The NASCAR Cup Collection returns after a two-week Olympic break Sunday evening at Richmond.
There are simply 4 races to go earlier than the 10-race playoffs start. The schedule to finish the common season seems somewhat bit totally different, too. The playoffs begin every week later than ordinary because of the Olympics, and Watkins Glen doesn’t seem on the schedule till the postseason. Michigan follows Richmond, with the everyday regular-season finale at Daytona earlier than this 12 months’s regular-season finale at Darlington.
If you happen to’ve forgotten what’s at stake over the subsequent month, we’ve acquired you coated. Right here’s a refresher forward of Sunday’s race.
Already locked in
-
Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell, Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott, Tyler Reddick, Brad Keselowski, Alex Bowman, Joey Logano, Daniel Suarez, Austin Cindric
With 12 drivers visiting victory lane already and 16 playoff spots accessible, there shall be a most of 16 winners throughout the common season. That ensures that every of the drivers listed above are within the playoffs.
Larson leads the Cup Collection with 4 wins and can also be atop the factors standings regardless of lacking the Coca-Cola 600 due to the delayed Indianapolis 500. Hamlin and Bell are tied with three wins apiece and Blaney is the one driver with two wins. Everybody else has only one win.
In fine condition
-
Martin Truex Jr. (653 factors)
Truex is within the midst of one other bizarre season. He’s seventh within the factors standings however doesn’t have a win and has simply 4 top-five finishes regardless of main 461 laps. He’s had some extremely unhealthy luck in his ultimate full-time season. And but he looks like a title contender if he can get a win or two.
That win may come Sunday at Richmond. Truex is among the favorites on the quick observe and has three wins there for the reason that begin of the 2019 season.
In … in the mean time
-
Ty Gibbs (587), Chris Buescher (562), Ross Chastain (552)
As you’ll be able to see from the factors totals of the three drivers above, Truex is manner, manner, manner forward of them. Until there are two new winners at Richmond and Michigan, Truex may conceivably clinch a playoff spot with out a victory with two races to go earlier than the playoffs.
Gibbs has struggled currently and must rebound to maintain his spot within the playoffs. He’s fallen from seventh to eleventh over the summer time and has completed outdoors the highest 20 in 5 of his previous seven races. The lone brilliant spot in that stretch is a 3rd at Chicago — and there are not any extra highway programs earlier than the playoffs start.
Buescher reeled off three wins on the finish of the common season final 12 months. We’re not going to rule one thing like that out this 12 months, even when it’s unbelievable. Chastain has simply two top-five finishes and hasn’t been a lot of an element this season. However his potential to keep away from horrible finishes has been huge.
On the surface with an actual likelihood
-
Bubba Wallace (545)
Wallace is simply seven factors again of Chastain and must be an element at each Michigan and Daytona. He hasn’t completed decrease than thirteenth since he was thirty fourth at New Hampshire and was fifth at Indianapolis. We predict Wallace will get into the postseason. And Chastain might be the odd man out with out a win.
Want a win
-
Chase Briscoe (469), Kyle Busch (440), Todd Gilliland (434), Michael McDowell (404)
Everybody else behind them has fewer than 400 factors. It feels somewhat incomprehensible that Busch is on this checklist, nevertheless it’s been a disastrous second season at Richard Childress Racing for the two-time Cup Collection champion. He hasn’t completed within the prime 5 up to now 11 races and has only one top-10 end since that fourth-place at Dover. In that span he’s failed to complete 5 races — 4 through crash — and has completed outdoors the highest 20 seven totally different instances. There’s little purpose to consider that Busch will discover the pace to make the playoffs at this level. Possibly we’ll be shocked.
Briscoe is the highest driver in Stewart-Haas Racing’s ultimate season earlier than he heads over to Joe Gibbs Racing to interchange Truex. He’s tailed off since ending second at New Hampshire. Gilliland hasn’t completed within the prime 5 all season however is outpacing his teammate McDowell. If we needed to decide any of those 4 drivers to win, it’d be Busch. However it could be a small wager.
