Sammy Smith wins NASCAR O'Reilly Talladega race with last-lap pass
Sammy Smith earned his fourth career win in the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series at Talladega Superspeedway, and his first of the 2026 season. Just like Friday's Truck Series race, Smith pulled off a last-lap pass to claim victory. Driving the No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet, he passed teammate Carson Kvapil to win by 0.084s at the checkered flag. "Yeah, I'm out of breath," said Smith. "That ...…
Sammy Smith secured his fourth career win in the NASCAR O Reilly Auto Parts Series at Talladega Superspeedway, marking his first victory of the 2026 season. The JR Motorsports driver, driving the No. 8 Chevrolet, executed a last-lap pass, overtaking teammate Carson Kvapil to cross the finish line by just 0.084 seconds. Smith expressed his exhaustion after the intense mental battle, attributing his success to the well-executed race plan by JRM and his crew chief Cory Shea.
He acknowledged his spotter's assistance and expressed gratitude to everyone involved. In the race, Jesse Love finished third, Justin Allgaier fourth, and Sheldon Creed fifth. Overall, the JRM 1-2 finish continued to dominate the championship lead, with championship leader Jesse Love leading by 19 points, followed by Justin Allgaier and Corey Day in third place.
Written by urgent.news from Motorsport.com's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
This story
This is one outlet's version. Read the fullest account.
- NASCAR Cup title contenders living on a prayer at Talladega motorsport.com
- NASCAR Truck Series Talladega lineup, TV schedule for Friday's race sports.yahoo.com
