The 15th round of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season concluded in Michigan on Sunday. Eleven more race weekends remain at the end of which 16 drivers will be finalized as playoff contenders. These eleven races could completely change what has been expected of the season so far. Here’s a brief overview of what’s coming and how important it is.
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Three drivers have won three races each so far. They are Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, and Denny Hamlin. Six drivers have won one race each — Josh Berry, Austin Cindric, Ross Chastain, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, and William Byron.
Winning a race in the regular season automatically means that a driver gets a seat in the playoffs, provided the driver is in the top 30 in points and there aren’t more than 16 different winners.
So, seven more spots are available still. These spots could be filled through wins in the upcoming races or via points. The eleven races include four events on road courses and two on superspeedways. Judging from the nature of these tracks, there’s no telling who will make it and who won’t. A lot could be left to chance and luck.
Playoff picture in terms of wins:
— Three drivers have won three races apiece (Larson, Bell, Hamlin)
— Six drivers have won one race apiece (Berry, Cindric, Chastain, Logano, Blaney, Byron)
— Seven spots available on points with 11 races to go in the regular season. Those…
— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) June 8, 2025
Drivers like Shane van Gisbergen and A.J. Allmendinger haven’t been very impressive with their performances so far. But having four more road course races left is a big boon for their hopes. They’re quite adept at this track type and could potentially make it into the postseason.
Meanwhile, Ford, as a manufacturer, is really fast on superspeedways. A surprise entry from its garage could enter the playoffs as well. For instance, RFK Racing has not won a race yet this season. But all three of its cars finished inside the top 10 at Michigan on Sunday. Chris Buescher finished second, Ryan Preece finished ninth, and Brad Keselowski finished tenth. Interestingly, this is the first time since 2016 that the team has placed three cars in the top 10.
The upcoming race will be in Mexico City. A driver like Daniel Suarez could take advantage of being in front of his home crowd to stun the field and capture victory. The ongoing season has been exceptional for this very reason. A mixture of elements has made it so that the unlikeliest of occurrences can happen.
It is only safe to assume that the same will continue through the rest of the regular season. As things stand, William Byron tops the points table followed by Larson, Hamlin, and Bell. The chances of one of these drivers being crowned as the regular season champion are high.
