The Timberland PRO 200 on October 17, 2026 went to Jesse Love in the No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, who led 156 of 200 laps and held off Sam Mayer by 0.128 seconds at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona.
How it was won
Love started from the pole and swept both stages, scoring 75 points, one short of the maximum. A brief shower brought out a weather caution in Stage 1. Brandon Jones gambled on wet-weather tires, lost a lap and recovered to finish sixth. Former Chase leader Sheldon Creed lost three laps on pit road at the end of Stage 1 when a kill-switch malfunction shut off his engine, and he finished 32nd. Mayer started at the rear after an engine change and worked his way to second. Over the final 35-lap green-flag run he stayed on Love’s bumper and got to it off the last corner, but Love held on. The race had five cautions for 35 laps and 18 lead changes among seven drivers. It took 2 hours, 4 minutes and 31 seconds at an average of 96.373 mph. Post-race inspection confirmed Love as the winner.
Timberland PRO 200 results snapshot
| Pos | Driver | Car | Time / gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jesse Love | #2 Whelen Chevrolet | 200 laps (led 156) |
| 2 | Sam Mayer | #41 Starkey Chevrolet | +0.128s |
| 3 | Justin Allgaier | #7 Registix Chevrolet | +2.200s |
| 4 | Corey Day | #17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet | +4.351s |
| 5 | Sammy Smith | #8 Pilot Chevrolet | +8.258s |
| 6 | Brandon Jones | #20 Menards/Monster Energy Toyota | +9.066s |
| 7 | Dean Thompson | #26 MCM Transportation Toyota | +11.231s |
| 8 | William Sawalich | #18 SoundGear Toyota | +11.772s |
| 9 | Rajah Caruth | #88 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet | +12.642s |
| 10 | Carson Kvapil | #1 Champion Irrigation Products Chevrolet | +12.957s |
Finishing order from NASCAR’s official results. Gaps are from Motorsport.com’s timing table.
History & significance
It was Love’s fifth career O’Reilly Auto Parts Series win, his second of 2026 and his second at Phoenix. He clinched the 2025 series championship at the same track last November. The Chase now runs in a new nine-race format, and with three races left Love leads Justin Allgaier by 36 points. Corey Day is third, 39 back, and Creed fell to fourth, 59 back.
What’s next
The O’Reilly Series heads to Talladega Superspeedway for The Progress Group 250 on Saturday, October 24, 2026.