NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff standings updated after Roval elimination race

The drama of tonight’s eliminations in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs is enough to fuel us for he next week. What a show at the Roval. Connor Zilisch dominated. Carson Kvapil, Sammy Smith, and Taylor Gray gave us the real show, though.

At one point, as the drivers scrambled around the track in overtime, we had a three-way tie for the final transfer spot in the Round of 8. Kvapil, Smith, and Gray were neck and neck in points for the NASCAR Playoffs.

Then, due to fluid on the track from a few damaged cars, the caution came out on the white flag lap. That ended the race. Everyone was doing the math, looking around at where they finished.

Give it up for Sammy Smith, he made up 14 points to the cutline to transfer in. Carson Kvapil held on just enough. But Taylor Gray…from +16 points to -1 below the cutline. Heartbreak. Gray, Austin Hill, Nick Sanchez, and Harrison Burton were all eliminated from the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs.

Position	Driver	+/-
1.	Connor Zilisch	+57
2.	Justin Allgaier	+24
3.	Brandon Jones	+4
4.	Sam Mayer	+2
5.	Jesse Love	-2
6.	Sammy Smith	-7
7.	Carson Kvapil	-11
8.	Sheldon Creed	-13

JR Motorsports has advanced all four drivers to the Round of 8. They have as good of a chance to win the championship this season as an organization as ever before. That’s just a stupidly good result for the NASCAR Playoffs out of JRM.

Las Vegas, Talladega, and Martinsville are waiting for the Xfinity Series now in the Round of 8. Anything can happen. Heck, Zilisch can more or less tie up his position in the Championship 4 with a strong showing at Vegas.

There are two very important moments this season that we have to talk about. They are, perhaps, the most consequential moments of the season with the hindsight we have after tonight.

NASCAR Playoffs changed by Martinsville, Hill penalty

So, Taylor Gray ended the night -1 to the cutline. Austin Hill ended the night -21 to the cutline. If things go slightly differently at Martinsville and Indianapolis, those two drivers could have been in the Round of 8.

Earlier this season at Martinsville, the Xfinity race ended in chaos. Hill ended up winning, but the race should have gone to Gray. That is, until he was wrecked by Sammy Smith. Gray lost out on the win and the five playoff points that came with it. Those five points would have had him +4 points to the good after tonight’s race.

Then there is Hill. His suspension after the Indianapolis race will go down as the most boneheaded of the year. For hooking Almirola, which Hill still says was unintentional, he was suspended.

For missing the next race without a medical excuse, Hill forfeited all of his playoff points he had accumulated (21) and all future playoff points for the season. He would have been given six bonus points for his regular-season finishing position. That is 27 points on the table for Hill. That’s the difference between making the Round of 8 and not making it.

Neither driver helped themselves with lackluster performances at Bristol. Gray and Hill were both solid at Kansas, but it clearly wasn’t enough. Hill’s hopes went away when he blew a cylinder and fell back to P28 overall by the end. Gray just needed the race to end in regulation. Without overtime, Smith was buried on pit road with tire issues. The caution bailed him out.

Eight drivers remain in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs. Which will advance to the Championship 4 and race for the Xfinity title?