With Joey Logano winning at the Nashville Superspeedway, one more playoff spot closes. There are only a few races left in the regular season and the ones without wins are running out of time. The likes of Alex Bowman and Chris Buescher might be over the cut line on points but their position is under threat. Not qualifying for the playoffs is something neither one of them can afford this season.
Advertisement
Bowman is right on the edge, 51 points to the good without a win in 16th spot. He has earned four top-five finishes so far this season and has run consistently. However, without a win, things are looking dicey. It will only take one race winner below to cutline to knock the Hendrick Motorsports driver out. After the dismal performance last year, the driver of the #48 car can ill afford elimination that early.
Since the restart @Alex_Bowman has worked his way back up to 24th. Fighting every lap! pic.twitter.com/7BK92EGf3m
— Ally Racing (@allyracing) June 30, 2024
Buescher sits ahead of him, 56 points ahead of the cut line. Last year, he hit a purple patch of form towards the end of the regular season. The RFK Racing driver will be hoping for the same this year. Both RFK cars made it through to the last 16 in 2023. Anything less than that would be considered a step backward for the team. He has five top-five finishes this year and has even come close to winning races on some occasions.
However, being winless is always tough, especially when you’re occupying the last few spots above the cut line. There are several drivers outside the current playoff picture capable of winning races.
Which drivers have an outside chance of qualifying for the playoffs?
The biggest name among them is Kyle Busch. He has not had the best season so far. Had Busch not crashed towards the end in Nashville, he would have been in a good position to take the lead of the race.
Then there are the likes of Bubba Wallace and Chase Briscoe. Briscoe will be eager to get Stewart-Haas Racing into the last 16 in the team’s last season in the sport. Wallace also has something to prove after making it to the playoffs for the first time last year. There is no doubt that he will do everything in his power to reach the last 16 for the second straight year.
The end of the regular season is shaping up to be one hell of a contest for the final playoff spots. Which drivers will make it and who will be bidding farewell to their title aspirations? Only time will tell.
