NASCAR: 4 playoff drivers who could be in trouble

Playoff drivers in trouble: No. 3 – Kurt Busch

Kurt Busch’s 2021 season has arguably been even more disastrous than those of Aric Almirola and Cole Custer. The difference is that he has been slightly able to mask that from a points perspective since he started the season by recording two top eight finishes in the first three races.

But that mask is slowly wearing off, as he now finds himself 83 points below the playoff cut line in 19th place in the point standings, effectively in must-win territory with just 11 races remaining before the four-round, 10-race postseason is scheduled to get underway.

After his eighth place finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway in late February, things have quickly gone south for Busch, who has finished no higher than 13th place in the 12 races that have been contested since then.

The #1 team and Chip Ganassi Racing as a whole simply don’t have the speed necessary to run up front this season, and that could end Busch’s eight-year playoff streak — and perhaps send him into retirement or to another team such as 23XI Racing.

Even Busch’s season-high finish of fourth place in the race at the Daytona International Speedway road course is somewhat misleading. On paper, his incident-filled race was nothing shy of a disaster, but a smart pit strategy, thanks in large part to a late controversial caution flag, played to his advantage and netted him a solid result in the end.