With the first portion of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs over and done with, a new set of drivers is now set up for the hot seat.
After Ty Gibbs, Martin Truex Jr., Brad Keselowski and Harrison Burton found themselves on the wrong side of the cut line following a snoozefest of a Bristol race, the Round of 12 could be the most pivotal point in this year’s Playoffs. It’s still wide open.
However, there are some results to key in on. From former champions to fan favorites, everyone has a different hand to play this round, especially this weekend at Kansas. These are the drivers with the most heat on them coming into the Round of 12.
Daniel Suarez
Daniel Suarez limped across the cut line following a 31st place finish at Bristol, which resulted in him making good on every single point he gained with a second -place Atlanta finish earlier in the round.
Atlanta might be turning into a favorite for Suarez, but this weekend’s venue certainly is not. Suarez has only managed a pair of top-10 finishes in 15 starts at Kansas. Suarez comes in behind the 8-ball, and it will take arguably the best Kansas race of his career to move him beyond that point if he wants to change those circumstances (plus a little luck).
William Byron
The summer from hell has rolled into the fall for William Byron, and no amount of throwback paint schemes or honoring Jeff Gordon is going to fix it. Byron is reeling off of a 17th-place finish at Bristol.
Similarly to Suarez, Byron has the tough task of needing to get the monkey off of his back at a track where he’s had little recent success. In last year’s Kansas Playoff race, Byron came home in an utterly mundane 15th place. That might get the job done in the Round of 16, but not this go around.
His Hendrick teammates are finding speed all over the place (see Kyle Larson last week for reference), so why can’t Byron? Something hasn’t been clicking all summer long, and despite the belief by some fans the team would hit itself out of the cold streak, that day hasn’t come yet, and there are no signs of it doing so any time soon.
Austin Cindric
On paper, Austin Cindric has had a solid playoff run so far in the No. 2 Ford Mustang. He notched…
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