NASCAR Xfinity Series at Kentucky 2015: Schedule, Standings, Ticket Info, More
NASCAR's Xfinity Series returns to Kentucky Speedway this weekend for the VisitMyrtleBeach.com 300, where the best of the best will jockey for position on the leaderboard.
With the Sprint Cup Series in New Hampshire, series leader Chris Buescher and others can get to work on their leaderboard situations mostly without outside interference, making the action all the more entertaining as the sport's future puts it all on the track with the season winding down.
Below, let's take a full look at the event before drivers get underway at the historic track.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Schedule for Xfinity Series at Kentucky
| Friday, September 25 | 3:30-4:25 p.m. | Practice | NBCSN |
| Friday, September 25 | 6-7:25 p.m. | Final Practice | NBCSN |
| Saturday, September 26 | 4:45 p.m. | Qualifying | NBCSN |
| Saturday, September 26 | 8 p.m. | VisitMyrtleBeach.com 300 | NBCSN |
Tickets: ScoreBig.com
Xfinity Series Standings
| 1 | Chris Buescher | 945 |
| 2 | Ty Dillon | 920 |
| 3 | Chase Elliott | 917 |
| 4 | Regan Smith | 894 |
| 5 | Elliott Sadler | 839 |
| 6 | Darrell Wallace Jr. | 838 |
| 7 | Daniel Suarez | 830 |
| 8 | Brian Scott | 825 |
| 9 | Brendan Gaughan | 798 |
| 10 | Ryan Reed | 716 |
Full standings available at ESPN.com.
Drivers to Watch
Ryan Blaney
One of the sport's rising stars looks to give it another go at the Xfinity Series.
While Ryan Blaney sits 23rd on the leaderboard, he's a strong sign of where the sport is heading and qualifies as one of the top names to watch this weekend.
Blaney has looked solid all season at every level, posting strong outings in the Sprint Cup Series, winning the UNOH 200 at the truck level in mid-August and even winning a race at the Xfinity level.
To top it all off, Blaney won this race—this year is just the fourth iteration—back in 2013. It's something he wasn't shy about bringing up, as captured by Team Penske on Facebook:
"Really excited to get back to Kentucky in the No. 22 Discount Tire Ford. Kentucky is a special track for me and it has been a great track for this 22 team. They always bring a great car and it shows in their past performances. I was able to capture my first XFINITY Series victory at Kentucky with this 22 team back in 2013 and really looking to repeat what they did here earlier in the year with Brad Keselowski.
"
There's little doubt Blaney will be in the thick of things in Kentucky. Not only is he a strong representation of the future, but he's going to impact the leaderboard one way or another as he makes those at the top work for their points.
Brendan Gaughan
While on the topic of winners at this newer event, it's impossible to ignore last year's winner, Brendan Gaughan.
The Kevin Harvick Racing driver seized the checkered flag last year after starting third and leading 22 laps. He's ninth in the standings right now with just three top-10 finishes in his last three outings.
Still, returning to a track where he has found recent success is sure to help things. Gaughan spoke with Dave Kallmann of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about last year's victory:
"That was a little more validation, so to speak. Back on an oval. And to do it passing Chase Elliott and Ty Dillon, who literally are two of the rising stars of this sport. These guys are going to be around for the next 20, 30 years. We talk about the kids, the kids, the kids, and the old man flat out puttin' it on them on a restart, it was a lot of fun.
"
Gaughan might be ninth, but he can still play a big role down the stretch if he can recapture last year's momentum and go on a run.
Given last year's victory and his experience, the 40-year-old isn't one to discount this weekend.
Chase Elliott
Talk about a roller-coaster ride for one of the sport's biggest names.
Elliott fell back to third place on the board thanks to a 14th-place finish in Chicago after starting 17th. Call it a somewhat distributing trend—he struggled to 24th in Darlington, rebounded in the best possible way at Richmond International Raceway with a win and then wound up outside of the top 10 again this past weekend.
After the win in Richmond, even Dale Earnhardt Jr. was quick to throw his support behind Elliott.
"Chase did a great job," Earnhardt said, per Hank Kurz Jr. of the Associated Press (via Kentucky.com). "It's been a difficult season for them but I think that they may be starting to get their legs and start to maybe make a run and put some pressure on those guys."
At an event he finished fourth at last year, Elliott will need to prove supporters right and bounce back from another hiccup. Of course, it would do much more than justify hype, as it might just help him steal back second place.
Look for Elliott to put it all on the line as the season winds down.
Stats and info courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
