What the NASCAR Xfinity Series playoff standings look like after Bristol

A playoff driver may not have won Friday's NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway, but the playoff picture still changed dramatically following the first race of the postseason. Here's what the grid looks like after Friday's Food City 300. 

1. Connor Zilisch (+85)

Zilisch finished fifth on Friday and could lock up a Round of 8 berth at Kansas on Sept. 27. 

2. Justin Allgaier (+53) 

The defending Xfinity Series champion started on the pole, led 95 laps and finished sixth on Friday. 

3. Sam Mayer (+35) 

A third-place effort on Friday puts Mayer in an excellent points position going into Kansas. 

4. Carson Kvapil (+16) 

The cut line begins to tighten up with Kvapil, who finished fourth and scored nine stage points on Friday. 

5. Harrison Burton (+9) 

A seventh-place finish moved Burton above the cut line and gave him his highest points standing of the season so far. 

6. Brandon Jones (+8) 

An 11th-place finish was a decent day for Jones, but he may not be able to afford another finish outside of the top 10 in the Round of 12. 

7. Sheldon Creed (+7) 

Creed moved above the cut line after notching his 15th career runner-up finish in Xfinity Series competition. 

8. Taylor Gray (+3) 

After finishing 14th, Gray is the man on the bubble as the circuit heads to Kansas. 

9. Nick Sanchez (-3) 

A 13th-place finish for Sanchez on Friday makes him the first man out of the Round of 8 after Bristol. 

10. Jesse Love (-3) 

Love slipped below the cut line after a 25th-place finish on Friday. 

11. Austin Hill (-16) 

Hill's suspension in July and subsequent lack of playoff points are biting the No. 21 team after Hill finished 19th on Friday. 

12. Sammy Smith (-24) 

Mechanical issues relegated Smith to a 37th-place finish on Friday. The No. 8 team is in a less-than-desirable position going into Kansas.