Sunday’s Go Bowling on the Glen at Watkins Glen Worldwide turned the primary race in 20 years of NASCAR’s playoffs by which no playoff driver completed inside the highest 5.
Chris Buescher received in an thrilling end, passing Shane van Gisbergen on the ultimate lap. For the facility rankings, although, it is laborious to say what to make of Sunday’s motion when so most of the prime title contenders raced poorly.
With that in thoughts, we nonetheless rank the sector with one race remaining within the Spherical of 12, the Bass Professional Outlets Evening Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday.
1. Tyler Reddick (Final week: 1)
The dangerous information for Reddick is that he was concerned in a number of incidents at Watkins Glen and completed twenty seventh. The excellent news is that each of the 2 drivers instantly behind him in final week’s rankings have been wrecked on the primary lap. Actually, no person even within the prime 10 of these rankings completed higher than twelfth Sunday. With a 30-point cushion over the cutline, Reddick ought to be protected in Bristol barring catastrophe.
2. Kyle Larson (Final week: 4)
Larson is the aforementioned driver who completed twelfth on the Glen, overcoming vital adversity within the course of. He was penalized on pit street and spent a lot of the race with less-than-ideal observe place, however per week after crashing early on in Atlanta, he maximized his consequence and can enter Bristol a stable 26 factors to the nice at a observe the place he is had loads of success.
3. Christopher Bell (Final week: 3)
Bell made lemonade out of lemons Sunday, ending 14th after suffered harm on Lap 1 in a large pileup. He averted the late restart chaos and enters Bristol 46 factors to the nice. That is the perfect place of anybody in addition to Joey Logano, who locked himself into the subsequent spherical together with his Atlanta win.
4. Ryan Blaney (Final week: 2)
Blaney certified deep within the discipline in Watkins Glen, and it proved to be pricey when his race ended with terminal harm from the stack-up on the primary lap, inflicting him to complete final. Fortunately for Blaney, all of the factors he amassed in Atlanta got here in helpful for the defending collection champion. He stays 29 markers protected.
5. Chase Elliott (Final week: 5)
Elliott stays lurking simply outdoors the highest tier of title favorites. He did not have the dominant sort of exhibiting that he is had at Watkins Glen in years previous, ending nineteenth after being broken on one of many late restarts, however it was nonetheless a greater day than a lot of his playoff opponents skilled. He’ll head into Bristol 30 factors to the nice.
6. Joey Logano (Final week: 7)
Logano was taking part in with home cash on the Glen after his Atlanta win, and had an up-and-down afternoon filled with technique gambles earlier than finally ending fifteenth. He and his crew may afford the chance, however what he won’t be capable to afford is the ire of his former teammate, Brad Keselowski, who Logano acquired into and value precious factors to depart Keselowski in a foul place getting into Bristol. He’d higher hope that does not come again to chew him later within the playoffs.
7. Ross Chastain (Final week: 11)
Chastain has been on a mission the previous two weeks after lacking the playoffs. He had one of many strongest weekends on the Glen, successful the pole and main 51 of 92 laps en path to a fourth-place end. The considered Chastain racing with nothing to lose for the remainder of the yr is proving to be an inconvenient wrinkle for the playoff drivers to cope with so far.
8. William Byron (Final week: 6)
Additionally concerned within the late wreck with Keselowski was Byron, whose automotive acquired on prime of Keselowski’s. Each drivers have been amazingly capable of end the race, although Byron did so a number of laps down and completed thirty fourth. It isn’t the consequence he wished whereas making an attempt to defend his 2023 Watkins Glen win, however on the intense aspect, he is nonetheless 25 factors protected getting into Bristol.
9. Denny Hamlin (Final week: 8)
Hamlin is the driving force who Byron and others are being in comparison with points-wise within the above paragraphs, as he finds himself beneath the cutline after his second consecutive dismal exhibiting. He suffered harm in two separate incidents, together with one on the primary lap of the race, and needed to scrap and claw to a Twenty third-place end that leaves him six factors again of Ty Gibbs and Chase Briscoe. Hamlin will want an enormous evening in Bristol, and fortunately for him, he has received the previous two races there.
10. Ty Gibbs (Final week: 10)
Talking of Gibbs, it wasn’t the best day for Hamlin’s teammate both as he completed simply forward of him in twenty second. Gibbs picked up stage factors to assist himself, however he cannot be feeling snug about his factors scenario getting into Bristol at solely six markers forward of Hamlin. There would by no means be a greater time for the second-year driver to lastly break into victory lane than subsequent week, as he is led upwards of 100 laps in every of the previous two Bristol races.
11. Chris Buescher (Final week: not ranked)
Chastain was removed from the one non-playoff driver making noise on the Glen, as Buescher turned the sixteenth totally different driver to search out the win column in 2024 after his thrilling last-lap cross on ringer van Gisbergen. It does not do him a lot good within the large image, however it retains him proper with Chastain within the battle for “better of the remaining” factors honors. It should be an thrilling battle between the 2 of them the remainder of the way in which, with Chastain presently eight markers forward.
12. Kyle Busch (Final week: 9)
Busch’s sizzling streak lastly ended at Watkins Glen after Corey LaJoie spun him to set off the accident on the primary lap. He spent the remainder of the afternoon nursing his automotive round to the end, doing so in thirtieth place to snap his run of 4 consecutive top-10s. He is greater than 100 factors behind Buescher and Chastain, so it is all about breaking into the winner’s circle in some unspecified time in the future in these last eight races. He is accomplished that eight instances at Bristol, however he has struggled there since becoming a member of Richard Childress Racing.
13. Austin Cindric (Final week: 16)
It is a small pattern measurement, however Cindric is without doubt one of the hottest drivers within the Cup Sequence throughout the playoffs. He backed up his sturdy Atlanta run with a Tenth-place consequence on the Glen after beginning fifth, and is in a greater place getting into Bristol than anybody in addition to Logano or Bell, 43 markers forward of Hamlin. Simply as he did in 2022, Cindric ought to safely advance out of the primary spherical.
14. Chase Briscoe (Final week: NR)
Briscoe bounced again in an enormous means after his early crash in Atlanta, ending sixth to prime all playoff drivers in Watkins Glen. He had a robust automotive all race, incomes himself stable stage factors and placing him above the cutline in a tie with Gibbs at six factors away from Hamlin. He’ll nonetheless have his work reduce out for him in Bristol given how good Gibbs and Hamlin are there, however he made his job Saturday evening rather a lot simpler.
15. Daniel Suarez (Final week: 15)
Suarez had a roller-coaster of a day, beginning off sturdy earlier than spinning into the gravel after which ending thirteenth after preventing again from a lap down. Given the struggles of many different playoff drivers, he is in stable place getting into Bristol at 36 factors to the nice. He ought to be capable to breathe straightforward Saturday.
16. Carson Hocevar (Final week: NR)
It is time to give Hocevar his flowers. He has flirted with getting into the rankings at just a few totally different factors this season and eventually makes it after a career-best third place on the Glen. It was no fluke, both, because the rookie ran inside the highest 10 for a lot of the race, which is changing into a extra widespread incidence all through the season. He is in good place to win Rookie of the Yr.
Dropped out: Bubba Wallace, Brad Keselowski, Alex Bowman
