NASCAR Playoff Watch 2022: How the postseason picture looks

Throughout the regular season, NASCAR.com will examine the playoff picture. Here's how the postseason picture looks through 25 regular-season races (out of 26) after the Cup Series race at Watkins Glen International, and after the news of 23XI Racing dropping its request for a playoff waiver for Kurt Busch.


A few reminders:



-- All point totals are reset to 2,000 for the 16 eligible playoff drivers.



-- Drivers earn five playoff points for each of their regular-season wins.



-- Drivers earn one playoff point for each stage win.



-- The top 10 finishers in the regular-season standings earn playoff points on a sliding scale, starting with 15 points for the Regular Season Champion and ending on one point for the 10th-place finisher.

On the outside looking in: Kurt Busch will not qualify for the playoffs, despite a win, due to lingering concussion-like symptoms that has forced him to miss races. Erik Jones is the drive one spot below the cutline, but at 187 points back, he — and everyone else — will have to win at Daytona.

16. Alex Bowman, 2,006 points

Qualified by: Win (Las Vegas)

Stage wins: 1

Quick hit: Bowman clings to the final spot in the re-adjusted playoff stack for the second straight week after a relatively quiet 14th-place day at Watkins Glen. As it stands, he'll have work to do to climb out of the depths in the Round of 16.

15. Austin Cindric, 2,006 points

Qualified by: Win (Daytona 500)

Stage wins: 1

Quick hit: The Sunoco Rookie of the Year front-runner had no movement in the overall points after placing an unlucky 13th at The Glen. He'll be in the bottom four once the playoff order is reset, but it's a tight battle -- six drivers are within a three-point span in the lower reaches.

14. Daniel Suárez, 2,007 points

Qualified by: Win (Sonoma)

Stage wins: 2

Quick hit: Suárez's road-course strength continued with a consistent fifth-place run at The Glen. His playoff point tally remained a lucky seven, which should help as his first postseason appearance draws near.

13. Kyle Busch, 2,008 points

Qualified by: Win (Bristol Dirt Race)

Stage wins: 1

Quick hit: Busch just missed adding a playoff point, finishing second at the end of Stage 2. A Lap 74 spin in Turn 1 at Watkins Glen cost him more chances to add postseason prizes as he finished 32nd, the first driver one lap down.

12. Chase Briscoe, 2,009 points

Qualified by: Win (Phoenix)

Stage wins: 4

Quick hit: A 25th-place at WGI did him no great service, but Briscoe tacked a playoff point onto his 2022 bankroll with a Stage 1 win.

11. Christopher Bell: 2,011
points

Qualified by: Win (New Hampshire)

Stage wins: 2

Quick hit: Little movement here for Bell, who kept things steady and carried the Toyota banner for the weekend with his second consecutive top 10. He's found the middle ground among the 16 provisional playoff hopefuls, and that might be enough to carry the day into the next round.

10. Martin Truex Jr., 2,012 points

Qualified by: Points

Stage wins: 7

Quick hit: Truex Jr. joins the field following news that Kurt Busch will miss the playoffs, with the team removing the veteran's request for a medical waiver. Enter Truex Jr., who sits sixth in points and has seven stage wins to pad his playoff points.

9. Tyler Reddick, 2,012 points

Qualified by: Wins (Road America, Indy Road Course)

Stage wins: 2

Quick hit: Reddick rallied for a top 10 but stayed status quo in the playoff-point order. Unlike last year, he won't be sweating on the postseason bubble heading into the regular-season finale at Daytona.

8. Ryan Blaney, 2,013 points

Qualified by: Points

Stage wins: 5

Quick hit: Blaney's 24th-place result at The Glen produced a drop from second to third in the overall Cup Series points. That dip adjusts his playoff-point total, knotting him with a pair of multiple-time winners this year with Championship 4 experience.

7. Denny Hamlin, 2,013 points

Qualified by: Wins (Richmond, Charlotte)

Stage wins: 3

Quick hit: Hamlin dropped two spots in the Cup Series standings with a 20th-place day at The Glen -- a result that halted a modest two-race streak of top fives. His playoff tally remains unaffected, and the No. 11 Toyota bunch will regroup come playoff time.

6. Kevin Harvick, 2,013 points

Qualified by: Wins (Michigan, Richmond)

Stage wins: 0

Quick hit: Harvick's two-race win streak ended at Watkins Glen, and a 12th-place run there didn't shake up the running order. Still, the former champ's status in the playoff pile remains in far better shape now than when August began.

5. William Byron, 2,014 points

Qualified by: Wins (Atlanta, Martinsville)

Stage wins: 3

Quick hit: Byron stands alone as the provisional fifth seed, and a 22nd-place outcome at Watkins Glen did not sway the No. 24 driver from that position. Byron made the playoffs in 2020 with a clutch victory at Daytona, but a dramatic postseason entrance won't be needed this time around.

4. Joey Logano, 2,021 points

Qualified by: Wins (Darlington, Gateway)

Stage wins: 4

Quick hit: A third-place Watkins Glen day that included a stage win gave Logano a two-spot jump to fourth in the Cup Series standings. That's where he also stands in the provisional playoff re-rack, now with a little extra buffer over the middle of the pack.

3. Ross Chastain, 2,021 points

Qualified by: Wins (COTA, Talladega)

Stage wins: 5

Quick hit: Chastain dropped one place in the seeding order after Watkins Glen, where he managed just a 21st-place effort. Still, he heads to Daytona in a pressure-free playoff spot with some cushion near the front of the postseason field.

2. Kyle Larson, 2,023 points

Qualified by: Wins (Auto Club, Watkins Glen)

Stage wins: 3

Quick hit: A modest but meaningful playoff-point jump emerged with the defending Cup Series champion's second win of the year. Larson now sits as the provisional No. 2 seed, with slightly more heft to his playoff-point stature.

1. Chase Elliott, 2,040 points

Qualified by: Wins (Dover, Nashville, Atlanta, Pocono)

Stage wins: 5

Quick hit: Elliott officially cashed in on the Regular Season Championship's 15-point bonus with one race left in the regular season, but he stood to add more as he contended late into the race at Watkins Glen. Elliott remains unshakable as the No. 1 seed, no matter how Daytona's regular-season finale turns out.