Sammy Smith completed an impressive weekend sweep at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday, winning The Progress Group 250 just one day after capturing the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory. The JR Motorsports driver started 11th and led only the final lap before securing his first NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series victory of the 2026 season.
Smith remained competitive throughout the afternoon as teammate Carson Kvapil dominated much of the race. He helped JR Motorsports control the drafting lanes while the organization swept both stages. The decisive moment came on the final lap when Sam Mayer moved out of line but could not clear Smith. Justin Allgaier then provided a strong push down the backstretch, allowing Smith to surge past Kvapil for
the lead.
Smith held off his teammate by just 0.084 seconds, securing his fourth career series victory and second at Talladega. The win snapped a 53-race winless streak and made Smith the first non-Cup Series driver since Greg Biffle in 2001 to sweep a Truck and second-tier NASCAR race at the same track on the same weekend.
Smith climbed to 2,293 points in the championship standings, remaining seventh and trailing leader Jesse Love by 108 points.
This article originally appeared on Motorsports Wire: Sammy Smith's championship hopes still alive after Talladega victory
