NASCAR XFINITY Series playoff drivers

1. William Byron
JR Motorsports, No. 9 Chevrolet
Outlook: Byron is a favorite to win the XFINITY championship before he moves up to Hendrick Motorsports in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series next season. With three wins in the regular season and 25 playoff points to his credit, look for Byron to keep the momentum going. You’ll see him in the final four at Homestead.
Best playoff track: Phoenix, finished fourth in the spring race earlier this season.
Worst playoff track: Talladega, finished 36th in the spring race earlier this season. Byron has no starts at Kansas.
Current points: 2,025

2. Justin Allgaier
JR Motorsports, No. 7 Chevrolet
Outlook: Allgaier has hung right in there with JR Motorsports teammates of Byron and Elliott. He’s been consistent with seven top fives, 13 top 10s and only eight finishes outside the top 15 in the regular season. Allgaier has race wins in the regular-season finale at Chicago and at Phoenix in March. Another desert win is something he's capable of again, as Phoenix is the penultimate race of the XFINITY playoffs.
Best playoff track: Phoenix, one win and an average finish of 8.1.
Worst playoff track: Homestead, average finish of 15.43 in seven races.
Current points: 2,023

3. Elliott Sadler
JR Motorsports, No. 1 Chevrolet
Outlook: Sadler has yet to score a victory this year, but it was consistency that propelled him to the XFINITY Series regular-season championship. In 26 races, Sadler only recorded two finishes outside the top 20. Look for Sadler to continue that consistency, score a win or two and be right in the thick of things at Homestead.
Best playoff track: Homestead, seven top 10s in 12 starts.
Worst playoff track: Talladega, average finish of 21.0 in 25 starts.
Current points: 2,020

4. Daniel Hemric
Richard Childress Racing, No. 21 Chevrolet
Outlook: In his first year with RCR, Hemric had a quietly consistent regular season. He accumulated five top fives and 12 top 10s, along with only six finishes outside the top 15. Hemric has all the makings of being a strong threat to race his way into the championship four at Homestead. More top fives and even breaking into Victory Lane is not out of the realm of possibility in the final seven races.
Best playoff track: Phoenix, 7th-place finish in the spring race.
Worst playoff track: Texas, finished 32nd in the spring race.
Current points: 2,009

5. Brennan Poole
Chip Ganassi Racing, No. 48 Chevrolet
Outlook: Poole is one of the most likely candidates to give JR Motorsports a run for its money in the seven-race playoff stretch. The 26-year-old driver showed a ton of speed through the regular season, but only has one top five to show for it. Poole will have to step it up by minimizing mistakes and capitalizing on every opportunity if he wants to compete for the title in South Florida.
Best playoff track: Kansas, where Poole has an average finish of 10.0.
Worst playoff track: Homestead, finished 27th last season.
Current points: 2,006

6. Ryan Reed
Roush Fenway Racing, No. 16 Ford
Outlook: Reed started off the regular season with a bang by winning the season opener at Daytona for the second time. Restrictor-plate tracks are the young driver’s prowess, but unfortunately for him, the XFINITY Series won't stop at Talladega during the playoffs. Reed has two top fives and five top 10s on the year, but he hasn't finished better than 12th since Indianapolis in July. He'll have some work to do if he wants to advance.
Best playoff track: Charlotte, average finish of 13.8 in eight races.
Worst playoff track: Kentucky, average finish of 19.9 in seven races.
Current points: 2,005

7. Jeremy Clements
Jeremy Clements Racing, No. 51 Chevrolet
Outlook: The Cinderella story of the season punched a miraculous ticket into the 12-driver playoff field with an underdog victory at Road America. Unless he can pull off another upset win, don't expect Clements to make it into the second round. But making the playoffs is a huge accomplishment alone for the family-owned operation.
Best playoff track: Dover, average finish of 20.5 in 14 races.
Worst playoff track: Kansas, average finish of 27.8 in eight races.
Current points: 2,005

8. Cole Custer
Stewart-Haas Racing, No. 00 Ford
Outlook: All things considered, Custer's first full-time XFINITY season driving Stewart-Haas Racing's No. 00 entry has been a solid one. Despite the ups and downs that come with starting new team, the 19-year-old's four top fives and 13 top-10 finishes are impressive. If Custer wants the opportunity to race for a title at Homestead, he'll need to win, though. Plain and simple.
Best playoff track: Dover, fourth-place finish in the spring race.
Worst playoff track: Kansas, finished 35th in October 2016.
Current points: 2,005

9. Blake Koch
Kaulig Racing, No. 11 Chevrolet
Outlook: With only four top-10 finishes in the regular season, Koch and the No. 11 team will need to step up their games if they want to advance deep into the playoffs. Koch has five playoff points to his credit entering the final seven races. He likely won't make it into the final round without a miracle victory, but the second round is definitely within reach.
Best playoff track: Phoenix, average finish of 23rd in 14 races.
Worst playoff track: Texas, 29th-place average finish in 13 races.
Current points: 2,005

10. Matt Tifft
Joe Gibbs Racing, No. 19 Toyota
Outlook: The rookie driver scored only four playoff points during the regular season, but that doesn't mean he can't turn it on in the seven-race stretch. Despite 10 finishes outside the top 15, Tifft's two top fives and seven top-10 results shows he has the speed and talent to run up front. Now, it's time to execute when it matters the most.
Best playoff track: Dover, average finish of 8.5 in two races.
Worst playoff track: Charlotte, 17th-place average finish in two races.
Current points: 2,004

11. Brendan Gaughan
Richard Childress Racing, No. 64 Chevrolet
Outlook: Although Gaughan raced his way into the playoffs, the regular season was a struggle for the XFINITY veteran. Aside from two top fives and seven top-10 finishes, Gaughan had 10 finishes of 20th or worse. Despite the shortcomings, Gaughan has all the potential to make it into the second round, but the Championship 4 in Homestead is a long shot.
Best playoff track: Kentucky, one win (September 2014) and average finish of 9.1 in 10 races.
Worst playoff track: Texas, 19th-place average finish in 11 races.
Current points: 2,003

12. Michael Annett
JR Motorsports, No. 5 Chevrolet
Outlook: Despite a lackluster regular season, Annett has shown some glimmers of hope. A second-place finish at Road America and six top-10 results highlight the first 26 races. Down on speed compared to his JRM teammates, he likely won't make the final four without something big happening, but the Round of 8 isn't out of the question. He enters the next seven races with one playoff point.
Best playoff track: Kentucky, average finish of 12.8 in eight races.
Worst playoff track: Charlotte, 20th-place average finish in 11 races.
Current points: 2,001