The old maxim reads, “Better to be lucky than good,” and it fits well with Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s 21-year-old JR Motorsports standout, who has shown remarkable skill and composure on the track. The No. 8 Chevy driver entered the playoffs as the 12th seed, clinging to hopes after a tough Bristol outing that left him far below the cutline. A solid fourth-place finish at Kansas showed promise, but the Roval presented a must-advance scenario. Strong runs in the first two stages kept him in contention, yet as the final stretch unfolded, his playoff spot started slipping away.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, much like when Aric Almirola made a split-second audible at Bristol to stay out of pitting his car and eventually won the race. Similarly, Sammy Smith’s team gambled a bold pit strategy late in the race, a move that echoed those high-stakes calls and fortunately delivered a third-place finish to secure his Round of 8 berth. Let’s explore all about this long shot into a playoff lifeline?

The Hail Mary pit call that saved Sammy Smith’s season

Sammy Smith found himself in a risky spot with about 10 laps to go in the Blue Cross NC 250 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 4, 2025, running ninth but watching his playoff hopes fade as Taylor Gray held a stronger position. “It was from 10 to go, thinking we’re not really gonna make it in. Cuz we didn’t really have the speed to drive up, and it didn’t look like he was gonna lose enough positions,” Smith recalled in an X post of Peter Stratta’s post-race interview.

This admission highlights the dire straits his No. 8 Chevy faced, compounded by problematic tires that had infected the car all day, a common issue at the demanding Roval layout where tire management often decides fates. Entering the race 14 points below the cutline after a disappointing Bristol, where an incident derailed his momentum, Smith needed more than speed; he needed a break.

That’s when crew chief Phillip Bell stepped up with a daring gamble: pitting under green for fresh tires with just four laps left in regulation, betting on a caution to reset the field. “It was something on our bingo card when we talked about it. If we were that far out, you saw a lot of guys do it. The nine did it, a couple other guys did it, pit and just hope for caution,” Smith explained, underscoring how this wasn’t an impulsive choice but a pre-planned option for must-win scenarios.

The danger was that the race might be won without a yellow flag, and fortune favored Smith when Sage Karam faced tire failure, which brought out a yellow flag, and Smith was able to restart in the eighth position in overtime without losing too much ground.

The margin couldn’t have been tighter; Smith advanced by a single point over Taylor Gray, who ended up 13th after a solid but insufficient run. “We don’t get to go racing for a championship at the end of the year. We weren’t good enough today. We didn’t have a good Bristol, and we shouldn’t have to even be in this spot,” Gray said afterward, reflecting the heartbreak of his rookie playoff campaign, where he started strong but faltered at key tracks like Bristol.

Gray’s elimination stemmed from lacking stage points earlier and getting shuffled in the late chaos, a stark contrast to Smith’s timely boost that propelled all four JR Motorsports entries into the Round of 8. “I mean, yeah, it’s definitely, it feels really good. Obviously, it was a long shot coming into the day. We got lucky with that Hail Mary move Phil pulled. And an amazing call by him to do that,” Smith said, to his credit, and to the credit of Bell, who is sure to be able to stand up whenever there is any need to do so; the misfortune of Bristol had compelled them to do so.

Not only did this razor-thin ruling keep alive the championship dreams of Smith, but it also highlighted how the instinct of one crew chief can turn the story of a season. Although the story of Smith made the headlines, the Roval also featured unlikely heroes who took a chance in minor roles. Their act provided an additional dimension to the already dramatic cutoff playoff.

Part-timers grab top spots at Roval

Austin Green caused upheaval by finishing second in the No. 87 on behalf of the small Peterson Racing Group-Jordan Anderson Racing, just short of overtaking Connor Zilisch at the end of overtime and then driving into the pits on caution. Green has had some Xfinity experience, but mostly in underfunded gear, and this is a career best that may help open up a more comprehensive 2026 timetable.

“It’s a thrill to run good and be runner-up to Zilisch. He’s one of the best right now to ever do it so I’ll take it as a win for us and our small team,” Green shared, emphasizing the morale boost for his operation amid a field dominated by full-timers. His restraint on the restart stemmed from respect for playoff contenders, avoiding contact that might have altered outcomes.

In the No. 24 of Sam Hunt Racing, Kaz Grala made his way up to fourth, starting in the middle of the pack because others, such as Austin Hill, got in trouble. Grala has had a steady top-10 in his part-time gigs, and the outcome was the best of his series, which was based on clever racing in an environment where he has demonstrated affinity in the past.

“We probably got a little lucky with the way things fell at the end—certainly didn’t work against us,” Grala noted, pointing to how late cautions played into his hands while playoff pressure cracked bigger teams. This finish underscores his knack for maximizing modest resources, fueling his push for more competitive seats.

Connor Mosack wrapped up the top five in the JR Motorsports No. 9, despite a fuel problem that relegated him mid-race and brake overheating. Mosack is a full-timer in Trucks with McAnally-Hilgemann but is considering Xfinity opportunities, so his recovery at the right place at the right time may open a door for him.

His history includes a successful series of junior outcomes, which makes him a young and promising talent who needs support. This Roval attempt, amid discussions of future rides, goes to illustrate how part-timers can upset the known status quo under the right conditions.