The NASCAR Xfinity Series starts the Round of 8 of the playoffs with a Saturday afternoon race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (3:30 p.m. ET on USA).
Josh Berry, who was eliminated from contention last week at the Charlotte Roval, has won the last two fall races at Las Vegas. Austin Hill, who sits 21 points above the cutline, won this season’s spring race.
John Hunter Nemechek enters the weekend in the best position to contend for a spot in the Championship 4. He is 37 points above the cutline. Nemechek has not won at Las Vegas but has three top-10 finishes and one runner-up in five Xfinity starts at the track.
Details for Saturday’s Xfinity race at Las Vegas
(All times Eastern)
START: The command to start engines will be given by Tabitha Burton of The Ward Burton Wildlife Foundation at 3:39 p.m. ... The green flag is scheduled to wave at 3:50 p.m.
PRERACE: Xfinity garage opens at 12:30 p.m. ... Driver introductions begin at 3:10 p.m. ... The invocation will be given by Chris Wilson at 3:31 p.m. ... The national anthem will be performed by Carolyn Salvador Avila at 3:32 p.m.
DISTANCE: The race is 201 laps (301.5 miles) on the 1.5-mile tri-oval.
STAGES: Stage 1 ends at Lap 45. Stage 2 ends at Lap 90.
CARS TO THE REAR: Points leader John Hunter Nemechek will start at the rear for the second race in a row after an oil leak was found in his car during practice and he did not make a qualifying attempt. A leak also prevented him from making a qualifying attempt last weekend at the Charlotte Roval.
STARTING LINEUP: Las Vegas lineup
TV/RADIO: USA Network will broadcast the race at 3:30 p.m. … Countdown to Green starts at 3 p.m. on USA. … Performance Racing Network coverage begins at 3 p.m. … SiriusXM NASCAR Radio coverage begins at 3:30 p.m.
FORECAST: Weather Underground: Mostly sunny skies with a high of 77 degrees and no chance of precipitation at the start of the Xfinity Series race.
LAST TIME: AJ Allmendinger started from the pole and led seven laps. He finished 22nd due to multiple loose wheels. Noah Gragson and Ty Gibbs split stage wins while combining to lead 117 laps. Josh Berry led 65 laps, including the final 34, and won. He punched his ticket to the Championship 4. Gragson, Justin Allgaier, Gibbs and Trevor Bayne rounded out the top five.
