In the coming weekend at Martinsville, Austin Cindric will start on the pole for the Xfinity race. It is worth noting that this will be the first time the Martinsville Speedway will host an Xfinity race since 2006. In addition to that, it will be the second Xfinity race at Martinsville in the last 25 years.

Cindric is desperate to seal his slot in the Championship after Chase Briscoe secured his berth. However, the former is set to face stiff competition from Noah Gragson alongside him on the front row. Last weekend, Harrison Burton robbed Gragson of a surefire win and a chance to automatically lock in his playoff spot.

Now, he has to try again, with more pressure on his shoulders. Meanwhile, Cindric and Gragson’s rivals, Justin Haley and Ross Chastain, start third and fourth. Additionally, a relaxed Chase Briscoe starts fifth. Behind him is Justin Allgaier, followed by Brandon Jones, Jeb Burton, Ryan Sieg, and Harrison Burton.

Why is this so important for Austin Cindric and the other drivers?

Martinsville is their final chance to secure a spot in the championship race. Looking at the points situation, Cindric lies 14 points above the cutline. Justin Allgaier is 8 points away, while Justin Haley is the most vulnerable, with 4 points.

In the drop zone are Brandon Jones, Chastain, Gragson, and Ryan Sieg. With seven drivers fighting for three spots, none of them can afford any mistakes.

Of course, the race is long, and anything can happen on Sunday. What complicates matters is the fact that Hurricane Zeta is raging, and the state of Virginia is in its trajectory. In other words, there is a strong possibility that this race could be similarly affected. This could spell disaster for NASCAR, considering that the Texas Cup Series race got delayed more than once.