The race at Rockingham Speedway was anything but normal. With 14 cautions shaking up the field, the action kept building lap after lap. But it was what happened after the race that changed everything. One car crossed the line first, but that wasn’t the end of the story. A post-race decision moved a different name to the top. The final finishing order now tells a story of speed, contact, and one call that turned the results upside down.
Sammy Smith Wins After Wild Finish at Rockingham
In a dramatic twist at Rockingham Speedway, Jesse Love initially appeared to win the North Carolina Education Lottery 250, but his No. 2 Chevrolet was disqualified for a trailing arm spacer violation.
This handed the victory to Sammy Smith, marking his first win of the season and third of his career. “It’s a tough way to win, but we’ll take it,” said Smith. Love, who led in overtime and finished first on track, was dropped to 37th. The disqualification came after his car rolled away post-race, foreshadowing the infraction discovered in inspection.
Complete Race Results: North Carolina Education Lottery 250
Following Sammy Smith’s exciting victory at Rockingham, a detailed look at the complete race results of the North Carolina Education Lottery 250 reveals the intense competition that unfolded.
| Finish | Car | Driver |
| 1 | 8 | Sammy Smith |
| 2 | 4 | Parker Retzlaff |
| 3 | 25 | |
| 4 | 44 | Brennan Poole |
| 5 | 54 | Taylor Gray |
| 6 | 21 | Austin Hill |
| 7 | 11 | Josh Williams |
| 8 | 27 | Jeb Burton |
| 9 | 10 | Daniel Dye |
| 10 | 51 | Jeremy Clements |
| 11 | 26 | Dean Thompson |
| 12 | 20 | Brandon Jones |
| 13 | 88 | |
| 14 | 33 | Kasey Kahne |
| 15 | 42 | Anthony Alfredo |
| 16 | 1 | |
| 17 | 91 | Josh Bilicki |
| 18 | 39 | Ryan Sieg |
| 19 | 7 | Patrick Emerling |
| 20 | 28 | Kyle Sieg |
| 21 | 7 | |
| 22 | 14 | Garrett Smithley |
| 23 | 16 | |
| 24 | 45 | Vicente Salas |
| 25 | 18 | William Sawalich |
| 26 | 41 | Sam Mayer |
| 27 | 99 | |
| 28 | 5 | Kris Wright |
| 29 | 70 | Thomas Annunziata |
| 30 | 87 | Austin Green |
| 31 | 48 | |
| 32 | 31 | Blaine Perkins |
| 33 | 71 | Ryan Ellis |
| 34 | 35 | Greg Van Alst |
| 35 | 0 | |
| 36 | 53 | Katherine Legge |
| 37 | 2 | Jesse Love |
| 38 | 19 | Justin Bonsignore |
Parker Retzlaff, Harrison Burton, and Brennan Poole concluded the top five, each displaying remarkable consistency and skill by completing the race distance.
News in Brief: NASCAR Xfinity Series Rockingham
Sammy Smith was awarded the win at Rockingham Speedway after Jesse Love was disqualified for a rules violation. Despite leading late and appearing to secure victory, Jesse Love’s car failed post-race inspection due to an issue with the trailing arm spacer. The penalty dropped him to 37th, giving Sammy Smith his first win of the season. The race featured 14 cautions and intense battles, with Parker Retzlaff, Harrison Burton, and Brennan Poole finishing in the top five.
