The only driver to win more NASCAR Cup Series races so far this season than Trackhouse Racing's Shane van Gisbergen is the guy who was in victory lane on Sunday afternoon at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway: Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin.
With his fifth win of the 2025 campaign, Hamlin has locked himself into the round of 12 of the playoffs, joining teammate Chase Briscoe after Briscoe won the playoff opener at Darlington Raceway.
Van Gisbergen, on the other hand? He fell below the round of 12 cut line with just one race remaining in the opening round of the playoffs following his 25th place finish at Gateway.
SVG drops out of the playoff picture
Van Gisbergen opened up the playoffs in sixth place in the standings, despite a 25th place finish in the regular season standings, because of all the playoff points he scored by winning four consecutive road/street course races to match Hamlin with a series-leading four regular season wins.
Team Penske's Austin Cindric is the 12th and final driver above the cut line ahead of Saturday night's round of 16 finale at Bristol Motor Speedway. Van Gisbergen sits 14th of the 16 playoff drivers, and he trails Cindric by 15 points.
The New Zealander also sits four points behind Richard Childress Racing's Austin Dillon, and he is critically 20 points ahead of Hendrick Motorsports' Alex Bowman and 30 points ahead of Wood Brothers Racing's Josh Berry,
Other drivers within striking distance of Cindric include Trackhouse Racing's Ross Chastain, who is eight points ahead of him and 19 points above the cutoff, and Team Penske's Joey Logano, who is 10 points ahead of his teammate and 21 above the cut line.
At any rate, being ahead of four total drivers, not just the two he's currently ahead of, will be a tall talk for van Gisbergen, especially since he'll need to make up significant ground at Bristol Motor Speedway, where he crashed out to finish a season-worst 38th place back in April.
Should van Gisbergen somehow manage to advance to the round of 12, a lot of fans believe he can advance even further to the round of 8, since the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval is on the round of 12 schedule.
However, falling his dip at Darlington, where he finished 32nd, and then his dip below the cut line at Gateway, it is looking a lot more likely that one of NASCAR fans' most popular first-round elimination picks will indeed no longer be in championship contention once the playoff field is narrowed from 16 drivers to 12 after the coming weekend.
USA Network is set to air the Bass Pro Shops Night Race from Bristol Motor Speedway beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET this Saturday, September 13. If you have not yet had the chance to begin a free trial of FuboTV, do so today and don't miss any of the action from the "Last Great Colosseum"!