JR Motorsports driver Sammy Smith and Big Machine Racing driver Parker Kligerman would like nothing better than for the status quo to hold firm in Friday night‘s Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway (7:30 p.m. ET on The CW, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Entering the cutoff race for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs, 10 drivers already are locked into the seven-event postseason.
The only scenario that could eliminate Kligerman, who is 85 points above the current elimination line, is a victory by a playoff-eligible driver below the cutoff combined with a loss of more than 42 net points to Smith.
Kligerman can clinch a playoff spot by scoring 14 points on Friday, no matter who wins the race.
Likewise, Smith has a commanding advantage for the final playoff spot, unless a playoff-eligible driver below him in the standings happens to win on Friday.
Smith leads Ryan Sieg by 43 points entering the first race to be broadcast by The CW, which subsequently will air all seven playoff races in the series in anticipation of next year‘s full-season schedule.
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In two Xfinity starts at Bristol, Smith qualified sixth both times and posted finishes of 14th and ninth.
“I‘m looking forward to running under the lights this Friday at Bristol as we contend for our position in the playoffs,” Smith said. “I‘ve had good runs there in the past, and JRM has always brought strong cars there, so I‘m excited to get there and close out the regular season on a high note.”
The Xfinity regular-season title is also up for grabs, though Justin Allgaier has a commanding 43-point lead over reigning series champion Cole Custer entering the race that will decide who earns the 15-playoff-point bonus.
Allgaier is the defending winner of the Food City 300. He‘ll have a competitive teammate in his boss, Dale Earnhardt Jr., who will make his first start of the season on Friday. Earnhardt led 47 laps in last year‘s Bristol race before exiting with ignition problems after 271 of 300 circuits.
