The struggle to make the NASCAR Cup playoffs

21 of the 26-race common season are actually full, leaving simply 5 races left earlier than the NASCAR Cup playoff discipline is locked in for the 2025 season. Nevertheless, there’s nonetheless a street course, two quick tracks, a superspeedway, and a crown jewel earlier than we get to that time.

12 drivers have already assured themselves a spot by profitable, however 4 spots nonetheless stay up for grabs. Whereas there are a number of drivers in a must-win scenario, there’s nonetheless a handful of drivers with a shot of constructing it in on factors alone. This is a take a look at the place these drivers stand coming into the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway:

Reddick is in a reasonably strong place points-wise. Until he by some means loses nearly 100 factors to Bowman over the subsequent few weeks, there would must be 4 new winners over the subsequent 5 weeks to knock him out of playoff competition. Reddick can also be the one driver who was a part of the Championship 4 final 12 months, and but, hasn’t gained a race in 2025.

The final Hendrick Motorsports driver not already locked in, however Alex Bowman needs to be feeling pretty good about his place. Outdoors of Sonoma, Bowman has been trying good in latest weeks with top-five runs in Mexico Metropolis, Atlanta, and final weekend at Dover.

Buescher is the best RFK Racing driver within the standings, and he is been making regular beneficial properties over the cut-line, however one unhealthy race might erase all of it. Final 12 months, he was in an analogous place, however attributable to some new winners simply earlier than the tip of the common season, he ended up being pushed out of the playoffs.

Sitting on the bubble, Wallace has completely zero room for error. And if any driver beneath the cut-line wins, he mechanically finally ends up on the fallacious facet of the road. Wallace can also be going through a three-year winless streak, so it is extra seemingly he’ll need to level his approach in. He gained some priceless floor at Dover, however he must maintain that up within the weeks to come back.

Ryan Preece, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford

Picture by: Meg Oliphant / Getty Pictures

Preece has been hovering across the cut-line for what looks as if everything of the 2025 season. The No. 60 staff have been a mannequin of consistency, profiting from what they’ve. Seven consecutive prime 20 finishes and a few stage factors have helped Preece to stay in competition. He misplaced some factors in a late-race incident at Dover, however he nonetheless managed to convey the automobile dwelling on the lead lap.

Busch has had a really up-and-down season, marred by incidents, however the No. 8 staff goes in the suitable path in the intervening time. He has reduce his strategy to inside 40 factors of the cut-line after being over 70 behind after Atlanta. If he retains gaining factors on the cut-line at that price, he’ll get there by Race #26, however he cannot afford any shock winners.

Three Joe Gibbs Racing drivers have already gained this 12 months, however Ty stays winless to date in his complete Cup profession. Nevertheless, regardless of lagging far behind his teammates, Gibbs has actually turned his season round. Within the first 14 races, he had eight finishes of twenty fourth or worse. However within the final seven, he has completed 14th or larger in each race, together with three prime fives. He has quickly climbed up the standings because of his efforts, and made all of it the best way to the finals of the $1 million in-season problem.