In terms of the championship, the NASCAR playoffs is one of the most stressful times. For the 2020 season, the Xfinity drivers are locked in a fierce dogfight to avoid elimination.

With two races left until the first round of eliminations, drivers are eager to stay out of the bottom four. The main protagonists are, Riley Herbst, Ryan Sieg, Brandon Brown and Jeremy Clements.

Out of these four, Herbst and Sieg have the best chance of making the cut. Since Herbst and Sieg are 165 and 124 points above the cutoff line, they can qualify this weekend itself at Richmond.

How will the NASCAR Xfinity playoffs sort itself out by Bristol?

However, Brandon Brown and Jeremy Clements are both squabbling for the final slot. Brown is 43 points above the cutoff line, while Clements is 43 points behind. So the race at Richmond and at Bristol will be crunch time for both of them.

At Richmond, Brown is set to start the Xfinity race in 16th, with Clements breaking down his neck in 17th. Meanwhile, Sieg and Herbst are further up the grid in 4th and 6th respectively.

This also explains why the two of them have better chances of nabbing two of the three places in the playoffs. Though the real battle will be between Brown and Clements, since they are starting lower down the order. Admittedly, Clements has a better 2020 record compared to Brown.

His highest finish at the track was an 8th place in 2018, while Brown has barely broken into the top 15. The last time they raced in Bristol, Brown’s best finish was 7th, while Clements was right behind him in 8th place. Now, Clements will be eager to reverse that dynamic and nab the final playoff spot for himself.

However, the race is long and anything can happen to the drivers. Either way, at least one of the quartet is set to was away, disappointed.