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

The NASCAR Xfinity Series will begin the Round of 8 in its postseason playoffs Saturday evening at Kansas Speedway.

Retiring NASCAR Cup driver and former Xfinity champion Clint Bowyer of Emporia, Kan., will serve as Grand Marshal and give the command for drivers to start their engines

Brandon Jones has won the last two Xfinity races at Kansas, including the July 25 event, and here are five other playoff drivers who should challenge Jones for the win.

Chase Briscoe, No. 98 Ford

Briscoe, 25, has won a series-most eight wins and is tied for second with 10 stage wins. Briscoe, expected to replace Clint Bowyer in the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Ford next season, finished 14th in the July race at Kansas Speedway but was third last fall.

Austin Cindric, No. 22 Ford

Cindric, once considered only a road-course specialist, has won five times for Team Penske, all in a six-race span July 10-Aug. 15. Cindric, 22, led a race-high 131 of 167 laps in July race at Kansas, only to finish second by .405 of a second to Brandon Jones.

Justin Allgaier, No. 7 Chevrolet

Allgaier, owns three victories in 2020 for JR Motorsports — Dover and both Richmond races. Allgaier, 34, leads the series with 12 stage wins. An Xfinity Series Championship 4 participant in three of the last four years, Allgaier was 10th at Kansas in July and finished a career-best fifth in 2019.

Noah Gragson, No. 9 Chevrolet

Gragson, winner of Daytona and Bristol early-season races, has finished in the top three in each of the last three races and finished in the top 10 in 11 of 12 races at one point. Gragson, 22, finished 15th in July and won the 2018 trucks race at Kansas Speedway, leading 128 of 167 laps.

Ross Chastain, No. 10 Chevrolet

Chastain, 27, has been tabbed to move into the No. 42 Cup car for Chip Ganassi Racing next year. Though he has yet to win a race in 2020, Chastain has a series-most 25 top-10 efforts. Chastain finished a career-best fifth in six starts at Kansas Speedway in July and won the 2019 trucks race.