Xfinity: Three Things to Know after Kentucky

The first race in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Chase was memorable. After a record 12 cautions, Elliott Sadler picked up where he left off during the regular season and scored the victory, securing his spot in the Round of 8.

The VisitMyrtleBeach.com 300 at Kentucky Speedway will go down in the history books as the first race in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Chase. But it was much more than that. In a race that had 16 different lead changes among eight different drivers, the race featured ups and downs of drivers trying to navigate their way through the series first ever Chase.

Here are the three things you need to know heading into the second Chase race at Dover International Speedway.

Jun 11, 2016; Brooklyn, MI, USA; Xfinity Series driver Elliott Sadler (1) during the Menards 250 Presented By Valvoline at Michigan International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /

Elliott Sadler is the favorite

If you didn’t think Elliott Sadler was the favorite heading into Kentucky think again.

After an emotional victory, Sadler can now breathe easy as he has advanced to the Round of 8 which will begin at Kansas. Sadler hasn’t finished outside the top ten since the July Daytona race, that is a streak of 12 races.

The next round of the Chase will feature Kansas and Texas, both 1.5-mile intermediate speedways and Phoenix. Sadler has only one finish outside the top-ten this season on 1.5-mile speedways and that happened at Charlotte, a track he can now avoid having to run well at in the Chase.

Sadler has his sights set on his first career NASCAR championship.

Erik Jones should’t panic, yet

Erik Jones finished a disappointing 28th after leading a race high 100 laps. Jones tangled with Ty Dillon late in the race, ending any chance of a good finish for both drivers.

But unlike the driver he crashed, Jones is in no position to panic as of yet. He sits just three points out of the cutoff currently with drivers such as Bake Koch and Brennan Poole within four points of him. For a driver that won four times this season, he should be able to make up ground on them quickly.

Jones is heading to Dover, where he won earlier this year and Charlotte, where he started on pole and crashed late in the race resulting in a 31st place finish. Kyle Busch will be back this weekend in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Dover and will serve as the biggest threat to Jones. We will quickly see whether or not Jones is battle tested when we get to Dover.

Aug 19, 2016; Bristol, TN, USA; NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Ty Dillon (3) after crashing during the Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports /

Ty Dillon might be in trouble

Ty Dillon may only be 15 positions on the track away from he cutoff with two races to go, but there is certainly a sense of urgency to advance to the Round of 8.

Dillon is currently last in the Chase standings right now, which places him behind three other drivers. One of those drivers is Erik Jones, who many expect to challenge for the championship. Jones is also the one causing Dillon all of this trouble after the two wrecked at Kentucky.

Jones took the blame, but it hurt Dillon the most. “I heard him get loose and he had to lift. There was nowhere I could go. Just sucks to start off the Chase like that. Hurts man. Tough to swallow,” said Dillon after the race.

If Jones were to dig himself out, Dillon needs to pass his Richard Childress Racing teammate Brandon Jones and Ryan Sieg. That is doable on paper but after the crazy events that unfolded at Kentucky Speedway a week ago, anything is possible.

Ty Dillon still has arguably the third or fourth most competitive car of the NASCAR Xfinity Series regulars each weekend. Now he has to prove that is the case in the next two weekends to advance.

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