NASCAR: How is the playoff picture after the race at Darlington?
With just two races left in the round of 16 in NASCAR’s Cup Series Playoffs, things are about to get interesting. Let’s take a look at who’s left and who to watch.
It was an epic round of 16 race in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs at Darlington. That’s why we’re taking a look at the updated playoff picture, as we prepare for the final two remaining races. Join us!
What’s the field in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs now?
It would be fair to say, that nobody saw Sunday night’s result coming when the NASCAR Cup Series playoff race got underway at Darlington. Indeed, it was Erik Jones who rained on the parade with his second career win in the Cook Out Southern 500, while many other drivers seemed to ruin their own chances. With that, Jones becomes the very first non-playoff driver to win the postseason opener in the era of elimination and is also the 17th NASCAR Cup Series winner for the year. Now all eyes will turn to the Bristol Motor Speedway on September 17th with the field being cut from 16 to 12.
The one to watch in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs
Undoubtedly, if there is one driver to keep an eye on, it’s got to be Denny Hamlin. With unquestionable prowess, Hamlin is among the best in the field at Darlington. Having finished second to Jones on Sunday, he was actually the highest finisher among the playoff drivers. His unorthodox decision to head into the pits way later in the run was of course initially seen as a mistake. Yet, some might call it genius after a late caution placed him at the front of the field in the closing laps.
Mention should also be made of Joey Logano, who actually won the Busch Light Pole on Saturday before clinching fourth place on Sunday. Incidentally, Logano led the race for an impressive 64 laps. As it stands, Logano is now the series points leader ahead of the next race.
Which NASCAR drivers weren’t so lucky?
If you’ve been keeping pace with the run of things, the vote has got to go to Chase Elliott. The Regular Season Champion and essentially the man favored to win the title, had the worst start to his post season that he could have possibly turned in. It was on the 113th lap when his Elliott’s No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet spun out of control and collided with the wall, before it was then hit by Chase Briscoe’s No. 14. How did it turn out after that? Elliot placed last and got one point for his troubles. Needless to say, he will have quite the worry heading into the last two races of the Round of 16.
There was also Kyle Busch or as the fans know him “Rowdy.” At this point Busch’s chances can only be considered slim after the Southern 500. What’s more, is that his 30th place finish was made all the more tragic by the fact that he led the race for 155 laps after the last caution of the night. What happened? Believe it or not, Busch’s No. 18 engine quite simply exploded during the resulting caution laps. ‘Disappointed,’ is likely not sufficient enough to describe how he and his team must feel.
What does the table look like in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs?
If you’re wondering what the field looks like right now, just take a look below:
| Rank | Driver | Cutoff |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Chase Elliot | +14 |
| 10 | Alex Bowman | +10 |
| 11 | Kyle Busch | +8 |
| 12 | Daniel Suarez | +2 |
| ELIMINATION | - | - |
| 13 | Austin Cindric | -2 |
| 14 | Austin Dillon | -4 |
| 15 | Chase Briscoe | -10 |
| 16 | Kevin Harvick | -13 |
What’s the next race in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs and should you watch?
From here, the NASCAR Cup Series heads to Kansas Speedway for the Hollywood Casino 400 on September 11th at 3:00 p.m. ET. Interestingly, this is the first time Kansas will host the second race in the Round of 16. If you’re wondering who you should keep your eyes on, that would be Denny Hamlin. Quite frankly, Hamilin owns the track at Kansas. Only one driver in the last 10 races at Kansas, has more than one victory - and that’s Hamlin with himself with two. To punctuate the point, he’s also got four top-five finishes in the last six races at Kansas, including a fourth-place result earlier this year when he debuted the Next Gen car at the track.
On the flip side, you should also keep an eye on Chase Briscoe, but for different reasons. With just three starts in the Cup Series at Kansas, he’s got an average finishing position of 21st, with a best of 19th which came in fall of last year. Will he do better this time around? That’s a question that the Stewart-Haas driver will be hoping to answer with a firm yes.