A mechanic tells me that the increased NOx at 25mph is indication that the combustion is better due to better air flow.
In this thread @shanonia stated that the (exceptionally) dark engine oil is due to dirty air filter - factory says every 30k miles - this was in there for 35k - I forgot about it - it was really dirty: Mobil 1 5W30: Annual Protection Vs Extended Performance Vs Advanced full synthetic
Had it been really warmed up, it would have still passed.
For the next SMOG, I would for sure use Redline and really warm up the car.