The NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series standings underwent a shakeup on Saturday that resulted in the first new points leader since February. Justin Allgaier, the long-standing runaway favorite to win the 2026 championship, has been usurped by Sheldon Creed.
Two races into the Chase, Creed sits atop the standings with three more points than Allgaier. He erased a 35-point deficit by winning at Darlington Raceway and finishing second at World Wide Technology Raceway. Allgaier placed 17th and 13th respectively in those races.
Ordinarily, Allgaier’s race-long speed would help him supplement less-than-ideal finishes with stage points. He has indeed earned more stage points than Creed through two Chase races, 28 to 20. But given the 20-point advantage a race winner receives over the runner-up, Creed’s Darlington win is the difference-maker that pushes him ahead of Allgaier.
The Consequential Points Reset
Following the August 8 race at Iowa Speedway, the final race before the Chase cutoff at Daytona International Speedway, Justin Allgaier had a massive 238-point cushion over second-place Carson Kvapil. Creed was third at that point, as he still was when the Chase began. If not for the points reset prior to Darlington, Allgaier would be almost impossibly out of reach.
Now, for the first time since Circuit of the Americas on February 28, Justin Allgaier doesn’t lead the standings at all. Not by 238 points, and not by the 25 points he had over Kvapil following the Chase reset. Though NASCAR’s format change sought to place more emphasis on season-long performance, two subpar finishes have wiped out a points lead that recently appeared untouchable.
Collateral Damage
Though Creed’s pair of top-two finishes helped considerably, part of the reason for the recent power change is poor luck during Allgaier’s first two Chase races. At Darlington following a Stage 1 win, handling issues sent the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet plummeting through the running order to 17th.
Allgaier appeared poised for a rebound at World Wide Technology Raceway on Saturday, but sustained damage from an incident not of his own making. A push from Taylor Gray sent Allgaier forward into the back bumper of Corey Day, causing contact between Day and William Sawalich. With a bitter rivalry simmering between those two drivers, Sawalich hooked a hard left slamming into Day and sending him to the inside wall. Day’s car took a chunk out of Allgaier’s right-front fender as it slid.
Allgaier spoke post-race about two other drivers’ feud affecting his night and points situation. “It’s one thing for those two to have a problem on the race track,” he said. “But when it starts affecting other people that are in the Chase, I think that’s where it’s really difficult.”
