The NASCAR Xfinity Series heads to the Windy City for the final race of the regular season. The drivers will compete in the Drive for Safety 300 at Chicagoland Speedway on Saturday, September 17th at 3:00 p.m. ET on NBC.
The Xfinity Series drivers have one final opportunity to secure a place in the Chase with a victory in the Drive for Safety 300. Blake Koch and Ryan Sieg will be driving to keep a hold of the final two spots available for the playoffs.
Currently, Blake Koch and Ryan Sieg are just ahead of Dakoda Armstrong and Jeremy Clements. Joe Gibbs Racing’s phenom Erik Jones will attempt to capture his second career win at Chicagoland in the Drive for Safety 300. He took the checkered flag in the June event in 2015.
Dakota Armstrong sits just 20 points behind Ryan Sieg for the final spot in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Chase. The JGL driver will be making his sixth start at Chicagoland Speedway in the Drive for Safety 300. The trailing racer’s best finish in Joliet, Illinois is 15th.
Jeremy Clements is currently 29 points down to Ryan Sieg heading into the Drive for Safety 300. The Spartansburg, South Carolina native has one top five finish and three top 10’s in 2016. In last year’s race Clements started in the 15th position and ended the day in 20th. He will need to improve upon that finish if he hopes to find his way into the Chase.
Blake Koch is getting ready for the Drive for Safety 300 at Chicagoland Speedway. The #11 LeafFilter Chevrolet driver rolls onto the 1.5 mile paved oil to make his 11th start of his career here.
The veteran Xfinity Series specialist sits 11th in the points, 23 clicks ahead of the final playoff spot held by Ryan Sieg. Koch has three top 10’s and 14 top 15’s on the 2016 season. Furthermore, he has been consistent throughout the year finishing 93.7 percent of the total laps turned. Koch gave his opinion of the track in an interview this week.
“Chicagoland is quite a bit different than most mile-and-a-half tracks. It’s pretty bumpy in turns 3 and 4, and also pretty bumpy down the backstretch. It’s got a lot of grip though. It always has more grip than I think it’s going to. You’re carrying so much speed that it also takes me by surprise every time.”
Ryan Sieg holds a grip on the last spot for the Xfinity Series Chase. If there ever was a time for Sieg to bring his best to the track, it would be now. The Drive for Safety 300 is the last race before the playoffs begin.
There are a few hungry drivers that are on Sieg’s bumper, trying to pass him up with their final opportunity. In four previous starts at Chicagoland Speedway, Ryan Sieg has finished no better than 15th. He did that in 2014 after he found himself out front of the field for six laps. Last year, Sieg started the race in the 26th position and crossed the finish line in 18th.
Elliott Sadler reeled off two wins already this season. Sadler is already locked into the NASCAR Xfinity Series Chase. For his efforts, he has collected six bonus points for the opening round.
The JR Motorsports #1 Chevrolet competitor has come close to winning a title in the past. Elliott Sadler finished in the runner-up spot in 2011 and 2012. The salty veteran driver will begin his push for his first Xfinity Series title at New Hampshire Raceway next week.
The Drive for Safety 300 is a chance for Sadler to gain three more bonus points heading into the post season. Xfinity Series drivers are awarded three bonus points for each victory in the regular season.
“We have a lot of mile-and-a-half tracks coming up in the Chase, so this will be a good opportunity to try some things to make our intermediate track program even better,” Sadler said. “Kevin and the guys are geared up for the Chase, so this will be a fun weekend for us to just go out and race.”
Top 15 Xfinty Series Drivers Heading into the Race at Chicagoland:
1. Elliott Sadler 13 852
2. Daniel Suarez 9 794 -58
3. Justin Allgaier 3 786 -66
4. Ty Dillon 9 777 -75
5. Brendan Gaughan 6 755 -97
6. Erik Jones # 24 753 -99
7. Brennan Poole # 3 736 -116
8. Brandon Jones # 2 702 -150
9. Darrell Wallace, Jr. 5 659 -193
10. Ryan Reed 1 626 -226
11. Blake Koch 1 570 -282
12. Ryan Sieg 0 567 -285
13. Dakoda Armstrong 0 547 -305
14. Jeremy Clements 1 538 -314
