ROCKINGHAM, N.C. (April 19) – Long after the checkered flag waved in the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ long-awaited return to Rockingham Speedway, Sammy Smith’s fortunes improved dramatically.
Smith was awarded the victory in the North Carolina Education Lottery 250 after the No. 2 Chevrolet of ostensible race winner Jesse Love was deemed to have violated Rule 14.14.2.I-5.h which covers trailing arm spacers and pinion angle shims.
“All mating surfaces of those parts need to be in complete contact with each other, and unfortunately they violated that rule and were disqualified,” said series director Eric Peterson.
The disqualification of Love’s car gave Smith his first victory of the season and the third of his career, as well as a $100,000 bonus as the winner of the final Xfinity Dash 4 Cash race of the season.
“It’s a tough way to win that, but I feel like we’ll take ‘em any way we can get ‘em,” Smith said after learning of Love’s disqualification. “We waited here to see what happens, but overall, it was a good day, and I’m very happy with the progress we’ve made recently.
“I’m kind of speechless, to be honest with you.”
After Love climbed from his car at the finish line, the No. 2 Camaro rolled away from him down the banking and into the infield grass. Perhaps that was an omen of problems to come.
Love had just done a celebratory burnout after a magnificent restart in overtime propelled him to the apparent victory. He finished 0.691m seconds ahead of Smith, but the margin was negated by the infraction, and the win went to the driver of the No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet.
Before the infraction was discovered, Love was ecstatic to win at “The Rock.”
“Oh, my gosh, these fans are amazing,” said Love, who was all but drowned out by the cheers from the onlookers, who celebrated the return of the Xfinity Series to Rockingham for the first time since 2004. “What an amazing race track. Man, this race track’s right in my alley. It’s hammer down—you’ve got to be in the gas good today.
Unfortunately, the fastest car on Saturday couldn’t pass post-race inspection.
In a race that featured 14 cautions for 83 laps—with nine yellows occurring in the final stage—Parker Retzlaff ran second, a career best; Harrison Burton was third, giving AM Racing its best-ever Xfinity Series finish; and Brennan Poole came home fourth, scoring his second top five in the last four races.
Sunoco rookie Taylor Gray completed the top five. Austin Hill, Josh Williams, Jeb Burton, Daniel Dye and Jeremy Clements finished sixth through 10th respectively.
Fans who came to Rockingham anticipating a show weren’t disappointed. A workable second groove opened above the bottom lane, and drivers were even able to roll three-wide through the corners on occasion, though some of the attempts to do so produced regrettable outcomes.
Katherine Legge’s sixth Xfinity Series start—and her first since 2023 at Road America—came to an early end on Lap 52, when hard contact from William Sawalich turned her No. 53 Chevrolet sideways in Turn 1.
Washington state’s Kasey Kahne from Enumclaw, making his first start in the series since 2017, sustained damage to the right front of his No. 33 Chevrolet, with the blow sending Legge’s Camaro up the track into the outside wall, eliminating her from the race.
Kahne had to pit for repairs to the nose of his car and lost a lap in the process, but he recovered to finish 14th after starting fourth.