NASCAR: Early points leader could miss the playoffs entirely

23XI Racing's Tyler Reddick won last week's rain-delayed NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway. The win was his second of the 2024 season, and it shot him to the top of the point standings for the first time in his career.

The driver of the No. 45 Toyota is the eighth different driver to have led the point standings at some point during the regular season, and he is locked into the playoffs. Though he crashed out at Daytona International Speedway this past Saturday night, he is still the points leader.

Six of the other seven points leaders from earlier this season find themselves in the top nine in the point standings, with four of them lining up behind Reddick from second through fifth place.

They include Hendrick Motorsports teammates Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson, and William Byron, as well as Team Penske's Ryan Blaney.

All four of those drivers have also locked themselves into the playoffs this year, as has Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin in eighth place. But Joe Gibbs Racing's Martin Truex Jr., who sits in ninth, has not. However, he is relatively safe on points with just one race remaining on the regular season schedule.

But the other former points leader this season may miss the playoffs entirely.

After his third place finish in the season's second race at Atlanta Motor Speedway back in February, Richard Childress Racing's Kyle Busch found himself atop the point standings.

Busch entered the 2024 season riding an all-time record streak of 19 straight winning seasons, and he led all active Cup Series drivers with 11 straight playoff appearances.

But things have not gone well for the two-time champion as of late, as he has posted just three top five finishes in the 23 races that have been contested since. He finds himself sitting in 16th place in the point standings and 19th in the playoff picture, 106 points below the cut line.

Even with two of those top five finishes coming in the two most recent races, he is in a must-win situation, needing to earn a victory for the 20th consecutive season at Darlington Raceway to wrap up the regular season in order to make the 2024 season his 12th in a row with a playoff berth.

Busch has just one win in 25 starts at Darlington, with that victory coming back in 2008.

He nearly got the job done on Saturday night at Daytona, where his one previous win in 38 starts had also come in 2008, but he was passed for the lead on the final lap by Wood Brothers Racing's Harrison Burton.

The Cook Out Southern 500 is set to be broadcast live on USA Network from Darlington Raceway beginning at 6:00 p.m. ET this Sunday, September 1. Start a free trial of FuboTV and don't miss the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series regular season finale!