2026 NFPA 250
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| Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 7 of 33 in the 2026 NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series | |||
 | |||
| Date | March 28, 2026 | ||
| Location | Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 0.526 miles (0.847 km) | ||
| Distance | 250 laps, 131.5 mi (211.628 km) | ||
| Average speed | 55.015 mph (88.538 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | JR Motorsports | ||
| Grid positions set by competition-based formula | |||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | |
| Laps | 114 | ||
| Fastest lap | |||
| Driver | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | |
| Time | 20.491 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 7 | Justin Allgaier | 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 | ||
| Booth announcers | Alex Hayden, Mike Bagley, and Ryan Preece | ||
| Turn announcers | Dave Moody (1 & 2) and Tim Catafalmo (3 & 4) | ||
The 2026 NFPA 250 was a NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race held on Saturday, March 28, 2026, at Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia. Contested over 250 laps on the 0.526-mile (0.847 km) paperclip-shaped oval, it was the seventh race of the 2026 NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series season, and the sixth running of the event.
Justin Allgaier, driving for JR Motorsports, survived late chaos in the final stage which resulted in numerous cautions, and pulled away on the final restart to earn his 31st career NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series win, his third of the season, and his second consecutive win. Allgaier proceeded to dominate the race as well, winning the first stage and led a race-high 114 laps from the pole position.[9] Corey Day finished second, and Sammy Smith finished third. Sheldon Creed and Lee Pulliam (in his series debut) rounded out the top five, while Austin Hill, Dean Thompson, Ross Chastain, Ryan Sieg, and Brent Crews rounded out the top ten.
Background
Martinsville Speedway is a NASCAR-owned stock car racing track located in Henry County, in Ridgeway, Virginia, just to the south of Martinsville. At 0.526 miles (0.847 km) in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved oval tracks in NASCAR, being built in 1947 by H. Clay Earles. It is also the only remaining race track on the NASCAR circuit since its beginning in 1948.
The National Fire Protection Association was announced as the title sponsor on January 8.[10]
Entry list
- (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, March 27, at 4:20 PM EST, and would last for 50 minutes.[11]
Lee Pulliam, driving for JR Motorsports, set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 20.364 seconds, and a speed of 92.988 miles per hour (149.650 km/h).[12]
Practice results
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | Lee Pulliam | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.364 | 92.988 |
| 2 | 92 | Josh Williams | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 20.464 | 92.533 |
| 3 | 02 | Ryan Ellis | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.465 | 92.529 |
| Full practice results | ||||||
Starting lineup
Qualifying was originally scheduled to be held on Friday, March 27, at 5:35 PM EST, but after six cars took their laps, the rest of the session was cancelled due to inclement weather.[11][13] Justin Allgaier, driving for JR Motorsports, was awarded the pole position as a result of NASCAR's pandemic formula with a score of 1.000.[14]
Two drivers failed to qualify: Dawson Cram and Justin Carroll.
