Looking at the Xfinity and Truck Series Chase fields
Welcome to our Chase-dominated world.
No, we’re not talking about Chase Elliott, though he could be dominating NASCAR at some point in the near future. We’re referencing the Chase format in the Xfinity Series and the Truck Series. Both series are veering from the season-long points format for the first time, meaning the championship in NASCAR’s top three series will all be decided with a winner-take-all race at Homestead in November.
XFINITY SERIES
Chase format: 12 drivers, seven races, three rounds. Four drivers are eliminated each round, leaving four drivers to compete for the championship at Homestead.
The Drivers:
Erik Jones (4 wins)
Elliott Sadler (2 wins)
Daniel Suarez (1 win)
Justin Allgaier
Ty Dillon
Brendan Gaughan
Brennan Poole
Brandon Jones
Bubba Wallace
Ryan Reed
Ryan Sieg
Blake Koch
The Races:
Kentucky
Dover
Charlotte
Kansas
Texas
Phoenix
Homestead
The Xfinity Chase is diluted. Reed, Sieg and Koch have a combined nine top-10 finishes in the first 26 races of the season. Wallace, meanwhile, has 8, and everyone above him has more than that.
And with Cup drivers dominating victory lane in the Xfinity Series, this Chase is going to be a matter of avoiding parts failures and crashes. Assuming Reed, Sieg and Koch are out in the first round, the main early mystery in the Chase lies with what driver will be joining them in the first elimination process.
We’ll go with Wallace despite his three top-10 finishes, leaving only Toyota and Chevy drivers eligible for the championship in the final two rounds. Our best guess for the final four is pretty chalk too. Jones should be competing for the title with Sadler and Suarez. Allgaier has the edge in joining them as well. He has 21 top-10 finishes to 14 for Dillon.
Champion: Erik Jones
CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES
Chase format: Eight drivers, seven races, three rounds. Two drivers are eliminated each round, leaving four drivers to compete for the championship at Homestead.
The Drivers:
William Byron (5 wins)
John Hunter Nemecheck (2 wins)
Matt Crafton (2 wins)
Johnny Sauter (1 win)
Christopher Bell (1 win)
Ben Kennedy (1 win)
Daniel Hemric
Timothy Peters
The Races:
New Hampshire
Las Vegas
Talladega
Martinsville
Texas
Phoenix
Homestead
The track diversity in the Truck Series Chase is fun. Three intermediate tracks, three tracks a mile or shorter and a plate track is a fun mix. And just like we’ve seen in the Sprint Cup Series, Talladega as an elimination race could produce some wonkiness.
If a driver entering any of the three Chases without a win takes home the championship, Hemric will be that guy. He enters the Chase with an average finish of 7.9, best in the Truck Series.
Three other guys are averaging top-10 finishes; Byron, Sauter and Peters. They’re our favorites for the title, though Crafton should be a contender. The good luck he’s had over the last few years has disappeared in 16. If randomness goes his way, he could get his third title in four years.
Champion: Byron
– – – – – – –
Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
