NASCAR's new last place driver falls further behind at Bristol

Wood Brothers Racing's Harrison Burton scored the fewest total points during the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series regular season among the 34 full-time drivers, but because of the fact that he won the August race at Daytona International Speedway, he clinched a spot in the four-round, 10-race playoffs anyway.

That made Spire Motorsports' Zane Smith, the driver who had passed Burton for 33rd place in points with a string of solid results in mid-summer, including a runner-up finish at Nashville Superspeedway, the last place driver to begin the postseason.

Even as a non-playoff driver, Smith had a relative strong start to the postseason, placing 21st at Atlanta Motor Speedway to move to within 13 points of Legacy Motor Club's John Hunter Nemechek for 33rd in the standings. He then overtook Nemechek with a fifth place finish at Watkins Glen International, outscoring him by 16 with Nemechek only finishing in 21st.

After a disastrous race at Bristol Motor Speedway, Nemechek fell even further behind.

Nemechek was the cause of the first caution flag period during Saturday night's Bass Pro Shops Night Race, and he finished nine laps off the lead lap in 33rd place. Smith, meanwhile, drove from 33rd to 16th, moving him to 20 points clear of last place in the standings.

Smith has finished no lower than 23rd place in the eight most recent races, continuing an upward trend during the second half of the season. Only one other driver, Joe Gibbs Racing's Ty Gibbs, can say that about this eight-race stretch.

Smith is still searching for a new ride in 2025. He will not return to Spire Motorsports and has been released by Trackhouse Racing Team, the team with which he signed a development deal ahead of the 2024 season. He has since been linked to Front Row Motorsports, which are in search of a driver to put in their new third car. He won a championship for the team in the Truck Series back in 2022.

Nemechek, on the other hand, has struggled as of late, recording just one top 20 finish in the 11 most recent events. Even that result was only a 15th place effort in the chaotic Daytona race won by Burton.

The next race on the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series playoff calendar is scheduled to open up the round of 12 on Sunday, September 29. The Hollywood Casino 400 presented by ESPN BET is set to be shown live on USA Network from Kansas Speedway beginning at 3:00 p.m. ET. Start a free trial of FuboTV today and don't miss it!