The VFW Sports Clips Help A Hero 200 is set to go off on Saturday, September 3rd at 3:00 p.m. ET at Darlington Raceway. The race will televised on NBC. The Xfinity Chase is almost here. The pressure keeps building for the competitors who have not clinched a spot in the inaugural NASCAR Xfinity Series Chase.
There are only three events left on the schedule, including this week’s contest at Darlington Raceway. As of now, only A total six speedsters have clinched a spot in the playoffs.
Three racers that have sealed a spot in the Chase by driving to victory. They are Joe Gibbs Racing’s Erik Jones, has three wins in 2016. JR Motorsport’s Elliott Sadler reeled in one win at Talladega. Another Joe Gibbs Racing driver Daniel Suarez also has one win at Michigan Speedway.
With the three drivers mentioned above, there are six more slots to be filled. As a result, the Xfinity Series playoffs is completely up for grabs. Throughout the 2016 season there has also been three first-time winners. Michael McDowell won at Road America. Justin Marks found his way to the winners circle at Mid-Ohio and Daniel Suarez at Michigan.
Unfortunately, in the 55 Xfinity Series races at Darlington Raceway, only three divers managed to post their first win of their career. Ron Bouchard did it in 1984 and Neil Bonnett in 1983. Geoff Bodine also won at the track “Too Tough to Tame” in 1982.
This VFW Sports Clips Help A Hero 200 is one of the last opportunities for the drivers in the seven through 12th spots not locked to get it.The next three contests are their last opportunity to secure a spot in the playoffs.Ryan Sieg now sits in the 12th and final position for the Chase. Dakota Armstrong also is only 15 points behind. He is followed by Jeremy Clements and Ross Chastain.
Ryan Sieg competes for his family’s team, Ryan Sieg Racing. He currently drives the #39 Chevrolet Camaro. Sieg is having a phenomenal NASCAR Xfinity season. He is averaging a 18.7 finish with one top five and two top 10’s. The youngster has remained in the top 12 since April.
Dakoda Armstrong took full advantage of Ross Chastain’s engine problems last weekend at Road America. Armstrong vaulted from 14th in the points to 13th and is now only 15 behind Sieg. Furthermore, Armstrong’s fifth top-15 finish of the season put him within striking distance of the Chase. Armstrong is also having a stellar year. He is averaging a 19.3 finishing spot and has a career best fifth at Iowa in July.
Ross Chastain will need help from his fellow racers ahead of him in the standings. He needs to overcome a 30+ point difference if he hopes to race in the post-season. Jeremy Clements also will need some help from the cars ahead of him in points. Clements has posted an average finish of 20.3 this season.
All four speedsters on the “bubble” competed at Darlington Raceway last year. They also drove around Richmond and Chicago, the last two races before the Chase starts. Ross Chastain had an overall average of 13.7, Ryan Sieg 17.3, Dakoda Armstrong 18.0 and Jeremy Clements 24.7.
Joe Gibbs Racing penciled in NASCAR mainstay Denny Hamlin to drive the #18 Toyota Camry at Darlington Raceway. Hamlin is the defending 2015 race winner. The veteran will be looking to make it two in a row for the second time at Darlington Raceway. Hamlin first accomplished the it in the 2006-2007 campaign.
The #18 team is tied with the #20 Joe Gibbs Racing team of 2008. Furthermore, they are tied with the JGR team of 2009 for the fourth most wins in an Xfinity Series season (9). The series record is 13 victories by the # 18 Joe Gibbs Racing team in 2010.
Last Practice Speeds For the Top 20 Xfinity Race at Darlington Raceway:
1 18 Denny Hamlin(i) Toyota 28.484 172.644
2 42 Kyle Larson(i) Chevrolet 28.561 172.179
3 1 Elliott Sadler Chevrolet 28.775 170.898
4 20 Erik Jones # Toyota 28.855 170.425
5 3 Ty Dillon Chevrolet 29.037 169.356
6 19 Daniel Suarez Toyota 29.101 168.984
7 22 Ryan Blaney(i) Ford 29.197 168.428
8 16 Ryan Reed Ford 29.231 168.232
9 7 Justin Allgaier Chevrolet 29.256 168.089
10 44 JJ Yeley Toyota 29.307 167.796
11 2 Paul Menard(i) Chevrolet 29.333 167.647
12 88 Kevin Harvick(i) Chevrolet 29.353 167.533
13 48 Brennan Poole # Chevrolet 29.367 167.453
14 62 Brendan Gaughan Chevrolet 29.466 166.891
15 6 Darrell Wallace, Jr. Ford 29.609 166.085
16 11 Blake Koch Chevrolet 29.673 165.726
17 4 Ross Chastain Chevrolet 29.763 165.225
18 51 Jeremy Clements Chevrolet 29.855 164.716
19 33 Brandon Jones # Chevrolet 29.905 164.441
20 39 Ryan Sieg Chevrolet 30.010 163.865
