The Xfinity Series playoffs will begin the Round of 8 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with Connor Zilisch the overwhelming favorite for the Championship 4.
At least one driver will make the title race through points, and Zilisch has a 57-point gap on the cutoff — the largest margin entering the third round in playoff history.
The JR Motorsports star, who won the Roval for his series-leading 10th victory this season, has a 33-point lead on second-ranked teammate Justin Allgaier. The seven playoff drivers behind Zilisch are separated by 35 points.
Zilisch will try to extend his record streak of 17 consecutive top-five finishes, but he might want to avoid finishing first at Vegas. No Xfinity champion has won the Round of 8 opener in history.
Details for Saturday’s Xfinity race at Las Vegas
(All times Eastern)
START: The green flag is scheduled to wave at 7:45 p.m.
PRERACE: The Xfinity garage will open at 12:30 p.m. ... Qualifying will be at 3:05 p.m. ... Driver introductions will be at 7 p.m. ... The national anthem will be performed by Wy Mac at 7:27 p.m. ... The command to start engines is scheduled to be given at 7:34 p.m. by journalist and cancer survivor Holly Cain, accompanied by Shawn Holt, co-founder & CEO of Focused Health & Betty Carreno.
DISTANCE: The race is 201 laps (301.5 miles) on the 1.5-mile oval in Las Vegas, Nevada.
STAGES: Stage 1 ends at Lap 45. Stage 2 ends at Lap 90.
PURSE: $1,651,939
ENTRY LIST: Click here for the 38 cars entered at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
TV/RADIO: CW will broadcast the race starting at 7 p.m. ... Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will have radio coverage.
FORECAST: WeatherUnderground: Partly cloudy with a high of 87 degrees and winds from the south at 20 to 30 mph with a 15% chance of rain. It’s expected to be 84 degrees with no chance of rain at the start of the Xfinity race.
LAST TIME: Justin Allgaier earned his first victory at Las Vegas, leading a race-high 102 laps to win on March 15.
LAST YEAR: AJ Allmendinger led a race-high 102 laps last Oct. 18 to advance to the Championship 4.
