NASCAR Cup Series: Aric Almirola clinches 2018 playoff berth

Aric Almirola has clinched a berth in the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs with his 14th place finish in the Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.

Stewart-Haas Racing’s Aric Almirola crossed the finish line of the 25th race of the 36-race 2018 NASCAR Cup Series season and the penultimate race of the regular season, the Bojangles’ Southern 500, at Darlington Raceway in 14th place.

In doing so, the driver of the #10 Ford clinched himself a spot in the playoffs in his first season driving for Stewart-Haas Racing, as there is no longer any way by which he can possibly fall below the playoff cut line before the regular season ends.

Following the 367-lap race around the four-turn, 1.366-mile (2.198-kilometer) egg-shaped Darlington Raceway oval in Darlington, South Carolina, Almirola sits in 12th place in the championship standings with 681 points.

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The playoff cut line currently sits between Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman and Roush Fenway Racing’s Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who sit in 15th and 16th in the standings, respectively.

With just one race remaining in the regular season, the highest position to which the playoff cut line can rise is between the drivers in 14th and 15th place in the championship standings, as a maximum of one driver who is currently below it can win to qualify for the playoffs. The driver who currently sits in 14th place in the championship standings is Hendrick Motorsports’ Jimmie Johnson, who has earned 605 points so far this season.

Because Almirola has earned 76 more points than Johnson has so far this season and Johnson can only make up a maximum of 54 points on Almirola in the season finale without winning it assuming Almirola races in it (55 points if he doesn’t), there is no way by which Almirola can fall below the playoff cut line no matter how high it rises.

Even Johnson winning the season finale would only result in him netting a maximum of 60 points. Because of the fact that he is already above the playoff cut line, him winning the race would not affect Almirola’s position in the playoff picture relative to the cut line anyway, nor would it affect the position in the playoff picture relative to the cut line of any other driver who is currently above the cut line.

With one race remaining in the regular season, two playoff positions are still up for grabs. A total of 14 drivers have clinched playoff berths through the season’s first 25 races, with 10 having done so by winning at least one race and the other four having done so based on their respective point totals.

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The Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard, also known as the Brickyard 400, is scheduled to take place on Sunday, September 9. It is the final race on the 26-race 2018 NASCAR Cup Series regular season schedule before the 10-race playoffs begin. The playoffs are set to begin on Sunday, September 16 with the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

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