NASCAR Xfinity Series at Charlotte 2015: Schedule, Standings, More
Just five races remain in the 2015 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, which means those vying for a championship must make the most of Friday's race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Regan Smith did precisely that last week at Dover, as he won and closed the gap on points leader Chris Buescher, but with so little time left, he and others can't afford to rest on their laurels, especially since Buescher has managed to hold strong at the top.
Add in the fact that several Sprint Cup regulars will be running in the Drive for the Cure 300, and there will be no shortage of storylines to follow.
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Here is everything you need to know about Friday's event, along with a closer look at which drivers will have the biggest hand in determining the result.
Where: Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina
When: Friday, Oct. 9, at 8 p.m. ET
Watch: NBCSN
Charlotte Xfinity Series Schedule
| Thursday, Oct. 8 | 3 p.m. | Practice | NBCSN |
| Thursday, Oct. 8 | 5:30 p.m. | Final Practice | NBCSN |
| Friday, Oct. 9 | 4:45 p.m. | Qualifying | NBCSN |
| Friday, Oct. 9 | 8 p.m. | Drive for the Cure 300 | NBCSN |
Xfinity Series Standings
| 1 | Chris Buescher | 60 | Leader | 2 |
| 2 | Chase Elliott | 9 | -24 | 1 |
| 3 | Regan Smith | 7 | -36 | 2 |
| 4 | Ty Dillon | 3 | -39 | 0 |
| 5 | Elliott Sadler | 1 | -110 | 0 |
| 6 | Darrell Wallace Jr. | 6 | -111 | 0 |
| 7 | Daniel Suarez | 18 | -132 | 0 |
| 8 | Brian Scott | 2 | -148 | 0 |
| 9 | Brendan Gaughan | 62 | -154 | 0 |
| 10 | Ryan Reed | 16 | -253 | 1 |
Drivers to Watch
Kyle Busch is among the most dominant drivers to ever take part in NASCAR's Xfinity Series, and nowhere is that more apparent than at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Busch has eight career victories at Charlotte as part of NASCAR's No. 2 series to go along with 18 top-five results and 20 top-10 finishes in 23 starts. In addition to that, Busch's confidence figures to be sky-high after qualifying for the second round of the Chase for the Sprint Cup last week.
That much is clear based on Busch's comments following his second-place finish at Dover, according to Toyota Racing on Twitter:
Busch coupled that with a third-place result in last week's Xfinity Series race, which bodes extremely well for his chances to contend for a victory Friday.
The 30-year-old superstar has the luxury of being able to race free and easy in the Xfinity Series since he isn't competing for points. The same can't be said for drivers like Buescher, Smith, Chase Elliott and Ty Dillon.
Busch is also able to push the limits in an effort to see what may or may not work for him during the Sprint Cup race.
There is no question that Busch has a great handle on how to approach Charlotte Motor Speedway, and that makes him the clear favorite to take the checkered flag.
Brad Keselowski
Like Busch, Brad Keselowski will undoubtedly be a factor in the Drive for the Cure 300 as he prepares himself for a run in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.
Keselowski stands to benefit a lot from the Xfinity Series race, especially since he has enjoyed plenty of success at Charlotte over the years. He has four wins at the track when combining the Xfinity Series and Sprint Cup Series, including an Xfinity victory last year.
Although Keselowski has run sparingly in the Xfinity Series this season with six starts, he has a win and five top-five finishes to his credit, which means he is all but guaranteed to be in the running for a win in the latter stages.
Keselowski is known as one of the most aggressive drivers NASCAR has to offer, and that figures to be on full display Friday since anything other than a win doesn't do him much good.
A victory in the Drive for the Cure 300 would be a huge stepping stone toward Saturday night's Sprint Cup Series race, and Keselowski will do everything in his power to take advantage of the opportunity.
Austin Dillon
While Austin Dillon's immense talent has yet to fully translate to the Sprint Cup level, he continues to dominate whenever he decides to compete in the Xfinity Series.
The 2013 Xfinity Series champion has three wins, 10 top-fives and 13 top-10 finishes in 15 Xfinity starts this season, including a win at Charlotte Motor Speedway back in May.
The 25-year-old young gun is still searching for his first Sprint Cup Series win, and even though thriving in the Xfinity Series hasn't yet helped him in that regard, continuing to gain winning experience certainly can't hurt regardless of the series.
Charlotte is Dillon's home track, and he has enjoyed the pressure of racing there to this point, as evidenced by his career finishing average of 6.8 in five Xfinity Series starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Dillon has nothing to lose in either of NASCAR's top two series for the remainder of the season, so don't be surprised if he pulls out all the stops in an attempt to complete a Charlotte sweep in the Xfinity Series.
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