NASCAR playoffs 2023: Postseason format, standings, schedule for NASCAR’s race to the championship

Seventy-four occasions because the very first season of NASCAR’s Strictly Inventory division in 1949, championship trophies have been handed out to the highest driver on the very highest stage of inventory automotive racing. From Crimson Byron again in NASCAR’s first season to Joey Logano on the finish of its 74th in 2022, generations of racing greats have solidified their legacies by including Grand Nationwide titles, Winston Cups, Dash Cups, and now the Invoice France Cup to their trophy circumstances and to their resumes.

This 12 months, in NASCAR’s seventy fifth Anniversary season, 16 drivers now have the chance to shine off the game’s diamond anniversary celebration by successful a NASCAR Cup Sequence championship. To try this, they’re going to have to put themselves by way of the ringer of the NASCAR playoffs, a 10-week, four-round battle to get to the season finale in Phoenix with an opportunity at a winner-take-all match race for the sequence title.

Martin Truex Jr., the 2023 regular-season champion, and William Byron, the winningest driver of 2023 with 5 victories, have distinguished themselves from the remainder of the pack and start the playoffs tied on the prime of the standings. However repeatedly, the NASCAR playoffs have confirmed to be equal elements punishing and unpredictable. 

With even only one misstep, among the greatest drivers of the season like Truex, Byron, Kyle Busch and the red-hot Chris Buescher may discover themselves beneath the reduce line. Conversely, drivers like Daytona 500 champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr., playoff first-timer Bubba Wallace, and the retiring Kevin Harvick may emerge on the plus aspect and are available nearer to the final word season-long aim of all drivers in NASCAR.

NASCAR Cup Sequence playoff format

The NASCAR Cup Sequence playoffs options an elimination-style format with 4 rounds in all. Drivers are seeded based mostly on their variety of race wins in addition to the variety of “playoff factors” — factors earned from both successful a race, successful a stage mid-race, or by way of their factors place on the finish of the common season — they’ve gathered all through all the season.

A driver can advance one in all two methods:

• In the event that they win a race, they robotically advance to the following spherical of the playoffs.
• Alternatively, they’ll additionally make it into the following spherical on factors as long as they’re above the cutoff line on the finish of every respective three-race spherical.
• The 4 drivers beneath the cutoff line on the finish of every spherical are eradicated from the playoffs and eradicated from championship competition. After every spherical, each remaining driver’s factors totals are reset, with playoff factors persevering with to find out seeding.

The 4 rounds of the playoffs are the Spherical of 16, the Spherical of 12, the Spherical of 8, and the Championship 4. The Championship 4 has particular guidelines, as all 4 remaining drivers could have their factors totals reset to an equal quantity for the ultimate race of the season at Phoenix Raceway. That successfully turns the ultimate race of the 12 months right into a pure match race, as whichever Championship 4 driver has the most effective end within the season finale wins the NASCAR Cup Sequence championship.

NASCAR Cup Sequence playoff standings

1. #24 – William Byron – 2036 pts – 5 wins, 36 playoff pts
2. #19 – Martin Truex Jr. – 2036 pts – 3 wins, 36 playoff pts
3. #11 – Denny Hamlin – 2025 pts (+18) – 2 wins, 25 playoff pts
4. #17 – Chris Buescher – 2021 pts (+14) – 3 wins, 21 playoff pts
5. #8 – Kyle Busch – 2019 pts (+12) – 3 wins, 19 playoff pts
6. #5 – Kyle Larson – 2017 pts (+10) – 2 wins, 17 playoff pts
7. #20 – Christopher Bell – 2014 pts (+7) – 1 win, 14 playoff pts
8. #1 – Ross Chastain – 2011 pts (+4) – 1 win, 11 playoff pts
9. #6 – Brad Keselowski – 2010 pts (+3) – 10 playoff pts
10. #45 – Tyler Reddick – 2009 pts (+2) – 1 win, 9 playoff pts
11. #22 – Joey Logano – 2008 pts (+1) – 1 win, 8 playoff pts
12. #12 – Ryan Blaney – 2008 pts (+1) – 1 win, 8 playoff pts
13. #34 – Michael McDowell – 2007 pts (-1) – 1 win, 7 playoff pts
14. #47 – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – 2005 pts (-3) – 1 win, 5 playoff pts
15. #4 – Kevin Harvick – 2004 pts (-4) – 4 playoff pts
16. #23 – Bubba Wallace – 2000 pts (-8)

NASCAR Cup Sequence playoff schedule

Spherical of 16

• Sunday, Sept. 3 – Southern 500 – Darlington Raceway (Winner: Kyle Larson) 
• Sunday, Sept. 10 – Kansas Speedway (Winner: Tyler Reddick) 
• Saturday, Sept. 16 – Bristol Motor Speedway (Winner: Denny Hamlin) 

Spherical of 12

• Sunday, Sept. 24 – Texas Motor Speedway (Winner: William Byron) 
• Sunday, Oct. 1 – Talladega Superspeedway (Winner: Ryan Blaney) 
• Sunday, Oct. 8 – Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval (Winner: AJ Allmendinger)

Spherical of 8

• Sunday, Oct. 15 – Las Vegas Motor Speedway (Winner: Kyle Larson) 
• Sunday, Oct. 22 – Homestead-Miami Speedway (Winner: Christopher Bell) 
• Sunday, Oct. 29 – Martinsville Speedway (Winner: Ryan Blaney) 

Championship Race

• Sunday, Nov. 5 – Phoenix Raceway (Winner: Ross Chastain)