On his last two trips to Martinsville Speedway, Taylor Gray has found himself in prime position to score his first NASCAR victory. This time around he made it happen.
When the checkered flag flew on Saturday’s (Oct. 25) NASCAR Xfinity Series race at the track, Gray was able to survive late chaos and score a win.
The triumph came with no drama from Gray’s end of things, but that doesn’t mean the finish was tame. He found himself holding off a hard charge from all four drivers below the cut line within the top seven on the final overtime restart.
In what felt like deja vu for those that experienced the fever dream of a finish the spring Martinsville race, Sammy Smith finished runner-up with a chance to move Gray in the final set of corners. Luckily for the No. 54, Smith opted to learn from his past mistakes and race clean.
Brandon Jones and Sheldon Creed were also close by in third and fourth, but their efforts weren’t enough to make it to the Championship 4. Aric Almirola rounded out the top five.
The pair finishing sixth and seventh were the hottest topic leaving the track. Jeb Burton got the upperhand on Sam Mayer for sixth after moving him out of the way to gain the spot. What Burton likely didn’t expect was for the No. 41 to junk him in turn 1 following the checkered flag.
Dean Thompson, Connor Zilisch and Justin Bonsignore rounded out the top 10, coming home just behind the carnage unfolding ahead.
The Winners
Carson Kvapil and Jesse Love didn’t have winning days in terms of where they finished, but they each did enough to move on and fight for a championship next week in Arizona. The pair both had bad luck find them throughout the night, but were able to power through it.
Joe Gibbs Racing as a whole enjoyed a great outing at the Paperclip. All four of the team’s cars ended up in the top 10. While none of the full-time drivers for the organization will fight for a championship next week, the No. 19 team will be battling for the owner’s title. Could this be the momentum they need to get the job done in the desert next week?
Martinsville is always good to a few underdogs in the field and tonight was no exception. Jeb Burton had a great run in sixth, while his cousin Harrison Burton was right outside the top 10 in 11th. Myatt Snider also had a great night, coming home in 14th.
The Losers
Mayer was the night’s biggest loser on multiple fronts after the dust settled.
Firstly he was eliminated from title contention in the race. Then Mayer went on to stain his reputation from the moment he crossed the finish line. Wrecking an underfunded team intentionally isn’t a good look regardless of the circumstances. Given the fact that Mayer has talked about his aspirations of racing in the Cup Series and shock that he hasn’t gotten called up yet, this won’t help his case of getting there in the slightest.
At one point in stage one, all three of Kaulig Racing’s cars found themselves in the top 10. But when the race was over, all of them were below the top 25, with Christian Eckes coming home 27th, Daniel Dye in 33rd and Brenden Queen relegated to 35th. While the company has a lot to be excited about next year with its brand new truck team, Kaulig still wants to finish off the year strong. That didn’t happen on Saturday night.
Fuel for Thought
The final four drivers are set to do battle next weekend. Zilisch, Justin Allgaier, Kvapil and Love will all duel it out in the final race of the season. All things considered, this lineup was predictable before the season started.
As the tour’s lead veteran and defending champion, Allgaier was expected to be here. Love showed promise last season in taking the next step to become a championship contender. Everyone knew that Zilisch and Kvapil were going to be formidable as rookies based on their resume in the select starts they made in 2024.
The path to this point didn’t play out how anyone would’ve seen it unfolding to start the year, but here we are. The only question that remains is who will hold up the trophy in a week.
Paint Scheme of the Week
With Halloween lurking around the corner, there were a ton of amazing schemes to choose from this week. But Snider’s car adorning the Sour Boys colors has to be the winner for the week. It’s a spooky scheme with a candy company on the car. That’s a perfect match if you ask me.
Where to Next?
The NASCAR Xfinity Series heads out to Phoenix Raceway for the final, championship-deciding race of Xfinity’s tenure as the tour’s presenting sponsor. Allgaier will look to defend his title against the other three championship contenders. Find out who will hoist the championship trophy on Saturday, Nov. 1, at 7:30 p.m. ET on The CW.
