By Quincy Burns

NASCAR Xfinity Series

NASCAR Xfinity Series heads back to the Lady in Black

After some superspeedway action at the World Center of Racing in sunny Daytona Beach, Florida, the NASCAR Xfinity Series heads to Darlington Raceway, in Darlington, South Carlonia, for Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help A Hero 200 on Saturday, August 31 at 3:30 p.m. ET on the USA Network, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Heading into the weekend, this will be the 69th NASCAR Xfinity Series race at the “track too tough to tame.” The previous 68 races have produced 36 different race winners and 32 different pole winners.

Fifteen NASCAR Xfinity Series races at Darlington Raceway have been won from the pole or first starting position, most recently by Denny Hamlin in 2017.

NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin sits as the track’s winningest driver in the Xfinity Series, tallying eight wins (1993, 1994 sweep, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000 sweep). He’s also set the record for most poles (eight), top fives (14), top 10s (18) and laps led (972).

The track has also been memorable for some drivers as it has been a place of “firsts”. Justin Ashburn (2003), Denny Hamlin (2004) and John Jackson (2011) all got their first Xfinity Series starts at the Lady in Black while Kyle Busch (2004) and Ross Chastain (2018) each won their first poles here.

Three drivers have earned their first NASCAR Xfinity Series career win at Darlington Raceway – Geoff Bodine (1982), Neil Bonnett (1983) and Ron Bouchard (1984).

Saturday, August 31 will be a one stop shop for drivers. They will kick off their morning with practice at 10:30 a.m. ET, followed by qualifying at 11:10 a.m. ET on the NBC Sports App before gearing up for the Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help A Hero 200 later that afternoon at 3:30 p.m. ET.

Is the track “too tough to tame?”

Darlington Raceway’s 1.366-mile has been nicknamed the “track too tough to tame” but for some, the taming has come easy as six drivers entered in this weekend’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race have conquered the Lady in Black – Justin Allgaier, Brandon Jones, Cole Custer, Joey Logano, Chase Elliott, and Noah Gragson.

JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier is the most recent winner at the Lady in Black, having won the spring race. In total, he’s made 18 starts, posting three wins (2021, 2022, 2024), eight top fives, 14 top 10s and has led 278 laps.

JRM teammate Brandon Jones is still on the hunt for his first win this season. He’s made 13 starts at Darlington, posting one win (2020), two top fives and six top 10s.

Stewart-Haas Racing’s Cole Custer has been dominant on the 1.366-mile South Carolina track, posting a top five finish in all but one of his six starts at the track (his only finish outside the top five was in 2017 where he finished in ninth). His win came in 2019.

Logano will be getting behind the wheel of the No. 15 AM Racing Ford for his second Xfinity Series start of the season. He’s made six series starts at Darlington, posting one win (2012), four top fives, five top 10s, and has led 70 laps.

Chase Elliott will be driving the No. 17 Chevrolet with Hendrick Motorsports for this second Xfinity Series start of the season. He’s only made three series starts at the Lady in Black, posting one win (2014), one top five, two top 10s, and has led 52 laps.

Noah Gragson will be running in the No. 30 Rette Jones Racing Ford for the team’s debut in the Xfinity Series. He has made seven series starts at Darlington, posting two wins (2021, 2022), five top fives, seven top 10s, and has led 253 laps.

Darlington Clinch Scenarios: Four to go in the Xfinity Series regular season

There are only four races left in the NASCAR Xfinity Series regular season so drivers will be pushing the limits to secure their spot in the 2024 Playoffs this weekend at Darlington Raceway. As we head into the weekend, here is a look at the clinch scenarios at Darlington:

Already Clinched

The following five drivers have clinched a spot in the 12-driver postseason field: Justin Allgaier, Chandler Smith, Austin Hill, Shane van Gisbergen, Sam Mayer.

Can Clinch Via Previous Wins

The following drivers could clinch on previous wins with a win by any driver that already has a win:

·       Cole Custer: Would clinch regardless of finish

·       Riley Herbst: Would clinch regardless of finish

·       Jesse Love: Would clinch regardless of finish

The following drivers could clinch on previous wins with a win by AJ Allmendinger, Sheldon Creed, Parker Kligerman, Ryan Sieg or Sammy Smith:

·       Cole Custer: Would clinch with 14 points

The following drivers could clinch on previous wins with a win by Brandon Jones or a driver lower in the standings:

·       Cole Custer: Would clinch regardless of finish

Can Clinch Via Win

The following drivers would clinch on their win alone:

·       Cole Custer, Riley Herbst, Jesse Love

The following drivers could clinch with a win:

·       AJ Allmendinger: Could only clinch with help

Playoff outlook following Daytona

With four races left in the NASCAR Xfinity Series regular season, let’s take a closer look at who is on the Playoff bubble heading into this weekend.

NASCAR Xfinity Series, Etc.

Shane van Gisbergen to run fulltime in the Cup Series in 2025 – Three-time Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen, who took NASCAR by storm when he won the inaugural Chicago Street Race in his debut in the series in 2023, joined NASCAR fulltime in the Xfinity Series in 2024 behind the wheel of the No. 97 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet.

He has had some success, already posting three wins (Portland, Sonoma, Chicago), five top fives and six top 10s this season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

The New Zealander will now be moving up to the Cup Series in 2025 with Trackhouse Racing, piloting the No. 88 Chevrolet and collaborating with crew chief Stephen Doran.

COURTESY NASCAR COMMUNICATIONS