NASCAR Xfinity Series' visit to Martinsville Speedway for the Round of 8 elimination race saw Kelley Earnhardt's team and driver advance into the next round of the playoffs.
Justin Allgaier managed to win a chaotic race that saw several drivers crash as he crossed the finish line at the 0.5-mile-long short track, often referred to as 'The Paper Clip'.
The Dead On Tools 250 saw Allgaier narrowly overtake Richard Childress Racing's Sheldon Creed as multiple cars piled up on the front straightaway behind them. One of these cars turned out to be Creed's teammate at RCR, Austin Hill. The relationship between the two drivers took a wrong turn as both drivers tried their best to advance into the Final 4.
Kelley Earnhardt expressed her surprise to what was a quintessentially NASCAR ending to an entertaining race. Taking to her official X (formerly Twitter) account, she wrote:
"This is so unreal! Congrats to my 7 team!!!!! JRM has two shots at the championship!!! Let’s go!"
Along with Kelley Earnhardt's driver Justin Allgaier punching his seat for the final showdown for the championship at Phoenix, John Hunter Nemechek, Cole Custer and Sam Mayer will fight for the title.
Is Kelley Earnhardt related to Dale Earnhardt Jr.?
Yes, Kelley Earnhardt is Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s sister. A member of the vast Earnhardt racing family, Kelley has taken to motorsports just like her sibling, both following in their father's footsteps.
The Kannapolis, North Carolina native's journey in the sport kicked off as the general manager at JR Motorsports. The elder sister to a former Cup Series driver, the team flourished under her leadership. The 51-year-old also has on-track racing experience with late-model stock car racing during her formative years.
A graduate of Business Administration from the University of North Carolina, the current JR Motorsports CEO is married to the 2008 NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour champion Wayne L.W. Miller III. The couple has three children, namely Karsyn, Kennedy, and Wyatt.
With Justin Allgaier and Sam Mayer doubling the JR Motorsports' championship chances this year, the finale at Phoenix Raceway next weekend will see the culmination of a whole season's worth of efforts.
The race goes live on Saturday, November 4, 2023, at 7:00 p.m. ET. It will be broadcast live on the NBC and MRN Networks, with live streaming available on the NBC Sports App.