Long Night in Tech Voids Love's Win at Rockingham, Sammy Smith Declared Winner

Sammy Smith was the surprise winner at Rockingham after Jesse Love's car failed tech inspection

(ROCKINGHAM, NC – APRIL 20, 2025 – RIS) Hours after the checkered flag, victory burnouts and the post-race celebrations, the results of Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series North Carolina Education Lottery 250 presented by Black's Tire got turned upside down. The Jesse Love-driven winning car failed to get through tech inspection when it was deemed to have violated NASCAR’S Rule 14.14.2.I-5.h which covers trailing arm spacers and pinion angle shims. This gave the win to Sammy Smith.

“All mating surfaces of those parts need to be in complete contact with each other, and unfortunately they violated that rule and were disqualified,” said series director Eric Peterson.

The change in finishing order gave Smith his third career win and first victory for the 2025 season, along with the $100,000 bonus for winning the final Xfinity Dash 4 Cash bonus race this year. After learning of Love’s disqualification, Smith commented that: “it’s a tough way to win that, but I feel like we’ll take ‘em any way we can get ‘em. We waited here to see what happens, but overall, it was a good day, and I’m very happy with the progress we’ve made recently.

“I’m kind of speechless, to be honest with you,” he added.

In addition to the win being overturned, Justin Bonsignore’s No. 19 Toyota was disqualified for lug nuts not installed in a safe and secure manner after finishing . Bonsignore had finished 36th of 38 drivers before the disqualification and the penalty dropped him to last in the field.

Updated Unofficial Results: the North Carolina Education Lottery 250 presented by Black’s Tire, April 19, 2025 - Rockingham Speedway 
Fin, Str, Driver, Car, Laps, St1, St2, Tms Led, Laps Led, Playoff Pts, Pts, Status
1) 13, Sammy Smith, No. 8 Pilot Chevrolet, 256, , , 1, 9, 5, 40, Running
2) 2, Parker Retzlaff, No. 4 Scentsy Chevrolet, 256, 2, , , , , 44, Running
3) 29, Harrison Burton, No. 25 DEX Imaging Ford, 256, , , , , , 34, Running
4) 28, Brennan Poole, No. 44 Macc Door Systems Chevrolet, 256, , , , , , 33, Running
5) 15, Taylor Gray #, No. 54 Operation 300 Toyota, 256, , 9, , , , 34, Running
6) 10, Austin Hill, No. 21 Bennett Transportation Chevrolet, 256, , , , , , 31, Running
7) 21, Josh Williams, No. 11 Alloy Employer Services Chevrolet, 256, , , , , , 30, Running
8) 22, Jeb Burton, No. 27 CELSIUS Chevrolet, 256, 5, 2, , , , 44, Running
9) 27, Daniel Dye #, No. 10 Champion Container Chevrolet, 256, , , , , , 28, Running
10) 16, Jeremy Clements, No. 51 Harrison's Chevrolet, 256, 9, 3, , , , 37, Running
11) 18, Dean Thompson #, No. 26 Thompson Pipe Group Toyota, 256, , 1, 1, 11, 1, 36, Running
12) 6, Brandon Jones, No. 20 Menards/Barracuda Toyota, 256, 10, 6, 2, 6, , 31, Running
13) 1, Connor Zilisch #, No. 88 WeatherTech Chevrolet, 256, , , , , , 24, Running
14) 4, Kasey Kahne, No. 33 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, 256, , , , , , 23, Running
15) 34, Anthony Alfredo, No. 42 Randco Chevrolet, 256, 4, 5, , , , 35, Running
16) 25, Carson Kvapil #, No. 1 Bass Pro Shops/Clarience Tech Chevrolet, 256, 7, 7, 2, 47, , 29, Running
17) 26, Josh Bilicki, No. 91 Insurance King Chevrolet, 256, , , , , , 20, Running
18) 12, Ryan Sieg, No. 39 Sci Aps Ford, 256, 3, , 2, 77, , 27, Running
19) 37, Patrick Emerling, No. 07 Firman Power Equipment Chevrolet, 256, , , , , , 18, Running
20) 35, Kyle Sieg, No. 28 Night Owl Companies Ford, 256, 6, 8, , , , 25, Running
21) 8, Justin Allgaier, No. 7 BRANDT Chevrolet, 254, , , , , , 16, Running
22) 33, Garrett Smithley, No. 14 Molly Strong Chevrolet, 253, , , , , , 15, Running
23) 9, Christian Eckes #, No. 16 Black's Tire Chevrolet, 252, , , 1, 1, , 14, Running
24) 36, Vicente Salas, No. 45 Miramar Financial Group Chevrolet, 251, , , , , , 13, Running
25) 5, William Sawalich #, No. 18 Soundgear Toyota, 248, , , , , , 12, Running
26) 11, Sam Mayer, No. 41 Audibel Ford, 247, , 10, , , , 12, Accident
27) 14, Matt DiBenedetto, No. 99 Viking Motorsports Chevrolet, 247, 8, 4, , , , 20, Accident
28) 30, Kris Wright, No. 5 First National Bank Corp Chevrolet, 247, , , , , , 9, Accident
29) 20, Thomas Annunziata, No. 70 Bayshore Mortgage Chevrolet, 246, , , , , , 8, Suspension
30) 32, Austin Green, No. 87 OVERPLAY Chevrolet, 241, , , , , , 7, Accident
31) 3, Nick Sanchez #, No. 48 Big Machine Vodka Spiked Chevrolet, 240, 1, , 2, 52, 1, 16, Accident
32) 24, Blaine Perkins, No. 31 Opti-Coat/KSDT CPA Chevrolet, 226, , , , , , 5, Accident
33) 23, Ryan Ellis, No. 71 Southern Elevator Chevrolet, 180, , , , , , 4, Accident
34) 38, Greg Van Alst, No. 35 CB Fabricating Chevrolet, 171, , , , , , 3, Brakes
35) 17, Sheldon Creed, No. 00 Road Ranger Ford, 109, , , , , , 2, Accident
36) 31, Katherine Legge(i), No. 53 Ace Hardware Rock Hill Chevrolet, 50, , , , , , 0, Accident
37) 7, Jesse Love, No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet, 256, , , 6, 53, , 2, Running
38) 19, Justin Bonsignore, No. 19 M3 Technology Toyota, 157, , , , , , 1, Accident
(i) Ineligible for driver points, (#) Rookie

Total Race Length: 256 Laps, 240.64 Miles
Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 59 Mins, 38 Secs.
Average Speed: 80.377 MPH
Margin of Victory: 0.691 Seconds

Fastest Lap Bonus: No. 2, lap 156, 23.267 sec

Stage 1 Top 10: 48, 4, 39, 42, 27, 28, 1, 99, 51, 20
Stage 2 Top 10: 26, 27, 51, 99, 42, 20, 1, 28, 54, 41

Comments: Sammy Smith has won the North Carolina Education Lottery 250 presented by Black’s Tire at Rockingham Speedway, his third career victory in the NASCAR Xfinity Series after on-track winner Jesse Love’s car was disqualified in post-race inspection.

Prior to the start, the following cars dropped to the rear for the reasons indicated: No. 35: engine change, No. 42: unapproved adjustment, No. 53: Driver Change, No. 88: Unapproved adjustments.

Failed to Qualify: (2) 32 Katherine Legge(i), 74 Dawson Cram.

Cautions: 14 for 83 laps;
Laps: 14-17 (No. 45 Incident Backstretch [None]);
53-58 (No. 18, 33, 53 Incident Turn 1 [14]);
62-70 (Stage 1 Conclusion [35]);
110-117 (No. 00, 19 Incident Turn 4 [14]);
122-128 (Stage 2 Conclusion [39]);
130-134 (No. 11, 18 Incident Turn 4 [33]);
139-143 (No. 35 Spin Turn 2 [88]);
149-153 (No. 07 Incident Backstretch [88]);
159-164 (No. 19 Incident Backstretch [07]);
182-188 (No. 28, 51, 71 Incident Backstretch [14]);
228-232 (No. 31 Incident Turn 4 [07]);
236-240 (No. 10, 33, 91 Incident Turn 3 [28]);
242-246 (No. 1, 7, 16, 20, 39, 48 Incident Turn 1 [Red Flag: 2:59] [28]);
249-254 (No. 27, 88 Incident Turn 2 [Red Flag: 5:38] [39]).

Lead Changes: 17 among 8 drivers;
C. Zilisch # 0;
N. Sanchez # 1-44;
J. Love 45-56;
N. Sanchez # 57-64;
C. Kvapil # 65-102;
J. Love 103;
C. Kvapil # 104-112;
D. Thompson # 113-123;
B. Jones 124-128;
J. Love 129-133;
B. Jones 134;
J. Love 135-160;
R. Sieg 161-187;
C. Eckes # 188;
R. Sieg 189-238;
J. Love 239-245;
S. Smith 246-254;
J. Love 255-256.

Unofficial Points: North Carolina Education Lottery 250 presented by Black’s Tire Rockingham Speedway
Rank, Driver, Car, Starts, GL, Points, Ldr, Nxt, Race Wins, Stage Wins, Playoff Pts
1) Justin Allgaier, 7, 10, 0, 411, 0, 0, 2, 3, 13
2) Sam Mayer, 41, 10, 0, 324, -87, 87, 0, 1, 1
3) Austin Hill, 21, 10, -1, 311, -100, 13, 2, 4, 14
4) Jesse Love, 2, 10, 1, 288, -123, 23, 1, 0, 5
5) Carson Kvapil #, 1, 10, -1, 286, -125, 2, 0, 0, 0
6) Brandon Jones, 20, 10, -1, 284, -127, 2, 1, 0, 5
7) Connor Zilisch #, 88, 10, 2, 284, -127, 0, 1, 2, 7
8) Sammy Smith, 8, 10, -2, 281, -130, 3, 1, 1, 6
9) Ryan Sieg, 39, 10, 0, 277, -134, 4, 0, 0, 0
10) Sheldon Creed, 00, 10, 2, 254, -157, 23, 0, 0, 0
11) Jeb Burton, 27, 10, -2, 251, -160, 3, 0, 0, 0
12) Harrison Burton, 25, 10, 0, 243, -168, 8, 0, 2, 2
13) Daniel Dye #, 10, 10, 2, 240, -171, 3, 0, 0, 0
14) Taylor Gray #, 54, 10, -2, 223, -188, 17, 0, 0, 0
15) Dean Thompson #, 26, 10, -3, 220, -191, 3, 0, 1, 1
16) Christian Eckes #, 16, 10, 2, 218, -193, 2, 0, 0, 0
17) Nick Sanchez #, 48, 10, 2, 218, -193, 0, 0, 1, 1
18) Brennan Poole, 44, 10, -1, 200, -211, 18, 0, 0, 0
19) Jeremy Clements, 51, 10, -2, 197, -214, 3, 0, 0, 0
20) Josh Williams, 11, 10, 0, 193, -218, 4, 0, 0, 0
21) Aric Almirola, , 4, 4, 186, -225, 7, 1, 1, 0
22) Parker Retzlaff, 4, 9, 0, 185, -226, 1, 0, 0, 0
23) Anthony Alfredo, 42, 10, -3, 155, -256, 30, 0, 0, 0
24) Matt DiBenedetto, 99, 10, 0, 147, -264, 8, 0, 0, 0
25) William Sawalich #, 18, 10, 2, 143, -268, 4, 0, 0, 0
26) Kyle Sieg, 28, 10, -2, 136, -275, 7, 0, 0, 0
27) Ryan Ellis, 71, 10, 2, 126, -285, 10, 0, 0, 0
28) Blaine Perkins, 31, 10, 1, 124, -287, 2, 0, 0, 0
29) Josh Bilicki, 91, 7, -1, 101, -310, 23, 0, 0, 0
30) Kris Wright, 5, 10, 1, 93, -318, 8, 0, 0, 0
31) Garrett Smithley, 14, 9, 0, 93, -318, 0, 0, 0, 0
32) Leland Honeyman, , 5, 0, 65, -346, 28, 0, 0, 0
33) Joey Gase, , 5, 0, 59, -352, 6, 0, 0, 0
34) Patrick Emerling, 07, 4, -2, 58, -353, 1, 0, 0, 0
35) Justin Bonsignore, 19, 4, 1, 54, -357, 4, 0, 0, 0
36) Mason Massey, , 5, 1, 45, -366, 9, 0, 0, 0
37) Nick Leitz, , 3, 0, 32, -379, 13, 0, 0, 0
38) Greg Van Alst, 35, 7, -2, 31, -380, 1, 0, 0, 0
39) Jordan Anderson, , 1, 1, 30, -381, 1, 0, 0, 0
40) Alex Labbe, , 2, 1, 30, -381, 0, 0, 0, 0
41) Thomas Annunziata, 70, 4, -5, 26, -385, 4, 0, 0, 0
42) Caesar Bacarella, , 1, 1, 24, -387, 2, 0, 0, 0
43) Kasey Kahne, 33, 1, 43, 23, -388, 1, 0, 0, 0
44) Brad Perez, , 2, 2, 23, -388, 0, 0, 0, 0
45) Patrick Staropoli, , 1, 2, 21, -390, 2, 0, 0, 0
46) Mason Maggio, , 4, 2, 21, -390, 0, 0, 0, 0
47) Ryan Truex, , 1, 2, 20, -391, 1, 0, 0, 0
48) Austin Green, 87, 3, -1, 19, -392, 1, 0, 0, 0
49) Corey Day, , 1, 2, 16, -395, 3, 0, 0, 0
50) CJ Mclaughlin, , 2, 2, 16, -395, 0, 0, 0, 0
51) Vicente Salas, 45, 1, 51, 13, -398, 3, 0, 0, 0
52) Carson Ware, , 2, 2, 12, -399, 1, 0, 0, 0
53) David Starr, , 1, 2, 11, -400, 1, 0, 0, 0
54) Myatt Snider, , 2, 2, 11, -400, 0, 0, 0, 0
55) Dawson Cram, , 2, 2, 7, -404, 4, 0, 0, 0
56) Sage Karam, , 1, 2, 5, -406, 2, 0, 0, 0
57) Preston Pardus, , 1, 2, 1, -410, 4, 0, 0, 0
58) Baltazar Leguizamon, , 1, 2, 1, -410, 0, 0, 0, 0
59) Kyle Larson(i), , 2, 2, 0, -411, 1, 1, 2, 0
60) William Byron(i), , 1, 2, 0, -411, 0, 0, 1, 0
61) Alex Bowman(i), , 1, 2, 0, -411, 0, 0, 1, 0
62) Chase Elliott(i), , 1, 2, 0, -411, 0, 0, 0, 0
63) Ross Chastain(i), , 2, 2, 0, -411, 0, 0, 0, 0
64) Corey Heim(i), , 3, 2, 0, -411, 0, 0, 0, 0
65) Riley Herbst(i), , 1, 2, 0, -411, 0, 0, 0, 0
66) Christopher Bell(i), , 1, 2, 0, -411, 0, 0, 0, 0
67) Katherine Legge(i), 53, 1, 67, 0, -411, 0, 0, 0, 0
68) Carson Hocevar(i), , 1, 3, 0, -411, 0, 0, 0, 0
69) Tyler Tomassi, , 0, 3, 0, -411, 0, 0, 0, 0
70) JJ Yeley(i), , 0, 3, 0, -411, 0, 0, 0, 0
(i) Ineligible for driver points in this series