After Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) Int’l, the NASCAR Playoff picture grew clearer. With only race left at Daytona (Fla.) Int’l Speedway next week, only one spot remains.
Since William Byron reigned victorious at the 2.45-mile road course to win his fifth race of the season, it allowed Brad Keselowski and Kevin Harvick to lock into the playoffs. Both drivers ended the event over 100 points above 16th-running Bubba Wallace.
“I wish we could have won a race before now,” Harvick admitted. “We’ve had our opportunities to win a few. We struggled on the road courses but other than that, it’s been OK. We just need to get our cars running better to really do anything.”
Who Gained Ground
• Wallace, who finished 12th in the Go Bowling at The Glen, gained four points over the 17th spot to hold a 32-point advantage heading into Daytona.
While he’s had a tendency to struggle on road courses, Wallace felt proud of the No. 23 23XI Racing team’s efforts in the midst of the playoff pressure-cooker.
“Just executing really. Thanks to (William) Bryon for winning that. Didn’t have a new winner. I’m proud of myself,” Wallace said. “That’s the first time I felt proud of myself at a road course race. I just executed and didn’t lose focus — maybe one time. And, that’s the difference maker. You’ve got to stay on it at these places. Just hats off to my team for sticking with me and believing in me on these road courses.
“I know we still have one more to go, but we wanted to maintain our gap and not lose too many and we gained,” Wallace continued. “Hats off to everybody on the effort we put in. Thanks to Toyota for believing in me, McDonalds and all of our partners involved. Just a great day for the 23 team. Now, we get to go in Daytona stressful as hell, but it takes a little bit of the edge off for sure.”
• Ty Gibbs notched his second top-five of the season at the 11-turn road course, lifting the Joe Gibbs Racing rookie racer to 17th on the playoff grid, 32 points behind Wallace.
The reigning NASCAR Xfinity Series champion admitted he’s not sure how to handle next week’s regular season finale, though feels the only thing he can do is stay out of trouble on the 2.5-mile oval.
“I don’t really know what mindset to have going there,” Gibbs said. “Just stay clean and try to make it to the end and have a good finish.”
Who’s In Must-Win Situations
• Chase Elliott looked to be in prime position to potentially score a victory and lock himself into the NASCAR Playoffs at The Glen, as he ran inside the top 10 for most of the afternoon. Though a costly calculations mistake by crew chief Alan Gustafson and the team left Elliott hung out dry without enough gas to make it back to pit lane in the final stage.
The Hendrick Motorsports driver would go a lap down, eventually finishing 32nd. With one race left, Elliott is in a must-win situation as he sits 21st in the standings.
• Daniel Suarez went from 28 points below the cutline to 43 after a dismal 22nd-place finish at Watkins Glen. The Trackhouse Racing driver endured an early spin and played catch up for most the afternoon.
Now, Suarez heads to Daytona without much prior success with an average finish of 26.8.
• A.J. Allmendinger had a stellar day at The Glen, finishing the 90-lap race in fourth position. Despite a top-five performance, Allmendinger is 72 points behind Wallace in 19th position.
While not winning at Watkins Glen may be a missed opportunity for the Kaulig Racing driver, a final shot at Daytona presents Allmendinger with another great opportunity. Allmendinger’s last five races at Daytona have resulted in top-10 finishes.
“It’s been tough these past couple of weeks. These cars are physically harder to drive than the old Cup car,” Allmendinger said. “With the tires not falling off, you still feel like you’re running (qualifying) laps. The Celsius Chevy was fast. I think if we could have gotten up there and cleared the Toyotas there, maybe we had something for William (Byron).
“It’s so hard to pass in dirty air. We wanted to win, but I’m super proud of everyone at Kaulig Racing. We’re getting better. Last week was disappointing, but I’m proud of myself this week. I felt like I made no mistakes. That was all I had all day today. It’s something to build on.”
• Despite a solid fifth-place finish last week at Indianapolis, Alex Bowman was unable to keep up any positive momentum on Sunday at Watkins Glen.
Aboard the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, Bowman qualified 18th and finished 26th, further digging himself into a points hole. Sitting 96 points behind Wallace, Bowman will need a victory if he looks to continue towards a championship.