Only a precious few races remain before the Xfinity Series teams close out the regular season. Several Cup drivers are using one of these events to take over the starting lineup.
According to the entry list for Saturday's Xfinity race at Darlington Raceway (3:30 p.m. ET on USA Network), several guest drivers will be in the 38-car field. Five hail from the Cup Series, one competes in the Truck Series, one makes sporadic starts in Xfinity, and another is a CARS Tour ace.
Notable guest drivers:
- Joey Logano in the No. 15 AM Racing Ford Mustang
- Chase Elliott in the No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro
- Joe Graf Jr. in the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota GR Supra
- Christopher Bell in the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota GR Supra
- Corey Heim in the No. 26 Sam Hunt Racing Toyota GR Supra
- Noah Gragson in the No. 30 Rette Jones Racing Ford Mustang
- Carson Kvapil in the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro
- Ross Chastain in the No. 92 DGM Racing Chevrolet Camaro
Saturday's race marks the second time that Logano will take over the No. 15 Ford this season. He previously drove the entry on the streets of Chicago in July. He finished eighth, AM Racing's first top-10 of the season.
Bell, much like Logano, has stayed away from the Xfinity Series while focusing on Cup. His only start was at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Bell won and kept his perfect streak alive. He has never finished worse than first in four Xfinity starts at New Hampshire.
Elliott has only made one Xfinity start this season. He drove the No. 17 Chevrolet at Charlotte in May and won after starting 30th.
Saturday's race will mark the fourth time that Gragson will drive the No. 30 for Rette Jones Racing. He finished 10th at Charlotte, fifth at Nashville, and sixth at Michigan.
Chastain has made two starts this season for DGM Racing. He finished ninth at Iowa Speedway and 27th at Nashville Superspeedway.
One important detail that stands out on the entry list is the lack of one name -- Denny Hamlin. The veteran driver has traditionally used the Xfinity summer race at Darlington as the site of his lone series start. His last seven starts in Xfinity were all at the 1.366-mile South Carolina track. This includes wins in 2017 and 2023.