Xfinity Playoff contenders to test their luck in Las Vegas

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The NASCAR Xfinity Series wrapped up the Round of 12 last weekend at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course, so now it’s on to the Round of 8, which will kick off this Saturday, Oct. 15 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with the Alsco Uniforms 302 at 3 p.m. ET on NBC, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90). Vegas is the first three races in the Round of 8 to see which of the Playoff contenders will earn their spot in the Championship 4 Round. 

The 1.5-mile Las Vegas Motor Speedway track has hosted 30 NASCAR Xfinity Series races producing 22 different race winners and 18 different pole winners. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Ty Gibbs became the track’s youngest winner when he took the checkered flag earlier this season at 19 years, five months and one day old. Mark Martin sits as the oldest winner with his 2011 win at 52 years, one month and 24 days old.

Cup Series regular Kyle Busch holds both the qualifying record at 185.58 mph and the race record at 145.415 mph in the Xfinity Series at Las Vegas. He has also led the most laps (619) and is tied for most poles with Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth, Mark Martin and Cole Custer at two each. Playoff driver Justin Allgaier holds the record for most top fives (eight), top 10s (13) and lead lap finishes (14). NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin holds the record for the most Xfinity wins at Las Vegas with four (1999, 2005, 2008, 2011)

The most recent winner at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is Playoff driver Ty Gibbs. If he snags another win at the track, not only will he be the first to clinch his spot in the Championship 4, but he will also become the second driver in Las Vegas Motor Speedway Xfinity Series history to post a back-to-back wins. The first and only driver to accomplish the feat is Chase Briscoe (2020 sweep).

This will be the first time that Las Vegas Motor Speedway kicks off the Round of 8 in the Xfinity Series Playoffs. In the 2020 and 2021 seasons, the Las Vegas track was the first race in the post season with Chase Briscoe winning the race in 2020 and Josh Berry winning in 2021. Las Vegas Motor Speedway was not a postseason track from 2016-2019.

The Xfinity Series will get the weekend rolling with practice at 8:35 p.m. ET followed by qualifying at 9:05 p.m. ET on Friday, Oct. 14 on the USA Network.

The field is set for the Round of 8

After a wild elimination race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course that went into overtime with Kaulig Racing’s AJ Allmendinger taking his fourth consecutive win at the track, the field is set for the first race in the Round of 8 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The eight drivers still in the hunt for the championship are Noah Gragson, AJ Allmendinger, Ty Gibbs, Justin Allgaier, Josh Berry, Austin Hill, Brandon Jones and Sam Mayer. 

With a new round comes three new opportunities to make it to the Championship 4 at Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 5. The first stop is Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Oct. 15 followed by Homestead-Miami Speedway on Oct. 22 then Martinsville Speedway on Oct. 29. 

Any of the eight Playoff drivers could clinch their spot into the Championship 4 with a win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend but let’s take a look at how they look heading into the race. 

As of right now, Noah Gragson, AJ Allmendinger, Ty Gibbs and Justin Allgaier sit above the cutline. Gragson leads the pack with 3,056 points. Not far behind is Allmendinger with 3,044 points. Gibbs slides into third in the standings with 3,038 points followed by Justin Allgaier in the final Championship 4 spot with 3,033 points.

Just outside the cutline is Josh Berry (-11) with rookie Austin Hill (-15) sixth in the standings. In the last two spots in the Round of 8 are Brandon Jones (-22) and Sam Mayer (-28). 

Sittin’ pretty in ‘Sin City’

Saturday’s Alsco Uniforms 302 will be sure to have fans at the edge of their seats as most of the Playoff field has been pretty lucky at the 1.5-mile track set in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

Multiple Playoff drivers have posted wins at the track while even more drivers have consistently finished in the top 10. Let’s dive into how the Playoff field has performed at the track in ‘Sin City.’ 

Noah Gragson: The driver of the No.9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet has seven starts at the track with six top fives and seven top 10s. He finished runner-up when the Xfinity Series was there earlier this season and has an average start of 14.3 and an average finish of 3.6.

AJ Allmendinger: The driver of the No.16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet has three starts at the Las Vegas track with one win (2021), one top five, three top 10s and one pole (2022). He has an average start of 4.3 and an average finish of 5.7.

Ty Gibbs: The driver of the No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota is the most recent Xfinity Series winner at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In his two starts, he has posted one win (2022), one top five and one top 10.

Justin Allgaier: The driver of the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet has 16 starts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with eight top fives and 13 top 10s. He has a best finish of second (2011, 2018, 2021) and an average start of 10.3 and an average finish of 7.9.

Josh Berry: The driver of the No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet has three starts at the track with one win (2021), two top fives and three top 10s. He has an average start of 8.7 and an average finish of 4.0.

Austin Hill: The driver of the No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet has two starts at the track with a best finish of 17th. 

Brandon Jones: The driver of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota has 11 starts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with two top fives and eight top 10s. He has a best finish of third (2019, 2021), an average start of 12.1 and an average finish of 9.3.

Sam Mayer: The driver of the No.1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet has two starts at the track with a best finish of 25th.

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