Monday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan shook up the NASCAR Cup Series playoff grid in a big way. With only two regular-season races remaining, here’s where the field stands.
13. Martin Truex Jr. (+77)
A 24th-place finish at Michigan was far from ideal for Truex, but he held serve in the standings. Unless a new winner is crowned the victor at Daytona — which is always a possibility — Truex has a chance to lock himself into the postseason and go into Darlington worry-free.
14. Ty Gibbs (+39)
The last month has seen a rash of mechanical failures for Gibbs, but a strong third-place finish extends Gibbs’ gap to the cut line and gives him some breathing room as the circuit goes to Daytona. The first Cup win for the 21-year-old seems to be getting closer by the week, but task No. 1 should be making the playoffs.
15. Chris Buescher (+16)
Legendary basketball coach Jimmy Valvano would be proud of Buescher on Monday, as despite being involved in a crash on Lap 116, he battled back to grab a much-needed sixth-place finish and move himself into a more comfortable position. Nothing is ever guaranteed at Daytona, but it should be noted that Buescher won the summer Daytona race a year ago. A win at the World Center of Racing this year would lock Buescher into the playoffs for the second year in a row.
16. Ross Chastain (+1)
Chastain was in line for a potential top-10 run on Monday — until NASCAR overtime resulted in the No. 1 car pinballing off its competitors. Chastain ended up finishing 25th, and is now only in the playoff by the slimmest of margins.
17. Bubba Wallace (-1)
If not for being right behind Kyle Larson when the 2021 champ spun right in front of him, Wallace likely would’ve finished inside the top-10 and found himself on the right side of the cut line. Instead, his top-five car ended up damaged, leaving Wallace to limp to a 26th-place finish. One point can be made up in a single second at Daytona, and with Wallace’s superspeedway prowess, it wouldn’t be a shock if he scored his third Cup Series win on Saturday.
18. Kyle Busch (-93)
Busch, and everyone below him, will need a win over the next two races to make the playoffs, but the No. 8 team showing signs of life in the Irish Hills was a very positive sign. Busch rode a good car and excellent strategy to a fourth-place effort on Monday. Look for him to be mixing it up at Daytona on Saturday night, as that is his best shot to make the Cup Series playoffs.
