Sam Mayer will lead the Xfinity Series field to the green flag Saturday afternoon at Portland International Raceway (4:30 p.m. ET on FS1).
Mayer won the pole with a lap of 96.654 mph. This is his second career pole and his first since Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2022. Shane van Gisbergen qualified second with a lap of 96.596 mph as he prepared for his first Xfinity start at the Oregon road course.
MORE: Xfinity Portland starting lineup
Riley Herbst (96.165 mph), Cole Custer 96.068 mph), Justin Allgaier (96.068 mph), Sheldon Creed (95.931 mph), Parker Kligerman (95.923 mph), Josh Bilicki (95.849 mph), and Sammy Smith (95.342 mph) all secured spots inside the top 10.
AJ Allmendinger, who won the 2022 Xfinity race at Portland, went from 10th to third in Group B qualifying and put himself in the second round. However, he slid off the track and slammed into the tire barrier.
Allmendinger heavily damaged the rear of the No. 16 Chevrolet and then damaged the front pulling back onto the track. He will have to start from the rear of the field.
Trouble for @AJDinger! pic.twitter.com/Z1aqmqqGMj
— NASCAR Xfinity (@NASCAR_Xfinity) June 1, 2024
Brandon Jones had his own issue during qualifying. He ran off the track in Turn 12 and heavily damaged the splitter on the No. 9 Chevrolet. He will have to drop to the rear of the field for the race after the JR Motorsports crew makes repairs.
Chandler Smith will also have to drop to the rear of the field for the start of Saturday's Xfinity race. His team had to change the right front tire.
Frankie Muniz was unable to make a qualifying lap Saturday at Portland. Muniz pulled the No. 35 Ford to a stop during practice as smoke billowed from under the hood and fluid drained from the car. He did not qualify for the race.
Xfinity teams have completed 12 races this season. Fourteen races remain before the start of the playoffs. Only five drivers have secured spots in the 12-driver playoff field.
Chandler Smith leads the Xfinity standings with two wins. Austin Hill is third in the Xfinity standings with two wins. He lost two spots after receiving a penalty for intentionally turning Cole Custer at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Allgaier, Mayer, and Jesse Love each have one win and a spot in the playoffs.
The green flag will wave Saturday afternoon at 4:46 p.m. ET. FS1 will provide coverage. Pre-race coverage for the Xfinity race at Portland will begin with NASCAR RaceDay on FS1 at 4 p.m. ET.