NASCAR Xfinity Series playoff bubble watch: Where standings sit after Chicago

With the Chicago Street Race in the books, there are only eight regular-season races remaining for the NASCAR Xfinity Series. With only half of the 12-driver playoff field locked in, six spots are still open. Here's where the standings sit after Chicago. 

7. Cole Custer (+225) 

8. Riley Herbst (+91)

9. AJ Allmendinger (+90)

10. Sheldon Creed (+73)

Still searching for his first career Xfinity Series win, Creed was relegated to a 26th-place finish on Saturday after late-race contact. However, he finished fifth in Stage Two and showed decent speed. Creed has an average finish of eighth in two Xfinity Series starts at Pocono, so expect him to have another solid day at the "Tricky Triangle" next Saturday. 

11. Parker Kligerman (+63)

Kligerman gained 17 points on the cut line on a day where he finished fourth in Chicago. Like Creed, the 33-year-old veteran is also searching for his first career Xfinity Series victory, and if the No. 48 team keeps bringing top-five cars to the track, he may get it in 2024. Kligerman finished ninth at Pocono in 2023 and will be looking for eight more solid points days to make the postseason field. 

12. Sammy Smith (+23)

Speaking of drivers who gained on the cut line, Smith picked up 12 crucial points, mostly thanks to a gutsy strategy call that netted the Iowa native nine stage points via a second-place finish in Stage Two. Smith ended the race buried in the middle of the pack, but a 13th-place finish certainly isn't the worst result that could've befallen Smith in Chicago. 

13. Ryan Sieg (-23)

A 16th-place finish isn't a terrible day for Sieg, but he still lost 12 points to the cut line. If Sieg were to miss the playoffs, it'd only make his heartbreaking defeat at Texas earlier in the season that much more deflating. The Xfinity Series veteran finished a paltry 22nd at Pocono in 2023 — a result he can't afford to replicate if he wants to gain on the playoff bubble. 

14. Brandon Jones (-67)

Jones' mediocre 2024 season was exemplified by a 17th-place finish on Saturday in which the No. 9 car was extremely quiet. Jones was neither involved in an incident nor made any drastic moves to try and get to the front. Pocono was one of the lone bright spots for Jones in 2023 — the Xfinity Series veteran finished seventh at the Pennsylvania track — and another top-10 day is desperately needed for Jones to get back into the bubble conversation. 

15. Anthony Alfredo (-85)

Now on the outskirts of the playoff bubble, Alfredo's early season consistency seems a lot more impressive. Alfredo once held a provisional playoff spot, but the No. 5 team has failed to find consistent speed as of late. A 30th-place finish at Chicago only sets Alfredo further back, and one more bad result will likely put him in a must-win situation.