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Xfinity drivers respond to NASCAR’s new point system

NASCAR XFINITY Series Drive for Safety 300 - Practice

JOLIET, IL - SEPTEMBER 16: Brennan Poole, driver of the #48 DC Solar Chevrolet, stands in the garage area during practice for the NASCAR XFINITY Series Drive for Safety 300 at Chicagoland Speedway on September 16, 2016 in Joliet, Illinois. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

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CHARLOTTE - While what was known as the Chase format was slow to arrive to the Xfinity Series, its replacement is being introduced to all three of NASCAR’s national series this season.

The three full-time Xfinity drivers present at the NASCAR Media Tour on Tuesday shared their thoughts on a format that awards points over the course of three segments, with the first two giving points to top-10 finishers. Those points will accumulate all the way through the second round of the playoff.

Here’s what Xfinity drivers had to say about the new points format.

Brennan Poole - No. 42 Chevrolet for Chip Ganassi Racing

“I think it’s cool. I think it gives an opportunity to a lot of drivers like myself to gain some bonus points. You win one of those stages, (those) points stay with you through the (playoff) so you can kind of give yourself a little more of a cushion when the playoff starts. I’m pretty excited about that. I think it’s great the way they’re doing it, where they’re just throwing the caution. I think for me, one of things I was concerned about was that it would be a break and we would stop, kind of how we did the Dash 4 Cash races ... I think it’s going to change strategy, I think crew chiefs are going to have some headaches in the beginning. What’s going to happen when the caution comes out in the middle of one of these stages?

Cole Custer - No. 00 Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing

“We’ll see. I think we’re still trying to figure out if it’s going to affect our strategy or not. You’re definitely going to be trying to race harder for those bonus points and everything. I think that’s going to be interesting. And there’s going to be a lot more to talk about it in the race and I think it’s going to be a good thing for the sport.”

William Byron - No. 9 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports

“I think it’s going to be similar to (the Camping World Truck Series) but at least there’s something of a reward when that caution comes out (to end a segment). I think that’s going to be good if we qualify well ... start on the pole and lead a segment to get a few bonus points ... If you have a crash late in the race or something like that you still get to benefit from the race say if you dominated a race and you lose a race with five to go or on a green-white-checkered. You still get something.