Following a thrilling finish at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) Int’l that saw non-playoff driver Chris Buescher outduel Shane van Gisbergen for the victory, 11 spots remain up for grabs in the Round of 12 of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.
The cutoff race is set for this weekend at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. Only Joey Logano is locked into the next round following his victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway two weeks ago.
If a playoff driver (besides Logano) wins at Bristol this weekend, he and his team will also be secured a place in the Round of 12.
Here’s how the standings look heading to Bristol:
Locked In
1. Joey Logano
Logano had a pedestrian day at Watkins Glen as he bagged eight stage points in Stage Two and finished 15th.
The Team Penske driver heads to Bristol as a two-time winner on the .533-mile concrete oval.
Safe
2. Christopher Bell (+46)
It was a survive and advance type of day for Christopher Bell. While he finished 14th at The Glen and was involved in two spins during the race, Bell managed to gain six points above the cutline.
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver is 46 markers above the cutline with a hefty chance of clinching a berth into the Round of 12 at Bristol.
3. Austin Cindric (+43)
Perhaps the surprise of the Round of 16 has been Austin Cindric. After a 10th-place finish at Atlanta, the Team Penske driver secured another 10th-place effort at Watkins Glen.
With the Round of 16 cutoff race looming, Cindric is in solid shape, 43 markers ahead of the cutline.
4. Alex Bowman (+41)
Despite finishing 18th after starting fourth, Alex Bowman gobbled up stage points throughout the 92-lap race at Watkins Glen.
Bowman tallied 12 points between Stage One and Two, which helped vault the Hendrick Motorsports driver to 41 markers ahead of the cutline after entering the race only 27 above.
5. Daniel Suárez (+36)
Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suárez gained a significant number of points above the cutline following Watkins Glen. The driver of the No. 99 Chevrolet added a 14-point cushion to his gap from 13th, putting him at 36 points to the good entering Bristol.
Suárez finished 13th at Watkins Glen and added seven stage points after placing fourth in Stage One.
6. Tyler Reddick (+30)
Tyler Reddick only lost three points to the cutline between Atlanta and Watkins Glen, despite finishing 27th on Sunday.
The regular season champion has a decent cushion entering Bristol, where the 23XI Racing driver has one previous top-10 finish at The Last Great Colosseum (2020, fall).
7. Chase Elliott (+30)
It was a solid day for Chase Elliott at Watkins Glen. The Hendrick Motorsports driver added six points to his gap ahead of 13th. Elliott finished 19th on Sunday after getting involved in a wreck during the race.
He’ll enter Bristol 30 markers above the cutline.
Safe For Now
8. Ryan Blaney (+29)
After finishing second at Atlanta, Ryan Blaney tumbled from second (+45) to eighth (+29) on the playoff grid due to a wreck on the first lap at Watkins Glen. He finished 38th.
While missing out on a race-worth of points is a chink in the reigning Cup Series champion’s armor, Blaney still has a comfortable margin over the cutline.
The Team Penske driver started on pole at Bristol in the spring before placing 16th.
9. Kyle Larson (+26)
Kyle Larson, a two-time winner at Watkins Glen, finished 12th on Sunday and managed to sustain his gap above the cutline.
It’s been a dismal first round for the 2021 Cup Series champion (finished 37th at Atlanta), who felt Watkins Glen could’ve been better had circumstances turned out differently.
“Our race was pretty wild. We started right in the middle of the field, and it was just never quite relaxing,” Larson said. “I feel like our No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevy was really good. We made great improvements on it overnight.
“I think studying some data helped on my end, as well. Happy with the improvement, but just wish we could restart the whole weekend over. I think it would go a lot better.”
10. William Byron (+25)
Defending Watkins Glen winner William Byron was unable to repeat his performance from last season after finishing 34th due to a late-race accident with fellow playoff driver, Brad Keselowski.
While the finish didn’t help Byron’s case for advancement, it wasn’t a total loss. The Hendrick Motorsports driver went from 33 ahead of the cutline to 25 points up at the finish.
Near The Cutline
11. Chase Briscoe (+6)
A wreck early at Atlanta pinned Chase Briscoe and the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing team behind drastically, entering Watkins Glen 21 points in the red.
However, snagging stage points in the first two stages (12) along with a stout sixth-place finish allowed Briscoe to jump into the green, six points above the cutline.
While not safe, Briscoe is confident in his team’s ability to rise above the pressure following their win at Darlington to make the playoffs three races ago.
“Going into Bristol, it’s an elimination race – and really, any elimination race, whether it’s Bristol or another round, or for us like it was at Darlington – you just know that you have to do everything perfectly,” Briscoe explained. “You can’t have any big mishaps, you can’t have a bad night on pit road, and you can’t make a big mistake on the race track.
“At the end of the day, you’re probably not going to win every elimination race, even if you do everything perfectly. But if you do everything perfectly that night, you can go to bed and hang your hat on the fact that you did everything you could and the points just weren’t enough.
“I think that’s the biggest thing going into an elimination race – not eliminating yourself and just putting together the most solid night you can from start to finish.”
12. Ty Gibbs (+6)
A 22nd-place finish at Watkins Glen has bumped Ty Gibbs to six points above the cutline after having only one point to spare following Atlanta.
Outside Looking In
13. Denny Hamlin (-6)
Denny Hamlin kicked off the NASCAR Playoffs 10 points above the cutline. Two weeks later, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver is six markers below.
Hamlin was involved in multiple accidents at Watkins Glen, which pinned the driver of the No. 11 Toyota to 23rd at the checkered flag.
Hamlin won the March race at Bristol, but his team was penalized last month because the car’s engine was not properly inspected following the event.
14. Brad Keselowski (-12)
Brad Keselowski’s playoff run has been dismal, as he finished 19th at Atlanta and 26th at Watkins Glen. Keselowski was involved in an accident late in the race on Sunday.
The RFK Racing driver is now 12 points below the cutline, making his run for a second title a tick more difficult.
Keselowski is a three-time winner at Bristol and has tallied two straight top-eight finishes there.
15. Martin Truex Jr. (-14)
A disappointing 20th-place finish at Watkins Glen has kept Martin Truex Jr. below the cutline in his final full-time season in the Cup Series.
While he gained ground (entered Watkins Glen -19), Truex will need a solid race and perhaps a victory to secure a spot in the Round of 12.
While Bristol isn’t one of his favorite tracks, Truex is optimistic about his team’s chances.
“I think we’ve been competitive there over the years,” Truex said. “It’s a place that’s tight and things happen fast there, so you have to be on your toes.
“Always really excited to be a part of how great the crowd is there, and the fans love that place. Obviously the spring race there was very encouraging, and hope we can run up front all night like we did there in March and have a shot to make it through to the next round. Would be great to have another strong run there and finally get a win at Bristol with our Bass Pro Shops Camry.
“We’ll see how it plays out.”
16. Harrison Burton (-20)
Harrison Burton lost four points at Watkins Glen with a 24th-place finish. He is 20 points below the cutline heading to Bristol.
Unless a handful of playoff drivers endure major issues during Saturday night’s 500-lap race, Burton will need to replicate his performance from Daytona (Fla.) Int’l Speedway in August, where he won his first Cup Series race to secure a berth into the playoffs.