We now know who the four drivers are that will be fight for the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship next weekend. JR Motorsports teammates Connor Zilisch and Justin Allgaier were already locks before Martinsville, but they will be joined by teammate Carson Kvapil, so JRM drivers will make up 75% of the final four. However, they had the exact same odds in 2022 and still lost the crown.
The other driver is a fellow member of Team Chevrolet, ensuring a bowtie-backed driver wins it all. That will be Jesse Love for Richard Childress Racing. The owner’s championship battle won’t look the same. While both Allgaier and Zilisch’s cars made it through, the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota won its way into the final four with Aric Almirola. Additionally, the No. 21 RCR Chevrolet with Austin Hill also advanced with a Round of 8 win.
Now, meet the four drivers who will face off for the 2025 NXS championship next weekend at Phoenix Raceway:
Connor Zilisch — No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet
Connor Zilisch, JR Motorsports Chevrolet
Photo by: Logan Riely / Getty Images
Best championship result: 33rd (2024 — did not compete full-time)
2025 season stats: 10 wins; 19 top fives; 22 top tens; Average finish of 8.2
Driver notes: Still just a teenager, but Zilisch has absolutely dominated the Xfinity Series this year. He’s already signed a deal to go Cup racing in 2026, but he’d like to make the step up to Cup with a championship trophy in hand. His season has also featured a back injury and a broken collarbone, but he hasn’t allowed either to slow him down. At one point, he won seven out of eight races during an incredible summer stretch, even using a relief driver in Parker Kligerman to get the car to the checkered flag at Daytona.
Justin Allgaier — No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet
Justin Allgaier, JR Motorsports Chevrolet
Photo by: Chris Graythen – Getty Images
Best championship result: 1st (2024)
2025 season stats: 3 wins; 14 top fives; 19 top tens; Average finish of 12.5
Driver notes: One of the most experienced Xfinity drivers, Allgaier will be attempting to go back-to-back, which hasn’t been done since Tyler Reddick in 2018-2019. Allgaier has 28 career wins and is competing in his 15th full-time season in NASCAR’s secondary division. The veteran has made it this far in six of the last seven years, so he is no stranger to the pressures of a winner-take-all finale.
Jesse Love – No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Jesse Love, Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Photo by: Jordan Bank / Getty Images
Best championship result: 8th (2024)
2025 season stats: 1 win; 8 top fives; 21 top tens; Average finish of 11.4
Driver notes: In his second full-time year with RCR, Love made it into the final round on points despite a disastrous race on Saturday that featured an ill-handling race car and multiple pit road penalties. While Love is competing for the driver’s title, RCR does not have a shot at the owner’s title with him, but with the No. 21 driven by Austin Hill.
Carson Kvapil — No. 1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet
Carson Kvapil, JR Motorsports Chevrolet
Photo by: David Jensen / Getty Images
Best championship result: 30th (2024 — Did not compete full-time)
2025 season stats: 0 wins; 7 top fives; 14 top tens; Average finish of 13.8
Driver notes: Kvapil, who is trying to piece together a full-time ride for 2026, has never won in the Xfinity Series before. He has four runner-up finishes, and was the last driver to make it into the Championship 4 this year. He fought back from a late-race spin to advance by just four points over Brandon Jones.
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