NASCAR Cup Series: 5 drivers poised for low-key championship runs

Ryan Newman

Ryan Newman’s first season driving for Roush Fenway Racing had gone largely unappreciated until his incredible come-from-behind seventh place finish in the race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway that he pulled off after starting at the back of the field in a backup car and experiencing a significant engine issue in the latter stages of the race.

Of the four drivers already discussed in this article (and of the eight drivers discussed including the four referenced in the first slide), all are already locked into the playoffs.

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Newman, meanwhile, is on the playoff bubble in 15th place in the championship standings. He sits just 21 points above the playoff cut line with six races remaining in the regular season, and he sits just four points ahead of 16th place driver Clint Bowyer of Stewart-Haas Racing, which is particularly significant if somebody from outside of the top 16 manages to win one of the regular season’s six remaining races.

Newman has gotten as much as he can possibly get out of his equipment this season, and it has recently started to pay off. His average finish of 9.00 in the last five races is just 0.20 positions behind that of Joe Gibbs Racing’s Erik Jones, who leads the series in that category, and his average finish of 7.00 in the last three races is the best.

When he entered the 2014 playoffs in a 14th place tie in the championship standings with two of the other 15 playoff drivers, did anyone really expect him to finish runner-up to champion Kevin Harvick that season — with zero wins and no top two finishes until the season finale, no less?

As one of only two drivers who have not finished a race outside of the top 24 this season, Newman is having the same kind of an opportunistic season that he had back in 2014, a season during which he only failed to finish one race. He has advanced an average of 6.20 positions per race so far this season. No other driver as advanced more than an average of 4.00.

It will still be a challenge for Newman to qualify for the playoffs, but if he can do that and he can keep doing what he’s been doing and getting the most out of his car on a weekly basis, he will be the ultimate championship dark horse.

Do you expect to see any of these five drivers enter the Championship 4 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday, November 17 with a chance to win the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series championship? Which four drivers do you expect to advance to the Championship 4, and who do you believe will ultimately win the title?