2026 North Carolina Education Lottery 250
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 8 of 33 in the 2026 NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series | |||
 | |||
| Date | April 4, 2026 | ||
| Location | Rockingham Speedway in Rockingham, North Carolina | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 0.94 miles (1.51 km) | ||
| Distance | 250 laps, 235 mi (378.2 km) | ||
| Average speed | 98.878 miles per hour (159.129 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Hendrick Motorsports | ||
| Time | 22.717 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Corey Day | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Laps | 118 | ||
| Fastest lap | |||
| Driver | William Sawalich | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Time | 23.590 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 18 | William Sawalich | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | The CW | ||
| Announcers | Adam Alexander and Parker Kligerman | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | MRN | ||
| Booth announcers | Alex Hayden and Kyle Rickey | ||
| Turn announcers | Tim Catafalmo (1 & 2) and Nathan Prowdi (3 & 4) | ||
The 2026 North Carolina Education Lottery 250 was a NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race held on Saturday, April 4, 2026, at Rockingham Speedway in Rockingham, North Carolina. Contested over 250 laps on the 0.940-mile (1.513 km) asphalt speedway, it was the eight race of the 2026 NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series season, and the second running of the event.
William Sawalich, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, made a late charge and dominated the final stage, leading the final 79 laps and holding off his teammate Brandon Jones to earn his first career NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series win.[10] Corey Day swept both stages and led a race-high 118 laps, before a late pit stop cycled him back, eventually rebounding to finish tenth.[11] Jones finished second, and Justin Allgaier finished third. Rajah Caruth and Carson Kvapil rounded out the top five, while Sheldon Creed, Taylor Gray, Parker Retzlaff, Ryan Sieg, and Day rounded out the top ten.
For the second consecutive year, the race, along with the Craftsman Truck Series race would take place during the first of two bye weeks for the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series.
Report
Rockingham Speedway and Entertainment Complex (formerly known as North Carolina Speedway from 1998 to 2007 and North Carolina Motor Speedway from 1965 to 1996) is a 0.94 mi (1.51 km) D-shaped oval track in Rockingham, North Carolina. The track has held a variety of events since its opening in 1965, including the NASCAR Cup Series from 1965 to 2004, and currently the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, and the ARCA Menards Series East. It has a 32,000-seat capacity as of 2012. Rockingham Speedway is owned by the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA).
Entry list
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
Practice
The first and only practice session was held on Friday, April 3, at 1:30 PM EST, and lasted for 50 minutes, although it was delayed numerous times due to inclement weather.[12]
Kyle Sieg, driving for RSS Racing, set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 23.208 seconds, and a speed of 145.812 miles per hour (234.662 km/h).[13]
Practice results
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 | Kyle Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 23.208 | 145.812 |
| 2 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 23.212 | 145.787 |
| 3 | 21 | Austin Hill | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 23.216 | 145.762 |
| Full practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
Qualifying was held on Friday, April 3, at 2:35 PM EST.[12] Since Rockingham Speedway is a mile oval, the qualifying procedure used was a single-car, one-lap system with one round. Drivers were on track by themselves and had one lap to post a qualifying time, and whoever set the fastest time won the pole.[14]
Corey Day, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, qualified on pole position with a lap of 22.717 seconds, and a speed of 148.963 miles per hour (239.733 km/h).[15]
No drivers failed to qualify.
