Monday’s FireKeepers On line casino 400 at Michigan shook up the NASCAR Cup Sequence playoff grid in an enormous means. With solely two regular-season races remaining, here is the place the sector stands.
13. Martin Truex Jr. (+77)
A Twenty fourth-place end at Michigan was removed from splendid for Truex, however he held serve within the standings. Until a brand new winner is topped the victor at Daytona — which is at all times a risk — Truex has an opportunity to lock himself into the postseason and go into Darlington worry-free.
14. Ty Gibbs (+39)
The final month has seen a rash of mechanical failures for Gibbs, however a robust third-place end extends Gibbs’ hole to the lower line and provides him some respiration room because the circuit goes to Daytona. The primary Cup win for the 21-year-old appears to be getting nearer by the week, however activity No. 1 ought to be making the playoffs.
15. Chris Buescher (+16)
Legendary basketball coach Jimmy Valvano could be pleased with Buescher on Monday, as regardless of being concerned in a crash on Lap 116, he battled again to seize a much-needed sixth-place end and transfer himself right into a extra snug place. Nothing is ever assured at Daytona, but it surely ought to be famous that Buescher gained the summer season Daytona race a 12 months in the past. A win on the World Heart of Racing this 12 months would lock Buescher into the playoffs for the second 12 months in a row.
16. Ross Chastain (+1)
Chastain was in line for a possible top-10 run on Monday — till NASCAR extra time resulted within the No. 1 automotive pinballing off its opponents. Chastain ended up ending twenty fifth, and is now solely within the playoff by the slimmest of margins.
17. Bubba Wallace (-1)
If not for being proper behind Kyle Larson when the 2021 champ spun proper in entrance of him, Wallace seemingly would’ve completed contained in the top-10 and located himself on the precise aspect of the lower line. As an alternative, his top-five automotive ended up broken, leaving Wallace to limp to a Twenty sixth-place end. One level might be made up in a single second at Daytona, and with Wallace’s superspeedway prowess, it would not be a shock if he scored his third Cup Sequence win on Saturday.
18. Kyle Busch (-93)
Busch, and everybody beneath him, will want a win over the subsequent two races to make the playoffs, however the No. 8 crew displaying indicators of life within the Irish Hills was a really optimistic signal. Busch rode a superb automotive and wonderful technique to a fourth-place effort on Monday. Search for him to be mixing it up at Daytona on Saturday evening, as that’s his finest shot to make the Cup Sequence playoffs.
