The NASCAR Xfinity Series is set to deliver the weekend’s first dose of up-close, high-profile action at the hallowed road course of Watkins Glen International. With just two races remaining to finalize the 12-driver playoff field, Saturday’s Mission 200 at The Glen (3 p.m. ET, USA, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) could be a pivotal chapter in the title race.
JR Motorsports’ Sam Mayer is the reigning race winnerbeating Sheldon Creed to the line last summer by a narrow 0.909 seconds, with a third member of this year’s title contender, Parker Kligerman, finishing third.
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Mayer is the only current full-time Xfinity Series driver to win the trophy in this race, though three other full-time drivers have won at The Glen. Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Hill won the 2021 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at the famed road course, and his current RCR teammate Jesse Love won last year’s ARCA Menards Series race. JRM’s Brandon Jones won the 2022 ARCA trophy.
Hill won last week at Atlanta Motor Speedway — his second win of the year, matching the win total of regular-season championship leader Justin Allgaier, Chandler Smith and Mayer. Kaulig Racing’s Shane van Gisbergen is a three-race winner in 2024, taking home all three trophies on road courses (Chicago, Sonoma and Portland).
Kaulig Racing driver AJ Allmendinger, one of the championship’s top road course drivers, is still seeking his first Xfinity Series victory at this track. A win this weekend would also be his first of the season, though he is the highest-ranked driver (ninth) in points without a win, with a comfortable 144-point lead over 13th-place Ryan Sieg.
Sieg was hit hard in the standings last week when he was involved in a late multi-car crash at Atlanta. He now sits 44 points behind JR Motorsports’ Sammy Smith for 12th and final playoff spot.
What appeared to be a sure win for Stewart-Haas Racing’s Cole Custer has become a tight contest between the defending series champion and Allgaier. The 26-year-old Californian, Custer, led Allgaier by double digits just three races ago, but three finishes of 30th or worse in the last four races have left him 34 points behind Allgaier with just two races remaining for the regular-season title.
Connor Zilisch is set to make his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut this weekend, driving the No. 88 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports.
Several NASCAR Cup Series drivers, from Joey Logano to William Byron, Ross Chastain, Ty Gibbs and part-time competitor Aric Almirola, are also entered. International drivers Ed Jones and Alon Day are also on the entry list.
Practice for the Mission 200 at The Glen begins Saturday at 9:30 a.m. ET, followed by qualifying at 10 a.m. ET. Both will be available on the NBC Sports app.