The Xfinity Series playoffs kicked off with a race at Kansas Speedway, which Aric Almirola won. This was a race in which multiple issues dropped JR Motorsports drivers in the playoff standings.
Justin Allgaier entered the playoffs as the No. 1 seed. He is now one point below the Round of 8 cutline after finishing 36th. Sammy Smith, who entered the playoffs nine points below the cutline, is now 23 points below.
Here are the #XfinitySeries #NASCARPlayoffs standings as we go to @TALLADEGA.
Justin Allgaier falls from No. 1 seed to 1 point below the cut line. pic.twitter.com/Lu9hKvXpNT
— Xfinity Racing (@XfinityRacing) September 28, 2024
Allgaier's issues occurred during the second stage of the race. He crashed on the Lap 70 restart while racing behind Sheldon Creed. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver lost control of his No. 18 for a moment and began to slide sideways.
Allgaier spun on Creed's inside and slid toward the inside SAFER barrier. He could not bring the No. 7 Chevrolet to a stop before hitting the barrier and sustaining a significant amount of damage.
The No. 7 goes around and hits the inside wall!@J_Allgaier has heavy damage. #NASCARPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/ePI8m1i0Gb
— NASCAR Xfinity (@NASCAR_Xfinity) September 28, 2024
The No. 7 team attempted to make repairs so Allgaier could get back out on the track and meet minimum speed. However, a cut tire on the subsequent restart sent him hard into the wall. This ended his day.
Allgaier lost all of his points cushion and continued a frustrating stretch in which he has finished 30th or worse three times in four races.
"I don't know that I've had a stretch of races that has been like these last three or four weeks," Allgaier told NBC Sports' Marty Snider. "We're not out of it by any stretch."
One point is not a major disadvantage for Allgaier, who has finished fourth or better in the Xfinity standings eight times in his career. However, the No. 7 team has to avoid future issues at Talladega and the Charlotte Roval to remain in contention for a spot in the Round of 8.
Smith's issues occurred in the opening laps of the race. Contact from AJ Allmendinger on Lap 4 sent Smith sliding into the outside wall. This damaged the No. 8 Chevrolet and disrupted its handling. Smith then spun on Lap 6 and brought out the caution.
Issues on the No. 8!
That's not how they wanted to start the #NASCARPlayoffs. pic.twitter.com/JKaCiWt45a
— NASCAR Xfinity (@NASCAR_Xfinity) September 28, 2024
The issues led to Smith falling multiple laps behind the leaders. He remained out of contention for the rest of the race and ultimately crossed the finish line 22nd. Now he has to make up spots in the standings at Talladega and the Charlotte Roval, two tracks that are wild cards.
Smith has one Xfinity start at the Roval. He finished 11th last season while driving for Joe Gibbs Racing. He has two starts at Talladega with finishes of 33rd and 21st.
While Allgaier and Smith experienced issues at Kansas, their other playoff-eligible teammate capitalized. Sam Mayer scored 16 stage points, locked up a playoff point by winning stage 2, and finished 13th. He went from four points above the cutline to 13 points above.