Four races stay within the Cup Series common season and time is operating out for the playoff-hopeful drivers.

There are seven drivers inside 60 factors of the cutline. Bubba Wallace has put probably the most distance between himself and elimination by scoring stage factors early at Richmond whereas Ty Gibbs has moved to inside one spot of the playoffs.

One change befell greater than 100 factors above the cutline. Chris Buescher received on the Virginia observe and solidified his spot within the playoffs. He was greater than 100 factors above the cutline, however he erased any doubt that he will likely be considered one of 16 drivers competing for a championship.

The actual shakeup occurred under the cutline. Rookie Ty Gibbs moved up a number of spots whereas AJ Allmendinger and Daniel Suarez misplaced out on factors.

The Bubble:

fifteenth: Bubba Wallace (+54)

Season stats: 22 begins, six top-10 finishes and 4 high fives. Five DNFs. Finished twelfth at Richmond however scored 16 factors within the first two levels.

Best alternative to win: Two major tracks stand out as choices for Wallace – Michigan and Daytona. He completed second behind Harvick at Michigan in 2022 after profitable his first profession pole, and the Toyotas have been sturdy with 4 within the high 10 on the Irish Hills.

Daytona stands out as a consequence of Wallace’s historical past as a superspeedway racer. He has a win at Talladega and 4 top-10 finishes at Daytona. This contains three runner-ups (2018, 2021, 2022). Wallace will simply need to keep away from the large one that can probably happen on the two.5-mile observe.

sixteenth: Michael McDowell (+18)

Season stats: 22 begins, 5 top-10 finishes and one high 5. One DNF. Finished twenty second at Richmond with no stage factors.

Best alternative to win: McDowell has a number of tracks the place he might capitalize and win his approach into the playoffs. Watkins Glen and Indianapolis are two examples. McDowell posted top-10 finishes at each tracks in 2022, and he has been constantly sturdy on highway programs within the Gen 7 period.

McDowell additionally has previous success at superspeedways. He received the 2021 Daytona 500, which was considered one of his eight top-10 finishes in 24 begins.

sixteenth: Ty Gibbs (-18)

Season stats: 22 begins, six top-10 finishes and one high 5. Two DNFs. Finished fifteenth at Richmond with three stage factors.

Best alternative to win: Gibbs achieved success at highway programs within the Xfinity Series. He received at Road America, Daytona, and Watkins Glen. He has restricted highway course expertise in Cup, however he completed ninth at each Circuit of the Americas and Chicago.

Gibbs will make his second profession begins at Watkins Glen and Indianapolis after the journey to Michigan. He completed seventeenth at Indianapolis and twenty sixth at Watkins Glen final season whereas changing an injured Kurt Busch (concussion).

18th: AJ Allmendinger (-22)

Season stats: 22 begins, 4 top-10 finishes and one high 5. Three DNFs. Started from the rear after lacking apply and qualifying to race in Xfinity at Road America. Finished twenty seventh.

Best alternative to win: Allmendinger’s focus will likely be on the highway course races. He received Kaulig Racing’s first Cup race at Indianapolis in 2021 after which he completed seventh on the observe final season. He has one Cup win at Watkins Glen (2014), and he completed second behind Kyle Larson final season.

Daytona is a possible alternative for Allmendinger. He completed sixth there in February, and he has seven profession top-10 finishes in 20 profession begins.

nineteenth: Daniel Suarez (-34)

Season stats: 22 begins, six top-10 finishes and two high fives. Four DNFs. Finished thirty third at Richmond with no stage factors.

Best alternative to win: The highway programs are the apparent alternative for Suarez. His first profession Cup win was at Sonoma Raceway final season, and he has three high 5 finishes in 5 begins.

Michigan may very well be an possibility for Suarez. He completed high 5 in each 2019 races whereas driving for Stewart-Haas. Suarez completed twenty fifth at Michigan final season for Trackhouse Racing, however he additionally scored 9 factors in stage 2.

twentieth: Chase Elliott (-40)

Season stats: 15 begins, eight top-10 finishes and 5 high fives. Two DNFs. Finished thirteenth at Richmond after scoring seven factors in stage 1.

Best alternative to win: Elliott has 18 profession Cup wins, so there are a number of tracks the place he might break by and safe his spot within the playoffs. Watkins Glen is an apparent alternative with Elliott posting 4 straight top-five finishes (two wins).

Michigan is one other observe the place Elliott might contend for the win. He has top-10 finishes in 10 of his 12 Cup begins. This contains three straight runner-ups in 2016-2017. His worst end at Michigan is twentieth in 2019.

twenty first: Alex Bowman (-42)

Season stats: 19 begins, six top-10 finishes and three high fives. One DNF. Finished 18th at Richmond with no stage factors.

Best alternative to win: Richmond was a primary alternative for Bowman based mostly on previous success, however he completed outdoors the highest 10 as all 4 Hendrick vehicles struggled. Now Michigan turns into his focus. He has three top-10 finishes on the two-mile observe in 13 begins. He completed ninth at Michigan final season.

The Owners Bubble Watch

While Elliott is twentieth within the driver standings, the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet is 14th within the proprietor standings. Bowman is twenty first within the driver standings whereas the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet is seventeenth within the proprietor standings.

Michael McDowell is sixteenth within the driver standings whereas the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford is 18th within the proprietor standings.

Why there’s a distinction: Bowman and Elliott missed out on driver factors in the course of the races they missed as a consequence of accidents. The two Hendrick Motorsports entries continued to attain proprietor factors as alternative drivers managed them. Josh Berry contributed three top-10 finishes and one high 5 whereas driving each entries.

Why this issues: The driver’s championship will get probably the most consideration. It provides to legacies and bolsters Hall of Fame resumes. This championship is one which the followers bear in mind whereas celebrating their favourite drivers.

The proprietor’s championship is extra essential from a monetary perspective. NASCAR makes use of the proprietor standings to find out the end-of-the-year payouts. This additionally correlates to the worth of the constitution. The higher a automobile performs over a span of three years, the extra useful it’s. The most up-to-date season has the largest impression.

Take the No. 11 of Joe Gibbs Racing for example. Denny Hamlin has put the entry within the playoffs each season since 2016 when the charters have been launched. The 11 has not completed worse than eleventh in any season of the constitution period.

14th: No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports (+87)

Drivers: Chase Elliott (15 begins), Josh Berry (5 begins), Jordan Taylor (one begin) and Corey LaJoie (one begin)

Season stats: 22 begins, 10 top-10 finishes and 6 high fives. Two DNFs.

fifteenth: No. 47 JTG-Daugherty Racing (+40)

Driver: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Season stats: 22 begins, seven top-10 finishes, two high fives and one win. One DNF.

sixteenth: No. 23 23XI Racing (+32)

Driver: Bubba Wallace

Season stats: 22 begins, six top-10 finishes and 4 high fives. Five DNFs.

seventeenth: No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports (-32)

Drivers: Alex Bowman (19 begins) and Josh Berry (three begins)

Season stats: 22 begins, seven top-10 finishes and three high fives. One DNF.

18th: No. 34 Front Row Motorsports (-36)

Driver: Michael McDowell

Season stats: 22 begins, 5 top-10 finishes and one high 5. One DNF.

nineteenth: No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing (-54)

Driver: Ty Gibbs

Season stats: 22 begins, six top-10 finishes and one high 5. Two DNFs.

twentieth: No. 16 Kaulig Racing (-58)

Driver: AJ Allmendinger

Season stats: 22 begins, 4 top-10 finishes and one high 5.