NASCAR: Austin Dillon not locked into the playoffs after Richmond win

For the fans hoping that NASCAR is going to strip Austin Dillon of his victory at Richmond Raceway on Sunday night due to how he achieved it, and thus take away his 2024 playoff berth along with it, that probably isn't going to happen.

But believe it or not, there is still one possible scenario in which Dillon could find himself not among the 16-driver playoff field once the four-round, 10-race postseason commences at Atlanta Motor Speedway in a couple weeks.

The 16 playoff spots go to the regular season champion and the 15 drivers who rank next highest in wins. There have been 13 winners in the regular season's first 23 races, meaning that there can be no more than 16 by the time the 26-race regular season comes to an end, following the upcoming races at Michigan International Speedway, Daytona International Speedway, and Darlington Raceway.

But in the event that there is a winless regular season champion and there are 16 different winners, the winner who finishes lowest in the point standings would not qualify for the postseason.

Dillon is currently the lowest ranking winner in the point standings, and by a wide margin.

The driver of the No. 3 Chevrolet sits all the way down in 26th place, and he is 107 points behind the next lowest winner, Team Penske's Austin Cindric. Cindric, who won at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway back in early June, finds himself in 20th.

The top seven drivers in the point standings are all winners, so the likelihood of a winless regular season champion is slim, but it is still possible with 180 points left on the table during the regular season. Joe Gibbs Racing's Martin Truex Jr. leads all non-winners in eighth place, and he is 117 points behind points leader Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports.

In any given race, a driver can make up 54 points over another driver without winning. A second place finisher can score up to 55 points (35 for the second place finish and 10 each for wins in stage one and stage two), while drivers who finish outside of the top 35 only score a single point.

So without winning, Truex can still technically make up 162 points on Larson.

Is it likely? Absolutely not. Plus, he would have to outscore the other six drivers he trails to become regular season champion as well.

Truex trails 23XI Racing's Tyler Reddick by 112, Hendrick Motorsports teammates Chase Elliott and William Byron by 111 and 16, respectively, Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell by 96 and 39, respectively, and Team Penske's Ryan Blaney by 40.

Making up every single one of those deficits, and doing so without winning, over the course of three races is a tall task.

But it is possible, and for that reason, it is indeed inaccurate to say that Austin Dillon is mathematically locked into the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.

The antepenultimate race on the 26-race regular season schedule is the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway, which is set to be broadcast live on USA Network beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET this Sunday, August 18. RFK Racing's Chris Buescher, who has not yet won this year and currently finds himself below the playoff cut line, is the reigning race winner. Begin a free trial of FuboTV now and don't miss any of the action!