NASCAR Xfinity Series at Charlotte 2015: Full Schedule, Standings and Preview

Hot on the trail of the 2015 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 16, the NASCAR Xfinity Series is out of Iowa and heads to Charlotte, North Carolina, for what should be an exciting Hisense 300 on Saturday, May 23.  

Twenty-two-year-old Chris Buescher is fresh off a win in the 3M 250 at the Iowa Speedway and will surely be looking to pick up another victory in Charlotte.

NASCAR's No. 2 circuit often features a mix of young drivers and Sprint Series stalwarts, but that wasn't the case in Iowa with the Sprint All-Star Race already in North Carolina for the Coca-Cola 600.

Now that both series are again in the same location, one could expect more crossover appearances. Last year saw Kyle Larson, Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch take the top three spots in that order in the Xfinity Series at Charlotte.

Here are the full schedule and Xfinity Series standings heading into the Hisense 300. 

Schedule

Date	Event	Time (ET)	TV
May 21	NASCAR Xfinity Series practice	4 p.m. - 4:55 p.m.	Fox Sports 1
May 21	NASCAR Xfinity Series final practice	5:30 p.m. - 6:55 p.m.	Fox Sports 1
May 23	NASCAR Xfinity Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying	11:15 a.m.	Fox Sports 1
May 23	NASCAR Xfinity Series Hisense 300	2:30 p.m.	Fox

Standings

Position	Driver	Points
1	Chris Buescher	368
2	Ty Dillon	360
3	Chase Elliott	337
4	Darrell Wallace Jr.	331
5	Brian Scott	326
6	Regan Smith	320
7	Elliott Sadler	317
8	Ryan Reed	288
9	Brendan Gaughan	283
10	Daniel Suarez	281

Note: Complete Xfinity Series standings can be found at NASCAR.com.

Buescher will be one of the main drivers to keep an eye on this year in Charlotte. He's the Xfinity Series points leader, coming off a win at the Iowa Speedway and finishing a respectable ninth at this race in 2014. He needed some track intervention to pull off his thrilling late win and relegate Chase Elliott to second place, per Robert Gray of the Sporting News: 

"

Two laps remained. Elliott’s trip to Victory Lane loomed. Then, it happened.

Jamie Dick, running mid-pack, hit the wall and spun, drawing a caution flag.

Buescher — his No. 60 Roush Fenway Racing Ford packed with fuel and four fresh tires — smiled, charging hard and low on the restart to cap a temper-tinged and thrill-filled race with a green-white-checkered triumph at the 7/8-mile short track.

"

Although the 3M 250 turned out to be a huge coup for him in the Xfinity Series with a big points grab, Buescher admitted that racing for points isn't his preferred mode of competition for late, high-pressure situations.

“I hate points racing,” Buescher said, via Gray. “I despise it. When that caution came out — watched it happen right in front of me — it was like, ‘All right, this is it. This is what we need. We need to come in and get some tires and get back rolling here.’”

Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press

Elliott might be feeling hard done by the result, as he sits in third place behind Buescher and Ty Dillon, another driver who figures to be a major player on Saturday. Elliott has eight top-10 finishes on the year, tied with Brian Scott for most on the circuit this year.

According to NBCSports.com, major players in the Sprint Cup competition such as Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick will take part in the Hisense 300. Harvick currently tops the Sprint Cup Series standings, and could find the Hisense to be just the warm-up he needs for the grueling Coca-Cola 600.

Larson figures to be one of the more dangerous  Sprint drivers moonlighting on the No. 2 circuit, as he won this very event last year. 

Of the regular Xfinity Series drivers, Buescher and Ryan Reed are the only two to pick up wins this season. With more Sprint Cup drivers expected to hit the track Saturday in Charlotte than there were in Iowa, it could be very difficult for Xfinity drivers to secure a top finish and garner some meaningful points.

If the likes of Larson can repeat last year's performance or Harvick transfer his Sprint Cup success to the Xfinity Series, drivers like Elliott may be cursing lost opportunities like those in Iowa by season's end.