NXS Preview – Dillon Looks To Repeat

The Boyd Gaming 300 takes place this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The 200‐lap race marks the third event for the NASCAR Xfinity Series and the second time the series will visit a 1.5‐mile oval. 42 drivers are scheduled to qualify with five of them running double duty, the XFINITY race on Saturday and the Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday. Two of those will go home after qualifying on Saturday.

Austin Dillon is the defending race winner and he is hoping for a repeat in the No. 2 Rheem Chevrolet. If that would happen, Dillon would become the first driver to win back‐to‐back series races at Las Vegas. The double‐duty driver for Richard Childress Racing led 183 laps in 2015’s race to capture the victory. Dillon has three starts, one win, three top‐10’s and an average finish of 4.7 at the intermediate track north of the strip.

Along with Dillon, there are four other drivers running both Saturday’s and Sunday’s races. One of them is Kyle Busch in the No. 18 NOS Energy Drink Toyota. The Vegas native is coming off a win in Atlanta a week ago, which marked his 77th victory in the series. On his home turf, Busch has made 11 starts, earned three top fives and an 18.2 average finish.

Ones to Watch

While it’s possible this race could be dominated by cup regulars, let’s take a look at the Xfinity favorites and contenders:

‐ Elliott Sadler is the current points leader, three points over Daniel Suarez. It’s early in the season but, according to loop data, the No. 1 One Main Chevrolet driver is seventh in average running position with 8.5. and has a eighth‐place driver rating of 97.6. Sadler has nine starts at Vegas with an average finish of 12.3.

‐ Daniel Suarez is currently ranked second in the standings behind Sadler. The No. 19 ARRIS Toyota driver has only one start at Vegas in which he finished 10th.

‐ Erik Jones is the leading rookie in the bunch. The reigning NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion started third and led seven laps before getting into an accident in last year’s Vegas Xfinity race. Jones will be looking for better results when he straps into the No. 20 Interstate Batteries Toyota.

‐ After taking flight with the US Thunderbirds at neaby Nellis Air Force Base, 22‐year‐old Ryan Reed will make his 75th Xfinity start in the No. 6 Lilly Diabetes/American Diabetes Association Ford Mustang. The Roush‐Fenway driver has been able to not only promote awareness for diabetes but beat the odds of the disease himself.

‐ Brendan Gaughan is another hometown favorite that must not be forgotten. The No. 62 South Point Chevy driver returns to his home track ranked sixth in the Xfinity standings. He’s made five previous starts and earned one top five as well as three top‐10 finishes in his own backyard.

Qualifying will begin Saturday morning at 9:45 AM PT (track time), 12:45 PM ET and can be seen on FS2. Then you will want to return to the couch for the main event, which will kick off at 1:00 PM PT, 4:00 PM ET on FS1, PRN and Sirius XM Channel 90.

Katie Williams
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