The first race in the Xfinity Series Round of 8 begins Saturday, October 15th at Kansas Speedway in the Kansas Lottery 300. The contest kicks-off at 2:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on the NBC Network.
Now that the first NASCAR Xfinity Series Chase Round of 12 is complete, four competitors were eliminated from the playoffs. As a result, Ty Dillon, Ryan Sieg, Brennan Poole and Brandon Jones will have to wait until next year to drive for an Xfinity Series championship.
Now, only eight drivers remain, with a chance to battle it out over the next three races to determine who will be in the final four at Miami Homestead.
Joe Gibbs Racing’s Daniel Suarez goes into the Round of 8 as the number one seeded driver. The Mexican born racer also leads the series with an average finish of 2.0 over the last three events. The speedster finished second at Kentucky Speedway, won at Dover International and took third last week at Charlotte.
Entering this race, Daniel Suarez he has posted two wins and an Xfinity Series-leading 15 top five’s. Last year, the 2015 Sunoco Rookie of the Year, made his first appearance at Kansas Speedway. Suarez started the contest in the sixth position and finished off the day in ninth.
JR Motorsports’ Elliott Sadler arrives at the first race of the round of 8 on a roll. The veteran racer found a lot of speed in the first round of the playoffs. Sadler had an average finish of 3.3 over the last three races and is seeded in second.
In 29 Xfinity series events this year, Elliott Sadler has reeled in three wins, 12 top five’s and also series leading 26 top 10’s. If Sadler can make it to the final four and win out in Miami, it would be JR Motorsports’ second championship in the last three seasons. The savvy racer has made six starts at Kansas Speedway. He has posted two top fives, and also four top 10’s.
Elliott Sadler’s teammate Just Algaier has been the model of consistency throughout the 2016 season. The youngster has raced his way to 24 top ten performances, which is the second most built behind his teammate Sadler.
The JR Motorsports’ driver has not visited Victory Lane yet this season, but his 12 top five’s and 24 top 10’s have him poised to race for his first championship in Miami at the end of the Chase. Allgaier’s success should continue this weekend at Kansas Speedway. In the feisty competitor’s last five starts here, he has tallied four top 10’s and an average finish of 7.2.
Joe Gibbs Racing’s Erik Jones made quite the comeback in the first round after his accident and 26th place finish at Kentucky. Jones stepped up his game and finished out in fifth last week and earned himself a fourth seed heading into the second round.
Fortunately for Erik Jones, the points have been reset to 3,000 bringing all the eight remaining drivers back to even. In the regular season, Jones has been stellar posting an Xfinity Series-high four victories. He also has 14 top five’s, 17 top 10’s and the Xfinity Series rookie record of nine poles.
Erik Jones will be making his first start ever at Kansas Speedway in an Xfinity Series hot-rod. On the other 1.5 mile tracks, he has an average finishing position of 9.6 and is will have to contend with NASCAR’s defending champion and teammate Kyle Busch on Saturday.
Richard Childress Racing’s Brendan Gaughan heads into the Round of 8 as the only RCR representative left. Now, the 40-year-old has the chance to bring the title back to RCR for the first time since Richard Childress’s grandson Austin Dillon won it in 2013.
Brendan Gaughan has stepped-up his game in the playoffs with an average finish of 9.6. This year, the speedster has seen four top five’s, 15 top 10’s and an average finish of 10.8. In four appearances at Kansas Speedway, Gaughan has posted two top 10’s, including a 10th place result at this venue last year.
Driver’s Seeding Heading into the Race the Kansas Lottery 300:
1 – Daniel Suarez
2 – Elliott Sadler
3 – Justin Allgaier
4 – Erik Jones
5 – Brendan Gaughan
6 – Ryan Reed
7 – Darrell Wallace Jr.
8 – Blake Koch
