Tag: NASCAR playoffs

Cindric’s WWTR win brings massive shakeup to Cup playoffs

The NASCAR Cup Series playoff picture has its first major shakeup. Heading into Sunday’s Enjoy Illinois 300, the Cup Series season had mostly followed season-long trends. The only driver outside of the current top 16 in points to win a race was …

The NASCAR Cup Series playoff picture has its first major shakeup.

Heading into Sunday’s Enjoy Illinois 300, the Cup Series season had mostly followed season-long trends. The only driver outside of the current top 16 in points to win a race was Daniel Suarez, and he did so in the second race of the year, so the win’s been something teams could account for from early on.

All other wins had come from drivers sitting 11th or better in the standings. With only two drivers within 80 points of the playoff cutline, there were also few drivers worth tracking in the points. The bubble seemed well-defined and few drivers beyond the top 16 had shown any likelihood of winning.

Enter Austin Cindric.

It took engine woes for Christopher Bell and Ryan Blaney running out of fuel to make happen, but Cindric surged to lead when it counted and scored his second Cup win. The win was well-earned, following a front-row qualifying run and a consistent race. In the scope of the season, though, it seemingly came from nowhere. Cindric entered the weekend 20th in the standings, well beyond the cutline on points.

Now he’s locked into the playoff field, which means there’s one fewer spot available on points. The drivers vying for those final positions also saw their situations change.

One thing affecting all of them is uncertainty over just how many positions they’re competing for. NASCAR has yet to decide on the playoff eligibility waiver request sent in for Kyle Larson after he skipped the start of Coca-Cola 600 to contest the Indianapolis 500.

Should NASCAR elect to award Larson the waiver, the Californian’s two wins and strong points position will make him a playoff lock. If the sanctioning body deems him ineligible, then Larson’s exit will allow another driver a chance to compete for a title this fall. The tour’s latest points report listed Larson second in the standings, but without any playoff points.

The biggest loser at Gateway was last year’s big winner, Kyle Busch. A year removed from his win at the track, the Richard Childress Racing star was knocked out of Sunday’s race at the end of Stage 2 when he crashed with – who else — Larson.

Busch was battling with Larson in the final lap of Stage 2 when the pair came together heading into Turn 1. After repeated side-by-side contact down the front straight, Larson was racing to Busch’s inside for 10th and snapped loose, sliding into Busch and sending the two-time champion up into the outside wall in Turn 2.

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“It looked like [Larson] got loose, I guess, down the front straightaway into Turn 1,” Busch said afterward. “He was on older tires and trying to get us for a spot. Not sure what that single point was really gonna mean for him, but certainly hurt us a lot because [it] took that point away as well as the others that we’d get for the stage, and then also the rest of the day. Very frustrating.”

The incident brought Busch’s day to a halt, leaving him 35th when the checkered flag flew. It was a disappointing end to a day that had started with promise after Busch led 15 laps early on.

“We can’t afford days like that,” Busch said. “The Rebel Camaro wasn’t what it was last year, but it was a top-10 car and we were gonna finish there. [Now] we’re not going to finish at all.”

The best finisher of the bubble drivers was Joey Logano in fifth, the 2022 winner benefitting from the same strategy play that took Cindric to victory lane. Chris Buescher made the most of a quiet day in 14th, with Chase Briscoe finishing three spots back in 17th. Bubba Wallace fell to 21st at race’s end. Blaney went from a winner to a 24th-place finisher after he ran out of fuel on the final lap.

With Suarez and Cindric locked into the playoffs with wins, the final spot on points sits in either 14th or 15th pending the waiver decision for Larson. Should Larson be granted the waiver, then Blaney (+47), Wallace (+13) and Buescher (+10) will be the drivers above the cutline. Briscoe (-10) would be the first one out, with Logano (-14) and Busch (-20) both within reach.

If Larson’s denied a waiver, Briscoe will jump above the cutline with Logano and Busch in pursuit.

The good news for all involved is that there’s plenty of time left to improve their position. Eleven races remain in the regular season, including a road course (Sonoma Raceway), a street course (Chicago), a new track (Iowa Speedway) and a wildcard superspeedway (Daytona International Speedway).

Dale Earnhardt Jr. reveals his 2024 NASCAR playoff picks and championship prediction

Here’s who Dale Earnhardt Jr. is picking to win the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series championship.

A new NASCAR season officially began on Wednesday night with qualifying for the Daytona 500, as Joey Logano secured the pole position and Michael McDowell locked in a front-row spot. Cars will return to the track on Thursday night for the Duels, where the remainder of the starting positions will be determined for Sunday’s must-watch race.

We’re 36 races away from crowning a champion in Phoenix, but Dale Earnhardt Jr. shared his early playoff predictions on his podcast, the Dale Jr. Download. Dale Jr. has a shocker among his predictions, as a three-time race winner in 2023 is not in his top 16.

So who did Dale Jr. pick? He’s backing Ryan Blaney to win back-to-back titles – something that has never occurred in the era of the championship four – but also believes Christopher Bell has a good chance to win his first title. Dale Jr. explained that either Blaney or Bell will win the championship, but that he expects Bell could have some bad luck that keeps him out of the championship race.

Dale Jr. also expects Corey LaJoie to win a regular-season race in 2024, locking himself into the playoffs, which will knock Chris Buescher out of the top 16.

Dale Jr’s championship four:

1. Ryan Blaney
2. Denny Hamlin
3. Kyle Larson
4. Joey Logano

Round of 8

5. William Byron
6. Martin Truex Jr.
7. Tyler Reddick
8. Chase Elliott

Round of 12

9. Ty Gibbs
10. Alex Bowman
11. Ross Chastain
12. Christopher Bell

Round of 16

13. Brad Keselowski
14. Kyle Busch
15. Bubba Wallace
16. Corey LaJoie

Q&A: Ryan Blaney on his first NASCAR title and IndyCar teammate Josef Newgarden getting a tattoo of his face

For The Win chatted with 2023 NASCAR champ Ryan Blaney about his title victory, the celebrations and a tattoo deal among friends.

Ryan Blaney didn’t need to win NASCAR’s season finale on Sunday at Phoenix Raceway to win his first Cup Series championship. And he didn’t. He just needed to finish before his other three title contenders, which he did, becoming a first-time NASCAR champ and delivering back-to-back titles to Team Penske.

From a family of racers, the 29 year old drove his No. 12 Team Penske Ford to a second-place finish at the one-mile desert track, coming up short behind race winner Ross Chastain.

But Blaney went home with the championship trophy and his first title in his eight full-time Cup seasons. He finished the season with three wins, including two checkered flags in the playoffs that helped propel him to the Championship 4 contenders.

For The Win spoke with Blaney on Wednesday about his emotional championship moment, the celebrations and the possibility of Josef Newgarden, his Team Penske teammate on the IndyCar side, getting a tattoo of the champ’s face.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Q&A: William Byron is happy to be ‘under the radar’ for his first NASCAR title race at Phoenix

“It’ll take a high-commitment level to win the race and win the championship,” William Byron told FTW about his NASCAR title run.

William Byron’s relatively short but impressive career in the NASCAR Cup Series has been leading up to this moment. The 25-year-old driver is about to close his sixth — and, by far, most successful — season racing at the sport’s highest level Sunday at Phoenix Raceway, where he’ll be one of four drivers racing for the Cup championship.

Byron’s career-high six wins on the season so far and largely consistent speed throughout the first 35 races of the season helped propel him to his first Championship 4 round. For NASCAR’s crown, the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet driver compete against Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney and Christopher Bell.

Of those six wins in 2023, one was at Phoenix in March, which could help give him a slight edge this weekend on the one-mile desert track.

“It helps just with confidence and knowing what the car needs to feel like and having to have a good memory of all those things in the spring,” Byron told For The Win. “So the track temperature and everything is different this time around. So I think it’ll be a little bit different, but I feel like we can adapt.”

For The Win spoke with Byron on Wednesday after he arrived in Phoenix about qualifying for his first championship race, his competitors and embracing an underdog mentality.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

5 things to know about NASCAR’s Championship 4 drivers before season finale at Phoenix

Who will be the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion?

After about nine months and 35 races since the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season began back in February, it all comes down to Sunday’s championship event at Phoenix Raceway.

Surviving the first nine races of the playoffs and edging out the other 12 title contenders, four drivers — Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, William Byron and Christopher Bell — will compete on the one-mile Arizona track for the 2023 championship.

The final four drivers represent three different teams and manufacturers with Larson and Byron competing in Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolets, while Blaney is in a Team Penske Ford and Bell a Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

So ahead of the NASCAR Cup Series championship race Sunday at Phoenix (3 p.m. ET, NBC), here are five things to know about the Championship 4 drivers.

Who will be the 2023 NASCAR Cup champion?

This is probably not the last four drivers many had standing in the NASCAR Cup series postseason, or even a combination of some of them. But here we are in a Hendrick Motorsports versus Joe Gibbs Racing versus Team Penske battle, and it doesn’t …

This is probably not the last four drivers many had standing in the NASCAR Cup series postseason, or even a combination of some of them.

But here we are in a Hendrick Motorsports versus Joe Gibbs Racing versus Team Penske battle, and it doesn’t include the names Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr., or Joey Logano.

The 2023 edition of the Championship 4 is not the sexiest, flashiest, most experienced or even the most quote-worthy. These four, however, represent the future of NASCAR for years to come, and they’ve put together respectable, but different kinds of seasons that still landed them all here.

Kyle Larson is the only previous champion in the bunch. He could become just the third driver to win multiple titles under the elimination format and at 31 years old, he’s the oldest of the bunch.

Christopher Bell, 28, is making a repeat trip to the Championships 4. How many playoff brackets had Bell as the lone representative for Joe Gibbs Racing?

William Byron has dominated the season and, at 25 years old, is experiencing his first championship battle. Byron returns to Phoenix as its most recent winner.

And then there’s 29-year-old Ryan Blaney, who has given Ford a chance to win a championship in one of its toughest seasons. Blaney, who bucks the stock car trend in not doing celebration burnouts, has reached the promised land in his eighth attempt.

Here is more on the drivers who will compete to be the next NASCAR Cup series champion:

Larson is the only previous champion in the final four. Nigel Kinrade/Motorsport Images

Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports No. 5

Wins: 4 (Richmond I; Martinsville I; Darlington II; Las Vegas II)
Laps led: 1,127
Top 10 finishes: 17
Finishes in the playoffs: First, fourth, second, 31st, 15th, 13th, first, 34th, sixth
Championship 4 appearances: 2 (2021; 2023)

Larson clinched his spot with a victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the first race in the third round. It will be the first time Larson has been among the Championship 4 since winning his first championship in 2021. His other two finishes in the round were 34th at Homestead-Miami Speedway (when he arguably had the best car) and a quiet sixth-place finish at Martinsville Speedway.

It was pretty smooth sailing for Larson & Co. in the playoffs. Larson won the opening race of the playoffs, Darlington, to immediately clinch his spot in the second round. In the first round, Larson finished no worse than fourth. Although his numbers in the second round weren’t as pretty (his average finish was 19.6), it never felt like Larson was in a perilous position of not advancing.

Larson’s season has been solid but not without inconsistencies. During the regular season, Larson won twice in the first 10 races but also had four DNFs in that span. Of his eight DNFs, six came in the regular season. But no matter how far off the No. 5 team might be one weekend, there should never be any panic about the wheels completely coming off when Cliff Daniels is at the helm. Once the postseason started, Larson and his team have looked like the championship contenders they’re expected to be.

Bell is making his second consecutive final four appearance. Lesley Ann Miller/Motorsport Images

Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20

Wins: 2 (Bristol dirt; Homestead-Miami)
Laps led: 599
Top 10 finishes: 19
Finishes in the playoffs: 23rd, eighth, third, fourth, 14th, 15th, second, first, seventh
Championship 4 appearances: 2 (2022; 2023)

Bell and his team have dug deep all year to perform and it’s brought them to the championship race once more. Multiple times during the regular season, Bell spoke of the potential the team was capable of but how they weren’t showing it. Mistakes. Misfortune. Just not being fast enough.

A victory on the Bristol dirt clinched Bell’s spot in the postseason and at one time, sat as high as second in the championship standings. Bell’s playoffs got off to a rocky start with issues on pit road and Bell making his share on the racetrack. But by the time the Round of 8 came around, it seemed everyone was settled and ready to take the next step.

Las Vegas was nearly flawless for the team as Bell won the pole and finished second. It went as well as it could have, being one spot short. Homestead-Miami Speedway, where Bell won, was the best example of how much they’ve dug deep this year. Bell drove with determination, the team did their jobs on pit road and got the car where it needed to be after early adjustments took them in the wrong direction.

The 28-year-old is quickly becoming one of the best the Cup series has to offer and by stacking up appearances in the championship round, seems well on the way to becoming a champion. Perhaps sooner rather than later in his career.

Byron is the youngest driver in the final four. Motorsport Images

William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports No. 24

Wins: 6 (Las Vegas; Phoenix; Darlington; Atlanta II; Watkins Glen; Texas)
Laps led: 921
Top 10 finishes: 20
Finishes in the playoffs: Fourth, 15th, ninth, first, second, second, seventh, fourth, 13th
Championship 4 appearances: 1 (2023)

Byron, Rudy Fugle and the No. 24 team have been the best all season long. Byron leads the series in victories, top-10 finishes and is tied with two other drivers (Larson and Denny Hamlin) for the most top-five finishes. Their victories have come on every type of racetrack.

It is fitting and satisfying that the No. 1 seed in the postseason is racing for a championship. Byron had an incredible first two rounds with an average finish of 5.5 and after two top-10 finishes in the first two races of the third round, it seemed like Martinsville Speedway should have just been a formality with a 30-point advantage.

Instead, Byron and his team showed what they are capable of with one of his most impressive drives in the series. Byron battled his car and his body to reach the finish, while Fugle kept this driver in the game, and the team did what they needed to do on pit road. It wasn’t pretty, but the playoffs are about surviving and advancing, and they did when put in that position.

Competing for the championship is the next step in Byron’s career. Since being paired with Fugle, the two have continued to knock down different milestones, from how far they’ve gone in the postseason to how many races they’ve won in a season. Now they have an opportunity to cap off what has already been a career year.

Blaney heads to Phoenix with momentum on his side. John Harrelson/Motorsport Images

Ryan Blaney, Team Penske No. 12

Wins: 3 (Charlotte; Talladega II; Martinsville II)
Laps led: 560
Top-10 finishes: 17
Finishes in the playoffs: Ninth, 12th, 22nd, 28th, first, 12th, sixth, second, first
Championship 4 appearances: 1 (2023)

Until Austin Cindric was moved into the Cup series last season, Ryan Blaney had always been “the other Penske driver.” Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski were champions with multiple appearances in the Championship 4, while Blaney could never seem to get over the hump and played the wingman to his more accomplished teammates.

Blaney was there but never really championship-relevant.

Finally, Blaney has broken through the ceiling, and he did so with a great third round of the postseason that made it hard to write him off. Blaney’s average finish was third in the Round of 8 with speed, execution, and a solid pit crew doing their part. Sunday at Martinsville Speedway was a masterclass and a bit unexpected, considering that Blaney has gone there in the Round of 8 before and left disappointed.

Momentum is real and it’s on Blaney’s side. The No. 12 team has to be feeling dangerous, having made it this far and the way they’ve been running. Also, don’t forget Blaney felt he had the best car in the finale at Phoenix last year but played the bridesmaid … to teammate Logano’s championship effort. But now, it’s finally all eyes on Blaney.

Buescher eager to get started in round 2 of NASCAR’s playoffs

The first round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs was not as comfortable for Chris Buescher as he would have wanted, but now comes a stretch of tracks he can’t wait to get to. “I am excited for this round because I know we will be fast at all these …

The first round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs was not as comfortable for Chris Buescher as he would have wanted, but now comes a stretch of tracks he can’t wait to get to.

“I am excited for this round because I know we will be fast at all these racetracks,” Buescher said. “If we can control that part of it and take care of ourselves, then it shouldn’t be that stressful on us.”

Buescher had an average finish of 11.3 in the first round. The one blemish was a 27th-place finish at Kansas Speedway after blowing a tire with seven laps to go. It made the elimination race at Bristol Motor Speedway much tighter than Buescher was expecting, with only a 13-point advantage.

A fourth-place finish Saturday night got the job done. It is the first time Buescher has advanced into the Round of 12 in two postseason appearances.

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There are three different types of racetracks in the second round: Texas Motor Speedway (intermediate), Talladega Superspeedway (superspeedway) and the Charlotte Roval (road course). All three tracks leave little room for error and can be unpredictable. There were 16 cautions in Texas last season, including for multiple playoff drivers encountering trouble, while Talladega isn’t always in a driver’s control, and by Buescher’s own admission, the Roval is tricky for a number of reasons.

“The way I see it, the superspeedway races always have a certain amount of unpredictability, but where I’m at is I know RFK (Racing) will be bringing fast Fords to that race,” Buescher said. “I know we will be in contention to win it, assuming we can survive the chaos. But I think we have seen that same chaos at a lot of different tracks throughout the year. Bristol last year was a train wreck when you talk about cars falling out and having issues. I promise you, after losing out on a bunch of points at Kansas, it was on my mind going into Bristol, knowing we would be fast but that there was an array of issues that popped up last year and took really good cars and ruined their days and their playoffs.

“I don’t know that any of these races coming up have me any more stressed out than the Bristol race had me going into it. If we can go to Texas and have a good day and have a rough Talladega, then yeah, the Roval will be more stressful. I don’t get too caught up in worrying about it. Martinsville can be very rough. Even Texas last year had a lot of issues, too. I don’t know that there is any one round that looks worse over another.”

RFK’s drivers like what they’ve been seeing at the superspeedway races lately. Nigel Kinrade/Motorsport Images

Buescher and teammate Brad Keselowski have been two of the fastest on the superspeedways. The duo swept the qualifying races in Daytona last season and Buescher won the regular-season finale in Daytona last month. His average finish at Talladega is 19.9.

Going by the numbers, these three races don’t look good for Buescher. In Texas, Buescher has an average finish of 23.3 and 12.8 at the Charlotte Roval. Buescher has finished in the top six in the last two Roval races.

But history doesn’t mean much with the progression Buescher and RFK Racing have made. This is why he’s not stressed about the second round but views it as an opportunity.

“I think that’s just it,” he said. “I think that’s what is going to make it maybe a little less stressful for us than some others. That can change in a heartbeat with one bad day before we get to the Roval, but as of right now, I am very excited for this round. I feel like all of the racetracks we are going to, out of all the racetracks in the playoffs, Darlington was the one that I felt like we needed the most improvement at, that was going to be tough, and we would have to work really hard to just survive. We went there and ran third on the day.

“I’m proud of what everyone has done to get us to this point and proud to say we will look at the racetracks coming up as opportunities at each and every one of them. I don’t have one coming up that has me stressed out or down about it or thinking we just have to get through it and get to the next one.”

Cup Series regular season finale: What to watch for at Daytona

It’s easy to look at Saturday night’s NASCAR Cup Series regular-season finale as having one very simple storyline – the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway will finalize the 16-driver postseason field. All but one spot has already …

It’s easy to look at Saturday night’s NASCAR Cup Series regular-season finale as having one very simple storyline — the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway will finalize the 16-driver postseason field.

All but one spot has already been clinched, with Bubba Wallace currently on the bubble, 400 miles away from his first appearance in the postseason.

Seems simple, but Saturday night has the makings to be much more complicated. The way that last playoff berth is determined will be critical, as will the knock-on effects through the field.

Let’s break down what to watch Saturday night on the high banks of Daytona.

Bubble battle

Wallace doesn’t have to win Saturday night, but he’s approaching the race like he needs to — it’s the safest way to ensure he makes the playoffs. Ty Gibbs and Daniel Suarez are the only drivers who are still mathematically in the hunt to overtake Wallace on points and a 32-point gap can easily dwindle or completely disappear in the first two stages.

These three drivers don’t want to points race, which isn’t easy to do at Daytona, anyway. Wallace is one of the top superspeedway drivers in the series and as long as he continues his “Saturday night could turn into a must-win” approach, expect to see him run aggressively.

Gibbs and Suarez have no choice but to run as hard as they can all night. There is no guarantee they will overtake Wallace on points without the 23XI driver getting into trouble, so going out and positioning themselves to challenge for the win is the agenda.

A new winner

The hopes of Wallace, Gibbs, and Suarez can easily go up in flames if someone behind them wins. There are 14 other drivers who can win their way into the playoffs.

AJ Allmendinger, Alex Bowman, Chase Elliott, Austin Cindric and Justin Haley are all fighting like their lives depend on it. Ryan Preece, Aric Almirola, and Chase Briscoe — all from the Stewart-Haas Racing — would love for something to go their way this season.

Corey LaJoie, Erik Jones, and Austin Dillon have no problem playing spoiler. Harrison Burton, Todd Gilliland, and Ty Dillon would love to just be in the conversation.

Teamwork

Alliances are nothing new at superspeedways, but Saturday night has the makings of taking that concept to the extreme. Consider the drivers who are locked into the playoffs that have teammates on the outside looking in, and how pushing a teammate is what is going to be best for business.

Ross Chastain will be the wingman for Suarez. Kyle Busch could do the same for Austin Dillon. Team Penske has Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney locked in the playoffs, but not Cindric.

Hendrick Motorsports is in a terrible position with two drivers locked in, two on the outside and only one spot available. Not since 2016 has Hendrick only had two cars in the postseason. How will the drafting partners shake out between William Byron, Kyle Larson, Bowman and Elliott?

Denny Hamlin might be in the most complicated situation of all. He owns Wallace’s car, but he’s teammates with Gibbs. Don’t spend too much time wondering who Hamlin is going to push because he’s already admitted it’s going to be Wallace and Joe Gibbs Racing needs to understand that. Time will tell if Gibbs does, though.

Blocking and taking one for the team isn’t at all unlikely either. Tyler Reddick admitted he wasn’t going to pass Austin Dillon a year ago in this race when they were both at Richard Childress Racing. Reddick played blocker for Dillon in the final laps, which helped Dillon go to victory lane and take a playoff spot.

Will Reddick do the same again, this time for Wallace?

The danger of being the teammate who falls in line, however, is giving up your own points that might be needed down the road. It’s also giving up an opportunity to win, which is hard enough in the Cup Series — and more than that, it would be giving up a win at Daytona.

Trophy hunting

Oh, by the way, the regular-season championship will be decided Saturday night. Yes, that’s important because the driver who wins it gets 15 playoff points and, as we’ve seen over the years, those points are priceless.

Martin Truex Jr. leads Hamlin by 39 points. Truex will clinch it with 22 points, while Hamlin — who will also have an eye on Wallace — as previously mentioned, needs help to overtake his teammate.

No. 1 seed

Truex and Hamlin are battling for the regular-season championship and yet someone else could potentially be the No. 1 seed when the top 10 drivers are re-racked. As a reminder, drivers in the top 10 all receive extra playoff points – 15 for first, 10 for second, eight for third and so on.

William Byron, third in the championship standings, leads the series in wins and playoff points (28) going into Saturday night. As things currently stand, Byron is the No. 1 seed and would remain there if nothing changes through Daytona.

Truex has 20 points going into Saturday night, and the additional 15 points — should he win the regular-season championship — would only give him a total of 35 to start the playoffs. To become the No. 1 seed, Truex needs to win the regular-season championship and both stages (two playoff points) at Daytona to get the edge over Byron.

But wait, it can get even more interesting…

A perfect race weekend for Hamlin could give him the No. 1 seed. He has 15 playoff points going into Daytona, so he would need to win the regular-season championship (15 points), both stages (two playoff points), and the race (five playoff points) to jump to 37 playoff points and leapfrog Truex and Byron atop the playoff grid.

Seeding really does matter in making the championship fight a bit easier.

In the elimination format era, a driver seeding No. 1 has won the championship four times (Kyle Busch 2015; Truex 2017; Busch 2019; Kyle Larson 2021). The lowest a driver has been seeded and won the championship is seventh (Kevin Harvick 2014; Joey Logano 2018).

Breaking down NASCAR’s playoff picture with just 2 regular-season races left

Which NASCAR drivers are in, who could be out and who needs to win one of the next two races to make the playoffs.

After trips to Watkins Glen International this weekend and Daytona International Speedway the following one, the NASCAR Cup Series regular season will come to an end and the 2023 playoff field will be set.

So far, the only drivers who have qualified for one of the 16 playoff spots are those who have won at least one regular-season race so far. The 13 already in the postseason are:

For everyone else, there are two options to making the postseason: Win one of the next two races and automatically be locked in or sneak in based on points in the standings. With 13 different race winners already, that leaves three vacant playoff spots. So if there are two different first-time winners this season at Watkins Glen and Daytona, only one driver will make the playoffs based on points.

Previous NASCAR Cup Series champs who currently are not locked into the playoffs include Chase Elliott, Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski.

Martin Truex Jr. currently leads the regular-season standings, and that’s important because the regular-season champ earns an extra 15 playoff points. The rest of the top-10 regular-season finishers also receive playoff points on a sliding scale, giving them a little playoff advantage from the start.

Bell heads for New Hampshire with eye on regular season crown

Christopher Bell returns to New Hampshire Motor Speedway as the defending race winner in the NASCAR Cup Series and with a much different agenda than a year ago. Bell’s victory last year clinched him a spot in the postseason while also ending the …

Christopher Bell returns to New Hampshire Motor Speedway as the defending race winner in the NASCAR Cup Series and with a much different agenda than a year ago.

Bell’s victory last year clinched him a spot in the postseason while also ending the obsessive bubble-watching done by Bell and his No. 20 team. Ironically, Bell still obsessively points watches, but it’s for a much different reason with a victory on the Bristol dirt on his stat sheet.

“We’re right in the thick of the regular season championship,” said Bell, who is fourth in points and 37 points out of the lead. “We’re focused on those group of guys — how they’re doing, how they’re running, if they’re scoring points; hopefully we’re scoring points. Stuff like that.”

William Byron is the championship points leader by 21 over Bell’s teammate Martin Truex Jr. Bell is one point behind third-place Kyle Busch.

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The winner of the regular season championship will go into the postseason with 15 added playoff points. Those would be a much-appreciated boost for Bell, who is tied with Joey Logano for the fewest playoff points of any driver inside the top 10 in the championship standings with a win (seven).

“I don’t know if it’s good or bad, but definitely, I’m focused on it a lot,” Bell said of routinely checking the standings and his competition. “We’re in a unique spot because a lot of cars are still in the hunt. So, I’m racing for points against a number of cars. Last weekend the 24 of William [Byron] had a great weekend, but the rest of the guys were all in the same boat.

“I didn’t lose any ground to anybody except for William, and I think Kyle Busch is now (ahead) of me where he was a little bit behind me. But all it takes is one bad race and that safety net that William has is gone.”

While pushing his JGR team to “put it all together,” Bell is keeping an eye on the ebbs and flows of his competition. John Harrelson/Motorsport Images

Byron leads the series with four wins and 22 playoff points. And Bell is correct about how many drivers are still in the hunt for the regular season championship with seven races to go, as eight drivers chasing Byron are less than 100 points behind.

A driver can score a maximum of 60 points in a race through victory and winning both stages. Ross Chastain, who is fifth in the standings, is 53 points behind Byron and Denny Hamlin, who is sixth, is 67 points behind.

A repeat triumph in New Hampshire would not only help Bell’s cause but be another step in the right direction for the team as the postseason approaches. Bell once enjoyed time at the top of the championship standings, but despite the strong start, two months ago, Bell was blunt in his assessment that the team isn’t showing its true potential. Now, in the thick of the summer stretch, Bell is still looking for that to come to fruition.

“I don’t think that it’s all come together yet, no,” Bell said. “We’ve definitely had some more positive moments, but we’re still struggling to put all the pieces together. Hopefully that means it’ll come later on in the season. But I don’t think we’ve got it put together yet.”