martinsville Speedway It is his fourth top-10 finish in 2025
• Justin Allgaier (third) posted his ninth top-10 finish in ten races at Martinsville Speedway
• Dean Thompson (sixth) was the highest finishing rookie
• Justin Allgaier leads the point standings by 41 points over Sam Mayer
• This was Richard Childress Racing's 100th NASCAR Xfinity Series win