DOVER, Del. – The first round of the NASCAR Xfinity Series will end Saturday at Dover International Speedway, and Ross Chastain is pointing toward a spot in the second round.
Entering Saturday’s Bar Harbor 200, Chastain sits eighth in playoff points. After Saturday’s 200-miler, the top eight drivers will advance to the second round and will be the only drivers remaining in the hunt for the championship. Chastain is nine points in front of Austin Cindric for the eighth spot.
Chastain, driving in the playoff group for the first time this season, will be in the No. 4 JD Motorsports with Gary Keller Chevrolet Saturday. His car is being sponsored by the Delaware Office of Highway Safety and its “Use Your Melon, Drive Sober Arrive Alive DE” campaign.
Chastain has raced in seven Xfinity events at the Dover mile track and has a best finish of 12th – twice.
“It’s a big weekend for us, obviously,” Chastain said. “It’s difficult to predict what might happen with the other guys in the playoffs, but we probably need a good finish to move into the second round. You can get in trouble really easily at Dover, so we’ll have to be on our toes.”
Practice is scheduled at 12:05 and 2:30 p.m. Friday. Qualifying is set for 12:05 p.m. Saturday, with the race to follow at 3 p.m.