TRACK: Kansas Speedway
RACE: Kansas Lottery 300 (200 laps / 300 miles)
DATE: Saturday, October 23, 2021
TV: 3 p.m. ET on NBC
RADIO: 2:30 p.m. ET on MRN Radio Network and SiriusXM Ch. 90

Quotes:

Michael Annett: "Our Pilot Flying J Chevrolet has been solid at Kansas the last three times we've raced there, and our run last week at Texas was solid all the way around. We had speed and could race with the leaders. I expect to have the same thing this weekend and to move forward in the owner's playoff standings. We made good progress last week, and we need to do that again to have a chance to move on to the Championship 4 after Martinsville."

Justin Allgaier: "Kansas will be interesting this weekend for sure. We've had good speed all season long on the mile-and-a-half tracks and I feel confident that that will continue again on Saturday with our BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet. Hopefully we can have a smooth day, earn stage points at the end of both stages and be in contention for the win to get ourselves in as good a position as possible to move on in these playoffs. We all know what we need to do, now we just need to go out and execute the same way we have been all season."

Sam Mayer: "We ran towards the front for a lot of the race last weekend in Texas and hopefully we can do more of the same in Kansas. There are more grooves to use in Kansas which will lend itself to make more passes. It's another new track for me so the quicker I can learn the better we will be towards the end of the race. Hopefully this QPS Employment Group Chevrolet can be in contention for the win."

Noah Gragson: "Dave (Elenz, crew chief) and this No. 9 Bass Pro Shops/TrueTimber/Black Rifle Coffee team gave me a fast car last year until we wrecked following a restart and had our only finish worse than third in the playoffs. I know I will have another good car this weekend, we just need to put the entire race together and we will be there at the end. We only have two more opportunities to lock ourselves into Phoenix and it starts this weekend."

Notes:

• Michael Annett enters this weekend's race at Kansas Speedway on a run of three straight top-eight finishes at the 1.5-mile oval. Annett finished eighth in his last two starts there, with a fourth-place run in the fall of 2019 as his best finish in 10 total starts.

• The Iowa native will return to his familiar Pilot Flying J livery this weekend, with Pilot Flying J's MyRewards Plus messaging on the TV panel.

• Justin Allgaier enters the second race in the Round of 8 third in the NXS Playoff Grid, four points above the cut line.

• In 11 previous NXS starts at Kansas, Allgaier has scored three top fives and eight top 10s.

• According to NASCAR's loop data statistics, Allgaier ranks first in quality passes (374), first in positions gained in the final 10 percent of a race (22), second in laps run inside the top 15 (1,706) and second in green flag passes (471) at Kansas.

• In nine starts on 1.5-mile tracks this season, Allgaier has earned one win (Atlanta Motor Speedway – March), five top fives and six top 10s.

• Sam Mayer will make his first NXS start at Kansas Speedway this weekend in the QPS Employment Group Chevrolet.

• Mayer brought home his best 1.5-mile finish in his first start on an intermediate track. The 18-year-old finished ninth at Atlanta to earn his first NXS career top-10 effort in only his third start.

• To date, Mayer has tallied four top-10 finishes and has led a total of 57 laps with his most recent top 10 coming at the Charlotte Roval.

• Throughout the 2021 season, the No. 8 team has posted one win (Martinsville Speedway), four top fives and 11 top 10s.

• Noah Gragson will make his 100th career NXS start on Saturday. His first start came on April 20, 2018 at Richmond Raceway, and the then-18-year-old Las Vegas native finished second.

• Noah Gragson enters the second race of the Round of 8 in the NXS Playoffs this weekend as the fourth seed in the playoff standings, two points above the playoff cut line.

• On 1.5-mile tracks this season, Gragson has finished third in the last three races (Texas, Las Vegas and Atlanta). Overall, the young driver has five top-five and six top-10 finishes in eight 1.5-mile starts this season.