The NASCAR XFINITY Series teams will return to action in two weeks for the O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 at Texas Motor Speedway. Teams will race 200 laps for 300 miles on Friday, April 8th. FOX Sports 1 will begin their pre-race show at 8 pm ET with the green flag at around 8:30 pm ET. Fans can also listen to the race on PRN or SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.
Daniel Suárez Extends Lead in the Point Standings for Third-Straight Week
Daniel Suárez has taken the lead in the NASCAR XFINITY Series championship standings and isn’t looking back. Over the past three races he has extended his points lead from three points to eight to ten over second-place Elliott Sadler.
Driving the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, Suárez has posted one pole, three top-fives, five top-tens and a 4.8 average finish in the first five races of the season.
Suárez has found consistency working with crew chief Scott Graves. The duo has posted 11 straight top-ten finishes dating back to Dover last October.
“Honestly, It has been great (working with Scott Graves),” Suárez said. “Scott has a lot of talent. I feel like we are moving in the right direction. I really like working with him. I think we have a bright future ahead of us.”
NASCAR season-to-date loop data also substantiates Suárez as a title contender this season. Among championship contenders he leads the series in average running position (5.0), driver rating (112.8) and laps completed in the top 15 (98.2%, 818 laps).
JR Motorsports’ Sadler and Allgaier are After the Point Standings Lead
Veterans Elliott Sadler and Justin Allgaier have JR Motorsports right back in the title hunt, a place the organization became accustomed to the last few seasons with drivers Chase Elliott and Regan Smith. Sadler (-10) is now second in the points and Allgaier (-19) ranks third. Both trail standings leader Daniel Suárez.
Sadler is a master at consistent finishes. This season, he has posted two top-fives and five top-tens in his first five starts. His average finish is 6.8.
Allgaier’s return to the XFINITY Series following a three-year stint in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series has been seamless. In five starts this season, he has posted one top-five, four to-tens and an average finish of 8.6.
On the Fringe: Who’s on the Bubble of the Chase?
The XFINITY Series Chase will kick off at Kentucky Speedway on September. 24th; 12 drivers will compete in an elimination-style, seven-race, three-round playoff. Below is a look at the five drivers sitting on the bubble of the Chase cutoff line.
In
- Blake Koch – Koch drives the No. 11 Kaulig Motorsports Chevrolet with crew chief Chris Rice. Koch has posted one top-ten and four top-20 finishes this season.
- Jeb Burton – Burton sits teetering on the Chase cutoff line, one point behind 11th-place Blake Koch and 13 points ahead of 13th-place Dakoda Armstrong. Burton drives the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford under crew chief Drew Blickensderfer. In five starts this season, he has posted one top-ten and four top-20 finishes.
Out:
- Dakoda Armstrong (-13) – Armstrong is the first driver outside of the Chase cutoff line looking in. Just 13 points separate him from 12th-place Jeb Burton. Armstrong is piloting the No. 28 JGL Racing Toyota with crew chief Steven Lane. Armstrong has posted two top-20s and an average finish of 19.4 this season.
- Jeremy Clements (-17) – Clements drives the No. 51 Jeremy Clements Racing Chevrolet with his father Tony Clements serving as crew chief. He has an average finish of 20.2 this season.
- Ryan Sieg (-22) – Sieg sits 15th in the standings, 22 points back from Jeb Burton in 12th-place. He drives the No. 39 RSS Racing Chevrolet with crew chief Kevin Starland. Sieg has posted three top-20 finishes and an average finish of 21.2 in five races this season.
Sunoco Rookie Update Following Fifth Race of the Season
Erik Jones continues to hold court in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings.
The NASCAR Next alum sits 13 points ahead of second-place Brandon Jones and 27 points ahead of third-place Brennan Poole. The youth has represented well this season as the top-three in the rookie standings are all in the top-ten of the XFINITY Series driver championship standings.
Erik Jones, 19, from Byron, Michigan, drives the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Toyota. In addition to leading the rookie standings, he is seventh in the XFINITY Series championship standings – 30 points behind Daniel Suárez for the lead. Jones has posted one pole, three top-fives and an average finish of 10.8 in the first five races of the 2016 season.
Brandon Jones, 19, from Atlanta, Georgia, drives the Richard Childress Racing No. 33 Chevrolet. He is now second in the rookie standings, but sits fourth in the XFINITY Series championship standings – 21 points behind the leader. Jones has posted three top-tens and an average finish of 10.6 in five starts this season.
Brennan Poole, 24, from The Woodlands, Texas, drives the Chip Ganassi Racing No. 48 Chevrolet. Poole is third in the rookie standings and tenth in the championships standings – 52 points back from the leader. In the first five races of the season, Poole has posted one top-ten and an average finish of 15.0.
Noteworthy XFINITY Series News
Gibbs Atop The Owners Points Through Five Races: Five races into the season, Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 18 team holds a six point lead over Richard Childress Racing’s No. 2 team in the XFINITY Series car owner points.
Bubba At Preds Game: Darrell Wallace Jr. will take in a Nashville Predators game as part of Bristol Motor Speedway night at the arena on March 28.
NASCAR IMC