NASCAR Cup Series: Brad Keselowski clinches 2018 playoff berth

While he has not yet won a race in the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series season, Team Penske’s Brad Keselowski has secured a spot in the playoffs.

With his 16th place finish in the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race, the 24th race of the 36-race NASCAR Cup Series season, on Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway, Team Penske’s Brad Keselowski clinched a berth in the playoffs as a result of his point total.

Keselowski, who drives the #2 Ford, currently sits in eighth place in the championship standings and 11th in the playoffs picture.

Just two races remain on the regular season schedule, meaning that a maximum of two drivers who are currently outside of the playoff picture can possibly win their way into the playoffs.

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If two drivers who are currently outside of the playoff picture were to win the final two races of the regular season, the playoff cut line would move up by two positions. It would move from between Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman and Roush Fenway Racing’s Ricky Stenhouse in 15th and 16th place, respectively, in the championship standings to between Stewart-Haas Racing’s Aric Almirola and Hendrick Motorsports’ Jimmie Johnson in 13th and 14th, respectively.

Keselowski sits 237 points above the current playoff cut line while Johnson currently sits 111 points above the current playoff cut line, meaning Keselowski leads Johnson by 126 points.

Johnson can only make up a maximum of 110 points (108 points assuming Keselowski races) over Keselowski over the course of the final two races of the regular season, as drivers can score a maximum of 55 points in a race (10 points for winning stage one, 10 points for winning stage two and 35 points for finishing the race in second place) and even last place finishers receive one point.

Because of this, Keselowski cannot possibly fall below the playoff cut line no matter how high it rises. As a result, he has clinched a playoff berth.

Johnson winning either one or both of the final two races of the regular season would not cause the playoff cut line to move as a result of the fact that he is currently in the playoff picture.

Because of the fact that Team Penske’s Joey Logano clinched a playoff berth with his win in the GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway in late April and the fact that Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney has also clinched a playoff berth based on his point total, all three of Team Penske’s drivers are locked into this season’s playoffs.

A total of 12 playoff spots have been locked up by drivers so far this season. As a result, four playoff positions are still up for grabs with two races remaining in the regular season. Of the 12 drivers who have clinched playoffs berths so far this season, nine have done so by winning at least one race this year. Keselowski and two others, Blaney and Chip Ganassi Racing’s Kyle Larson, have done so as a result of their point totals.

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The 2018 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs are scheduled to begin on Sunday, September 16 with the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada. There are, however, still two regular season races to be contested before then at Darlington Raceway and Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

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