Current Four Chase Contenders In Position To Move On:
1. Daniel Suarez (3,075) - No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry - holds the NASCAR XFINITY Series lead by a single point over second-place Elliott Sadler, and is 17 points ahead fifth-place Justin Allgaier. Suarez has been excellent during the 2016 playoffs, posting an average finish of 2.8 - best among the Chase contenders. During the Round of 8 he has finished third at Kansas and fifth at Texas. He heads to Phoenix with the biggest points gap (+17) of any of the four drivers in position to have a shot at the title in Homestead. More importantly, with every start Suarez has made at Phoenix, he has improved his finish. The young Monterrey, Mexico native has made three series starts at Phoenix posting two top fives; including a third-place finish earlier this season. A win is the best guarantee to clinch a spot in the Championship 4, but Suarez can also clinch on points - with 26 Points (15th-place finish and no laps led, 15th and led at least one lap, 16th and led the most laps).
2. Elliott Sadler (3,074) - No. 1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro - has fallen to second in the NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase standings after finishing one position (sixth) behind Daniel Suarez (fifth-place finish) at Texas last weekend. The competition is so tight, Sadler is only 16 points ahead of fifth-place Justin Allgaier and the Chase cutoff line. Despite the fierce competition, Sadler’s playoff performance has been nothing short of exceptional, posting an average finish of 3.6 - second-best among Chase contenders. The JRM veteran is no stranger to tense championship situations, he has finished in the top three in series points three of the last five seasons. Now the Emporia, Virginia, native heads to Phoenix knowing he is the lone 2016 NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase contender with a win (2012) at the one-mile track. Sadler has made 15 series starts at Phoenix, posting an average finish of 12.1; including finishing in the top-10 six out of the last seven races. A win is the best guarantee to clinch a spot in the Championship 4, but Sadler can also clinch on points - with 26 Points (15th-place finish and no laps led, 15th and led at least one lap, 16th and led the most laps).
3. Erik Jones (3,065) - No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry - could be named the ‘wild card’ of the 2016 NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase. One minute the JGR Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate looks like he is on the verge of elimination, and the next he is third in the Chase standings, seven points ahead of fifth-place Justin Allgaier and the Chase cutoff line. Jones’s roller coaster of a 2016 Chase continues in the Round of 8, after finishing 15th at Kansas, the 20 year-old bounced back with a fourth-place finish this past weekend at Texas. Now with new wind in his sails the Byron, Michigan, native heads to Phoenix International Raceway, which happens to be one of his best tracks. In four starts at PIR he has posted three top fives, four top 10s and an average finish of 4.0; including sitting on the pole and finishing second earlier this season.
“Phoenix is an outstanding racetrack for Erik (Jones) and the No. 20 team as well as JGR as a whole,” said Chris Gabehart, crew chief of the No. 20 team. “Just like Texas, Erik has been strong each time he has raced there so we are really optimistic that we can punch our ticket to the finale in Homestead with a solid mistake-free day in the ‘Valley of the Sun.’”
A win is the best guarantee to clinch a spot in the Championship 4, but Jones can also clinch on points - with 36 Points (5th and no laps led, 6th and led at least one lap, 7th and led the most laps).
4. Blake Koch (3,059) - No. 11 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet Camaro - is hanging on to the final transfer spot in the NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase by one point over fifth-place Justin Allgaier. Koch’s Chase performance has been built on solid consistency posting an average finish of 12.0 - fourth-best among Chase contenders. The West Palm Beach, Florida, native kicked off his Round of 8 with a ninth-place finish at Kansas, but slipped a little at Texas last weekend finishing 14th. With one race left to make the Championship 4, Koch will have to put up one of his best performances of his career to hold off the four drivers behind him in the Chase standings. If the No. 11 team can make the Championship 4 they will have an opportunity to become the first single-car team to win a title in the NASCAR XFINITY Series in nearly 20 years (1998, Dale Earnhardt Inc. No. 3 Chevrolet team). Earlier this season, Koch and crew chief Chris Rice put the No. 11 in the 12th starting position and finished 16th at Phoenix. Look for the pair to better their performance come this Saturday.
“The first time we were there (Phoenix) this year was so long ago,” said Koch. “We've learned so much since then with Kaulig Racing. Now we know what I like in a race car, and we know more about these race cars in general. I think we'll be much better when we go back this time."
A win is the best guarantee to clinch a spot in the Championship 4, but if there is a winner who has already been eliminated or is currently in a transfer spot, Koch would clinch with a second-place finish. Koch could clinch on points with a new winner and help as well.
Current Four Chase Contenders In Position To Be Eliminated:
The following drivers can only guarantee a spot in the Championship 4 with a win. Each could also clinch on points with help.
Justin Allgaier (3,058) - No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro - is currently the first driver outside the Championship 4 cutoff line in the 2016 NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase. A single point separates Allgaier between moving on and being eliminated from the Chase, and it all comes down to this weekend at Phoenix. Allgaier has run well during the playoffs, posting an average finish of 8.4 - third-best among Chase contenders. The Riverton, Illinois, native started off his Round of 8 with an accident at Kansas that knocked him to a 14th-place finish, but Allgaier rebounded at Texas last weekend by posting a 10th-place finish. Now heading to Phoenix with one shot left to move one, he needs to make it happen. The 30-year-old Allgaier has made 12 starts at Phoenix, posting three top fives, seven top 10s an average finish of 9.0; including a fourth-place finish earlier this season.
Ryan Reed (3,054) - No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing Ford Mustang - has just one race left to make the Championship 4, and by sitting sixth in the Round of 8 Chase standings, five points back from fourth-place Blake Koch, the opportunity to move on is not out of reach. The 23-year-old Reed started his playoffs hot, but lately has faded a little, over the five races of the Chase he has posted an average finish of 12.0. Unfortunately for the Bakersfield, California, native, Phoenix is not one of his better tracks; in six starts he has posted an average finish of 17.7. Earlier this season at Phoenix he started 13th and finished 14th.
Darrell Wallace Jr. (3,039) - No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford Mustang - is currently seventh in the NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase standings, 20 points behind fourth-place Blake Koch and the Chase cutoff line. Wallace has skated by during the playoffs this season, posting an average finish of 16.6. The Mobile, Alabama, native has struggled as of late, finishing 33rd at Kansas after being involved in an accident, and then 11th at Texas last weekend. With how competitive this season’s NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase has been, Wallace is facing a must-win situation at Phoenix this weekend. Wallace has made three starts at Phoenix, posting one top 10 and an average finish of 11.7.
Brendan Gaughan (3,036) - No. 62 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Camaro - has hit rock bottom and has nowhere to go but up. With a mountain-sized point deficit (-23) to overcome to catch fourth-place Blake Koch and make it into the Championship 4, Gaughan is also in a must-win situation. The veteran Las Vegas native started the NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase strong, but the Round of 8 has knocked some of the steam out of his championship push. Over the five races of the Chase, Gaughan has posted an average finish of 14.8; including a 31st-place finish at Kanas and a 15th-place finish last weekend at Texas. Gaughan has made 10 series starts at Phoenix, posting one top five and four top 10s.
via Jayski.
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