NASCAR Playoff Watch: How the 2023 postseason picture looks

Through 25 regular-season races (out of 26) following Watkins Glen International, here is how the playoff field would look if the postseason started today. A few reminders:


• All point totals are reset to 2,000 for the 16 eligible playoff drivers.
• Drivers earn five playoff points for each win.
• 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:

After hiccups from Daniel Suárez and Chase Elliott at The Glen, Ty Gibbs now sits 32 points below the 16-driver playoff grid, and with one regular-season race to go, perhaps the rookie can make that one last chance count the most. 

16. Bubba Wallace: 2,000 points 

Qualified by: Points
Stage wins: 0 
Stat line: 4 top fives, 6 top 10s, 159 laps led
Fast fact: Thirty-two points separate Wallace from being below the elimination line, and with Daytona -- a superspeedway -- next on the docket, perhaps the No. 23 Toyota can clinch his playoff spot for good. 

15. Kevin Harvick: 2,002 points

Qualified by: Points (clinched)
Stage wins: 1
Stat line: 6 top fives, 11 top 10s, 108 laps led 
Fast fact: With a 135-point buffer, the driver of the No. 4 Ford clinched a bid in the 2023 Playoffs and an opportunity to win one more title before hanging up the fire suit. 

14. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: 2,005 points

Qualified by: 1 win (Daytona)
Stage wins: 0
Stat line: 2 top fives, 7 top 10s, 24 laps led
Fast fact: After three consecutive finishes of 17th or worse, Stenhouse finished 13th at The Glen, a good dose of momentum before Daytona, where the No. 47 won earlier this year. 

13. Michael McDowell: 2,007 points

Qualified by: 1 win (Indianapolis Road Course)
Stage wins: 2
Stat line: 2 top fives, 6 top 10s, 92 laps led 
Fast fact: Despite winning Stage 1 at The Glen, a pair of pit-road miscues -- not to mention an electrical issue -- derailed the No. 34 to a 36th-place finish on Sunday. 

12. Brad Keselowski: 2,008 points

Qualified by: Points (clinched)
Stage wins: 3
Stat line: 5 top fives, 10 top 10s, 253 laps led 
Fast fact: The RFK driver-owner nabbed his playoff berth via points on Sunday, and with Daytona on the horizon, the No. 6 Ford will look to sharpen some final touches before the postseason gets underway. 

11. Joey Logano: 2,008 points

Qualified by: 1 win (Atlanta-1)
Stage wins: 3
Stat line: 7 top fives, 12 top 10s, 251 laps led
Fast fact: A 10th-place finish at The Glen was just what the No. 22 needed in terms of momentum after a 34th-place finish at Indy. 

10. Tyler Reddick: 2,009 points

Qualified by: 1 win (COTA)
Stage wins: 4
Stat line: 7 top fives, 11 top 10s, 312 laps led
Fast fact: After finishing 30th at Michigan, Reddick has since tallied two consecutive finishes inside the top 10. 

9. Ryan Blaney: 2,010 points

Qualified by: 1 win (Charlotte)
Stage wins: 3
Stat line: 4 top fives, 12 top 10s, 344 laps led
Fast fact: After finishing 30th at Pocono, Blaney has since rattled off four consecutive finishes inside the top 15, including his ninth-place result at Watkins Glen. 

8. Ross Chastain: 2,013 points

Qualified by: 1 win (Nashville)
Stage wins: 5
Stat line: 6 top fives, 9 top 10s, 463 laps led
Fast fact: The No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet drops to eighth in the regular-season standings (695), one point clear of Ryan Blaney (694). 

7. Christopher Bell: 2,014 points

Qualified by: 1 win (Bristol dirt)
Stage wins: 2
Stat line: 6 top fives, 13 top 10s, 259 laps led
Fast fact: A third-place finish at The Glen was the No. 20's best finish since triumphing on the dirt at Bristol in April. 

6. Chris Buescher: 2,015 points

Qualified by: 2 wins (Richmond-2, Michigan)
Stage wins: 1
Stat line: 5 top fives, 11 top 10s, 229 laps led
Fast fact: Although an 11th-place finish at Indy might have snapped a lengthy streak of consecutive finishes inside the top 10 on road courses, Buescher started where left off at Watkins Glen, highlighted by a seventh-place finish. 

5. Kyle Busch: 2,017 points

Qualified by: 3 wins (Auto Club, Talladega, Gateway)
Stage wins: 2
Stat line: 8 top fives, 13 top 10s, 228 laps led
Fast fact: The No. 8 remains 11th in the regular-season standings (688) following a 14th-place finish at Watkins Glen. 

4. Kyle Larson: 2,019 points

Qualified by: 2 wins (Richmond, Martinsville)
Stage wins: 3
Stat line: 10 top fives, 12 top 10s, 624 laps led
Fast fact: A 26th-place finish at The Glen snapped a two-race streak in finding Victory Lane at the 2.45-mile road course. 

3. Denny Hamlin: 2,025 points

Qualified by: 2 wins (Kansas, Pocono)
Stage wins: 5
Stat line: 9 top fives, 12 top 10s, 377 laps led
Fast fact: A runner-up finish at The Glen puts the No. 11 Toyota 39 points behind JGR teammate Martin Truex Jr. for the lead in the regular-season standings. 

2. Martin Truex Jr.: 2,035 points

Qualified by: 3 wins (Dover, Sonoma, New Hampshire)
Stage wins: 5
Stat line: 9 top fives, 15 top 10s, 828 laps led 
Fast fact: Although he might not hold the top spot in the playoff standings, the No. 19 remains atop the regular-season standings (861). 

1. William Byron: 2,036 points

Qualified by: 5 wins (Las Vegas, Phoenix, Darlington, Atlanta-2, Watkins Glen)
Stage wins: 8
Stat line: 9 top fives, 12 top 10s, 876 laps led
Fast fact: A five-race stretch of finishing 14th or worse was erased on Sunday, and with win No. 5 in the books in 2023, the No. 24 is now the top seed in the postseason standings. 
*Byron lost a total of 60 driver points and five playoff points after a violation at Richmond.