NASCAR Cup Series: 8 playoff pretenders in 2018

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - SEPTEMBER 10: Erik Jones, driver of the #20 buyatoyota.com Toyota, races during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on September 10, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images) /

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INDIANAPOLIS, IN – SEPTEMBER 10: Austin Dillon, driver of the #3 Dow MOLYKOTE Chevrolet (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images) /

The first two

The easiest pretenders to identify are two drivers who have steadily shown they don’t have the championship caliber. The first and most obvious one is Austin Dillon.

Dillon won the 2018 Daytona 500 after a controversial incident involving Aric Almirola on the final lap. Since his big win, he has finished inside the top 10 on just three other occasions, resulting in a 18th place finish in the regular season championship standings.

Obviously Dillon’s win led to a playoff berth, but there is no doubt in my mind that he has a zero percent chance to bring home the championship. Richard Childress Racing have to get much better and Dillon needs to be more than the annual one-hit wonder to prove that he can ever be a title contender.

The next driver is a young driver who is set to make his first playoff run, Alex Bowman.

Bowman, who has shown flashes of speed throughout the season, just isn’t ready for a championship run. This pick has nothing to do with Bowman himself. Generally speaking, guys in their first playoff appearances don’t make runs at the title. Bowman is a stout driver with a bright future, but don’t give him a serious thought when it comes to who will be the 2018 Cup Series champion.

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