NASCAR & Auto Racing

It’s NASCAR time at Kansas Speedway: Five Xfinity drivers to watch in Saturday’s race

Justin Allgaier celebrates with his crew in victory lane after winning last month’s Xfinity race at Chicagoland Speedway.
Justin Allgaier celebrates with his crew in victory lane after winning last month’s Xfinity race at Chicagoland Speedway. AP

Five drivers to watch in the NASCAR Xfinity series Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway

Christopher Bell, No. 20 Toyota, 3,044 points

Bell, 23, has won a series-leading six races, the most by any rookie in Xfinity Series history, and has won two of the last three events, at Richmond and Dover. Bell, a native of Norman, Okla., won his first Xfinity Series race last year at Kansas Speedway, and is bidding to add the Xfinity title to his 2017 Camping World Trucks Series championship.

Justin Allgaier, No. 7 Chevrolet, 3,039 points

Allgaier, 32, has 10 career Xfinity wins, including a career-best five this season: Dover, Iowa, Mid-Ohio, Elkhart Lake and Indianapolis. Allgaier, from Riverton, Ill., has finished third in the standings in 2011, ‘16 and ’17. He finished fifth at Kansas in 2017.

Daniel Hemric, No. 21 Chevrolet, 3,019 points

Hemrick, 27, is in his second season driving for Richard Childress Racing. Hemrick, from Kannapolis, N.C., does not have a career win but has 13 top 5s, and 19 Top 10s in 29 starts this season and won the pole in the last race at Dover, where he finished seventh. He was 19th at Kansas last year.

Elliott Sadler, No. 1 Chevrolet, 3,011 points

Sadler, 43, is one of 31 drivers who have at least one win in each of NASCAR’s top three series, but the veteran of 849 combined starts is still looking for his first championship in what he has said his final season as a full-time driver. Sadler, from Emporia, Va., has three career wins in the Cup series, 13 wins in Xfinity and one in the trucks series. He has finished second in the Xfinity Series standings four times since 2012, including the last two years.

Tyler Reddick, No. 9 Chevrolet, 3,010 points

Reddick, 22, began the season by winning at Daytona for owner Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s team and has had 16 Top 10 finishes. Reddick, from Corning, Cal., has one other career Xfinity win, last year at Kentucky. He won the pole and finished second at Kansas in 2017.

This story was originally published October 19, 2018 at 2:52 PM.

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