NASCAR
Who’s In, Who’s Out of 2023 Xfinity Series Playoffs After 13 Races?
Following Portland, the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series is halfway to their Playoffs. After 13 races, seven title contenders have already won their way into the postseason. Over the remaining summer stretch, five coveted Playoff berths are still up for grabs. Who’s looking good heading forward, and who has work to get done before the Playoffs? Here’s an in-depth look at the current Xfinity Series Playoff bubble battle heading into the regular season’s second half.
Josh Berry (+112)
A Championship 4 contender last year, 2023 has yet to pan out the same for Josh Berry. At this point in 2022, Berry had two wins; the 8 is still searching for victory lane this season, but has been close. 10 top-10s and a 9.5 average finish have Berry fifth in the standings, over 100 points clear of the cut line.
JR Motorsports as an organization was winless until Charlotte two weeks ago. Offseason rule changes negatively affected the Chevrolet powerhouse, and have Berry with a best result of second. The 8 has not led a single lap though since Martinsville in April.
Should Berry mount another deep Playoff run, he needs bonus points from being up front. The 8 is not currently at risk of missing the cut. Another tick of speed must be found though for Berry to become a regular winning contender.
Sheldon Creed (+77)
Still winless in the Xfinity Series, Sheldon Creed had perhaps his best showing yet last week. In career start number 50 at Portland, the 2 took their first ever pole, led the most laps, but finished seventh after late restart shenanigans.
Creed’s 2023 is miles ahead of his 2022 performance though, where he missed the Playoffs entirely. Team 2 is solidly inside the top-12 at seventh in points. Richard Childress Racing is firing on all cylinders across both Cup and Xfinity. Kyle Busch and Austin Hill each now have a trifecta of victories.
Almost batting .500 in top-10s, Creed’s maiden Xfinity win feels like it could come any week. Much like in the Truck Series, Creed’s first breakthrough victory could spark a championship run.
Sam Mayer (+34)
Another member from the JRM camp, Sam Mayer has quite literally had an up-and-down 2023. The 1’s season began with a tale of both extremes. Mayer flipped while blocking the lead on the last lap of Daytona, and was second the next week at Auto Club. Since then, the 1 has been in the top-10 more weeks than not, but with only 54 laps led.
Similar to Josh Berry, the 1 has lacked some outright pace to put Mayer in winning contention. Back-to-back crashes at Martinsville and Talladega did not help things either. Mayer is on the positive side of the cut line for now, but with a painfully small points buffer. The 1 did survive the late carnage at Portland to finish third, so momentum is on their side moving forward.
Mayer must minimize mistakes is he is to make a second-straight Playoff appearance. A win would obviously erase all of this stress. JRM as a company however is still searching for the dominant speed they had last season.
Riley Herbst (+27)
Stewart-Haas Racing and Riley Herbst opened 2023 appearing as one of the most improved Xfinity teams year-over-year. Six-straight top-10s had the 98 as high as second in points. Since April however, Herbst has yet to earn another top-10, taking four DNFs in the last six races.
What looked like a breakout season for Herbst has regressed to his mean of being around 10th in points. The Xfinity Series Playoffs are not likely to be completely filled with winners. However, any winner from below the cut line moves the 98 even closer to risk of being outside looking in. Whether it’s speed or execution or simply luck, Riley Herbst needs a change in something for the rest of 2023.
Daniel Hemric (+14)
2021 Xfinity Series Champion Daniel Hemric is the last man in the Playoffs as of early June. Through the opening 13 races, the Kaulig 11 team has six top-10s, highlighted by an Atlanta runner-up. Consistency has been Hemric’s method to making past Playoff runs, being the 10th seed last year.
Now holding the final berth though as the bubble driver, Hemric’s postseason future is very much up in the air. A lot of hungry and capable drivers are hot on Hemric’s heels. Any poor finishes or winner from below the top-12 would put the Kaulig team outside the cut.
Brandon Jones (-14)
In his first season with JR Motorsports, Brandon Jones has left much to be desired. JRM struggles aside, the 9 only has three top-10s, putting him outside of the Playoff bubble. The 9’s best finish of 2023 so far is fifth at Martinsville.
Like his teammates, Jones is severely lacking in laps led, only pacing the field for 34 circuits. Unless a radical change is found in JRM speed, Jones is at risk of missing his first postseason since 2017.
Parker Kligerman (-26)
His first full-time opportunity in 10 years, Parker Kligerman is punching up with Big Machine Racing. The No. 48 Chevrolet has seen standout runs on superspeedways and road courses. This perfectly compliments Kligerman’s limited NASCAR background and successes over the past decade.
Just last week in Portland, Kligerman was in position to steal the victory and went for it. From third-place on a late restart, the 48 dove three-wide into turn one but carried too much speed. What could have been a breakthrough underdog win quickly turned into knocking the leaders out of the way.
Team 48 must now refocus on upcoming road courses and superspeedways for their next shots at glory. Only 26 points down, it’s not out of the question for Kligerman to make the Playoffs on points.
Ryan Sieg (-57)
Five-time Xfinity Series Playoff driver Ryan Sieg has seen stiffer competition so far in 2023. The family-owned underdog team only has two top-10s so far, with a best result of seventh at Richmond. An increase in midfield teams’ quality has left the 39 having to battle for every spot.
Much like with Jeremy Clements last year, Sieg may have to rely on stealing a win at some point. Sieg does claim three top-fives across his career at Daytona. The late summer trek to Florida may very well be the 39’s gateway to the postseason.
The Playoff bubble battle for the Xfinity Series is sure to be a weekly story from this point onward. While a few drivers are comfortable with a healthy points buffer, one surprise winner changes all of that. Upcoming races including Chicago, Atlanta, and Daytona offer ample opportunity for an upset team to find victory lane. It will be interesting to see who can capitalize and perhaps mount a late charge to the postseason.
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credit to Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR
