2025 North Carolina Education Lottery 250
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| Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 10 of 33 of the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series | |||
 | |||
| Date | April 19, 2025 | ||
| Location | Rockingham Speedway in Rockingham, North Carolina | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 0.94 miles (1.51 km) | ||
| Distance | 256 laps, 240 mi (386 km) | ||
| Scheduled distance | 250 laps, 235 mi (378 km) | ||
| Average speed | 80.377 mph (129.354 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | JR Motorsports | ||
| Time | 22.630 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | |
| Laps | 77 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 8 | Sammy Smith | JR Motorsports | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | The CW | ||
| Announcers | Adam Alexander, Jamie McMurray, and Parker Kligerman | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | MRN | ||
The 2025 North Carolina Education Lottery 250 was the 10th stock car race of the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series, and the 1st iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, April 19, 2025, at Rockingham Speedway in Rockingham, North Carolina, a 0.94 miles (1.51 km) permanent oval shaped racetrack. The race was originally scheduled to be contested over 250 laps, but was increased to 256 laps due to an overtime restart.
In an action-packed and wreck-filled race, Sammy Smith, driving for JR Motorsports, would be given the victory following post-race inspection, after the original winner of the race, Jesse Love, was disqualified for a rear suspension violation, and was credited with a 37th-place finish.[8] This was Smith's third career NASCAR Xfinity Series win, and his first of the season.[9] Ryan Sieg led a race-high and career-high 77 laps, before being involved in a late-race incident and finishing 18th.[10] Following the DQ, Parker Retzlaff earned a career-best second-place finish with Alpha Prime Racing, and Harrison Burton, driving for AM Racing, rounded out the rest of the podium.
This was the first Xfinity Series race to be held at Rockingham since 2004, the return of Kasey Kahne in a NASCAR-sanctioned race since 2018, and the fourth and final race of the Dash 4 Cash. Drivers eligible for the D4C were Carson Kvapil, Justin Allgaier, Sammy Smith, and Brandon Jones, since they were the highest finishing Xfinity regulars following the race at Bristol. Smith was given the race win and claimed the $100K bonus cash.[11]
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
- (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
Practice
The first and only practice session was held on Friday, April 18, at 3:05 PM EST, and would last for 50 minutes.[12] Carson Kvapil, driving for JR Motorsports, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 22.899, and a speed of 147.779 mph (237.827 km/h).[13]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Carson Kvapil (R) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 22.899 | 147.779 |
| 2 | 88 | Connor Zilisch (R) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.052 | 146.799 |
| 3 | 00 | Sheldon Creed | Haas Factory Team | Ford | 23.061 | 146.741 |
| Full practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
Qualifying was held on Saturday, April 19, at 12:00 PM EST.[12] Since Rockingham Speedway is a mile oval, the qualifying system used is a single-car, single-lap system with one round. Drivers will be on track by themselves and will have one lap to post a qualifying time, and whoever sets the fastest time will win the pole.[14]
Connor Zilisch, driving for JR Motorsports, would score the pole for the race, with a lap of 22.630, and a speed of 149.536 mph (240.655 km/h). However, after getting a flat tire during his run, he will start at the rear of the field.[15]
Dawson Cram was the only driver who failed to qualify. Katherine Legge, who originally failed to qualify, would move to the No. 53 for Joey Gase Motorsports, replacing J. J. Yeley.[16]
