The NASCAR Xfinity Series is heading south of the border and mixing in some right turns here and there at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City on June 14.
It’ll be the first major test of the Xfinity teams on road courses since Circuit of the Americas all the way back in March. It’s also the start of a key portion of the regular season. Over the next 12 races leading up to the playoffs, five will be on road courses.
Those races — this weekend in Mexico, the Chicago street course, Sonoma Raceway, Watkins Glen International and Portland International Raceway — have the chance to completely shift the playoff race and the regular season championship battle.
There’s five drivers in particular to pay attention to this weekend in Mexico and beyond.
Connor Zilisch
So this Connor Zilisch guy is pretty good, huh?
He won his first Xfinity start at Watkins Glen last year and then collected his second career win at COTA in March. As if he needed any more of a confidence booster going into Mexico City, Zilisch is coming off back-to-back runner-up finishes and is fifth in points despite missing a race.
Last year, Shane van Gisbergen’s dominance on the road courses fundamentally altered the course of his season and made him a bonafide title contender. The only problem was he was still learning his way on the ovals. Zilisch has already proven to be a step ahead of everyone on the road courses like SVG was while also being a step ahead of where SVG was on ovals.
Even without dominating these races, Zilisch has a chance to finally establish himself as someone who can win the championship in 2025. Then again, Zilisch has basically set up expectations for himself that failing to contend in any of the five road courses before the playoffs is a lost day.
Austin Hill
The two drivers Zilisch, and really everyone, are chasing is Austin Hill and Justin Allgaier. Even then, Hill is still 92 points behind the defending series champion. There’s a good chance Allgaier actually clinches the regular season title with a few races remaining.
But there’s two areas in which the two have yet to find separation. Since Hill has entered the Xfinity Series full time in 2021, neither driver has a win on a road course.
Who has the edge between the two? The numbers suggest Hill, who has 11 career top fives on road courses, including five over his last 10 races. By comparison, Hill’s average finish of 8.8 over that span is leagues above Allgaier’s average of 14.1.
Road courses don’t just give the Richard Childress Racing driver a chance to close the points gap to Allgaier. Hill had legitimate opportunities to win last season at COTA and Sonoma. The difference in both races? Run-ins with his new rival SVG. With him out of the picture, what other roadblocks are in Hill’s way?
Sam Mayer
Sam Mayer has had a quiet first half with the redubbed Haas Factory Team, but that might be a good thing for him, considering how last year started.
With top-10 finishes in half of his 14 starts and sitting 130 points above the playoff cut line, it’s a safe bet that Mayer will be in the playoffs unless we get a slew of new winners. Still, Mayer needs a win to give himself some playoff points, of which he has just one entering the weekend.
Thankfully, this stretch plays into Mayer’s hand with his experience on the road courses in karting and select Trans-Am starts. He scored four road course wins while he was at JR Motorsports. Haas has a strong road course reputation itself, winning twice with Cole Custer in 2023 and netting a third-place finish with Mayer earlier this year at COTA.
While it’s been a longer wait than some expected, maybe Mayer could win in bunches with the upcoming road course slate.
Christian Eckes
Christian Eckes, and in general Kaulig Racing, are still in the midst of a season from hell. Eckes has as many finishes in the top 20 as he does finishes outside of it, including two of the last three races entering this weekend. It’s not just a matter of bad luck either. There’s not a lot of pace when Eckes — or any of his teammates — have an issue-free race.
There’s one race that’s stood out from the rest. His fifth-place finish at COTA, a track he wasn’t necessarily flawless at during his Truck Series career. The difference is the road course pedigree Kaulig has had with the likes of SVG and AJ Allmendinger.
Even if they don’t have the same level of road course driver in the car, the experience around the team and knowledge base that Eckes can lean on made a difference in his performance at COTA.
More performances like that will boost his confidence, but he’s really going to have to have that perfect day and come home with a win for this team to make the playoffs.
Jeremy Clements
Stay with me on this one.
Yes, Clements’ one win on a road course was all the way back 2017 at Road America. Yes, while road courses are his best track type by finishing average, it’s still an average of just 20.1. And yes, Clements hasn’t finished in the top 10 at a road course since Road America in 2022.
So what is Clements doing here? Sure, he’s been able to fight above his weight class in the past at road courses, but can he really win a race? I think so. Why?
Have you seen how Xfinity races have finished this season? Have you seen how road course restarts become a demo derby in the closing laps?
Clements — or really any other mid-pack driver — might wind up in contention at one of these road courses by process of elimination. Clements has a history of making the most of his opportunities at the front, which he did at Daytona International Speedway in 2022 in a carnage-filled race. He could be the shock winner of the season if things fall his way.
James Krause joined Frontstretch in March 2024 as a contributor. Krause was born and raised in Illinois and graduated from Northern Illinois University. He currently works in La Crosse, Wisconsin as a local sports reporter, including local short track racing. Outside of racing, Krause loves to keep up with football, music, anime and video games.