Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s JR Motorsports secures three spots in NASCAR championship battle

The penultimate race of the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series season is over, and three drivers from Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s owned team, JR Motorsports, have secured spots among the four qualified drivers in the final field for the coveted championship race.

Series newcomer Connor Zilisch and reigning Xfinity Series champion Justin Allgaier, both JR Motorsports drivers, had entered Saturday’s race as the only two championship contenders in a 38-car field. Named IAA and Ritchie Bros. 250, the 250-lap race witnessed a first-time winner, Taylor Gray, driver of the No. 54 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing.

And with that, a third driver from Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s NASCAR team joined the championship picture. It was none other than Carson Kvapil, son of 2003 Craftsman Truck Series champion Travis Kvapil and driver of the No. 1 JR Motorsports Chevy.

The only other driver in the top four is Jesse Love, who competes full-time for Richard Childress Racing. Noting the same, Jeff Gluck of The Athletic took to X and wrote,

“Taylor Gray was too good in overtime! CLEAN FINISH. HE WINS! First career victory! Behind him, Carson Kvapil gets the last spot by four points over Brandon Jones. Final four: Zilisch, Allgaier, Love, Kvapil. Eliminated: Jones, Smith, Mayer, Creed.”

The points have been reset, and Connor Zilisch tops the leaderboard as of now. 31 races into the season, the Charlotte, North Carolina native has amassed a series-high ten wins, 19 top fives, and 22 top-10s.

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When Dale Earnhardt Jr. emerged victorious in his debut Xfinity Series race as Connor Zilisch’s crew chief

Dale Earnhardt Jr. served as Connor Zilisch’s crew chief in the Explore the Pocono Mountains 250 at Pocono Raceway on June 21, 2025. Zilisch’s usual crew chief, Mardy Lindley, stayed out serving a one-race suspension for unsecured lug nuts in an earlier race.

Dale Jr., a two-time Xfinity Series champion, found success in his very first attempt at calling races from atop the pitbox. Zilisch won the race, marking his first career oval victory.

“I felt like I really did have a role today that was probably even more than I anticipated," Dale Earnhardt Jr. said in a statement. “But I did get a big assist from out of the gate.”

“All the guys on this team, we all sat down at meetings early in the week, understood what we needed to accomplish, had an idea in a game plan, right? We'd come off the trailer fast, car's comfortable. That was helpful. So we were ready for the race,” he added.

All eyes are now on Phoenix Raceway, which will host the Xfinity Series Grand Finale event. Scheduled for Saturday, November 1, the 200-lap race will be televised on CW from 7:30 pm ET onwards. Fans can listen to live radio updates as well on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.