Playoff picture with three races remaining
The NASCAR Cup Series returned from its Olympic break with a bang when Austin Dillon took a surprise win at Richmond.
Dillon’s dive into the final turns that sent Joey Logano spinning and subsequent contact with Denny Hamlin on the way to the finish line put his No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet on the road to victory for the first time since August 2022. However, NASCAR took exception to Dillon’s final-lap maneuvers and stripped his team of playoff eligibility for the Richmond win in a penalty announced Wednesday.
Richard Childress Racing has indicated it will appeal NASCAR’s decision. Until that appeal is heard, Dillon is currently out of the NASCAR playoffs and there are still four spots up for grabs when the series heads to Michigan for the Firekeepers Casino 400 this weekend.
Here’s an updated look at the NASCAR Cup Series playoff situation.
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NASCAR Cup Series drivers have qualified for the 2024 playoffs
In 23 races of the regular season, a total of 12 drivers have officially qualified for the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs by winning a points-earning race. Austin Dillon is not on the list due to his penalty from the race in Richmond, which is being appealed.
Here are the drivers currently qualified for the playoffs after the first 23 races of the season.
William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Daniel Suárez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota
Brad Keselowski, No. 6 RFK Racing Ford
Austin Cindric, No. 2 Penske Racing Ford
Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Penske Racing Ford
Joey Logano, No. 22 Penske Racing Ford
Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Martin Truex Jr. has almost secured a place in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs with three races remaining
Martin Truex Jr., driver of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, is 78 points above the cut line. An engine problem left the 2017 series champion with a last-place finish at Richmond. This has severely dented Truex’s points lead, but he still has a full-race lead over his closest rival. Another poor performance, however, would put Truex’s playoff hopes in doubt.
NASCAR Cup Series drivers face playoff decision
Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota (+18 to cut line): Among the bubble drivers, Gibbs had the most disappointing result at Richmond, finishing the race one lap down in 22nd place.and. He is still on the right side of the cut line, but has lost more than half of his lead on the short track in Virginia.
Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota (+3 to the cut line): Wallace picked a good time to achieve his best finish of the season and earn his fifth top-5 finish in 2024 with a 4.th Place performance on Sunday night. The strong performance catapults Wallace from the outside to the right of the playoff cut line.
Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet (+0 to the cut line): Chastain crossed the finish line just behind Wallace in 5th place, but Wallace’s extra stage points allowed him to overtake Chastain in the overall standings. Dillon’s penalty means Chastain is currently the last driver in the playoffs, qualified by a tiebreaker. It goes without saying that the No. 1 team cannot afford any margin for error in the next three races.
Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing Ford (-0 to the cut line): Buescher, who won the summer race in Richmond last year, only achieved a disappointing 18th Place this year. The No. 17 team now sits on the wrong side of the cut line and hopes to repeat its success from last year in Michigan, where it defended the title.
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For the drivers of the NASCAR Cup Series, victory is (almost) the solution to everything
There are 17 other drivers (including Dillon, who is pending appeal) who can secure a spot in the NASCAR playoffs by winning a race, as long as their victory is not interfered with by NASCAR officials.
Here are the 17 drivers who need a win to make the playoffs.
- Chase Briscoe, No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
- Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Chevrolet
- Todd Gilliland, No. 38, front row Motorsports Ford
- Michael McDowell, No. 34, front row Motorsports Ford
- Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
- Josh Berry, No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
- Noah Gragson, No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 JTG-Daughtery Racing Ford
- Ryan Preece, No. 41 JTG-Daughtery Racing Ford
- Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
- Justin Haley, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Ford
- Corey Lajoie, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
- Daniel Hemric, No. 31 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
- Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
- Jon Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
- Zane Smith, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
- Harrison Burton, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford
There are three races left in the regular season to determine who will compete for the championship, starting on Sunday, September 8th at the Quaker State 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Available at Walmart.
Get your tickets to the Quaker State 400 and watch the first NASCAR Cup Series playoff race of the 2024 season. Also, don’t miss Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at 1:30 p.m. ET from Michigan International Speedway.
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