The Xfinity Series has now reached its mid point before its version of the Chase begins. Some familiar NASCAR Sprint Cup regulars have found their way into victory lane on Saturday before their race on Sunday. NASCAR’s defending Sprint Cup champion Kyle Busch, as well as Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Kyle Larson all have took home victories over the past 13 races. With that in mind, there still are plenty of Xfinity Series racers that have flexed their muscles and found a way to take the checkered flag during the 2016 season.
The drivers that sit in the sixth through tenth spots are neck deep in the race for the Chase. The majority of the wins have been spread out through the NASCAR Sprint Cup regulars and the top five drivers in the point standings. That being said, Sprint Cup mainstays do not qualify for the Xfinity Series Chase format. Many Xfinity Series speedsters will be eligible for the Chase based solely on points alone. This specific group of competitors have found some early success that hopefully will carry over to a win in the 2016 season.
Sitting in the sixth place position in the Xfinity Series points standings is Brandon Jones. The rookie stand-out has been driving for Richard Childress Racing’s #33 Jeld-Wen/Menards sponsored Chevrolet for the 2016 season. The newbie has done quite well through the first half of the regular season. He hasn’t accumulated any top five finishes, but has six top ten performances. Jones has an average starting positions of 11.6 and finishing at 11.3. Those stats show that Jones has been steady throughout the early stages of the season.
Brendan Gaughan, a duel-series full-timer, sits seventh in the Xfinity Series points standings. It’s another Richard Childress Racing driver that has guided his #62 Southpoint-sponsored Chevrolet to some impressive finishes. The tireless racer has no problem racing on Saturdays and then again the next day in the Sprint Cup Series. His double duties seem to be paying off as he has netted one top five and six other top tens. Gaughan has managed to keep his car on the track and has yet to record a ‘did not finish’.
Brennan Poole, another Xfinity Series rookie, sits in the eighth spot. The new addition to the Chip Gnassi Racing team has not disappointed in 2016. The youngster has guided his #48 DC Solar sponsored Chevrolet to one top five qualifying effort at his home town track, Texas Motor speedway.
He also has finished inside the top five in the Sparks Energy 300 at Talladega Raceway, where he managed to lead five laps too. Poole has five other top ten performances in the Xfinity Series events. The quick learner keeps showing maturity by avoiding on track confrontations. He has finished every single contest this year.
Darrell Wallace Jr. remains in the ninth spot in the Xfinity Series point standings. The only African-American driver in the series has been impressive through the mid-way point of the 2016 season. The Rousch Fenway Racing prodigy has taken his #6 Ford Ecoboost/Ford Mustang sponsored hot-rod to two top five finishes. The Mobile, Alabama native didn’t stop there. He also raced his way to another four top tens with only one ‘did not finish’. With a solid team behind him and some consistent early season driving, the gritty racer has a solid chance to place himself into the Chase on points alone.
Rounding out the top ten is another Rousch Fenway Racing teammate, Ryan Reed. It’s steady as he goes for Reed and his #16 Lilly diabetes/American Diabetes Association-sponsored Ford Mustang. The youngster has yet to record a top five in any of the 13 Xfinity Series races in 2016, but is averaging a 17.9 finish. Reed also hasn’t graced the top ten in 2016 but continues to push the envelope with solid qualifying performances.
Crew chief Phil Gould and the Rousch Fenway Racing team are averaging a solid 14.2 starting position. If Reed can manage to stay out of trouble and capitalize on his qualifying efforts, he could move deeper into the top ten and smack dab in the middle of the Xfinity /series Chase.
The 2016 Xfinity Series Points Standings:
1. Daniel Suarez 7 452 0 0 13 1 1 5 11 0 1 0
2. Elliott Sadler 6 434 -18 -18 13 0 1 5 11 0 2 0
3. Ty Dillon 3 416 -36 -18 13 1 0 4 8 0 3 0
4. Erik Jones # 14 397 -55 -19 13 3 2 8 8 2 5 1
5. Justin Allgaier 2 388 -64 -9 13 0 0 5 10 2 7 2
6. Brandon Jones # 2 388 -64 0 13 0 0 0 7 0 6 0
7. Brendan Gaughan 3 386 -66 -2 13 0 0 1 6 0 4 -3
8. Brennan Poole # 2 373 -79 -13 13 0 0 1 5 0 8 0
9. Darrell Wallace Jr 2 340 -112 -33 13 0 0 2 4 1 9 0
10. Ryan Reed 1 301 -151 -39 13 0 0 0 0 1 10 0
11. Blake Koch 1 294 -158 -7 13 0 0 0 2 1 11 0
12. Ryan Sieg 0 292 -160 -2 13 0 0 0 1 0 12 0
13. Ross Chastain 1 276 -176 -16 13 0 0 0 0 0 14 1
14. Jeb Burton 1 260 -192 -16 11 0 0 0 1 1 13 -1
15. Jeremy Clements 1 256 -196 -4 13 0 0 1 1 2 15 0
16. Dakoda Armstrong 0 248 -204 -8 13 0 0 0 0 1 16 0
17. Jj Yeley 1 229 -223 -19 12 0 0 0 0 2 17 0
18. Ryan Preece # 1 226 -226 -3 13 0 0 0 0 2 18 0
19. Garrett Smithley # 0 223 -229 -3 12 0 0 0 0 0 19 0
20. Ray Black Jr # 1 188 -264 -35 13 0 0 0 0 2 20 0
21. Bj McLeod # 0 173 -279 -15 13 0 0 0 0 3 21 0
22. Joey Gase 0 151 -301 -22 13 0 0 0 0 3 22 0
23. Mario Gosselin 0 119 -333 -32 9 0 0 0 0 1 23 0
24. David Starr 0 112 -340 -7 7 0 0 0 0 2 24 0
25. Justin Marks 0 111 -341 -1 6 0 0 0 0 2 25 0
26. Alex Bowman 2 105 -347 -6 3 1 0 1 3 0 29 3
27. Harrison Rhodes 0 93 -359 -12 8 0 0 0 0 3 26 -1
28. Mike Harmon 0 89 -363 -4 11 0 0 0 0 2 27 -1
29. Derrike Cope 0 85 -367 -4 10 0 0 0 0 1 28 -1
30. Corey Lajoie 0 63 -389 -22 3 0 0 0 0 0 30 0
31. Ryan Ellis 0 61 -391 -2 6 0 0 0 0 1 31 0
32. Jeff Green 2 58 -394 -3 11 0 0 0 0 10 33 1
33. Todd Peck 0 55 -397 -3 7 0 0 0 0 2 35 2
34. Drew Herring 0 50 -402 -5 2 0 0 0 0 0 32 -2
35. Martin Roy 0 48 -404 -2 4 0 0 0 0 1 37 2
36. Carl Long 0 46 -406 -2 8 0 0 0 0 6 34 -2
37. Brandon Gdovic 0 38 -414 -8 2 0 0 0 0 0 36 -1
38. Chris Cockrum 0 38 -414 0 4 0 0 0 0 2 41 3
39. Tj Bell 0 37 -415 -1 3 0 0 0 0 0 44 5
40. Cody Ware 0 34 -418 -3 5 0 0 0 0 3 38 -2
