Carson Kvapil Goes Back-to-Back at Iowa Speedway

With nine laps to go in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Iowa Speedway, the finish looked like a mirror to the previous race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In both races, one JR Motorsports driver was out front and their teammate was forced to run them down. At Indy, Justin Allgaier failed to catch Carson Kvapil. The question of whether or not Kvapil would be able to run down Ross Chastain is one that was ultimately not answered. That battle was spoiled by a caution with five laps to go.

A wreck near the front took out multiple contenders, including Allgaier, Sam Mayer, and pole winner Ryan Sieg, leading to a second overtime restart. Ultimately the finish did end up mirroring Indianapolis, as Kvapil earned his second consecutive victory.

“It feels really cool to win again,” Kvapil said. “[It’s] not as big as Indy [but] I guess it goes to show what the No. 1 group has and what they bring to the race track. I felt like we were not the greatest the first two stages, but Rodney put his touches to it and turns us into a race winning car.”

The Indy parallels continued with a JR Motorsports teammate finishing second. This time, it was Rajah Caruth in the No. 88.

“We were not very good most of the first two stages. I think we got respectable there in Stage 3, just kind of chasing the balance,” Caruth said. “There were probably things I could do better.”

Rest of the Race

Ryan Sieg won his first career pole in his 423rd start and maintained the lead until the first caution came out on Lap 28 for Nathan Byrd. Sieg kept the lead on the restart. Meanwhile, defending champion Jesse Love jumped out of fourth gear and ended up losing multiple laps. Justin Allgaier kept Sieg honest, but the 39-year-old crossed the line to win his first stage since 2024. Allgaier, Sheldon Creed, Sammy Smith, Sam Mayer, Carson Kvapil, Brandon Jones, Corey Day, and William Sawalich also earned stage points.

Sheldon Creed won the race off pit road and led the field to the green flag for Stage 2. The caution came out on Lap 76 for the No. 29 ButtFace Chevrolet of Kyle Sieg, leading to another restart. Creed and Allgaier battled for the lead for the majority of the stage with Allgaier getting the lead on Lap 103 and going on to win his eighth stage of the season. Creed, Smith, Sieg, Mayer, Day, Brent Crews, Sawalich, Austin Hill, and Rajah Caruth also earned stage points.

Allgaier maintained the lead through Stage 3 and led even after a caution on Lap 152 for Anthony Alfredo. There was contact on the restart between Carson Kvapil and Brent Crews, which preceded another the yellow flag on Lap 159 for a spin from Chase bubble driver William Sawalich. Allgaier, Mayer, Nick Sanchez, Jeb Burton, Patrick Staropoli, Parker Retzlaff, and Jones (each of whom pitted under the Alfredo caution) stayed out while the rest of the lead lap cars went to pit road.

This led to a string of cautions, with yellows coming out for Carson Ware, Lavar Scott, and Mason Maggio on three consecutive restarts. Allgaier, Mayer, and other drivers pit under the caution for Maggio, which left Burton and Chastain to take the field to the green. A few laps after that restart, a tenth caution came out on Lap 194 for Corey Day.

From there, Chastain and Sieg battled for the lead before Chastain ultimately secured it until the caution for Burton. What followed was the Kvapil-Caruth battle that decided the race.

Points Outlook

Six drivers are entering the regular season finale at Daytona International Raceway in contention for four Chase spots. Parker Retzlaff sits +46, Sam Mayer +19, followed by William Sawalich and Brent Crews each at +1. Taylor Gray is -1, while Rajah Caruth is -15.

Race Results