Concluding a Round of 8 in which there has yet to be a win by a playoff driver, Martinsville Speedway will set the Xfinity Series’ Championship 4 field over 250 laps Saturday.
The first two races of the third round had winners from outside the remaining eight championship-eligible drivers: Aric Almirola at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Austin Hill at Talladega Superspeedway. Of the past 12 Xfinity playoff races, a non-playoff driver has won six times, and if the trend continues at Martinsville, it’ll mark the first time since 2016 that the Round of 8 had no playoff drivers win.
JR Motorsports teammates Connor Zilisch and Justin Allgaier still managed to clinch Championship 4 berths through the points standings.
That leaves six drivers competing for the last two spots to race for the title in the Nov. 1 season finale at Phoenix Raceway, and none is in a must-win mathematical scenario at Martinsville.
Third-ranked Jesse Love is 40 points above the cutline and can advance by scoring 28 points regardless. Carson Kvapil is 11 points above the cutline.
The four drivers below the cutline are Sammy Smith (minus-11 points), Brandon Jones (-20), Sam Mayer (-22) and Sheldon Creed (-41).
Almirola will have the chance Saturday to defend last year’s win at Martinsville, driving the No. 19 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing that he has qualified for the team owner championship.
Details for Saturday’s Xfinity race at Martinsville Speedway
(All times Eastern)
START: The green flag is scheduled to wave at 7:50 p.m.
PRERACE: The Xfinity garage will open at 11:30 a.m. ... Qualifying will be at 2:05 p.m. ... Driver introductions will be at 7:10 p.m. ... The national anthem will be performed at 7:34 p.m. by Virginia Tech’s Naturally Sharp. ... The command to start engines is scheduled to be given at 7:41 p.m. by Pat Hicks, global auctioneer for Ritchie Bros.
DISTANCE: The race is 250 laps (131.5 miles) on the 0.526-mile oval in Martinsville, Virginia.
STAGES: Stage 1 ends at Lap 60. Stage 2 ends at Lap 120.
PURSE: $1,651,939
ENTRY LIST: Click here for the 39 cars entered at Martinsville Speedway.
TV/RADIO: CW will broadcast the race starting at 7 p.m. ... Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will have radio coverage.
FORECAST: WeatherUnderground — Cloudy with a high of 63 degrees and a 4% chance of rain with light and variable winds. It’s expected to be 50 degrees with a 0% chance of rain at the start of the Xfinity race.
LAST TIME: Austin Hill led only the final lap, taking the lead on the inside off Turn 4 in overtime of the March 29 race when Sammy Smith and Taylor Gray triggered a multicar crash while battling for first.
LAST YEAR: Aric Almirola led a race-high 150 of 250 laps, overshadowing the playoff drivers for the Nov. 2, 2024 victory.
