Nick Sanchez Refuses to Apologize to Dale Jr.’s Xfinity Talent After Clash at Portland

The 2025 Pacific Office Automation 147 at Portland was the kind of race that reminds you why the Xfinity Series never lacks drama. Connor Zilisch stole the spotlight, powering to victory and continuing his jaw-dropping rookie tear through the field. Behind him, the action was far from calm. Nick Sanchez muscled his way to a third-place finish, but not without creating plenty of sparks along the way.

Fans in the stands and on social media couldn’t stop buzzing about the late-race chaos in Turn 1 that shuffled the order and left more than a few tempers flaring. And while Zilisch basked in another career-defining win, Sanchez found himself at the center of controversy. One he wasn’t about to back away from.

Nick Sanchez stands his ground after Portland clash

The Portland International Raceway was stacked with drama. Connor Zilisch took his eighth win of the season, and William Sawalich was just 1.572 behind him. But Nick Sanchez wasn’t far off, earning a solid third-place finish in a chaotic finale. Yet it wasn’t his podium result that captured attention so much as the late-race clash involving Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s development driver, Sammy Smith, and how Nick Sanchez responded afterward.

“We were really fast in practice, qualified decent, and yeah, we went to the back,” Nick Sanchez told CW Sports, describing the weekend’s ebb and flow. He and his team teased pace during early sessions and qualified in a decent seventh position. However, they encountered setbacks on track in the opening stages, forcing them into damage control.

Then came the move that got everyone talking. “I went from 8th to fighting for the lead going into Turn 1—I’m still trying to process how that happened,” Sanchez admitted. The restart in overtime was nothing short of chaos, with drivers pushing hard to go to the front of the pack. Among them was Nick Sanchez. He spotted a gap, made an aggressive lunge in Turn 1, and came together with Sammy Smith. “I had an opportunity, and I took it,” he said matter-of-factly.

He added pointedly: “He dishes it out, but he can’t always take it.” Sanchez was referring to Sammy Smith’s actions at Martinsville Speedway. On the final lap of the Marine Corps 250, Sammy Smith’s car made contact with Taylor Gray’s. This spun Gray and triggered a multi-car pileup. NASCAR officials later penalized Smith with a 50-point deduction in the Xfinity standings. Plus, he was issued a $25,000 fine for the aggressive move.

Sanchez didn’t sugarcoat things further: “I’m not apologizing for it. I’ve been on the receiving end of a lot of bad situations on track, so I’m going to be aggressive.” It wasn’t just a boast; it was a reckoning. He defended his actions by pointing out that, “We both locked up both fronts going into one… I just tagged his right rear right—like I’m locked up for all I had.”

And replays show exactly that. Several drivers locked up going into Turn 1 as they tried to brake as late as possible to get ahead. In a sport where respect and retaliation can clash at high speed, Nick Sanchez stood his ground. In his view, he did what he had to: calculating, unapologetic, and ready to race hard. Whether fans cheered or jeered, he showed he won’t back down. And that was just one of the on-track sparks that happened.

Portland drama intensifies Xfinity battle

Connor Zilisch and Justin Allgaier’s rivalry reached a boiling point at Portland International Raceway during the latest NASCAR Xfinity Series round. Zilisch, coming back from a recent collarbone injury, claimed the pole and was dominant early. But the drama unfolded through chaotic late race restarts. Allgaier, his JR Motorsports teammate, started second and battled inside the top five until contact and heavy jostling in the final laps saw both drivers’ race fortunes swing on a dime.

The tension was palpable as Zilisch lost his lead after a restart with eight laps to go, shuffled off track, and was dealing with a tire issue. Allgaier, meanwhile, was caught in a Turn 1 melee initiated by Carson Kvapil. This pushed him out of podium contention just when it mattered most. The overtime restart was decisive. Zilisch exploited the chaos, retook the lead in Turn 1, and expertly maneuvered through the runoff to clinch his sixth win in seven races and eighth overall. On the other hand, Allgaier finished outside the top ten.

Both drivers entered Portland separated by single digits in the regular season points race, with Allgaier retaking the lead after Daytona, only to watch Zilisch’s remarkable pace further tighten the championship battle. Zilisch’s recent streak places him atop the series (by 20 points), thanks to more stage wins and top-fives. But Allgaier’s consistency and experience remain threats as the playoffs loom.

With Gateway set as the regular-season finale, their rivalry has become the focal point for fans and competitors alike, promising fireworks as Zilisch’s surge challenges Allgaier for supremacy, while others like Sam Mayer await opportunities to pounce on any misstep. The Portland showdown has decisively intensified a season-long battle that’s now front and center for the Xfinity Series regular season championship.