NASCAR: Right now nobody is in the playoffs

Through five races, zero playoff spots are officially locked up for the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series postseason. And that may not change in the near future.

The Gen 7 era of NASCAR Cup Series racing has brought into question the idea of a “win and in” playoff format, as it has given us a level of parity that not many could have anticipated.

Five different drivers have been victorious through the first five races of the 2022 season, and there are well over a dozen other drivers who could easily be on that list of winners.

The five races winners so far include Hendrick Motorsports teammates Kyle Larson (Auto Club Speedway), Alex Bowman (Las Vegas Motor Speedway), William Byron (Atlanta Motor Speedway), Team Penske’s Austin Cindric (Daytona International Speedway), and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Chase Briscoe (Phoenix Raceway).

As a result, there could very well end up being more than 16 different winners by the time the 26-race regular season comes to a close.

And this would result in the elimination of at least one regular season race winner, despite the idea that locking in the postseason is as simple as winning a regular season race.

Let’s take a look at what the playoff format really is.

The 16 playoff spots go to the regular season points champion — whether he wins any races or not — and then the next 15 drivers who rank highest in points. If a tie needs to be broken among single-race winners, the tiebreaker becomes points.

And of course, if there are not enough race winners to fill the postseason field, the remaining spots are awarded to the non-winners with the most points. Notably, winners only remain playoff eligible by staying in the top 30 in points.

So with all things to considered, to completely avoid the risk of being eliminated and failing to qualify for the playoffs as a regular season race winner, it is still important to score good points.

Right now, the top two drivers in the point standings, Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott and Team Penske’s Joey Logano, are non-winners. In fact, through five races, there is only one top five finish, Logano’s fifth place finish at Auto Club Speedway, among the two.

Leading the winners in points is Briscoe in third place. Byron sits just behind him in fourth, with Bowman in ninth and Larson in 12th. Cindric interestingly sits outside the top 16 in 17th.

Which driver will become the first to win multiple races in the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season? The season is scheduled to continue this Sunday, March 27 with the sixth race, the EchoPark Texas Grand Prix. This race, the first of six road course races on the 36-race schedule, is set to be broadcast live on Fox from Circuit of the Americas beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET. Start your free trial of FuboTV today and don’t miss it!