NASCAR: Why SHR's top driver is not currently in the playoffs

Expectations were at an all-time low entering the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season for Stewart-Haas Racing, and the first eight races of the year haven't exactly given anybody any reason to believe that the team are on the verge of a major resurgence.

However, the performance of Chase Briscoe, who inherited the role of team veteran this season following the retirements of both Kevin Harvick an Aric Almirola, has been respectable.

Briscoe scored his first Cup Series win at Phoenix Raceway two seasons ago and ended up making a deep run to the round of 8 in the playoffs. But last season, he finished in 30th place in the point standings, and he would not have come close to qualifying for the playoffs (23rd) even without the major points penalty he was issued during the regular season.

Through eight races, the only remaining Stewart-Haas Racing driver from 2022 has recorded three top 10 finishes and just two finishes outside of the top 20. But despite the fact that he finds himself in 16th place in the point standings, he is still on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoff picture.

Chase Briscoe currently out, despite top 16

The playoffs consist of 16 drivers, and that has been the case since the modern format was introduced in 2014. While the playoff format is widely considered a "win and in" format, the 16 playoff spots really go to the regular season champion, winner or not, and the 15 drivers who rank next highest in wins.

Multi-race winners are locked in, since there can be no more than 13 of them during the 26-race regular season. If there are more winners than playoff spots, a points tiebreaker is used to decide which single-race winners are in and which aren't. If there aren't, which is far more common, a points tiebreaker is used to decide which non-winners are in and which aren't.

Briscoe hasn't won a race yet this season, but a driver below him in the standings has.

Trackhouse Racing Team's Daniel Suarez is currently riding streaks of six straight finishes outside of the top 10 and three straight finishes outside of the top 20. But because he won the race at Atlanta Motor Speedway in February, he is slotted in higher than Briscoe when it comes to the provisional playoff standings, even though his point tally only slots him into 17th.

Richard Childress Racing's Kyle Busch, who sits 15th in the point standings, is currently the 16th and final driver above the playoff cut line for that reason, sitting just one point ahead of Briscoe amid what has been a very rough start to the season for the two-time champion.

Unfortunately for Stewart-Haas Racing, Briscoe is their only real playoff threat of any kind at the moment, shy of an upset victory. First-year Stewart-Haas Racing drivers Josh Berry and Noah Gragson find themselves in 23rd and 29th place, respectively, while second-year driver Ryan Preece sits in 26th.

Had Preece and Gragson not been issued 35-point penalties earlier in the year, they would be in a 21st place tie and 24th, respectively, with Berry behind both of them in 25th.

Suarez is the only winner currently outside of the top 16 in the point standings. The next lowest is Joe Gibbs Racing's Christopher Bell in 11th place. Bell won at Phoenix Raceway last month.

Texas Motor Speedway is scheduled to host the next race on the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series schedule this Sunday, April 14. Tune in to Fox Sports 1 at 3:30 p.m. ET for the live broadcast of the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400. Begin a free trial of FuboTV today if you have not already had the chance to do so!