RELATED: See the full Chase Grid
Here’s a breakdown of the Chase Grid and bubble picture following Monday’s Pennsylvania 400 at Pocono Raceway.
BUESCHER’S STANDING
Chris Buescher’s win at Pocono Raceway puts him on the cusp of Chase eligibility as he finds himself just outside the top 30 in points. If a driver has a win, the top-30 points position is a requirement to make the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Buescher, the reigning XFINITY Series champion, has five races to get into the top 30 and lock in his playoff spot. He is 31st in the standings, just six points behind 30th-place David Ragan.
LOCKED IN
According to numbers crunched Monday, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, Joey Logano, Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin have clinched Chase spots. Those drivers, all of whom have one victory this year, join Brad Keselowski, Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson, who all have multiple wins, in the Chase field.
WIN, BASICALLY IN
With one win, Tony Stewart has all but claimed one of the remaining six spots. That accounts for 11 drivers in the 16-driver postseason field, leaving five spots up for grabs via points, with Buescher being outside the top 30 in the standings. Here’s how that picture looks post-Pocono.
BUBBLE WATCH
Editor’s note: The standings below are the Chase Grid standings, not the Sprint Cup Series drivers standings.
CHASE BUBBLE WATCH
| Standing | Driver | Points differential from cutoff |
|---|---|---|
| 12. | Austin Dillon | +61 |
| 13. | Ryan Newman | +49 |
| 14. | Chase Elliott | +45 |
| 15. | Jamie McMurray | +29 |
| 16. | Kyle Larson | +20 |
| ————————– | CUT-OFF LINE | ————————– |
| 17. | Kasey Kahne | -20 |
| 18. | Trevor Bayne | -28 |
| 19. | Ryan Blaney | -28 |
| 20. | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | -36 |
| 21. | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | -47 |
| 22. | AJ Allmendinger | -59 |
| 23. | Greg Biffle | -94 |
| 24. | Paul Menard | -105 |
| 25. | Danica Patrick | -116 |
| 26. | Clint Bowyer | -134 |
| 27. | Aric Almirola | -143 |
| 28. | Casey Mears | -178 |
| 29. | Landon Cassill | -192 |
| 30. | David Ragan | -221 |
| 31. | Chris Buescher* (1 win) | -227 |