Tyler Reddick’s victory on Monday at Michigan Int’l Speedway was a relief for several drivers hoping to qualify for the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs on points.
Reddick, who has two wins on the season and leads the driver’s standings, was already locked into the postseason after winning at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway earlier in the year.
After Michigan, these 12 drivers are locked into the playoffs based on winning races: Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell, William Byron, Ryan Blaney, Reddick, Chase Elliott, Brad Keselowski, Alex Bowman, Joey Logano, Daniel Suarez and Austin Cindric.
If any full-time driver currently not locked into the playoffs were to win this weekend at Daytona Int’l Speedway, that driver and team would earn a playoff berth.
Daytona (Fla.) Int’l Speedway and Darlington (S.C.) Raceway are the two remaining races in the regular season.
Here’s where things stand following Michigan:
13. Martin Truex Jr. (+77)
Martin Truex Jr. looked to be in position to score a solid top-10 result in the closing laps at Michigan. However, the driver of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota got loose with six laps to go, which sent his race car into the outside wall.
That triggered a caution flag. After two overtime restarts, Truex finished 24th, the final driver on the lead lap.
It was a disappointing finish for Truex, but he only lost one point to the cutline between Richmond (Va.) Raceway and Michigan. Truex bagged seven stage points in the first two stages at Michigan.
Truex has never won at Daytona in the Cup Series and has an average finish of 21.2 in 38 points-paying starts at the 2.5-mile superspeedway.
14. Ty Gibbs (+39)
Joe Gibbs Racing’s Ty Gibbs finished third in the FireKeepers Casino 400 and gained points.
He entered the event 18 markers ahead of the cutoff and exited 39 points to the good.
“It definitely is good to have a good points day,” Gibbs said. “Definitely wish we could have won and locked ourselves in. Winning usually takes care of everything. Thankful to be here and thankful to have a good day.”
Gibbs has never finished in the top 10 in a Cup Series car in four previous starts at Daytona.
15. Chris Buescher (+16)
Chris Buescher’s day at Michigan was a rollercoaster. The RFK Racing driver was involved in a multi-car accident past the halfway mark of the race.
Despite sustaining damage, Buescher wheeled his No. 17 Ford from 15th to sixth within two overtime restarts, which vaulted him 16 points above the cutline.
Prior to the weekend, Buescher was tied with Ross Chastain for the 16th and final spot.
Buescher heads to Daytona as the defending race winner of the 400-mile event.
16. Ross Chastain (+1)
Michigan became a “what-if” type of race for Ross Chastain.
The Trackhouse Racing driver contended within the top 10 for much of the race, earning 10 stage points through the first two stages in the process.
However, on the first overtime restart, Chastain spun on the backstretch, which dropped the driver of the No. 1 Chevrolet down the running order. He finished 25th — one lap down.
After entering Michigan tied with Buescher for the final playoff spot, he has a slim one-point gap over Bubba Wallace.
Chastain has three top-10 finishes at Daytona, along with a NASCAR Xfinity Series victory in 2019.
17. Bubba Wallace (-1)
23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace was a strong contender to win during the early stages of the race at Michigan.
Along with leading five laps, Wallace finished fourth in stage one after starting fifth. However, Wallace was involved on a lap-116 wreck, triggered by Kyle Larson.
Wallace finished 26th — one lap down. He’s one point below the cutline entering Daytona.
The 30-year-old has five top-five finishes at Daytona, including two runner-ups in the Daytona 500 (2018, 2022).
In The Hole
Despite a stellar fourth-place finish at Michigan, Kyle Busch is 93 points below the cutline, meaning a win is the Richard Childress Racing driver’s best chance to make the 16-driver playoff field.
Chase Briscoe (-115), Todd Gilliland (-151) and Michael McDowell (-157) hold 19th through 21st position on the playoff grid, with all needing a victory to secure a berth in the playoffs.