The NASCAR Xfinity Series regular season ended last weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway with a thrilling rub-and-run by Chase Briscoe on Austin Cindric with six laps left. The victory marked Briscoe’s seventh of the season, his first at Bristol and the ninth of this career.
Heading into the race weekend at Bristol, there was only one spot up for grabs in the Playoff field. Brandon Brown, who had been holding onto the 12th and final spot for a few weeks, was able to clinch a Playoff berth with a 12th-place finish at Thunder Valley.
Ross Chastain finished third, Harrison Burton fourth and Justin Allgaier, who swept the stages, rounded out the top five.
With that, the Playoffs begin on Saturday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with the Alsco 300 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Briscoe will lead the field to green on Saturday with his fellow Ford competitor alongside him on the front row.
The Alsco 300 will be 200 laps and 300 miles. The first stage will end on Lap 45 and the second stage will end on Lap 90.
Briscoe is the most recent winner at the track (February) and Tyler Reddick won this race last season for the series. Briscoe will look to go back-to-back for the second time this season. Earlier on, he won back-to-back races at Pocono Raceway and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course. If he wins, it will also be a Las Vegas Motor Speedway sweep for the driver of the No. 98.
Harrison Burton has the best driver rating at Las Vegas at 108.8. There have been 19 different race winners in 26 races run and 17 different pole winners. Kyle Busch still holds the qualifying and race record at the track for the series. Kevin Harvick has the most top fives (11) and Allgaier has the most top 10s (12) and most finishes on the lead lap (12).
The current seedings are as follows:
Chase Briscoe
Austin Cindric
Justin Allgaier
Noah Gragson
Brandon Jones
Justin Haley
Harrison Burton
Ross Chastain
Ryan Sieg
Michael Annett
Riley Herbst
Brandon Brown
NASCAR Xfinity Series 2020 Driver Playoff Bios
Chase Briscoe – No. 98 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang
Date of Birth: December 15, 1994
Hometown: Mitchell, Indiana
Organization: Stewart-Haas Racing
Crew Chief: Richard Boswell II
2020 Wins: 7 (Las Vegas, Darlington, Homestead, Pocono, Indianapolis Road Course, Dover, Bristol)
Playoff Points: 50
2020 Season Stats:
- Enters the 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs ranked No. 1 in the Playoff standings with 2,050 points – is tied in points with Austin Cindric, but Briscoe holds the tiebreaker – most wins.
- Through the first 26 races of the season, Briscoe has posted seven wins, 14 top fives and 18 top 10s.
- Has won five stages and accumulated 50 Playoff points.
- Has led 538 of 4,339 laps completed (12.3%)
- 2020 average starting position, 7.1 and average finishing position, 7.6.
Previous Xfinity Playoff Stats:
- The 2020 season marks the second time Chase Briscoe has qualified for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs.
- In 2019, Briscoe made the Playoffs posting four top fives and six top 10s during the seven-race postseason. He finished the year a career-best fifth in the final standings after being eliminated in the Round of 8.
- In 2018, he failed to make the Xfinity Series Playoffs because he only competed part-time (17 races) for Roush Fenway Racing and Stewart-Haas Racing; he finished the year 24th in the championship standings.
- Made NASCAR Xfinity Series debut in 2018 at Atlanta driving for Roush Fenway Racing.
Austin Cindric – No 22 Team Penske Ford Mustang
Date of Birth: September 2, 1998
Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina
Organization: Team Penske
Crew Chief: Brian Wilson
2020 Wins: 5 (Kentucky-1, Kentucky-2, Texas, Road America, Daytona Road Course)
Playoff Points: 50
2020 Season Stats:
- Enters the 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs ranked second in the Playoff standings with 2,050 points– is tied in points with Chase Briscoe, but Briscoe holds the tiebreaker – most wins.
- 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series Regular Season Champion.
- Through the first 26 races of the season, Cindric has posted five wins, 17 top fives and 21 top 10s.
- Has won 10 stages and has accumulated 50 Playoff points.
- Has led 812 of 4,010 laps completed (20.2%)
- 2020 average starting position, 7.1 and average finishing position, 7.5.
Previous Xfinity Playoff Stats:
- The 2020 season marks the third time Austin Cindric has qualified for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs.
- In 2019, Cindric made the Playoffs posting four top fives and six top 10s during the seven race postseason. He finished the year a career-best sixth in the final standings after being eliminated in the Round of 8.
- In 2018, Cindric qualified for the Playoffs in his rookie season and posted four top fives and five top 10s in the seven-race Playoff. He finished the season eighth in the final standings after being eliminated in the Round of 8.
- Made NASCAR Xfinity Series debut in 2017 at Road America driving for Team Penske.
Justin Allgaier – No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro
Date of Birth: June 6, 1986
Hometown: Riverton, Illinois
Organization: JR Motorsports
Crew Chief: Jason Burdett
2020 Wins: 3 (Dover, Richmond-1, Richmond-2)
Playoff Points: 33
2020 Season Stats:
- Enters the 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs ranked third in the Playoff standings with 2,033 points.
- Through the first 26 races of the season, Allgaier has put up three wins, eight top fives and 15 top 10s.
- Has 12 stage wins this season and has accumulated 33 Playoff points.
- Has led 896 of 4,230 laps completed (21.1%)
- 2020 average starting position, 10.4 and average finishing position, 13.2.
Previous Xfinity Playoff Stats:
- The 2020 season marks the fifth time Justin Allgaier has made the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs – all with JR Motorsports.
- In 2019, Allgaier qualified for the Playoffs and then posted one win (Phoenix) and five top fives during the postseason making the Championship 4 round and finishing fourth in the final standings.
- In 2018, Allgaier made the Playoffs and then posted two top fives and three top 10s in the postseason but finished seventh in the final standings after being eliminated in the Round of 8.
- In 2017, Allgaier qualified for the Playoffs and then posted three top fives and four top 10s during the postseason making the Championship 4 round and finishing third in the final standings.
- In 2016, Allgaier qualified for the Playoffs and then posted two top fives and six top 10s during the postseason making the Championship 4 round and finishing a career-best third in the final standings.
Noah Gragson – No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro
Date of Birth: July 15, 1998
Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada
Organization: JR Motorsports
Crew Chief: David Elenz
2020 Wins: 2 (Daytona, Bristol)
Playoff Points: 25
2020 Season Stats:
- Enters the 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs ranked fourth in the Playoff standings with 2,025 points.
- Through the first 26 races of the season, Gragson has posted two wins, 11 top fives and 19 top 10s.
- Has eight stage wins and has accumulated 25 Playoff points.
- Has led 524 of 4,211 laps completed (12.4%)
- 2020 average starting position, 6.6 and average finishing position, 9.2.
Previous Xfinity Playoff Stats:
- The 2020 season marks the second time Noah Gragson has qualified for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs.
- In 2019, he qualified for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs and then posted two top fives and five top 10s during the postseason but finished the year eighth in the final standings after being eliminated in the Round of 8.
- Made his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut in 2018 at Richmond Raceway driving for Joe Gibbs Racing. Gragson made three starts for the JGR team in 2018.
Brandon Jones – No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Supra
Date of Birth: February 18, 1997
Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia
Organization: Joe Gibbs Racing
Crew Chief: Jeff Meendering
2020 Wins: 3 (Phoenix, Kansas, Darlington)
Playoff Points: 20
2020 Season Stats:
- Enters the 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs ranked fifth in the Playoff standings with 2,020 points.
- Through the first 26 races of the season, Jones has posted three wins, eight top fives and 14 top 10s.
- Has two stage wins and has accumulated 20 Playoff points.
- Has led 143 of 4,064 laps completed (3.5%)
- 2020 average starting position, 7.3 and average finishing position, 13.5.
Previous Xfinity Playoff Stats:
- The 2020 season marks the fourth time he has qualified for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs (2016, 2018, 2019 and 2020).
- In 2019, he qualified for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs and posted a win (Kansas) and three top 10s, but was eliminated in the Round of 12; ultimately finishing the season 10th in the final standings.
- In 2018, he qualified for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs and posted five top 10s during the postseason, but was eliminated in the Round of 12, ultimately finishing the season a career-best ninth in the final standings.
- In 2017, he failed to make the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs, ultimately finishing the season 16th in the final standings.
- In 2016, he qualified for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs and one top-10 finish during the postseason. He finished the season 10th in the championship standings after being eliminated in the Round of 12.
Justin Haley – No. 11 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet Camaro
Date of Birth: April 28, 1999
Hometown: Winamac, Indiana
Organization: Kaulig Racing
Crew Chief: Alex Yontz
2020 Wins: 2 (Talladega, Daytona)
Playoff Points: 18
2020 Season Stats:
- Enters the 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs ranked sixth in the Playoff standings with 2,018 points.
- Through the first 26 races of the season, Haley has posted two wins, eight top fives and 16 top 10s. o Has won three stages and has accumulated 19 Playoff points.
- Has led 101 of 4,295 laps completed (2.3%).
- 2020 average starting position, 7.7 and average finishing position, 10.1.
Previous Xfinity Playoff Stats:
- The 2020 season marks the second time Justin Haley has made the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs.
- In 2019, he qualified for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs as a rookie and then posted one top five and three top 10s during the postseason. He finished the year a career-best 12th in the final standings after being eliminated in the Round of 12.
- Made his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut in 2018 at Iowa Speedway driving for GMS Racing. Haley made three starts for the GMS team in 2018.
Harrison Burton – No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Supra
Date of Birth: October 9, 2000
Hometown: Huntersville, North Carolina
Organization: Joe Gibbs Racing
Crew Chief: Ben Beshore
2020 Wins: 2 (California, Homestead)
Playoff Points: 14
2020 Season Stats:
- Enters the 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs ranked seventh in the Playoff standings with 2,014 points – one of just two Sunoco rookies to make the postseason in 2020 (Riley Herbst).
- Through the first 26 races of the season, Burton has posted two wins, 13 top fives and 18 top 10s.
- Has yet to win a stage but has accumulated 14 Playoff points.
- Has led 186 of 4,255 laps completed (4.3%)
- 2020 average starting position, 7.2 and average finishing position, 9.5.
Previous Xfinity Playoff Stats:
- The 2020 season marks the first time Harrison Burton has qualified for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs.
- Harrison Burton has become the 15th different Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate to qualify for the NASCAR Xfinity Series ‘elimination style’ Playoffs since its inception into the series in 2016; joining Erik Jones, Brandon Jones, and Brennan Poole from 2016, William Byron, Cole Custer, Matt
Tifft, and Daniel Hemric from 2017, Christopher Bell, Austin Cindric and Tyler Reddick in 2018, Chase Briscoe, John H. Nemechek, Noah Gragson and Justin Haley in 2019.
- Burton and his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Riley Herbst are the only two rookies to make the Xfinity postseason in 2020.
Ross Chastain – No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet Camaro
Date of Birth: December 4, 1992
Hometown: Alva, Florida
Organization: Kaulig Racing
Crew Chief: Bruce Schlicker
2020 Wins: 0
Playoff Points: 10
2020 Season Stats:
- Enters the 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs ranked eighth in the Playoff standings with 2,010 points.
- Through the first 26 races of the season, Chastain has posted five runner-up finishes, 13 top fives and 22 top 10s.
- Has won two stages and has accumulated 10 Playoff points.
- Has led 460 of 4,280 laps completed (10.7%)
- 2020 average starting position, 8.1 and average finishing position, 7.9.
Previous Xfinity Playoff Stats:
- The 2020 season is the second time Ross Chastain has qualified for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs (2018, 2020).
- Competed in a part-time Xfinity Series schedule in 2019 making 19 starts driving for Kaulig Racing and JD Motorsports.
- In 2018, he qualified for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs and then posted one top-five finish during the postseason. He finished the year a career-best 10th in the final standings after being eliminated in the Round of 12.
- In 2017, he failed to make the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs, ultimately finishing the season 13th in the final standings.
- In 2016, he failed to make the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs, ultimately finishing the season 16th in the final standings.
Ryan Sieg – No. 39 RSS Racing Chevrolet Camaro
Date of Birth: June 20, 1987
Hometown: Tucker, Georgia
Organization: RSS Racing
Crew Chief: Kevin Starland
2020 Wins: 0
Playoff Points: 2
2020 Season Stats:
- Enters the 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs ranked 10th in the Playoff standings with 2,002 points – is tied with Michael Annett in points but Sieg holds the tiebreaker – best finish o Through the first 26 races of the season, Sieg has posted four top fives and eight top 10s
- Has won two stages and has accumulated two Playoff points.
- Has led 81 of 3,954 laps completed (2.0%).
- 2020 average starting position, 10.3 and average finishing position, 15.7.
Previous Xfinity Playoff Stats:
- The 2020 season marks the third time Ryan Sieg has qualified for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs (2016, 2019, 2020).
- In 2019, he qualified for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs and then posted three top 10s during the postseason. He finished the year 11th in the final standings after being eliminated in the Round of 12.
- In 2018, he failed to make the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs, ultimately finishing the season 16th in the final standings.
- In 2017, he failed to make the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs, ultimately finishing the season 15th in the final standings.
- In 2016, he qualified for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs and then posted one top-10 finish during the postseason. He finished the year a career-best ninth in the final standings after being eliminated in the Round of 12.
Michael Annett – No. 1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro
Date of Birth: June 23, 1986
Hometown: Des Moines, Iowa
Organization: JR Motorsports
Crew Chief: Travis Mack
2020 Wins: 0
Playoff Points: 2
2020 Season Stats:
- Enters the 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs ranked ninth in the Playoff standings with 2,002 points – is tied with Ryan Sieg in points but Sieg holds the tiebreaker – best finish o Through the first 26 races of the season, Annett has posted three top fives and 16 top 10s.
- Has yet to win a stage but has accumulated two Playoff points.
- Has led 29 of 3,870 laps completed (0.7%)
- 2020 average starting position, 8.4 and average finishing position, 11.9.
Previous Xfinity Playoff Stats:
- The 2020 season marks the third time Michael Annett has qualified for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs.
- In 2019, he qualified for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs and then posted one top five and four top 10s during the postseason. He finished the year ninth in the final standings after being eliminated in the Round of 8.
- In 2018, he failed to make the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs, ultimately finishing the season 14th in the final standings.
- In 2017, he qualified for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs and then posted one top-10 finish during the postseason. He finished the year ninth in the final standings after being eliminated in the Round of 12.
- Did not participate in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2016.
Riley Herbst – No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Supra
Date of Birth: February 24, 1999
Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada
Organization: Joe Gibbs Racing
Crew Chief: Dave Rogers
2020 Wins: 0
Playoff Points: 1
2020 Season Stats:
- Enters the 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs ranked 11th in the Playoff standings with 2,001 points – one of just two Sunoco rookies to make the postseason in 2020 (Harrison Burton).
- Through the first 26 races of the season, Herbst has posted four top fives and 16 top 10s
- Has yet to win a stage in 2020 but he has accumulated one Playoff point.
- Has led 8 of 3,984 laps completed (0.2%).
- 2020 average starting position, 10.6 and average finishing position, 15.0.
Previous Xfinity Playoff Stats:
- The 2020 season marks the first time Riley Herbst has qualified for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs.
- Riley Herbst has become the 16th different Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate to qualify for the
NASCAR Xfinity Series ‘elimination style’ Playoffs since its inception into the series in 2016; joining Erik Jones, Brandon Jones, and Brennan Poole from 2016, William Byron, Cole Custer, Matt Tifft, and Daniel Hemric from 2017, Christopher Bell, Austin Cindric and Tyler Reddick from 2018, Chase Briscoe, John H. Nemechek, Noah Gragson and Justin Haley from 2019, and Harrison Burton in 2020.
- Herbst and his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Harrison Burton are the only two rookies to make the Xfinity postseason in 2020.
Brandon Brown – No. 68 Brandonbilt Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro
Date of Birth: September 4, 1993
Hometown: Woodbridge, Virginia
Organization: Brandonbilt Motorsports
Crew Chief: Doug Randolph
2020 Wins: 0
Playoff Points: 0
2020 Season Stats:
- Enters the 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs ranked 12th in the Playoff standings with 2,000 points
- Through the first 26 races of the season, Brown has posted four top 10s
- Has yet to win a stage in 2020 or accumulate any Playoff points.
- Has led 5 of 4,031 laps completed (0.1%)
- 2020 average starting position, 15.1 and average finishing position, 16.5.
Previous Xfinity Playoff Stats:
- The 2020 season marks the first time Brandon Brown has qualified for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs.
- In 2019, he failed to make the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs, ultimately finishing the season 15th in the final standings.
- In 2018, he failed to make the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs, ultimately finishing the season 42nd in the final standings.
- In 2017, he failed to make the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs, ultimately finishing the season 36th in the final standings.
- In 2016, he made his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut at Richmond Raceway driving for Brandonbilt Motorsports. He made three series starts in 2016.
NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff Outlook following Bristol-2:
| Rank | Driver | Points | Race Wins | Stage Wins | Playoff Pts | Pts From Cutoff | |
| 1 | Chase Briscoe | 2,050 | 7 | 5 | 50 | 48 | |
| 2 | Austin Cindric | 2,050 | 5 | 10 | 50 | 48 | |
| 3 | Justin Allgaier | 2,033 | 3 | 12 | 33 | 31 | |
| 4 | Noah Gragson | 2,025 | 2 | 8 | 25 | 23 | |
| 5 | Brandon Jones | 2,020 | 3 | 2 | 20 | 18 | |
| 6 | Justin Haley | 2,018 | 2 | 3 | 18 | 16 | |
| 7 | Harrison Burton # | 2,014 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 12 | |
| 8 | Ross Chastain | 2,010 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 8 | |
| 9 | Ryan Sieg | 2,002 | 0 | 2 | 2 | -8 | |
| 10 | Michael Annett | 2,002 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -8 | |
| 11 | Riley Herbst # | 2,001 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -9 | |
| 12 | Brandon Brown | 2,000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -10 |
