They say Texas is a “go big or go home” kind of state and Joe Gibbs Racing’s John Hunter Nemechek definitely went big, securing his seventh win of the 2023 season (Auto Club, Martinsville, Atlanta, New Hampshire, Michigan, Kansas, Texas).
The win marked his second at Texas Motor Speedway and his ninth overall in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. He has posted the most wins in the series (seven) this season, with his closest competition being JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier with three wins.
Nemechek will head to the final race of the Round of 12 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course worry free as he clinched his spot in the Round of 8 with his win in Texas. Nemechek joins Cole Custer, who clinched on points and Justin Allgaier (Bristol winner) as the three drivers locked-in to the next round.
The 26-year-old heads to the Charlotte ROVAL with only one Xfinity Series start in the books. He ran in 2019 and posted a seventh-place finish.
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Next Race: Drive for the Cure 250 presented by BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina
The Place: Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL
The Date: Saturday, October 7
The Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
The Purse: $1,360,791
TV: NBC, 3 p.m. ET
Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)
Distance: 155.44 miles (67 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 20),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 40), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 67)
Charlotte ROVAL Clinch Scenarios: Five spots still remain open
The NASCAR Xfinity Series will be taking the week off to gear up for the final race in the Round of 12 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course (ROVAL), the Drive for the Cure 250 presented by BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina on Saturday, October 7 at 3 p.m. ET on NBC, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Three drivers have already clinched their spot in the Round of 8, which will kick off at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on October 14 – Justin Allgaier (Bristol) and John Hunter Nemechek (Texas) with their respective wins and Cole Custer by virtue of points.
Let’s take a look at how the rest of the field will need to perform to make sure their names are listed in the five remaining Playoff spots:
Can Clinch Via Points
If there is a repeat winner or a win by a driver who cannot advance to the next round, the following drivers could clinch by being ahead of the 7th winless driver in the standings. The same point requirements listed below would hold true if a new win comes from among Cole Custer, Austin Hill, Chandler Smith, Sammy Smith or Sheldon Creed.
- Austin Hill: Would clinch with 11 points
- Chandler Smith: Would clinch with 23 points
- Sammy Smith: Would clinch with 37 points
- Sheldon Creed: Would clinch with 46 points
- Daniel Hemric: Would clinch with 54 points
- Parker Kligerman: Would clinch with 55 points
- Jeb Burton: Could only clinch with help
- Josh Berry: Could only clinch with help
- Sam Mayer: Could only clinch with help
The following drivers could clinch on points with a win by Daniel Hemric:
- Austin Hill: Would clinch with 12 points
- Chandler Smith: Would clinch with 24 points
- Sammy Smith: Would clinch with 38 points
- Sheldon Creed: Would clinch with 47 points
- Parker Kligerman: Could only clinch with help
- Jeb Burton: Could only clinch with help
- Josh Berry: Could only clinch with help
- Sam Mayer: Could only clinch with help
If there is a new winner from Parker Kligerman or another winless driver lower in the standings but still eligible to advance to the next round, the following drivers could clinch by being ahead of the 6th winless driver in the standings.
- Austin Hill: Would clinch with 13 points
- Chandler Smith: Would clinch with 25 points
- Sammy Smith: Would clinch with 39 points
- Sheldon Creed: Would clinch with 48 points
- Daniel Hemric: Could only clinch with help
- Parker Kligerman: Could only clinch with help
- Jeb Burton: Could only clinch with help
- Josh Berry: Could only clinch with help
- Sam Mayer: Could only clinch with help
Can Clinch Via Win
The following drivers would clinch on their win alone: Austin Hill, Chandler Smith, Sammy Smith, Sheldon Creed, Daniel Hemric, Parker Kligerman, Jeb Burton, Josh Berry, Sam Mayer
Putting it all on the line at Charlotte
NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers have one more shot to keep their Playoff run going at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL, before heading to the next round of the Playoffs starting at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Here’s a look at how the 2023 Round of 12 contenders have performed on the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course:
John Hunter Nemechek: Newly clinched into the Round of 8 with his win at Texas Motor Speedway last weekend, Nemechek heads to the Charlotte ROVAL with one start on his resume, where he posted a seventh-place finish.
Justin Allgaier: A more seasoned driver on the Charlotte road course, Allgaier has made five starts, posting two top five and three top 10 finishes.
Cole Custer: Currently third in the Playoff standings, Custer has made two starts at the Charlotte ROVAL, posting top-10 finishes in both races.
Austin Hill: Fourth in the standings, Hill has three starts at the Charlotte road course under his belt, posting a best finish of 18th in 2021.
Chandler Smith: Fifth in the Playoff standings and the current leader of the 2023 Sunoco rookie class, Smith will head to the Charlotte ROVAL next weekend to make his series debut on the road course.
Sammy Smith: Sliding into the sixth Playoff spot is rookie Sammy Smith who will also be making his series debut on the Charlotte road course next weekend.
Sheldon Creed: Currently seventh in the Playoff standings, Creed has made one start at the Charlotte ROVAL where he posted a 16th-place finish.
Daniel Hemric: Currently in the eighth and final spot to transfer on pints to the Round of 8, Hemric heads to Charlotte ROVAL with four starts in the books with two top-five and three top-10 finishes.
Parker Kligerman: One point below the Round of 8 cutline in ninth, Kligerman will be looking to punch his ticket into the next round of the Playoffs. He will be making his series debut on the road course next weekend.
Jeb Burton: In the 10th spot is Jeb Burton, who has made two starts at the Charlotte ROVAL, posting a best finish of 13th in 2021.
Josh Berry: Twenty-seven points under the Round of 8 cutline in 11th is Josh Berry, who has made one start on the Charlotte road course, posting an eighth-place finish.
Sam Mayer: In the final Round of 12 spot, 34 points under the cutline is JRM’s Sam Mayer. He has made three starts at the Charlotte ROVAL, posting one top-10 finish.
NASCAR Xfinity Series, Etc.
Sammy Smith to join JR Motorsports in 2024 – Current driver of the No. 18 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, Sammy Smith, will be joining JR Motorsports next season to get behind the wheel of the No. 8 Chevrolet.
The No. 8, currently driven by Josh Berry, will become available next season as Berry moves up to the NASCAR Cup Series to driver the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford.
“Sammy is a great fit for our program and will mesh well with our other drivers,” said JRM team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. “He’s a young, talented racer who’s willing to learn and carries himself with a lot of professionalism. He has a bright future ahead. I’m excited for our team to help him continue his journey.”
Sammy Smith is currently second in the 2023 Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings, 13 points behind Chandler Smith in the rookie points lead.
Hendrick Motorsports taps into two drivers for Xfinity Series lineup – Hendrick Motorsports has added two drivers to close out the Xfinity Series season – Boris Said and Rajah Caruth.
Said will return to the Xfinity Series for the first time since the 2021 season next weekend at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course behind the wheel of the No. 17 Chevrolet. The 61-year-old has made 149 NASCAR national series starts, 29 of which have been in the Xfinity Series. In those 29 starts, he has posted one win (Montreal, 2010), seven top fives and nine top 10s.
Caruth, who currently competes full time in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, will be getting his shot in the No. 17 Chevrolet at the championship race at Phoenix Raceway. He has made 15 starts in the Xfinity Series between the 2022 and 2023 seasons, posting a best finish of 12th last season at Martinsville.
Custom Hot Wheels and Matchbox Cars For Sale - The Coldnose Garage on Etsy
