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Sammy Smith Wins Rockingham Xfinity Race After Jesse Love Disqualified
Sunday, April 20, 2025
NASCAR’s return to Rockingham Speedway for the first time in 20 years was already one of the wildest races of the season—but the real twist came after the checkered flag.
Though Jesse Love initially celebrated what looked like his first NASCAR Xfinity Series victory, a post-race inspection flipped the script. Officials disqualified Love’s No. 2 car for a technical infraction involving trailing arm spacers and pinion angle shims—handing the victory, and $100,000 Dash 4 Cash prize, to Sammy Smith.
Smith, who finished second on the track, was officially named the winner of the North Carolina Education Lottery 250, marking his first win of the 2025 season and third career Xfinity victory.
Post-Race Inspection Fallout (according to NASCAR.com)
- Rule Violation: Jesse Love’s car violated Rule 14.14.2.I-5.h—pertaining to trailing arm spacer and pinion angle shim contact points.
- Disqualification: Love was stripped of the win and officially scored 37th.
- Victory Reassigned: Sammy Smith inherits the win and Dash 4 Cash bonus.
- Quote from NASCAR: “All mating surfaces of those parts need to be in complete contact with each other, and unfortunately they violated that rule,” said series director Eric Peterson.
Race Recap Highlights
- Race Distance: 250 laps (235 miles) at the historic Rockingham Speedway.
- Cautions Galore: 14 total cautions and 2 red flags.
- Veteran Returns: Kasey Kahne made his first Xfinity start since 2017.
- Fuel Drama: Several front runners, including Ryan Sieg and Sam Mayer, ran out of gas late in the race.
- Dash 4 Cash Eligible: Sammy Smith, Justin Allgaier, Brandon Jones, and Carson Kvapil battled for the bonus.
- Lead Changes and Mayhem: Jesse Love had seemingly dominated the late stages before the disqualification reversed his outcome.
Revised Top 10 Finishers (Post-DQ)
1. Sammy Smith – Race winner & Dash 4 Cash $100k bonus
2. Parker Retzlaff
3. Harrison Burton
4. Brennan Poole
5. Taylor Gray
6. Austin Hill
7. Josh Williams
8. Jeb Burton
9. Daniel Dye
10. Ryan Sieg
In one of the most dramatic turnarounds in recent NASCAR memory, Sammy Smith went from runner-up to race winner hours after leaving the track. The disqualification of Jesse Love reshuffled the leaderboard and handed Smith a lucrative day—a race win and six figures richer.
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