Sammy Smith was awarded the win in Saturday’s return to Rockingham Speedway after the car of Jesse Love was disqualified.
With Connor Zilisch having to drop to the rear of the field after having a flat tired following qualifying, Nick Sanchez would lead the Xfinity Series to the green flag for the start of the race. Zilisch would begin to make his way though the field when on lap 12 Vicente Salas would spin down the back stretch to bring out the first caution of the race.
Jesse Love would make contact with Sanchez’s left rear as he took the lead on lap 45. The second caution of the day would come on lap 52 when William Sawalich would make contact with the slower car of Katherine Legge. The car of Legge would make contact with Kahne before hitting the outside wall.
Sanchez would go onto win the first stage of the race. Multiple cars would pit under the stage break with Sanchez having to return to pit road to get his left rear tire tightened. Carson Kvapil would lead the field back to green on lap 71.Zilisch would have more issues on lap 106 as a right front tire went flat. Dean Thompson would take the lead for the restart and win the stage ahead of Jeb Burton, Jeremy Clement, Matt DiBenedetto and Anthony Alfredo.
Love would cycle to the lead as Thompson and others pitted. Another caution came out on lap 148 after Parker Retzlaff got a flat right front tire resulting in Thompson spinning Patrick Emerling as they attempted to avoid Retzlaff. This would allow Zilisch back on the lead lap. Ryan Sieg would then get a run at the front of the field. On lap 181 Kyle Sieg would spin while Ryan Ellis would collide with Jeremy Clement’s rear before hitting the inside wall. On lap 227 Blaine Perkins would lose a tire and hit the wall to bring out another yellow.
Sieg would have fuel concerns as would Love. A spin by Daniel Dye would bring out another yellow on lap 236. Sieg would fail to keep speed under caution as his car sputtered. When the race went green with 11 laps to Christian Eckes appeared to run out of gas which set off a chain reaction which caught up Justin Allgaier, Sanchez, Brandon Jones, Sieg, Austin Green, Thomas Annuziata, Kvapil and Clements.
On the restart another crash happened as cars ran out of gas forcing the event to overtime. Love would hold off the field to claim the win. In post race inspection the car of Love would be disqualified giving the win to Sammy Smith.
Rockingham Speedway Xfinity Series Results
April 19, 2025
|
POSITION
|
START
|
LED
|
BEHIND
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
S. Smith #8
|
13
|
–
|
Winner
|
|
2 |
P. Retzlaff #4
|
2
|
–
|
0.135
|
|
3 |
H. Burton #25
|
29
|
–
|
0.310
|
|
4 |
B. Poole #44
|
28
|
–
|
0.743
|
|
5 |
T. Gray #54
|
15
|
–
|
1.023
|
|
6 |
A. Hill #21
|
10
|
–
|
1.041
|
|
7 |
J. Williams #11
|
21
|
–
|
1.340
|
|
8 |
J. Burton #27
|
22
|
–
|
1.488
|
|
9 |
D. Dye #10
|
27
|
–
|
1.541
|
|
10 |
J. Clements #51
|
16
|
–
|
1.656
|
|
11 |
D. Thompson #26
|
18
|
–
|
1.680
|
|
12 |
B. Jones #20
|
6
|
–
|
1.723
|
|
13 |
C. Zilisch #88
|
1
|
–
|
1.776
|
|
14 |
K. Kahne #33
|
4
|
–
|
2.234
|
|
15 |
A. Alfredo #42
|
34
|
–
|
2.265
|
|
16 |
C. Kvapil #1
|
25
|
–
|
2.468
|
|
17 |
J. Bilicki #91
|
26
|
–
|
2.581
|
|
18 |
R. Sieg #39
|
12
|
–
|
4.200
|
|
19 |
P. Emerling #07
|
37
|
–
|
4.826
|
|
20 |
K. Sieg #28
|
35
|
–
|
8.319
|
|
21 |
J. Allgaier #7
|
8
|
–
|
2 Laps
|
|
22 |
G. Smithley #14
|
33
|
–
|
3 Laps
|
|
23 |
C. Eckes #16
|
9
|
–
|
4 Laps
|
|
24 |
V. Salas #45
|
36
|
–
|
5 Laps
|
|
25 |
W. Sawalich #18
|
5
|
–
|
8 Laps
|
|
26 |
S. Mayer #41
|
11
|
–
|
9 Laps
|
|
27 |
M. DiBenedetto #99
|
14
|
–
|
9 Laps
|
|
28 |
K. Wright #5
|
30
|
–
|
9 Laps
|
|
29 |
T. Annunziata #70
|
20
|
–
|
10 Laps
|
|
30 |
A. Green #87
|
32
|
–
|
15 Laps
|
|
31 |
N. Sanchez #48
|
3
|
–
|
16 Laps
|
|
32 |
B. Perkins #31
|
24
|
–
|
30 Laps
|
|
33 |
R. Ellis #71
|
23
|
–
|
76 Laps
|
|
34 |
G. Van Alst #35
|
38
|
–
|
85 Laps
|
|
35 |
S. Creed #00
|
17
|
–
|
147 Laps
|
|
36 |
K. Legge #32
|
31
|
–
|
206 Laps
|
|
37 |
J. Love #2
|
7
|
–
|
–
|
|
38 |
J. Bonsignore #19
|
19
|
–
|
99 Laps
|
