The Xfinity Series playoffs will begin the Round of 8 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with Connor Zilisch the overwhelming favorite for the Championship 4.
At least one driver will make the title race through points, and Zilisch has a 57-point gap on the cutoff — the largest margin entering the third round in playoff history.
The JR Motorsports star, who won the Roval for his series-leading 10th victory this season, has a 33-point lead on second-ranked teammate Justin Allgaier. The seven playoff drivers behind Zilisch are separated by 35 points.
Zilisch will try to extend his record streak of 17 consecutive top-five finishes, but he might want to avoid finishing first at Vegas. No Xfinity champion has won the Round of 8 opener in history.
Harrison Burton and AM Racing announced Wednesday that Burton will not return to the Xfinity teams after this season.
Details for Saturday’s Xfinity race at Las Vegas
(All times Eastern)
START: The green flag is scheduled to wave at 7:45 p.m.
PRERACE: The Xfinity garage will open at 12:30 p.m. … Qualifying will be at 3:05 p.m. … Driver introductions will be at 7 p.m. … The national anthem will be performed by Wy Mac at 7:27 p.m. … The command to start engines is scheduled to be given at 7:34 p.m. by journalist and cancer survivor Holly Cain, accompanied by Shawn Holt, co-founder & CEO of Focused Health & Betty Carreno.
DISTANCE: The race is 201 laps (301.5 miles) on the 1.5-mile oval in Las Vegas, Nevada.
STAGES: Stage 1 ends at Lap 45. Stage 2 ends at Lap 90.
PURSE: $1,651,939
ENTRY LIST: Click here for the 38 cars entered at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
TV/RADIO: CW will broadcast the race starting at 7 p.m. … Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will have radio coverage.
FORECAST: WeatherUnderground: Partly cloudy with a high of 87 degrees and winds from the south at 20 to 30 mph with a 15% chance of rain. It’s expected to be 84 degrees with no chance of rain at the start of the Xfinity race.
LAST TIME: Justin Allgaier earned his first victory at Las Vegas, leading a race-high 102 laps to win on March 15.
LAST YEAR: AJ Allmendinger led a race-high 102 laps last Oct. 18 to advance to the Championship 4.