The stakes are high for the Xfinity Series Playoff contenders as they head to the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course for the Drive for the Cure 250 presented by BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina on Saturday, October 7 at 3 p.m. ET (NBC, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and the NBC Sports App) – the first elimination race of the Playoff season.
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Next Race: Drive for the Cure 250 presented by BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina
The Place: Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course
The Date: Saturday, October 7
The Time: 3 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)
This weekend’s race will be the sixth time the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course has hosted a NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff race (2018-2023). The Charlotte Road Course has occupied two spots on the postseason schedule – in 2018 and 2019, the Charlotte ROVAL hosted the second race in the Round of 12 and then from 2020 to 2023, the 2.32-mile road course hosted the Round of 12 elimination race (the third race in the Playoffs).
There have only been five races on the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course. The inaugural race was on September 29, 2018 and was won by Chase Briscoe but it’s AJ Allmendinger who is a popular name at the track, being the only other victor on the road course (2019-2022).
Although we won’t have a previous winner in the field this weekend at the Charlotte ROVAL, there is one Playoff contender who is no stranger to winning the Round of 12 elimination race – Cole Custer (2019). Back in 2019, the Round of 12 elimination race (29th race of the season) was held at Dover Motor Speedway. That season, Custer made his way to the Championship 4, ultimately finishing in second.
NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff Race No. 3 – Round of 12 Elimination Race Winners
| Track | Race Winners | Season | Race Number | Date |
| Charlotte | Joey Logano | 2016 | 29 | Sunday, October 9, 2016 |
| Charlotte | Alex Bowman | 2017 | 29 | Saturday, October 7, 2017 |
| Dover | Christopher Bell | 2018 | 29 | Saturday, October 6, 2018 |
| Dover | Cole Custer | 2019 | 29 | Saturday, October 5, 2019 |
| Charlotte RC | AJ Allmendinger | 2020 | 29 | Saturday, October 10, 2020 |
| Charlotte RC | AJ Allmendinger | 2021 | 29 | Saturday, October 9, 2021 |
| Charlotte RC | AJ Allmendinger | 2022 | 29 | Saturday, October 8, 2022 |
With both Briscoe and Allmendinger competing in the NASCAR Cup Series, the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course will see a new winner in Victory Lane this weekend. With a chance to be the first in the field to take the checkered flag on the 2.32-mile road course, drivers will be sure to be all gas, no brakes for practice on Saturday, October 7 at 10 a.m. ET followed by qualifying at 10:30 a.m. ET on the NBC Sports App.
Playoff Bubble Shuffle: Kligerman, Burton, Berry, Mayer under the cutline
Following the second race of the Round of 12 at Texas Motor Speedway, John Hunter Nemechek (by virtue of win) and Cole Custer (by virtue of points), clinched their way into the Round of 8, joining Justin Allgaier who secured his spot with a win at Bristol Motor Speedway.
As the series heads to the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course, Austin Hill (44 points above the cutline), Chandler Smith (+32), Sammy Smith (+18), Sheldon Creed (+9), and Daniel Hemric (+1) hold the remaining five Playoff spots, but a lot can change, especially on a road course.
One point below the cutline is Big Machine Racing’s Parker Kligerman, who is in his first Xfinity Series Playoff appearance. Jordan Anderson Racing’s Jeb Burton, who is 19 points below the cutline, will be fighting to clinch his way in as he was knocked out in the Round of 12 in his only other Playoff appearance (2021). JR Motorsports’ Josh Berry, who made it all the way to the Championship 4 round in his debut in the Playoffs last season sits 27 points behind the cutline while JRM teammate Sam Mayer (-34) will push to make the Round of 8 for the second time in his career. Both drivers are looking to join their JRM teammate Justin Allgaier in the next Playoff round.
Xfinity Clinch Scenarios heading into the Charlotte Roval
Three drivers have already clinched their spot in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs’ Round of 8 kicking off at Las Vegas Motor Speedway – Justin Allgaier and John Hunter Nemechek with their respective wins and Cole Custer by virtue of points. With only one last shot to race their way in, 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 the Charlotte ROVAL
NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers have one more shot to keep their Playoff run going 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 done on the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course:
John Hunter Nemechek: Clinched into the Round of 8 with his win at Texas Motor Speedway, 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 Couse, 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 road course under his belt. He posted 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 this weekend to make his series debut on the road course.
Sammy Smith: Sliding into the sixth Playoff spot is Sammy Smith who will also be making his series debut on the Charlotte Road Course this 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 final Round of 8 transfer spot on points, Hemric heads to Charlotte with four starts in the books on the road course with two top-five and three top-10 finishes.
Parker Kligerman: One point below the Round of 8 cutline, Kligerman will be looking to punch his ticket into the next round this weekend. He will be making his series debut on the road course this weekend.
Jeb Burton: In the 10th spot is 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 cutline is Berry who has made one start on the Charlotte Road Course, posting an eighth-place finish.
Sam Mayer: In the final Playoff 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.
Sunoco Rookie of the Year battle continues – As the 2023 rookie contenders start winding down on their first full time season in the series, let’s see how the year has treated them.
Kaulig Racing’s Chandler Smith and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Sammy Smith secured a spot in the 2023 Playoffs with their respective wins (C. Smith – Richmond, S. Smith – Phoenix).
Chandler Smith leads the pack with 2,086 points while Sammy Smith sits at a close second with 2,076 points.
Jordan Anderson Racing’s Parker Retzlaff slides in third with 540 points and Blaine Perkins closes out the competition with 212 points.
