Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen shook up the playoff standings drastically. Here’s where the bubble drivers stand with one race remaining in the Round of 16.
11. Chase Briscoe (+6)
Briscoe was the highest finishing playoff driver on Sunday (sixth), and went from well below the cut line coming into the weekend to just above it going to Bristol. Anything can happen at the Last Great Colosseum, but Briscoe has shown the speed to continue Stewart-Haas Racing’s Cinderella run into the Round of 12.
12. Ty Gibbs (+6)
A 22nd-place finish is less than ideal for Gibbs, but finding himself in position to make the second round in his first Cup Series playoff run is a good sign. Next week’s race at Bristol will be a defining moment in Gibbs’ young career, and could determine how he handles pressure moving forward.
13. Denny Hamlin (-6)
Few fans had Hamlin being eliminated in round one, but after two lackluster races, elimination at Bristol is certainly possible. Hamlin was involved in two crashes on Sunday, and a lack of speed shows that even if the No. 11 team can make it to the second round, they aren’t a true threat at the moment. The good news? Hamlin has won the last two races at Bristol, including last year’s Round of 16 finale.
14. Brad Keselowski (-12)
Road courses continue to be Keselowski’s kryptonite in 2024, as two pit road penalties doomed the 2012 champion to a 26th-place effort. Bristol has always been a good track for the veteran, and it’ll take a repeat top-five effort like his run in the spring for Keselowski to continue chasing his second championship.
15. Martin Truex Jr. (-14)
With just eight weeks of full-time racing remaining in his career, Truex almost seems to be mentally checked out already. The No. 19 earned stage points at Watkins Glen, but a 20th-place finish puts Truex in a difficult spot at Bristol. Truex has never won at Bristol, though he finished runner-up at the track in the spring. If there was ever a time for the 2017 champion to break through in the Tennessee hills, it’d be Saturday night.
16. Harrison Burton (-20)
Nobody saw Burton doing much of anything in the postseason, but only being 20 points back isn’t awful for a driver who was last in points for much of the year. A flat tire with 11 laps to go contributed to a 24th-place finish for Burton, who needs to drive the best race of his life at Bristol in order to keep his championship hopes alive.
