NASCAR
Who’s In, Who’s Out After Round 1 of the Xfinity Series Playoffs?
With an off week for the Xfinity Series, let’s take a look back on the winners in Playoff Round 1. Conversely, we’ll recap who got eliminated after the Round of 12. Also, we will preview the championship battle ahead of the last 4 races.
A Legend Returns at Richmond, Title Favorite Switches Hands
Richmond Raceway’s Go Bowling 250 was a memorable race for many fans. It marked Dale Earnhardt Jr’s 1 start for 2018, his first since retiring from the Cup Series. Jr would start the night in 2nd, lead a race-high 96 laps, and win a Stage before finishing 4th. With his success, Jr did steal much of the spotlight for the night. However, it was Playoff contender Christopher Bell who won the race from the pole.
While Bell won his 2nd race at Richmond, Regular Season Champion Justin Allgaier had a rough night. The 7 would crash on the lap 226 restart, and finished 32nd. Allgaier’s Playoff run started off slow, but with his points advantage, he was still ahead of the cut line. The championship has been a dogfight all year between Bell and Allgaier, with Bell being faster lately. With the strong opening run, Bell has to be the current championship front runner.
Another standout from Richmond was Ross Chastain, who finished 2nd in his last race of 2018 for Chip Ganassi Racing. Daniel Hemric, Dale Jr, and Matt Tifft would round out the top 5 in the first race of Playoff Round 1.
First Time Winner on the Charlotte Roval
Unlike past years, the Drive for the Cure 200 was raced on the Charlotte Roval. In this inaugural event, many thought road racing ace Austin Cindric would be the man to beat. Cindric started the day on pole, but spun himself out on lap 13. Cindric would recover to finish the day in 3rd, gaining valuable Playoff points but falling short of the victory.
The day would belong to Ford development driver Chase Briscoe, who earned his first career Xfinity Series win. Briscoe was able to attack the Roval by racing it like Eldora Speedway, where he has won before.
The top 5 results from the Roval were Briscoe, Justin Marks, Austin Cindric, Ryan Preece, and Christopher Bell.
With a Playoff driver not winning at the Roval, only Bell was locked into the next round heading into the Dover elimination race. 11 drivers would have to race against each other for the remaining 7 spots in Round 2 of the Playoffs. Dover was sure to be an entertaining finish to Round 1. The cut line was within just a few points for several drivers.
Historic Race for Bell in Dover
Dover’s Bar Harbor 200 would mark the end of 4 driver’s Playoffs, as the first elimination race. After starting on pole, Daniel Hemric quickly lost the lead to Christopher Bell, the class of the field.
Bell would go on to win, and set a historic record. Bell’s 6th win of 2018 is now the most ever by an Xfinity Series rookie. This breaks a tie he had with Greg Biffle, Kyle Busch, and Carl Edwards.
Dover’s top 5 finishers were Bell, Cole Custer, Justin Allgaier, Ryan Preece, and Spencer Gallagher.
The 4 drivers eliminated from championship contention after Round 1 were Ross Chastain, Ryan Truex, Ryan Reed, and Brandon Jones. Chastain was within just a few positions of advancing in the last laps, in the JD Motorsports 4 car. But the underdog driver and team were not able to close the deal.
The 8 drivers who advanced past Round 1 of the Xfinity Series Playoffs will be back in action this weekend at Kansas Speedway. They are Christopher Bell, Justin Allgaier, Daniel Hemric, Cole Custer, Elliott Sadler, Tyler Reddick, Matt Tifft, and Austin Cindric.
With 4 races remaining in the Xfinity Series season, the championship is appearing to be a 2-horse race. Although Bell and Allgaier have been the most consistent all season long, 4 drivers will make it to Homestead. Stay tuned to TSJ101NASCAR to find out who the Xfinity Series Championship 4 will be.
