Justin Allgaier wins Atlanta NASCAR O'Reilly race

Justin Allgaier secured his sixth victory of the 2026 NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts season in an unexpectedly dramatic fashion. Starting from fifth position during a double overtime restart, he navigated through the turmoil to achieve his 34th career win.

JR Motorsports achieved a 1-2 finish, with Carson Kvapil narrowly capturing second place at the finish line. Parker Retzlaff finished third, William Sawalich fourth, and Anthony Alfredo fifth.

As the race approached the white flag, Brennan Poole was leading with Nick Sanchez in pursuit. However, they collided following contact from Kvapil during their battle for the win. Poole, disappointed, ended up in 17th place, while Sanchez finished 19th.

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The race was marked by a record 13 cautions and four red flags, extending the event to over three hours.

Stages 1 and 2

Jeb Burton experienced a clutch issue prior to the race's commencement, resulting in his withdrawal before the green flag was waved.

Shortly after the race began, Joey Gase encountered a mechanical problem, leaking fluid on the track. This necessitated an extensive cleanup, delaying the race's resumption by over ten laps.

Pre-race favorite Hill faced challenges as he pitted to address a sticking throttle, which the RCR team successfully resolved.

The race settled into a single-file formation at the front, with Leland Honeyman spinning at the exit of Turn 4, concluding the green-flag stint.

Pole-sitter Mayer lost the lead and struggled in traffic, hitting the wall and suffering a flat tire. The race continued under green as he guided his Haas Chevy back to the pits.

Kvapil claimed victory in Stage 1 as Jones spun in the midfield, involving Hill and causing minor damage to the No. 21.

Crews took control after staying out during the stage break, but a series of lead changes ensued during the restart. Crews, H. Burton, S. Smith, and Caruth each led at some point before Smith ultimately prevailed.

Staropoli spun on the apron, but the race remained under green as the field spread out. JRM dominated, creating a significant gap. At the stage's conclusion, Smith and Allgaier were ahead, with Allgaier overtaking Smith in a photo finish for Stage 2.

Stage 3

The final stage began with 65 laps remaining. A caution followed as H. Burton's engine failed, necessitating another extensive cleanup.

Creed led the race when the green flag was waved again, maintaining control despite aggressive moves from competitors, including Hill's frequent three-wide maneuvers.

Corey Day and Taylor Gray caused the sixth caution by crashing at the exit of Turn 4, leading to a red flag and another lengthy cleanup. A restart stackup soon after resulted in Mayer sustaining significant nose damage, while Clements spun in a separate incident.

This prompted another red flag with 40 laps remaining. Smith executed a bold three-wide move for the lead, which allowed Caruth to clear both Smith and Creed for the lead.

Another short run ensued as Glen Reen spun at the back of the pack. Jake Finch lost control and hit the wall, causing another caution. Finch was running just outside the top five and later caused a subsequent caution due to issues with his damaged car.

During the caution, Hill took the lead. However, JRM collaborated on the restart to regain control, with Allgaier taking the lead. Shortly thereafter, the third red flag was issued as Jordan Anderson attempted a four-wide maneuver, resulting in multiple cars crashing into the wall. Anderson, Love, Creed, and Crews were significantly damaged, along with Honeyman, Retzlaff, Sawalich, Jones, Leitz, and Thompson.

Throughout these red flag periods, JRM team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. provided guidance to his drivers, who were positioned 1-2-3-4 for a restart with seven laps remaining.

The front of the field experienced intense competition as Hill advanced. He was squeezed into the wall by Allgaier, later moving Allgaier aside in the next corner.

As Smith and Kvapil battled for the lead, Hill attempted a daring three-wide move. However, a mid-corner bump from Sanchez caused Hill to spin, resulting in a multi-car crash. The incident involved Hill, three JRM cars—Smith, Caruth, and Allgaier—and Ryan Ellis, who collided heavily with Hill's spinning car. K. Sieg and Staropoli were also affected.

This led to a fourth red flag, pushing the race into overtime. The race soon entered double overtime as Clements struggled to start and was turned into the outside wall on the restart, colliding with Lavar Scott and causing significant damage to both vehicles.

On the restart, Sieg ran out of fuel, allowing Sanchez to take the lead. Poole surged ahead, seeking his first official NASCAR O'Reilly victory, and was leading at the white flag. Unfortunately, moments later, he crashed into the outside wall with Sanchez.

With sparks flying, Allgaier took control, and despite Retzlaff trailing closely, he lacked support. Allgaier secured the victory, with Kvapil overtaking Retzlaff at the finish line to ensure a JRM 1-2 finish.