NASCAR
Who’s Where in the Xfinity Series Playoffs After 14 Races?
So far in the 2022 Xfinity Series season, seven Playoff-eligible drivers have visited victory lane. They include Austin Hill, Ty Gibbs, Noah Gragson, AJ Allmendinger, Brandon Jones, Josh Berry, and Justin Allgaier. That leaves five postseason spots still open for the remainder of the field. Who currently occupy these final Playoff berths, and can any of them win? With 12 races left in the Xfinity regular season, let’s look at the rest of the current Playoff field.
Sam Mayer (+137)
In his first full season with JR Motorsports, Sam Mayer has shown great growth. An early crash at Portland ended a streak of four-straight top-fives for the 1 team; Mayer has finished in the top five in half of the races this year. Mayer is in great position to be the next first-time Xfinity Series winner, as he has more than two races’ worth of points cushion above the cut line. Over the summer months, the 1 could break into victory lane a few times, especially on road courses.
Daniel Hemric (+102)
The defending Xfinity Series champion, Daniel Hemric has had some growing pains in his first year at Kaulig Racing. Hemric’s best result so far this season has been third, as he currently sits at ninth in points. The past five weeks though have seen the 11 finish 11th or better, so some consistency is being slowly built. While his teammate Allmendinger leads the points, Hemric has seen more struggles so far in the regular season. With his wealth of experience though, Hemric could fly under the radar once again in the Playoffs.
Landon Cassill (+79)
The third car from Kaulig, Landon Cassill is also having issues finding consistency in his first year at this team. While the 10’s season is highlighted by three top-fives, including a runner-up at Martinsville, Cassill also has an average finish of 14.1. While not at this team’s full potential, Cassill finds himself at 10th in points, still a part of the provisional Playoffs. Much like with Hemric, some of the 16 team’s amazing consistency needs to find its way to the other cars coming out of the Kaulig shop. Should Cassill find just a bit moire speed with the 10 car, he could be facing his first ever NASCAR victory.
Riley Herbst (+77)
One of the only Fords left in Xfinity competition, the Stewart-Haas 98 of Riley Herbst is 11th in points. Unlike past years though, 2022 has had some great consistency for Herbst. The entire month of April saw Herbst finish no worse than ninth. This would only be followed by poor results in the last two races. Without any surprise winners, Herbst is likely safe for his third Xfinity Playoff appearance. If the 98 can recapture some of that early season performance, they could be a dark horse threat in the fall.
Ryan Sieg (+58)
Currently the last man in the Xfinity Playoffs, Ryan Sieg has taken a big step forward this season. The No. 39 for the family-owned RSS Racing is becoming more of a regular presence up front, batting .500 on top-10s with seven so far in 2022. If Sieg can retain this level of consistency and performance, he will make his fourth Playoff showing. An underdog team or two are often included in the 12-man championship hunt, as the 39 is the best of this group so far this year. Sieg will however have to hope that upcoming wildcard races do not produce an upset winner.
When the Xfinity season resumes at Nashville Superspeedway, 12 races remain until their Playoffs. All five of the above drivers have had great moments throughout their year, but have not yet broken through into victory lane. With a few road courses still left on the schedule, the chances of a winner from outside the top 12 in points are still high. Tune in all year long to see who makes up the final five spots in the 2022 Xfinity Playoffs. Their next races is the Tennessee Lottery 250, June 25 on USA Network.
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credit to Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR
