The four Xfinity drivers staring at elimination ahead of Charlotte ft. Austin Hill

With the NASCAR Xfinity Series Round of 12 soon rounding out at Charlotte, a few drivers have already solidified their spot in the next round by winning races in the postseason. However, not every driver has the same fortune, as some have found themselves on the wrong side of the cutline.

With four drivers being on the cusp heading into the Blue Cross NC 250 race, one heavyweight has also found his name in the mix for the wrong scenario. So let's take a look at the four drivers that are in a bit of trouble with the threat of being knocked out looming over their heads:

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Four Xfinity drivers who are on the cusp of being eliminated ahead of the race in Charlotte

#4 Nicholas Sanchez

Nicholas Sanchez is a mere five points away from the cutline, but has a lot of work to do. Despite earning his spot in the postseason after winning a race earlier in the year at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, he arrived in the playoffs with one of the lowest playoff point tallies.

Moreover, a subpar race at the Bristol Motor Speedway saw him finish outside the top-10. While he was able to recover some ground by taking an eighth-place finish last week, the BMR driver still has some work to do to secure his place in the next round of the playoffs.

#3 Austin Hill

Austin Hill arrived in the playoffs with three race wins to his name. Though his incident with Aric Almirola tainted his 2025 Xfinity Series campaign, as he was banned from participating in the race in Iowa, he had envisioned a better start to the postseason.

However, the start to the Round of 12 has not gone his way. He finished outside the top-10 on both occasions and sits seven points adrift of the cutline, making the next race at Charlotte decisive in asserting whether his championship bid could dwindle in the early part of the postseason.

#2 Harrison Burton

Harrison Burton was a part of the Cup Series playoffs last year. However, his time in the premier league ended as Wood Brothers Racing parted ways with him, leading him to return to the Xfinity Series as a full-time driver.

Moreover, he was unable to score a win with his new team, AM Racing, in the championship during the regular season. But his consistent performances helped him secure a playoff berth, and he had a respectable outing in Bristol as he finished seventh.

While a 20th-place finish in Kansas has brought his position down in the standings, if everything stays normal, he is in the game to overturn his eight-point deficit to make it into the Round of 8.

#1 Sammy Smith

Lastly, Sammy Smith has the biggest deficit to the cutline. He sits 14 points below the required margin, but he has had some notable results so far this year.

Of the last 15 races, he has finished inside the top-10 nine times. He has also maintained his performance during the length of a race, but his lows have been quite dramatic, which have hampered him in claiming substantial points that could have aided his bid to move to the Xfinity Series Round of 8.

So, he would have to bag a strong result in Roval, a track where he has only had a solitary top-10 in his Xfinity Series career.