Editing NASCAR Xfinity Series (section)

==History==
[[File:BuschSeriesFieldAtTexasApril2007.jpg|thumb|The Busch Series field following the [[Safety car|pace car]] at [[Texas Motor Speedway|Texas]] in April 2007]]
[[File:Justin allgaier (40197690673).jpg|thumb|[[Justin Allgaier]] and [[Michael Annett]] in 2019]]
{{Main|NASCAR Sportsman Division}}
The series emerged from NASCAR's Sportsman division, which had been formed in 1950 as NASCAR's [[Short track motor racing|short track race]] division. It was NASCAR's fourth series (after the [[Whelen Modified Tour|Modified]] and [[Roadster (automobile)|Roadster]] series in 1948 and [[Strictly Stock Series]] in 1949). The sportsman cars were not current model cars and could be modified more, but not as much as [[Whelen Modified Tour|Modified series cars]].<ref name=ThatsRacing>{{Cite web|url=http://blogs.thatsracin.com/turn3/2006/04/index.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061201223156/http://blogs.thatsracin.com/turn3/2006/04/index.html|url-status=dead|title=The Busch Series dilemma|archive-date=December 1, 2006}}</ref> It became the '''Late Model Sportsman Series''' in 1968, and soon featured races on larger tracks such as [[Daytona International Speedway]]. Drivers used obsolete Grand National cars on larger tracks but by the inception of the touring format in [[1982 NASCAR Budweiser Late Model Sportsman Series|1982]], the series used older compact cars. Short track cars with relatively small 300 cubic inch [[V8 engine|V-8]] motors were used. Drivers used smaller current year models featuring [[V6 engine|V6]] motors.

The modern-day Xfinity Series was formed in 1982, when [[Anheuser-Busch]] sponsored a newly reformed late-model sportsman series with its [[Budweiser]] brand. In 1984, the series switched sponsorship to Anheuser-Busch's [[Busch Beer]] brand and was renamed the '''Busch Grand National Series'''.

"Grand National" was dropped from the series' title in [[2003 NASCAR Busch Series|2003]] as part of NASCAR's brand identity (the "Grand National" name was later used for the [[ARCA Menards Series East|Busch East]] and [[ARCA Menards Series West|Winston West]] series as part of a nationwide standardization of rules for NASCAR's regional racing; both series are now run under [[ARCA Menards Series]] banner after NASCAR purchased the organization in 2018). Anheuser-Busch dropped the sponsorship after the [[2007 NASCAR Busch Series|2007 season]]; [[Nationwide Insurance]] took over the sponsorship for the [[2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series|2008]] season, renaming it the '''Nationwide Series'''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nascar.com/2007/news/headlines/bg/10/03/nationwide.series.title.sponsor/index.html|title=Nationwide Insurance to be sponsor of No. 2 Series|access-date=July 14, 2018}}</ref> The Nationwide sponsorship was a seven-year contract, and did not include the banking and mortgage departments of Nationwide. The sponsorship reportedly carried a [[United States Dollar|$]]10&nbsp;million commitment for 2008, with 6% annual escalations thereafter.<ref>NASCAR Scene, October 11, 2007, Vol. XXXI&nbsp;– No. 24, p. 32.</ref>

On September 3, 2014, it was announced that [[Comcast]] would become the new title sponsor of the series via its cable television and internet brand [[Xfinity]], renaming it the '''Xfinity Series'''.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Daily/Issues/2014/08/28/Marketing-and-Sponsorship/Xfinity.aspx|title=Comcast, NASCAR To Announce 10-Year Deal Next Week For Xfinity To Title No. 2 Series|last=Mickle|first=Tripp|date=August 28, 2014|work=[[Sports Business Journal]]|access-date=September 1, 2014}}</ref> Xfinity will cease the sponsorship of the second-tier series after 2025, although it remain as a Cup Series Premier Partner and sponsor for the three national series' fastest lap award, introduced that season.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Long |first1=Dustin |title=Xfinity extends partnership with NASCAR but will end series entitlement deal after 2025 |url=https://www.nbcsports.com/nascar/news/xfinity-extends-partnership-with-nascar-but-will-end-series-entitlement-deal-after-2025 |website=NBC Sports |access-date=March 15, 2025 |date=February 4, 2025}}</ref>

In [[2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series|2016]], NASCAR implemented a seven-race [[NASCAR Chase for the Championship|Chase system]] similar to the one used in the NASCAR Cup Series.<ref>{{cite web|title=Chase format extended to XFINITY, Camping World Truck Series|url=http://www.nascar.com/en_us/news-media/articles/2016/1/19/nascar-official-release-xfinity-truck-series-changes-championship-chase.html|website=NASCAR.com|publisher=NASCAR Media Group, LLC.|access-date=January 19, 2016|location=[[Daytona Beach, Florida]]|date=January 19, 2016}}</ref>

Xfinity race fields have varied in the number of drivers. Prior to [[2013 NASCAR Nationwide Series|2013]], the grid size resembled its Cup counterpart with 43 cars per race; that year, it shrank to 40 maximum cars.<ref>{{cite news|last=Newton|first=David|url=https://www.espn.com/racing/nascar/nationwide/story/_/id/8511858/nationwide-series-shrink-field-40-cars-2013|title=Nationwide field to shrink in 2013|website=[[ESPN.com]]|publisher=[[ESPN]]|date=October 16, 2012|access-date=November 19, 2020}}</ref> The field was further reduced in [[2019 NASCAR Xfinity Series|2019]] and [[2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series|2020]] to 38 and 36, respectively.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Weaver|first=Matt|url=https://www.autoweek.com/racing/nascar/a1705496/nascar-trims-xfinity-series-field-size-2019-season/|title=NASCAR trims Xfinity Series field size for 2019 season|magazine=[[Autoweek]]|date=August 23, 2018|access-date=November 19, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Bromberg|first=Nick|url=https://sports.yahoo.com/nascar-cuts-xfinity-field-size-from-38-to-36-in-2020-192649974.html|title=NASCAR cuts Xfinity Series field size from 38 to 36 in 2020|publisher=[[Yahoo! Sports]]|date=August 21, 2019|access-date=November 19, 2020}}</ref> During the 2020 season, fields were temporarily increased to 40 cars again to accommodate part-time teams that were otherwise unable to qualify due to such sessions being canceled in the wake of the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nascar.com/news-media/2020/05/11/nascar-expands-field-for-xfinity-gander-trucks-races-without-qualifying/|title=NASCAR expands field for Xfinity, Gander Trucks races without qualifying|work=[[NASCAR]]|date=May 11, 2020|access-date=November 19, 2020}}</ref>