With eight NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series races officially in the books, the 2026 regular season is a third of the way complete. What have we learned in that span? Plenty — Justin Allgaier (and JR Motorsports as a whole) remains a victory machine. Jesse Love is holding strong in the hopes of defending his 2025 crown. And a NASCAR Cup Series regular (or two) can still hop behind the wheel and leave a winning message.
These storylines, plus new surprises, have shaken up the rankings since our preseason installment. So where does the full-time field currently stand? Let’s dive into it, with NASCAR.com’s John Crane ranking the top 10 drivers in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series following action at Rockingham Speedway.
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Analysis: With a 126-point lead in the driver standings following Rockingham, the 2024 O’Reilly champion Allgaier is the slam-dunk No. 1 in this installment. Let the box score do the talking: Allgaier has finished eighth or better in seven of eight races this season, with six of those results being top fours. It’s worth noting again that this is all in only eight races, and with his career high in wins in a single season at five (2018), it’s not entirely out of the realm of possibility that Allgaier doesn’t just beat that mark, but shatters it.
Analysis: At last! After so many close calls since his full-time leap to the circuit in 2022, the 2020 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion finally captured his first career O’Reilly victory, doing so at EchoPark Speedway in thrilling, last-lap fashion. Though that remains Creed’s only victory so far this season, the winless monkey is off his back, and it’s been nothing but consistency since, with top-11 finishes in the six contests that have followed. Currently P3 in the driver standings with a ridiculous 7.5 average finish (second among full-timers), Creed isn’t going anywhere.
Analysis: After starting the campaign with five straight top 10s and seven finishes of 12th or better, Love’s steady stretch to begin 2026 came to a grinding halt at Rockingham, finishing two laps down in 27th. While the defending champion has yet to clinch a victory, Love has compiled excellent points performances, averaging 37 markers per race. As such, even with a rocky Rockingham, Love still ranks second in the driver standings. With a league-best 223 laps led, Love will be just fine.
Analysis: Hill was up to his usual superspeedway tricks, winning at Daytona International Speedway to open an O’Reilly season for the fourth time in five years. Aside from a Darlington Raceway dud (which resulted in a 35th-place finish), Hill has been among the best in staying at the front, with a league-leading four stage wins and results of 12th or better in every other contest. There are areas to improve, though; after leading 112 combined laps at Daytona and EchoPark to begin the season, the 31-year-old Georgia native has led only 13 circuits since.
Analysis: Welcome to the club, Day. The 20-year-old Hendrick Motorsports farmhand has made his name known through the opening eight races, with seven consecutive top 10s after wrecking and finishing 27th at Daytona to begin the season. Starting from the pole at Rockingham and leading 118 laps has further illustrated Day’s ability to find and maintain race-day speed. Such a brisk — and, at times, aggressive — driving style by the O’Reilly rookie has drawn criticism from competitors, so this is worth monitoring.
Analysis: After Allgaier (6.6), Creed (7.5) and Day (8.9), you’re looking at the driver with the best average finish among all full-timers (9.1). This is good! Now for the not-so-good: His 11 laps led rank 14th among all full-time drivers. The No. 8 driver is on pace to lead 45 laps this season, continuing a downtrend since leading 334 in 2023. Currently seventh in the standings, Smith will need to contend for more points (and wins) if he wishes to break into the upper echelon.
Analysis: Splitting time between JR Motorsports and DGM Racing has gone off without a hitch for the 22-year-old. The North Carolina native is currently sixth in the driver standings, and his 81 stage points rank second among the field. (Allgaier ranks first with 120.) Accumulating such a substantial total is largely thanks to starting every race within arm’s reach of the top 10; Kvapil’s 8.0 average start is tied for fifth (Allgaier) among full-timers. Two DNFs are a blemish, but if that is mitigated, Kvapil will continue his contending ways.
Analysis: Remember what I said about Kvapil? That rings a notch louder for Jones, whose 7.6 average start sits fourth. Despite starting every race inside the top 15 (and starting inside the top eight in the last six contests), the 29-year-old Georgia native only has three top 10s. OK, but not stellar. That said, Jones seems to be on an upswing, with two runner-up finishes in the last three races, with Rockingham the most recent.
Analysis: Sawalich’s mastery at “The Rock” resulted in capturing his first career O’Reilly win and jumping into this ranking installment. There is no better momentum than a race win, with the 19-year-old on the cusp of cracking the top 10 in the driver standings thanks to the 71-point performance. (Rajah Caruth, who sits 10th in the table, is one point ahead of him.) Sawalich will need to keep this momentum going should he wish to make another dent in the standings … and stay in this ranking.
Analysis: A touch more consistency in finishing races has Retzlaff (who has a 12.4 average finish) in this ranking over Caruth (who, comparatively, has a 16.0 average finish). So far, 2026 has been relatively fruitful for the 22-year-old Retzlaff, who is continuing to find his footing with Viking Motorsports. Like Sawalich and others in the latter half of this ranking, there is no letting up, with drivers who just missed out — Caruth, Sam Mayer and Taylor Gray, among others — licking their chops.