It all comes down to this. An entire season of setting yourself up for a NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff spot rests on how you perform Saturday evening at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway. Harrison Burton, the driver of the No. 25 AM Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse, sits 31 points above the cutline heading into the final race of the regular season.
ZILISCH TAKES WIN NO. 8 IN NO. 88
Connor Zilisch returns to Victory Lane for the eighth time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series this year, continuing to rack up the Playoff Points with one race left in the regular-season.#NASCAR pic.twitter.com/3zavK9eRwe
— TobyChristie.com (@TobyChristieCom) August 31, 2025
And while that feels like it should be a comfortable margin, Stage Points add an interesting wrinkle in what could be a to-the-wire battle with his cousin Jeb Burton for the final spot in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff field.
While qualifying for Saturday night’s NASCAR Xfinity Series Nu Way 200 Sauced by Blues Hog doesn’t begin until 3:00 PM ET, if Friday afternoon’s practice session is any indication, Jeb may have the upper hand when it comes to obtaining Stage Points.
Jeb Burton was fourth-fastest in Friday’s practice session, behind the wheel of his No. 27 Jordan Anderson Racing Chevrolet. The elder Burton cousin slotted in behind only Sam Mayer, Jesse Love, and Carson Kvapil in the hour-long session.
Practice Results: Nu Way 200 Sauced by Blues Hog
If he can back that pace up in Saturday’s qualifying session, Jeb would likely find himself in a position to snag some crucial Stage Points throughout the race, which could potentially put him within earshot of the final Playoff spot heading into the final Stage of the race.
Meanwhile, Harrison Burton was just 18th-fastest in Friday’s practice session. If he is unable to improve upon that position in Saturday’s qualifying session, he would incur the inverse of what his cousin could encounter on Saturday night.
Starting outside the top-15 would make it intrinsically more difficult to obtain Stage Points, and track position could end up dictating which Burton cousin moves on to the Playoffs. It’ll be an interesting battle to keep an eye on all race.
But another interesting wrinkle is the “win-and-you’re-in” aspect of the NASCAR Playoff Format.
While it seems far-fetched, there are 13 other drivers who remain Playoff eligible, led by Ryan Sieg, who could win their way into the Playoffs on Saturday night.
And while the NASCAR Xfinity Series season has been mostly dominated by the big dogs of the series, the NASCAR Xfinity Series hasn’t raced at this particular track since the 2010 season.
As a result, there will be a lot of uncertainty heading into Saturday night’s race, which could lead to a surprise winner. A surprise winner would likely eliminate both Burton cousins, unless Harrison Burton is able to leapfrog Taylor Gray or Sheldon Creed in the standings on Saturday night.
The other 13 drivers to keep an eye on Saturday night, who could upend the Playoff picture, are Ryan Sieg, Christian Eckes, Dean Thompson, Daniel Dye, Brennan Poole, William Sawalich, Jeremy Clements, Matt DiBenedetto, Blaine Perkins, Anthony Alfredo, Parker Retzlaff, Kyle Sieg, and Ryan Ellis.
