Pit-road stats: Two playoff hopefuls try to build off Watkins Glen performance

With one regular-season race remaining before the NASCAR Cup Series goes postseason dancing, all cards will be on the table for drivers in need of a berth in the 2023 playoffs.

After Sunday’s Go Bowling at The Glen at Watkins Glen International, two drivers trying to snatch that 16th and final playoff spot — Chase Elliott and Bubba Wallace — will try to lean on electric speed and efficient pit crews to find Victory Lane at Daytona International Speedway.

RELATED: Cup Series standings | Sizing up the current 16-driver postseason field

It was a rough showing for Elliott at The Glen as he finished 32nd and a lap down due to a fuel miscalculation that saw the No. 9 come to a halt in the run-off area of the bus-stop chicane. And while Elliott is in a must-win situation at Daytona, his Hendrick Motorsports pit crew is up to the task. Thanks to front-tire changer Nick O’Dell, rear-tire changer Chad Avrit, tire carrier Jared Erspamer, jackman Tyler Semke and fueler John Gianninoto, the No. 9 ranks 10th in best average four-tire pit stop times (11.419 seconds). With the 2020 Cup Series champion in need of a victory, a savvy pit crew could make the difference in the regular-season finale.

The data also shows optimism for the No. 23 of Wallace, who sits 16th in the playoff grid, 32 points clear of Ty Gibbs. Headlined by front-tire changer Austin Dickey, rear-tire changer Adam Hartman, tire carrier Brad Donaghy, jackman Jorden Paige and fueler Joshua Pech, Wallace’s 23XI Racing Toyota clocked the fastest four-tire pit stop at the 2.45-mile road course at 10.942 seconds. It was the second time Wallace’s pit crew held the fastest four-tire stop during a race this season, with the first coming in May at Kansas Speedway (9.509 seconds).

See below to analyze additional pit-road statistics through Watkins Glen and before Saturday’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway (7 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Peacock, NBC Sports App).

TEN FASTEST FOUR-TIRE PIT STOPS IN 2023

BEST AVERAGE FOUR-TIRE PIT STOP TIMES IN 2023