• Thursday, September 19th, 2024
• NASCAR Wire Service - Reid Spencer

NASCAR Xfinity Series Set to Join Playoff Party

JR Motorsports driver Sammy Smith and Big Machine Racing driver Parker Kligerman would like nothing better than for the status quo to hold firm in Friday night’s Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway (7:30 p.m. ET on CW, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Entering the cutoff race for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs, 10 drivers already are locked into the seven-event postseason.

The only scenario that could eliminate Kligerman, who is 85 points above the current cut line, is a victory by a Playoff-eligible driver below the cutoff combined with a loss of more than 42 net points to Smith.

Kligerman can clinch a Playoff spot by scoring 14 points on Friday, no matter who wins the race.

Likewise, Smith has a commanding advantage for the final Playoff spot, unless a Playoff-eligible driver below him in the standings happens to win on Friday.

Smith leads Ryan Sieg by 43 points entering the first race to be broadcast by The CW, which subsequently will air all seven Playoff races in the series in anticipation of next year’s full-season schedule.

In two Xfinity starts at Bristol, Smith qualified sixth both times and posted finishes of 14th and ninth.

“I’m looking forward to running under the lights this Friday at Bristol as we contend for our position in the Playoffs,” Smith said. “I’ve had good runs there in the past, and JRM has always brought strong cars there, so I’m excited to get there and close out the regular season on a high note.”

The Xfinity regular-season title is also up for grabs, though Justin Allgaier has a commanding 43-point lead over reigning series champion Cole Custer entering the race that will decide who earns the 15-Playoff-point bonus.

Allgaier is the defending winner of the Food City 300. He’ll have a competitive teammate in his boss, Dale Earnhardt Jr., who will make his first start of the season on Friday. Earnhardt led 47 laps in last year’s Bristol race before exiting with ignition problems after 271 of 300 circuits.

• Food City 300
• Pole Winner: Chandler Smith
• Age: 22
• Team : No 81 - Mobil 1 Toyota
• Owner: Joe Gibbs
• Crew Chief: Jeff Meendering
• Chandler Smith won the Pole Award for the Food City 300 with a lap of 1581 seconds, 121366 mph
• This is his fifth pole in 62 NASCAR Xfinity Series races
• This is his second pole and 20th top-10 start in 2024
• This is his first pole in two races at Bristol Motor Speedway
• Cole Custer (second) posted his 19th top-10 start of 2024 and his eighth in eight races at Bristol Motor Speedway
• Anthony Alfredo (third) posted his first top-10 start at Bristol Motor Speedway It is his sixth in 26 races this season
• Jesse Love (10th) was the fastest qualifying rookie

• Drivers Entered: 39 (1 drivers will not make the race)
• Laps Scheduled: 300
• Margin of Victory: 0.896 Seconds
• Time of Race: 2 Hours 0 Minutes 55 Seconds
• Average Speed: 79.344
• Cautions: 7 for 57 laps
• Lead Changes: 11
• Green Flag Passes: 1,978 (8.1 passes per green flag lap)

• Food City 300
• Race Winner: Cole Custer
• Age: 26
• Team : No 00 - HighPointcom Ford
• Owner: Gene Haas
• Crew Chief: Jonathan Toney
• Cole Custer won the Food City 300, his 15th victory in 169 Xfinity Series races
• This is his second victory and 18th top-10 finish in 2024
• This is his first victory and sixth top-10 finish in eight races at Bristol Motor Speedway
• Sheldon Creed (second) posted his first top-10 finish in three races at Bristol Motor Speedway It is his 17th top-10 finish in 2024
• Chandler Smith (third) posted his second top-10 finish in two races at Bristol Motor Speedway
• Jesse Love (fourth) was the highest finishing rookie
• Cole Custer leads the point standings by 3 points over Justin Allgaier, and wins the regular season championship