NASCAR Xfinity Series: Only one Championship 4 berth clinched
By Asher Fair
Heading into the final race of the 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series round of 8, only one Championship 4 berth has been clinched.
Just one race remains on the 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series round of 8 schedule following the O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 at Texas Motor Speedway. This race, the Whelen Trusted To Perform 200, is scheduled to take place this Saturday, November 10 at ISM Raceway in Avondale, Arizona.
Heading into this race, only one Championship 4 berth has been clinched, meaning that three more drivers will lock themselves into the Championship 4 following the 200-lap race around the four-turn, 1.022-mile (1.645-kilometer) ISM Raceway oval.
The one Championship 4 berth that has been clinched so far was clinched by Stewart-Haas Racing’s Cole Custer. Custer, who drives the #00 Ford, clinched a berth in the Championship 4 by winning the the O’Reilly Auto Parts 300, the second of three races in the round of 8.
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The opening race of the round of 8 was won by Chip Ganassi Racing’s John Hunter Nemechek, who is not a full-time Xfinity Series driver, much less one of the eight round of 8 drivers.
As a result, no driver clinched a berth in the Championship 4 as a result of Nemechek’s victory in the Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway.
None of the three drivers who are currently above the Championship 4 cut line and have not yet won a race in the round of 8 have clinched a berth in the Championship 4. Of these three drivers, JR Motorsports’ Tyler Reddick has the most points. He sits in second place in the playoff picture, as he trails only Custer.
Reddick sits just 20 points ahead of teammate Justin Allgaier, who is the first driver below the Championship 4 cut line. Allgaier currently sits in fifth place in the playoff picture.
With a maximum of 60 points (10 points for winning stage one, 10 points for winning stage two and 40 points for winning the race) on the table for each driver in each race and a maximum of 55 points (10 points for winning stage one, 10 points for winning stage two and 35 points for finishing the race in second place) on the table for each driver who does not win it, Reddick has certainly not mathematically clinched a berth in the Championship 4.
As a result, the other two drivers who are currently above the Championship 4 cut line have certainly not mathematically clinched berths in the Championship 4, either. These two drivers are JR Motorsports’ Elliott Sadler and Richard Childress Racing’s Daniel Hemric. They sit 13 points and 12 points above the Championship 4 cut line, respectively.
Of the four drivers who are currently below the Championship 4 cut line, only Team Penske’s Austin Cindric is more than 22 points below it. He sits 61 points below it and is in a position where he must win the Whelen Trusted To Perform 200 in order to advance to the Championship 4.
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With only one berth in the Championship 4 having been clinched, which three drivers will join Cole Custer in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway with a chance to win the 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship? Tune in to NBC at 3:30 p.m. ET for the live broadcast of the Whelen Trusted To Perform 200 to find out.