Riley Herbst makes move into NASCAR Xfinity Series playoff standings with five races remaining

NASCAR is back in full swing following its late July Olympic break. The Xfinity Series held its second race since returning and has five remaining before its 12-driver playoff begins. We had a 1-2 finish from the top two drivers on the circuit this past Saturday at the Pennzoil 150 at the Brickyard. Austin Cindric and A.J. Allmendinger finished first and second to further secure their positioning in the playoff race.

The Xfinity Series playoffs begin September 25 at the Alsco Uniforms 302 with the top 12 drivers competing to win the series championship. This week saw one notable move in the playoff standings. Riley Herbst finished in eighth place in Pennzoil 150 and moved from No. 13 to No. 12. That puts him just inside the cut-off, but with five races remaining, plenty can and likely will change.

NASCAR is headed to the Michigan International Speedway this coming weekend and the Xfinity Series will be running the New Holland 250. The race was not held last season, but Tyler Reddick won it in 2019.

Here’s the current top 12 standings with projected playoff points.

1. Austin Cindric: 2048
2. AJ Allmendinger: 2027
3. Justin Allgaier: 2018
4. Daniel Hemric: 2013
5. Jeb Burton: 2009
6. Justin Haley: 2009
7. Harrison Burton: 2008
8. Myatt Snider: 2005
9. Noah Gragson: 2005
10. Brandon Jones: 2003
11. Jeremy Clements: 2001
12. Riley Herbst: 2000

Outside looking in: Michaell Annett, Brandon Brown, Ryan Sieg, Tommy Joe Martins, Alex Labbe