NASCAR: 5 championship contenders who could miss the playoffs entirely

Several of the usual suspects when it comes to contending for the NASCAR Cup Series championship are at risk of not even making the 2024 playoffs, which could create a bit more chaos than usual when the 16-driver postseason field is set.

With the 26-race regular season officially past its halfway mark following the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the playoff picture is becoming something to take pay a lot more attention to.

Here are five usual contenders who are at risk of not even making the playoffs.

1. Joey Logano

Since the Championship 4 format was introduced, Team Penske's Joey Logano has not missed it in an even year. The two-time series champion, however, finds himself having recorded just three top 10 finishes in the season's first 14 races.

Ford's struggles to start the 2024 season have been no secret, but the perennial championship contender finds himself lower in the point standings than drivers from three different Ford teams, including one of his own teammates.

With just a single top five finish this year, the driver of the No. 22 Ford finds himself 30 points below the cut line as he aims to avoid missing the playoffs for the first time since 2017, when he only missed out due to an encumbered victory.