DARLINGTON, S.C.: The margin between the last driver currently eligible for the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs and the first driver out is a mere 21 points.
But that could change as quickly as a Cup car can pick up a “Darlington stripe” in Sunday night’s regular-season finale, the Cook Out Southern 500 at historic Darlington Raceway (6 p.m. ET, USA Network, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
At the conclusion of Sunday’s race, 16 drivers will have claimed Playoff spots. Heading into the race, 13 have won positions via victories. Two more — Martin Truex Jr. and Ty Gibbs — hold reasonably safe points positions.
But that 16th and final Playoff points position is still very much up for grabs. Roush Fenway Keselowski driver Chris Buescher holds that 21-point advantage over 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace and is 27 points up on Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain.
Those three drivers have legitimate opportunities to shake up the points standings. Of course, a first-time season winner ranked lower than Chastain in the standings would automatically take a position and perhaps eliminate all three from contention.
Notably, Wallace will start from the pole on Sunday after posting the fastest lap in the final round of qualifying.
Buescher, Wallace and Chastain agree it’s frustrating to be points-chasing in this final week of the regular season instead of having already wrapped up a Playoff position by winning a race.
None of them has ever won a NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington. Chastain is the only one with any Darlington trophy, having claimed the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series win at the track this Spring.
“We didn’t expect to be in this position and unfortunately, it’s where we’re at, but I am pretty confident in what we’re able to do at Darlington and what we’ve had as an organization this year at RFK that as long as we do everything we need to, we’re going to be in good shape,” said Buescher, who has four top-10 finishes in 14 Darlington starts.
Chastain, who spent most of the season above the Playoff cutoff line, was equally disappointed to be in his situation. He has three top-five and eight top-10 finishes in the No.Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet with a best showing of fourth place at Las Vegas in March. He’s had two top-10 finishes in 10 Darlington NASCAR Cup Series starts.
“I’d say surprised (to be in this precarious position),’’ said Chastain, who will start 22nd Sunday night. “If you would have had me fill out a bingo card at the start of the season, I wouldn’t have dabbed this block for sure.’’
“I just know the best way that we can ensure it is to win,’’ he added. “We’ve had opportunities to win the Southern 500. We’ve had opportunities to win a couple of races in the spring and fall here in a different series.
“That’s my goal. The math says we can do it either way, but my preparation and my mentality — and it’s been this way in Cup since the very first spring race that I came here in 2021. I left here that weekend and thought we can win a Cup race at Darlington one day, and that thought hasn’t left my mind since.”
As for keeping up with his closest competitors during the race, none of these drivers wanted to be distracted by constant and ever-changing updates.
“I’m not going to ask for silence, but no, I don’t need the updates either if it’s not significant,’’ said Buescher, who will roll off 10th on Sunday. “Ultimately, it’s just a distraction from what we need to do to go race. It’s just a different mindset going into these scenarios as we look at playoffs here.
“When you’re in the car, and I’ll speak for myself, I’m not completely aware of the race scenarios and everything that’s playing out, and I don’t really need to be if it’s not something that I can affect the outcome of,’’ he added. “There will be a time and place for that and maybe that’s towards the end. ”
Source: Holly Cain & Reid Spencer | NASCAR Wire Service
