By David Morgan, Associate Editor
TALLADEGA, Ala. – Two wild card races down, one to go.
The finish line of the second round of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs is in sight now that the Yellawood 500 at Talladega is complete and only the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL remains to determine which eight drivers will be moving on to the next round with their title hopes still intact.
Chase Elliott is the only driver that is truly safe in the Queen City next weekend, having won Sunday at Talladega to secure his placement in the next round. The same cannot be said for the remainder of the Playoff contenders.
From second to seventh in the standings, those drivers hold double-digit points advantages over the cut-off line, but even that might not be enough when it comes to the chaotic nature of Cup Series road course racing.
Ryan Blaney is in the best position of those drivers, carrying a 32-point surplus into next week, followed by Ross Chastain (+28), Denny Hamlin (+21), Joey Logano (+18), Kyle Larson (+18), and Daniel Suarez (+12).
From eighth on back, it’s a free-for all.
Here’s how it all breaks down:
Chase Briscoe – No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford (Tied for eighth and final transfer spot)
Briscoe held a seven-point advantage coming into Talladega and while he lost that advantage to fall into a tie with Austin Cindric for the final transfer spot, it’s almost like a win for the driver of the Stewart-Haas Racing Ford as Charlotte lies ahead to settle which of the two will be moving on.
Briscoe is no slouch on road courses, explaining that he and Cindric have had their battles on track, dating back to the Xfinity days and next weekend should be another one for the books between the two.
“Almost every Xfinity race at the ROVAL, it was me or him that was going to win and then Allmendinger came in there,” Briscoe said. “I’m used to racing him. I know it will be a fair, clean fight there.
“He’s not the only guy we’re racing. We’re racing the 24 [Byron]. If one of those guys below us wins, it’s going to obviously be hard to move on. We’re going to go there and score as many points as we can. Hopefully win the race. Whatever the points are at the end is what they are.”
Austin Cindric – No. 2 Team Penske Ford (Tied with Briscoe)
The 2022 Daytona 500 champion is still in the hunt after Sunday’s race at Talladega as the series heads to a track that is one of his specialties – the…
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