Jones Clinches Xfinity; Hendrick Favored at Kansas

Brandon Jones clinched a spot in the Xfinity Series Round of 8 with a victory in the Kansas Lottery 300 on Sept. 27, and Connor Zilisch also locked into the next round on points. Four Xfinity drivers — Nick Sanchez, Austin Hill, Harrison Burton and Sammy Smith — sit below the cutline but are all within 15 points of 8th heading into next week’s elimination race at the Charlotte Roval. In Cup action, Chase Briscoe took pole in qualifying as the Hollywood Casino 400 returns to Kansas Speedway on Sept. 28 as the second race in the Round of 12; Ryan Blaney is already locked into the Round of 8. Drivers such as Ross Chastain and Austin Cindric remain under pressure to secure advancement, while analysts favor Hendrick Motorsports (Kyle Larson, William Byron, Chase Elliott) — Larson is a noted pick to win. The weekend features ARCA, Xfinity and Cup races, the Xfinity event carried a $1,651,939 prize pool, and broadcasts include CW, MRN and SiriusXM.