NASCAR Xfinity Series at Ohio 2015: Full Schedule, Standings and Preview
One week removed from a stop in Watkins Glen, which was dominated by Sprint Cup regulars, NASCAR Xfinity next turns to Saturday's Nationwide Children's Hospital 200 at Mid-Ohio.
It's the third time the drivers of the Series will tackle the feel-good event, which features 10 Patient Champions and helps honor the work done at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus.
For Series leader Chris Buescher and others, on-track merits include the absence of the Sprint Cup drivers thanks to the locale, which means more opportunities for the leaderboard to receive a nice shake.
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Here's everything to know about the special event.
Schedule for Xfinity Series at Ohio
| Friday, August 14 | 1:30-2:25 p.m. | Practice | FOX Sports 1 |
| Friday, August 14 | 3-4:25 p.m. | Final Practice | FOX Sports 1 ( 8.p.m. ET) |
| Saturday, August 15 | 11:15 a.m. | Qualifying | FOX Sports 1 |
| Saturday, August 15 | 3:30 p.m. | Nationwide Children's Hospital 200 | FOX Sports 1 |
Tickets: ScoreBig.com
Xfinity Series Standings
| 1 | Chris Buescher | 724 |
| 2 | Chase Elliott | 700 |
| Ty Dillon | 700 | |
| 4 | Regan Smith | 667 |
| 5 | Elliott Sadler | 666 |
| 6 | Darrell Wallace Jr. | 629 |
| 7 | Daniel Suarez | 625 |
| 8 | Brendan Gaughan | 610 |
| 9 | Brian Scott | 606 |
| 10 | Ryan Reed | 565 |
Full standings available at ESPN.com.
Drivers to Watch
Ty Dillon
Ty Dillon's name isn't in the headlines for the consistent quality he's put out on the track as of late, but instead for a trackside scuffle with Regan Smith after last week's event at The Glen.
Long story short, the two drivers—who sit next to one another on the leaderboard, by the way—made contact late in the race and confronted one another:
Either way, Dillon's right where he wants to be, tied for second place with Chase Elliott and just 24 points out of the Series lead.
On the track, Dillon's just on fire with four consecutive top-10s to his name, the last two of the top-five variety. The notable downside? Dillon finished 19th in this event last year, the lone blemish on a streak of nine top-10s in 10 outings in the middle of the season.
With the lead in sight and Smith right on his heels, expect nothing but the best from Dillon Saturday.
Chase Elliott
With things so close on the leaderboard, Elliott himself is worth a look too.
For the JR Motorsports driver, it's hard to call his trip to The Glen anything short of a disappointment. Granted, he finished seventh, but he entered alone in second place on the leaderboard and surrendered the good position despite starting from third place.
It was an uphill climb just to secure seventh, though. Dale Earnhardt Jr. offered praise after the effort:
If Elliott is going to make it three top-10 finishes in a row and perhaps put some distance between himself and others, he might have to summon his 2014 form at this event, where he started ninth and improved by coming in fourth.
Easier said than done, sure, but if last week taught fans anything, it's to never count out one of NASCAR's budding superstars.
Chris Buescher
It sounds odd to say of a Series leader, but Buescher finally broke through last weekend, his third-place finish snapping a five-race streak outside of the top 10.
Even better, the Roush Fenway Racing driver came third behind Series regulars Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski, the former of whom went on to make it a weekend sweep at The Glen.
As leader, all eyes hit Buescher at the important event, one he won last year thanks to a smart fuel strategy. As such, he'll ride a special car with a Patient Champion on board. Zest Racing shared the design:
"We're proud to have William Schaefer riding with @Chris_Buescher and the No. 60 Zest team this weekend @Mid_Ohio! pic.twitter.com/BlNhYDgOVd
— Zest Racing (@ZestRacing) August 12, 2015"
For Buescher, it sounds like the goal is to take the lessons learned last year and ensure a strong performance this weekend to snowball some momentum, per PaddockTalk.com:
"Mid-Ohio is a track that we have been looking forward to all year. There is a little extra pressure coming off of last year’s win, but we have really good notes and I know we will have a fast Zest Mustang. We have good momentum leaving the Glen and we just need to keep that rolling into the next few months.
"
Without big names to worry about, Buescher and his team can focus on taking care of business against familiar faces at a track they proved they know quite well last year.
Look for Buescher to retain his top form, although it's clear the names nipping at his rear bumper won't just fade. It has the makings of one of the season's top events.
Stats and info courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
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