MARTINSVILLE, Va. — There truly is no “middle class” in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff standings, as drivers head for Martinsville Speedway for Saturday’s National Debt Relief 250.
There are only “haves” and “have nots.” The former group includes Austin Hill and A.J. Allmendinger, winners at Homestead and Las Vegas, respectively, in the Round of 8; and Justin Allgaier and defending series champion Cole Custer, who are significantly above the current elimination line for the Championship 4 Round (35 and 28 points, respectively).
The “have nots” include Chandler Smith, Jesse Love, Sam Mayer and Sammy Smith, who realistically must find a way to win at Martinsville to earn a spot in the Nov. 9 title race at Phoenix Raceway.
Allgaier, who has raced in the Xfinity Series full-time since 2009, is seeking the only significant accomplishment that has eluded him during that span—a series championship.
The 38-year-old from Riverton, Ill., won last year’s elimination race at Martinsville to advance to the Championship 4 Round but finished second in the final standings behind Custer, who won the title race.
“We were in a similar position entering Martinsville last year and were fortunate enough to come away with the win and move on to the Championship Four,” said Allgaier, who has five top fives and seven top 10s in eight starts at the 0.526-mile short track. “That just further gives me all the confidence in the world in (crew chief) Jim (Pohlman) and everyone on this (team) as we look ahead to this weekend.
“Martinsville has been a strong track for us, and I know we will be just as solid once we hit the track for practice on Friday. We just need to be smart all day long and keep the fenders as clean as we can on our JR Motorsports Camaro.”
The Numbers
This will be the 43rd NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Martinsville Speedway. The previous 42 races have produced 28 different race winners and 22 different pole winners. Only six races have been won from the pole or first starting position, but it’s been over 35 years since a driver was able to accomplish the feat – most recently by Jimmy Hensley in 1987.
A few drivers have been able to etch their names in the Martinsville Speedway record books in the Xfinity Series – Sam Ard (most wins – five), Brett Bodine (most poles – five), Dale Jarrett (most top fives – 11), Jimmy Hensley and Tommy Houston (tied for most top 10s – 17), and Tommy Ellis (most laps led – 713).
This season will be the fifth consecutive year that Martinsville Speedway serves as the penultimate, or sixth race in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs, the elimination race of the Round of 8 (2020 – 2024). The track was not on the NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule from 2007 to 2019.
Three drivers entered in this weekend’s National Debt Relief 250 have taken the checkered flag at Martinsville Speedway’s 0.526-mile track – Aric Almirola (2024), Playoff contender Justin Allgaier (2023) and Brandon Jones (2022).
The NASCAR Xfinity Series is riding a different winners streak at Martinsville Speedway that has seen 14 different winners in the last 14 races, dating back to the 1992 event. Note: The NASCAR Cup Series didn’t race at Martinsville from 1995-2005 and 2007-2019.