NASCAR Playoffs: Round of 12, Xfinity Series

Editor‘s note: With Champion‘s Week in Nashville ongoing, NASCAR.com will look back at every playoff round of the 2023 season in all three national series.

Race 1: At Bristol Motor Speedway, Sept. 15

Winner: Justin Allgaier

Key highlights: Allgaier rallied late at Bristol to lock his spot in the Round of 8. He roared from 13th place after a restart on lap 257, making the pass for the lead on Daniel Hemric in the closing laps. Playoff drivers John Hunter Nemechek, Cole Custer and Chandler Smith rounded out the top five.

Full race recap: Justin Allgaier takes the lead late and wins Xfinity playoff race at Bristol

At-track photos: At-track photos: 2023 Bristol Motor Speedway

Race 2: Texas Motor Speedway, Sept. 23

Winner: John Hunter Nemechek

Key highlights: John Hunter Nemechek found his way to Victory Lane after race leader Justin Allgaier got loose in a door-to-door battle with Parker Kligerman and just brushed the wall, avoiding what could’ve been a race-ending wreck. Nemechek took the race lead with seven laps to go, while Kligerman finished 1.005 seconds behind. Allgaier recovered to finish fifth and Joe Gibbs Racing‘s Sammy Smith finished third, followed by Kaulig Racing‘s Chandler Smith.

Full race recap: John Hunter Nemechek roars to Xfinity playoff win

At-track photos: At-track photos: 2023 Texas Motor Speedway

Race 3: At Charlotte Motor Speedway road course, Oct. 7

Winner: Sam Mayer

Key highlights: Sam Mayer took over at the Charlotte Roval and earned a spot in the Round of 8 with a much-needed win. Mayer led five different times for a total of 50 laps out of 67. Mayer outmuscled Cole Custer on the final restart and escaped with a margin of victory of .909 seconds. Josh Berry struggled with power steering in the race’s final moments and was eliminated despite finishing third in the race. Non-playoff drivers Riley Herbst and Kaz Grala rounded out the top five in the Round of 12 finale.

Full race recap: Sam Mayer lands clutch win at Charlotte Roval

At-track photos: At-track photos: 2023 Charlotte Motor Speedway-2

Drivers eliminated: Daniel Hemric, Parker Kligerman, Josh Berry, Jeb Burton