Eight Xfinity drivers to watch in Saturday’s Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway

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Because John Hunter Nemechek, a non-playoff driver, won last Sunday’s NASCAR Xfinity race at Texas, all eight drivers need to win Saturday’s Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway — or next week at Martinsville — to automatically qualify for the Championship Four race at Phoenix in Nov. 7.

Here is a look at each of the eight drivers who are eligible to win the championship.

A.J. Allmendinger, No. 16 Chevrolet

Allmendinger, a 14-year NASCAR Cup veteran, has found new life as a full-time Xfinity competitor for Kaulig Racing. Allmendinger’s five wins are tied for the series lead, and he is atop the standings, 30 points ahead of the cutline to advance to the final four. Allmendinger, 39, has made 18 career Cup starts at Kansas Speedway, with four top 10 finishes.

Austin Cindric, No. 22 Ford

Cindric, the defending series champion, is tied with Allmendinger with five wins this season and trails him by four points in the standings. Cindric, 23, will be moving next season into the Team Penske No. 2 Cup car being vacated by Brad Keselowski. Cindric has 13 career wins, but in four career starts at Kansas, his best finish was second in 2020.

Justin Allgaier, No. 7 Chevrolet

Allgaier, who is four points ahead of the cutline to advance, owns two series wins this season, at Atlanta and Darlington, for JR Motorsports. Allgaier, 35, has 15 career wins but is looking for his first victory at Kansas, where he has eight top 10s in his 11 starts, including a 10th-place showing last year.

Noah Gragson, No. 9 Chevrolet

Gragson, who has a two-point lead for the fourth spot, won back-to-back races at Darlington and Richmond for JR Motorsports in September. Gragson, 23, has made three Xfinity starts at Kansas; his best finish here was 13th in 2019.

Daniel Hemrick, No. 18 Toyota

Hemric, 30, will make his fifth start at Kansas for Joe Gibbs Racing. In his previous four starts, he has led 128 total laps and posted two top-five finishes, including runner-up in 2020. He has an average finish of 7.3 in his four starts at Kansas Speedway.

Justin Haley, No. 11 Chevrolet

Haley, 22, has never finished outside the top 10 in his previous three starts at Kansas Speedway, including a fourth place in 2020. Haley has an average finish of 5.7 in those starts. Haley, who is six points above the cutline, owns one victory this season, the August race at Daytona, for Kaulig Racing.

Harrison Burton, No. 20 Toyota

Burton, the son of former Cup star Jeff Burton, is 21 points behind the cutline and is looking for his first win of the season for Joe Gibbs Racing. Burton, 21, has made three Xfinity Series starts at Kansas Speedway. He has one top five and one top 10 in those events, with a best finish of third in the spring of 2020.

Brandon Jones, No. 19 Toyota

Jones is a whopping 32 points behind the cutline, but Kansas has been good to him: He has two of his four career wins at the track, in 2019 and the 2020 spring race for Joe Gibbs Racing. Jones, 24, also has two top fives and four top 10s at Kansas and has an average finish of 11.0 in six starts.