HAMPTON, Ga. — Nick Sanchez clinched his first career NASCAR Xfinity Series victory early Saturday morning at EchoPark Speedway. The race, delayed by lightning, concluded at 12:26 a.m. ET. Sanchez, the 24-year-old rookie, took the top spot in a race that saw four rookies finish in the top five.
Sanchez’s win was historic, making him the first driver to secure their first career victory this season. This win also marked the second Xfinity Series victory for Big Machine Racing. After the race, Sanchez shared his excitement, emphasizing the importance of winning in NASCAR.
“In this sport, winning is everything,” Sanchez said. “Nobody cares about second, third. Nobody cares that I ran great at Pocono or Texas. They look at the results and that’s all they see. That’s frustrating. Obviously, I feel like I’m a lot better than what I’ve shown this year. I’m a lot better than my results.”
Sanchez acknowledged that a victory was key to advancing in the sport, stating, “I’m not going to shy away from the fact that winning is the only way you’re going to advance in the sport.”
Rookie Standouts and Race Drama
Rookie Carson Kvapil finished second, matching his career-best result in the series. Sam Mayer followed in third, with rookie Connor Zilisch in fourth and rookie Taylor Gray rounding out the top five.
The race was a chaotic one, with 26 of the 38 cars involved in incidents. Sanchez himself spun out on Lap 68, bringing out the caution flag after contact with Matt DiBenedetto while racing for sixth place.
The race was temporarily delayed for 1 hour and 18 minutes before Stage 1 due to lightning. After the restart, the race saw a massive 10-car crash that took out several contenders, including Sheldon Creed, Justin Allgaier, Ryan Sieg, Sammy Smith, Katherine Legge, and Patrick Staropoli.
Stage Winners
- Stage 1 Winner: Taylor Gray
- Stage 2 Winner: Brandon Jones
Looking Ahead
The next race in the NASCAR Xfinity Series will be held at the Chicago Street Race on Saturday, July 5, at 4:30 p.m. ET.
