In a dramatic post-race development, Jesse Love’s No. 2 Whelen Engineering Chevrolet has been disqualified following Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Rockingham Speedway. NASCAR officials cited issues with the rear suspension during post-race technical inspection as the reason for the disqualification.

As a result, JR Motorsports driver Sammy Smith has been officially declared the winner of the North Carolina Education Lottery 250. Smith, who originally crossed the finish line second after Love’s late-race pass, now claims his first victory of the 2025 season and inherits the $100,000 Dash4Cash bonus he had already earned with his runner-up finish.

Jesse Love secured his third career NASCAR Xfinity Series victory on Saturday, winning the North Carolina Education Lottery 250 at Rockingham Speedway in dramatic fashion. The 20-year-old Richard Childress Racing driver showcased both speed and tactical prowess to claim the checkered flag in NASCAR Overtime.

Love, driving the No. 2 Whelen Engineering Chevrolet, demonstrated dominant performance throughout the 250-lap contest but needed late-race maneuvering to seal the win. After multiple cautions bunched the field, Love found himself in third position heading into overtime. With a well-timed bump to Sammy Smith’s rear bumper in Turn 1, Love moved the JR Motorsports driver up the track and shot into the lead coming off Turn 2.

The Menlo Park, California native then pulled away from the pack, which was engaged in two and three-wide battles behind him. Love crossed the finish line with a comfortable 0.691-second advantage.

“These fans are amazing. What an incredible racetrack, you probably can’t even hear me, right now,” Love exclaimed during his post-race interview, barely audible over the cheering crowd. “Man, this racetrack is right up my alley, it’s hammer down, and you’ve got to be in the gas good today. I had such an incredible car.”

Fuel strategy played a significant role in the race’s outcome, similar to Friday’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event. Several drivers found themselves on the edge of their fuel windows during the closing laps. The fuel situation created dramatic moments, including a nine-car wreck triggered by Christian Eckes’ stuttering car on one restart.

Ryan Sieg, who led a race-high 77 laps, saw his chance at a first career NASCAR Xfinity Series victory evaporate when his vehicle ran out of fuel with just 11 laps remaining. Sieg was later caught in the multi-car accident and finished 19th.

Sammy Smith claimed second place after leading nine of the final 11 laps. His runner-up finish earned him the $100,000 Dash4Cash bonus. Parker Retzlaff matched his career-best result with a third-place finish in his No. 4 Scentsy Chevrolet, delivering Alpha Prime Racing’s best-ever NASCAR Xfinity Series result.

Harrison Burton secured fourth place, matching AM Racing’s best finish in the Xfinity Series, while Brennan Poole followed up his strong Martinsville performance with another top-five result.

Rounding out the top ten were Taylor Gray (sixth), Austin Hill (seventh), Josh Williams (eighth), Jeb Burton (ninth), and Daniel Dye (tenth).

Former NASCAR Cup Series champion Kasey Kahne made his first Xfinity Series start since 2017, finishing a respectable 15th despite sustaining damage in two separate incidents to his No. 33 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet.

The grueling race lasted over three hours and featured multiple red-flag periods for extensive track cleanup. Only 26 drivers completed the event.

In the championship standings, Justin Allgaier maintains the points lead by 79 points over Jesse Love, who moves up to second place. Sam Mayer, Austin Hill, and Carson Kvapil complete the top five in the standings.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series continues next weekend at Talladega Superspeedway for the Ag-Pro 300, scheduled for Saturday, April 26, at 4:30 PM ET. Coverage will be available on The CW, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images