Sports
Justin Allgaier wins at Martinsville for 3rd OAP victory of season
Mar 28, 2026; Martinsville, Virginia, USA; JR Motorsports driver Justin Allgaier (7) celebrates his win with his crew after the race at Martinsville Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Justin Allgaier ended the day where he started — out front — but it was a dramatic and challenging route to the trophy hoist in Saturday’s NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts NFPA 250 at the historic half-mile Martinsville Speedway.
En route to his win, the 2024 series champion started from pole position and led the most laps (114 of 250). The driver of the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet claimed his second win in as many weeks — third of the season and 31st of his career.
Allgaier led the opening 65 laps of the race, won Stage 1, and then led the final 26 laps, bookending a typically thrilling edition of competition at the famed paperclip track.
“I keep saying it and I keep talking about how great this team is, but we have fired off 2026 better than I could have imagined,” said Allgaier, whose win marks the JR Motorsports organization’s fifth consecutive this season — one shy of the record set by Joe Gibbs Racing in 2008.
“It is pretty incredible, just the emotion,” added the 39-year-old, who has increased his advantage atop the standings to 92 points over reigning series champion Richard Childress Racing’s Jesse Love. “I said it last week, but you get later on in your career, and you never know if you’ll win another one and this year has been pretty special.”
The victory is hard-earned, considering the race was slowed 13 times because of incidents on the notorious, challenging short track.
Most impactful, a 19-car pileup on a late race restart brought out a 26-minute red flag, massively reducing the field of true contenders. Late model superstar Lee Pulliam, making his first-ever start in a NASCAR national series driving the No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet, brought out the caution period after missing a shift on the restart from his front row starting position.
His team co-owner, NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr., reassured and encouraged Pulliam on the radio during the race stoppage, telling him, “I know you didn’t want that to happen, and you’ll handle it like a pro, we all make mistakes.” Adding post-race, “all in all, incredible to come in, run a race, lead laps, and run the car up front and get a great result in a tough place, he survived. He’s a helluva driver.”
After the race Pulliam, whose 40 laps led were second only to Allgaier, immediately addressed the late-race restart situation. “Just first off real quick, I’d like to apologize to everyone we tore up there. I just couldn’t get going with the older tires and it was just a little bit of inexperience.”
“Just so thankful to be here and do this. What a dream come true to drive for Dale Earnhardt Jr.,” added the well-respected and highly revered 37-year-old North Carolina native, who sold out of t-shirts commemorating his NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series debut this weekend.
“The whole experience has been pretty special for me, something I’ve wanted to do my entire life. Just thankful for everybody that led to this moment, and I hope I made all you fans proud leading all those laps.”
“Man, that was super cool driving away. Just wish I could have gotten going on the restarts a little better, and if I ever get another chance to do this, I’ll learn from my mistakes and come back stronger.”
Corey Day’s second-place finish in the Hendrick Motorsports No. 17 Chevrolet was a career-best for the 20-year-old and marked an impressive sixth consecutive top-10 finish for the young driver. Sammy Smith finished third and posted his seventh top-10 finish in eight races at Martinsville. Haas Factory Team’s Sheldon Creed finished fourth in the No. 00 Chevrolet with Pulliam rounding out the top five.
Austin Hill was sixth, followed by Dean Thompson, Cup Series regular Ross Chastain, Ryan Sieg and 18-year-old rookie Brent Crews, who rounded out the top 10.
The NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series moves to Rockingham Speedway for next Saturday’s North Carolina Education Lottery 250 Presented by Black’s Tire (2:30 p.m. ET, CW, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Sammy Smith is the defending race winner.
NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Race — NFPA 250
Martinsville Speedway
Martinsville, Virginia
Saturday, March 28, 2026
1. (1) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 250.
2. (7) Corey Day, Chevrolet, 250.
3. (9) Sammy Smith, Chevrolet, 250.
4. (6) Sheldon Creed, Chevrolet, 250.
5. (12) Lee Pulliam, Chevrolet, 250.
6. (26) Austin Hill, Chevrolet, 250.
7. (22) Dean Thompson, Toyota, 250.
8. (38) Ross Chastain(i), Chevrolet, 250.
9. (14) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 250.
10. (4) Brent Crews #, Toyota, 250.
11. (10) Parker Retzlaff, Chevrolet, 250.
12. (8) Jesse Love, Chevrolet, 250.
13. (13) Taylor Gray, Toyota, 250.
14. (17) Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, 250.
15. (15) Anthony Alfredo, Chevrolet, 250.
16. (27) Patrick Staropoli #, Chevrolet, 250.
17. (28) Blaine Perkins, Chevrolet, 250.
18. (3) Brandon Jones, Toyota, 250.
19. (37) Myatt Snider, Chevrolet, 250.
20. (16) William Sawalich, Toyota, 250.
21. (34) Brad Perez, Chevrolet, 250.
22. (36) Lavar Scott #, Chevrolet, 250.
23. (11) Sam Mayer, Chevrolet, 250.
24. (33) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 250.
25. (2) Rajah Caruth, Chevrolet, 250.
26. (24) Harrison Burton, Toyota, 248.
27. (25) Garrett Smithley, Chevrolet, 242.
28. (5) Carson Kvapil, Chevrolet, Accident, 234.
29. (30) Austin Green, Chevrolet, Accident, 233.
30. (23) Jeb Burton, Chevrolet, Accident, 233.
31. (19) Andrew Patterson, Chevrolet, Accident, 233.
32. (31) Josh Williams, Chevrolet, Accident, 233.
33. (18) Nick Sanchez, Ford, Accident, 213.
34. (35) Kyle Sieg, Chevrolet, Suspension, 207.
35. (21) Josh Bilicki, Chevrolet, 205.
36. (32) Ryan Ellis, Chevrolet, Brakes, 183.
37. (20) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, Oil Cooler, 89.
38. (29) Luke Baldwin(i), Ford, Accident, 31.
Average Speed of Race Winner: 55.015 mph.
Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 23 Mins, 25 Secs. Margin of Victory: 0.258 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 14 for -153 laps.
Lead Changes: 14 among 8 drivers.
Lap Leaders: J. Allgaier 1-65;C. Day 66-102;S. Mayer 103-111;A. Hill 112-114;S. Mayer 115-119;A. Hill 120-125;R. Caruth 126-129;H. Burton 130;R. Caruth 131-144;H. Burton 145-160;J. Allgaier 161-183;L. Pulliam 184-187;B. Jones 188;L. Pulliam 189-224;J. Allgaier 225-250.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): Justin Allgaier 3 times for 114 laps; Lee Pulliam 2 times for 40 laps; Corey Day 1 time for 37 laps; Rajah Caruth 2 times for 18 laps; Harrison Burton 2 times for 17 laps; Sam Mayer 2 times for 14 laps; Austin Hill 2 times for 9 laps; Brandon Jones 1 time for 1 lap.
Stage #1 Top Ten: 7,20,88,19,00,8,96,1,2,18
Stage #2 Top Ten: 21,41,54,39,18,96,88,24,17,7
–Field Level Media
Sports
Igor Chernyshov scores late winner as Sharks edge Blue Jackets
Mar 28, 2026; Columbus, Ohio, USA; San Jose Sharks left wing Igor Chernyshov (92) celebrates his goal against the Columbus Blue Jackets during the first period at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russell LaBounty-Imagn Images Igor Chernyshov scored his second goal of the game with 1:25 left in the third period to lift the San Jose Sharks to a 3-2 win against the Blue Jackets in Columbus.
Macklin Celebrini entered the zone on the rush and passed to the middle for Will Smith, who fed Chernyshov for a one-timer from the left face-off dot.
Celebrini had a goal and an assist for the Sharks (33-31-7, 73 points), who snapped a six-game losing streak (0-5-1) and remain in contention for a Western Conference wild card spot. Will Smith had two assists, and Alex Nedeljkovic made 22 saves.
Denton Mateychuk and Cole Sillinger scored for the Blue Jackets (38-24-11, 87 points), who have lost three of four but remain strong contenders for an Eastern Conference wild-card spot. Elvis Merzlikins made 33 saves.
Celebrini, who had gone six games without a goal, tied the score 2-2 with a power-play goal 57 seconds into the third period. Alexander Wennberg won the faceoff back to Dmitry Orlov at the point, and he passed across to Celebrini for the one-timer.
The Blue Jackets took a 1-0 lead just 31 seconds into the game. Mateychuk took a pass at the left point from Adam Fantilli, skated down into the left circle and beat Nedeljkovic with a wrist shot.
Chernyshov tied it 1-1 at 17:17. Chernyshov stole the puck at center ice, entered the offensive zone, passed to Smith and scored on a one-timer from the right circle off the return pass from Smith.
Sillinger gave the Blue Jackets a 2-1 lead at 12:09 of the second period. Ivan Provorov intercepted a San Jose clearing attempt, skated down into the left circle and fed across to Sillinger, who scored on a one-timer from the right circle.
Nedeljkovic made a right pad save to rob Kirill Marchenko in the slot at 13:03 of the third period.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Luis Robert Jr. belts three-run HR as Mets down Pirates in 11
Mar 28, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets center fielder Luis Robert Jr. (88) hits a three run walk off home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the eleventh inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images Luis Robert Jr. hit a walk-off three-run homer in the 11th inning Saturday for the New York Mets, who overcame a pair of deficits in extras to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 4-2.
Bryan Reynolds had an RBI infield single in the top of the 11th for the Pirates before the Mets rallied against Hunter Barco (0-1). Jorge Polanco worked a five-pitch walk, after which Robert hit a 1-0 pitch beyond the left-centerfield wall for his first homer with New York and his second career walk-off shot.
Robert, who was acquired from the Chicago White Sox in January, hit his other walk-off homer on Aug. 30, 2020.
The Mets are 2-0 for the first time since 2022.
Richard Lovelady (1-0) allowed an unearned run in the top of the 11th before earning his first big league win since 2024.
Luis Torrens had a game-tying RBI single in the 10th for the Mets, who loaded the bases with none out but didn’t score the winning run.
Nick Gonzales had an RBI single in the top of the 10th for the Pirates, who are 0-2 for the first time since 2022. Gonzales, Reynolds and Jake Mangum had two hits apiece.
Mangum’s ninth-inning double was the only extra-base hit of the game prior to Robert’s homer.
The Mets and Pirates were a combined 0-for-19 with runners in scoring position through the first nine innings.
Mets left-hander David Peterson allowed six hits and two walks while striking out three over 5 1/3 innings. Pirates right-hander Mitch Keller gave up three hits and walked none with three strikeouts over six innings.
The Mets got only two runners as far as second base against Keller. The Pirates built their biggest threat against Peterson in the fifth, when Jared Triolo and Ryan O’Hearn delivered two-out singles before Bryan Reynolds walked. But Marcell Ozuna, swinging on a 2-0 pitch, popped out.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Miko Rantanen, Stars double-up Penguins
Mar 28, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Dallas Stars center Wyatt Johnston (53) and Pittsburgh Penguins center Ben Kindel (81) fight for the puck during the second period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Miko Rantanen scored in his first game in nearly two months, and the Dallas Stars tallied three unanswered second-period goals to end a four-game skid and defeat the host Pittsburgh Penguins 6-3 on Saturday.
Rantanen and Jason Robertson each had a goal and an assist for Dallas (44-18-11, 99 points), which had gone 0-3-1 in its last four. The Stars trailed 1-0 and 2-1 in this contest before exploding for three goals, two on the power play, in the second.
Rookie Justin Hryckowian, Lian Bichsel and Mavrik Bourque also scored for the Stars, who swept the two-game season series with Pittsburgh after winning in Dallas in December.
Erik Karlsson had a goal and two assists for Pittsburgh (36-21-16, 88 points), which was playing without both Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby due to lower-body injuries.
Anthony Mantha and Noel Acciari also scored for Pittsburgh, which lost its third game at PPG Paints Arena in the past week. The Penguins were outscored 17-6 in those three home contests.
Mantha redirected a Karlsson slapshot to put Pittsburgh in front on a power-play goal just over two minutes into the game.
Hryckowian evened the score for Dallas early in the second period, capitalizing on a broken play that left him wide open in front of the net with the puck.
Karlsson answered for the Penguins 48 seconds later with a wrister for his 13th goal of the season. In the process, he broke two franchise records for defensemen.
The goal was his ninth in March, the most in a single month by a Penguins blueliner. This was also his ninth multi-point game in March, which broke Randy Carlyle’s mark, set in December 1980, for most multi-point games in a single month by a defenseman.
The Stars responded over the next few minutes. Robertson scored on the power play 7:12 into the period to even the game. It was Robertson’s 40th goal, tying him with Wyatt Johnston for the team lead.
Three minutes later, Rantanen, who had missed 15 games in a row with a lower-body injury, tallied his 21st of the season on another power-play opportunity.
Bichsel doubled the Stars’ advantage less than 90 seconds later on a strange sequence. He went behind the goal, stapled to Karlsson, proceeded to throw the Swede’s stick to the floor with no whistle, and then scored what turned out to be the game-winner.
Jake Oettinger improved to 7-1-0 in his career against Pittsburgh. He allowed three goals on only 12 shots, as Pittsburgh posted four, five and three shots over the three periods. Stuart Skinner made 20 stops for the Penguins.
Dallas, which entered with the fourth-best road record in the league, improved to 22-8-7 away from home.
–Field Level Media
Igor Chernyshov scores late winner as Sharks edge Blue Jackets
Luis Robert Jr. belts three-run HR as Mets down Pirates in 11
