2019 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs: Round of 12 Driver Power Rankings

#12 through #10

On one hand, you have to wonder how Clint Bowyer managed to advance to the round of 12 after barely qualifying for the playoffs. On the other hand, you have to wonder how he almost missed the playoffs; he has just one finish lower than eighth place in the last six races, and his average finish of 9.60 in the last five races is the fourth best among all drivers. But his recent hot streak comes after a nine-race stint that included just one top 10 finish. Will he have enough consistency to keep his championship hopes alive? As the lowest place (12th) driver in the championship standings to start the round of 12 with no victories or stage wins throughout the year, this could prove to be quite challenging.

Consistency wasn’t a huge problem for Ryan Blaney in the round of 16 after it hampered his regular season, as he advanced to the round of 12 on points with an average finish of 10.00. That said, we have seen less and less of him at the front of the field in recent weeks, and that will have to change if he wants to advance to the round of 8 for the first time since the 2017 season and for the first time as a Team Penske driver. Set to start the round of 12 in 10th place in the standings, can he win his first race in over a year?

William Byron entered the playoffs as the only playoff driver who had never won a Cup Series race, and he still holds that title. But he still managed to advance to the round of 12 on the strength of two top seven finishes in the round of 16. However, the later in the playoffs you get, the bigger the need is to win. Byron is slated to start the round of 12 in 11th place in the championship standings, so he may very well find himself in a must-win position if he struggles at any point whatsoever. Can he become a Cup Series race winner in the clutch? That may determine whether or not he can parlay his first playoff appearance another step further into a round of 8 appearance.