Talladega Superspeedway will play host to an Xfinity Series playoff race for the fifth consecutive season but for the first time in the Round of 8.
After Aric Almirola opened the third round with a victory at Las Vegas, at least two drivers will claim spots in the Championship 4 through the points standings (Almirola is ineligible for the driver title but qualified the No. 19 Toyota of Joe Gibbs Racing for the team owner championship).
Heading into Talladega, Connor Zilisch is 82 points above the cutline, followed by Justin Allgaier (plus-44), Jesse Love (plus-20) and Sam Mayer (plus-8).
Jim Pohlman will move from JR Motorsports in the Xfinity Series to guide Kyle Busch’s team in Cup next season.
The four drivers below the cutline are Brandon Jones (minus-8), Sheldon Creed (minus-21), Carson Kvapil (minus-22) and Sammy Smith (minus-24).
Allgaier and Mayer are the only Championship 4 veterans left in the playoffs.
Love and Smith are the only playoff drivers who have wins at Talladega. There have been no repeat winners in the past seven Xfinity races at the track, and three of the past five Talladega finishes included a last-lap pass for the win.
Details for Saturday’s Xfinity race at Talladega Superspeedway
(All times Eastern)
START: The green flag is scheduled to wave at 4:10 p.m.
PRERACE: The Xfinity garage will open at 9 a.m. … Qualifying will be at 11:30 a.m. … Driver introductions will be at 3:20 p.m. … The national anthem will be performed at 3:51 p.m. … The command to start engines is scheduled to be given at 3:58 p.m.
DISTANCE: The race is 94 laps (250.04 miles) on the 2.66-mile oval in Talladega, Alabama.
STAGES: Stage 1 ends at Lap 25. Stage 2 ends at Lap 40.
PURSE: $1,651,939
ENTRY LIST: Click here for the 38 cars entered at Talladega Superspeedway.
TV/RADIO: CW will broadcast the race starting at 3:30 p.m. … Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will have radio coverage.
FORECAST: WeatherUnderground — Partly cloudy with a high of 85 degrees and a 4% chance of rain with winds from the south at 5 to 10 mph. It’s expected to be 84 degrees with a 0% chance of rain at the start of the Xfinity race.
LAST TIME: Austin Hill was declared the winner of the April 25 race after a lengthy review from a last-lap pileup that started with Connor Zilisch, Jeb Burton and Jesse Love battling for the lead.
LAST YEAR: Sammy Smith outdueled Riley Herbst for the win in overtime of the Oct. 5, 2024 race.
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