8/26/25
(Portland, OR) For the fourth year in a row, NASCAR will race in the Pacific Northwest. The Xfinity Series, which will be the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series starting next year, will not return to Portland International Raceway next year, as it has since 2022. There hasn’t been anything determined for the future of racing either at Portland International Raceway or in the Pacific Northwest as a whole for beyond 2026 yet. The race will be 75 laps around the 1.97-mile road course for the penultimate regular season race and the penultimate road course race.
All three prior winners of the Pacific Office Automation 147 are in the Cup Series. A.J. Allmendinger won in 2022 for Kaulig Racing, Cole Custer in 2023 won for Steward-Haas Racing as he went on to win the Xfinity Series Championship that year, and last year Shane van Gisbergen won for Kaulig Racing.
The defending Xfinity Series champion, Justin Allgaier, is the only driver to finish inside the top five in all three races in Portland, including back-to-back second-place finishes. Allgaier leads the regular season points standings by three points over his teammate and young phenom Connor Zilisch. Allgaier has three wins but hasn’t won since the Tennessee Lottery 250 at Nashville Superspeedway in May. Allgaier has been in the seven car for a long time for Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s JR Motorsports, and after finally winning the Xfinity Series Championship, is looking for more in 2025.
Connor Zilisch has won a series high, seven races, including three times on road courses and five of the last six races. Zilisch suffered a broken collarbone when he fell off his car while celebrating his win at Watkins Glen three weeks ago. Last week, Zilisch started the Wawa 250 at Daytona International Speedway, but Parker Kligerman came in relief during a caution in the first stage and drove the car to victory lane. Zilisch is credited with the win since he started the race in the car, but his status for racing the full race in Portland is up in the air. Zilisch drives the 88 car, also for JR Motorsports, but will be racing in the Cup Series next year for Trackhouse Racing, which was announced last weekend.
Sam Mayer, who’s third in driver points, is another good road course racer who finished in third place in the 2023 race. The 22-year-old feels like a veteran as he’s been in the Xfinity Series since 2021, and has taken the Haas Factory Team 41 car to victory lane earlier this month in Iowa. Look for him to be up towards the front of the field, and did set the fastest qualifying time last year.
The playoff cutoff line is heating up with only two races left in the season. Eight drivers are locked into the playoffs with wins this year. Carson Kvapil is all but locked in on points, being 120 points above the cutoff line and ninth in the playoff picture. Sheldon Creed is another driver who should be able to lock up a spot on points, should he not get his first Xfinity Series win, as he’s in 10th at 84 points above the line.
Taylor Gray has had a good season this year and is 11th and sits 67 points above the cutline. Gray’s problem is that with two races left, if there are two new winners that haven’t won a race this year and are below the cutoff line, he would be bumped out unless he catches Creed on points. Gray has been good on the road courses this year and could finish inside the top 10 again and possibly contend for the win and a playoff spot. Harrison Burton won the last Cup Series regular season race at Daytona last year in a dramatic and emotional win for the Wood Brothers. However, Burton was replaced by Josh Berry and has had a pretty solid year back in the Xfinity Series. Burton is the last guy in on points and is 36 points to the good over his cousin, Jeb. Harrison and Jeb are both talented drivers and can find their way in the front of the field, while potentially opting for stage points to try and gain an advantage over each other. Ryan Sieg has had some incredibly close calls to getting his first Xfinity Series win in his career, but sits 56 points below the cutoff line. He’s in a must-win scenario and has had a tough time on the road courses in 2025, but could gain points this week and go all in next week at World Wide Technology Raceway for the win.
ESN will have on-the-ground coverage on Saturday for the race, and tickets are still available. The best way to have NASCAR come back in 2027 and beyond is to show up, buy tickets, and remind the series that NASCAR has a great fanbase in the PNW. Also, every ticket gets you access to walk on the track before the race, take pictures with your favorite drivers, and sign the start/finish line. No other professional sport provides that access to its fans without outrageously price-gouging its most ardent fans.
Follow us on X (@youresn) for updates on the race. If you aren’t able to make it to the track, the race will be on The CW at 4:30 PM.
Click here for tickets to the Pacific Office Automation 147.
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