Sammy Smith Wins Rockingham After Jesse Love Disqualified

Jesse Love was initially declared the winner of the NASCAR Xfinity Series North Carolina Education Lottery 250 at Rockingham Speedway, but was later disqualified after his Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet failed post-race inspection due to a rear suspension violation. NASCAR rules require all mating surfaces between the truck trailing arm and the U-bolt saddle to be in complete contact, a standard Love's car did not meet. As a result, Love was credited with a 37th place finish and Sammy Smith was awarded the victory, his third career Xfinity win and first of the season, making him eligible for the playoffs. Parker Retzlaff was promoted to second, Harrison Burton to third, with Brennan Poole and Taylor Gray rounding out the top five. This marks the second time this year a national series winner has been disqualified after inspection, highlighting NASCAR's ongoing emphasis on technical compliance. Justin Bonsignore was also disqualified from the event for safety violations involving loose lug nuts.