O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Power Rankings: The final regular-season stretch

It has been a minute. Since our last NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series Power Rankings installment at the official halfway mark of the 2026 regular season, certain core themes have held steady. Justin Allgaier continues to dominate. Upstart Corey Day is still making noise. You get the gist. But other storylines have begun to bear fruit (I'm looking at you, road-course winner Austin Hill and newly minted victor Carson Kvapil). So, how does it all shake out, and perhaps more importantly, where do we stand with only two regular-season races remaining? Let's dive into it, with NASCAR.com's John Crane ranking the top 10 O'Reilly drivers at this juncture of the campaign. RELATED: O'Reilly Auto Parts Series standings | O'Reilly Auto Parts Series schedule

Analysis: At 40 years old, is Allgaier having the best O'Reilly season of his career? He holds a 265-point lead over his next competitor. His six wins are already a single-season career high. He leads all full-time drivers in laps led (476), stage points (277), stage wins (seven), top-five finishes (14) and top-10 results (17). Though there have been slight hiccups -- he does have three finishes of 26th or worse in the last eight races -- Allgaier has always rebounded sooner rather than later. The title runs through the JR Motorsports veteran until further notice.

Analysis: Kvapil knew the assignment coming into 2026: He needed to win. With the bulk of his starts coming as a JR Motorsports pilot, victories were necessary to keep the gig going. That winning ability finally came to the forefront, with the 23-year-old North Carolina native collecting his first O'Reilly victory at the historic Brickyard. With the winless monkey off his back, Kvapil can now focus on simply racing. Given Kvapil's ability to contend at the front of the field (his 172 stage points rank third), more wins could be in the works.

Analysis: After clinching his first career O'Reilly win at Talladega, the 20-year-old Day doubled down with another victory at Dover Motor Speedway in May. With the triumph, Day is one of only three full-time drivers with multiple wins this season. Though a couple of DNFs (Pocono, EchoPark summer) have dampened an otherwise fantastic second half, Day is staying within arm's reach of the competitors around him in the standings, with just 32 points separating his current fifth-place position from second.

Analysis: Love has achieved practically everything he could in a title-defending season -- save for a race win, which the three drivers ahead of him in this installment have achieved. That said, fourth is still an impressive spot for the future Wood Brothers Racing driver, with Love's 380 laps led and 179 stage points each ranking second among full-time drivers. In other words, while a Victory Lane appearance has been lacking, the ability to lead races certainly hasn't. All of this to say, it seems only a matter of when Love finally returns to the winner's circle.

Analysis: Hill's drafting-track prowess has spoken for itself, but his solid road-course acumen finally blossomed into a Victory Lane appearance at Naval Base Coronado -- an emotional win that doubled as Richard Childress Racing's first since the death of Kyle Busch in May. Though the top fives and top 10s are down at this point of the season compared to previous years, there is no denying that Hill has the veteran poise to crank it up a notch. Perhaps that experience is what he needs to overtake the younger drivers ahead of him over the remainder of the season.

Analysis: Holding off NASCAR Cup Series regular Chase Elliott to prevail at Chicagoland Speedway has been Jones' top moment so far in 2026, and it marked his first O'Reilly victory since September 2025 at Kansas. There is plenty more to be impressed by, especially of late; Jones has finished worse than 12th only two times since mid-April, with three straight finishes of ninth or better, including that Chicagoland win. In other words, put an asterisk next to his slight dip here. The field is just that deep.

Analysis: Creed's drop is another product of a stacked field. He remains tied for second in top fives (eight) and ranks third in top 10s (14). What gives? Over his last 10 starts, Creed has finished 16th or worse five times. He's only averaged 26 points per race in that stretch. That said, if there is a driver to turn it up to 11 once again, it's Creed. After all, he already earned his first O'Reilly victory this season, winning at EchoPark Speedway in February.

Analysis: Just how good has Crews been? Let's put it like this: Despite missing four of the first six O'Reilly races due to age restrictions, the 18-year-old Crews is tied for second in top-five finishes (eight), ranks seventh in top 10s (12) and is tied for seventh among full-time drivers in laps led (143). It should come as no surprise, then, that he sits above the cutline for the 12-driver Chase field with a pair of regular-season contests remaining. Is a deep Chase run -- with perhaps a race victory or two sprinkled into the mix -- on the horizon?

Analysis: Though Smith's stat sheet might not be as sexy as others ahead of him, there's no denying that the No. 8 driver has been remarkably consistent. Every finish this season, save for one (EchoPark in February), has been 19th or better. Such a strong record has netted the 22-year-old pilot the fourth-best average finish among full-time O'Reilly drivers (11.4). That'll play.

Analysis: Quietly but productively, Retzlaff sits in a provisional Chase position. It has been nothing short of a career season for the Viking Motorsports driver, with career highs in top fives (four), top 10s (10), average start (14.1) and average finish (12.8). This consistency, coupled with his ability to stay out of trouble (only two DNFs), gives the 23-year-old the edge over others, including Sam Mayer, Taylor Gray and William Sawalich, in this installment.