NASCAR Cup Series: 8 playoff pretenders in 2018

Not there yet

Now that we’ve covered two of the more obvious picks for who won’t take home this year’s championship, who could be next? These two drivers have improved in 2018, but they still don’t have the muscle to be considered legitimate in terms of their championship caliber.

The first of these two drivers is Aric Almirola. Almirola, who has already outperformed the previous driver of the #10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford, Danica Patrick, falls into a similar category as Alex Bowman. Almirola has flashed speed at times, but he continues to fall short when it comes to finding victory lane.

Almirola finds himself slightly above Bowman due to his equipment, yet not far ahead due to his inability to close the deal. He has a small window to hit his prime, but this year won’t be when you see him hit the top of his mountain.

Next, let’s talk about Erik Jones. The first potential shocker on this list, Jones scored his first career Cup Series win at Daytona International Speedway in July, and he continues to be a weekly contender. So how is he a pretender? Simple, he’s just not ready.

Jones can make a sneaky run into the round of 8, but I don’t think he cuts the mustard when it comes to outrunning the top-tier veterans of the sport. He will get there one day, but 2018 may be a year too early.

Look for Jones to spark something special in the coming seasons, just not this year, as this will be his first career playoff attempt. Just like Bowman, give him time.