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NASCAR: Playoff Picture After Indianapolis

ByAsher Fair|
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - JULY 23: Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe's Chevrolet, races during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motorspeedway on July 23, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - JULY 23: Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe's Chevrolet, races during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motorspeedway on July 23, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images)

We are now 20 races into the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season. As Pocono approaches, how does the current playoff picture look?

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With 20 races down, there are still six races for NASCAR drivers to lock up a spot for themselves in the playoffs. Which drivers have the best chance of doing so with the new playoff format? Here is the current playoff picture.

NOTE: This list does not include drivers who are mathematically eliminated from getting into the playoffs based on points.

In order to be still eligible to qualify for the playoffs based on points, a driver must be within 324 points of the 16th place driver. This leaves just 29 drivers who are not eliminated, of which 12 have clinched a spot in the playoffs. Another four are currently in the playoff picture, and the final 13 are on the outside looking in.

Playoff Picture

  1. Martin Truex Jr., #78, Furniture Row Racing, Toyota – 3 wins (-)
  2. Jimmie Johnson, #48, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet – 3 wins (-)
  3. Kyle Larson, #42, Chip Ganassi Racing, Chevrolet – 2 wins (-)
  4. Brad Keselowski, #2, Team Penske, Ford – 2 wins (-)
  5. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., #17, Roush Fenway Racing, Ford – 2 wins (-)
  6. Kevin Harvick, #4, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford – 1 win (-)
  7. Denny Hamlin, #11, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota – 1 win (-)
  8. Ryan Blaney, #21, Wood Brothers Racing, Ford – 1 win (-)
  9. Kurt Busch, #41, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford – 1 win (-)
  10. Ryan Newman, #31, Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet – 1 win (-)
  11. Kasey Kahne, #5, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet – 1 win (-)
  12. Austin Dillon, #3, Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet – 1 win (-)
  13. Kyle Busch, #18, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota – 673 points (+140)
  14. Jamie McMurray, #1, Chip Ganassi Racing, Chevrolet – 599 points (+66)
  15. Chase Elliott, #24, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet – 588 points (+55)
  16. Matt Kenseth, #20, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota – 566 points (+33)
  17. Clint Bowyer, #14, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford – 533 points (-33)
  18. Joey Logano, #22, Team Penske, Ford – 1 win*, 515 points (-51)
  19. Erik Jones, #77, Furniture Row Racing, Toyota – 440 points (-126)
  20. Daniel Suarez, #19, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota – 434 points (-132)
  21. Trevor Bayne, #6, Roush Fenway Racing, Ford – 386 points (-180)
  22. Dale Earnhardt Jr., #88, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet – 353 points (-213)
  23. Paul Menard, #27, Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet – 345 points (-221)
  24. Ty Dillon, #13, Germain Racing, Chevrolet – 340 points (-226)
  25. Chris Buescher, #37, JTG Daugherty Racing, Chevrolet – 311 points (-255)
  26. Michael McDowell, #95, Leavine Family Racing, Chevrolet – 305 points (-261)
  27. AJ Allmendinger, #47, JTG Daugherty Racing, Chevrolet – 302 points (-264)
  28. Danica Patrick, #10, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford – 280 points (-286)
  29. David Ragan, #38, Front Row Motorsports, Ford – 251 points (-315)

*=encumbered victory

Next: NASCAR Stage and Playoff Points

Be sure to check back with Beyond the Flag after every Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race for a playoff picture update! Also be sure to follow me on Instagram as well as Beyond the Flag on both Instagram and Twitter. Also, don’t forget to follow along with Beyond the Flag for the latest news, opinions, and analysis stemming from a number of different motorsports series. You don’t want to miss any of it.

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