Non-Playoff Drivers Poised to Dominate This Round of NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs
A Decade of NASCAR's Playoff Format As the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs celebrate a decade under their current format, consisting of three elimination rounds followed by a Championship Four finale, the series has consistently seen playoff contenders dominate victory lanes. However, this season, a surprising trend has emerged: non-playoff drivers are taking center stage, and they could potentially sweep the entire round. Become a Paid Product Tester! Unexpected Victories at Kansas and Talladega Two drivers who are not in the playoffs have won the first two races of this playoff round, which is a remarkable development. On September 29, Ross Chastain secured a win at Kansas Speedway, followed by Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s triumph in a chaotic race at Talladega Superspeedway on October 6. This is the first time since the playoff format was introduced that two of the three races in a round have been won by drivers not in contention for the NASCAR Cup Series Championship. The Potential for a Clean Sweep at Charlotte Looking ahead to the final race of this elimination round, all eyes are on road course specialists like Shane van Gisbergen of Kaulig Racing, who secured pole position at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and last year’s winner AJ Allmendinger. If either driver takes the checkered flag in the Bank of America Roval 400, non-playoff drivers will sweep the entire round—an unprecedented feat in the current playoff era. The Roval 400 at Charlotte is a critical race in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, serving as the second elimination race. The first eliminator occurred at Bristol Motor Speedway on September 14, where four drivers were knocked out of the playoff field, leaving 12 to advance. After Charlotte, only eight drivers will remain, with four more eliminations set to follow. The Path to the Championship Four The final elimination round will take place at Martinsville Speedway on November 3 during the Xfinity 500, where the remaining eight drivers will be whittled down to the Championship Four. These four competitors will battle for the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Championship at Phoenix Raceway on November 10. Notably, the champion isn’t necessarily the race winner; last year, Ross Chastain won the race at Phoenix but had already been eliminated from championship contention in the previous round. In this elimination format, a playoff driver who wins any race in a round automatically advances to the next. If three different playoff drivers win in a given round, they secure their spots, while the remaining positions are filled based on points. Chase Elliott on the Bubble Currently, Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports holds the eighth and final spot in the playoff standings, with two-time Cup Series champion Joey Logano of Team Penske trailing by just 13 points. Meanwhile, Daniel Suarez of Trackhouse Racing is 10th, followed by Austin Cindric of Team Penske in 11th and Chase Briscoe of Stewart-Haas Racing in 12th, a distant 32 points below the cutoff line. Briscoe's Must-Win Mindset For Briscoe, the path forward is clear: he must win at Charlotte to continue his playoff journey. With such a significant points deficit, advancing on points alone is virtually impossible. "Being 32 points out instead of 15 is really better for us, in my opinion," Briscoe said.. "When you're 15 to 20 points out, it’s still within reach, but 30-something points—it makes it clear that we need to win. We’re going into this race with the mindset of flipping track position and everything else to go for the win." Briscoe also expressed confidence in his chances at Charlotte, calling it the track where he feels most capable of competing for victory. "Hopefully, we can accomplish that because this is the track in this round where I feel most secure about competing for the win." Conclusion: A New Dynamic in NASCAR’s Playoff Landscape As the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs progress, the potential for non-playoff drivers to sweep an entire round introduces a new dynamic to the competition. With one race remaining in this elimination round, the tension is palpable as both playoff and non-playoff drivers alike vie for crucial victories at Charlotte. $38 per hour, regular work
Non-Playoff Drivers Poised to Dominate This Round of NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs
A Decade of NASCAR's Playoff Format As the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs celebrate a decade under their current format, consisting of three elimination rounds followed by a Championship Four finale, the series has consistently seen playoff contenders dominate victory lanes. However, this season, a surprising trend has emerged: non-playoff drivers are taking center stage, and they could potentially sweep the entire round. Become a Paid Product Tester! Unexpected Victories at Kansas and Talladega Two drivers who are not in the playoffs have won the first two races of this playoff round, which is a remarkable development. On September 29, Ross Chastain secured a win at Kansas Speedway, followed by Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s triumph in a chaotic race at Talladega Superspeedway on October 6. This is the first time since the playoff format was introduced that two of the three races in a round have been won by drivers not in contention for the NASCAR Cup Series Championship. The Potential for a Clean Sweep at Charlotte Looking ahead to the final race of this elimination round, all eyes are on road course specialists like Shane van Gisbergen of Kaulig Racing, who secured pole position at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and last year’s winner AJ Allmendinger. If either driver takes the checkered flag in the Bank of America Roval 400, non-playoff drivers will sweep the entire round—an unprecedented feat in the current playoff era. The Roval 400 at Charlotte is a critical race in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, serving as the second elimination race. The first eliminator occurred at Bristol Motor Speedway on September 14, where four drivers were knocked out of the playoff field, leaving 12 to advance. After Charlotte, only eight drivers will remain, with four more eliminations set to follow. The Path to the Championship Four The final elimination round will take place at Martinsville Speedway on November 3 during the Xfinity 500, where the remaining eight drivers will be whittled down to the Championship Four. These four competitors will battle for the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Championship at Phoenix Raceway on November 10. Notably, the champion isn’t necessarily the race winner; last year, Ross Chastain won the race at Phoenix but had already been eliminated from championship contention in the previous round. In this elimination format, a playoff driver who wins any race in a round automatically advances to the next. If three different playoff drivers win in a given round, they secure their spots, while the remaining positions are filled based on points. Chase Elliott on the Bubble Currently, Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports holds the eighth and final spot in the playoff standings, with two-time Cup Series champion Joey Logano of Team Penske trailing by just 13 points. Meanwhile, Daniel Suarez of Trackhouse Racing is 10th, followed by Austin Cindric of Team Penske in 11th and Chase Briscoe of Stewart-Haas Racing in 12th, a distant 32 points below the cutoff line. Briscoe's Must-Win Mindset For Briscoe, the path forward is clear: he must win at Charlotte to continue his playoff journey. With such a significant points deficit, advancing on points alone is virtually impossible. "Being 32 points out instead of 15 is really better for us, in my opinion," Briscoe said.. "When you're 15 to 20 points out, it’s still within reach, but 30-something points—it makes it clear that we need to win. We’re going into this race with the mindset of flipping track position and everything else to go for the win." Briscoe also expressed confidence in his chances at Charlotte, calling it the track where he feels most capable of competing for victory. "Hopefully, we can accomplish that because this is the track in this round where I feel most secure about competing for the win." Conclusion: A New Dynamic in NASCAR’s Playoff Landscape As the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs progress, the potential for non-playoff drivers to sweep an entire round introduces a new dynamic to the competition. With one race remaining in this elimination round, the tension is palpable as both playoff and non-playoff drivers alike vie for crucial victories at Charlotte. $38 per hour, regular work
Non-Playoff Drivers Poised to Dominate This Round of NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs
A Decade of NASCAR's Playoff Format As the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs celebrate a decade under their current format, consisting of three elimination rounds followed by a Championship Four finale, the series has consistently seen playoff contenders dominate victory lanes. However, this season, a surprising trend has emerged: non-playoff drivers are taking center stage, and they could potentially sweep the entire round. Become a Paid Product Tester! Unexpected Victories at Kansas and Talladega Two drivers who are not in the playoffs have won the first two races of this playoff round, which is a remarkable development. On September 29, Ross Chastain secured a win at Kansas Speedway, followed by Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s triumph in a chaotic race at Talladega Superspeedway on October 6. This is the first time since the playoff format was introduced that two of the three races in a round have been won by drivers not in contention for the NASCAR Cup Series Championship. The Potential for a Clean Sweep at Charlotte Looking ahead to the final race of this elimination round, all eyes are on road course specialists like Shane van Gisbergen of Kaulig Racing, who secured pole position at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and last year’s winner AJ Allmendinger. If either driver takes the checkered flag in the Bank of America Roval 400, non-playoff drivers will sweep the entire round—an unprecedented feat in the current playoff era. The Roval 400 at Charlotte is a critical race in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, serving as the second elimination race. The first eliminator occurred at Bristol Motor Speedway on September 14, where four drivers were knocked out of the playoff field, leaving 12 to advance. After Charlotte, only eight drivers will remain, with four more eliminations set to follow. The Path to the Championship Four The final elimination round will take place at Martinsville Speedway on November 3 during the Xfinity 500, where the remaining eight drivers will be whittled down to the Championship Four. These four competitors will battle for the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Championship at Phoenix Raceway on November 10. Notably, the champion isn’t necessarily the race winner; last year, Ross Chastain won the race at Phoenix but had already been eliminated from championship contention in the previous round. In this elimination format, a playoff driver who wins any race in a round automatically advances to the next. If three different playoff drivers win in a given round, they secure their spots, while the remaining positions are filled based on points. Chase Elliott on the Bubble Currently, Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports holds the eighth and final spot in the playoff standings, with two-time Cup Series champion Joey Logano of Team Penske trailing by just 13 points. Meanwhile, Daniel Suarez of Trackhouse Racing is 10th, followed by Austin Cindric of Team Penske in 11th and Chase Briscoe of Stewart-Haas Racing in 12th, a distant 32 points below the cutoff line. Briscoe's Must-Win Mindset For Briscoe, the path forward is clear: he must win at Charlotte to continue his playoff journey. With such a significant points deficit, advancing on points alone is virtually impossible. "Being 32 points out instead of 15 is really better for us, in my opinion," Briscoe said.. "When you're 15 to 20 points out, it’s still within reach, but 30-something points—it makes it clear that we need to win. We’re going into this race with the mindset of flipping track position and everything else to go for the win." Briscoe also expressed confidence in his chances at Charlotte, calling it the track where he feels most capable of competing for victory. "Hopefully, we can accomplish that because this is the track in this round where I feel most secure about competing for the win." Conclusion: A New Dynamic in NASCAR’s Playoff Landscape As the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs progress, the potential for non-playoff drivers to sweep an entire round introduces a new dynamic to the competition. With one race remaining in this elimination round, the tension is palpable as both playoff and non-playoff drivers alike vie for crucial victories at Charlotte. $38 per hour, regular work