NFPA 250 Recap: Allgaier's Three-Peat at The Paperclip

Phoenix. Darlington. Martinsville. Three consecutive wins for Justin Allgaier, and each one more convincing than the last. The NFPA 250 at Martinsville Speedway was the most dominant of the three — pole position, 114 laps led, 77.4 fantasy points, and a trophy at the most iconic short track in NASCAR.

Allgaier's No. 7 Chevrolet was in a class of its own at the 0.526-mile paperclip. Starting from pole position, he led 114 of 250 laps and never looked seriously threatened for the win. The 38-year-old veteran has found another gear in 2026, and the rest of the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series field is running out of answers.

"Three in a row at three completely different tracks," Allgaier said, clutching the grandfather clock trophy. "Phoenix is flat, Darlington is technical, Martinsville is a short track. This team can win anywhere."

He's not wrong.

Corey Day has been the most impressive rookie in the series through seven races, and Martinsville was his best performance yet. The No. 17 led 37 laps — the most by any driver not named Allgaier — and pushed the race leader on multiple restarts. Day's ability to brake later into Martinsville's tight corners gave him chances to challenge for the lead, and he converted one of those chances into a 15-lap run at the front in the second stage.

Day finished P2, just 0.7 seconds behind Allgaier. For a rookie at one of NASCAR's most demanding short tracks, it was a statement: Corey Day belongs at the front.

Sammy Smith (P3) continued his remarkable consistency — his sixth top-5 finish in seven races. Sheldon Creed (P4) added another strong result to his season ledger.

The biggest crowd reaction at Martinsville wasn't for the winner or the runner-up. It was for Lee Pulliam. The late-model legend from Semora, North Carolina — just 90 minutes from Martinsville — led 40 laps in the No. 9 and thrilled the hometown crowd with a P5 finish.

Pulliam's 40 laps led were the second-most behind Allgaier, and his short-track instincts were on full display. The NASCAR Weekly Series champion used the bottom groove like a surgeon, running door-to-door with Allgaier and Day in the second stage. The crowd rose to their feet every time the No. 9 took the lead, and Pulliam delivered 40 laps of pure short-track theater.

P5 was a remarkable result for a driver making limited O'Reilly Series starts, and Pulliam's laps-led bonus boosted his fantasy total into must-roster territory.

Austin Hill started 26th — his worst qualifying effort of the season — but refused to let a bad starting position ruin his day. Hill led 9 laps, won Stage 2, and climbed all the way to P6. That's +20 positions gained on a track where passing is notoriously difficult. The No. 21's crew chief made aggressive strategy calls on pit road that put Hill in clean air when it mattered.

Even more improbable was Ross Chastain, who started 38th — dead last — and weaved his way to P8. Chastain's short-track aggression was perfectly suited to Martinsville's bump-and-run culture. He used the chrome horn liberally through the first two stages, gaining positions on every restart, and finished 30 spots ahead of where he started.

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Comeback Kings

Stage 1 saw Allgaier control the opening 60 laps from pole position. The No. 7 was dominant on restarts, clearing Day and Pulliam through Martinsville's tight turns 1 and 2. Day (P2) and Pulliam (P4) banked stage points. Hill was still buried in 20th, working forward.

Stage 2 produced the most action. Lee Pulliam took the lead on a restart and held it for 25 laps, driving the crowd wild. Corey Day also led during the stage, trading the front spot with Pulliam for 10 thrilling laps. But Austin Hill — who had climbed from 26th to 8th — won the stage after an aggressive pit strategy call put him at the front during a late-stage caution. Hill's Stage 2 win was the highlight of a remarkable recovery drive.

The Final Stage was Allgaier's coronation. A restart with 50 laps to go saw the No. 7 clear Day through Turn 2, and from there, Allgaier pulled away methodically. Day hung within a second for 30 laps but couldn't make the pass. Pulliam faded from 3rd to 5th in the closing laps as his tires wore down, while Smith and Creed maintained their positions with clean, consistent runs.

• Allgaier's three-peat is historically significant — three wins at three different track types (flat mile, egg-shaped intermediate, flat short track) proves this isn't a hot streak — it's a dominant season. He's the must-own fantasy asset every week.
• 77.4 points from pole is the ideal ceiling — pole position plus 114 laps led plus a win is the fantasy dream scenario. Allgaier's dominance at Martinsville generated the second-highest single-race score of the O'Reilly season (behind Hill's 82.8 at Daytona).
• Corey Day is the real deal — 37 laps led and P2 at Martinsville as a rookie. Day has top-5 finishes in most races and led laps at The Paperclip. His trajectory suggests a win is coming soon.
• Lee Pulliam's 40 laps led made him a fantasy star — the local hero's laps-led bonus turned a P5 into a must-roster performance. When short-track specialists race at their home tracks, the fantasy upside is real.
• Austin Hill's comeback proves he's elite — P26 to P6 with 9 laps led and a Stage 2 win at Martinsville, where passing is nearly impossible. Hill's crew chief deserves as much credit as the driver.
• Ross Chastain from 38th to P8 is absurd — +30 positions at a 0.526-mile track with no high-speed drafting to help. Pure aggression, pure short-track racecraft. Chastain is the ultimate deep-value dart throw when he starts in the back.