The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series has hit the round of 12. Where do the final 12 competitors rank ahead of the second round?
The Charlotte Motor Speedway roval is in the mirror and Dover International Speedway is on the horizon, which means the round of 12 is underway! Over the last three weeks, we’ve seen hearts broken, dreams crushed and surprise exits from the original 16-driver NASCAR Cup Series playoff field!
As the series heads to Dover International Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway and Kansas Speedway in the round of 12, more action is upon us!
With the madness of the Charlotte Motor Speedway roval behind us, it’s time to focus on the 12 drivers remaining in the fight for the the Cup Series championship! In case you missed it, the first four out, which I reviewed earlier in the week, were Jimmie Johnson, Austin Dillon, Denny Hamlin and Erik Jones.
Hamlin and Jones were both drivers I expected to make the round of 12, but they were struck by bad luck in the round of 16. Johnson and Dillon ,who have both struggled with speed, once again found themselves in familiar territory and fell short of championship contention.
Now that we know who’s out, let’s take a look at who remains. The 12 drivers who will continue their fight for the championship are Alex Bowman, Aric Almirola, Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, Kurt Busch, Joey Logano, Clint Bowyer, Brad Keselowski, Martin Truex Jr., Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch.
Over the next few slides, I will rank these final 12 drivers from 12th to first, discussing four drivers per slide. I will explain why they land in particular spots and what they will need to accomplish to make it to the round of 8.
Let’s get cooking!