NASCAR Race Mom: 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Driver Playoff Outlook

Thursday, August 10, 2023

2023 NASCAR Cup Series Driver Playoff Outlook

Playoff Streaks In Jeopardy: Several drivers need to win to get into the postseason

With Four Wins - William Byron Sits On Top of Playoff Standings

Looking at the NASCAR Cup Series 2023 Playoff standings outlook, several big names are below the cut line and with just three races left in the regular season the pressure to earn a spot in the postseason is mounting.

Rolling into this weekend at Indianapolis, three former NASCAR Cup Series champions – Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski and Chase Elliott, another eight former Playoff drivers – Michael McDowell, Daniel Suarez, Alex Bowman, Austin Cindric, Aric Almirola, Erik Jones, Austin Dillon and Chase Briscoe, plus another three former Cup Series winners – Bubba Wallace, A.J. Allmendinger, and Justin Haley make up the 20-driver field of eligible competitors still looking for a spot in the NASCAR Cup Series 2023 Playoffs.

2023 NASCAR Cup Series Driver
Playoff Outlook Following Race No. 23

#	Driver	Pts	Starts	Wins
1	William Byron	703	23	4
2	Martin Truex Jr.	799	23	3
3	Kyle Busch	649	23	3
4	Denny Hamlin	742	23	2
5	Kyle Larson	662	23	2
6	Chris Buescher	639	23	2
7	Christopher Bell	677	23	1
8	Ross Chastain	656	23	1
9	Ryan Blaney	642	23	1
10	Joey Logano	636	23	1
11	Tyler Reddick	609	23	1
12	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	530	23	1
13	Kevin Harvick	663	23	0
14	Brad Keselowski	651	23	0
15	Bubba Wallace	541	23	0
16	Ty Gibbs #	486	23	0
17	Michael McDowell	483	23	0
18	Daniel Suarez	481	23	0
19	AJ Allmendinger	462	23	0
20	Alex Bowman	442	*20	0
21	Austin Cindric	433	23	0
22	Chase Elliott	431	*16	0
23	Justin Haley	414	23	0
24	Aric Almirola	405	23	0
25	Ryan Preece	397	23	0
26	Corey LaJoie	379	23	0
27	Todd Gilliland	378	23	0
28	Erik Jones	365	23	0
29	Austin Dillon	341	23	0
30	Harrison Burton	323	23	0
31	Chase Briscoe	289	23	0
32	Ty Dillon	220	23	0

*Granted a Waiver by NASCAR

The four drivers currently occupying the four open transfer spots on points in the Playoff outlook are Kevin Harvick (+180 points), Brad Keselowski (+168), Bubba Wallace (+58) and rookie Ty Gibbs (+3). Harvick has made 16 appearances in the Playoffs (tied with Denny Hamlin for series-most), including the last 13 postseasons consecutively – the longest active streak of consecutive appearances.

Front Row Motorsports’ Michael McDowell dropped out of the 16th spot and into 17th place in the Playoff standings outlook following his 24th-place finish at Michigan, and now sits three points back from Joe Gibbs Racing’s rookie Ty Gibbs.

“We had a good run at Michigan and we need a good one at Indianapolis as well,” said Gibbs. “We just need to keep having good finishes and we can get in the Playoffs. We want to win, but we need good finishes if we can’t win.”

Behind McDowell is former road course winners, Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suárez in 18th only five points back from Gibbs in the final transfer spot on points, and Kaulig Racing’s A.J. Allmendinger (-24 points), who won at the Indianapolis Road Course in 2021.

But the biggest name below the Playoff cut line and approaching a must win situation, is the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion and Hendrick Motorsports’ driver Chase Elliott, currently 55 points back from the postseason cutoff. Elliott’s streak of seven consecutive Playoff appearances is in jeopardy with just three races to go in the regular season. In Elliott’s two starts at the Indianapolis Road Course he has finished fourth (2021) and 16th (2022).