BRISTOL, Tenn. — For the first time since after the Feb. 28 race at Circuit of the Americas, the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series has a new points leader.

Sheldon Creed took the points lead from Justin Allgaier after the second race of the Chase for the NOAPS championship at World Wide Technology Raceway Gateway. Creed leads the points by three over Allgaier, nine over Carson Kvapil and 16 over Jesse Love.

Allgaier and Creed's strengths and weaknesses in the Chase have been opposite.

Allgaier is strong in the first stage of each race – first at Darlington and third at Gateway – but he gradually declines as the race goes on.

Meanwhile, Creed has finished better than Allgaier in the second stage and overall in each race. Creed won at Darlington and finished second at Gateway while Allgaier finished 17th at Darlington due to handling issues and 13th at Gateway after getting swept up in a crash.

The trend could continue at Bristol Motor Speedway. In April, Creed finished second in each stage and sixth in the overall race. Meanwhile, Allgaier finished fourth and third in the stages and fourth overall – losing one point to Creed. 

The intermediate tracks present a better opportunity for Allgaier to catch up to Creed. However, there's someone else they have to watch out for, even at Bristol.

If either Creed or Allgaier falter, Carson Kvapil is right there to strike.

Kvapil is in the middle of his strongest stretch of the season so far. In the last nine races, he has scored two wins and six top-five finishes and led 251 laps – compared to no wins, four top-five finishes and 55 laps led in the 17 races before.

Kvapil is now nine points behind Creed and six points behind Allgaier, heading to Bristol where his No. 1 JR Motorsports team won in the spring.

Crew chief Rodney Childers called for the No. 1 car to stay out with 28 laps to go, allowing driver Connor Zilisch to outduel Brent Crews and Kyle Larson in the No. 88 car for the win.

Short tracks are Kvapil's essence, as evidenced by a fifth-place finish in that same race – despite working with a part-time team and a crew chief he isn't used to.

Now with Childers when they're hitting their stride, Kvapil will be dangerous at Bristol.

Gateway winner Jesse Love is the only other driver within true striking distance of Creed heading into Bristol. Love is third in the points standings, 16 behind Creed, after a 13th-place finish at Darlington and the Gateway win. 

However, Love hasn't been that great at Bristol. In the spring, he started 12th, placed eighth in the first stage and finished 12th overall after not earning points in the second stage. 

Last September at Bristol, Love placed fifth in the first stage despite getting in an incident near the end of the stage. He ultimately finished 25th, one lap down overall.

Love will look to return to his early form at Bristol. His first two NOAPS races at Bristol were as follows:

Here are the Chase standings with the odds to win the championship:

*Odds according to Caesars Sportsbook.

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