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Bubble Watch: Where drivers stand before Indy Road Course
By Chase Wilhelm | Published: August 12, 2021 11
Jared C. Tilton | 23XI Racing via Getty Images
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Jared C. Tilton | 23XI Racing via Getty Images
Richard Childress Racing driver Austin Dillon (left) faces a 15-point deficit behind teammate Tyler Reddick on the playoff cutline. See how the bubble shapes up with three races remaining in the regular season as the NASCAR Cup Series heads to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, NBC/NBC Sports App, IMS Radio Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
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Sean Gardner | Getty Images
Kevin Harvick
Points to the good: 95 | Full standings
Trending: Hot -- Owns six top 10s in the last nine races, including an eighth-place finish at Watkins Glen.
Indy Road Course outlook: Hit or miss -- Finished sixth on the Daytona oval-road course combination but also has three finishes of 22nd or worse on other road courses this season.
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James Gilbert | Getty Images
Tyler Reddick
Points to the good: 15 | Full standings
Trending: Hot -- Four top-10s in the last five races, including a 10th-place finish at Watkins Glen.
Indy Road Course outlook: Hot -- Owns three top-10 finishes in the last four road-course races.
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James Gilbert | Getty Images
Austin Dillon
Points behind: 15 | 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.
Indy Road Course outlook: Cold -- Hasn't finished in the top 10 on road courses this season.
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James Gilbert | Getty Images
Chris Buescher
Points behind: 135 | Full standings
Trending: Cold -- Like Dillon, Buescher hasn't finished in the top 10 since his eighth-place finish at Charlotte in May.
Indy Road Course outlook: Cold -- His best finish on a road course this season is an 11th-place result on the Daytona Road Course.
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Sean Gardner | Getty Images
Matt DiBenedetto
Points behind: 147 | Full standings
Trending: Lukewarm -- DiBenedetto has finished 11th or better in the past four races with a best finish of ninth at Atlanta.
Indy Road Course outlook: Warming up -- Finished 10th at Road America and 11th at Watkins Glen.
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James Gilbert | Getty Images
Ross Chastain
Points behind: 148 | Full standings
Trending: Lukewarm -- Chastain has five finishes of 12th or better in the last eight races.
Indy Road Course outlook: Warm -- Chastain came in fourth at COTA, finished seventh at both Sonoma and Road America and then placed 12th at Watkins Glen.
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Maddie Meyer | Getty Images
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Points behind: 188 | Full standings
Trending: Cold -- Stenhouse has 15 finishes of 12th or worse in last 16 races (four DNFs).
Indy Road Course outlook: Cold -- No top 10s in 23 road course starts and finished 19th at Watkins Glen.
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James Gilbert | Getty Images
Bubba Wallace
Points behind: 190 | Full standings
Trending: Cold -- Wallace has four straight finishes of 14th or worse after a fifth-place at Pocono.
Indy Road Course outlook: Ice Cold-- No top 10s in 13 road course starts and finished 23rd at Watkins Glen.
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Sean Gardner | Getty Images
Chase Briscoe
Points behind: 219 | Full standings
Trending: Warm -- Briscoe has seven finishes of 15th or worse in the last nine races, but a ninth-place result at Watkins Glen shows some promise.
Indy Road Course outlook: Warm -- After a top-10 result at Watkins Glen, Briscoe goes to a track where he won in the Xfinity Series last season.
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James Gilbert | Getty Images
Daniel Suarez
Points behind: 223 | Full standings
Trending: Cold -- Suarez has nine finishes of 12th or worse in the last 10 races and five straight finishes outside the top 13.
Indy Road Course outlook: Cold -- Suarez has finished 31st or worse in three of the last four road-course races.