Where early-season Xfinity Series playoff bubble stands after COTA

Three races into the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, the points standings are starting to take shape. Here is an early-season look at where the playoff bubble stands after Saturday's race at Circuit of the Americas. 

10. Christian Eckes (+6)

A hard-fought career-best effort of fifth for Eckes on Saturday keeps him above the bubble for now. Eckes took on damage early on Saturday's race, but fought back to earn a top-five finish. The March 8 race at Phoenix will be a good test of how much speed the No. 16 team has at traditional ovals this season. 

11. Harrison Burton (+5) 

A pair of top-10 finishes at Daytona and Atlanta and a stage win on Saturday at COTA have Burton and the No. 25 team turning heads early in the season. After a disastrous 2024 season, AM Racing is finally being talked about for all of the right reasons. Few expected Burton to be around the bubble much at all this year, but he's done a solid job so far. 

12. Carson Kvapil (+0)

A flat tire relegated Kvapil to a 23rd-place finish on Saturday, but his performance at COTA was extremely impressive. Kvapil went wheel to wheel with Connor Zilisch for the win before his right-front tire went down, and if Saturday was any indication, the No. 1 team won't be on the bubble for long. 

13. William Sawalich (-0)

Sawalich had a quiet day on Saturday, finishing ninth on an afternoon his average running position was 18th. He hasn't lit the world on fire to start the season, but he should settle in nicely as the circuit begins to visit more traditional ovals in the coming weeks. 

14. Ryan Sieg (-0) 

Sieg's biggest nemesis so far this season has been bad luck. Despite fast cars at Daytona and Atlanta, neither superspeedway race ended with a top-10 finish. Nor did Saturday's race at COTA, in which Sieg finished 19th. The No. 39 team is usually a team that spends most of the season on the playoff bubble, and that's the case early in 2025. 

15. Jeremy Clements (-4) 

Clements hit a major milestone on Saturday by making the 500th start of his Xfinity Series career. Unfortunately for him, a 28th-place finish at COTA dampened the celebration. Clements and the No. 51 team haven't shown much speed over the past few seasons after making the playoffs on points in 2021. Next week's race at Phoenix will be a crucial litmus test for the veteran driver.