BROOKLYN, MI.: With five races left in the NASCAR Xfinity Series regular season, only five of 12 Playoff berths have been secured.
Reigning champion and series leader Austin Cindric, AJ Allmendinger, Justin Allgaier, Jeb Burton and Myatt Snider already are set to battle for the title on the strengths of victories in the series this season.
That leaves seven Playoff spots open, and any one of nine drivers could clinch on the basis of a win alone in Saturday’s New Holland 250 at Michigan International Speedway (3:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The nine drivers are Daniel Hemric, Harrison Burton, Justin Haley, Noah Gragson, Brandon Jones, Jeremy Clements, Riley Herbst, Brandon Brown and Ryan Sieg.
The good news for that group is that Michigan is a track that has a history of producing different winners. In the last 10 races at the track, no driver has won more than once.
History also shows that full-time NASCAR Cup Series drivers have dominated the last 10 races at the two-mile track. The most recent exception is Tyler Reddick, who took the checkered flag in 2019 on the way to his second straight Xfinity Series championship. There was no Xfinity race at Michigan in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Now driving full-time in the Cup Series for Richard Childress Racing, Reddick is the only former Michigan winner in the field for Saturday’s race, making him the most likely spoiler. Bubba Wallace is the only other Cup Series regular entered in the event.
At the bottom end of the Playoff grid, the effects of surgery to repair a stress fracture in his right femur continued to plague JR Motorsports driver Michael Annett, who had to withdraw from last Saturday’s race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course after attempting to practice there.
Josh Berry will replace Annett in the No. 1 Chevrolet this weekend, after being announced earlier in the week as a full-time driver for JRM next year. In a part-time role this season, Berry already has a win at Martinsville, but he has never raced at MIS.
“I wish Michael the best as he continues his recovery from surgery, and I’ll do everything I can to get a good finish for him, (sponsors) Pilot Flying J, Trucking Moves America Forward and everyone on this No. 1 team,” Berry says. “Michigan is a place I’ve never raced at before, and I am anxious to see it in person. It’s wide and has many grooves, so it ought to be exciting.”
Source: Reid Spencer / NASCAR Wire Service
