NASCAR Cup Series: Aric Almirola clinches 2019 playoff berth

Aric Almirola has clinched a berth in the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs despite the fact that he has not yet won a race in the regular season.

Stewart-Haas Racing’s Aric Almirola only scored 20 points with a 17th place in the penultimate race of the 26-race 2019 NASCAR Cup Series regular season, the Bojangles’ Southern 500, at Darlington Raceway.

But that was enough for the 35-year-old Fort Walton Beach, Florida native to clinch a berth in this year’s four-round, 10-race playoffs, marking his second consecutive playoff berth.

When he took the checkered flag to end this 367-lap race around the four-turn, 1.366-mile (2.198-kilometer) Darlington Raceway oval in Darlington, South Carolina in 17th place, Almirola found himself in 14th in the championship standings.

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But far more importantly, he found himself 57 points ahead of the playoff cut line with just one race remaining on the regular season schedule.

With the drivers who currently sit in 16th and 17th place in the championship standings, Stewart-Haas Racing’s Daniel Suarez and Roush Fenway Racing’s Ryan Newman, tied, even a victory for a driver who sits below the cut line in this race, the Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway would not change much.

Almirola would still be 57 points ahead of the playoff cut line even if it were to move to between the 15th and 16th place drivers from the 16th and 17th place drivers, which is exactly what would happen if somebody below it wins the regular season finale.

While a maximum of 60 points are available for each driver in this race, more commonly known as the Brickyard 400, it is impossible to score 57 points by doing anything but winning. These 60 points including 40 for winning the race, 10 for winning stage one and 10 for winning stage two, so without winning, the maximum point total is 55 (35 for a second place finish).

As a result, nobody from below the playoff cut line is capable of moving ahead of Almirola in the championship standings in this race without winning, and if somebody from below the playoff cut line does win and the cut line does move up, nobody else from below it would be capable of moving ahead of him in the standings anyway since only one driver can win.

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The Brickyard 400 is set to get underway at 2:00 p.m. ET this Sunday, September 8, and NBC is set to broadcast it live from Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana.

The South Point 400 is set to get the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs underway at 7:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, September 15, and NBC Sports Network is set to broadcast that race live from Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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