Only five races remain in the NASCAR Xfinity Series regular season and things are sure to heat up as drivers get ready to race under the lights this Friday, August 23 at Daytona International Speedway for the Wawa 250 Powered by Coca-Cola at 7:30 p.m. ET on the USA Network, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
The 2.5-mile superspeedway, located in beautiful Daytona Beach, Florida, has hosted 65 Xfinity Series races, producing 37 different race winners and 44 different pole winners.
Only six races have been won from the pole or first starting position, most recently by Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Hill in the 2023 Xfinity Series season opener.
NASCAR Hall of Famers Dale Earnhardt and Tony Stewart are tied for most wins at the track with seven each.
Only three of the 37 race winners will be active in the field this weekend at Daytona – Austin Hill (2022, 2023, 2024), Jeremy Clements (2022) and Justin Allgaier (2023).
Digging through the Daytona record books, here are a few other names you might recognize for their performances at the track:
- Most top fives – Kevin Harvick (12)
- Most top 10s – Dale Earnhardt Jr & Kevin Harvick (14)
- Most Laps led – Dale Earnhardt Jr (560)
- Most Lead lap finishes – Dale Earnhardt Jr (19)
The NASCAR Xfinity Series will be skipping practice this weekend and heading straight to qualifying at 3 p.m. ET on Friday, August 23. Qualifying will be streamed on the NBC Sports App and broadcast on the USA Network.
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Next Race: WAWA 250 Powered by Coca-Cola
The Place: Daytona International Speedway
The Date: Friday, August 23
The Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
The Purse: $1,886,123
TV: USA, 7 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)
Distance: 250 miles (100 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 30),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 60), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 100)
Smith and Sieg straddle Playoff cutoff line separated by one point
With another win by JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier last weekend at Michigan International Speedway, one of eight drivers already with a win this season, there are still four spots left up for grabs in the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs.
The eight drivers that have earned themselves spot on the Xfinity Series Playoff grid by virtue of their wins are Shane van Gisbergen, Chandler Smith, Austin Hill, Sam Mayer, Cole Custer, Justin Allgaier, Jesse Love and Riley Herbst.
As of now, AJ Allmendinger (+102), Sheldon Creed (+70), Parker Kligerman (+36), and Sammy Smith (+1) occupy the final four spots to clinch a Playoff berth. Ryan Sieg (-1) and Brandon Jones (-94) hold the first two spots outside the cutoff, followed by Anthony Alfredo (-115).
Here’s how the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff standings look heading into Michigan:
| NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff Projection Following Michigan International Speedway – 8/17/2024 | |||||||
| Rank | Driver | Points | Starts | Race Wins | Stage Wins | Playoff Pts | +/- Cutoff |
| 1 | Shane Van Gisbergen # | 520 | 21 | 3 | 2 | 17 | In On Wins |
| 2 | Justin Allgaier | 756 | 21 | 2 | 11 | 21 | |
| 3 | Austin Hill | 698 | 21 | 2 | 3 | 13 | |
| 4 | Chandler Smith | 684 | 21 | 2 | 5 | 15 | |
| 5 | Sam Mayer | 503 | 21 | 2 | 1 | 11 | |
| 6 | Cole Custer | 768 | 21 | 1 | 3 | 8 | |
| 7 | Riley Herbst | 623 | 21 | 1 | 2 | 7 | |
| 8 | Jesse Love # | 604 | 21 | 1 | 4 | 9 | |
| 9 | AJ Allmendinger | 646 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 102 |
| 10 | Sheldon Creed | 614 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 70 |
| 11 | Parker Kligerman | 580 | 21 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 36 |
| 12 | Sammy Smith | 545 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 13 | Ryan Sieg | 544 | 21 | 0 | 2 | 2 | -1 |
| 14 | Brandon Jones | 451 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -94 |
| 15 | Anthony Alfredo | 430 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -115 |
| 16 | Brennan Poole | 357 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -188 |
| 17 | Parker Retzlaff | 334 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -211 |
| 18 | Josh Williams | 327 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -218 |
| 19 | Jeb Burton | 309 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -236 |
| 20 | Leland Honeyman # | 302 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -243 |
| 21 | Jeremy Clements | 296 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -249 |
| 22 | Ryan Ellis | 275 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -270 |
| 23 | Kyle Weatherman | 271 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -274 |
| 24 | Blaine Perkins | 217 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -328 |
Xfinity Clinch Scenarios: Daytona International Speedway
With five races left in the regular season there is still a lot of racing left, but here is a look at the drivers that have mathematically clinched their way into Playoffs this season:
Already Clinched
The following five drivers have clinched a spot in the 12-driver postseason field: Justin Allgaier, Austin Hill, Chandler Smith, Shane Van Gisbergen, Sam Mayer.
Can clinch via previous wins
The following drivers could clinch on previous wins with a win by a previous winner:
- Cole Custer: Would clinch with 50 points
The following drivers could clinch on previous wins with a win by a new winner:
- Cole Custer: Would clinch with 55 points
Can Clinch Via Win
The following drivers would clinch on their win alone:
- Cole Custer, Riley Herbst, Jesse Love
RCR’s Austin Hill looking for a Daytona sweep
Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Hill will be coming back to Daytona International Speedway hoping for a season sweep after winning the season opener in February.
The 30-year-old driver is all too familiar with finding Victory Lane at the iconic Daytona track, having also won the season openers in 2022 and 2023.
The Winston, Georgia native, Hill, heads into the weekend with some momentum, having already accumulated two wins (Daytona, Atlanta), eight top fives, 13 top 10s and has led 139 laps.
If he is able to accomplish the feat this weekend, he will become just the second driver all-time to sweep both Daytona races in a single season, joining NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Xfinity Superspeedway Superstars
Daytona International Speedway is infamous for its wild, action-packed racing and unexpected finishes but there are always a few drivers who seem run out front.
Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Hill is an obvious favorite for this weekend’s Wawa 250 Powered by Coca-Cola given that he’s won the last three season openers at the track.
JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier is quite the veteran when it comes to racing at Daytona. He’s made 27 starts at the track, dating back to 2009 when he made his debut at the track at the season opener. He’s had some ups and downs but has put up some solid finishes, including one win (summer 2023), eight top fives, 13 top 10s, and has led 130 laps.
Stewart-Haas Racing’s Riley Herbst has had a solid season thus far, posting one win (Indy) four top fives and nine top 10s. He’s hoping that he’ll be able to keep this momentum alive as he looks towards this weekend’s race to post another win. He’s made 10 starts at the 2.5-mile track, posting two top fives and five top 10s. He posted a sixth-place finish at the season opener in February.
The two drivers with the best average finish at Daytona in the NASCAR Xfinity Series that entered this weekend at Jordan Anderson Racing’s Parker Retzlaff (4.7 in three starts) and Kaulig Racing’s A.J. Allmendinger (10.7 in seven starts).
NASCAR Xfinity Series, Etc.
Gus Dean to make Xfinity Series debut at Daytona – ARCA Menards Series driver Gus Dean will be making his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut this weekend behind the wheel of the No. 15 Ford with AM Racing.
“I’m very excited about this opportunity to make my NASCAR Xfinity Series debut this weekend at Daytona International Speedway,” said Dean. “This is definitely an opportunity for me, but I am focused on doing my job, going out there, and delivering the team and our partners a strong finish.
Dean has made 70 starts in the ARCA Menards Series, posting three wins 22 top fives and 41 top 10s, as well as 26 career starts in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series.