Several NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers, including playoff contenders Sheldon Creed, Brandon Jones, and Sam Mayer, were caught in an early multi-car wreck in the race at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday. The crash further compromised their playoff run heading into the Round of 8 finale next week.The incident happened on the frontstretch on lap 15 when Jeb Burton bumped the back of Creed before turning into the inside, clipping Jones from the middle lane. Ten drivers in total were collected, including Harrison Burton and Ryan Sieg. NASCAR threw the red flag on lap 18 for about 16 minutes to clean up the track.Here's a replay of the crash in stage one of the United Rentals 250 (via Always Race Day on X).“Big one in today's NASCAR Xfinity race at Talladega. Playoff drivers Brandon Jones and Sheldon Creed involved,” Always Race Day wrote.Sheldon Creed, Brandon Jones, and Sam Mayer compete in the Xfinity Series playoffs against Connor Zilisch, Justin Allgaier (defending champion), Jesse Love, Carson Kvapil, and Sammy Smith. Despite a rough outing at Talladega, they can still try to make the Championship 4, given that a win automatically advances a driver to the next round. The NASCAR Xfinity Series elimination race is set at Martinsville Speedway on October 25. It will precede the championship race at Phoenix Raceway the following week. “It's unfortunate”: Sheldon Creed on tough playoff situation following a multi-car wreck at TalladegaSheldon Creed reflected on the multi-car wreck that collected him at Talladega Superspeedway. He described his playoff situation as “unfortunate,” as he is now essentially in a must-win situation to try to make the Championship 4.Speaking with the media after getting out of his racecar early, Creed said (via Matt Weaver on X):“The #27 (Jeb Burton) awas pushing me, got me free on the entry on the tri-oval, and for whatever reason, he shot up the racetrack, and got the #20 (Brandon Jones) in the left-rear. I don't know if he was sliding his racecar, or, I don't know, just shot up the racetrack. Got the #20 in the left-rear, and that got me in the right-rear.”“It becomes a must-win now. It's unfortunate. I was hoping to have a good day. I thought our car was fast, and had the chance to be in all three lanes there and get our way close to the top five. Hate that we don't get to fight the rest of the day, and at least give ourselves a chance of winning it.”When asked what he's willing to do at Martinsville Speedway, he said:“I don't know... We'll see.”Sheldon Creed drives the #00 Ford Mustang for Haas Factory Team - Source: ImagnAfter Austin Hill won the race at Talladega, Sheldon Creed dropped to the bottom seed of the playoff standings with a 41-point deficit below the cutline. Connor Zilisch and Justin Allgaier have locked themselves into the Championship 4, giving the latter a chance to defend his title.The points of the rest of the playoff drivers are as follows: Jesse Love (+40), Carson Kvapil (+11), Sammy Smith (-11 below the cutline), Brandon Jones (-20), and Sam Mayer (-22).