BRISTOL, Tenn. — The Xfinity Series playoffs kick off on Friday night with a battle at Bristol Motor Speedway.
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Twelve drivers will enter this night race with championship dreams. One will potentially have the opportunity to advance to the Round of 8 with a win.
Xfinity Series playoff race at Bristol Motor Speedway info
Weather: The WeatherUnderground forecast calls for sunny skies with a high around 80 degrees. A high of 74 and a 1% chance of rain at the start of the Xfinity Series race.
Green flag time: The command to fire engines will be at 7:31 p.m. ET. The green flag will wave at 7:40 p.m. ET.
Starting lineup: Qualifying takes place on Friday at 3:05 p.m. ET.
Pre-race: The Xfinity Series garage opens at 9 a.m. ET. Driver introductions will take place at 6:55 p.m. ET. Pre-race coverage begins with "NASCAR Countdown Live" on CW at 7 p.m. ET. Race coverage continues on CW at 7:30 p.m. ET.
The invocation will take place at 7:23 p.m. ET. The performance of the national anthem will be at 7:24 p.m. ET.
Stages: The race will consist of three stages. The first stage ends at Lap 85. The second stage ends at Lap 170. The scheduled end of the race is Lap 300.
Playoff picture: The points reset after last weekend's race at World Wide Technology Raceway. Regular-season champion Connor Zilisch tops the standings with a 59-point cushion to the cutline. Justin Allgaier enters the playoffs as the second seed with a 30-point cushion.
The rest of the drivers currently above the cutline are Sam Mayer (+11), Jesse Love (+8), Brandon Jones (+8), Sammy Smith (+4), Nicholas Sanchez (+1), and Taylor Gray (+0).
The four drivers in danger of elimination at the start of the playoffs are Carson Kvapil (+0), Sheldon Creed (-2), Harrison Burton (-3), and Austin Hill (-5).
Past winners: Only one active Xfinity Series driver has a win at Bristol Motor Speedway. Allgaier won in 2023 and in 2010. The rest of the winners dating back to 2006 are either retired or full-time Cup Series drivers.
