Chris Buescher’s win last week at Michigan International Speedway did more than just formally lock the Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing driver into the postseason field – it officially clinched spots for six other drivers as well.
With three races remaining in the NASCAR Cup Series regular season, 12 playoff spots are locked up. Those 12 drivers are Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin, William Byron, Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson, Ross Chastain, Kyle Busch, Ryan Blaney, Buescher, Joey Logano, Tyler Reddick and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
With the series heading to Indianapolis for its first of two consecutive road-course races, here’s a look at the playoff-clinching scenarios.
Can clinch via points
If there is a repeat winner or a win by a driver who cannot advance to the playoffs, the following drivers could clinch by being 111 points above the third winless driver in the standings. The same point requirements listed below would hold true if a new win comes from among Kevin Harvick or Brad Keselowski.
– Kevin Harvick: Would clinch with 44 points
– Brad Keselowski: Would clinch with 54 points
Can clinch via win
The following drivers would clinch on their win alone:
– Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, Bubba Wallace, Ty Gibbs, Michael McDowell, Daniel Suarez, AJ Allmendinger, Alex Bowman, Austin Cindric, Chase Elliott, Justin Haley, Aric Almirola, Ryan Preece, Corey LaJoie, Todd Gilliland, Erik Jones, Austin Dillon, Harrison Burton, Chase Briscoe, Ty Dillon
NASCAR XFINITY SERIES
More spots are up for grabs in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, which still has five regular-season races remaining and nine available playoff spots. Here’s a look ahead of the series’ road-course race at Indianapolis.
Already clinched: John Hunter Nemechek, Austin Hill, Cole Custer
Possible to Clinch:
– Justin Allgaier (1 Win, 777 Points): With a win, he would clinch a playoff spot on wins. If John Hunter Nemechek, Austin Hill, Cole Custer, Sam Mayer, Chandler Smith or Sammy Smith wins, he would clinch regardless of finish. If Josh Berry, Daniel Hemric, Riley Herbst, Sheldon Creed, Parker Kligerman or Jeb Burton wins, he would clinch with 36 points. If Brandon Jones wins, he would clinch with 11 points. If Brett Moffitt wins, he would clinch regardless of finish.
– Sam Mayer (1 Win, 630 Points): With a win, he would clinch a playoff spot on wins.
– Chandler Smith (1 Win, 612 Points): With a win, he would clinch a playoff spot on wins.
– Sammy Smith (1 Win, 558 Points): With a win, he would clinch a playoff spot on wins.
– Jeb Burton (1 Win, 500 Points): With a win, he would clinch a playoff spot on wins.