ROCKINGHAM, N.C. -- A major change has occurred at Rockingham Speedway as NASCAR has disqualified race winner Jesse Love.
According to the report from NASCAR, the No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet failed post-race inspection for a violation of rule 14.14.2.I-5.H (All mating surfaces between the truck trailing arm and the U-bolt saddle must be in complete contact with each other).
MORE: Jesse Love disqualified, full Rockingham results
This failure meant that Love went from a first-place finish to a 37th-place finish. He lost all of the points that he scored during a Saturday afternoon race in which he led 53 laps. However, Love remains in the playoffs on the strength of a win at Daytona International Speedway.
The only driver who finished behind Love was Justin Bonsignore, who NASCAR disqualified for a violation of rule 10.5.2.5.D (Lug nuts not installed in a safe and secure manner).
Good thing my house has a safe 🏆
— jesse love jr (@jesselovejr1) April 20, 2025
With Love disqualified, Sammy Smith went from a runner-up finish to a win. This is his first win of the season and the third of his career.
Smith, who also won the $100,000 Dash 4 Cash bonus, now has a secure spot in the playoffs. He joins JR Motorsports teammates Justin Allgaier and Connor Zilisch in the playoffs.
The change in the finishing order also resulted in a career-best finish for Alpha Prime Racing driver Parker Retzlaff. He moved into second place and surpassed his third-place finish from the 2024 season-opener at Daytona.
This was also the best performance in Alpha Prime Racing's history. Retzlaff scored the team's first-ever runner-up, and then Brennan Poole joined him in the top five to mark the first dual top-five finish in team history.
While Smith is the winner as of Sunday morning, the finishing order could potentially change again. Richard Childress Racing has the option to appeal. The team has not said if it will pursue this avenue.