Fourteen NASCAR Xfinity Series races are in the books, and the 2025 postseason picture is starting to take shape. That said, 12 more regular-season contests remain before the playoffs get underway, so plenty of excitement is still in store, and things could appear quite different by then.
Look no further than the upcoming bout in Mexico City at the famed Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez as the circuit goes international to tackle the 15-turn, 2.42-mile road course for the first time since 2008.
With quite a bit of movement since the previous installment, it’s time to give this exercise another crack, with NASCAR.com’s John Crane ranking the top 12 Xfinity Series drivers ahead of The Chilango 150 (Sat., 4:30 p.m. ET, The CW, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
RELATED: 2025 Xfinity Series schedule | Xfinity Series standings
Analysis: A fine-tuned performance at Nashville Superspeedway en route to his third Xfinity dub of 2025 was just what Allgaier needed to illustrate his championship-caliber speed. And while a 35th-place clunker after a crash at Texas Motor Speedway in early May might be a recent damper, the No. 7 still sits No. 1 in the championship standings and No. 1 in this ranking installment.
Analysis: If there’s a driver who had a convincing case to poach the No. 1 spot from Allgaier, look no further than Hill, who, since Rockingham, has tallied five consecutive finishes of seventh or better, including another superspeedway triumph (Talladega in April). The question for Hill as he looks to usurp Allgaier from his championship throne: will he find enough race-leading speed? Allgaier has led 304 laps since Rockingham compared to Hill’s 76 over the same timeframe.
Analysis: A lower back injury sustained at Talladega Superspeedway resulted in Zilisch missing the following contest at Texas. Since his return one race later at Charlotte Motor Speedway, though, the 18-year-old phenom has yet to skip a beat, nabbing two straight runner-up results. With five road-course races still on the regular-season slate — where Zilisch is 2-for-2 in Xfinity victories on those tracks since debuting last season — it’s entirely possible No. 88 could make a case for No. 1 in this installment in due time.
Analysis: A 26th-place result at Rockingham might have been a bump in the road, but since then, Mayer has compiled four straight finishes of 14th or better, continuing what looks to be a career year and on track to smash his previous career highs in top fives, top 10s and average finish. Finding more race-leading speed will continue to be a focal point in the hopes of clinching a playoff berth outright; Mayer’s 53 laps led ranks 11th among all full-time drivers.
Analysis: All looked swell for Love at Rockingham following the No. 2’s apparent race victory at the track … until the team’s disqualification following post-race inspection. (The National Motorsports Appeals Panel upheld the penalty.) Nevertheless, Love is still locked into the 2025 playoffs with a race win already (Daytona in February), and the No. 2 has continued to amass excellent finishes, including results of eighth or better in three of the four races since the infraction.
Analysis: Although Creed has yet to capture his first career Xfinity Series win, the 27-year-old has vaulted to sixth in the championship standings, thanks to steady points accumulation (Creed has captured 29 points or more in three of the last four races). With 25 laps led recently at Nashville, there’s hope that Creed will combine steady points tallies with race-leading circuits to find Victory Lane at last.
Analysis: Don’t look now, but Burton is on the path toward his best average finish since 2021 (14.4), when the Virginia native logged a 13.6 mark (not to mention a race win, seven top fives and 16 top 10s). Four top 15s over the last five races — including an emotional Talladega runner-up in April — paint an optimistic picture as the 32-year-old aims for a playoff berth.
Analysis: Jones and the No. 20 team had five top-10 finishes — and a victory — to their 2025 ledger through the first nine races. It’s been a tougher sled since, with only one top 10 over the last five contests (ninth, Texas). There’s good news. To start, Jones has already secured a playoff spot. Secondly, none of the five races have resulted in DNFs, so the No. 20 is still finishing contests, at least. The trick will be to make those finishes pop just a bit more.
Analysis: Burton and the No. 25 crew have looked steady of late, finishing 12th or better in four of the last five races. Though Burton only has 24 laps led this season — and zero since Darlington Raceway in early April — the 24-year-old is on the right path to point his way into the postseason picture … at the minimum.
Analysis: This is a tricky one. On the one hand, the No. 8 has achieved a victory this season, coming at the expense of Love after the No. 2 was disqualified at Rockingham in April. On the other hand, the young Smith, who turned 21 on June 4, has tallied two finishes of 30th or worse in two of the last four races, including a disqualification at Charlotte in May. In other words, it’s been a mixed bag. For now, he remains inside the top 10 in this installment.
Analysis: Although Kvapil has remained competitive, the No. 1 driver has just one top 10 over the last five races (Nashville, ninth). Even still, Kvapil is keeping everyone honest and sometimes leading laps, too, with 47 circuits paced at “The Rock.” He indeed dropped in this ranking compared to the last, though no one doubts the possibility of vaulting up this installment once again. The talent is there.
Analysis: A wreck with fewer than 15 laps remaining at Rockingham was unfortunate for Sanchez, who captured the Stage 1 victory at the track for his first stage win at the Xfinity level. With 141 points over the last five contests, Sanchez has gradually worked himself into the playoff picture and within this ranking installment, though there are those — Ryan Sieg, Taylor Gray and Daniel Dye, among others — on the prowl.
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