With just two races left prior to the 2020 Xfinity Series playoffs, many drivers who are currently in the playoffs by virtue of points were still seeking their first win of the season while some needed a good points day.
To no one’s surprise, Justin Allgaier had a dominating race car for the two Richmond races and swept the weekend. The Illinois native seems to be peaking at the right time as he has been on a tear for the last few races by not only sweeping Richmond, but also winning race one of Dover and finishing seventh in the second race. Should Allgaier keep this momentum going throughout the next 13 races, he easily could be a favorite for the Xfinity Series championship.
While Allgaier enjoyed success this past weekend at Richmond, Chase Briscoe, who has won six times this year, struggled to earn a top 10 finish. In fact, the Stewart-Haas Racing driver did not score a top 10 at all in either race which is quite uncharacteristic of the No. 98 team who seems to have the car to beat this year and has been dominant throughout the 2020 season.
There were multiple drivers who had up and down days in the final Xfinity Series doubleheader of the year at Richmond.
Here are this week’s Power Rankings.
- Justin Haley – Haley earned a runner-up finish in Friday’s race and a sixth-place finish in Saturday’s event. Haley most likely could have won Friday’s race after leading 51 laps but had to settle for a second-place finish. In Friday’s event, Haley placed a respectable fourth and third in both stages. Meanwhile, in Saturday’s race, he didn’t lead any laps but finished third in Stage 1 and second in the final stage. In the end, Haley gained his eighth top-five and 16th top 10 finishes of the year.
Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked - Justin Allgaier – Allgaier swept both Richmond races and led a combined 213 out of 500 laps; that’s a combined 42.6% total, nearly 50% of the laps. He finished fifth in Stage 1 and won Stage 2 in Friday’s outing, while he won Stage 1 and placed eighth in Stage 2 for Saturday. In the end, the Stage 2 finish was somewhat irrelevant as Allgaier took the lead on Lap 172 and led for the final 79 laps.
Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked - Ross Chastain – Overall, it was a solid weekend for Chastain and the No. 10 Kaulig Racing team, with finishes of fifth and third, respectively in both races. In addition to the finishes, Chastain led 39 laps in Friday’s race and 58 laps in Saturday’s outing. Despite missing out on two checkered flags, the Floridan clinched a spot in the playoffs based on his points in the standings and his finishes throughout the year.
Previous Week Ranking – Fifth - Austin Cindric – It was a mix of two different races for Cindric, who finished fourth and 10th on the doubleheader weekend. Looking back, Cindric will probably want at least the Friday race back and another chance at a victory, after he led 64 laps and won Stage 1. Saturday’s race was a different story as Cindric could only manage a Stage 2 finish of sixth before earning his 20th top 10 of the year.
Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked - Harrison Burton – Despite finishing 16th, one lap down in Friday’s race, Saturday’s performance where he finished fourth and fifth in both stages was enough to keep Burton in the Power Rankings this week. Though the inconsistency of finishes will be something the No. 20 team needs to work on as the season winds down with Burton finishing both outside the top 10 or inside the top 10 every other week.
Previous Week Ranking – Third
Fell Out
- Ryan Sieg – What a difference a week made for Sieg after having a great run at Darlington the week before. While he did have a respectable finish of 11th in Friday’s race, Sieg finished 15th, the first car one lap down, in Saturday’s outing. The Georgian never placed in either stage in Friday’s race and only finished ninth in Stage 1 on Saturday.
Previous Week Ranking – First - Chase Briscoe – Richmond was definitely a forgettable race weekend in the No. 98 camp. The Indiana native did not manage a top 10 finish in either race, despite leading a combined 20 laps. However, with how strong the team can be on certain race weekends, it would not be shocking to find them back in victory lane at some point in the playoffs.
Previous Week Ranking – Second - Brandon Jones – With no stage finishes inside the top 10 in both races and only one finish inside the top 10 of eighth in Saturday’s race, it was not the weekend Jones was looking for.
Previous Week Ranking – Fourth
