The Xfinity Series playoffs will continue Saturday at Kansas Speedway without a driver locked into the second round yet after the opener two weeks ago.
Part-time driver Aric Almirola won at Bristol Motor Speedway to deny an Xfinity regular from advancing. Almirola, who is the defending winner at Kansas but is absent from the entry list on the 1.5-mile oval, also became the third consecutive non-playoff driver to win in Xfinity (dating to last season).
Any driver who is 57 points ahead of eighth place after Kansas will advance to the Round of 8. Regular-season champion Connor Zilisch is 82 points clear of eighth (and 85 ahead of the cutline).
Carson Kvapil (plus-16 points), Harrison Burton (plus-9) and Sheldon Creed (plus-7) moved above the cutline at Bristol. The four drivers below the cutline after the opener are: Nick Sanchez (minus-3), Jesse Love (minus-3), Austin Hill (minus-16) and Sammy Smith (minus-24).
Zilisch, who leads the series with a rookie record nine victories, has 15 consecutive top-five finishes and can break Sam Ard’s 1983 record with a top five at Kansas.
Justin Allgaier has a series-high six victories on 1.5-mile tracks
Randall Burnett will pair with Connor Zilisch for his Cup rookie campaign.
Details for Saturday’s Xfinity race at Kansas
(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 11:35 a.m. … Driver introductions will be at 3:25 p.m. … The national anthem will be performed at 3:52 p.m. … The command to start engines is scheduled to be given at 3:59 p.m.
DISTANCE: The race is 200 laps (300 miles) on the 1.5-mile oval in Kansas City, Kansas.
STAGES: Stage 1 ends at Lap 45. Stage 2 ends at Lap 90.
PURSE: $1,651,939
ENTRY LIST: Click here for the 39 cars entered at Kansas Speedway.
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 — Mainly sunny with a high of 87 degrees, winds from the south/southwest at 5 to 10 mph and a 6% chance of rain. It’s expected to be 85 degrees with a 0% chance of rain at the start of the Xfinity race.
LAST YEAR: Aric Almirola passed Cole Custer and led the final four laps for the victory.
