NASCAR: Another playoff driver at risk of missing out in 2024

Several drivers who qualified for last year's NASCAR Cup Series playoffs have long been viewed as being at risk of missing this year's postseason, especially with several non-playoff drivers from a year ago having already solidified their spots in this year's 16-driver postseason field by winning.

It was likely always going to take an upset victory for Front Row Motorsports' Michael McDowell or JTG Daugherty Racing's Ricky Stenhouse Jr. to get back to the playoffs this year, and that is indeed what it is going to take, given how low they are both positioned in the point standings.

Richard Childress Racing's Kyle Busch has had a disastrous 2024 season and has spent the last several races below the cut line. The two-time champion's series-high streaks of 19 straight winning seasons and 11 straight playoff appearances are both at risk.

23XI Racing's Bubba Wallace, who made the playoffs for the first time in his career a year ago, has spent the last few races below the cut line as well.

Even Team Penske's Joey Logano was in that "danger zone" in regard to the cutoff until he won at Nashville Superspeedway a few weeks ago to secure his spot. The two-time champion is aiming to make it six for six in terms of qualifying for the Championship 4 in even-numbered years.

Now the winner of last year's championship race and the championship runner-up from the previous season finds himself as the 16th and final driver above the cut line.

Ross Chastain at risk of missing the playoffs?

Trackhouse Racing Team's Ross Chastain has just two top five finishes in 21 races so far this season, and the three most recent races have seen him record two DNFs.

He was wrecked out late at Nashville three weekends ago and crashed out on his own this past Sunday afternoon at Pocono Raceway. His only finish during this rough three-race stretch was a 22nd place effort on the streets of Chicago, Illinois.

The driver of the No. 1 Chevrolet advanced all the way to the Championship 4 in his first season with the Justin Marks and Pitbull-owned team two years ago, and while he did not advance beyond the round of 12 last year, he became the first driver of the Championship 4 era (2014 to present) to win the season finale despite being ineligible to win the title.

Chastain won two races in 2022 and added two more victories in 2023, but things have not gone his way this year. He finds himself just 27 points ahead of Wallace for the 16th and final playoff spot.

Even if he stays ahead of Wallace, Chastain finds himself in a precarious position with five races left on the 26-race regular season schedule. Should a winner emerge from below the cut line, that cut line would move up, leaving the 31-year-old Alva, Florida native on the outside looking in.

Daytona International Speedway has a knack for producing upset winners, and nobody really knows how the Cup Series' return to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval for the first Brickyard 400 since 2020 will go.

The other three remaining regular season races are set to be contested at Richmond Raceway, Michigan International Speedway, and Darlington Raceway.

Chastain is 17 points behind RFK Racing's Chris Buescher, another playoff driver from a year ago who still has work to do to get back to the postseason, and 40 points behind Joe Gibbs Racing's Ty Gibbs, who is seeking his first playoff berth.

With the possibility existing that more new winners emerge before the four-round, 10-race postseason begins, Chastain might very well need to pass one or both of them on points to avoid being left on the outside looking in.

Or, better yet, he could win to erase all doubt.

The Brickyard 400 is the next race on the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series schedule, and it is the final race on the schedule before the three-week hiatus due to the Summer Olympics in Paris, France. The first Cup Series race on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval since 2020 is set to be broadcast live on NBC beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET this Sunday, July 21. Start a free trial of FuboTV now and don't miss it!