US Marine Corps 250

RACE RECAP

Austin Hill delivered a commanding performance in the US Marine Corps 250 at Martinsville Speedway, converting a 3rd-place starting position into a trip to victory lane. The No. 21 led 1 laps on the day and scored 59.1 fantasy points. The margin of victory was 0.190.

Sheldon Creed (No. 00) finished second after starting 18th — an impressive climb of 16 positions, while Justin Allgaier (No. 7) completed the podium in third. The stage battles added another layer of intrigue: Connor Zilisch captured Stage 1 and Connor Zilisch won Stage 2. The race featured 14 lead changes among 10 drivers — Connor Zilisch led a race-high 100 laps but couldn't convert track dominance into the victory. Bumpers were tools, not decoration, on this demanding short track where every inch of real estate was contested.

The biggest mover of the race was Jeb Burton (No. 27), who charged from 38th to 11th — a gain of 27 positions that made the No. 27 one of the top fantasy value plays. Brennan Poole also impressed, climbing from 29th to 4th.

The race wasn't without drama — 6 drivers failed to finish. Jesse Love (started 4th) was collected in an accident after completing 216 laps. From a fantasy perspective, Austin Hill led all scorers with 59.1 points, followed by Justin Allgaier (44.5) and Connor Zilisch (39).

BY THE NUMBERS

Lead Changes

Leaders

14/104

Cautions / Laps

DNFs

2,046

Green Flag Passes

0.190

Margin of Victory

54.615

Avg MPH

2:27:56

Race Time

41.6%

Under Caution

9.7

Avg Green Run (Laps)

Stage Winners

S1Connor Zilisch

S2Connor Zilisch

Lap Leaders

#88Zilisch100laps

#54Gray87laps

#20Jones22laps

#16Eckes22laps

#19Almirola7laps

#8Smith6laps

#7Allgaier5laps

#18Sawalich4laps

#00Creed2laps

#21Hill1laps

Caution Breakdown

1L55–6713LNos. 17, 25 Incident Turn 2 / Stage 1 ConclusionLD #31

2L82–887LNo. 14 Spin FrontstretchLD #99

3L96–1016LNo. 26 Spin Turn 1LD #70

4L122–13211LStage 2 ConclusionLD #24

5L141–1477LNos. 25, 70 Incident Turn 2LD #14

6L155–1606LNos. 1, 41 Incident FrontstretchLD #53

7L177–1837LNo. 88 Spin Turn 2LD #28

8L192–1976LNo. 07 Spin Turn 2LD #35

9L201–2088LNo. 25 Spin Turn 4LD #71

10L211–2155LNo. 26 Spin Turn 2LD #71

11L218–22811LNos. 1, 2 Incident Turn 1LD #17

12L233–2386LNos. 48, 16, 91, 28, 11, 25 Incident Backstretch [Red Flag: 00:11:27]LD #17

13L243–2486LNo. 18, 88, 51 Incident Turn 4LD #07

14L250–2545LNo. 99 Spin Turn 2LD #88

KEY TAKEAWAYS

01Austin Hill won the US Marine Corps 250 from 3rd, leading 1 laps and scoring 59.1 fantasy points — the highest of the field.

02Connor Zilisch swept both stages, earning 20 bonus fantasy points on top of a 28th-place finish.

03Jeb Burton was the top mover, climbing 27 positions from 38th to 11th — the kind of place differential that wins fantasy weeks.

04Connor Zilisch led a race-high 100 laps but could only manage a 28th-place finish — a reminder that leading laps doesn't always translate to wins.

056 drivers failed to finish, including Jesse Love (started 4th, out with accident). These DNFs turned promising fantasy starts into busts.

06The race saw 14 cautions for 104 laps and 14 lead changes among 10 drivers at an average speed of 54.615 mph.

07Sheldon Creed quietly put together one of the best drives of the day, climbing from 18th to finish runner-up with 35.2 fantasy points.

PERFECT LINEUP

Optimal 5-driver roster for this race

Salary

$0/50

Avg Finish

P8.2

Total Points

336.03

Group	Driver	Salary	Finish	Led	Bonus	Pts
A	Austin Hill	$0	1	1	+4 S1:4	118.20 2 × 59.10
B	Justin Allgaier	$0	3	5	+10 S1:7 S2:3	77.88 1.75 × 44.50
C	Connor Zilisch	$0	28	100	+20 S1:10 S2:10	58.50 1.5 × 39.00
D	Daniel Dye	$0	7	0	+7 S2:7	46.25 1.25 × 37.00
E	Sheldon Creed	$0	2	2	0	35.20 1 × 35.20