Following Austin Hill’s victory at Homestead-Miami Speedway, two drivers have solidified spots in the Championship 4, set for Nov. 9 at Phoenix Raceway.
Hill led 82 laps en route to his fourth win of the season. It’ll be his first career Round of 4 appearance.Â
Other drivers in the Round of 8 endured both positive and negative performances at the 1.5-mile oval.
Here’s how the standings look heading to the Xfinity Series Round of 8 cutoff race at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway:
Locked In
1. Austin Hill (advanced, win)
Hill made a statement on Saturday after retaking the lead with 12 laps to go over fellow playoff competitor Cole Custer to secure a Championship 4 berth.Â
While the Richard Childress Racing driver has been known for his superspeedway prowess with three of his four wins coming on drafting tracks this year, Hill proved he can get it done in crunch time.Â
2. A.J. Allmendinger (advanced, win)
A.J. Allmendinger secured a berth in the Championship 4 last week at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. It was his first win of the year.Â
Allmendinger notched a 10th-place finish on Saturday at Homestead after leading nine laps.Â
Safe, For Now
3. Justin Allgaier (+35)
Justin Allgaier is in the safest position of the non-advanced drivers following a solid eighth-place finish at Homestead. The JR Motorsports driver gained three points on the cutline (started +32).Â
While Martinsville has been a track that brews chaos, Allgaier and his No. 7 Chevrolet team should feel confident. The team won at Martinsville to secure a spot in the Championship 4 last season.Â
4. Cole Custer (+28)
Cole Custer was in position to win at Homestead until Hill charged around the Stewart-Haas Racing driver in the closing laps to swipe a Championship 4 ticket away.
The defending champion is still in good position heading to Martinsville as he gained a substantial amount on the cutline (started +16).Â
Custer finished eighth in the spring at Martinsville.Â
Outside Looking In
5. Chandler Smith (-28)
Perhaps the driver that lost the most ground in the playoffs was Chandler Smith. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver began Saturday’s race eight points above the cutline in fourth.
Despite starting on pole and leading 29 laps, Smith fell to 13th by race’s end. Adding insult to injury, Hill’s victory dropped Smith farther down in points as he’s now nearing must-win territory, 28 points below the cutline.Â
Smith finished third in April at the 0.526-mile short track.Â
6. Jesse Love (-35)
Jesse Love had a strong fourth-place finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The Richard Childress Racing driver, however, will need a victory to secure a berth in his first Championship 4.Â
Love sits 35 points in the red entering Martinsville, a place he finished ninth earlier this year.Â
7. Sam Mayer (-47)
JR Motorsports’ Sam Mayer had a quiet day at Homestead en route to a ninth-place finish aboard the No. 1 Chevrolet.
In his final year with JRM before moving over to Haas Factory Team, Mayer needs a victory as he’s 47 markers out of the Championship 4.Â
Mayer finished runner-up at Martinsville in April.
8. Sammy Smith (-95)
The Round of 8 has been nothing short of miserable for Sammy Smith and the No. 8 JRM team. Smith began Saturday’s race 53 points below the cutline, however, ended the race 95 markers out of the Championship 4 after placing 22nd, one lap down.
Smith’s only chance of advancing is to win at Martinsville, where he has three straight top-seven finishes.Â