Home

NASCAR

Qualification Scenarios for NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff Drivers to Make the Championship Race

Published 10/31/2020, 9:52 AM EDT

Follow Us

USA Today via Reuters

Much like the NASCAR Cup Series scenario, the NASCAR Xfinity Series playoff scenario also has just one driver qualifying for the championship race so far. Three spots will be booked in the final race before Phoenix, indicating an enthralling battle on the cards on Saturday night.

Chase Briscoe is the only driver with a ticket to Phoenix Raceway so far. Austin Cindric, Justin Allgaier, and Justin Haley finish the top-four in the playoff standings. The four drivers behind Haley are the ones with the most work to do. They are Brandon Jones, Ross Chastain, Noah Gragson, and Ryan Sieg.

Jones stands four points behind Haley, while Chastain is 15 points behind Haley, who holds the cutoff spot. Gragson, who was moments away from winning in Texas and heading to the final four, now faces a tough task as he is 24 points off the cutoff. Sieg is a huge 43 points behind Haley.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Clinching scenarios for the NASCAR Xfinity Series contenders

If the Martinsville race sees a new winner, Cindric would clinch his spot with 46 points as the second driver behind Briscoe, who would then be the only winner among playoff contenders in the round. Also, Allgaier would be through with 52 points. Haley would need some external help and would need to depend on other results to qualify.

USA Today via Reuters

If Saturday night’s race sees a repeat winner, Haley would benefit from that. He will still need 52 points to qualify. Meanwhile, Cindric and Allgaier would qualify with 42 and 48 points, respectively. If one of these three drivers wins at Martinsville, he would naturally qualify, and so would the other two on points.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Exclusive Invite for NASCAR Community

EssentiallySports gives you the power to decide who drives the #14 on 20th April

In both scenarios, Jones, Chastain, Gragson, and Sieg will need a win to be sure of qualification. If not, they would have to depend on other results along with their own.

The Texas race saw a new winner, which completely turned the playoff race on its head. Gragson was nearing a win and had it in his grasp before Harrison Burton snatched it away.

USA Today via Reuters

Meanwhile, Briscoe is chasing his 10th win this season. He goes in as the favorite to win in Phoenix, but the challenge of the championship format means anything could happen next weekend. He will learn of who he faces there, later, on Saturday.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

All You Need to Know About the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Elimination Race at Martinsville Speedway

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Aayush Majumdar

1,006Articles

One take at a time

Aayush Majumdar is a NASCAR content strategist, a Tennis Writer, and a sports analyst at EssentiallySports. He is well-tenured as a tennis and NASCAR writer, with over 900 articles across both sports. After pursuing a Post Graduate program in Sports Management, Aayush explored various roles in Sports Media, including a Sports Reporting role at a leading English daily.
Show More>