XFINITY SERIES DOVER

NASCAR XFINITY SERIES

Locked In: Sadler’s Opening Chase Race Win Guarantees Him A Spot In The Round Of 8

Elliott Sadler cemented his name in racing history this past weekend by winning the very first NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase race at Kentucky Speedway. Not only does Sadler now hold the Chase standings lead, he is also guaranteed a spot in the Round of Eight, which is approaching quickly.

“I think anytime you can put a win on the board it is special, make it the first ever NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase race is special, and it kind of gives us a break the next two weeks so we can go out and race and have fun and be aggressive if we need to,” said 2016 NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase standings leader Elliott Sadler.

With two tracks left in the Round of 12, Elliott Sadler and his No. 1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro team can find solace in knowing they are moving on to the next round, but they shouldn’t let their momentum stagnate. In 27 races this season they have produced three wins, 11 top fives, 24 top 10s and an average finish of 7.0.

The next two tracks of the Round of 12 are Dover International Speedway (Oct. 1 at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN) and Charlotte Motor Speedway (Oct. 7 at 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN). Sadler has made 17 series starts at Dover posting three top fives, 10 top 10s and an average finish of 12.5. He rallied from a 32nd-place starting position to finish sixth on the 1-mile track earlier this season. Sadler has also made 19 starts at Charlotte posting four top fives and eight top 10s.

Chasers From Second To Eighth Look To Solidify Their Positions To Advance

With the first race of the NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase in the review mirror, the Chase contenders turn their attention to Dover International Speedway for the Drive Sober 200 on Saturday, Oct. 1 (3 p.m. ET on NBCSN). Below is a look at the drivers not locked into the Round of Eight and currently seeded second through eighth in points. 

2. Daniel Suarez (2,042 pts.) – No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry – opened the Chase with a second-place finish at Kentucky and is now eight points behind Elliott Sadler in the series lead. Suarez jumped one spot in the Chase standings from third to second after the opening race, placing him 15 points ahead of ninth-place Erik Jones heading into this weekend. Suarez has made three starts at Dover, posting two top 10s and an average finish of 12.7. 

3.  Brendan Gaughan (2,036 pts.) – No. 61 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Camaro – is one of three drivers this past weekend to make big moves in the NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase standings, bouncing up four spots from seventh to third on the heels of his sixth-place finish at Kentucky. While Gaughan is in a favorable position, currently inside the top eight in the Chase standings to advance to the next round, he is only nine points ahead of ninth-place Erik Jones. Gaughan has made nine starts at Dover, posting one top 10 and an average finish of 15.3. 

4. Ryan Reed (2,034 pts.) – No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing Ford Mustang – has become the biggest surprise of the inaugural NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase after he entered the playoffs seeded 10th in the standings. He posted one of his best finishes of the season (seventh) at Kentucky to jump six spots to fourth in points. Reed has positioned himself nicely to advance to the next round if he can hold onto his current seven-point advantage over ninth-place Erik Jones over these next two races. Reed has made five starts at Dover posting an average finish of 18.8. He finished 14th in this event last season.

5. Darrell Wallace Jr. (2,034 pts.) – No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford Mustang – has moved up one spot in the points to fifth following his eighth-place finish at Kentucky last weekend. Wallace is tied in points with his teammate Ryan Reed, but Reed holds the tie breaker – higher finish – over Wallace with his seventh-place finish to Wallace’s eighth last weekend. Wallace is seven points ahead of ninth-place Erik Jones heading into Dover this weekend. Wallace has made four starts at Dover posting two poles, one top five and an average finish of 10.5 – including a runner-up finish earlier this season.

6. Justin Allgaier (2,032 pts) – No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro – drops one spot in the Chase standings following a solid run at Kentucky where he finished ninth, proving how competitive this inaugural Chase already is. Allgaier will have his work cut out for him in the next two races of the Round of 12 because he is only five points ahead ninth-place Erik Jones. Watch for Allgaier to excel at Dover this weekend. In 11 starts at the famed 1-mile speedway, he has posted two top fives, five top 10s and an average finish of 14.7. Earlier this season he sat on the pole and finished fourth at Dover.

7. Brennan Poole (2,031) – No. 48 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet Camaro – hurdled one spot in the Chase standings to seventh following his 10th-place finish in the opening race of the NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase. Now with a four-point advantage over ninth-place Erik Jones, Poole will need to keep the solid finishes coming if he wants to advance to the next round. Poole has made two starts at Dover posting one top 10 and an average finish of 11.0. Poole is currently the only one of three Sunoco rookies entered in the Chase scheduled to move on to the next round.  

8. Blake Koch (2,030) – No. 11 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet Camaro – leaped from the very last seeding position (12th) to eighth in the Chase standings after he wheeled a solid 11th-place finish at Kentucky last weekend. His four-position jump in the standings has him sitting just inside the cutoff to make it to the next round with a three-point advantage over ninth-place Erik Jones. Koch has made 11 starts at Dover, posting an average finish of 29.5, but don’t let that fool you, he posted his career-best finish at Dover (12th) earlier this season.

Desperate Times: Four Drivers Only Have Two Races Before Elimination

The Round of 12 consists of three races (Kentucky, Dover and Charlotte) and following the third race at Charlotte the drivers in positions ninth through 12th without a win will be eliminated from the 2016 NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase. Below is a look at the four drivers currently facing elimination in the Round of 12 as the series heads to Dover.

9. Erik Jones (2,027 pts.) – No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry – headed into the 2016 NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase as the all-out favorite to win the title this season with four wins (series-most) and the No. 1 seed, but all that changed this past weekend at Kentucky.  After starting on the pole on the 1.5-mile speedway and leading 100 laps, Jones was caught in an accident that relegated him to a 28th-place finish. The result sank his position in the Chase standings eight spots from first to ninth, moving him just outside the cutoff to get to the next round.  Now Jones sits three points behind Blake Koch in eighth place in the Chase standings. Luckily for Jones the series heads to Dover International Speedway this weekend, where he won earlier this season. Jones has made two starts at Dover posting one win, two top 10s and an average finish of 5.0. Erik Jones will need to win or move inside the top eight in points to advance to the next round. 

10. Ryan Sieg (2,025 pts.) – No. 39 RSS Racing Chevrolet Camaro – dropped one spot in the NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase standings to 10th following his 16th-place finish at Kentucky. Sieg is currently five points behind eighth-place Blake Koch. Sieg has made five starts at Dover positing an average finish of 16.0. Sieg will need to win or move inside the top eight in the Chase standings to advance to the next round following Charlotte. 

11.  Brandon Jones (2,015) – No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Camaro – opened race last weekend started with a solid 14th-place starting position and had worked his way inside the top 10 until about halfway through the race he was caught in an accident. The incident didn’t take him out of the race, but definitely took him out of contention. Jones ultimately finished 26th and now sits 11th in Chase standings, 15 points behind eighth-place Blake Koch. A win would be a guarantee for Jones to move on to the next round, but he can also point his way into the Round of Eight. However, overcoming the large deficit will be tough to do in just two races. Jones’ series debut at Dover earlier this season saw him start 10th and finish 25th.

12. Ty Dillon (2,015) – No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Camaro – resides in last place in the 2016 NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase standings following Kentucky, 15 points behind eighth-place Blake Koch.  Dillon was poised to win at Kentucky last weekend after leading 47 laps, but his fortunes turned quickly and with four laps to go, was caught in an accident with fellow Chase contender Erik Jones. Dillon closed out the first race in the 2016 Chase with a 27th-place finish. Now Dillon rolls into Dover looking to rebound. In seven starts on the 1-mile speedway he has posted one top five, five top 10s and an average finish of 12.9. Overcoming the 15-point deficit and moving inside the top eight in the Chase standings is possible for Dillon, but his best bet to move on to the next round would be to win in the next two weeks.

NASCAR XFINITY Series Etc.:

Chase Drivers Dillon, Allgaier Visit Philadelphia – This past Tuesday, NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase drivers Ty Dillon and Justin Allgaier visited the Philadelphia Boy and Girls Club and did some media availabilities leading into this weekend at Dover International Speedway. Content assets from the event can be found on NASCARMedia.com. …

Morgan Shepherd’s 400th XFINITY Start – The only active driver who participated in the inaugural NASCAR XFINITY Series season in 1982, Morgan Shepherd will attempt to become the seventh driver in series history to make 400 or more series starts joining Kenny Wallace (547), Jason Keller (520), Mike Wallace (494), Jeff Green (443), Joe Nemechek (427) and David Green (404). Shepherd’s career has amassed 15 wins, 44 top fives, 67 top 10s and six poles in the NASCAR XFINITY Series. Shepherd has made 29 series starts at Dover, posting one win (1986), three top fives and an average finish of 27.4. …

Double Duty – Austin Dillon, Matt DiBenedetto, Kyle Busch and Joey Logano are the four full-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers entered this weekend in the NXS Chase race at Dover. Kyle Busch (five – series most) and Joey Logano (four – second-most) are the only two of the four NSCS drivers entered this weekend that have won at Dover.