HAMPTON, Ga. — Justin Allgaier survived one of the wildest NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series races of the season Saturday night, conquering the Focused Health 250 at EchoPark Speedway after a race that featured a season-high four red flags, numerous multi-car crashes and a frantic double-overtime sprint to the finish.
The 40-year-old drove the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet to Victory Lane, holding off Carson Kvapil and Parker Retzlaff over the closing laps to earn his 34th career NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series victory. Kvapil finished runner-up, while Retzlaff crossed the line in third.
“You just never give up,” Allgaier said after the race. “I didn’t know what was going to happen at the end of the race there and it came down to us.”
Starting 16th, Allgaier steadily worked his way toward the front throughout a race that featured a lot of back-and-forth for the lead as cautions repeatedly reset the field and strategy evolved.
Pole sitter Sam Mayer led the field to the green flag after posting the fast lap of 173.554 mph in qualifying earlier Saturday, but his race took an early turn as on-track incidents derailed what had started as a promising race. A broken radiator would retire him from the event prematurely.
A massive multi-car crash with approximately 12 laps remaining collected several contenders, including Jesse Love, Brent Crews and Sheldon Creed, forcing one of four red flags.
On the following restart, another major incident inside 10 laps to go swept up race favorites Austin Hill and Rajah Caruth, among several more frontrunners, once again bringing the race to a halt and setting up a dramatic finish.
As many of the night’s fastest cars were eliminated, Allgaier carved his way through the field on the final restart and made a daring pass on Brennen Poole on the back straightway, putting himself in position for the victory on the final lap.
The race extended beyond its scheduled distance with two overtime restarts, where Allgaier’s veteran experience made the difference. Allgaier fended off a determined Carson Kvapil and Parker Retzlaff—both searching for their first career NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series victories—to secure the win after an action-packed night at EchoPark Speedway.
“Going to focus forward and do what we can to keep brining fast cars,” said second place finisher Kvapil. “For my career, I need to win races and prove that I belong here.”
The victory marks Allgaier’s sixth NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series win of the 2026 season and second at EchoPark Speedway, further strengthening his position atop the championship standings and clinching the regular season title.
William Sawalich in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 finished in fourth, while Anthony Alfredo in the No. 96 for Viking Motorsports rounded out the top 5 finishers.
