With seven different race winners so far in 2021 and five drivers already locked in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs, there are a lot of shakeups each week in the Playoff picture.
Jeb Burton’s win in the rain-shortened race at Talladega Superspeedway put Burton and the No. 10 Kaulig Racing team in the Playoffs. He became the second Kaulig Racing driver to punch their Playoff ticket.
Daniel Hemric has stayed consistent and keeps the highest Playoff spot without a win. He’s 132 points above the cutline and has three stage wins and three Playoff points.
In terms of biggest surprises in the Playoff outlook so far, two drivers are standing out. Jeremy Clements has been in the top 12 for most of the season and has shown speed all year. Clements is currently 45 points above the Playoff cutline in ninth in the Playoff standings.
The biggest jump in the standings that is notable is Noah Gragson. Gragson, who won the Dash 4 Cash prize for back-to-back weeks has made his way up to 10th in the standings.
Brandon Brown jumped ahead of the cutline after his performance at Talladega, he was below the cutline but swapped places with Michael Annett heading into this weekend.
Of the drivers inside the Playoff outlook top 12 that are still looking for a win this season, Gragson has the best average finish at Darlington Raceway with a 3.7; followed by Harrison Burton (7.5), Riley Herbst (11.0), Justin Haley (11.3), Brandon Jones (12.0), Michael Annett (17.6), Daniel Hemric (18.0) and Josh Williams (18.3).
NASCAR Xfinity Series Driver Playoff Outlook Following Talladega-1:
| Rank | Driver | Points | Wins | Stage Wins | Playoff Pts | Pts From Cutoff |
| 1 | Austin Cindric | 367 | 2 | 4 | 14 | In On Wins |
| 2 | Jeb Burton | 270 | 1 | 0 | 5 | |
| 3 | AJ Allmendinger | 257 | 1 | 1 | 6 | |
| 4 | Myatt Snider | 239 | 1 | 0 | 5 | |
| 5 | Justin Allgaier | 217 | 1 | 0 | 5 | |
| 6 | Daniel Hemric | 308 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 132 |
| 7 | Harrison Burton | 275 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 99 |
| 8 | Justin Haley | 269 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 93 |
| 9 | Jeremy Clements | 221 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45 |
| 10 | Noah Gragson | 217 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 41 |
| 11 | Brandon Jones | 198 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 22 |
| 12 | Brandon Brown | 191 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| 13 | Riley Herbst | 176 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -15 |
| 14 | Michael Annett | 175 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -16 |
| 15 | Tommy Joe Martins | 140 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -51 |
| 16 | Josh Williams | 135 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -56 |
