Post-Indianapolis Turning Point: Does Brickyard triumph pave way for championship success?

Make no mistake — Cup Series drivers will utilize the two-week break during the Summer Olympics to catch a breather. But for drivers who have yet to clinch a coveted — yet limited — berth in the 16-driver postseason grid, the break will provide a chance to scout and prep even more than they would otherwise.

Let’s break it down. Four regular-season races remain — Richmond Raceway, Michigan International Speedway, Daytona International Speedway and Darlington Raceway — before the Round of 16 begins at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Twelve drivers have won at least one Cup Series race this year, provisionally clinching them into the 16-driver postseason grid. Martin Truex Jr. (+108), Ty Gibbs (+42), Chris Buescher (+17) and Ross Chastain (+7) currently make up the final four spots, while Bubba Wallace (-7), Chase Briscoe (-83) and Kyle Busch (-112) are next in line and currently beneath the elimination threshold.

In terms of points, Truex Jr. should very well be in the good, but even the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing driver is operating under the same mindset as all others — Win. Given the parity the Next Gen car has brought to the table since its 2022 debut, there is optimism any of these drivers could make just enough noise to squeak out one — or perhaps more — wins during the looming four-race sprint. Additional wrinkles — including a choice of tire strategy at Richmond, Daytona always being unpredictable and Darlington acting as the regular-season finale instead of the postseason opener — only add to the excitement during this final push.

So, how will the final spots shake out? Truex, given his points position, seems to be in solid standing, and a possible breakthrough at Richmond could be in order, given he has yet to finish worse than 11th in each of his last 11 races there. Then there’s Buescher, who cranked it up a notch during 2023’s waning regular-season stretch and triumphed at Richmond and Michigan in back-to-back bouts … and then won the regular-season finale at Daytona just for good measure.

There’s plenty more. Gibbs, despite finishing outside the top 10 in seven of his last eight Cup races, could rekindle the same energy that carried the No. 54 Toyota to top-10 finishes in five of the first six races of the 2024 campaign. Chastain has shown the ability to be aggressive and capitalize on clean air in the past. The first of Wallace’s Cup victories came on a superspeedway. Todd Gilliland has already matched his career top-10 total from last season (four). Busch, despite a frustrating 2024 to date, has a track record that speaks for itself. Briscoe could find a spark. Then again, perhaps another driver not already mentioned pushes their way into the picture, making the postseason picture even cloudier.

The regular-season endgame is near, and truly, anything can go from here on out. Which drivers will cash in? Which ones will take a gamble or three? Stay tuned.