Sammy Smith locks into 2nd round of Xfinity Series playoffs as several top names face elimination

By JENNA FRYER The Associated Press

TALLADEGA, Ala. (AP) — Sammy Smith jumped from last in the Xfinity Series playoff standings to the first driver to move on to the second round by winning Saturday’s race in overtime at Talladega Superspeedway. It was the first win of the year for the JR Motorsports driver, who was 12th in the 12-driver playoff field at the start of the race. Four drivers will be cut from the field next Saturday on the hybrid road course/oval at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The standings headed into next Saturday’s race have Justin Allgaier, AJ Allmendinger, Shane Van Gisbergen and Parker Kligerman facing elimination. Allmendinger is a perfect 4 for 4 in Xfinity races at The Roval.