The first race of the Xfinity Series Round of 8 is complete, and one driver has a spot in the Championship 4. Two races remain in the round, and only Justin Allgaier sits in a strong position.
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The JR Motorsports driver is 32 points above the cutline with two races remaining in the penultimate round of the playoffs. Allgaier entered the weekend with an 18-point cushion, and he built on it with a strong performance. He also overcame a little adversity in the process.
Allgaier had one of the fastest cars in the field early. He used this speed and fresh tires to finish second in stage 1 and secure nine points. He then won stage 2 to lock up 10 more points.
Allgaier then dealt with debris on the grille and an electrical issue during the final stage, but neither kept him from contending late. He crossed the line third overall while AJ Allmendinger won and punched his ticket to the Championship 4. Ryan Sieg, a non-playoff driver, finished second.
Here's the #XfinitySeries #NASCARPlayoffs standings as we head to @HomesteadMiami next week! pic.twitter.com/pGLq8eYezR
— Xfinity Racing (@XfinityRacing) October 20, 2024
While Allgaier capitalized at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, one of his teammates dealt with numerous issues.
Sammy Smith, who won at Talladega Superspeedway to reach the Round of 8, started fifth overall in Saturday's race. He finished 32nd. He got to this point due to a variety of issues.
The night began to unravel for Smith at the start of the final stage. The inside line checked up on the restart and he slammed into the rear of Taylor Gray's No. 19 Toyota. This damaged the front of Smith's No. 8 Chevrolet, but he did not head to pit road for repairs.
The No. 8 didn't have the pace after this incident. Smith fell one lap down on Lap 141 and then he had to make an unscheduled pit stop later in the stage due to damage and a lack of fuel. This dropped him three laps behind the leaders.
Smith's final issue, albeit one that led to some criticism, occurred with seven laps remaining in the race. He slowed to a crawl on the apron of the track with reported voltage issues as Allmendinger, Sieg, and Allgaier raced for the win. Once the caution flew, Smith was able to fire his car back up and drive away.
Smith ultimately finished 32nd. He fell from 19 points below the cutline to 53 points below.
The other drivers chasing Allgaier
Reigning champion Cole Custer only finished the race in eighth place, but he also improved his position in the playoff standings. He won the opening stage and finished sixth in the second stage. This secured 15 points and helped him move from +11 to +16 with two races remaining.
Chandler Smith scored six stage points at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and finished fourth in what was a quiet day overall. He remained eight points above the cutline after scoring his fourth top-five finish in four Xfinity starts at Las Vegas. Although Chandler said this was not a smooth performance.
"We definitely maximized our day," Chandler said after the race. "This No. 81 QuickTie Products GR Supra was not as fast as Xfinity internet at the start of the race. It was an absolute handful — all I could do not to wreck by myself."
The Richard Childress Racing teammates — Austin Hill and Jesse Love — didn't have the speed they needed to contend for wins. Love scored seven stage points but sustained some damage in the incident that disrupted Smith's race. Hill scored three stage points, but he flat-spotted his tires in the same incident.
Both RCR drivers scored top-10 finishes at Las Vegas, but they were not part of the conversation late. The result is that Love fell to 13 points below the cutline while Hill fell to eight points below.
Sam Mayer, who won last weekend's race at the Roval, entered the weekend eight points below the cutline. He only scored one stage point at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and struggled with a loose race car throughout the race. This kept him from contending for a strong finish.
Mayer settled for 14th at the 1.5-mile track, and he fell to 23 points below the cutline.
