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Bubble Watch: Where cutline drivers stand before Michigan
By Pat DeCola | Published: August 17, 2021 11
Sean Gardner | Getty Images
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Sean Gardner | Getty Images
Richard Childress Racing driver Austin Dillon faces a 28-point deficit behind teammate Tyler Reddick on the playoff cutline. See how the bubble shapes up with two races remaining in the regular season as the NASCAR Cup Series heads to Michigan International Speedway on Sunday (3 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
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Sean Gardner | Getty Images
Kevin Harvick
Points to the good: 95 | Full standings
Trending: Hit or miss — just two top 10s in the last five races and just 105 laps led in 2021.
Michigan outlook: Scorching hot — Harvick owns five career Michigan wins, including three straight and four of the last five.
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James Gilbert | Getty Images
Tyler Reddick
Points to the good: 28 | Full standings
Trending: Hit or miss — four top 10s in the last six races, but finished 21st at Indy despite winning both stages.
Michigan outlook: Cold — his only two starts there came in last year's doubleheader, pulling in finishes of 18th and 24th.
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James Gilbert | Getty Images
Austin Dillon
Points behind: 28 | Full standings
Trending: Cold -- Hasn't finished in the top 10 since his sixth-place finish in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte with a best finish of 11th at Road America in that stretch.
Michigan outlook: Mostly cold — finished fourth there twice, but three finishes of 13th or worse in the last four races.
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Sean Gardner | Getty Images
Matt DiBenedetto
Points behind: 145 | Full standings
Trending: Warm -- A fifth-place run at Indy gave him five straight finishes of 11th or better.
Michigan outlook: Mostly cold — best career finish (7th) came last year, but overall has 11 finishes of 15th or worse in his other starts.
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James Gilbert | Getty Images
Chris Buescher
Points behind: 146 | Full standings
Trending: Cold — Like Dillon, Buescher hasn't finished in the top 10 since his eighth-place result at Charlotte in May.
Michigan outlook: Cold — best career finish of sixth at Michigan, but it came in 2017. He has six straight finishes of 14th or worse.
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James Gilbert | Getty Images
Ross Chastain
Points behind: 176 | Full standings
Trending: Cold -- A P29 at Indy left him with six finishes of 12th or worse in the last 11 overall.
Michigan outlook: Cold — his best Michigan finish came in 2018, and was a subpar 26th.
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Maddie Meyer | Getty Images
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Points behind: 187 | Full standings
Trending: Cold — Stenhouse actually had a relatively productive day at Indy before finishing 11th, but it was his seventh straight finish outside the top 10.
Michigan outlook: Cold — Stenhouse has seven straight finishes of 18th or worse at Michigan and his best-ever showing there (8th) came in 2017.
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James Gilbert | Getty Images
Bubba Wallace
Points behind: 202 | Full standings
Trending: Cold — Wallace finished 13th at Indy, his fifth straight race of outside the top 12.
Michigan outlook: Mostly cold — he landed a top 10 in last year's opener but owns six finishes of 19th or worse in his other six starts there.
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Sean Gardner | Getty Images
Chase Briscoe
Points behind: 242 | Full standings
Trending: Hit or miss -- Briscoe has two top 10s and three finishes of 15th or worse the last five races, but had a shot to win at Indy in the closing laps.
Michigan outlook: No Cup experience — finished seventh and ninth in his only Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series starts there, respectively.
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James Gilbert | Getty Images
Daniel Suarez
Points behind: 258 | Full standings
Trending: Cold -- Suarez has nine finishes of 12th or worse in the last 10 races and seven straight finishes outside the top 13.
Michigan outlook: Warm -- In a more competitive ride in 2019, Suarez scored finishes of fourth and fifth.