NASCAR: 4 playoff drivers who could be in trouble
By Asher Fair
Playoff drivers in trouble: No. 4 – Matt DiBenedetto
Things are a lot less dire for Matt DiBenedetto than they are for the other three drivers included in this article, considering the fact that Wood Brothers Racing have shown solid speed and the fact that he has recorded two top five finishes. Plus, he is just one spot below the playoff cut line with plenty of time to make that jump.
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But there are still a few things that should be concerning for DiBenedetto, who barely made it into the playoffs last year as the 16th and final driver to qualify — largely aided by the fact that Jimmie Johnson was disqualified from a race and missed a race after testing positive for COVID-19.
First of all, DiBenedetto may be 17th in the point standings, but he isn’t just looking to crack the top 16 to get in on points. Right now, the playoff cut line is below the 14th place driver, Roush Fenway Racing’s Chris Buescher, since 15th place driver Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing and 16th place driver Michael McDowell of Front Row Motorsports have both already won a race this season.
So DiBenedetto is 55 points below the playoff cut line, which is quite a significant gap, even with 11 races remaining on the calendar.
Secondly, DiBenedetto hasn’t won any race since the 2011 K&N Pro Series East season. He has come close several times since joining Wood Brothers Racing ahead of last season, but he hasn’t been able to seal the deal behind the wheel of the #21 Ford.
If he is in a must-win situation entering what should be a “wild card” of a regular season finale at Daytona International Speedway in late August, can he get the job done?
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Will any of these four drivers from the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs return to the postseason this year? Will a win even be enough to lock any of them in, given the fact that we could see more than 16 regular season winners in 2021?