Meet the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs field

The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs field is set for a 10-race battle for the championship. NASCAR.com's Zach Sturniolo goes through each playoff driver's resume with a look at his playoff elimination history (since the current postseason format was installed in 2014), favorable track and their postseason outlook.

16. Bubba Wallace, 2000 points

No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota

Reached playoffs by: Points

Championship odds: 60-1

Elimination history: No prior playoff experience.

Favorable track: Kansas Speedway. Wallace scored his second career victory in the playoff race at the 1.5-mile track a season ago.

Outlook: Wallace maintained enough points and avoided a new winner at Daytona to qualify for the NASCAR Playoffs for the first time in his career. What Wallace lacks in experience he has made up for in speed this season. The No. 23 team's Achilles' heel, however, has been execution. If Wallace and Co. can turn its fast cars into consistent top 10s, Wallace can work his way into multiple rounds of the postseason.

15. Kevin Harvick, 2004 points

No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford

Reached playoffs by: Points

Championship odds: 20-1

Elimination history: Won championship in 2014; Reached Championship 4 in 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019; Eliminated in Round of 8 in 2016, 2020; Eliminated in Round of 12 in 2021; Eliminated in Round of 16 in 2022.

Favorable track: Phoenix Raceway. If Harvick can qualify for his sixth Championship 4 appearance, a 10th win at Phoenix for his second championship would be a phenomenal sendoff into retirement.

Outlook: Harvick has yet to win consistently in the Next Gen car, despite becoming the first to win back-to-back races with it in 2022. But "The Closer" didn't earn his nickname accidentally. If Harvick and crew chief Rodney Childers have taught us one thing in their decade together, it's to never count them out. The No. 4 Ford could easily go on a run to begin the playoffs -- and a hint of momentum for this team could spell trouble for its competitors.

14. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 2005 points

No. 47 JTG-Daugherty Racing Chevrolet

Reached playoffs by: Win (Daytona 500)

Championship odds: 150-1

Elimination history: Eliminated in Round of 12 in 2017; Did not make playoffs in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022.

Favorable track: Talladega Superspeedway. Talladega remains the only other track at which Stenhouse has won, providing the No. 47 team an opportunity to leap into the Round of 8 if Stenhouse advances past the Round of 16.

Outlook: Since winning the season-opening Daytona 500, Stenhouse has enjoyed a career season en route to his first playoff appearance since 2017. This year, Stenhouse has put together a career-best 16.7 average finish and seven top 10s through 26 races, already just two shy of his career-high nine. Be careful not to sleep too heavily on this No. 47 team. A 13th-place run at Darlington earlier this spring and a decent resume at Bristol (four top fives, six top 10s in 18 starts) could propel Stenhouse past the Round of 16. With a superspeedway lurking in the Round of 12 schedule, Stenhouse could make a deeper playoff run than anyone anticipates.

13. Michael McDowell, 2007 points

No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford

Reached playoffs by: Win (Indy Road Course)

Championship odds: 150-1

Elimination history: Eliminated in Round of 16 in 2021; Did not make playoffs in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022; Was not playoff eligible in 2014, 2015, 2016.

Favorable track: Talladega Superspeedway. While most may point to the Charlotte Roval as McDowell's best chance to strike, the Front Row racer has three top-five finishes at Talladega (including a third-place finish in last year's playoff race) and no top 10s at the Roval.

Outlook: McDowell appeared on track to race into the postseason even before his Indianapolis win earlier this month. The 38-year-old has either matched or bettered numerous career marks this season, with others ranking second-best in his seventh full-time season. His 92 laps led are a career best, and his 18.5 average finish is second only to his 2022 season. If he finds a way through a challenging first round, McDowell could be a sneaky threat for Round of 8 contention.

12. Ryan Blaney, 2008 points

No. 12 Team Penske Ford

Reached playoffs by: Win (Coca-Cola 600)

Championship odds: 18-1

Elimination history: Eliminated in Round of 8 in 2017, 2019, 2021, 2022; Eliminated in Round of 12 in 2018; Eliminated in Round of 16 in 2020; Did not make playoffs in 2016.

Favorable track: Martinsville Speedway. Blaney has yet to break through at the short track, but his seven top fives and 9.5 average finish are his best at any track on the Cup schedule.

Outlook: Blaney has cooled off since his Memorial Day Weekend win at Charlotte Motor Speedway and hasn't scored a top-five finish since. But as Fords heated up to win four of the last five regular-season races, another Blaney breakthrough could be imminent. Bristol, host of the first elimination race of the playoffs, has treated Blaney well with a career-best 493 laps led, but the results there haven't been as kind with just two top 10s. Each of the last two seasons have seen deep runs into the postseason with Round of 8 eliminations, and the No. 12 Ford was runner-up in the title race to teammate Logano a season ago. A strong run at the right time this year could propel Blaney to his first championship opportunity.

11. Joey Logano, 2008 points

No. 22 Team Penske Ford

Reached playoffs by: Win (Atlanta-1)

Championship odds: 18-1

Elimination history: Won championship in 2018, 2022; Reached Championship 4 in 2014, 2016, 2020; Eliminated in Round of 8 in 2015, 2019, 2021; Did not make playoffs in 2017.

Favorable track: Las Vegas Motor Speedway. A case could be made for almost any track for Logano, who's won at all playoff circuits except the Roval, but a Round of 8 victory in Vegas last year catapulted the No. 22 team to a title run in 2022.

Outlook: With his lone win of the year coming at a drafting track back in March, Logano is surely not having the season he aimed for in his title defense. Logano, a two-time champion, could heat up at any time, though. And if he musters his way into the Round of 8, the No. 22 car could sneak its way into the Championship 4 once again. 

10. Tyler Reddick, 2009 points

No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota

Reached playoffs by: Win (COTA)

Championship odds: 18-1

Elimination history: Eliminated in Round of 16 in 2021, 2022; Did not make playoffs in 2020.

Favorable track: Texas Motor Speedway. Reddick found Victory Lane at the 1.5-mile track a season ago and has shown the speed this year -- even with a different team -- to back it up.

Outlook: Reddick has had plenty of speed in plenty of races this year. Execution, on the other hand, has been a struggle for the No. 45 team. If Reddick and his crew can complete races where they run, Reddick will be in contention to win numerous races throughout the postseason.

9. Brad Keselowski, 2010 points

No. 6 RFK Racing Ford

Reached playoffs by: Points

Championship odds: 18-1

Elimination history: Reached Championship 4 in 2017, 2020; Eliminated in Round of 8 in 2014, 2015, 2021; Eliminated in Round of 12 in 2016, 2018, 2019; Did not make playoffs in 2022.

Favorable track: Talladega. It's hard to ignore Keselowski's superspeedway prowess, particularly at the 2.66-mile tri-oval where he owns six victories, most of all active drivers.

Outlook: For the first time since leaving Team Penske, where he won a championship in 2012, Keselowski is emerging as a true contender to win races. The improvements from Year 1 at RFK Racing to Year 2 have seen top fives leap from one to six and top 10s from six to 11. The No. 6 Ford finished fourth at Darlington this spring and led 109 laps at Bristol last fall before suffering a flat tire. Keselowski could be primed for a postseason surge.

8. Ross Chastain, 2011 points

No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Reached playoffs by: Win (Nashville)

Championship odds: 18-1

Elimination history: Reached Championship 4 in 2022; Did not make playoffs in 2021; Was not playoff eligible in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020.

Favorable track: Darlington Raceway. Chastain led 93 laps at the track "Too Tough to Tame" earlier this spring before crashing on a late restart and finished third in the Southern 500 in 2021.

Outlook: Like Blaney, Chastain's success cooled considerably after winning at Nashville back in June, with just one finish better than 13th since finding Victory Lane. Chastain got his first taste of playoff experience last year and rode the Martinsville wall all the way into the Championship 4 en route to a runner-up finish in the championship standings behind Logano. Chastain hasn't shown those similar flashes of speed on a regular basis since the spring, but last year's playoff run proved the Florida native is plenty capable of putting impactful performances together. Perhaps the postseason will be the start of a new top-10 streak.

7. Christopher Bell, 2014 points

No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Reached playoffs by: Win (Bristol Dirt)

Championship odds: 11-1

Elimination history: Reached Championship 4 in 2022; Eliminated in Round of 12 in 2021.

Favorable track: Martinsville Speedway. A walk-off win in last year's Round of 8 finale propelled Bell into the Championship 4 after leading 150 laps at the paperclip-shaped oval.

Outlook: Bell showed plenty of speed through the summer, emphasized by Busch Light Pole Awards at both New Hampshire and Michigan. But execution lacked for the No. 20 team, will Bell's third-place finish at Watkins Glen marking his first top five since winning at Bristol Dirt back in March. That said, a pair of incredible walk-offs at the Charlotte Roval in the Round of 12 and Martinsville in the Round of 8 last season showed growth in the face of adversity as a young driver at the top level of NASCAR racing. Will that translate to another Championship 4 appearance for the JGR driver?

6. Kyle Larson, 2017 points

No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Reached playoffs by: Wins (Richmond-1, Martinsville)

Championship odds: 23-4

Elimination history: Won championship in 2021; Eliminated in Round of 8 in 2019; Eliminated in Round of 12 in 2017, 2018, 2022; Eliminated in Round of 16 in 2016; Was not playoff eligible in 2020.

Favorable track: Homestead-Miami Speedway. Larson smoked the field in 2022 in Homestead's return to the postseason, leading 199 of 267 laps in a dominating victory that launched his No. 5 team into the Championship 4 in the owner's title hunt.

Outlook: It's been a quiet few months, by Kyle Larson's standards. The No. 5 Chevrolet hasn't finished inside the top two since a runner-up finish at Kansas in May and hasn't led 30 laps in a race since then. But if the 2021 season showed us anything, it's that Larson can dominate any given week. He was in control of the race at Kansas earlier this year and could find vengence on Denny Hamlin with a trip to Victory Lane of his own, which might be enough to spark another postseason march for Larson and crew chief Cliff Daniels.

5. Kyle Busch, 2019 points

No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

Reached playoffs by: Wins (Fontana, Talladega-1, WWT Raceway)

Championship odds: 8-1

Elimination history: Won championships in 2015 and 2019; Reached Championship 4 in 2016, 2017, 2018; Eliminated in Round of 8 in 2021; Eliminated in Round of 12 in 2014, 2020; Eliminated in Round of 16 in 2022.

Favorable track: Bristol Motor Speedway. Eight wins at the World's Fastest Half Mile are impossible to ignore, but Busch has proven through his Hall-of-Fame-caliber career that he can -- and likely will -- win anywhere.

Outlook: A three-win campaign in his inaugural year at Richard Childress Racing has positioned Busch back into the spotlight after a disappointing end to his storied tenure with Joe Gibbs Racing. That relationship ended with his earliest playoff departure in the Round of 16 last year. The No. 8 team at RCR had a dismal summer stretch with three finishes of 36th or worse in the last seven races, uncharacteristic of the two-time champion or his new organization. But Busch has won on three totally different tracks this year -- the worn 2-mile Fontana, the high banks of Talladega, and the flat 1-mile track at St. Louis. Busch is a threat to win any time he takes the track and could embark on a championship journey starting in Darlington.

4. Chris Buescher, 2021 points

No. 17 RFK Racing Ford

Reached playoffs by: Wins (Richmond-2, Michigan, Daytona-2)

Championship odds: 16-1

Elimination history: Eliminated in Round of 16 in 2016; Did not make playoffs in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022.

Favorable track: Bristol Motor Speedway. RFK Racing dominated this race a year ago and it was Buescher's No. 17 Ford that took home the trophy and sword for winning in Thunder Valley.

Outlook: Buescher has come to life in a career year, with a personal best average finish of 12.2, five spots better than his previous best set in 2021, with all of his wins coming in the final five races of the regular season. A repeat win at Bristol would lead Buescher out of the Round of 16 for the first time, and RFK's superspeedway prowess mixed with his road-racing aptitude could put him in prime position to surprise everyone with a trip into the Round of 8. Buescher's lone playoff experience came seven years ago after a rain-shortened win at Pocono with Front Row Motorsports, where he was fighting for top-20 finishes. A more experienced Buescher could be dangerous in this year's postseason.

3. Denny Hamlin, 2025 points

No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Reached playoffs by: Wins (Kansas-1, Pocono)

Championship odds: 21-4

Elimination history: Reached Championship 4 in 2014, 2019, 2020, 2021; Eliminated in Round of 8 in 2016, 2017, 2022; Eliminated in Round of 12 in 2015; Eliminated in Round of 16 in 2018.

Favorable track: Martinsville Speedway. The Virginia native has a personal-best five wins at the ever-important half-mile track and has led a career-best 2,226 laps there -- tied with his other home track, Richmond.

Outlook: Hamlin has ended the regular season on one heck of a hot streak, with top-three finishes in four of the last seven races. A hunt for a regular-season title fell just short to his teammate, but is his first championship finally on the table? Only time will tell. He's qualified for the Championship 4 in three of the past four seasons. He was runner-up back in 2010 to Jimmie Johnson. Perhaps this hot streak will prompt the playoff run that finally results in a title run.

2. Martin Truex Jr., 2036 points

No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Reached playoffs by: Wins (Dover, Sonoma, New Hampshire)

Championship odds: 9-2

Elimination history: Won championship in 2017; Reached Championship 4 in 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021; Eliminated in Round of 8 in 2020; Eliminated in Round of 12 in 2016; Did not make playoffs in 2014, 2022.

Favorable track: Martinsville Speedway. Despite the fact it took until 2019 for him to win on a short track, Truex has won three times at Martinsville and has collected 10 top-five finishes in 35 starts. 

Outlook: Speaking of hot streaks to end the regular season, Truex has been nearly unstoppable in his rally from non-playoff driver in 2022 to Regular Season Champion in 2023. Truex has finished seventh or better in 10 of the last 13 races, including seven top fives. The No. 19 team has won on a variety of tracks this year and could easily find itself celebrating Truex's second championship this November.

1. William Byron, 2036 points

No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Reached playoffs by: Wins (Las Vegas-1, Phoenix-1, Darlington, Atlanta-2, Watkins Glen)

Championship odds: 21-4

Elimination history: Eliminated in Round of 8 in 2022; Eliminated in Round of 12 in 2019, 2021; Eliminated in Round of 16 in 2020; Did not make playoffs in 2018.

Favorable track: Phoenix Raceway. The most important track in the playoffs is the one that crowns the champion, and that's where Byron celebrated a win back in March.

Outlook: Breakout Byron is here. A five-win regular-season campaign for Willy B. surely wasn't on most people's bingo cards, but the driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet delivered. July and August were largely quiet for him, with no top 10s between victories at Atlanta-2 and Watkins Glen, but a dominant performance in Upstate New York sparks confidence in this year's winningest team so far. Past wins this season at Darlington, Las Vegas and Phoenix all shine bright in his journey to his first Championship 4 appearance -- and perhaps a fifth title for the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.