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How the NASCAR Xfinity Series ‘Championship 4’ Battle Shapes up After the Martinsville Elimination Race

Published 11/01/2020, 8:45 AM EST

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USA Today via Reuters

The NASCAR Xfinity Series race at the Martinsville Speedway has officially wrapped up. Harrison Burton took his second consecutive race win, but all eyes were on the Championship 4 battle. In the end, Justin Allgaier and Justin Haley did enough to make it into the finale with a 2nd and 12th place finish, respectively. This means they join Chase Briscoe and Austin Cindric for the final showdown at the Phoenix Raceway.

Speaking of Briscoe and Cindric, they finished 7th and 10th respectively at Martinsville. Now, the quartet will be eagerly waiting to duke it out at Phoenix, where one of them will emerge as the champion.

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Of course, the two Justins joining Cindric and Briscoe meant disappointment for four drivers. Noah Gragson, Brandon Jones, Ross Chastain, and Ryan Sieg all missed out on a Championship 4 slot. It was particularly gutting, as Gragson had finished 3rd behind Burton and Justin Allgaier. Chastain was 5th, with Jones and Sieg finishing 9th and 11th respectively, ending their hopes.

Who will be the NASCAR Xfinity Series 2020 champion?

Neither of the four drivers has won the Xfinity championship before. Either way, NASCAR is still crowning a brand new Xfinity champion. However, some of them have come close to the crown, with Allgaier being the closest.

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To be precise, Justin Allgaier finished 3rd in the Xfinity Series on three occasions, namely 2011, 2016, and 2017. Ever since his full-time debut in 2009, he has never finished lower than 7th in the championship, and that was in 2018. So in all honesty, he has a good shot at the crown, and even if he does not win, he can’t finish any lower than fourth.

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USA Today via Reuters

Meanwhile, Justin Haley is only in his third Xfinity season and finished in 12th place last season. This time around, he will be primed for his career-best finish in the Top 4. Moreover, Haley, Cindric, and Briscoe will be in line for career-best finishes, no matter who wins the title.

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Admittedly, Chase Briscoe appears to be the best pick for the title, as he has been on song this season. Nine wins in the 2020 season certainly point towards his chances, but the Xfinity series can be unpredictable. One thing is for sure, all four drivers will certainly bring their A-game.

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Written by:

Dhruv George

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Dhruv George is a senior Formula One and NASCAR analyst for EssentiallySports, having authored nearly 12000 articles spanning different sports like F1, NASCAR, Tennis, NFL, and eSports. He graduated with a PG Diploma in Journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications. Dhruv has also conducted interviews with F1 driver Pierre Gasly and Moto2 rider Tony Arbolino.
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