By Aaron Bearden, Motorsports Editor

On the day following each regular season points race, Kickin’ the Tires takes a deep look at the current playoff grids for both the NASCAR XFINITY Series and Camping World Truck Series, evaluating the postseason picture for NASCAR’s second and third tours. 

Xfinity Series

Track: Bristol Motor Speedway

Event: Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300

Race Winner: Ryan Preece

Stage Winner(s): Christopher Bell, Ryan Preece

Who Won Big

• Spencer Gallagher: If there were any doubts that Gallagher could maintain his strong start to the 2018 season, he proved them to be unnecessary at Bristol. The Nevadan was a constant presence inside of the top 10 en-route to a fifth-place run – the best result of his Xfinity Series career.
• Justin Allgaier: It was an eventful afternoon for Allgaier, but in the end the JR Motorsports veteran wound up with a second-place run. The effort catapulted him to fourth in the standings, with just 21 points separating him from points leader Elliott Sadler.
• Brandon Jones: A bad decision to take two tires late in the race kept him from victory lane, but Jones paced the majority of the race’s final 100 laps and still held on to claim a sixth-place finish, moving up to ninth in the standings with a 57-point cushion on the bubble.

 Who Hurt Their Odds:

• Christopher Bell: He managed to earn another playoff point with a stage win, but Bell dropped down in the standings after a brutal crash relegated him to a 29th-place finish at Bristol. The setback dropped the rookie in his pursuit of the regular season championship, a larger loss than the benefit he gained with a lone playoff point.
• Matt Tifft: The season started strong for Tifft, but an early crash and finish of 35th in Bristol dropped the Richard Childress Racing prospect down in to 11th the standings. He’ll have to put together a string of consistent runs to rise away from the playoff bubble.
• Kaz Grala: JGL Racing were one of many organizations to suffer damage in a crash-filled Bristol affair. Getting the worst of the wreckage was Grala, who crashed out in 38th and dropped to a 32-point deficit on the playoff bubble.

Playoff Standings: 

*Technically ineligible due to missed races. Would require a waiver to make the playoffs.

Playoff Points

Stage Points

Bristol Motor Speedway Results

Season Totals